by J. A. Coffey
He was silent again, and she wondered what he was thinking.
"Look, Davie, I can't change who I am-or was. And I'm sorry for what I almost did to your company. But I'm not gonna spend the rest of our time together apologizing for it."
He sighed and sat up too, running his hands over his hair. "I don't expect you to," he said, clearly frustrated. "But...damn it. You said you were out of that life. If you have all this other stuff going for you, what's with all the gadgets? Why do you need all that shit? It's like you're keeping yourself prepared to slip right back in."
"Consider it professional development," she said with a shrug. She didn't return his frustration. She preferred he told her how he really felt than to hide behind indifference or jibes. "Just because I have that stuff, doesn't mean I'm ready to drop everything and start running cons again. I have companies hiring me to help them prevent people like me from doing exactly what I just did here. I have to know what the latest technology is, what's the latest scam going around so that I can work around it."
After a short pause, he asked, "How'd you get access into Royal Courts?"
She quickly told him about the flaws in his system that had allowed her to slip in twice, undetected. It all sounded complicated, almost impossible, but if she had managed to do it, any savvy hacker could too. That was a possibility he couldn't ignore.
"Now you owe it to me to join our security team," he said thoughtfully after a while.
"I don't come cheap," she warned.
"So there's no friends or lovers discount?"
"Nope."
He laughed, but quickly sobered up. "You know, I'm proud of you too. You had less than I did and yet look at you now."
She smiled. "Yeah, I'm proud of me too. I've never been arrested, have no fancy degree, but to be where I am and to be doing what I'm doing, considering my past, it...feels good. If I'd known things could be like this, I would have done this a lot sooner."
"Why didn't you?"
She shrugged. "I guess I was too caught up with needing to belong...somewhere. Being in a group was the most important thing to me at the time. Or at least I thought it was."
He regarded her silently. "What changed your mind?"
Athena looked down at her hands. How much should she tell him? She didn't want secrets between them, but neither did she want to cut open a very old wound.
"A lot of bad decisions," she said hesitantly, drawing up her knees and hugging them to her. "Actually, just one really stupid one."
"What happened?" he asked when she didn't continue.
She glanced at him then looked away, not wanting those brilliant gray eyes to know how very stupid she'd been. "It's not important," she said. But her voice betrayed her, thickening with suppressed tears and anger. She had shed enough tears over the incident, and she refused to give it any more.
Davie nudged her chin until she looked at him again. His eyebrows were furrowed in a deep frown over his gray eyes, but there was also intense concern in them. "No secrets, right?"
She let out a short laugh, despite the tears welling in her eyes. "It really isn't important, but if you must know... I broke the cardinal rule. I was an idiot and trusted people I shouldn't have."
He waited for her to continue. She sighed.
"After you left, our group wasn't the same. Though back then they were the only people I knew who had my back. But eventually, everyone started doing their own thing. The Acerras were starting up businesses, and Anthony was going everywhere and nowhere." She shrugged. "I was looking for a new place to fit in. I met this girl. And she was kind of like me, cool and smart," she added with a quick smile.
The girl had been smart, shrewd, and unconventional. Not having had any close girlfriends, Athena had been excited about their new friendship.
"She brought me into her group." Athena scoffed, "They called themselves MOD. Masters of Destruction. It was a small click and mainly filled with rich kids who really enjoyed hacking into places just because. They were different, but I liked them." And she had let herself get sucked into their world.
Davie frowned, and Athena knew it was because he didn't particularly care for people like them. He believed in having a code and living by it. He believed people like the ones she'd joined up with were nothing but trouble and shouldn't be trusted.
That was an old lesson he had drilled into her many years ago. But when she'd finally found someplace to fit in again, it had been a lesson she'd chosen to ignore.
"I hope you got out before they pulled you into some serious trouble," he said.
"Actually, everything was cool for a while." Athena sighed and looked down at her hand. "Until one of the guys started to show some interest in me." At first she had been flattered because he'd been attractive. Having grown up around so many guys, she hadn't taken him all that seriously. She knew how fickle the male attention span could be and didn't want to complicate things for herself with a relationship. She also hadn't understood his sudden interest. Nothing about her baggy pants and oversized flannels had whimpered for a man's attention.
"I was fine with it, until he made it clear he was interested in more than just friendship. Things sort of got...out of hand so I left. Their crew, that life, everything."
"What do you mean things got out of hand?" Davie asked quietly. He cupped her chin and stared at her searchingly, his body rigid with tension. "Tena, did he...?"
She didn't know how to answer that. Even now, she didn't know what to label what had happened. It wasn't that she hadn't been attracted to the other guy. She just hadn't been looking for a relationship at the time. Then again, she had let herself be alone with him and hadn't necessarily stopped him when he began kissing her. She had even kissed him back. But when things started moving too fast, she had tried to stop him. He, however, hadn't been ready for them to stop.
"Let's just say he wanted it more than I did," she whispered.
Davie sat there frozen, then slowly released her. "Son-of-a-bitch," he muttered faintly, his hands balled into fists. Then he roared it. "Son-of-a-bitch!"
She flinched. That was more than she had ever told anyone. No one, not even her brother, knew about what had happened. It had been easier to forget it and, eventually, it became a vague, distant memory. Just a bad dream.
Davie stared straight ahead, his jaw clenched and his profile tense with an anger she'd never seen before. "Who is he?"
She shook her head. "It's not important."
"Tena-"
"No," she interrupted. She brought her hand to his cheek and forced him to face her. His features were hard with rage. "I appreciate that you want to kick his ass," she said. "But it was a long time ago."
For her sanity, she needed to keep him nameless because that was the only way he became faceless and ultimately nothing. It was how she had learned to cope with it, and it worked for her.
He shook his head. "When I find him, I'm not going to kick his ass," he said evenly. "I'm going to kill him."
Goosebumps crawled up her arm. There was a seriousness in his words that made her believe he actually would. For the first time, she got to see beneath the charismatic playboy to the ruthless man that lived within. In that moment, David Carrone was every bit his father's son and had the potential to be just as dangerous.
"No, you're not," she whispered. He tried to pull away from her, so she straddled him. Grabbing his face, she stared directly into his eyes. "You're not, okay? I know what happened wasn't right, and maybe I should have done something about it back then, but I can't wallow in that. I had to move on, and I did. And I'm okay. Let that be enough. Please."
The muscles in his jaw flexed, and he looked as if he would still argue with her. Then he looked away from her, disgusted.
"God, baby, I'm sorry," he said hoarsely. "Had I known about that, I would have never tied you to-"
She stopped his words with a gentle kiss across the lips. "Don't be. We're making new memories now. And I know you would never hurt me like that."
"I really lucked out," she said after a while. "I have you back in my life now, and I'm doing what I love without hurting anyone. Things are good for me now." She looked up at him and smiled softly. "Not bad for a lost girl, huh?"
He wrapped his hand around the nape of her neck and drew her close. "You're not lost, Tena." His brilliant gray eyes pierced into her, and something warm spread through her.
Tears glistened in her eyes, and she bit down on her bottom lip to keep it from quivering. He must have noticed her struggle to maintain her composure because he gave her a fast kiss.
"You're just a pain in my ass," he muttered with a slow grin.
She choked back a laugh and shoved at his shoulders. "Am not."
"Are too," he taunted, then kissed her again.
It was the sweetest touch, one that connected them in a way that went beyond physical. She was his and he was hers.
She slowly ran her fingers up his muscular arms before looping them around his neck as he gathered her close. Wrapping her legs around him, she gave him all of her. In turn, he gently, carefully made her a part of him.
Chapter Fourteen
"Now look who's all grown up and has a fancy office."
Athena glanced up at the deep, male voice and dropped the manual she'd been reading.
"Anthony!" She walked around her small desk and went to embrace her brother. "What are you doing here? When did you get back?"
"Yesterday," he said, pulling her into a tight hug. "And I came to surprise my baby sister at her new job." His dark face broke out in a wide grin. "How is it?"
She shrugged. "It's only my second week." Technically, it was officially her first as Royal Courts' Cyber Security Specialist-a position she was certain had been created for her-but so far, she had no complaints. With Carlos on leave this week-a leave Davie had highly recommended he take-she didn't have the security chief's bad attitude to deal with any more.
Anthony looked around the office, taking in the cluttered space. "Looks good," he said.
She laughed. "No, it doesn't, but thanks." Like she'd always done since she was a young girl, she assessed him. Except for a bit of darkening under his eyes, he looked good. Just tired.
"Davie's coming by to take me to lunch. You should come." She was now glad Davie's meeting with his business partner had run late, or she would have missed her brother's surprise visit.
Anthony shook his head. "No, thanks. I can't stay long." Then he glanced at the door, frowning. "Maybe we should just meet up later."
"No, it's fine." She grabbed his hand and led him to the seat across her desk, which was already crowded with manuals and equipment.
She took the seat beside him and studied him some more. She'd always thought they resembled each other when they smiled, but even now, his smile seemed a bit strained. She recognized that look in her brother's face and couldn't help the uneasiness that came over her. Either something had happened or he was in trouble again and needed something. Her apprehension quickly grew to frustration. Things were just starting to calm down for her again, and as much as she loved her brother, she didn't think she could deal with another worry.
"Is everything okay, Ant?"
"Yeah, yeah," he said, though his wide grin wasn't very convincing. "I just wanted to come see you."
"And...?" she prompted, years of seeing that same look in her brother's eyes convinced her something was wrong.
He blew out a heavy breath. "And to ask for a small favor."
"What?" she asked, though she had an idea.
"Just a small loan. I promise this time I'll pay it back."
She stifled a groan. "Really, Ant? I just started this job and already you're hitting me up for money?"
"I know," he muttered, running a hand over his short cropped afro. "But I wouldn't ask if I didn't really need it."
She'd heard that before. Actually, she'd heard that too many times. "For what?"
He glanced at her. "I got kicked out of my place. I need to put down for a new apartment, and I'm short."
Athena stared at her brother, incredulous. She hadn't expected that. Maybe that he needed it for another business venture or to pay off some bills, but not because he was homeless. "When did this happen? Why didn't you tell me?"
"It happened a few weeks ago, while I was away." He sighed. "And there were other things going on. I didn't want to bother you with that too."
She slapped his arm. "Idiot. Maybe if you had said something, you wouldn't have lost the apartment." Remembering what Davie had told her, she thought of another way to help her brother without rushing to give him money. "Why don't you just stay at my place," she offered. "It's paid up and I'm hardly there."
"You sure?" he asked, his thick brows pulling together. "I don't remember your place being all that big."
"For you, it'll be perfect," she said, exasperated. "I spend most of my time here, anyway, so you'll hardly see me."
"Here, here? With David?" He gave her a measured look then frowned. "Are you sleeping with him?"
Athena's cheeks burned. They were doing more than that. The past few days had been everything she hoped it could. They were making up for lost time and getting to know each other on a more profound level. She'd never felt so close, so connected, to anyone. She hadn't worked up the nerve to tell him she loved him, though she wanted to. The feelings were only building up in her, and she wanted him to know how she felt. Maybe it was just a result of their spending so much time together, but he didn't seem to mind it and neither did she. They'd even talked about going away this weekend. Just the two of them.
But she didn't see how any of that was her brother's concern. He'd never bothered her about her love life before-not that she had much of one for him to ask about.
"Not that it's any of your business," she said abruptly, "but yes, we're seeing each other."
He shook his head, his frown deepening. "That's not right. He's older than me, and you're my sister."
Athena rolled her eyes. "He's only a few years older than you, and I'm your adult sister so please don't make this a big deal." She glanced down at her hands. "You know I've always...cared about him."
"That's the problem," Anthony said sharply. "Guys like him only care about one thing. Their dicks."
"It's not like that with us," she said, trying to keep the annoyance from her voice. The sex was great, but their relationship ran deeper than that. He could have had that without asking her to stay with him, and at this point, she was practically living with him at the resort.
"We care about each other," she added. Though he hadn't said the L-word either, she could safely say he truly cared about her. He'd told her once and he showed it in more ways than one. She could only hope that Davie would someday come to love her too.
Her brother snorted. "Just be careful with him. I don't want him taking advantage of you."
"I wouldn't do that to her."
They both whirled toward the sharp voice to find Davie standing by the door. She mentally kicked herself for not shutting it. He'd obviously heard them talking about him, and her face heated some more.
Davie came fully into the office and closed the door behind him. "But you should know all about taking advantage of people, Anthony. Since you've been avoiding my messages, why don't you go ahead and tell Tena about your latest con?"
Anthony glanced at her then back at Davie. He slowly rose to his feet and walked around his seat, a stubborn set to his jaw. "This isn't about me. It's about you and the fact that I don't like knowing you're fucking my little sister."
"I don't give a shit," Davie bit out.
Athena jumped up from her chair and stood between the two men who were glaring at each other. "Okay, time out," she snapped. "You guys can stop now." She couldn't remember being so embarrassed. She turned to her brother. "Now what the hell is going on with you two?"
"Go on, tell her," Davie said
. "Tell her what kind of bastard you really are."
Athena schooled her expression to keep her confusion from showing as Anthony glanced at her then glared back up at Davie. A knot in her belly began to form as she waited for either man to tell her what the hell was going on. Since Anthony could be evasive when he wanted to be, years of tricking her brother into telling her the truth came easy. If she didn't do something, she would never get answers from him.
"This is about what happened with the Acerras, isn't it?"
Anthony clenched his jaw. "You told her, you asshole."
"Yeah, he did," Athena said before Davie could respond. She'd taken a guess, and it had worked. There was obviously something both men had neglected to tell her. Something that even Davie felt he needed to keep from her, despite all their talks about being honest and transparent with each other. The knot in her belly grew, but she ignored it. "But I only have his side of the story," Athena continued, not looking at Davie. "I want to hear yours."
"You're not mad?" Anthony asked, not quite meeting her gaze.
She fought to hold on to her patience. "I will be if you don't be straight with me."
Anthony glowered over at Davie again, who was now looking at her with such intensity her breath caught.
"Tena, it's not what you think, okay. I don't know what he told you," Anthony said, motioning toward Davie, "but I only thought we should use you for the job 'cause I figured if he found out, he'd take it easy on you. And I was right. Hell, he offered you a job."
Athena hadn't gotten past the word 'use'. He used her? For what?
Then it suddenly dawned on her, and the knot in her stomach turned into a quiver. She was going to be sick. Everything Anthony was saying now faded into the background as she looked at him-looked through him.
Her own brother?
"So you used me? You lied to me? It was all a lie?" She didn't recognize her own voice. It was barely audible and huskier than usual. She couldn't look at Davie, who held himself rigid.
