Claude strolled into the coffee shop he had gone to with Paddy. A friend of his, a close buddy he regularly worked out with, Gillian Murphy, was with them too. His brother was most comfortable in the company of the beefy fighter although Claude was years younger than him. As they walked, heads turned appreciatively to follow Claude. With his big, muscular body and his cheeky smile, he looked handsome and enticing and many young girls looked at him, their lips parted. He was to meet Piers here later in the afternoon; something about a restaurant owner who was playing hard to get and not paying the dues he had to give the Mafia Don.The chunky young man sat down on a seat, his men closely monitoring the area, alert and watchful as ever. Paddy had his head down, zoned out, as always, his nose glued to the phone screen, thought Claude indulgently. Apart from the cane he used, no one would guess that he had been in a coma for a while.The young Delano lazily let his eyes trail over the peo
“We got a meeting with old man O’Deary here in ten minutes and I want to keep it simple.’From the corner of his eye, he noticed Paddy looking up in something like wariness and Piers felt a frisson of alarm. What had his hotblooded, impetuous younger brother done This time?His brother looked abashed.‘There was a girl…’ he began and Piers groaned.*Hours beforeNo amount of pleading and dire warnings from Gillian and Paddy, had stopped him from rising to his formidable height and lumbering in the direction of the girl. His gut twisted as he turned the corner and he saw the lean man with the oily black hair who had the girl pinned to the wall, his arm on her throat. He was speaking in some Slavic language while the girl was practically standing on her toes, struggling to breathe.Claude felt his fury rise. No man had the right to behave so brutally toward a woman, certainly not a girl. The two bouncers sneered as they saw Claude approach but their eyes shifted to the men behind Claud
Piers was smoking standing at the window, leaning a hand on the window ledge as he puffed away furiously. Ria was pacing furiously, occasionally snapping at the unfortunate Philippe who stood, his big frame in the doorway as he ran his hands through his hair, uneasy and upset.Tara sat by Claude who had just been ministered to by the ever-efficient Camille, and now he sported a band-aid over his nose and his bruises had been washed clean and ministered to. The young girl who was rapidly growing to be a beauty, with her fresh-looking skin and large grey-blue eyes, was tenderly holding her brother’s hand as she sat by the bed. Lou and Dom had disappeared. They had been tired by the long flight from the Continent and Rudy was safely tucked in bed.‘What did he mean, how dare Pappa say something so nasty…?’ Ria was hissing at her twin who looked harassed and unhappy as he continued to smoke moodily. Piers never smoked before his parents but it was a habit he had developed of late to help
ProserpinaShe swept out of the room, still seething. Her lover’s eyes bored into her back as she stormed out, head held high, ignoring him.Lucien remained, talking to Tara and Ria, his darling daughters who were literally coddling him and then, as he saw Claude’s eyelids droop, he rose to his full height.Stepping closer to the figure on the bed, he growled,‘My son.’And bent his head to kiss the young man’s head lightly. The look of incredulous joy on the young man’s face tore at Lucien as he straightened. He had never done this since Claude grew up. Hell, he barely kissed his children! Claude grabbed his father’s hand, his voice breaking as he said,‘Pappa, I…I …never meant to make trouble…’Piers was standing on the other side of the wide bed, watching his father, and he interrupted.‘Pappa, Sir, we are always there with you.’Lucien looked up frowning.‘Pappa needs to sleep now,’ said Tara softly and Lucien looked down at his daughter fondly. She was the spitting image of her m
To give her credit, Aiyana did not seem to be at all judgmental. Her black eyes, keen and alert, were fixed on my face as she listened. Then she sat back, crossing her legs elegantly as she said,‘It’s true. ‘I blinked and asked,‘About…Yuri?’She nodded, her eyes on my face.I shuddered. I had once been kidnapped by one of Lucien’s greatest foes, a maniac called Dmitri Rudenko. He had displayed the same level of instability.Aiyana nodded thoughtfully, tapping her thigh. I wondered belatedly if she was wearing her weapon; she was always armed and ready for any eventuality. Now she headed her own security service which worked for the big corporate houses.But it was my feeling over how I had misjudged my husband that made me rise to my feet,I rose shakily as Aiyana looked up.‘I need to talk to Lucien,’ I said softly.I had misjudged him and yelled at him before we went to Claude. Now I felt engulfed in remorse.She nodded and I knew she wanted to say something but was in two minds
Later as they lay in each other’s arms, their bodies still damp with sweat after their passion-filled lovemaking, Lucien gathered her in his arms, and she snuggled into him, her small hand tickling his chest, licking his flat nipples.He growled a warning and she giggled as his hand clenched around her waist, tugging her closer to his hard, muscled length. Her small rounded stomach was digging into his side and he smiled slightly, as he thought of the eighth child growing in her womb.Proserpina sighed as she thought of her husband.With a sigh, she murmured softly, brown eyes luminous with a sheen of moisture as she whispered,‘I can’t think of a life without you, Lucien.’The seriousness of her words was clear and he met her gaze as she went on, dragging the comforter around her heavy breasts as she said softly,‘ When Philippe said that…’Alert immediately, he sat up on an elbow, and said, his voice threatening,‘What did that young fool tell you?’She sighed and moved to him on he
It took me a while to adjust to this idea which had been floated by Aiyana Laughing Water. In her clear, clinical way, she had put forth what she saw as the best solution. And I knew, as my eyes went over the harsh, craggy features of my husband, that he was already thinking about it.I stood up, pushing myself off my lover's lap awkwardly as I stuttered,“But…Claude…? He…will he…?”Lucien made a rude sound.“Woman,” he growled,” The boy has made it abundantly clear that he is attracted to the girl. And it beats him screwing around and impregnating some random woman.”My husband was, as always, explaining things in a practical, no-nonsense way, but I still hesitated.‘I need to think,’ I blurted, wringing my hands as I moved backwards to the door."It's…”Pushing the door open, I walked away, my thoughts in a whirl.Claude was so young! He was little more than a child to me…But then, I bit my lip and leant against the cool window pane, thinking.*Ria came into the room, leading Rudy
After Piers had expressed his outrage in a muted fashion, Lucien had put his foot down. Hard.“It is either that or let them kill him,“ he announced bluntly.That had got Piers's attention. He could not in his heart, think of giving his brother away to the Bratva for he knew how dangerous the large outfit was. But he also knew how the Russians would not hesitate to kill anyone who had appeared to dishonour their women.He changed tack.“Mumma?” he stuttered hesitantly."What about your Mumma?" growled Lucien, drawing his brows together in a fierce, threatening frown as he eyeballed his oldest son.“I mean…Sir…What does she…?” asked Piers bravely, although his father’s cold stare was making him sweat uncomfortably.Lucien grunted.“Your Mumma knows to trust me when it comes to the good of our children.’And the matter was ended with that pronouncement.*When the unsuspecting Claude returned late that evening, he was told to head to his father’s study immediately. Sweating profusely, t