Loving
Dean
Carter Family Generations Book 3
Roxanne Greening
Dedicated to my husband and kids for their love and support. To my dad and my mom for making me who I am today. And the rest of my family for all their support
Text Copyright 2018 © Roxanne Greening
All Rights Reserved
All rights reserved in all media. No part of this book may be used or reproduced without written permission. Except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
The moral rights of Needing Reyes as the author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the copyright, designs, and patients act of 1988.
This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, locales, and incidents are the products of the author's imagination and any resemblance to places or events is coincidental or fictionalized.
Published in the United States of America 2018
Prologue:
One Year Ago.
I didn’t see the man until I was just upon him. I knocked into him as he was leaning against the brick building that I lived in.
“I’m so sorry,” I tell him while I ran my fingers through my long brown, and now frizzy stressed out hair.
Everything was going well until I found Gary fucking Jess in his apartment fifteen minutes ago. I thought I would surprise him with a nice dinner. I should have fled the moment I heard the moaning and groaning.
I was an idiot, I chastised myself. I thought maybe he was hurt.
“Yeah, hurting all over her, maybe she was his band-aid? My mind whispered, or better yet, I bet he just tripped and fell. Oh, and his dick just happened to go in her vagina.”
“I didn’t mean... I’m sorry. I should have been looking where I was going,” I tell him quietly.
My cold bottle of wine was an innocent bystander, just like this poor guy with his short brown hair and deep blue eyes. My bottle of wine fell and shattered all over the ground, and the red liquid seeped and flowed all over the black pavement. Blue pieces of glass littered the ground, like my heart.
I had been holding the bottle when I caught them together. I thought Jess was my friend, I was so wrong.
“Fuck,” the man growled before turning fully to me. I was looking at the wine on the ground but looked up suddenly when I heard him growl. The deepest blue eyes were staring at me, and it was a little disconcerting. He was the most handsome man I’ve ever seen.
He took in my red-rimmed eyes and disheveled appearance. His eyes were seeing more then what was on the surface. This man was seeing deep inside of me.
“You okay?” He asked me gently, in a voice deep and rich.
“Sure, all is right with the world,” I said with a hysterical laugh.
“I’m really sorry,” I tell him quietly as I bent over to pick up the broken pieces of the bottle. Something I couldn’t do for my heart.
“I’ll get this, you go take a hot bath or something,” the man tells me. His voice was filled with sinful promise.
“No, I stumbled into you, and this is my mess,” I tell him firmly.
“Really, go,” he tells me in a way that left no room for argument.
I looked up at him from my crouched position. I slowly raised my hand and put it in his stretched-out hand. As he helped me to my feet, I gave him a small smile as well as the pieces that I was able to collect. We put them in the plastic bag that was in my other hand.
“Thank you,” I gave him my best fake smile and walked past him.
He didn’t say a word as I disappeared inside. I felt like crap for more than one reason. Gary, Jess and now the hottest man to grace this earth has seen me at my worse.
Chapter 1
Charlotte
One Year Ago.
“Come on, I need my coffee,” Someone grumbled behind me.
“I’m sorry,” I tell them quickly as I rushed to fill the coffee pot again. I had already fumbled by pouring the coffee ground in without the filter.
“Lo,” Mia says quietly. “It’s okay,” she tells me gently.
It wasn’t okay. Nothing was okay, but I didn’t have it in me to tell Mia that. Then another customer sighed loudly frustrated that I was taking too long.
Well, if you walked in on your best friend… Ex-best friend, my mind reminded me. Sorry, my ex-best friend fucking your boyfriend, you would also be all out of sorts.
Flashes of the night before intruded my thoughts. In one hand, I held a plastic bag and the other I held a bottle of wine. Moans and grunts were coming from Gary’s room.
Concern filled me as I walked in that direction. Did Gary fall and hurt himself? He was in good shape, but anyone can get hurt.
The closer I got, the louder the sounds got. My eyes filled with unshed tears as I heard more than one voice. I pushed on the partially open door and stepped into the room.
Gary was on the bed kneeling behind a woman with long blond hair. She was on her hands and knees, and they were both naked.
The tears that had been lingering started to spill over as the scene played out before me. Gary was really going at it. Is this what people looked like having sex?
Relief flooded me since I haven’t had sex with him yet. I haven’t had sex with anyone, wanting to wait until I was married. I watched as if this was a bad horror movie. Then Gary turned his head my way, and his brown eyes widened.
They were shit brown, and I just now noticed that small detail. I never thought of Gary’s eyes being that color while we dated. Jess also turned her head to look at me. Her green eyes grew bigger as she tried to move out from under Gary. Although, he had his hands clamped on her hips and held her in place.
I must have made some sort of distressed sound. His hips kept moving even though he looked ready to be sick. Actually, I was ready to be sick, oh god, how many have there been?
Gary and I have been dating a year and two months. Jess and I have been friends for three years. How often has this happened? My chest constricted, and I pulled the bottle of wine to my chest as if it could comfort me. Like an old beloved teddy bear.
“Lo,” Mia said gently, pulling me from my thoughts.
I’ve known Mia since high school. We’ve been friends since the third day of high school. I turned and looked at her.
“Why don’t you take a fifteen-minute break. I’ve got this,” Mia tells me quietly.
Looking over my shoulder, I took in the long line of frustrated patrons and gave her a nod.
Without a word, I walked quickly into the back room. I found a box, and sat down letting the world settle around me.
Chapter 2
Dean
One Year Ago.
I’ve been watching Willow when Gary’s girlfriend all but threw her bottle of wine at me. Judging by the look in her eyes, I knew she finally caught him in the act.
I felt something for her, and that didn’t happen very often in my line of work. You learned to cut off any emotional ties that didn’t benefit you or your job. There was family and family.
Her eyes were full of unshed tears as she pulled at her hair with her now free hand. I wasn’t sure she even knew she was doing it.
She squatted down and started to carefully pick up the broken pieces of glass. I heard her apologize and she made some sort of reply.
I was surprised when I offered to clean up the mess, considering I was the victim and nowhere near a nice guy. Fuck, people who knew me called me an asshole.
“Really, go,” I tell her firmly.
Why the fuck did this seem important?
“Thank you,” she tells me, her voice was barely a whisper.
I didn’t say a word as she disappeared into the building. I had been leaning up against Willow’s house since it was next door. From what I could tell, Willow was her only real neighbor.
As soon as Cole got his ass back here, I was heading into Gary’s as the fucker’s card had just been punched. Tonight, Gary was going to die.
Chapter 3
Charlotte
Eleven Months Ago.
He was back, well not really. The man that I bumped into was standing in line waiting for coffee. I felt little butterflies erupt in my stomach. My hands instinctively tried to fix my hair, but I kept them on the task of filling another coffee cup.
It was strange, we just kept meeting, and it was almost stalker like. But who was the stalker me or wine guy? A small laugh escaped at the thought. It was the first real carefree moment I’ve felt in quite some time.
My eyes found his profile again, and I tried not to linger, afraid I’d get caught. I took in his sun-kissed skin, dark brown hair, and the way his lips curved sensually.
Swallowing, I looked down at my hands fighting the need to clench them. I wanted to run my fingers through wine guys hair as I scream his name.
Oh god, what was wrong with me? I didn’t even know his name let alone, wait… I can’t go there. I bet he was an asshole. He was too good looking to be anything but. I knew assholes, and this man oozed it.
Sighing I tried to focus on the task at hand. But I couldn’t bring myself to pretend the guy wasn’t there. That this sinfully handsome man wasn’t standing in the lobby even if he was most likely a dick.
My hands trembled as I thought of him between my thighs licking and biting. Oh god, I couldn’t stop. I couldn’t shut it off.
My eyes cast to the clock only ten more minutes of this before I could pull off my apron and rush out of the building like it was on fire.
I knew something that was on fire, and it wasn’t something I could run from. Damn, wine guy licked his lips while looking at me, my body just went into overdrive. I wanted this man with an unparallel need. It was almost unhealthy.
“Char?” Mia whispered.
I turned to look at her, but she was focused on my hands. My eyes returned to them and saw that they were trembling.
“You can go home,” she tells me gently.
I was sure she thought this was due to exhaustion or that my father had me on edge. This was actually my second job.
Dad’s medical expenses were drowning us in debt. I took this job, so we didn’t starve. We shared my apartment up until recently when he was once again admitted to the hospital.
I should feel relief or maybe do a dance that he was in there again. He was suffering like I have all these years.
My mother passed away when I was seven, and my father turned into a drunk. His breath was always putrid with the stench of alcohol. I hated when he twisted his fist in my shirt since I could smell his breath in my face.
His anger contorted his features and tears would fill my eyes as he shook me like a rag doll. I never knew what was going to set him off. Yet here I was, all those torturous years later caring for the man.
When I was sixteen, I wanted to go on a date, and it would be my first real one. The dance was coming up, and I so badly wanted to go. I even went as far as saving every penny from all the bottle deposits to save for this oversized dress from goodwill. I had hand stitched the seam to make it smaller. It still didn’t fit, but it covered me.
When my dad saw me, he latched onto me. His hand crushed my upper arm as he leaned in. The smell of alcohol reeked from him, and his eyes looked crazed as he called me a whore. He actually slapped me across the face. The night of the dance he locked me in my room and refused to answer the front door for Tom, my date.
So many memories had me question why I was killing myself now to help a man who nothing did but bring me down and make me feel like nothing.
My dad was the reason why I kept going after all the Gary’s of the world. The cheating no good bastard! And for some stupid reason, I continued to do it.
Slipping the apron over my head, I nodded to Mia. I tried to say thank you, but my throat closed and refused to open. I couldn’t get any words out.
The line was shorter as I returned from the back. Clocking out only took a few minutes but Mia had already cleared half the lobby.
My eyes scanned the patrons. Wine guy was gone, and my heart sank.
It’s for the best he’s probably another Gary, I tell myself. If only I could believe it.
Chapter 4
Dean
Ten Months Ago.
This was just another job, another night but they were starting to blend together. Blood and gore, their screams and cries were all becoming the same in my mind.
I was watching another target dance through the living room. This woman’s beauty was astounding, but that was only skin deep. This bitch was horribly sick, her insides probably were black and reeking.
She would die tonight for her nasty behavior. She killed the soon-to-be wife of one of the dons that my father knew. She was jealous that the other woman would be in his arms. Not because she loved him, but for the power, she was losing in the match.
Taking a deep breath, I let it loose just as something collided with me from behind. A soft feminine oomph rented the air and had me twist to collect the girl before she hit the concrete sidewalk.
Her eyes were a beautiful shade of brown that sparkled as the light danced over them.
“Oh god, I’m so…,” she swallows deeply “I’m so sorry,” she sighed.
I watched in fascination as my previous target’s ex-girlfriend tugged on her white V-neck. She adjusted the strap that crossed over her chest with her black leather purse.
This isn’t the first time I’ve seen her over the last two months. I’ve seen her at the coffee shop where she worked and also at the grocery store.
The last time she didn’t notice me, but I noticed her. She was hard not to notice with her long brown hair and sparkling brown eyes. Her short yet perfect body filled her jeans to perfection.
My arms were still holding her close, and her scent filled my every breath. She smelled like cherries, sweet, delicious cherries.
“You okay darin’?” My voice was low, and I watched in satisfaction as a little shudder moved over her.
She was feeling it too, and that thought brought a smile to my face.
“I keep doing this, I’m really sorry,” she whispered while lowering her head.
“Don’t worry about it darlin’,” I tell her gently.
My eyes scanned her body taking in the tight as fuck blue jeans that looked painted on and the tight white V-neck t-shirt she wore. I could see the hint of pink from her bra through the thin material. I couldn’t help but wonder if it was lacey or it if was more modest.
“If this keeps happening, I might die from embarrassment. I’m not normally this clumsy,” she tells me with a weak smile.
“Really? I wouldn’t have guessed,” I tease her.
Her cheeks turned a pretty shade of pink only a little darker than the pink bra she wore.
“I need to go,” she whispered and shook her head.
Slowly, my arms lower until they were against my sides. I felt as though I was losing something as she gave me a brief smile and dashed off like the hounds of hell were nipping at her heels.
You can run darlin’, but eventually, I’ll catch up to you. One of these little visits is going to go in my favor.
Chapter 5
Charlotte
Seven Months Ago.
He was once again in my way. I watched in both horror and happiness. And yes, I know it’s a weird combination. The guy was leaning against the building that Mia lived in.
Why was he always leaning against some building?
As I closed the space between us, he turned, and his eyes widened. Yeah, I’m just as surprised to see you too buddy. I wanted to point my finger at him and demand answers like are you stalking me? Shit, wa
s I stalking him?
“Are you stalking me?” I blurted out like a psycho.
His face transformed as he laughed hard causing my belly to flip-flop. Butterflies started to erupt like an overactive volcano.
“Should I be asking you the same thing since I was here first?” He asked with his left eyebrow cocked and his lips twitching in amusement.
“Well, my friend lives here,” I tell him sticking out my tongue like a child. Nice one. I wanted to slap my own forehead and groan out loud in embarrassment. What kind of comeback was that?
That cocky smile was in full effect now. And I was officially knocked out of my socks. Fuck this man was sex on a stick! I wanted to lick him and what the fuck was wrong with me?
“You want to lick me?” he asked.
I groaned out loud and covered my face with both my hands. Oh god, please let the ground open and suck me in. Just pull me under and cover my head with the dirt and concrete. Please? I beg the universe.
Peeking through my fingers, I groan louder when nothing happens.
“What, no,” I sputter.
Yeah, good save, I tell myself sarcastically.
“You literally just said I was sex on a stick and you wanted to lick me all over,” he says with a wicked smile.
“Shut up!” I shout. My face officially became redder than an overripe tomato.
“I need to go,” I tell him once again as my face was covered with both my hands.
“Sure darlin’,” he tells me. I could hear the smile in his voice.
Shit, I was officially in the crazy stalker location in his mind, I just knew it. And honestly, I didn’t blame him for putting me there. Even if I wasn’t really stalking him.
Without another word, I rushed past him. My face was flaming hot, and my eyes were wet with unshed tears of embarrassment.
Chapter 6
Charlotte
Seven Months Ago.
Mia stood in front of me with a concerned face. I couldn’t bring myself to tell her why I wanted to burst into tears. It was bad enough that I embarrassed myself in front of the hottest man I’ve ever met.
Loving Dean (Mafia Generations Book 3) Page 1
