by Ali Parker
"So you're not at all worried that he might hurt you?" Lisa moved up on her elbow and glanced down at Sicily.
"No. Not in the slightest. I love him, Lisa."
Lisa's lips turned up into a bright smile. "Then text him and tell him that you're going to Chicago. Act like nothing’s changed. What do you have to lose?"
She was right. There was nothing else to lose where Drake was concerned. The worse thing he could tell her was that she wasn't allowed to go. Chances are he wouldn't do that.
"You're right." Sicily sat up and picked up her phone, pulling up her texts and saying a small prayer before shooting off a note.
Chapter 21
Drake parked his bike around the back of the shop and walked languidly to the front. His thoughts assaulted him left and right. No matter how hard he tried to put the scene out of his head, he kept coming back to the same place. Sicily standing there, horrified by him. He had been too aggressive with the kid, though the little punk ass deserved every minute of it.
Sicily obviously didn't agree.
Her words were harsh, and though he knew she didn't truly mean them, he couldn't convince himself otherwise. It was good that she had seen firsthand what a monster he could be. It had been a peaceful five years, but good fortune never lasted long in his life. The mob would come calling sometime soon and he would have to return. The sins of his past owed him a life of hell. Sicily didn't need to get involved in with him.
She can do much better. I want her to.
Drake walked into the gym and nodded at Violet as she glanced up from the appointment book.
"Hey, boss. How goes... oh." Her expression changed, the joy fading to worry.
"Don't ask. Just let me know if you need me. I'm going to do some paperwork and then hit the weights." He glanced her way and walked by the desk, not waiting for her response.
The girls at the gym were like sisters to him. When he'd first hired them, each had taken a turn to try and force something to happen between the two of them, but he wouldn't have any of it. Work and pleasure had to be separate. It was too damn hard to stay objective about someone you cared about.
After years of working together, he had them all healthy, happy, and fully functional. Now if someone would make that shit happen in his life.
His phone buzzed in his pocket and he ignored it. There was no one that he wanted to talk to, including Sicily. She had tried to backtrack the minute he walked toward the door, but he wasn't interested in a shallow relationship. She needed to stew in her accusations and he needed to reconsider where he was really willing to let their involvement go.
Sexually, he was all in. She was the center of his desire, her body every fucking thing he wanted beneath his. Her drive and stamina to make it in her bakery shop left him aching for more time around her, and her personality and laughter was spot on. Nothing was missing where he was concerned, but his desire wasn't enough to sustain a relationship. She had to make the call, and where losing control in any situation wasn't something he desired, he didn't have a choice in the matter this time.
Drake dropped down in his chair and pulled a file from a folder on the side of his desk. He tried to force himself to wrap up a few things before heading out to clean up the house and pack for the trip. It would have been so much better if Sicily had decided to come with him, but with the way things were now, there was no way.
"Whatever," he grumbled and leaned back in his chair. He needed to call someone to go check on her. She didn't need to clean up the mess with Martin on her own.
He pulled out his phone and called Jake, knowing the other man was solid gold in the way of helping out.
"Hey, buddy. What's up?" Jake's voice was upbeat and full of life.
"Sicily needs you and Kari to get to the shop. That punk-ass kid was there this morning and we figured out that he was the one who burned Judy's down. He set her up."
"I heard. You need us to go over there now? Is Martin still here?"
"Yeah. I beat his ass, so I'm sure the cops and ambulances are there. I had to jet."
"Why?"
Because I'm a monster with a record of killing, stealing, and fucking up entire cities.
"Because Sicily got pissed at me and forced me to leave. She's angry that I beat the kid’s ass."
"I'm sure he deserved it."
"Of course he did. He had his hands on her and she was backed into a fucking corner." Drake took a long breath, trying to calm himself as his vision blurred. Anger beat against the inside of his chest and he knew he was going to explode soon if he didn't get into the weight room. He wasn't the kind of man who was okay with letting anyone or anything fuck with his world – least of all, his girl.
"Oh shit. That's not good. We'll head over there now. I'll text you when we have her and call you later."
"Thanks, Jake." Drake hung up the phone and dropped it on the desk as he let out a long groan. Maybe it would be better to go on a long run instead of going to the weight room. Autumn was incredible in Bar Harbor and it wasn't too terribly cold outside yet.
"This way I can get some exercise, let off some steam, and check on my girl without her knowing it." He stood and walked to the single standing locker that he had installed in his office for his gear. Tugging his ear-buds from a pile of wires, he tucked them into his ears, grabbed his phone, and headed for the door.
"Changed my mind. I'm going for a run," he called over his shoulder and walked out into the late fall afternoon.
The leaves had collected at the door again and all over the parking lot. There was nothing more breathtaking than the crimson, dark yellow, and burnt oranges that filled the scene before him. The large, colorful trees lined the narrow road that led up to the gym.
He took a quick right and moved more into the line of the forest, breathing in deeply and picking up his pace until he was running hard. Jake would kick his ass if he tried to talk the other man into something so aggressive, but for him... it was a walk in the park.
Forcing himself forward, his heart began to race and as he turned the corner to move toward town, the large lake opened up beside him.
Clarity was his for a minute as adrenaline pumped through him. Sicily was the woman he wanted beside him for the rest of his life. He didn't know much about her, but it was really irrelevant. He would find out any and everything simply because he wanted to be her rock, to understand her completely and be there for her, no matter what.
She didn't have the skeletons in her closet that he did, but if she were willing to dig through the dark spaces with him, one thing he could promise her was that he wouldn't lie about any of it. He wanted to put it all on display and let her search through anything she wanted to. If she could push past all that shit... he would propose to her in the spring the next year.
Knowing that Jake was going to propose to Kari at Christmas left him a little jealous, but willing to wait. There was no need to take away any of Jake's thunder. Drake could let them have their moment and then he would create a whole different one for him and his girl.
"God, please let her still be my girl. I'll give anything. Do anything. Just fix this for me?" He slowed a little as he reached the edge of the town square. The cop cars and ambulances were starting to pull away, which was a good thing. Drake moved behind a large tree and watched quietly as Sicily walked back into the shop.
Her long dark hair stole his attention, the remembrance of having his fingers wrapped around the silky strands almost undoing him. How badly he wished he could have reined in his temper just a little bit better with the situation from earlier. He hadn't meant to scare her.
She pressed her forehead to the glass door and closed her eyes.
Drake's heart broke in his chest at the sad expression on her face. She was devastatingly beautiful. His cock jerked in his workout shorts, his need to express himself sexually with her was all he could think about.
How close they'd come to making love the night before, but the situation with the fucking kid messed it up. Wou
ld he get another chance to hold her close and tell her how much she meant to him? To kiss her and memorize the thick, luscious curves of her feminine physique?
The need to run across the street and beg for forgiveness was only one of the many emotions running through him as he turned and ran toward the gym again. Nothing good could come out of him standing in the woods and watching her from a distance. If she saw him, she would freak out.
He made it back to the gym thirty minutes later, the run uphill having sufficiently kicked his hormones in the nuts. He was covered in sweat and mentally beat. Walking in, he nodded to Jasmine, who was up front watching the receptionist desk.
"I'm going to take a shower," he puffed out between deep breaths.
He half expected her to say that the cops had been by or had called and wanted to see him. The fact that Sicily hadn't turned him in said something – she cared about him. If she was held to the fire for the boy's condition he would quickly step in. There was no way she was taking the heat for his shit. Period.
Drake walked into the men's locker room and tugged off his T-shirt and shorts before slipping out of his shoes, socks, and underwear. He wanted a cold shower, and then he would call Jake to check on Sicily. He needed to stay hands-off until she contacted him. She had seen him at his worst, anger and aggression being the main characteristics that she'd attacked back at the shop.
He had fucked up royally, but it was her move. The ball was in her court.
The showers were empty and he grabbed the last one, which was the only one with a functional curtain. Most guys didn't give a shit about showering together in one large room, and normally he wouldn't either, but the raging hard-on he had would give the guys the wrong impression.
He turned on the cold water and stepped up to the spray, letting out a long groan at the relief that swept through him. There was nothing better than working up a sweat, and where he enjoyed working out, he would soon need to find another way to relieve his angst. Sicily being in his life was great for his libido, but awful for release.
He rolled a bar of soap between his fingers before putting it up and running his hands in quick succession over his cock, pulling harder each time he tugged at himself. He stifled a groan and pressed his back to the cold tile wall as he arched his hips, pressing his erection through his tight grasp.
The image of Sicily naked and leaning against the other wall seared through him. How badly he wanted to drop to his knees and spend hours with his tongue buried between her thighs. He hadn't let himself enjoy a woman like that in the last five years. If she was willing to give him another try, she'd have to force him to relent when he started to lap at her.
Nothing sounded better.
He picked up his pace and put his anger and rejection into the long, hard strokes he forced on himself. His body tightened as fire burst from his center and caused him to buckle. Drake reached out and touched the wall beside him as he gave himself over to the orgasm and whimpered her name over and over, praying like hell no one was in the locker room with him.
If so? Fuck it.
***
Drake washed off and got out of the shower, feeling better and more perverted than he had in a long time. It wasn't something he was ashamed of, but having to jack off instead of making love to a woman was low on his list of things to do again.
Time to get the girl back.
"You said you would wait until she called you." He walked into his office, praying silently that she'd called or texted. There was one unread text message waiting for him.
"Please let it be her. I'll do anything if it's just her."
The message was short and sweet, just like the girl who sent it.
Sicily: I'm sorry for what I said today. I'm not used to high emotions. Forgive me. I'm going to Chicago with you unless you won’t let me anymore. I need to know who you are if I plan to spend forever with you.
Drake: You sure you want to do that? Nothing good will come of you digging into my past. Today was a perfect example of that.
Sicily: What if I want to try and see the light in the darkness?
Drake: Suit yourself. I'll pick you up at 2 tomorrow from the shop. Be ready.
Chapter 22
Drake's response had come hours after Sicily first sent the message, which left her afternoon and evening ruined. She mulled around the house a while before taking a hot bath and going to bed early. She could pack in the morning before going into the shop for a while. It would hopefully calm her nerves a little.
After the fight with Drake, there was no telling how awkward the tension might be between the two of them for the long weekend. She hoped there was some way to push past it and find the budding heat that sparked between the two of them every time they were close.
Sicily woke on Friday morning to the sound of Lisa and Kari arguing about something. Checking the clock on her nightstand, she realized she was running late.
"Oh hell." She got up quickly and pulled on a pair of jeans and a sweater before working her hair into a ponytail and applying a little bit of make-up. Her hurried movements were namely due to needing to get to the shop on time, but even more so to find out what her two roommates were arguing about. She hadn't heard them get upset at each other once in the last two years.
Something must be up.
Sicily knelt down and zipped her winter boots before checking herself once in the mirror, and walking out toward the kitchen.
"I'll say it again. It's horrible advice. Period." Kari's tone was harsh and not fitting her bubbly personality at all.
"No. It. Isn't," Lisa growled back.
Sicily stopped at the edge of the kitchen and put her hands on her hips. "Wow. This is something I've never seen before. What the hell is going on?"
They both started yelling at once and Sicily lifted her hands. "One at a time. Kari?"
Lisa growled as Kari stuck out her tongue.
Sicily shook her head and walked toward the coffee pot. "This has to be good. You guys never fight."
Kari moved up beside her. "I told her that her advice to you about Chicago was horrible. You don't need to go to another city with someone you're unsure of."
"And I told her that he's Jake's fucking best friend. He's been around us for six months. If he were a serial killer, wouldn't we know it?"
Sicily turned and pinned them each with a stare. "What's Jake's take on it?"
"Glad you asked," Lisa started and stuck her tongue out at Kari. "He's all for it. He believes in Drake, but Kari has hang-ups with him."
"Which are valid." Kari turned toward Sicily. "He's got a mean streak. I'm not comfortable with you going out of town with him. What if something happens between you guys?"
"I understand." Sicily lifted her cup to her lips. "I will tell you that I honestly feel safer with him than anyone from my past. He is a bit aggressive, and watching him attack Martin yesterday scared the hell out of me, but never once did I feel like he might turn on me. He was protecting me."
"He was a bit out of control, Sicily. He put a teenage boy in the hospital." Kari narrowed her eyes.
"That boy set up Sicily as a criminal, blew up a building, and physically assaulted her at the shop. You're being ridiculous," Lisa scoffed and took a seat before turning her attention back to Sicily. "I don't think you have anything to be worried about."
"I don't like it. Period." Kari fell down into a chair next to Lisa. "People look great on the outside, but can be vicious monsters on the inside. Look at who Frank turned out to be."
Lisa's expression softened a little as Sicily leaned against the fridge.
"Oh, honey. I'm sorry about fighting with you. I just know that Drake is the guy for Sis. He's strong and bold, handsome, and such a fighter." Lisa reached out and rubbed Kari's arm.
"It's ultimately my decision, and where I love you both very much, I need to know if Drake and I have something between us. Part of making that call is me better understanding his past. If he is the guy I truly believe him to be, I'm all in."r />
"You're not worried at all?" Kari asked, sitting up straighter as her expression pleaded for attention.
"Are you worried that Jake is not the guy you think he is? The one he seems to be?" Sicily asked, moving to sit beside Kari.
"I guess at times I let that fear roar to life, but Jake's been incredible from day one." Kari shrugged.
"So has Drake. Just because he whooped some kid’s ass who was touching Sicily doesn't mean he's not now. He's the one who got her name cleared and found evidence that she was innocent. Doesn't that count for something?" Lisa seemed to be pleading Drake's case awfully hard.
Why?
"But how? How did he get that information? Those clips?" Kari ran her fingers through her hair and let out a long sigh. "I'm just worried. I don’t like it."
Sicily got up and squeezed Kari's shoulder before walking toward the hall. "I am, too, but for different reasons than you are. I'll text you guys nonstop, but I'm going. I've fallen for this guy, and before I destroy whatever might possibly be, I need to know that it's not worth saving."
"Good. Go get the bad boy. I mean... er... good guy." Lisa's voice echoed down the hall as Sicily smirked.
A quick packing job and she would be off to the shop. Violet was going to watch over everything while she was gone, and they were going to limit the hours for the shop. Nothing new would be made, but everything Sicily could bake that morning would be just fine to sell through the end of the day on Saturday.
***
"You sure you don't want me to cook?" Violet laughed and rubbed her fingers over her face, smearing flour on her pretty complexion.
Sicily laughed and finished replacing the cookies in the counter with the new ones she'd just pulled off the cooling rack.
"No, but thank you. You look like I've been forcing you to bake everything we have up here. Smart girl."
"Thank you. I swear it takes more effort to look busy than to just be busy." Violet turned as the door opened and Drake walked in.