“Your brother wanted to protect you and didn’t see Jenna as a person.” Her only response is a nod. “He figured the easiest way to reduce the risk of Paulie Sr. or his son coming after you was for you to get an abortion.”
“Yeah,” she whispers. “But I couldn’t do it. She’s been a person to me from the moment I saw the plus sign on the test, and I’ve loved her every minute since then.”
“That’s part of what makes you so fucking special, Aubrey. You were in an impossible situation. Nobody would’ve blamed you for doing what your brother asked, but you took the hard route to protect the innocent life growing inside you.” It’s also a big part of why I fell in love with her so quickly, but now isn’t the right time to tell her. Not with what we’re talking about. I also don’t think she’s ready to hear me confess my feelings yet. It’ll have to wait for another day. Soon though. I’m not sure I can hold out much longer.
She rests her head against my shoulder and I kiss her forehead. “Do you think you can find out who’s been looking for me?”
“Of course I can. I’ve already got a trace running. It’s just a matter of time before it picks something up.”
“If it’s that easy for you, will it be that easy for someone else to find me?”
“No, they should hit a dead end if they search the hospital records. I switched your address and mangled your information in their records so nobody can use it to track you down.”
“What about my doctor? Can they track me through him?”
I shake my head. “I changed everything, so don’t freak out when it’s wrong at your next visit.”
“What about my bills? I won’t get them if they go to the wrong place.”
“I’ve already paid them off.” I tighten my hold on her again, but it turns out not to be necessary, because she doesn’t get pissed.
“You moved all of Jenna’s stuff in here before asking me if I wanted to move in with you, bought her everything she could possibly need, and covered my bills before talking to me about it.” She shakes her head. “You’re almost as high-handed as Aedan, but in a good way.”
“Aedan?”
Her smile disappears. “My brother.”
Her bossy big brother who’s probably worried about his little sister. “Do you think Aedan could be the one looking for you?”
She tilts her head to the side and considers the possibility for a moment before nodding. “I guess it could be him. I didn’t tell anyone I was leaving or where I was going, which I’m sure drove him nuts when they discovered I was gone. I wouldn’t put it past him to still be searching for me after all this time. Aedan can be pretty relentless. It’s part of what helped him move up so quickly in the drug business.”
“The drug business?”
Her eyes leave mine and I can see she’s uncomfortable. “Yeah, he was only twenty-three when he killed his boss and made a name for himself. But not just because he wanted his job,” she assures me like it makes it better. “The guy was a total creep when it came to women, kidnapping them and getting them hooked on drugs before pimping them out. Aedan might be a drug dealer, but what his boss was doing was unacceptable to him. Since nobody else would do anything to stop the guy and he was in a position to take care of it, he killed him.”
“You got a phone number I can use to get ahold of him?”
“Yeah, but…” She looks away. “I don’t want him to be able to trace me.”
“That’s where my super-secret spy skills come in handy,” I say and she laughs. I give her a quick kiss then shift her off my lap and go to my desk, grabbing one of my burner phones from the bottom drawer. “This has no GPS, and the number isn’t connected to me. We can call him on this without any risk of him finding you.”
She eyes the phone warily. “I’m not sure I’m ready to talk to him yet. It’s too soon after Jenna’s birth, and all I can think about is how she wouldn’t be here if I listened to him.”
“You don’t need to talk to him.” I sit down next to her and take her hand. “I’ll call him; all I need to know is if he’s the one looking for you.”
“Okay.” She takes the phone from me, flips it open, and punches in a number before handing it back. I squeeze her hand then press the green button and put the phone to my ear, listening to it ring.
“O’Sullivan.”
“Aedan O’Sullivan?”
“Yeah, you got him. Who the fuck is this?”
I get up and pace back and forth in front of the couch. “Who I am doesn’t matter as much as who’s sitting in front of me.”
“Aubrey. You have my sister? I swear to fucking God, if you lay a single finger on her, I’ll hunt you down and make you wish I’d kill you, motherfucker.”
He’s loud enough that Aubrey flinches. “Keep it down, asshole. You’re scaring your sister.”
“Scaring her?” His tone ratchets down to a whisper. “Who the fuck are you?”
“I’m the man she and her daughter are living with.” It’s as much as I’m willing to tell him until I can figure out for myself if he can be trusted with Aubrey and Jenna’s whereabouts.
“She had a girl?”
The pain in his voice is enough to make me stop pacing, and I sit down on the edge of the couch. “Yeah. They’re both doing really good too.”
“Then you need to keep who she is to yourself so they stay that way. There are people here who would kill to get their hands on that baby.”
“That’s why I’m calling. I picked up a trace on her online, and I’m working to track down the source.”
“As far as I know, I’m the only one who’s been looking for her. But if word gets out that she had a baby, questions will be asked.” There’s a loud crashing noise in the background, and it sounds an awful lot like he’s just thrown something against the wall. “I don’t like the idea of my baby sister living with some guy I’ve never met, but it’s a fuck of a lot better than visiting her grave while some depraved asshole raises my niece. It’s better if she stays out of the picture so people don’t start to ask questions.”
“I’m not going to let Paulie Sr. find out about her or the baby,”
“How are you connected to the Amidio family?” he asks, his tone deadly.
He sure as fuck doesn’t need to know I’m the one who killed Paulie Jr., so I toss out two names that’ll let him know I’m playing for the opposite side without giving too much away. “Kai and Sven.”
“Well, fuck,” he groans. “Seems we all have the same problem then.”
“Yeah,” I agree, “and I think we might be able to help each other out with it.”
“As long as you understand Aubrey is never coming back and doesn’t exist as far as anybody in Vegas is concerned, I’ll be more than willing to work with you.”
I’m irritated the bastard still seems to think he has a say in what Aubrey does. “Considering I have no intention of letting her leave my side and I want her safe, that works for me.”
“I’m gonna need to hear that from my sister before we talk any further,” he growls.
“You want to talk to your sister.” Aubrey’s eyes go wide, and she shakes her head. “You’re gonna have to give me a second to talk to her. She’s not exactly a fan of yours right now, and I can’t say I blame her.”
“Let me talk to my sister,” he barks.
My hand tightens around the phone. “Let me make one thing clear. She and her daughter are mine to take care of and protect, so if she doesn’t want to speak to you, I’m not going to force her.”
“Motherfucker, put—”
I don’t hear more, because she grabs the phone out of my hand and hisses, “I’m fine. Your niece is fine. And if you fuck over Justin, I’ll track you down and castrate you.” She shoves the phone back at me then disappears down the hall.
“I need to make a few phone calls, but I’ll be in touch,” I say when I put the phone back to my ear.
“Is she really okay? Is my niece all right?”
“They are
both fine. We’ll talk soon.” I hang up when Aubrey comes back down the hall carrying Jenna.
“It sounds like you plan on helping my brother with something.”
“Yeah,” I agree, not wanting her to know too much.
She chews the inside of her cheek, looking away as she takes a seat on the couch. “Can you make me a promise?”
“It depends.” I won’t promise her that I’m not going to do whatever I need to do to make sure she and Jenna are protected, and unfortunately, some of the things I might need to do probably won’t make her happy.
“Just promise me that no matter what my brother pulls you into, you’ll always be the kind of man Jenna can look up to. That you won’t stop being the man I’m falling in love with.”
“The only thing that will change is my ability to sleep without worrying something could harm either of my girls,” I tell her, and she studies me for a long moment before nodding.
Chapter 13
AUBREY
“YOUR TURN,” I urge, rolling over in the bed with the phone in my hand and Justin’s face on the screen.
“You’re going to make me give up all my secrets, aren’t you?”
“You’re the one who wanted to play this game,” I remind him.
“You’re a heartless little thing.” He flashes me a sexy grin. “I like it.”
“When it comes to you being a man of mystery? Yup!” I grin back at him. “But it’s only fair, since I lost any chance at being a woman of mystery when you came into the labor and delivery room with me after we’d only known each other a couple of weeks.”
“When you put it that way, you have an excellent point,” he grumbles. “You already know what I do for Kenton, but I have a group of online hackers and activists I lead separate from the work I do with him.”
“You mean like Anonymous?” I don’t know much—or anything really—about hacking, but pretty much everyone has heard about the infamous hacktivist group on the news.
“Generally speaking? Sure,” he admits reluctantly. “But our goals are very different. We help shut down terrorists and extremists by hacking their websites.”
My eyes widen in surprise, because it sounds like his group is into some serious stuff. “So do I need to worry about the FBI breaking down your door in the middle of the night because of whatever it is that you do with your hacker friends?”
“You don’t have anything to worry about. I’m more likely to work with the authorities than have them hunt me down.” He runs a hand over the beard he’s been growing out since I gave birth to Jenna. “Under the table, of course. The shit I do is in no way legal, but there are some people high up in the legal system who see the value in having someone who can go where they can’t.”
“Do you guys have a cool name? Because I’ll be even more impressed if you do.”
His grin turns sheepish. “Yeah, we’re called the Winds of the North.”
“I love it.”
“All right, baby, time for you to go to sleep.” He smiles, and I touch the screen of my phone with one finger.
“I miss you.”
“I miss you too, but I’ll be home tomorrow morning.”
“Good.” I sigh then sit up when Jenna starts to cry. “I need to feed her.”
“I miss being there for that,” he says, and my cheeks warm thinking about the times I breastfed with him holding me. “Kiss my girl, tell her I love her, and I’ll see you soon.”
“Okay, night.”
“Night, baby.” He hangs up, and I click off my phone then gather my girl and feed her one more time before putting us both to bed for the night.
“How is it that you always manage to find the coolest toys for her?” I ask Justin, watching him the next afternoon as he sets up an infant-to-toddler rocker seat in the middle of the living room while Jenna sleeps in the next room.
“It’s amazing what you can find on the Internet when you look.” He glances up at me, and his crystal-blue eyes twinkle with humor. God, I love his eyes. Really, I love him. Over the last six weeks, that’s become glaringly clear. Even when he’s away doing whatever it is he’s doing in Vegas with my brother, he’s made sure to stay connected to me and Jenna with video calls. He says he doesn’t want to miss out on one second of our girl growing up—something that is definitely possible. Jenna is still eating all the time, and I’m still exhausted, but it’s all worth it. She’s already gained three pounds, is holding up her head, and smiles all the time. She’s also just as in love as I am with the man a few feet from me.
“Won’t you get teased by all your hacker friends if they check your browser history and see you’re searching for baby toys all the time?” I joke.
“Nah.” He shakes his head, getting up on his knees and moving to where I’m sitting to loom over me. “I’m smart enough to wipe those searches so nobody can find ‘em.” He kisses me, and I slide my fingers into his hair, getting lost in his kiss. When he pulls away, I feel disappointed like I always do.
“Can I ask you something?”
“Anything.” He smiles, touching his lips to mine softly.
“What’re you doing with me?” I wave my hand in the air between us. “You’re hot, smart, and sweet. You could have any girl you want.”
He rests his forehead against mine and stares into my eyes. “I don’t want any girl but you. Don’t you get it? You and Jenna are everything to me.”
I shake my head and stand up, forcing him back, then walk to the window and stare out at the parking lot. “You’ve spent the past two months proving that to me.”
“You’re saying that, but I’m getting the feeling it’s not a compliment.” He wraps his arms around me from behind and rests his chin on my shoulder. “Where is all this coming from?”
“The doctor cleared me at my appointment today.”
“Cleared you?”
“You know, cleared me.” I turn in his arms and look into his blue eyes that don’t hold even the tiniest speck of understanding. My cheeks fill with heat as I murmur, “She told me it was okay for me to resume normal sexual activity.”
He takes a small step back and slides his palms down my arms to grip my hands. “It doesn’t matter what your doctor says. We’re never going to do anything you’re not one hundred percent ready for. I’m in no rush, Aubrey.”
“Don’t you want to have sex with me?”
“Baby.”
“You always stop when things between us heat up,” I point out on a whisper.
“You just had Jenna, and your past….” He stops to shake his head. “I want things to happen when you’re ready for them to happen.”
“I’m ready. I’ve been ready. I just… I just want to know that you want to be with me like that.”
“Jesus, you’re crazy,” he says, and I blink at him.
“What?”
“Have you honestly doubted that I want to be with you, that I want to fuck you?”
“I—”
“Aubrey, all I have to do is see you to get hard. I want you; never doubt that. I just never want to push you into something you’re not ready for.” He shakes his head. “I can’t believe we’re having this fucking conversation. I’m obsessed with you, infatuated with you, in love with you. I want to fuck you, make love to you, eat you, take you in every position possible. You’re everything I ever wanted and more, and if you tell me you’re ready to go there, I’m ready for it too.”
Chapter 14
JUSTIN
“YOU LOVE ME?” Her pretty blue eyes fill with tears and I pull her against my chest.
“Yes, I love you. The moment I saw you the first time, I was infatuated, and then I met you and knew you were the one I’d been waiting for. The only question is... do you love me too?” I brace for her answer, unsure if she’s ready to admit to either of us how she feels about me.
“Of course I do. How could I not? You’ve made it impossible not to fall head-over-heels.”
“I want to hear you actually say it.”
“You know what.” I lift her off her feet and carry her to the couch, laying her down.
“I love your beard.”
“Keep going.” I kiss down her neck.
“I love your body.”
“More.” I slide my hands up her shirt and pull it up over her head, finding her without a bra—something she hasn’t put on yet today.
“I love your mouth.” She hisses as I pull one of her nipples into my mouth, “Justin.”
“I’m here,” I groan, my need to claim her for my own almost unbearable. Knowing she’s medically cleared to have sex doesn’t help my control. The urge to have her has been growing from the moment I first set eyes on her.
“I love you,” she says as I kiss down her stomach, and I look up at her, meeting her gaze.
“I want this to be your choice. I want you to want this.” I scoot up and settle between her legs.
“The only thing I’ve been able to think about since I walked out of the doctor’s office is having sex with you. Then Jenna went down for her nap and you were doing something to make her life better like you always do, which just made you even sexier than usual. And I—”
I press my index finger against her lips to stem the flow of her nervous chatter. “Are you telling me that all the drama earlier was because you want to have sex?”
Her eyes narrow. “There wasn’t drama.”
“Baby.” My cock hardens and presses against the zipper of my jeans at the thought of finally being able to sink inside her wet heat.
“I changed my mind.” She tries to get up, but I hold her down.
“Oh no.” I slide my hand under her chin so I don’t lose sight of her eyes. “I always want you to have everything you need. So tell me, baby, do you want my cock?”
She licks her lips, her eyes dropping to my mouth, and I groan. “Yes.” Her plump lips form a perfect circle, and it makes me think about how they’d look wrapped around my hard length.
I grind my hips against her and say, “I’m ready, willing, and able whenever and wherever you want me.”
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