I pulled back, realized the crying hadn't stopped and panicked. "What's wrong? Don't you want me anymore?" I asked, the scotch making me say stupid shit I wouldn't be brave enough to say otherwise. "Stupid. Idiot," she said with a sniffle. "Of course I want you. I love you, you big dummy. I will never not want you, Scott Brady.""Then you will be my princess tonight," I said, pulling back to start thrusting into her. "I'll give you a lifetime of I love yous."And I did. I rocked gently in and out of her, keeping my body pressed up against hers the whole time. Kissing her over and over. Only stopping to tell her how desperately I loved her again and again until my throat was hoarse from saying it. She cried the whole time, every so often assuring me that she was happy, wanted more and that she loved me too. Begging me not to stop touching her. Moving inside her. It was quiet and gentle, much like the way I fell in love with her. Nothing like the way we fucked once we realized what w
Jeff wasn't quick to respond. He probably never wanted to have this conversation anymore than I did. It's this shameful thing he did, involved me in and we just don't talk about it. Not when it was happening all around me for months. Not when he moved out. Never. When he did finally speak, I immediately saw red."Your mother and I—" he began."Nope, try again. My mother wasn't in that laundry room or in your marital bed when you fucked Melissa in it. Don't you dare put sticking your dick in someone else on her," I said, figuring now was the time to return to the bedroom to put my shirt on. After putting my shirt on, I sat down on the bed and pulled my phone out of my pocket, knowing that I had probably bought precious seconds with that bombshell. Using Jeff's mistakes against him also meant bringing shit up for myself and I was going to pay for it later. But now wasn't the time to dwell on how this was going to fuck me up or get caught up in what happened in this very bed last nigh
"Fuck," he cursed, backing away from me in shock. "I shouldn't have done that. What you said… shit. Let's just take a beat, okay?" "If I say no, will you punch me again?" I asked, holding onto my jaw, hoping for enough guilt to make sure he wanted to leave. I knew I wasn't leaving that room while he was still in it. He backed away some more and then turned around, heading for the door. So much for him being exactly where he needed to be. "No one comes in and no one goes out. Check in on him every five minutes until I get back. Do not underestimate him, Tanya," Jeff said to the older FBI agent by the door before he took off. I gave the women a dazzling smile to test the waters. One of the agents was Tanya, the woman I had pissed off in the interrogation room after the raid. She seemed to remember as she wasn't smiling back. The other, much younger redhead however, that I could work with. I winked at her and she instantly beamed back at me. "What's your name, sweetheart?" I asked,
"Okay, no more questions. Actually one more after I tell you to stop fucking touching me. Why are we in the same stall?" Kenny asked, slapping my hands away from his body."Some of us are trying to take a dump. Get a room upstairs," the guy in the stall next door said."There's literally a fire alarm going off, you dipshit. Get the fuck out," Kenny screamed back, banging on the wall."Okay, that's fair. No more touching. And all the other stalls are full. We lived together for years. I've seen it all, Ken. Get over yourself," I said, pulling my shirt over my head. "I guess we're trading clothes? Let's just hurry, okay?""Two FBI agents are never going to buy that I'm you. I only work out when you force me to. We have completely different body types as is apparent from the way I'm drowning in your suit. You're also noticeably more attractive than me. If we were in Teen Wolf, I
I sat myself down on a pew in the middle of the church. By now Don Angelo knew about the FBI auditing grandpa's company. The company in question was the closest Don Angelo ever got to going straight, when it was left to him in his father's will. My father wasn't a sentimental man, but it being the last thing his father gave to him made it special. So much so that he even kept it legit for a few years after it was bequeathed to him. Just like everything he touched though, it eventually became just another front for illegal activity. Still, to this day, it carries a special place in his stone cold heart. After a move like giving that to the FBI, he was going to find me no matter where I went. So I opted to make things easier on us both and put myself out in the open so he could find me easily. "Cute little trick, sending the feds to my doorstep," said Don Angelo, sitting down next to me ten whole minutes after I had put myself out there. That was him saying he already knew I was goi
It was a power play. His way of showing me he was on my side. He was trying to get into my head. Acting like nothing had changed and it was still me and him against the world. Can't let him in."I'm sorry," said Joey, glaring daggers up at me."Leave. I want to catch up with my erede," said Don Angelo, dismissing Joey with the wave of a hand.There's nothing quite like the illusion of a father's love. Being made to feel important, before the other shoe dropped. It was fucking with my head. I had crossed so many lines, betrayal after betrayal and he was still calling me his heir. It scared the shit out of me. Little tremors went through my hands and I grabbed a hold of one with the other."So, how's life? Do I need to save the date for graduation yet or are you still exploring? Did you enjoy seeing Jenny and your mother again? That is why you chose New York in the first place, isn't
"I'm calling about the hit I put out on Jenny," he said and my head whipped over to him in shock. "Job's off. Repeat, don't kill my daughter," said Don Angelo, his cold eyes staring dead into my soul.My hands shook uncontrollably in my lap and I knew I was pale in the face.What the fuck was all that drama if he was just going to have her killed? And why did he decide against it? Was he bluffing about putting a hit out on her to scare me? Or was it a double bluff and he meant for me to know that he was going to kill her and there was nothing I could do about it? Fuck, he was in my head."Relax, erede. She'll live. Just like the deer you refused to kill on our first hunting trip. Remember?" he said, patting my hands with one of his.When I was unable to pull the trigger, he acted like it was no big deal. Only to take me home and make me watch while he beat the living cra
I followed his gaze to where Scott stood, talking to Jenny. For the next few seconds, I stopped being able to hear and my vision became blurry. Then Scott looked my way and I became fixated on his brown eyes. Everything else just fell away.Fuck that handsome face, those dimples and the silver tongue that had probably convinced Jenny to let you in the door, Scott Brady.When I came to and broke eye contact, wanting to respond to Don Angelo, the father daughter dance was already being announced and he was going out to meet Jenny. Scott's gaze found mine across the room again and he broke out into a smile that made me weak in the knees. I wanted to end him for showing up here, but damn if it wasn't good to see him.We did a little dance of him trying to get to me and me avoiding him like the plague. The last thing I needed was to be seen with him. I tried texting his dad again.
I wanted to get us back on track, hopefully in time to propose in two days. That was probably wishful thinking, but I so desperately wanted her to be on the same page about us as I was. If she wasn't though, it would be okay. The proposal could wait. I just wanted my girlfriend back. Being so wrapped up in it all, I didn't even have the energy to see Kenny, despite having nothing but time. So when he called and said the engagement ring was ready, I was happy about seeing a friendly face. Even though we hardly spoke, I didn't like leaving her alone in the house for too long. Hanging out with Kenny and Marlene for an hour or two was probably okay though. I could always see Jeff tomorrow at lunch instead of meeting him for a drink tonight. I texted Stacy about where I was before I rang the doorbell. When the door swung open to reveal not just Kenny, but also Willow and my mom, I knew I was in for a bumpy evening. Willow and my mom hadn't called Stacy once
It had been a week since Stacy and I got back from Chicago. We were crashing in the cottage since it seemed to give her peace of mind. She was under house arrest, so she couldn't exactly change her mind now anyway. She went straight back to hitting the books after we slept for a day, only waking up to eat and drink. Their deal was still in limbo as we waited for Don Angelo to wake up, but Jeff still accommodated Stacy taking her exams as part of their arrangement. He sent over an FBI escort to take her to campus and bring her home after as needed. Adjusting was hard. For the first few days, every time I touched her, all I saw was that gun in her hand while she stood over Joey's still body. I kissed her head and laid my hands on her shoulders when I took her meals anyway. She didn't touch me back, but I could tell she wanted my presence. Expected it. Or maybe that was just wishful thinking. Either way, she had to eat and she certainly wasn't feeding herself. I had to
So much for not letting the emotions in. Scott could have died out there. I would have done anything to save him. To get back to him. Fuck anyone who said I did something wrong while saving him from Don Angelo and his henchmen. "They got to him just in time. Miraculously, barring any complications in surgery, Joey is going to live. He may lose a leg and possibly a testicle, but he'll live," he said, softening with the mention of Scott. I breathed a sigh of relief. There was so much blood, I was sure Joey was a dead man. Scott wasn't forgetting the images of me standing over a near lifeless Joey anytime soon, but at least I didn't kill him. That was a start. I knew I read you right, Jeff. You may have fucked up, but you do care about Scott, don't you? "Even if I could make everything else go away, you and your father are high profile criminals. The DA will push to try you for first degree murder if Don Angelo doesn't mak
"A deal is a deal. Give it to him," I said, sitting in between Luca and Scott while I waited to be interrogated by the great Director Brady himself. "Are you sure? Technically the deal was whoever brings you home gets the dead man's switch. He didn't—" Scott said, but Luca cut him off. "Here I was thinking we spent the last three days building trust. Is it even worth taking it?" he asked with a knowing smirk. "It's encrypted," I admitted, surprising my poor boyfriend, like he didn't have enough to deal with as it was. "Since when?" Scott asked in disbelief. "You know what? Whatever," he said, handing Luca the usb drive containing the dead man's switch. "Are you going to decrypt it for him?" "No. That's okay though. I'm fine with her being the next Don Luciano," said Luca, his eyes meeting mine. "What the fuck are you talking about?" asked an irritated Scott. "Don't be slow, S
Adrenaline flooded my body, making me numb to the core. Did she just get shot right in front of me? When I looked back up to confirm my suspicion, she stepped back from her father, tossed the gun in her hand aside and took the one in his hand from him. Don Angelo glared at her with shock in his eyes as he stumbled back and a blood stain spread on his shirt. "You, you shot me. You fucking… Shot me," he stammered, touching his chest where the bullet wound was before he dropped to his knees then fell on his back. "You told me to eliminate my weaknesses. This is the very last time you get to tell me what to do. I may be your weakness, but that also makes you mine. Bye daddy," she said, her voice soft and angelic before she turned on Luca and I and raised her gun in the air, aiming it in our direction. Only once she had that gun in the air did I realize what I'd been asking her to do. Kill for me. There was no other way I wa
I couldn't tell where he began and she ended as they tried to get into each other's heads. I couldn't read her. It fucking scared the shit out of me. She was as big a wild card as her father. Baby, don't. It's not over. As long as you don't pull that trigger, there's still a chance that Joey lives. No matter how small. Don't give up. "Well obviously no one will ever love you like I do," I carried on, still desperately trying to win her over. Still that night in Prague. I really showered her with love that night. That's why you let me fuck you, isn't it baby? You couldn't get enough of my I love yous and I would have said it forever to make you believe me if you needed me to. "That's it. I've indulged this shit long enough. Lorenzo, now you may shut him up," said an apprehensive Don Angelo. This earned me a blow to the shoulder with the back of Lorenzo's gun, which hurt like a bitch. It wa
"Clearly telling you I love you every day isn't enough. For some fucked up reason, you don't believe I will always love you, no matter what dumb shit we go through," I said, willing her to believe that that was as true today as it had been that night in Prague. Baby, remember how we brought down our walls for each other and you shared everything with me that night. Remember how we made plans together as partners. Come home and share with me again. Let me fix what he broke in you. No matter what, I'll always be your friend. A sharp intake of breath as she sought to hide her emotions. The outrage on Don Angelo's face said he noticed, despite her hooded eyes. "Look at what I'm willing to do to get us back to that. I'm sacrificing my only son to make you the best you can be. To make you strong again," said Don Angelo, his voice gentle and coaxing, like a loving father's. This was his fucked up way of saying he loved her, wasn't it? Using murder to try and bind her to you isn't sa
"Do you want me to shut him up, boss?" the guy behind me asked. "If you fucking touch him, I'll put a bullet in you," she said, her voice hoarse but stern. She still wouldn't look at me, but the words had my heart soaring with hope. "Oh that's hilarious. Do you actually think some boy with puppy dog eyes is going to make you any less my heir?" Don Angelo's poisonous voice filled the air, followed by a boisterous laugh. Don't focus on him. Focus on her. Don't think about being in a desperate tug of war for her love with the mad man controlling the guns. It only mattered that she was the one controlling him. Baby, how strong is your love for me? Is it stronger than his hold on you? "How many times do you have to hear that you're mine, baby? Obviously that includes this. Oh and I love you too," I said with a calm smile, blocking Don Angelo's presence out to lay my heart at her feet one more time. This one was a reference to a moment we had in the coffee shop where she worked
I thought back to Prague, when she didn't believe that I loved her. That was what my girl needed now. To believe she was loved, despite her holding her own brother at gunpoint. If I couldn't sell it, Luca and I were dead men. I didn't know if Luca believed what he said, but he was right. Don Angelo and Stacy weren't a them. Not yet. Not until she pulled that trigger. Whether Don Angelo knew it or not, despite him giving her orders, he gave her all the control. She was in charge. That was the cost of begging for her love. She took you over completely. Who knew better than me? This was her party. Luca, Don Angelo and I were just guests. What was it that got her to put away the dull eyes in Prague and believe then? I know I fucked her, but that wasn't it. She wouldn't have let me inside her if she didn't believe I loved her first. I could feel my heart beating in my chest as fear caught up with me and I finally opened my mouth to speak to her. Baby, please use your brilliant