by Cassy Roop
“Good. Maybe less drugs on street then. I sorry about your friend,” she said, referring to Kiki. Even though Kiki seemed to hold onto a lot of anger, I think she was just looking for someone to confide in. She obviously had other troubles that kept her from allowing people in, and I only wished that I could have offered her some comfort.
Things picked up at the café not long after so I didn’t have much time to dwell over the fact that Cardinelli was behind bars. My only fear now was that a full investigation would be launched against Andris and the clinic, then he could possibly go to jail as well. Even if his involvement with Cardinelli was inherited from his uncle.
Andris didn’t really commit any wrong doing. Did he write prescriptions to patients that didn’t need them? Yes. But how many other doctors in the world did that on a daily basis? Andris obviously was bothered by what he had to do, and if he had any say, I was sure he would have cut Cardinelli off completely.
I still struggled with the fact that Andris lied to me. I felt like I had been torn in two. I was still that one piece of paper that had been shredded down the middle, now I felt that the two pieces that were torn had now withered away. How does one get over not only one broken heart, but two?
My feet and back were aching by the time we got through our mid-afternoon rush of customers. I trudged through the pain to help the others get the diner cleaned up so that we could all take a break before the dinner rush was upon us. I was so busy sweeping up a pile of broken chips a child had spilled on the floor that I didn’t even hear the bell ring on the door.
I swept the chips into a dustpan and stood back up and turned around to locate the nearest trash can.
That is when I came face to face with Andris and the dustpan fell to the floor.
I HADN’T SEEN HER SINCE the day she came to the clinic to warn me. I wanted to go to Kiki’s funeral, not only to pay my respects, but just so that I could see her. But I didn’t want to give the police any ammunition to use not only against me, but to incriminate Nicola. I needed to lay low as much as I possibly could so that nothing could be dug up, and Cardinelli would stay behind bars for the rest of his life like he deserved.
God, she was devastatingly beautiful. My heart leaped, my chest seized, and my dick twitched just like it did every time she was in my presence. I missed her. Needed her. So I couldn’t wait any longer and decided to see her at the café. I needed to let her know that I knew.
“You saw the news report?” I asked as I gestured toward the TV. The café was quiet with only a few people inside, yet I almost felt the need to whisper. It was as if I raised my voice, she would disappear.
“I did earlier this afternoon.”
She broke out of her momentarily frozen state of shock by seeing me and bent down to sweep up the trash she had dropped when she turned around and saw me.
“I wanted to come by and tell you thank you.”
“For what?” She asked as she stood up, flipping her blonde ponytail over her shoulder and walking over to empty the dust pan into one of the trash cans.
“For the warning.”
“Oh. Well, I just wanted to give you a heads up.”
She began to walk away from me and I reached for her, closing my hand around her wrist. I could feel the frantic beat of her heart through her pulse point and it mirrored my own. The skin of my fingers burned where they touched her and it was unlike any fire you could possibly imagine. There was still a connection—a definite spark between us, and I wasn’t about to let this slip away.
Was I angry with her for stealing the script pads from me? Hell yes. Not because she actually stole them, but the reason why she stole them. Cardinelli had threatened her with something and she was forced to take them. She never would have done it on her own. I knew she loved me. I saw it in her eyes every time she looked at me. Just like the way I see it now.
I gave her wrist a gentle tug and pulled her closer to me to where we were nearly sharing the same breath. I let go of her wrist and reached up to cup her face in my hands assertively, but with a gentle touch. I needed her to understand and feel what I was about to tell her. There would be no wondering of her eyes, only focus on me. I wouldn’t have it any other way.
“Nicola, I know what you did, and I forgive you.”
I leaned in and placed a firm, but gentle kiss on her lips, and then released her before turning around and walking out of the café doors.
I know what you did, and I forgive you.
Andris’s words echoed in my mind as I watched him walk away. My feet felt cemented to the floor and my body heavy as the weight of his words came bearing down on me. You always hear about those cliché moments when someone has an epiphany, or the “light bulb” moment when their brain finally goes “aha!” and suddenly everything seems clear.
Well, those nine words from his mouth were my “aha” moment. I had concentrated on the fact that Andris had lied to me about Link for the last week, that I was too angry to actually see it from his side. When I took the script pad from his desk drawer, I did it to protect us. Mainly him, but me as well. If Andris were charged with drug trafficking, I could lose him. Families would be torn when it got out that I was an escort. Did I care in the beginning about all of that? No. Did I now?
Absolutely.
I became a new person the day Andris showed up on my doorstep. My mind was finally able to let go of the darkness inside and allow humanity in.
Andris did what he did to protect something too. His heart. Could I stay mad at the man I loved (yes, I still loved him) when he was only doing the same thing I did?
I made a mad dash out through the café doors, nearly trampling over Letta in the process. The cold air hit me in the face as I ran outside, looking down the sidewalk. I didn’t have a jacket on and I was freezing, but I didn’t want him to get away.
“Took you long enough,” he said, pushing off a wall behind me and approaching me. The smile on his face ignited my insides as he came to stand in front of me. He ran his hands along my arms and chill bumps formed, not only from the cold, but from his touch.
“Excuse me?” I asked, arching my brow at him, “How in the hell did you even know I would come after you?”
He laughed and his head tilted back in the process. He reached for the scarf around his neck and secured it over mine and I was enveloped in the scent of him. I inhaled deeply, praying he didn’t see me do it.
“I didn’t know. I just hoped. I can’t do this anymore, Nicola. I can’t go on and keep pretending that I can live my life without you. I can’t keep faking my way through my days only to rush home and beg my mind and body to fall asleep so I can finally be with you in my dreams. I’ll do anything you want me to, to fix this. To fix us. I need you.”
“How did you know it was me? I mean, how did you know I took the script pad?” I asked, lowering my voice slightly just in case there were wandering ears.
“You are the only one I have ever trusted enough to leave alone in my office. Then when you came to the clinic and warned me, I knew something was up. I didn’t piece it all together until the police showed me the forged prescriptions and I realized mine were missing.”
“Oh.”
“Nicola, what you did was stupid, idiotic, and downright dangerous. If you were in trouble with Cardinelli, you should have told me. You should have let me take care of it.”
“He was going to expose your involvement with the agency as well as with him. Not only would that affect you, the clinic, your employees, and me, but Lexie and the agency as well. I couldn’t let him do that. I’m a pretty tough cookie. I was handling him.”
“Promise me, next time you decide to go toe to toe with a crime boss, you tell me first?”
I laughed.
“Sure thing,” I replied as I saluted him.
“Now, there’s one more thing we need to discuss.
“What would that be?”
“Us. How we are going to move on from all of this shit between us.”
I
brought my ice-cold finger up to my lips, pretending to contemplate what he was saying.
“I think that can be arranged. I was so angry with you for lying to me, Andris. I want honesty. I want to know you completely. The good and the bad. And also if you don’t mind sharing me.”
“What? Hell no. There is no fucking way I am sharing you with anyone.” He said sternly and with resonation in his voice.
“Not even with Link?”
He smiled.
“Maybe with Link. I hear you have a small crush on him.” He said as he pulled me into his arms and enfolded me in his warmth. I breathed a sigh of relief and it felt as if my heart began to beat normally again.
“I love you, and he is a part of you.”
I tried to move out of his arms, but they only tightened around me more.
“Where do you think you are going?”
“Inside to get warm. My pussy lips are freezing together out here!”
He laughed and it was beautiful. Just like him. Just like us. We were beautiful together.
“I know of a much faster way to get you warm.”
He kissed me fiercely on the lips and grabbed my hand and we took off in a sprint towards his car.
It’s hot in here.
Too hot.
My body was smoldering and my legs trembled from where they were bound open. Luxurious silk was intricately entwined around my ankles and wrists.
I never grew tired of this. I never felt the flames of my desire diminish even the slightest bit with Andris. If anything, those flames only grew more and more until I was a racing inferno out of control.
It’s amazing how within a span of a year, I went from nothing into someone who now enjoys life. I smile. I laugh. And I still get pleasure.
Only now it is from one (sometimes two) men only. Andris lets Link come out to play every so often, and I love it when he does.
Just like now, as I lie naked and completely exposed to him. I could feel his warm breath dance over my clit, enough to let me know he was there, yet not nearly enough to swell the ache that grew by the minute.
“Say it and I’ll let you cum.”
I smiled from behind my blindfold. He had been playing this game with me for several long minutes now. As much as I was enjoying the torture he was going through, the torture he was putting me through was nearly unbearable.
His strong hands massaged my thighs as he leaned in and took one, long luxurious swipe up my center and paused on my clit before he pulled back again.
“You don’t fight fair,” I said as my breathing increased. I felt like a rubber band that was being stretched to the max. All it would take would be a release of his fingers or tongue to send me spiraling through the air.
“I never promised to fight fair. I only promised to give you an orgasm every day for the rest of your life, but you have to say it first.”
“Fine! Yes. I will marry you!”
“That’s my girl,” I felt his smile through his lips on my pussy. Andris’s lips assaulted my cunt to the point I was coming in only a matter of seconds. And when he unbound me and removed my blindfold, we stared straight into each other’s eyes as we made love.
They say love can move mountains. That it can power through all things. It is one of the strongest feelings in the world. It can help you overcome obstacles and it can heal. Love saved me from out of a darkness no one should ever have to experience. Love helped Andris overcome his own demons. Love brought us together. Even though I still had a hard time processing and understanding certain feelings, there was one thing I definitely knew. I was no longer VOID. I was now FILLED.
Other Books by Cassy Roop
The Price of Love
The Celtic Knot Series
Ashley’s Bend
Figure Eight
Triquetra
Axel Hitch
You would think after 6 books, this would be easy by now, when in fact it gets harder every time. I have been blessed to be able to pursue this dream and I wouldn’t be where I am if it weren’t for all the awesome people who helped me along the way.
Thank you to my mom for always having my back and helping me to believe I can do anything.
To my husband for the countless times he has took on the responsibility of watching our 3 spawn so that I can write or design. For always telling me I can do this when I want to quit sometimes.
To my street team, Cassy’s Lassies for being rock solid. You are a very special group of ladies and I love you all wholeheartedly!
My betas—for your honesty, your critique, and for calling me on my shit. Thank you for the late night chats and for the plethora of Stuart Reardon pics to keep me motivated.
Emma and Desi—I write the words, but it is the two of you who make them perfect. Your talent for the written word is remarkable and not only am I blessed to call you my editors, but my friends as well.
To Aleatha Romig and Harper Sloan for giving me the much needed confidence boost I was needing. The fact that you read (and loved) my book is astounding to me. I can tell you how remarkable it is that two of the top authors I look up to the most enjoyed something I wrote. Thank you!
My IndiePendent girls. You have been with me through the beginning and I couldn’t have picked a better crew to be on this journey with! I love you all dearly.
To my readers. It has been one hell of a year. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your love and support. I appreciate the pimps, the love, and the messages you send me telling me how much you love my stories. It is because of you that I keep my laptop open and the words flowing.
About The Author
Cassy Roop is a fitness goddess by day and romance author by night. When she isn't writing furiously on her next novel, she's making books look beautiful inside and out as a graphic designer. She has an unhealthy obsession with peanut butter, pedicures, and all things Les Mills group fitness. She has been known to juggle seven children at a time (not all hers!) and has on occasion been seen purchasing clothes that aren't athletic apparel (although rare).
She released her debut, The Price of Love, in March of 2014. The Celtic Knot Novels are her first erotic romance series and Books 1 and 2, Ashley's Bend and Figure Eight both reached #1 in Erotic Thrillers on Amazon. Book 3, Triquetra, releases September 22, 2014 and book 4 the companion novel, Axel Hitch in December of 2014.
Coming Soon:
BattleScars—2015
Brothel—2015
All's Fair in Love and War- Military Romance- 2015
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