by Kali Brixton
She lays there quietly with her eyes closed, her breathing steady. My button-down shirt is partially open, revealing her amazing body, which has somehow grown better with age. Those full breasts I used to worship with my tongue are still flawless. That stomach, soft and curvy, yet toned, highlights her gorgeous hourglass shape. And those firm thighs I used to have wrapped around my head often are still thick.
I reach down to my shirt and close the two front pieces together, even though I’d rather be looking my fill. I reach for her sheets and blanket when she stirs and calls out my name.
“Yes, Ev?”
She yawns long and hard, never opening her eyes. “Why wasn’t I?”
I pull the covers over her, a loud thud resounding as something hits the ground. “Why weren’t you what?”
She sloppily yawns again. “Enough for you.”
They say drunk men tell no tales, but even though I’m sober as a priest, there’s one thing I can say to her as she’s nodding off, which is the stone bitter truth. “It was never about you not being enough, Evergreen. It’s about keeping you safe.” I smooth her wild hair down as I drop my voice to a near-whisper. “Because you’re everything that matters to me.”
The only answer I receive back is a slight snoring sound. I want so badly to kiss her, but I don’t have a right to do that. Not yet anyway.
Lifting a prayer up, I hope to God this crazy idea will work out because Plan B’s no longer an option at this point.
15
Everleigh
It’s an interesting feeling, waking up to tiny elephants stampeding throughout your skull. Thank God we were off from school today, or else it would’ve been my first full absence since I began teaching. Glancing over at my nightstand, I see my phone plugged into the charger and a glass of water sitting beside a couple of aspirins on a napkin. I got absolutely shit-faced and Aaron was sweet enough to get me back here safely plus make sure I have what I need for a monster headache. The clock reads ten, well after Aaron’s start time at work, so I can’t call and thank him properly.
Bless his heart. That angel’s getting an edible fruit arrangement or something nice delivered to him this week.
Although, the thought of any kind of food is making my stomach queasy and my head pound harder. Ugh. I toss the pillow over my head, cursing every bottle of alcohol on the planet. I lay there in blissful misery until someone who apparently hates me pounds on the door, making me groan.
I put my feet on the floor, wishing I could teleport myself to the door and not have to walk the twenty steps to it. Looking around my room, I search for something to put on, but the sound of the door opening into my apartment filters through my ajar doorway, lighting my senses on fire.
Who the fuck just broke into my apartment?
I stumble toward my nightstand and the drawer full of condoms now hidden, reaching around my headboard for my Glock. Not on my watch, motherfucker. Tiptoeing toward the door, I ready myself to empty a clip into whatever dumbass decided this morning they’re willing to meet Jesus until Lia’s voice makes me breathe a sigh of relief.
“Luca?”
So much for relief.
I peer around the door frame, taking in his tan, muscular back and the way it flexes as he brings his hand to scratch his neck. “Hey, sis,” he yawns.
But why are they yelling so loudly?
“Dammit, can you all stop shouting?” I beg, the pounding returning after my momentary adrenaline rush subsides. Putting my Glock on top of the dresser by my bedroom door, I turn my attention back to Lia’s shocked gaze.
“Y’all…” she’s momentarily stunned into speechlessness. “Y’all have a lot of explaining to do.”
“What the hell is going on?” I say as I rub my hands down my face, chancing a peek at Luca through parted fingers. “And why are you here? And half-naked?”
He smirks over his shoulder. “It’s hard to stay fully clothed when you’re wearing my shirt.”
A quick look down reveals my body to be clothed in his dress shirt from last night, with my curves busting out of the front. “Oh my God!” We didn’t…did we?
Luca turns his attention back to his sister as I wiggle out of his shirt, realizing I’m almost completely naked as well underneath. “Someone came back plastered last night, so I stayed to make sure nothing bad happened.”
I hurry back into my bedroom, nearly tripping on that damned neon orange behemoth at the foot of my bed and grab a robe off of a hook by the bathroom. My shoulders shrug off the button-down, now burning against my flesh like holy water on a vampire. For the love of all that is holy, please tell me I didn’t sleep with an engaged man. Tossing on the terry-cloth robe quickly and belting it around my waist, I stride—scratch that—lumber back into the living room once more, regretting how rushing the first trip jostled my brain. The wrinkled mess of his shirt wordlessly leaves my hand and falls against Luca’s bare back. I ease myself down on the couch and place my head in my hands once again, wishing I could remember last night after the body paint rave.
The rustle of what I assume is Luca’s shirt gliding onto his hardened body pierces the silence. “Lia, can you give us some privacy?”
“Luca,” she interjects. “Do you really think it’s a good idea to be here when—”
“Nolie, please?” His voice is firm with a slight edge of pleading dancing around those two words.
I hear a deep sigh from the door, causing me to turn to look at her, not sure if I want her to stay or go. “Call me if you need anything,” she says, lobbing her kindness my way as she makes the “I’m watching you” sign at Luca with her pointer and middle fingers. The door snicks behind her, leaving us alone.
It’s the first time we’ve been completely alone together since—well, other than last night apparently when I was inebriated beyond measure—he shattered my heart into a million pieces.
If my head wasn’t pounding so hard, I would kick him out, but the energy to do it isn’t in me at the moment. I’m drained, so damn drained, physically and emotionally. As awkward as the silence is now between us, I welcome it. With my locks now gently slid in place, he sits down in the recliner beside my end of the couch—fully clothed, thankfully—and perches his forearms against his knees. “Did you find the painkillers I left out?”
His warm hazel gaze is on me, causing me to drop my eyes to the coffee table. “I thought…” I begin but remember something. “Wait, what happened to Aaron?”
He laces his fingers together, his thumbs moving animatedly. “He left last night after we got you settled in bed but told me to have you call him when you woke up.”
So, they both saw me near-naked. Fabulous. I don’t even get that naked at RISE.
“Why don’t you go let him know I’ve not murdered or violated you while I make some food. You could probably use something to settle your stomach right now.”
I nod, skating around the coffee table and breezing by him to go to my bedroom, closing the door behind me. Picking up my phone, I decide to text him in case he can’t answer a phone call right now.
Me: I am so sorry about last night.
His response is immediate.
Aaron: Call me.
I dial and hit the green button after lowering the volume, with only the first ring between his voice connecting with mine. “Are you okay?”
I smile at his concern. “I am... Aaron, I’m so sorry I drank too much last night. I must have been a nightmare to deal with.”
“You were in rare form, that’s for sure,” he laughs, making me wince with the sharp blades of noise. “Seriously, are you okay? I didn’t want to leave, but you seemed really sure he wouldn’t try anything, and I thought with Lia being next door…”
I still haven’t received a conclusive answer on that one, but I’m unscathed for all intents and purposes. “Everything’s okay. Thank you for making sure I got back safely to the apartment. I hate that I ruined your evening.”
“Not at all. I’m shocked you don’t have a
hangover, though.”
I wince. “Oh, I’ve got that all right. I’m going to take some medicine after I eat and lie back down.”
“Drink plenty of fluids and eat some bacon.” As if on cue, I hear cabinets being opened along with the fridge door. “Need me to come over later with some dinner?”
“I’m good, thanks… Aaron?”
“Yeah?”
My cheeks bend as far as they can without causing pain. “Thank you for being a great non-date.”
He chuckles. “Any time, beautiful.”
After we hang up, I ease back on the bed, covering my face with my pillow, wishing I could go back to sleep and restart the last twenty-four hours. My heavy eyelids tug and pull at my will to stay awake, ultimately pulling me back in their undertow.
“Ev?” A hushed tone breaks me from my quick slumber. “Food’s getting cold.”
The pillow falls to the wayside and dark locks falling forward on Luca’s forehead catch my eyes. Nope. No Groundhog’s Day experience for me.
I sit up and try to stand too quickly, immediately regretting that move when my head swims from too much sudden movement. I wobble slightly, only to be caught by two strong hands that steady me. “Easy.”
Shrugging out of his grasp and trying to work out the pinpricks his touch leaves in its wake, I take a couple of steps from him, needing the space.
His jaw clenches, but he says nothing as he holds his hand toward the door. I walk into the kitchen area with the heavenly scent of breakfast assaulting my senses. Two plates are made up on the kitchen counter, which makes my stomach twist with familiarity. I grab my plate and move to the dining table, not wanting to rehash any breakfast memories with this man. Although, with the bacon and the smashed soft-boiled eggs over crumbled saltines before me, maybe we can let the food do the talking.
“I hope this agrees with your stomach,” he adds, shoveling a forkful of the egg-and-cracker mixture into his mouth.
I take a tentative bite of my own and am immediately thankful for this. “I love this. Mom always made it when—"
“You and Kieran had stomach issues?” he finishes my thoughts, taking a bite of his bacon.
“Yeah.”
His lopsided smile makes one of his dimples appear. “It’s what Kieran always wanted when he tied one on.” He pauses for a moment, his smile growing deeper. “Actually, we had this a lot sophomore year, so it’s second nature as a hangover cure at this point.”
I nod and return my attention to the plate. As nice as it was for the jackass to prepare this, him being here is causing my skin to itch for a multitude of reasons. The faster he leaves, the better.
After we finish, I move to take the empty plates to the sink, eager to get this over with, only to have them snatched from my grasp as he sets them in the basin and rinses them.
I go grab the aspirin and down it, hoping what the food didn’t cure, they can because something tells me I’m going to need it. Returning to the living area with my phone in tow, I see that he’s grabbed the seat he was in a moment ago, waiting on my return. Sitting a little closer to the middle this time, I curl up my legs and tuck them under me. A deep sigh escapes me before I decide to rip off the bandage.
“Please tell me we didn’t sleep together.”
He gives me an imperceptible look at first, then shakes his head. “The only sleeping that went on here last night was you sleeping in there and me on that couch.”
Relief crashes into me like a tidal wave. “Thank God…” Sleeping with a taken man isn’t on my bucket list and never will be. “So, why are you here and not…somewhere else?” I couldn’t bring myself to say Gia’s name because that wound was still far too fresh. Even though I’ve known for six years that the day would come when this whole arrangement would finally come to fruition, the right cross to the gut I took last night from that revelation is still causing my stomach to churn.
“I needed to talk to you about some things yesterday.”
Oh, joy. More oncoming headaches. “Is it what Kieran texted me about?”
He furrows his brows. “What did he say exactly?”
I find the text message and hand my phone over to him, his features smoothing out as he reads. He hands it back to me before he takes a moment, as if to gather his thoughts. “First, we need to talk about Lia.”
“Lia?” My confusion gives way to panic. After all that happened to her in the past year—hell, in her lifetime, that poor girl deserves a break.
He nods solemnly. “I had a long talk with Kieran before he went on an assignment. There are some whispers within the APD and the GBI. Things about Giacomo that concern me.”
“But he’s behind bars? How does that affect Lia?”
“You know as well as I do that families like the Cervellis have the kind of power that reaches beyond prison bars. Even the grave.”
And yet, he’s marrying into the Cervelli family. Sounds like a good idea. I swallow hard. Now’s not the time. Get the information he came to give, then get him out of here.
“From what Kieran can gather, it’s mostly drug-related, but there may be ties to other facets of the criminal underworld. Facets that his father may not even know his son was involved in.”
I think back to what happened with Lia last year and that slime bucket Giacomo. “So, is Antonio worried about being double-crossed?”
“In their world, there is no true trust.” He scoffs, “Not even among family members. Loyalty is measured by how deep someone else will dig their own grave to keep you out of yours, whether or not you’re blood. Still, Giacomo’s his son and he won’t make a move unless there’s something that tells him that trust has been compromised.”
“But doesn’t that put your entire family in danger, not just Lia?”
He looks toward the rainy Atlanta skyline. “My family’s protected because of my…involvement with Antonio’s daughter.” Clearing his throat, he continues as I pretend that didn’t pierce my heart. “But if Giacomo is as entrenched as Kieran believes he is, that may mean trouble for Lia.”
My heart squeezes. “Why her, though?”
“Because he now sings her praises, which could make her a target to some.” He lowers his head. “Kieran didn’t have enough to really tell me anything concrete, but his gut is saying there’s more to the story.”
“So, why aren’t you telling her instead of me?” My curious gaze bores through him.
“Until we know more, I need pairs of eyes everywhere on her. Here, at the hospital, at RISE…” A shot of nervousness wriggles up my spine. He’s aware that Lia co-owns RISE, but not me. “Anywhere she spends a good amount of time.”
I nod solemnly, trying to mask my nervousness. “What do you need from me?”
Those hazel eyes peer deep into mine. “Do you know the other owners of RISE?”
I chuckle, trying to deflect. “Why would I?”
“You and Lia are close. I’m sure she’s probably revealed the other owners’ names to you.” There’s a seriousness in the way he looks at me.
It’s then I realize he’s not probing me for my involvement. He’s genuinely worried about Lia, which pushes me into my protective best-friend mode. “What if she has?”
“I need that list because I need to talk to them about beefing up security. Just to be on the safe side.”
I raise an eyebrow. “Why can’t you just tell her?”
He exhales. “I plan to once I know more. But for now, I want to monitor the situation. If she knows what’s going on, it’ll only make her paranoid given the past few months. All this may be nothing, so I don’t want to say anything until we know something concrete. Living your life, constantly wondering if something’s going to happen to you, is no way to live at all. I want her to have some normalcy for now.”
Lia has gained a lot in the past year and therefore has much to lose. “What about Aliana and Landry?”
“I need a watchful eye on them as well, but if Giacomo’s the one they’re coming after, they would
punish him through Lia, not her family.”
Shit. “I can’t give you a list…” How can I play this? “But what if I sit down and talk to the other owners and explain the situation? Their anonymity is of the utmost importance to them and I can’t break that confidence.”
He searches my face for a moment, before nodding. “Do you think they’ll listen?”
I give him a knowing smile because any of us girls would go to the ends of the earth for each other, even though I’m still sort of pissed about their antics yesterday. “I’d lay money on it.” A thought occurs. “Could we talk to my dad about this?”
He’s quiet for a moment. “That’s probably not a good idea right now.”
“Why not?”
Luca’s face pulls tight, almost as if in anguish. “Because Kieran believes he may be tied into Giacomo’s mess…and a few other things.”
Horses stampede through my heart as my jaw ticks. “What are you trying to say, Luca?”
He hesitates before getting up and pacing the floor. “I’m saying that your dad might not be the man you think he is.”
His words cloud my soul with anger. A blaze of fury tears through me, pushing me to get off the couch and in his face. “My dad is not perfect, but he would never jeopardize his reputation by working with that motherfucker Giacomo,” I grit out. “My father—who loves you like a son, by the way—is a good man and doesn’t deserve to have his name dragged through the mud.”
There’s a softness in the way he looks down at me, which only makes me angrier because it looks a hell of a lot like pity. And I don’t do pity. Especially not from this asshole. His warm hands settle on my enrobed arms, stoking my ire even hotter. “Evergreen, I know this is hard—”
I step back and swat his hands, then bring a finger up. “Stop calling me that! You don’t know shit about anything and neither does my brother if he believes our own father would ever stoop so low as to become something like the fucking Cervellis or even your family.”
