by Penelope Sky
“I already had a piece of cake, Dad,” I said, assuming he was directing me to the dessert table.
“No.” He guided me right to Ash. “I was getting to know this nice young man, and he’s a delight to talk to.”
Ash turned to me, his eyes serious but the corner of his lip slightly raised, like he knew exactly what my father was trying to do and found it amusing.
I found it a bit horrifying.
“He plays the guitar,” Dad said. “Why don’t you two…?” He pointed at us both before he ditched me—then grabbed another slice of cake from the table.
I watched him go with a sigh before I turned back to Ash. “He’s already had one piece of cake, which was too much. Now he’s going for a second, and he knows better.”
Ash held his glass of champagne at his side, filling out his clothes the same way Hades did. “It’s a special night. Let him celebrate.”
“I know, I just want him to live for all the special nights.”
He slid his hand into his pocket and looked at the floor for a moment, like he didn’t know what to say. “I’m flattered your father likes me enough to force his daughter into a very uncomfortable situation.”
I chuckled, liking his sense of humor. “Don’t be too flattered. I think he’s trying to marry me off fast now that my brother has settled down.”
“This is new for me. Not a lot of people are pushing me to marry their friends and sisters.”
“Why?” I blurted, finding him even more attractive than his brother.
He shrugged. “I’m not really marriage material. Maybe your father should have asked me that first.”
“I’m surprised he didn’t pull out a list of questions from his pocket.”
Now it was his turn to chuckle. “I don’t think you need help finding a man anyway. And I don’t need help finding a woman.”
He was definitely more arrogant than his brother, or just more honest. “Actually, I’m seeing someone.” We’d never established if we were in a relationship, and it would be smart to get out of it before it really turned into something. But when I was faced with a possible suitor, Heath was the only man I could think of. I felt obligated to state that he existed…because I was committed to him.
“Oh? Your father doesn’t like him?”
“No. Doesn’t know about him.”
“Does Damien know?”
“Yes, he’s not a fan.”
“Now I understand,” he said as he gave a slight nod. “Damien doesn’t seem to like anyone, so I guess that doesn’t surprise me.”
Well, this time, it was actually legitimate. “Thanks for putting up with my father. He sees a handsome man and immediately tries to play matchmaker.”
He grinned. “I am handsome, aren’t I?”
I chuckled before I took a drink of my wine. “I used to have a crush on Hades when I was young, and you look very similar.”
“I bet you would have had a crush on me instead if we’d met.”
I shrugged. “Maybe I would have liked you both.”
“Two men…that’s a lot for one woman to handle.”
I smiled. “Not for me.”
At the end of the night, we said goodbye at the door. Sofia and Hades carried their kids to the car and went home. Ash shook hands with everyone before he walked to his car at the curb outside. I was the last one to leave, giving Anna a hug. “Now, I get a sister. I’ve always wanted a sister instead of a brother.”
She laughed as she hugged me back. “I know you don’t mean that, but thank you. And thank you for being so kind to me since the beginning. The instant we met, you were so easy to talk to… You made me feel welcome. I really appreciate that.” She pulled away and gave me a slight smile.
“Well, I tend to like everyone unless they give me a reason not to.”
Damien stood there, watching us. My father had already gone to bed because he was wiped out after all the festivities. He had a distinct joy for life, but it made him burn out quickly. Damien came to me next, being a gentleman by walking me to my car outside since it was late in the evening. “Good call on the ring.”
“Told you,” I said when we were out of earshot. “If you gave her that candy ring, she probably would have said no. And if she didn’t, she should have.”
“It wasn’t that bad, but you’re right. She seems to really love it.”
“Damn right, she does.”
He stopped when he reached my car. “Saw you talking to Ash.”
“Yeah, I talked to everyone there.” I expected my father to push me onto somebody, but not my brother.
He didn’t say anything more about it, just stared at me with his hands in his pockets. He didn’t mention Heath just as he said he wouldn’t, but his gaze showed his disappointment perfectly.
“I hope you didn’t invite him just for my sake.”
“No. Ash and I have become good friends over the years. I was surprised Dad took such a liking to him.”
“Because Dad likes everybody.” I rolled my eyes.
“Not everyone.” The meaning of that statement was unmistakable.
I brushed it off. “Well, congratulations. I’m really happy for you.”
“Thank you. And thank you for being so good to her.”
“Of course,” I said. “Even if I didn’t like her, I would be nice to her—for you.” There was no double meaning to my words, but after I said them, I realized they could be interpreted in a different way. “You know what I mean…”
He didn’t say anything.
It would be easy for me to dislike Anna because she’d been married to the same man—twice. That relationship caused a lot of turmoil for my brother, put my family in jeopardy, even briefly held my own life in the balance. But that wasn’t how I judged people. I saw them for who they were, not their baggage. But maybe that kindness put me in the situation I was in now…
“Good night, Cat.” Damien turned away and headed back to the house.
I watched him walk away, already feeling the change in our relationship, feeling the change in everything. “Goodnight…”
Three
Heath
My ability to read people so well was one of the main reasons behind my success.
Along with my brute force, intelligence, and savage sarcasm.
And since I knew my woman so well, I could read her like she was under a microscope. There was definitely a barrier around her, a bit of distance that was still in place between us. I felt it diminish when we were together, when our eyes were locked and the love flowed between our hearts. But then it returned, subtly.
I decided to let her work it out on her own, not to question her in case it spooked her.
But she’d gone home for the weekend, and now it was Tuesday, and I hadn’t heard from her. No text. No phone call. Nothing.
I was too proud to chase after someone who didn’t want to be chased, but my patience was my weakness because I didn’t have any. If I had it my way, I’d burn her apartment to the ground and move her ass into my place.
But that wasn’t going to work on a woman like her.
She’d kick my ass.
And I’d enjoy every second of it.
When my patience had officially expired, I caved and texted her. Baby. That was all I said, that single word packed with an entire essay.
She texted back right away, those three little dots appearing. Sorry. Just been busy.
I didn’t like that excuse. Remember what happened last time you were too busy for me. I didn’t mean to threaten her, but threatening people was my entire life, and it just came out. I was frustrated she wasn’t there with me, that she wasn’t at least sleeping with me before she took off to take care of things.
The three dots didn’t show up in the message box.
Good. She better think about what I said.
The three dots appeared minutes later. I’ll be there soon.
That’s what I thought.
She walked in the door with her bag over her sh
oulder. Her makeup was gone, like she’d been at home doing nothing except drinking wine in front of the TV. Her hand moved through her hair as she set the bag on the kitchen island.
I didn’t rise from my seat on the couch. I leaned forward with my elbows on my knees, my gaze down on the table. I didn’t look at her as I spoke. “Don’t play games with me.” After a few heartbeats, I lifted my gaze and stared at her. In the last four days, I’d improved, the bruises fading further, the physical therapy helping. I was shirtless in my sweatpants, watching the game as I drank water even though I craved something better.
She stood in front of the counter, slowly crossing her arms over her chest like she was uncomfortable. She was in jeans and a sweater, looking constrained by all the clothes she wore. “I’m not playing games—”
“Then why haven’t I seen you in four days?” I rose to my feet and slowly came toward her, able to hold my frame perfectly straight now that my body had healed enough. My shoulders were squared, my back was rigid, and my ribs didn’t ache so much. “Why haven’t I heard from you?” I didn’t want to be a man who demanded all of her attention, but my intuition was never wrong. There was something wrong, something off.
She didn’t step back as I came closer. “I worked all weekend, and then my brother got engaged—”
“That’s not the answer I’m looking for.” I stopped in front of her, staring down at this beautiful woman with full lips, eyes like gems, and the sexiest little freckle. “Don’t waste my time. Don’t insult me either.” After she’d saved my life, I’d made a lot of assumptions, but every assumption was reasonable. “You’re either with me, or you aren’t with me. Leave and don’t come back…or stay. Choose—and stick to it.” I didn’t want her to choose the option I despised, but I also didn’t want to be with a woman who didn’t want to be with me. I deserved better than that.
She dropped her gaze to the floor.
“When you have a conversation with me, you look at me.” My hand moved under her chin and forced her gaze up, being aggressive rather than gentle. I was treating her like one of my men rather than the woman I loved, but sometimes it was hard to keep the two separate. I released her.
This time, she didn’t look away. “Everything happened so quickly. We never really had a chance to talk—”
“Then talk.” I didn’t like where this conversation was going—at all.
She was quiet for a long time, like she didn’t want to be honest with me, didn’t want to say these things to me. “I saved you because I love you. I saw you, and I just…acted. I was so angry with you for what you did, but my love triumphed my hatred, and I got you out of there…and I don’t regret it.”
I held my breath as I stared at her, actually afraid. Afraid that she would hurt me worse than she did last time.
“And I love you…so much.” She closed her eyes and her voice escaped as a whisper, like saying the words out loud consumed every drop of emotion her body could create. When she looked at me, a film of moisture was on the surface of her eyes. “There’s no one else I want to be with. You’re the man I want…forever.”
I still didn’t breathe because I knew that wasn’t the end of the conversation.
“But…I talked to Damien.”
I hated that motherfucker even more. I didn’t care about the destruction he’d inflicted on my body. Taking his sister away, the woman I loved, was a million times more painful than some broken ribs.
“I asked him to drop his crusade. He agreed.”
I finally released the air I was holding because my lungs couldn’t handle the stress anymore.
“But he told me he would never accept you, he would never approve of you, and neither would my father. You’ll never be a part of our lives, a part of our family. So, for every holiday, every major event, it’ll just be me…and not you. So, this has no future… We can never have a future.”
“Things change, Catalina.”
“Yes, but not this.” Her tears grew so large in size that they streaked down her cheeks.
“Hades and Damien didn’t speak for a long time. But they figured it out—”
“Totally different—”
“It’s not different. Damien made a lot of mistakes that caused terrible things to happen to Hades’s wife. He’s not so fucking innocent. He makes mistakes too. Time changes perspectives. Look how your perspective on me has changed. It takes time—a lot of time.”
Her arms tightened over her chest. “He’s not going to change his perspective—”
“Don’t give up on me.” I couldn’t lose her. I did it once, and it was unbearable. I’d handed myself over to Damien because I was so delirious. “Give me a chance. I can change his mind—eventually.”
She shook her head slightly.
“Baby, please.” The idea of obtaining Damien’s forgiveness sounded like a ton of effort and a pain in the ass, but I would work hard to make it happen—because she was worth it. “You told me you aren’t looking for a husband for a few years anyway. You’ve got time. Give that time to me.”
“I’ve thought about that too…but the longer I stay, the harder it’ll be to leave. And I can already see how things are different with my family. I can feel the awkwardness that wasn’t there before, even with Anna. You’ve been ostracized by my family, and now they treat me differently because of it. I don’t want to lose my family.”
“You’ll never lose them, baby.”
“But it’s not the same anymore. I can’t imagine you asking my father’s permission to marry me and him saying yes—”
Now I took a deep breath, feeling the pain in my lungs because I’d sucked in the air so fast. “You think about marrying me?”
She was quiet for a while. “No. I just mean hypothetically—”
“Don’t lie to me. Can you really walk away from the man you want to marry?”
She looked away.
“What did I say about looking at me?” I snapped.
She turned back to me, her nostrils flaring in annoyance.
“Don’t walk away from me. Not yet.” I wanted to chain her to my bed so she couldn’t leave. I wanted to take her away, start over somewhere new, just so we could be together. But she would never truly be happy—because she needed both of us.
She was quiet for a long time, breathing hard. “I want a husband who calls Damien a friend. That’s so important to me because my father won’t be around after another decade, and he’ll be all I have left—”
“Balto is all I have left too. I understand how you feel.”
She rubbed her arms like she was cold. “I want our kids to play together. I want us to be close. But if Damien refuses to acknowledge your existence, I’ll have to go over there alone with our kids and you can’t come and it’s just… I don’t want that. I want the four of us to be a family. I just can’t see that happening with you.”
“Right now, no. But in time, yes. I can make that happen.”
She shook her head like my suggestion was ridiculous. “The gypsy told me I would only love one man…and he would be an enemy to my family.”
“But she didn’t say there was no hope. She didn’t say things can’t change. She only told you one truth about your life—the rest is up for grabs. Look, I’m a man who can make shit happen. At least let me try.”
“If I get out now, it’ll be much easier than if I wait—”
“Let. Me. Try.” I raised my voice because my temper was starting to rise. “I lost you once, and I can’t do it again. I won’t fucking do it again.” I started to breathe hard, my body aching because of all the exertion I was putting forth. “All that shit with Damien just happened weeks ago. Of course he’s still angry. Fuck, I’m still angry. Let him cool off. Let the dust settle. Then, let’s try.”
She ran her fingers through her hair, clearly flustered by the risk she was taking. “Even if you’re successful, there’s still my father—”
“I’ll win him over too.”
“I-I don’t know about t
hat.” She shook her head. “And I need his blessing, even if he’s gone. I just can’t be with a man my father doesn’t approve of—”
“I’ve seen him with you, Catalina. That man is not bitter, cold, or selfish. He loves you so much, and there’s nothing he wouldn’t give you—if it made you happy. All you’d have to do is talk to him, and I’m sure he would be responsive.”
“And then Damien would talk him out of it again. His son’s opinion matters to him—”
“Then let me work on Damien.” I raised my hand to silence her. “I’m just asking for some time. I let your brother beat me nearly to death. I’m clearly willing to do anything to make this happen. Anything at all. So please…let me fucking try.”
She sighed quietly, closing her eyes for a few seconds as she considered the offer. She was still at odds with her feelings, still afraid to give me any chance because it would hurt her so much if it didn’t work out.
“We’re supposed to be together, Catalina.”
Her eyes focused on my face. “You said you didn’t believe in fate and stuff like that.”
“I don’t,” I whispered. “But I believe in this.” I moved closer to her, touching my forehead to hers, reminding her of the blinding feeling we shared so easily, so organically. “I believe in us.”
Her arms rested on mine, her fingers lightly pressing into my flesh. She stared at my lips for a few seconds before she closed her eyes, like she could hear the unison of our two heartbeats, feel the tightness of our souls as they wrapped together into a knot. “Alright…”
I sat on the couch, my back against the cushion with my knees apart, my bare feet on the rug. My hands were still at my sides, my hard cock against my stomach as I stared at Catalina in front of me.
Her sweater was somewhere on the rug, her bra on the coffee table, and after she got her jeans off, her thumbs slipped under the lace of her panties before she pulled them down. Her pussy was perfectly groomed, her little nub visible between the slit at the apex of her thighs. She pushed them down over her strong thighs, and when she released the fabric, they fell the rest of the way to the floor. She stepped out of them then came close.