Page 13 of Avenging Azalea (California Made Men #2)

Chapter

Eleven

TITUS

THREE DAYS LATER

Too much silence, too many thoughts, and none of it used for anything productive.

I’d never realized just how quiet this house was until now.

Sitting in the kitchen, staring into my coffee—heavily spiked with Irish Cream—I hoped that it would give me answers to the questions floating around in my brain. But, so far…no such luck.

“Hi,” Fawn said, startling me as she stepped into the kitchen. “Sorry.”

I smiled, happy to see her home. It had felt so empty without her.

“It’s fine. I was just off in my own little world. Sometimes, it’s safer there than the real one.”

“Tell me about it,” she said with an old sadness thick on the four little words.

She’d never mentioned what happened to her before I came along.

She never talked about her family life, although from what I could decipher from my visit and the bit she’d let slip, it hadn’t been great.

Then there was the whole stepfather selling her off to pay for his debts.

It still gave me cold sweats to think about what would’ve happened to her if the debt was owed to anyone other than my father.

Worse, what if it hadn’t been me who picked her up?

“Listen, I’m glad you’re here. There is so much to say, but now that we’re alone, I don’t know where to start.” I ran my hand through my hair. “It feels like the universe has been keeping us from having this conversation.”

Fawn waved me off as she finished stirring her coffee.

“If this is about your engagement, we don’t need to talk about it. I’m happy for you.”

The last thing I wanted to hear was that she was happy for me. I opened my mouth to say as much but let it drop. It was obvious that she didn’t want to hash out the awkwardness of my sudden engagement, and putting her through it wouldn’t make either of us feel better.

Fawn sat down at the island with me and leaned over to sniff my coffee.

“A little early in the day to be spiking your drink. What’s going on?”

I nodded toward the box, and she peered inside at all the personal things I’d brought home.

“Wasn’t this in your office?”

“I’m going to be doing more work remotely,” I said.

Fawn’s mouth opened in shock, making me chuckle.

“I’ve been spending too much time away and depending on you to look after the girls.

Besides, I’m less inclined to run into my father lately.

He is…putting more than the normal strain on the family. ”

“Does this strain have anything to do with Nathaniel going to Italy and bringing home an FBI agent wife and a son over Valentines?”

My eyebrows shot up, and she laughed. God, it was good to hear that sound again.

“How do you know that?”

She smiled over the top of her cup. “The guards love to gossip. I’ve gotten really good at being invisible. And…if I beg real nice then Naji will give me a few crumbs of information.”

“Noted,” I said, smiling and she blushed.

Fuck I loved when she did that. “And yes, this is about Nathaniel and Savannah. Once they’re settled, I’ll have them over to meet you.

She’s amazing, and how she puts up with my asshole brother is unclear,” I teased.

Fawn giggled before taking a sip of her coffee.

“Cutter is adorable and so intelligent. You’ll love them. ”

“I’m looking forward to it. And although I’m shocked that you’ll be working more from home, I’m really happy for you.

I’ve seen the stress on your face after a long day, and this has been a long time coming.

Does this mean you won’t be doing as much mafia stuff?

Or is that even a thing? I’ll be honest, I didn’t think you could decide to do less…

you know, the whole do it or die situation,” she said, and it was my turn to laugh.

“It’s a lot more complicated than that.”

Fawn’s lips pressed into a firm line.

“You know, I’m stuck in this weird spot of being ecstatic for you and Nathaniel taking control of your happiness and sad that this is the first time you’ve ever sat down and talked to me about anything to do with your work, business, or family.

Other than letting me know you have a dinner with them or you’re working late, I only know what I’ve overheard.

You’ve kept me in the dark so much that I feel like a stranger in your world. ”

I looked away and stared down into my coffee.

“I never wanted the darkness that lurks in my life to touch you. I’m sorry. I never meant to make you feel so cut off.”

Fawn sighed but didn’t argue with me over my decision to keep her tucked away. I’m not sure what was worse, this silence or if she yelled at me. She reached for one of the fresh croissants I’d gone out and picked up early. It always helped to know a guy.

God, I could sit here all day and watch her peel apart the flaky goodness and put it in her mouth before licking off her fingers.

My pants got a lot tighter when she moaned.

Her lips were lush, with a natural pout, and there was no looking away as she continued to eat.

The hard thud in my chest matched the throb of my cock.

I wanted to lay her out on this island and make her my breakfast.

“These are amazing.” Fawn glanced at me and blushed before looking away. “So…tell me about Vera. Is she nice?”

My brain was slow and took time to catch up as the lustful images of her doing something else with her mouth played out in my mind.

Clearing my throat, I chugged the rest of my coffee. “She’s nice.”

“Ah…I see. You don’t want to talk about her with me. I just don’t understand why you think you’re protecting me. Your engagement photo is everywhere with more information than you’ve ever offered to share.”

Fawn ate the last bite of her croissant and stood up to leave. I reached out and grabbed her arm. The sexual tension spiked as our eyes met, and I quickly let go before I dragged her into my lap.

“Fawn, it’s not like that. Sit down, please. What would you like to know? I hate this distance between us.”

My phone rang, and Vera’s name glowed on the screen. Worst timing ever. Fawn looked at the phone and then at me.

“You know…you’re right. I think it’s better if we keep our distance on this topic, at least for now. Thanks for breakfast,” Fawn said, taking her coffee with her as she left.

Fuck!

Snatching my phone, I answered it and tried to rein in my anger.

“Hello?”

“Titus, hi. It’s Vera.”

“I know,” I said, still watching Fawn disappear down the hall.

“So, the naked pictures may have been a bit premature. I’m used to men wanting me for my family’s money and my looks. They never appreciate me for my business acumen. I guess I wanted to impress you, and I realize that may not have been the way to go.”

“I appreciate the apology, and I understand why you did it. But you’re right, I’m not that guy.”

I left out the part where if it had been Fawn, it would’ve been a whole different story.

“Did you just call to apologize?”

“No…I actually want to ask you for a favor.”

Her voice was tentative like she wasn’t sure how I was going to respond. For the love of God, the universe was really testing me lately.

“Depends on what it is,” I said.

“Oh…right, sure. I get that. Of course.”

Getting up, I refilled my spiked coffee and added an extra shot before sitting down and preparing myself for Vera’s request. By her stuttering response, I wasn’t sure I wanted to know.

“As it turns out, I’ll only be in California for a couple of weeks after returning from the UK.

I’m scheduled to fly to France and then on to Russia.

I hope that you’ll come with me for that much shorter trip.

There’s a fashion show in Paris with the designs from my latest collection, and then I’m visiting family before relocating to America permanently. ”

There wasn’t enough Irish Cream in the world to fix this problem. Rubbing my forehead, I closed my eyes as a headache began to throb behind my eyes.

“It may seem like a lot to ask when we’ve only known one another for such a short time, but the show is extremely important to me.

Everyone in the fashion world knows I’m engaged and will be expecting my fiancé to be by my side for the event.

Besides, I’d like you to meet my sister and brother before the wedding.

If you’re agreeable, I want them both to be part of the wedding party. ”

“You want me to go to France and then to Russia with you? For how long?”

“Ten days total.”

I’d attended major events like this a few times, and the thought of all those photographers made my skin crawl. Most men would be ecstatic to be arm candy for a supermodel millionaire heiress, but not me. On top of that, leaving the house—more specifically, leaving Fawn for that long—bothered me.

You need to get used to this shit. This is the life you chose when you took Ronan’s place on the chopping block.

“Okay, I’ll go. I’ll show my face. But Vera…I will not stand and be photographed for hours. If you’re planning anything of the sort, you can forget it.”

“I can handle the cameras.”

Sighing, I sat back and reminded myself why I was doing this in the first place.

“You have a deal.”

FAWN

“Well, hello there, sweetie,” Doreen said when I walked in the front door of Small Paws Veterinary.

This was my happy place when I wasn’t home in the sunroom with the girls. The clinic and Dr. Taylor showed me my purpose, and that was to help animals in need. Doreen glanced at the schedule on the wall.

“You’re not on today.”

“I know. I just wanted to put in a few extra hours. Free, of course, I’m not going to clock-in.”

Doreen stood and came around the desk without saying a word.

She pulled me into a hug and squeezed me tight.

Pulling back, she cupped my cheeks. She was similar to who I envisioned when I thought of a grandmother as a little girl.

Always full of love, with a kind smile, warm eyes, and constant presence.

“What was that for?”