“Will do,” he said. “Anything else?”
She took a deep breath. “No, that’s it. How have you been anyway? I haven’t seen much of you lately.”
His eyes glanced at his bedroom door then back to her. “I’ve been busy.”
She smirked. “I bet.”
“You want me to walk you out?”
She nodded. Pete walked her down to the street, holding the door open for her while he looked around quickly. “You shouldn’t be walking around this late on your own,” he told her.
Bridgette rolled her eyes, but she was smiling. “I’m fine, McKay. No one bothers me.”
“Just be careful, would you?” He leaned in and kissed her forehead, wrapping an arm around her for a quick hug.
“You too,” she replied poking him in the stomach. He watched her walk down the street until she turned out of sight, and then went back up to crawl in beside Dinah.
“Who was that?” she asked, her eyes still closed.
He kissed her shoulder, pulling her close again. “Just a friend.”
Roman had spent the last couple of nights watching Bridgette leave the Red Lounge and following her home. He knew it wasn’t right, but he was only doing it to make sure her father didn’t try and contact her. And to make sure she didn’t go anywhere near Lottey. Or so he told himself. Something inside him felt the need to ensure nothing happened to her. It was foreign and strange, and yet he couldn’t seem to help himself.
Tonight she had walked in a different direction. He followed like always, and stood across the street when she entered what looked like an empty, forgotten building. She wasn’t in there long when he saw the door open again, and none other than Chatty Cathy come out with her. Jealously and rage instantly boiled inside him. They smiled at each other, and the guy even kissed her on her forehead before she walked off.
He wasn’t even wearing a shirt. What had they been doing in there? Was she sleeping with him? He didn’t like the guy to begin with, but now he absolutely hated him. For whatever reason, his mind and body had decided that Bridgette was his. Even if Roman knew it couldn’t happen, for so many reasons he couldn’t even begin to list them, it still didn’t change the fact that he wanted her. Bad. The thought of someone else getting to be with her, touch her, feel her, had his head spinning.
He watched as the other guy stood outside until she turned a corner and then he went back in. Roman looked at the building for another moment before turning and heading back to headquarters. Dinah was working hard to get information from these guys, that one included. Unfortunately for her, she was going to have one less source to work with, because Roman was going to kill him the next chance he got.
Pete was having the best dream of his life. Warmth covered the right side of his body. Whatever it was, it felt right. Something tightened around his chest, pushing that warm feeling closer. Blinking against the morning light, his eyes opened to stare at the ceiling above him. The sky was a clear blue through the skylight, not a cloud in sight. He looked down to find his dream was reality. Dinah was tucked against him, her cheek resting on his bare chest. She looked younger like this, peaceful and relaxed.
He felt her smile against his skin, pressing her body closer to his. “What are you staring at?” she murmured.
“How do you know I’m staring at you?” he asked, biting back a laugh.
Her eyes opened, revealing the blue that always amazed him. How could anyone have such beautiful eyes?
“Sweetheart, you sure know how to make my morning a good one.”
“And how do I do that?” she said, her voice husky from just waking up.
“Just by being here in my arms,” he admitted, pulling her up to mouth. He kissed her, branding her as his. “What you do to me,” he said against her lips, resting his forehead against hers.
Lifting his head, he swept back the strands of hair sticking to her face and smiled. “How about some breakfast?”
Chapter Twenty
Two days of utter bliss had gone by. Dinah spent the mornings at headquarters, sitting in on meetings with Ludwig and Roman, only half listening most of the time. Ludwig didn’t seem to notice, but she got the sense Roman did. They were going over the usual stuff – food, weapons, reconstruction of certain parts of the city – all the things she didn’t care about anymore.
As soon as they were done she would leave and head over to Pete’s. Walking into his apartment and seeing his bright smile light up his face was like coming home. They’d spend the afternoons together, sometimes just talking, other times not talking at all, just enjoying each other. He had begun to mean so much to her, Dinah wasn’t sure how to deal with it. The idea that she could be falling in love with him seemed so ludicrous. But then he’d say or do something extra sweet, and her insides would melt, and suddenly the idea of love didn’t seem so silly after all.
She hadn’t said the words though. To put herself out on the line like that, her heart offered up for another person, was just too difficult. There had been many times when he was inside her, and their passion was at its highest, that the urge to say those three little words was almost unbearable, but she could never quite do it. What if he didn’t say them back? Or worse, what if he laughed at her, or looked at her with pity. The possibility was too gut-wrenching.
Now she was making her way to his place again, all the moments they shared together were flashing through her head like some movie. Pete would look at her sometimes, and she could see so many emotions in his eyes that her hopes would rise that he felt the same, but she just didn’t know. Technically they were still enemies, both in important positions on opposite sides of the war. What kind of love could possibly bloom from their situation? A love that would stand against all else? A love stronger than sides and alliances? Was it possible?
Dinah walked up the stairs to his place. As soon as she reached the top floor she could hear a number of voices inside. Pete didn’t expect her to knock anymore, so she simply opened the door and walked in. Trent, Garret, and Seamus sat around his living room, all leaning forward as they talked. The conversation stopped as soon as they saw her standing in the doorway. Looking at them, she remembered that the only reason she knew them was because she had been sent there to spy. What if Pete ever found out? Would he believe her if she told him everything had changed? That she wasn’t there for that anymore, but because of her feelings for him?
“There you are,” his smooth voice said from the kitchen. She turned to look at him just as he walked up and wrapped his hands around her waist. He kissed her gently on the lips, smiling down. “What’s wrong?” he asked, his brows scrunching up.
Dinah forced a smile. “Nothing,” she said.
“You sure?” he pushed, keeping his voice low.
Dinah nodded, popping up on the tips of her toes to plant another chaste kiss on his mouth. “Absolutely.”
“How’s it going, Dinah?” Seamus said.
She smiled over at them, dropping her jacket on a kitchen stool. “Just fine, Seamus,” she answered. Pete was busy cooking what looked to be a large meal. Pots and pans were out, the island scattered with chopped veggies. “What’s all this?”
“This is a special dinner for Trent,” Pete explained. “It’s his birthday.”
Dinah looked over at Pete’s older brother in surprise. “I didn’t know it was your birthday.”
Trent grinned modestly. “I don’t like to announce it otherwise I’ll have every man in the vicinity shoving shots down my throat.”
Seamus barked out a laugh. “My friend, as soon as we hit the pub, you better believe you’re getting shots shoved down your throat.”
“Really,” Garret said with a shake of his head. “If Seamus knows that’s pretty much the worst it could get. It doesn’t matter about anyone else. He’s the one who will kill you with alcohol.”
Seamus gave Trent a cheeky grin and a wink, lifting his cup up in a salute.
“Well, Happy Birthday, Trent,” Dinah said. “I hope you ca
n remember it tomorrow.”
“I don’t,” said Seamus.
“Sometimes I wonder why we’re friends,” Trent muttered.
“It’s McKay’s fault,” Seamus pointed at Pete. “Blame him.”
Dinner was delicious, just like everything Pete made. Dinah wasn’t sure how the man had learned to cook so well, but she was grateful. When they were done they headed out to Jack’s Beanstalk. Pete was going to perform tonight while the rest of them tried to give Trent alcohol poisoning. When they walked in, a number of people greeted Pete happily. Now that Dinah had the chance to see him sing, she understood why everyone loved when he performed. Not only was he nice to listen to, he wasn’t too bad to look at either.
“Happy Birthday, lad,” Jack, the owner, said as he came up to Trent with a shot already poured. “Bet you thought I forgot, didn’t you?”
Trent took the shot from his hand. “I was hoping,” he replied, tossing the drink back. His face made a grossed out look as he swallowed. “Terrible.”
The guys laughed, slapping him on the back. “Get used to it,” Seamus said gleefully. “There’s a lot more where that came from. Keep ‘em coming, Jack!”
The pub owner laughed. “Will do.” He turned to Pete. “You ready to play?” He glanced at Dinah then quickly back to Pete. What was that about? There was a strange expression in his eyes when he looked at her that she didn’t understand. They’d met before and he seemed nice enough to her. Maybe she was imagining things, she decided. Pete spoke to him for a bit and then they headed to their usual table. The man singing on stage nodded his head at Pete as they walked through the tables, not missing a lyric.
“What can I get you, since I think we’ve established you don’t like beer?” Pete asked in her ear.
“How about some wine?” she suggested.
“Coming right up.” He kissed her cheek and walked off. Dinah looked at Trent who still had that look on his face.
“It’s going to be a long night for you,” she said sympathetically.
“You have no idea,” he replied. “Will I get a dance for my birthday?”
She smiled. “Of course.”
Trent leaned in close. “You know, I never thought I’d say this, but I think my brother’s got it really bad for you.”
Dinah raised both eyebrows, surprised. “Oh yeah?”
Trent nodded. “He doesn’t normally hang on to girls for very long. I think it has to do with our mother stepping out when he was little. We’ve all had to watch Michael deal with it for our entire lives, but for some reason it was always harder on Petey.”
Dinah looked over her shoulder, finding Pete in the crowd by the bar. He hadn’t told her any of this before. Come to think of it, she couldn’t remember him mentioning his mother – ever. It hadn’t seemed strange to her, because she didn’t talk about her family either, but now that she was hearing this she was interested. “Why do you think that is?” she asked, turning back to Trent.
He shrugged. “I stopped caring a long time ago. Me and my dad aren’t that close because of it. I don’t have patience for people who won’t wake up and smell the coffee. Garrett just makes excuses for him, probably because he’s the baby, and Michael is the only parent he really knows. He was too young to remember our mom. Pete, I think he just tries to be the peace keeper in the family. The glue that holds us all together. He’s always been that way, but when it came to relationships of his own, he always ran from them.”
“Huh,” was the only response she could muster, looking back over the crowd. Pete was making his way toward them now, greeting people as he went.
Trent’s voice was closer to her when he spoke, his voice low enough so only she could hear. “I hope things work out for you two. Pete deserves to be happy.”
Dinah turned to look at him and smiled weakly. She hoped for the same. A glass of red wine landed on the table in front of her, making her jump.
“I hope you’re not whispering sweet nothings into my girl’s ear,” Pete said to Trent as he plopped down in the chair beside her.
“Absolutely,” Trent said with a smile.
The night was a blast. Pete was amazing, again. The guys all took turns dancing with her. At one point she begged to go back and sit down, and they finally agreed. Her feet were killing her, and her shirt was sticking to her back with sweat. While she sat and watched Pete, seeing how much he loved singing from the way his whole face lit up, and the way he’d interact with the audience, she decided that she was most certainly in love with the man. Well damn, she thought. Now what? Pete chose that moment to look over at her and smiled. She couldn’t even manage to return it as she panicked over the magnitude of feelings she had for him. Pete’s smile faltered a bit, hesitating before looking away from her. By the time he got off stage she had her anxiety under control and pushed deep down so she could enjoy the rest of their evening.
Trent was completely wasted when they left the bar. Dinah had never seen the usually collected and mature brother so loose and carefree. Seamus and Garrett struggled to keep him up as they walked back through the city streets. When she and Pete parted ways with them, heading toward his place, she was pretty sure Trent wouldn’t remember a thing after his tenth shot. He was going to feel sorry in the morning.
“Everything okay?” Pete asked, wrapping his arm around her shoulder as they walked.
She let her head lean on his shoulder, breathing in his familiar scent. “Everything’s fine,” she said.
They got home and headed to his bedroom without speaking. Both undressed and climbed into bed, instantly moving close. This wasn’t like their frenzied coupling, but a much slower, intimate one. Pete kissed every inch of her, her eyelids, nose, chin, corners of her lips, jaw, neck, everything he could. He took his time, worshipping her body.
Dinah let her hands run along his muscles, loving the feeling of his skin beneath her palms. The short, soft strands of hair tickled her hands as she reached up and grabbed his head, forcing him to come back up and kiss her mouth. They explored each other, their tongues not fighting like usual, but tangling gently in an intricate dance. She wasn’t sure what was happening between them, but in the back of her mind she wondered if this was what making love was like.
Afterwards, Dinah let her head rest on his chest, listening to the sound of his heart beating. Her finger tips trailed over his chest and stomach languidly while he did the same on her arm. She closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling.
“Can I ask you something?” he said.
“Hmm?”
He paused a moment, his hand still stroking her slowly. “Were you always an upper?”
Her eyes popped open. Sharing her past wasn’t really something she wanted to do, but on the other hand, if she really did love him she was going to have to be honest. The question was, just how honest?
“No,” she answered.
“You were a lower?” She nodded. He paused again. “Why did you join up with Ludwig?”
She shifted so her body was closer and started running her hand over his stomach again. What would he think of her if he knew the reasoning behind what she did? He deserves to know, she told herself.
“One day,” she said slowly, “the army came to the city where I lived and started tearing it to pieces. They came to my house, looking for my dad. I guess they’d heard from someone that he was part of the rebels, so they were coming to take him in. It was just my mother and I home at the time.” She took a deep breath. “Roman came in, asking my mom about my dad. I never knew he was a part of anything, so at first I thought they must just have it wrong. But I could tell from the way my mom was acting that there was definitely something going on.
She kept telling me to be quiet. I thought my dad would come, but he didn’t. He never showed up. I was so angry that I looked into my mom’s mind, trying to find the truth. I never did that to my family. I always respected their privacy, but the longer I knelt there, scared out of my mind with no sign of my father, the angrier I got. Sure enough
, I found out he was part of the rebels. And even my mom knew he wouldn’t be coming back. He’d left. Saved himself, knowing damn well his family would be in danger.”
Pete squeezed her arm. “I’m sorry,” he said, his voice hoarse.
“Don’t be, it’s not your fault. It’s his.” She sighed and rolled over onto her belly so she could see him better, propping herself up on her elbows. He laced his fingers through her hair, brushing it off her face and behind her ear. She closed her eyes, leaning into his touch. “Roman had asked if I knew anything and I answered, not realizing he’d just thought it, not spoken it out loud.”
“Shit,” Pete breathed. Dinah opened her eyes to meet his.
“I know,” she said. “My gift, as my family liked to call it, was our big secret and I had gone and let it slip to the worst person possible. Roman shot my mother and brought me to Ludwig that same day. I knew it was the only way I was getting out of that house alive. I’ve been with them ever since.”
Pete stiffened. “He shot your mom right in front of you?”
Dinah nodded. “You know what the sad thing is? I didn’t even care at the time. I’m not even sure I care now. A part of me misses her, but I’m still so angry that she was willing to let me die for the sake of my father. Neither of them cared about anything else but themselves. I still hate them both for it.”
“Is that why you stayed with Ludwig? Out of anger?”
Dinah hesitated then nodded. “The best way I could get back at my father and everything he stood for was to be the greatest weapon to his enemy. I wasn’t ready to die that day, and Roman saved me from it. I guess I’ve always felt like I owed him for it.”
Pete angled his head so he could kiss her gently on the lips. “I’m sorry all that happened to you.”
Dinah looked at him in surprise. “I’ve spent the last five years hurting your cause – why are you apologizing?” she asked.
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