Standing There (Love in the Park Book 1)

by C. M. Steele

  Her eyes narrow and she bites out angrily, “You’re a part of the security team. I saw you at the graduation, but I didn’t put it together until right now. By the time I saw you yesterday it was dark.”

  “You’ve got me there. But this is between her and I, and it has almost nothing to do with the security.”

  “Almost?”

  “Yes, I saw the photo her brother sent, and I knew that one day I’d marry her. Okay? This isn’t about security even if she needs it. It’s about the way I can’t stop thinking about her or how she looks at me like I’m a fucking king.”

  “Okay, but I’m giving you a day to tell her the truth. I’m not going to let this go, but I know if she finds out before then, she’ll bail on you. You seem perfect for her.”

  “Thanks. I will do my best to make her happy, always. As soon as she forgives me.” We hear the water turn off and end the subject.”

  “Now would you like a refill on your coffee?”

  “Hell yes.”

  “Okay, you know where the kitchen is.” She walks off into the bedroom with a little attitude. She’s good for Lindsay, so I’ll let that shit slide. I should let her in on Brent, but I’m betting she wouldn’t believe me.

  I get myself another cup and check my messages. They are suddenly blowing up. Shit. Stewart tried to attack Brent. He got off a shot to his arm, grazing it this morning as he left for work. I sent someone to watch Brent for his own safety. One thing I’ve learned over the years is that they don’t hesitate to attack people closest to you. My guy is coming to watch Katherine while I take Lindsay to my house for safe keeping. My phone rings while both girls are in the bedroom. It’s fucking Brent. Shit. I step out into the hall and look around.

  “Hey, get her out of there. Take her somewhere safe, please—both of them. I know he’s going to come looking for her, and he’s not going to stop. Which means taking anyone out that’s in his way.”

  “I will. I’ve got to go. I’ll message you. Take care.”

  They both come out of the room, and I’m frozen to my spot. Lindsay looks incredible. She has on a pair of dark blue jeans that hug every inch of her slight curves. And her top is a pale blue that fits snuggly on her breasts. My mouth is watering, but I don’t have time to wait. He was driving around here last night, and she needs my fucking protection before she needs my cock.

  “Hey, Katherine, why don’t you come with us?”

  I can see Lindsay looks pissed off. I’m not sure why, but she lets me know where her mind is going and it’s not fucking good. “This isn’t some threesome thing,” Lindsay tosses out completely angry.

  I drag her back into my arms, hating that I have to lie about it all including her brother, but her safety is the most important thing to me. “No, no it isn’t. Silly woman. I have an impromptu meeting today that I just took a call for. I’m going to be busy for a little while at the house, and I want you to have your partner in crime around.”

  “Fine,” she mutters.

  I wrap my arms tighter around her, then whisper, “I wasn’t planning on fucking my baby into you until tonight anyway. But I promise to make it up to you.” I suck gently on her earlobe. “You’re mine, and I promise to make you come over and over again for the rest of our lives.”

  “Come, you can have your date pick you up at my home later,” I tell Katherine. She already knows something is up, but now is not the time.

  “Sure, let me get my things.”

  Lindsay raises her brow, then looks back at the bedroom door where Katherine went into and said, “That was easy. I guess she doesn’t trust me being alone with you.”

  “That’s because I’m the big bad wolf and I want to eat you up, sweet Lindsay,” I say, pulling her to me and lowering my head. I have to taste those smiling lips. The feel of her softness melds onto my firm mouth. A feathery gasp escapes creating a small parting between her lips. I slip my tongue inside, tasting her minty tongue. Her hands clench onto my biceps before moving around my neck.

  “Um…” Katherine scoffs out. I pull back, but not before stealing another peck. “Damn, I hope I’m not in for a day of that.”

  “My home is large. You can get lost.”

  Lindsay smacks my arm lightly. “Don’t be mean.”

  “Sorry, you can lose yourself on how large it is. I hope you do.” I wink and grab Lindsay’s hand, leading them out the door. I look first, but I try not to be overt about it.

  My guy is waiting on the corner near my SUV, and Lindsay says, “Damn it, I told him to send his minions running. His protection squad is so obvious.”

  “Would you do this to your sister?”

  “Yes, I come from a very wealthy family. She has a guard with her every day, and she hates his guts.”

  “I totally get it. I’m sure they’re going to follow us to your house.”

  “That’s fine. I don’t care. They can’t get in my gate unless I let them in, so it doesn’t matter.”

  “Where do you live?” Lindsay asks.

  “About thirty miles from here.” Once we’re all nice and buckled in, I pull out into traffic. My guys have doubled up the security since they know he’s on the hunt.

  “We didn’t get to talk a lot yesterday, so please tell me more about you,” she begs.

  “I have three sisters two of them are in college in Florida. You met Casey; she’s only seventeen and lives with my parents.”

  “Heck, I realized that I don’t know how old you are.”

  “I’m twenty-six. I graduated from Northwestern University when I was twenty and have been working for the family company since. I have a degree in computer sciences. I’ve been single for longer than I can remember. Let me see, what else can I tell you about me? I spend most of my free time watching television. I have an obsession for Forged in Fire and American Pickers.”

  “Do you make your own blades?” Katherine asks from her perch between our seats and her hands on our headrests.

  “No, but I have a friend that does. Although I wouldn’t trust you with a damn butter knife.”

  “What the fuck ever. I wouldn’t trust me either. Great perception,” she acknowledges proudly, sitting back in her seat and nodding her head. Brent has got his hands full with that one. “We should stop off and get something to eat. I’m freaking starving.”

  “How are you, babe? I’m sure you’re getting hungry.”

  “I am.”

  “Okay, do you ladies have a taste for anything? It’s only ten-thirty. Do you want breakfast or something else?”

  “Breakfast,” Katherine says.

  “Lunch,” Lindsay says.

  “How about we go to the house, I’ll give you the menus, and you can order what you want.”

  “Sounds like good eating to me,” Katherine chimes in from the back.

  “Does that work for you, babe?”

  “Yes.” We drive for another ten minutes before hopping off the expressway. My phone hasn’t been going off the hook, but it rang once. And I’m glad as fuck, I turned off the Bluetooth in the dash before picking her up because when we park, I pull out my phone and see it was from Brent.

  “We’re here.” I enter the code from my SUV, opening the gate and letting it close behind me the second we’re behind the iron.

  “Wow, are you like fucking serious? This is your place?” Katherine remarked from the back. My focus rests on Lindsay, hoping she likes her new home. Because from today on, this is what it is.

  “Damn, somehow I hadn’t pictured this.”

  “Do you like it?”

  “It’s beautiful and huge. You don’t have a secret wife on vacation or something, right?”

  “No, of course not.” I crack up at the ridiculousness of where her mind went.

  “Sorry, it just looks like it’s meant for a large family.”

  “Good, because that’s what it’s for.” I take her hand and bring it to my lips, kissing the backside and looking pointedly at her my intentions on full display. I wanted to start o
n the family tonight.

  I take her hand and lead them into the house. Once inside, my phone rings again. I ask them to excuse me. This call I have to take.

  Chapter 10

  Lindsay

  He walks away, and I’m mouthing, “Oh my God.” I wonder what his family business is because this place is a freaking mansion. Katherine’s eyes are bugging out. We both come from a decent amount of money, but this dude is super rich. It’s unfathomable. This has to be well over a million dollars for this house.

  “Wow, girl, you hit the jackpot. This guy has it all. Well almost all. You don’t know if he’s packing yet.” She winks at me.

  “You are so out of your mind. Is that all you think about?” I ask, running my hands along the marble countertops. The kitchen is massive in size, larger than I’ve ever seen, but it looks unused. My mind isn’t in a much better place. I’m here with my eyes closed picturing several boys coming into the kitchen calling me mom and asking if they can help bake a cake.

  She leans forward, tapping me on the nose. “Well, I know it’s what you were thinking about last night. You called out his name like six times. I hope he’s that good for your sake.”

  “Bullshit,” I challenge. I hope I didn’t do that when he got there. I would die right here.

  “Don’t believe me, but I’ve got the video. It only catches the middle two. I couldn’t stand around and watch you. It’s a little weird, even for me.”

  “Why are you messing with me?” She walks around to my side and pulls out her phone and plays the video for me. I think I’ve just died.

  We both don’t hear Roman come behind me until he utters, “Fucking hell, I want that deleted.” I want the floor to open up and swallow me whole. “But first send it to me.”

  He wraps his arms around me, kissing my neck. “Come on let’s get some food. You’re going to need your strength because I plan on making you say my name over and over again until you pass out.”

  We order some food, then Roman says, “Look around. I’ll be back before the food arrives.” He kisses me gently, then leaves the room.

  “Seriously, if I wasn’t here, I’m sure he would have you spread out on this surface doing naughty things to you.” I roll my eyes at her, but damn, I’m thinking the same thing. She spins around the room, wistfully saying, “Dude this kitchen is insane. Tell me you’re in love with it.”

  “It’s a fantasy kitchen for sure.”

  “Let’s go snoop around.”

  We leave the kitchen and into the main foyer. It’s almost as large as the kitchen and has two winding staircases that lead to the second floor. We decide to walk around them which leads to an open family room with one of the largest screens I’ve ever seen. The sofa was it’s equal spanning the two sides of the wall and deep enough to lay comfortably on.

  “Seriously, I might be wrong about the jackpot thing. A guy with all this large equipment may be overcompensating for some not so large equipment.” She arches her brow and nods.

  “Shut it.”

  We keep walking and see the backyard which is enclosed by the same fencing that’s around the front. It’s huge, and there’s an in-ground swimming pool that’s calling my name. Although, I’m not going to ask to go in it with Katherine here. The stinging jealousy I’m feeling hasn’t let up, and I’m not sure why. The bell rings, and Roman comes out of the study right on the side of the left staircase.

  “Ladies, the food is here. Do you want to eat in there?” he asks, pointing to the family room we were just in. “Or would you prefer in the dining room?”

  “Family room for sure. It looks so comfortable,” Katherine utters, closing her eyes and smiling to herself. I give her a scowl that she doesn’t see, but Roman doesn’t miss.

  “I think it’s best that we eat in the dining room. I don’t want you making a mess on my furniture,” Roman laughs and walks to the door to get the food.

  We take a seat, and Roman starts handing out our meals. They have a diner that had both types of meals, so we didn’t need to order from two restaurants. Katherine digs into her food like she’s starving, but I’m around the man of my dreams, literally and I’m nervous.

  “Lindsay, aren’t you hungry?” she asks. I give her a “shut the fuck up” look, but she’s not paying attention to me. “Come on, you heard your rich man here, you need your strength.”

  “That doesn’t mean I have to inhale my food.”

  “Well, I’m starving.” I shake my head and eat without stuffing my face.

  “The house is huge,” I say offhandedly.

  “Is it too big?” he questions with a bit of concern over my opinion.

  I shrug because I actually love it, but I didn’t know what else to say. My nerves are on edge. All I can think about is the way he swallows his food. My eyes have moved to his neck several times. It’s totally nutzo, but I can’t stop myself. I take a drink of my pop, then say, “It’s not my house. I think it’s perfect, but it must be hard to clean.”

  “I have a service come in, but I haven’t had this place long. I bought it a year ago, but I’ve only just moved in this month.”

  “Why?”

  “Most of my business kept me at the office, so I took forever to move out of my condo.”

  “It’s a beautiful home,” I remark.

  “Thanks, babe. I’m so glad that you think so.”

  “Well, I’m full and feeling like a third wheel. I’m going to go lay down on that awesome sofa.

  “I’m done as well.” I couldn’t eat another thing because my mind has been on Roman and how much I want him to take my innocence.

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes. How about we go somewhere to talk?”

  “If we go anywhere to talk I’ll have your thighs around my face and I sure as hell won’t be doing the talking.”

  “Ah,” I gasp, clenching my thighs. Fevering need begs me to demand we’re alone, but I have a feeling that if Katherine’s awake, she might interrupt.

  “Give it time, beautiful. Then I’m going to show you what you do to me.”

  We clean up the mess and dump in the trash. He steals a peck, then takes my hand and leads me into the family room.

  “Ooh, I love this movie.” The first Avengers movie is on, and it’s one of the best in the series, in my opinion. He sits down and pulls me to his side while Katherine rests on the other side.

  By two in the afternoon, the movie is over, and Katherine is passed out on the lounging sofa. Throughout the movie, his hands have been moving up and down my arm and through my hair. All of the stimulation made me bold. I look up at Roman because somehow my head made its way to his chest. “Kiss me, Roman,” I say.

  He smiles and lowers his head, claiming my mouth. I moan and deepen the kiss, sliding my hands over his chest. He growls and flips me onto my back, pinning me with his strong body to the sofa with my arms above my head. I can feel him, and yes, I must have hit the total jackpot. I arch my hips up, dragging them across his cock, wanting more and searching for a way to get it. He pops off me and stands. The loss feels instant and brutal, but it doesn’t last long because I’m lifted into his arms and being carried away up the right staircase and to the bedroom on the right.

  “I’ve got plans for you, but no audience is welcome.” He sets me on the bed, gently. He crosses his arms and grips the hem of his shirt, lifting it off his body. A strange sound emanated from me. It was a cross between a purr and a moan, but he loves it. Roman moves to stand in between my thighs. His hands cup my face, rubbing his thumbs over my cheekbones, sending heat through me before he kisses me. I’m breathless, panting and hoping I can give him the pleasure I’m feeling, but our passion is to be delayed.

  The sound of sirens blaring hit my ears. Roman is on his feet, throwing his shirt on and pulling me up to my feet. “Shit, come with me, baby. I need to keep you safe.” He leads me out of the room and down the staircase to Katherine.

  “What’s going on?” I ask, starting to freak out. With
his hand in mine, he rushes me to Katherine, waking her up with a rough shake to her shoulder. “Get up. I need you to come with me.” She groggily gets up, then seeing our frantic faces, shakes off the sleep. “Roman, come on tell me what’s going on,” I whine.

  “Babe, I don’t have the time to explain.” He walks us through his study, hitting a button which opens a secret room. Once we’re in the room, he kisses me hard. “You’re safe in here.” He goes to the wall and enters a code which opens a gun safe. He pulls one gun out and cocks it, then grabs two more and packing them on his body. “I promise I’ll explain it all. I want you to know, whatever happens, I fell in love with you the second I saw you.” He’s out the door before I can say the same. I’m freaking out. Why would someone be at his gate? Then I notice the wealth and the danger must mean he’s a mobster. Fuck me, I’m in love with a freaking thug.

  “What’s going on?” Katherine asks. I toss her a shrug because I really don’t have an answer. Trying to get my emotions under control, I pace the room and go to the ten screens on the wall. They’re all facing places of entrance around the property. I gasp and step back after I see Roman with a group of men. He’s safe, but at the same time what I’m watching crushes my heart all at the same time. Standing there, next to what looks like a dead animal, are several of the guys I’ve had following me. He works with them. He’s just another one of my brother’s guard dogs.

  I walk away from the screens and look for somewhere to go, but they’re all outside. “I need to get out of here.”

  Katherine comes up to me grabbing hold of my shoulders and looks deep into my eyes, saying, “No, we have to stay.”

  “I can’t be here. I’ve been played again.” This time it’s so much worse than my ex-boyfriend cheating on me. I wanted Roman to mean everything he said to me.

  “Didn’t you hear what he told you?” she shouts.

  “Yeah, and he’s lied to me from the start.”

  “Well, hello, you’ve known each other for a whole day. Most people don’t even get more than the first name before fucking like bunnies. They say sex makes women fall faster for a guy that she already crushes on.”