by Karen Ferry
“I. Am. Calm,” he grits out, running a hand over his forehead.
“No, you’re not,” Sophia interjects. “Now, come here, sit down next to your woman, and wipe her tears instead of prowling around like a wolf looking for a fight.”
She releases me, her hold still gentle, and I sit back to wipe my tears.
“Dad, you need to call the mayor, have this fucker arrested.” Garrett sits down, far from relaxed.
“Language!” Sophia snaps at him from my other side.
He looks annoyed at her, but then tilts his head.
“My apologies,” he mutters.
I put a hand on his knee and squeeze it.
“Son, you know I would if Suzy had any witnesses to what the detective did.”
Robert gives me an apologetic look.
“I’m sorry, but the fact is that you were alone, Suzy, and that makes it very difficult to prove.”
“Then at least call the Captain of his department,” Garrett seethes, his voice vibrating with anger. His dad nods.
“I will call him, plant seeds of doubt about Detective Easton in his head,” he says as he narrows his eyes. “And I’ll do some digging, see if this is the first time he’s molested a woman. I doubt it is.”
“Thank you, Robert.”
I blow my nose one last time, quite embarrassed by my breakdown, but relieved that these strangers believe me. Rufus leaves his pillow and comes towards me. I pat his silky fur when he puts his head on my knees.
“I’ll do my best to see to it that he won’t have a badge to hide behind for much longer,” he states. The sincerity in his voice makes me feel more reassured.
“It’s not enough,” Garrett mutters beside him. I look at him, alarmed by the tone of his voice.
“It will have to be,” Robert states before he stands up. “Sophia and I will start preparing dinner now. Please join us in the kitchen when you feel up to it.”
I look up at him and am taken aback when he smiles warmly at me.
Wow. Now I know who Garrett takes after.
“We will,” Garrett murmurs from beside me.
Sophia pats my hand and smiles at me.
“Don’t worry, cara,” she says as she stands up. “Robert will fix this.” With a soft smile, she walks to her husband. Hand in hand, they leave the drawing room, giving us some privacy. Rufus’s ears perk up, and he trots after them.
I blow out my cheeks, and inhale deeply a couple of times, trying to get myself back together. On the third inhale, I hold my breath for a couple of seconds and then let it go before I sag back in the couch.
“Well…that went well,” I mutter.
Garrett turns in his seat.
“I don’t want you to worry about a thing, Suzy.” He takes my hand in his and I smile faintly back into his serious eyes.
“I’ll try not to.”
“And we’ll buy a pepper spray tomorrow morning,” he continues, causing me to roll my eyes at him.
“Fine, fine.” I wave a hand at him, dismissing his words, but he grabs it with his other hand.
“This is serious, waif.”
I lean closer towards him.
“I know that. But for now, let it go, please. We’re supposed to have fun tonight with your parents, remember? This is a family dinner, not a funeral. So you need to relax, sit back, eat, drink, be merry, and all that jazz.”
His lips twitch and the harsh look in his eyes softens as he shakes his head at me.
“You’re something else, Suzy-Q,” he murmurs.
I grin at him.
“I’m just me, a cool, calm and collected Danish girl – not an overly dramatic American girl who doesn’t know when to let things lie.”
He laughs fully now, and I stand up, pulling on his hands.
“Come on, old man,” I tease him, wiping the smile off his face immediately. I nibble on my lip, wondering if that was taking it a bit too far, when he puts his hands on my hips and digs his fingers in. My breathing speeds up when his head descends and I lick my lips when his eyes linger for a couple of seconds.
“You like that I have some years on you, waif. You like that I’m a man who knows what he wants – who doesn’t fumble in the dark; one who knows how to pleasure you and fulfil your needs.”
The low rumble of his voice, the one he always slips into when he’s turned on, sets my skin on fire. I suddenly wish that we were home.
Safe.
Away from prying eyes and ears.
In our own little bubble where the real world can’t touch us.
I lean up on my toes when his hands move to palm my arse; and when I feel his hard cock digging into the softness of my belly, fire erupts in my core.
“I don’t like it,” I whisper, resting my hands on his shoulders. “I love it.”
His eyes heat up, transforming the brown to almost black, and I wish we could come up with some excuse to leave, however impolite that might be.
“As do I,” he murmurs before he slams his mouth down on mine, one hand coming up to hold my head in place.
Gone is the gentleness that he’s shown me since we came here.
The ferocious wolf is back in full force, ready to take all I have to give.
And he can have it all. I’m more than willing to give him everything.
“Oh, dear, I’m sorry.”
Sophia’s laughing voice breaks our kiss, and I land hard on my feet. I peek at her, cheeks flaming, as she stands rooted in the doorway.
“Please, take your time,” she trills, clearly amused. I giggle as I watch her retreating back, one hand covering her eyes.
Garrett’s breathing hard, and I smile mischievously and loosen my hold around him. He doesn’t release me, and I look questioningly at him when his hand, still on my arse, doesn’t cease its sensual assault.
“I think it’s time for another lesson tonight,” he whispers. “If you’re willing, that is?”
My pulse speeds up with the implication of his words.
“Yes,” I whisper back before I wet my lips. “Sir.”
He growls once, eyes flaring with lust, but then a shadow settles in them, clouding his hunger for me.
He breathes deeply.
“I know that…” He stops, looking as if he’s searching for the right words, and I melt into his embrace.
“What happened to you today, waif,” he continues on a deep sigh. “I wish it hadn’t happened, or that I could erase it from your memory. Are you absolutely sure –”
I silence his words with yet another toe-curling kiss.
“I’m alright, I promise,” I whisper when we come up for air again. “I want you to help me wipe away today’s events. To obliterate how he made me feel – hopeless and alone.”
I lift my hand to let it rest on his cheek, caressing the softness of his beard. My heart flutters when his eyes never waver from mine, and his head leans into my hand. It feels as if he wants to be as close to me as possible.
“Whenever I’m with you, I feel safe, Garrett. Worshipped. As if I’m all you see. I feel everything. So, yes, I’m sure that I can take whatever you have in mind for me.”
His stare bores into me, and I try to tell him with my eyes that I’m not lying.
With one last squeeze on my arse and a quick peck on my lips, he steps back and lets me go. I look down at the impressive bulge in his jeans, and in a risky move, I reach out a hand, giving it a quick, firm rub.
He gasps, and I wink at him.
“I can’t wait,” I murmur and then back away from him.
His intense stare bores a hole in my back as I turn to walk away, and my smile widens even though he can’t see me.
Garrett – O.
Suzy – 1.
“Don’t forget that I’m the Dom here,” Garrett’s low voice stops me in my tracks, and I look back at him. He has a hand down his pants, no doubt rearranging his hard-on, and my lips part from how hot he looks right now.
“You’d best prepare yourself, waif.”
A delicious shiver courses through me when I think about what he might have in store for me, and I have to work hard on focusing on where I am.
Garrett’s parents.
Dinner.
This is going to be a long night.
YET, DESPITE MY IMPATIENCE to get Garrett all to myself, it doesn’t feel as if the night drags away. Quite the opposite, in fact.
Sophia and Robert do what they can to take my mind off things, regaling me with tales from when Garrett was a child. I laugh more tonight than I have done in a long time, and while a small part of me is sad from not having the same relationship with my own parents while I grew up, I try to shake it off.
To let it go.
After dinner – a wonderful tasty dish that reminds me of Hawaiian pizza, only with pasta – Sophia stands and begins to clear the table.
I dab my lips with my napkin and go to help her. When she sees me gathering the plates and forks, she protests.
“Sweetie, you don’t have to do that. You’re our guest.”
I shake my head.
“But I want to. You and Robert made such a lovely dinner; helping you clear the table is the least I can do.”
She gives me a small smile.
“Well, in that case, I won’t say ‘no’. Thank you.”
We walk back and forth a couple of times, and I smile quickly at Garrett when he reaches a hand out to give mine a squeeze.
I’m loading the dishwasher when Sophia stops beside me, and a comfortable silence settles between us as we go about clearing everything. That is, until Sophia sighs beside me, causing me to turn around to look at her. Her gaze is focused on the window facing the streets, and the sadness in her eyes gives me pause.
“Are you alright?” I ask her. When her head turns to mine, I shift a bit on my feet. “I realise we don’t know each other that well, but…”
A soft smile grazes her lips.
“I hope that’ll change, Suzy.”
“Me, too.”
She turns to face me fully, a thoughtful look in her eyes.
“I don’t wish to pry, but do you plan on staying in New York? To make a life here instead of going home?”
Sighing, I lean a hip on the counter.
“I don’t know yet. I mean, I’d like to, but like I told you earlier, it depends on so many things, I guess.”
“On Garrett?”
Her blunt question takes me by surprise, and I swallow hard as I nod.
“He’s the main reason, yes. I mean, I don’t know if we have a future together, but even if we don’t, I have to admit that I’ve thought about staying here for some time now. If it’s possible, that is.”
Sophia chuckles, and warmth settles within when the sadness in her eyes fades slowly.
“New York’s pulled you in, hasn’t she?”
Laughing, I look down briefly at my fidgeting hands, and I will myself to relax.
“Yeah, she has.”
Nodding, Sophia picks up a dishcloth and starts to wipe the counters.
“I’m going to be very frank now, Suzy, and I’d like to ask you to keep what I say between the two of us.”
Frowning, I hesitate.
“If I can, I will. I don’t want to keep things from Garrett,” I explain when she stops to look back at me, raised eyebrow in place.
Resolutely, she walks past me and opens a cupboard, taking down espresso cups.
“I loved Cecilia as if she were my own daughter,” she starts, and my body freezes up with apprehension.
Turning, she tilts her head at me.
“But I never thought that she was the right fit for Garrett, to be honest.”
My eyes widen in surprise.
“It’s true,” she continues, voice quiet. “She was too…” Frowning, she gets a faraway look in her eyes, as if she’s not seeing me anymore. “I can’t really put my finger on it, but when it comes down to it, she was too selfish in many ways. Spoiled. She never took Garrett’s wish to take over Mama Rosa’s seriously, for instance, even though he was quite clear about it.”
Turning her back, she switches on the espresso machine next to her.
“But I’ve always believed that I shouldn’t stand in my sons’ way when it concerns matters of the heart. So I didn’t meddle when Garrett called me after he’d proposed to her, elated with the news that he was to be a father.”
I take a couple of steps towards her but her next words stop me, shaking me to my core.
“I knew that Cecilia was having an affair with Vincent.”
I gasp.
“What?”
Turning around, the anguish I see in her face makes me wish we knew each other well enough that I could go to her and wrap her up in my arms.
“I saw her and Vincent downtown days before. It was quite clear that they weren’t just friends meeting for lunch, and when I confronted Vincent, he…” She stops, wrapping her arms around her midriff.
“He didn’t deny it.”
“Garrett doesn’t know, does he?” I whisper.
Hunching her shoulders, she shakes her head.
“Why not?”
“I was going to tell him,” she whispers and finally raises her head. “That night, at the engagement party, before utter devastation broke loose, I realised that I couldn’t let Garrett go through with the wedding. I was going to ask him to meet up with me the next day, and then…” Her voice breaks, and I can’t stand to watch her torment any longer. We may be strangers, but I can’t just watch her fall apart without trying to offer her some sort of comfort in her grief.
I close the distance between us, and she jumps slightly when I put my arms around her. But then I feel her relax against me, and I rock her gently from side to side, just like she did for me only a couple of hours before.
“Why are you telling me all this, Sophia?”
I’m so confused by her revelations.
“Because I’ve realised lately that keeping secrets for so many years aren’t good for any of us,” she sniffles before leaning away from me. I let my arms fall from her waist and take in her smudged makeup. I still don’t understand why she chose me, of all people, to confide in, but maybe it doesn’t matter. Maybe people just need to unload their worries to a stranger sometimes.
“You have to tell him that you know, Sophia,” I urge her gently. “You can’t keep something this big from him.”
“I know. I’ll tell him soon, but not tonight.” Blinking rapidly, she winces. “I’m sorry about going off like that.”
I smile at her and step away. Trying to look anywhere but at her until my eyes fall on a stack of paper napkins on the island to my right. I quickly move to pick up a couple and hand them to her.
“Please don’t be embarrassed,” I try to reassure her as she dabs at her eyes and blows her nose.
“I swear that wasn’t my intent when I started.”
I wave a hand at her. “Don’t be silly – but if it’ll make you feel better, we’ll pretend it didn’t happen.”
Frowning, she shakes her head slowly.
“No, I don’t want to pretend. This family has had enough of that for years. But maybe we can let it go for the rest of the evening, yes?”
“Oh, absolutely.”
“Good. Now…” She turns and points at the espresso machine. “Do you take sugar with that?”
I grimace, causing her to laugh – exactly what I was going for – and then quickly decline her offer.
“No, thanks. Why ruin something as heavenly as espresso?”
Her smile grows wider.
“So true. I’m glad I’ve gotten a chance to meet you, cara.”
I can feel a blush creeping up on my neck.
“Thank you. So am I.”
Her hand lifts, and when she places it briefly on my cheek, I smile, touched by her gesture.
“You should definitely remain in the city, Suzy. I’ll have to t
ell Garrett to think of something that’ll persuade you to stay.”
“All he has to do is ask me, and I will.”
The enormity of what I’ve just said hits me, and I feel winded. I put a hand up to cover my mouth.
“Oh, gosh, did I just say that?”
Sophia’s trilling laugh reaches my ears even as my eyes cloud over. Trying to clear my sight, I blink rapidly.
“Yes, cara, you did.”
Groaning, I cover my eyes, but peek through my fingers when I feel her hand closing on my wrist.
“I can’t force him to want me,” I whisper. “Plus, there are all the practical details to consider as well.”
“Now, don’t think that far ahead, Suzy. Just keep doing whatever you do that makes my son’s eyes light up every time he looks at you. Then I’m sure he’ll want to keep you forever.”
Breathing deeply, I lower my hands, overcome with emotions.
“I really like you, Sophia,” I whisper. “Thank you for making me feel so welcome.”
“And the feeling’s entirely mutual, cara.” Turning away, she opens another cupboard. “Let’s see if I can’t find us a treat to go with our espressos.”
When my mama waits for Suzy to walk ahead of her, pausing at the threshold to the kitchen, I raise my eyebrows in question.
“I love her,” she mouths at me, smiling wide.
Chuckling quietly, I shake my head before turning in my seat to face my dad. Something’s been niggling in my mind all evening, and now that we’re alone, I can voice my concern without risking the women to overhear us.
“Do you have any idea how Giancarlo and Easton know each other, Dad?” I ask him.
I turn to face him fully.
“I don’t know, son.” He grimaces before he sits back in his chair. “I wish I did.”
I clench my fists, looking down at my arms resting on the table. Tension coils in the pit of my stomach. Not thinking about the sorrows from my past has become a habit over the years. If I allow them the power to penetrate my thoughts, I’d become consumed with grief, and I no longer wish to dwell in the darkness.
Not since Suzy came into my life. I realise that now.
“There’s been talk that he’s become ‘friends’ with a couple of cops the last couple of years, though.”
