by Faith Gibson
“Do you drink a lot?” he asked.
“Does it matter?”
“Yes, beautiful girl, it does. If you drink often, there’s a reason for it. You are either celebrating life or trying to hide from it. I want to help you celebrate. I also want you sober when I make love to you. I want you to remember every single moment you and I spend together.” Sin took her hands and placed them on his chest. His heartbeat was strong beneath her fingertips. “I vow to you I will do everything within my power to make your days going forward memorable. I will do my best to help you forget the bad from your past. As long as you allow, I will be by your side making your days the best they can possibly be.”
That was the most beautiful thing Rocky had ever heard. Even her father, as mushy as he’d been, had never spoken such powerful things to her mother. Not that she’d heard, anyway. Rocky blinked back the tears threatening to fall, but she failed. Sin caught each one as it rolled down her cheek with his thumbs. When they finally stopped falling, he gently kissed the wetness underneath her eyes. “I vow you will only cry happy tears, too,” he whispered before he pressed their lips together.
Rocky’s body was ready for Sin to make love to her, but he pulled away. “I do not wish to keep Ingrid waiting. There will be plenty of time after dinner for us to continue getting to know one another.” Sin grabbed Rocky’s bag from the floor and held open the door for her. She didn’t know how far it was to Sin’s home, and she hoped it wasn’t far. She didn’t know how much longer she could hold out.
Chapter Sixteen
Rafael waited patiently while Willow finished her phone call. His assistant had been different lately. He was pretty sure it had something to do with Mason, or the lack of her seeing Mason. The young Gargoyle was remaining firm about not asking Willow out until he was a little older, thus he was staying away from her as much as possible lest his beast take over. Rafe knew Willow was going through a type of withdrawal. Once a Goyle and their mate met, it was nearly impossible to think about anything else until the bond was sealed. Rafael thought of Willow as a daughter, and he was going to do something Kaya had begged him to weeks ago. He was going to intervene and tell Willow the truth.
As soon as she hung up, Rafael said, “I know it’s late, but there is something I need to discuss with you. As soon as Kaya arrives, please lock the doors and accompany her to my office.” Rafael knew he sounded cryptic, but he wouldn’t divulge any information until he knew the office was secure.
“Am I in trouble?” Willow asked.
“Of course not. Kaya should be in the parking lot, so please do as I asked.”
“Yes, sir.”
Rafael made his way to the bank of windows in his office. New Atlanta was bustling with rush hour traffic. Humans trying to get home after a long day’s work. His city was getting back on its feet, and new buildings were going up everywhere. Most of them were being built by Stone, Incorporated.
His cell phone rang, and he hesitated answering until he saw who it was. “Xavier, what can I do for you?” Rafael asked the Italian King who happened to be Tessa’s father.
“Have you heard from your mother?”
“Not for several days. Why? Has something happened?”
“I’m not sure. She and I were supposed to meet yesterday to discuss your uncle. She didn’t show up, and when I called Donovan, his phone had been disconnected. I reached out to the twins, but neither one of them have seen your mother in a couple of weeks. They are looking everywhere Athena would have gone.”
“It isn’t like her to miss a meeting, and she hasn’t called to check on Kaya, either. Do you think Alistair has her?”
“It’s possible. I’m going to give Carter and Hunter one more day. If they haven’t located her, we might have to do something drastic. The reason Donovan’s phone was cut off is the Goyle has immersed himself into Alistair’s world. He’s cut off all communication with his Clan so there won’t be any chance of him getting caught. However, if we cannot locate your mother, we may have to find a way to get a message to him.”
Kaya and Willow entered the office and he held up one finger. “I have something personal I need to tend to at the moment, but please keep me posted. I will send Sinclair abroad if need be.”
“Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.”
“Yes, let’s.” Rafael hung up and pulled a waiting Kaya to him. “Bella Mia,” he whispered against her lips. He bent over and kissed her stomach as he always did. “How’s my little Prince?” he asked.
“Ready to play, as always.” Kaya didn’t sit in one of the chairs across from his desk. Instead, she took a seat on the sofa. “Willow, please join me,” she said and patted the seat beside her. Willow looked between them before she sat down.
“Willow, as I said before, you are not in trouble. But, I do have something I need to discuss with you. One reason I asked Kaya to be present is so she can assure you what I tell you is the truth. When I finish, you will better understand why Mason has been acting odd as of late.”
“The truth about what? Is Mason sick?”
“No, nothing like that. First off, I need for you to promise that what I tell you stays between us. Once I tell you, you will understand why this is so important. I’m trusting you with something few humans know.”
“Humans? Rafael, what are you talking about?” Willow frowned.
“Promise me, Willow.”
“I promise,” she whispered.
“Now, let me start at the beginning…”
When Rocky told Bridget there was nothing between her and Sin, the beast wanted to kick the door in and prove to her she was wrong, but Sin had the good sense to bide his time. He needed to take things slow with Rocky and show her how good things could be. Now that he had his mate in his home, their home, he sorely wished he hadn’t invited Finley and the two females to join him Tuesday. Hindsight, as they say, was twenty-twenty, but it didn’t make him feel less guilty about having sex with Dana.
In all the years Ingrid had been serving Sin, not once had he introduced her to a woman he allowed in his home. He always asked her to remain in her wing of the house while he entertained guests. The last time he’d taken a wife was years before Ingrid was born. Tonight, he had introduced the two most important women in his life to one another. He didn’t ask Ingrid to leave them alone, but she did after making sure they had everything they needed. As she left the kitchen, Ingrid had pulled Sin’s face down so she could kiss his cheek, something she’d never done in all the years she’d been serving him.
Instead of eating in the large dining room, Sin and Rocky sat at the island in the kitchen and helped themselves buffet style from the dishes Ingrid had left on the stove. Sin didn’t want to overwhelm Rocky or make her feel like he put on airs. Sure, he loved entertaining, and when the Clan gathered, he allowed Ingrid to go all out. Sin wanted to ease Rocky into his life. For now, they were enjoying a delicious meal, a bottle of wine, and good conversation. At least he hoped they were. Rocky had indulged him with tales from her childhood up until the point her parents had died within months of one another. After that, Rocky refused to say anything other than she’d gone to live with her aunt.
Sin knew there was much Rocky wasn’t telling him, so he decided to have Banyan do some digging into the aunt’s personal life. Sin had no trouble seeking retribution on Rocky’s behalf for any harm that might have befallen her. He was supposed to protect humans, but he wasn’t quite as noble as Rafael. There was a reason Rafe had been born three years earlier than Sin. Rafe was fit to be King whereas Sin probably was not. Rafe made sure a human deserved the punishment he or she received.
As soon as he had enough dirt on Blake Stansbury, Sin was going to bury the human up to his neck in the Mojave Desert and let the buzzards have at him. A slow, painful death would give the bastard time to reflect on what he’d done to Rocky. Blake was one of the reason’s Rocky was guarded and only wanted a man for sex. She hadn’t admitted as much, but he’d eavesdropped on her enough to
know it was how she felt. Sin had his work cut out for him. The one good thing about her being his mate was the bond was helping to draw her to him. Rocky no doubt felt the same pull Sin did, thus she wanted him sexually. There was so much more to being mates than sex, and it was the other parts Sin had to work on.
When Rocky shut down and refused to talk about her past, Sin had picked up the conversation, telling her about his brothers and cousins. He couldn’t wait for the day he could admit to her he was a Gargoyle and she was to be his for a long time to come.
“Rafael and Kaya are expecting their first child in August, and Nikolas and Sophia are due in September.” Sin was excited at the prospect of more children being added to the Clan. Connor, Dante’s adopted son, was mostly human, and they didn’t know if he’d phase into a half-blood or not since Isabelle was a half-blood herself. “What about you? Do you ever think about having children?”
Rocky stopped eating and began pushing her food around with her fork. She wouldn’t meet his eyes. “I can’t have kids,” she whispered, the pain strong as she admitted the truth. Sin wanted to hit something. Not because he would never sire a child but because Rocky would never be a mother. Sin took her hand in his and kissed her knuckles.
“That’s a shame, beautiful girl, because together, you and I would make beautiful babies,” he said and winked, trying to lighten the mood. “If down the road, you desire to be a mother, you can always adopt.”
“Nobody would let an ex-junkie adopt a baby, Sin.” She dropped her fork and chugged all the wine in her glass. She picked up the bottle to refill it, but Sin took it away from her.
“Hey, look at me.” When she gave him her undivided attention, he said, “I promised to give you everything your heart desires. If you desire children, I will give you a houseful. If you haven’t noticed, I have money. More than our great-grandchildren would ever be able to spend. I am not trying to buy your affection, Raquel, but I am offering you the world. Whatever it is, great or small, it is yours.”
“What do you do for a living?” Rocky asked, pulling her hand away from his and reaching for the wine bottle again. This time, Sin didn’t keep her from it. The conversation had taken a turn, and she probably needed the alcohol to help with her pain.
“Real estate investments. Our family is rather large, and our resources are vast. We’ve been buying up properties since the world fell apart. When island resorts closed down due to lack of tourism, our family began buying them up for pennies on the dollar. Have you traveled much?”
“I’ve never been out of the state of California. My mom worked long shifts at the hospital so my father could do what he loved. He didn’t make much money teaching, so we rarely had time or money to go anywhere for vacation.”
“The love in your voice when you speak of your parents is wonderful, Raquel. I lost my father a long time ago, so I know the hurt you feel.”
Sin had put his phone on silent, and it was currently vibrating in his pocket. He removed it to see who was calling. “Rocky, I apologize, but I need to take this call.”
“Do you want me to leave the room?”
“Of course not. Please, finish your dinner before it gets cold,” he urged as he swiped his thumb over the screen.
“Rafe, is everything okay?”
“I’m not sure. Xavier called, and Mother is missing.”
“Missing? Is he sure?”
“Pretty damn sure. She missed a meeting with him yesterday, and neither Carter nor Hunter has spoken to her since week before last. I may need you to fly to Greece and see what you can find out. I would go myself, but I’d rather not leave Kaya behind, and I won’t put her anywhere near our uncle.”
“Of course you are not going. It’s been years since Alistair has seen either one of us. I will need to shave my beard, but he will never know the difference if it comes down to a face-to-face.” Rocky reached up and caressed Sin’s beard, frowning. He knew she liked his whiskers, because she was constantly stroking his jaw, but family duty came first, and he could always grow them back.
“Thank you, Brother. I hope it doesn’t come down to that, but I wanted you to be prepared, just in case.”
“I will be ready. Anything else I need to know?” Sin was ready to get off the phone and back to his mate, but Rafe’s voice held a bit of nervousness to it.
“I told Willow the truth of us. Now she understands why Mason has been acting so funny.”
“Did you tell her his age?”
“I may have fudged a little there. He’s going to go for my head as it is. I couldn’t very well tell his mate he’s only sixteen.”
“How did she take it?” Sin wondered how Rocky would take it when he told her the truth.
“Like all human mates have so far; she was skeptical until I phased. Now she thinks it’s the coolest thing ever, and she’s excited to get Mason alone to see his fangs.”
Sin laughed, and Rocky’s eyes grew wide. He kept the smile on his face when she grinned at him. “I would say I’d like to be a fly on the wall, but even I am not that much of a voyeur.” Sin winked at Rocky and placed his hand over hers that was still stroking his beard. “Keep me posted, Brother. If there is nothing else…”
“You sound different, Sinclair. Should I ask?”
“No, you shouldn’t, but know I am having a most wonderful evening.”
“I’ll leave you to her, and. I’ll call you tomorrow.”
Rafe disconnected the call, and Sin placed the phone back in his pocket. “That was Rafael. It seems our mother cannot be found. If she isn’t located in the next couple of days, I will probably have to take an impromptu trip.”
“What’s this nonsense about you shaving your beard?”
“Rafael is rather important, sort of like a King, if you will. He and I can pass for twins even though he is three years older. Whenever there is a crisis, I pose as him to keep him safe.”
“I thought he was an architect?”
“He is, but he is so much more than that. There is a lot about my family I haven’t told you. Maybe one day soon, you will trust I am not going to hurt you, and you will give us a chance at a future. When that happens, I will tell you all about my family.”
“Does your family include Finley and Banyan?”
“Yes, though not by blood. And before you ask again, no we are not a cult. We are a Brotherhood that goes back many centuries.”
“Like the Masons?”
“Something like that. We aren’t a religious sect, but a clan who has vowed to protect hum– those who cannot protect themselves. Now, if you are finished eating, I would like to show you the rest of the house.” They put their plates in the dishwasher but left the food on the stove. As Sin had explained to Ingrid, once they were finished eating, he intended to show Rocky his bedroom. That in itself had been all the woman needed to hear to know Rocky was special. Before he got that far, though, Sin took Rocky outside to the garden. The sun had set a couple of hours earlier, but the lights along the pathway automatically illuminated the way as Sin and Rocky walked past.
Rocky took her time enjoying the serenity the garden offered, taking in the twinkling lights strewn throughout the trees. Sin had thought Rafael was crazy when he suggested the lights, but after he saw them lit up in the dark, it was nothing short of magical. Seeing the wonderment on Rocky’s face had been worth it. As they moved farther into the garden, Rocky reached for Sin’s hand. They walked in silence until they had completed the loop. “I’ve never seen anything like this. If I lived here, I’d want to set up a hammock between the trees so I could stare at the lights all night long.” Sin made a mental note to purchase a hammock.
He prayed to the gods his mother was located unharmed, not only for her sake, but for his as well. Sinclair had only just found his mate, and he was not ready to leave her behind, even if it was only for a short trip. “I rather enjoy the peace it brings. This, along with the top floor of the house, is my sanctuary. I have not shown you the top floor, because there is som
ething I need to ask before I take you up there.” Sin pulled Rocky to him and tilted her chin up. “Are you willing to give me the opportunity to show you how good we can be together?”
“What does that have to do with the top floor? Is it a sex room or something?”
“No, it isn’t a sex room; it is my bedroom. Other than my wife who died a long time ago, no woman has been allowed on the top floor. Not even Ingrid.”
“You were married?” Rocky tried to pull away.
Sin tightened his grip. “Yes, but as I said, she passed away many years ago. I will not keep my past from you, Raquel. Once you and I become better acquainted, you will learn everything there is to know about me. But I am willing to show you my sanctuary if you are willing to give us a chance.”
Rocky frowned, and Sin could see the wheels turning. She had yet to ask many personal questions, and before now, he’d wished she had. At least then he would have known she was interested in him in a way that wasn’t only physical. Now, the questions would more than likely require him to lie, or at the least, skirt the truth, and he didn’t want that with her.
“If you prefer, we can relax in the den and watch a movie. I will not pressure you, Rocky. I want you to be sure as to your intentions with me before I share that part of myself with you. If sex is what you are after, we can retire to one of the bedrooms downstairs. You’ve already seen they are spacious and comfortable. Your choice, beautiful girl.”
Chapter Seventeen
Rocky had never been so unsure about anything in her life. Even when Uncle Ray died and left her the bar, she had Joel and Bridget to lean on, guiding her through the first few weeks. Sinclair was asking her to make a life-altering decision on a dime. He’d shocked the shit out of her when he admitted he’d been married before. If the woman had still been alive, Rocky would have bolted. There was no way she would risk the ex-wife coming back into the picture. Sin must have an enormous capacity to love if he was willing to get involved with someone else. Then again, he did say it was a long time ago.
