Page 48 of Avenging Azalea (California Made Men #2)

Chapter

Thirty-Six

FAWN

Last night had been beyond incredible. It was out of this world. Every time I’d woken up, I was reminded that I was in Titus’s bed. His arms around me all night felt like I was living a page ripped out of the best romance novel ever written.

There was no wiping the smile off my face, even though my body ached all over. Every muscle screamed with the lactic acid buildup, and I was thankful that I didn’t have work until tomorrow. The limping would be hard to explain and not something that I wanted to discuss with Matt.

Shit, that reminded me, I was going to have to talk to him about his dinner invitation.

I could already hear Steph as if she was in the room, telling me to go and make sure I’d weighed all my options thoroughly.

But what I said to Titus was the truth. I loved him.

I’d always loved him, and that wasn’t going to change.

Leading Matt on by going out on a date wasn’t me.

Leaning my head back, I let the hot spray of the shower soothe the stiffness. It didn’t matter how sore I was, though, if Titus walked in here right now, I’d be up for another round. Just the thought made my legs clench with the visceral imagery that danced behind my closed eyes.

Turning off the water before I turned into a prune, I squeezed the excess from my hair before grabbing a towel to twist it up, and then another for my body.

Titus’s shower was massive. Then again, it needed to be for someone of his size without constantly bumping into glass or elbowing the tiled wall.

What I really loved was the bench that ran along one end and wrapped around the corner so I could sit and shave my legs without being a contortionist.

When I stepped out into Titus’s bedroom, the smile that had been on my face all morning widened further. A silver dome sat on the small tea table that overlooked the gardens. Sneaky.

Walking over, I picked up a folded piece of paper.

Little Bird,

I would’ve stayed in bed with you all day. Unfortunately, I had an early conference call. To make up for not being there when you woke up, I made you your favorite.

Love, Titus

I squealed, not caring how ridiculous it was to be this excited over a little note. It wasn’t a dream. Titus loved me, his wedding was off, and we had a chance at a future together. It was like the stars had finally heard me, and for once, they answered.

Lifting the lid, the scent hit me first…

warm, sweet, and made just for me. My stomach growled as I smiled down at the spread.

Titus made me a strawberry milkshake. My favorite.

I picked it up and took a slow sip, moaning as the taste touched my tongue.

It wasn’t quite as perfect as one of his hugs, but it came close.

Food, especially milkshakes, was how we communicated. Unnamed, unspoken…but the meaning was always understood.

I set the milkshake down and stared at the stack of golden pancakes, topped with fresh fruit and a cloud of homemade whipped cream. Of course, he had. Titus always went above and beyond.

I dipped a finger into the sweet white topping and licked it clean.

Maybe…just maybe, Titus would let me smear it on him.

A mischievousness had come alive inside of me.

Titus might believe he’d only rescued a broken girl from abuse and poverty.

In reality, what he had done was heal the cracks and then awaken the woman waiting to be released.

I no longer trembled like a startled bird. I didn’t flinch at every shadow or glance over my shoulder whenever I walked anywhere without the dogs.

Because of him, I’d learned to live like I wasn’t always expecting pain.

I changed quickly and sat down to eat while the breakfast was still warm. Outside, the world looked almost magical. Sunlight spilled across the lawn, and the birds chirped like they were part of a soundtrack.

It felt like something out of a fairy tale.

Like I was suddenly Cinderella, sitting in her room watching the little animals dance around her.

Only my Prince Charming had already come and rescued me.

But even Cinderella didn’t have to deal with someone like Neil.

I would take the wicked stepmother over my stepfather any day.

I set the fork aside, and before I realized it, a single tear slipped down my cheek. I wiped it away, embarrassed, even now while I was alone.

I had so much to be grateful for and to celebrate. Yet, still, something inside me ached. A dark spot lingered on my heart like a stain I couldn’t wash out. A sickness that refused to leave unless I carved it free with my two hands.

If I wanted to be with Titus— really be with him—I couldn’t keep hiding from my past. I had to face it. All of it. And I would have to tell him the truth, even the parts so ugly I could barely say them out loud.

But could I do that? Could I really be that brave? Could I tear open the wounds I’d spent years trying to bury, and trust that he wouldn’t recoil when he saw them?

I didn’t know.

Deep down, beneath the fear, I understood one thing clearly…if I wanted any chance at forever with Titus, it had to start with the truth.

The dogs barked, letting me know a visitor had arrived.

I jumped up and trotted down the hall to see who was here, since Titus’s note said he was in a meeting.

When I got to the top of the stairs, Titus had beaten me to the door.

He opened it, and I froze. Dimitri stood on the other side like Death dressed in a tailored suit.

He was polished on the outside, but cold and deadly underneath.

It wasn’t that I’d forgotten about him. I couldn’t. But I’d let myself believe that with Titus’s engagement off, the threat he carried would fade with it.

But I was wrong.

Dimitri stepped inside with a slow and deliberate grace that was just as threatening as the rest of him. The moment his eyes met mine, fear slithered around my throat like a noose, tightening with every breath I took.

His gaze was the same glacial blue I remembered from that night at dinner, calculating and utterly devoid of warmth.

A cool sweat broke out all over my body.

Hatred clung to Dimitri like a second skin, simmering just beneath the surface, and I couldn’t help wondering what made him this way. He looked away like I’d been dismissed.

“Son, we need to speak,” Dimitri said, voice quiet, but still managing to feel oppressive.

Then he looked at me again, and my stomach turned to stone. This was about me. It had to be.

Titus stepped closer to Dimitri, and as large a man as Dimitri was, his son towered over the top of him.

That should’ve been comforting, but it wasn’t.

I never wanted Titus in the line of fire for me.

I wished… God , I wished I could disappear into the wall, into the floor, anywhere that wasn’t here.

“If this is about yesterday, then you can forget about trying to convince me to take Vera back. It’s not happening.”

“Titus, that show your brother put on doesn’t get you out of the contract you signed,” Dimitri said, and I held as still as the breath in my chest.

“Actually, it does. It states that if Vera steps out of the contract and has intercourse with anyone other than me before our wedding, then I have the choice to cancel it. I chose, and I won’t be going back on the decision.”

“Son….”

“No,” Titus growled.

Unlike last night, the sound was harsh and angry. It wasn’t even directed at me, and I swallowed hard and took a tiny step back.

“Solve your problem another way. I won’t be used as a scapegoat by you and Mr. Vilanova.”

I had no idea what he meant by that, but it was obviously part of the reason he’d agreed to marry Vera. “I had a valid reason to cancel the contract, everyone saw it, no one can deny it. So, if that is all you came here to say, then get out of my home. I’m in no mood for this shit.”

Dimitri glanced up at me once more, and it felt like a threat or maybe a warning.

“We will revisit this conversation in a few days when you have had time to calm down,” he said as he turned to leave.

“No, we won’t,” Titus said.

If Dimitri heard, he pretended not to and walked out with Titus slamming the door behind him.

Grumbling under his breath, Titus looked up at me, and his eyes softened.

“Good morning, Little Bird. I’m sorry you had to see that.”

Walking down, I stared into his eyes and had to ask. “What did you mean?”

“About what,” Titus asked, his knuckle tracing my jaw.

I sucked in a deep breath. “The contract. You said that if Vera stepped out before the wedding, you could cancel.”

“Yes, that’s true.”

“Then tell me what happened last night. I want to know all of it.”

He leaned against the wooden banister. “There isn’t much to tell, really. Ronan somehow convinced Vera to have sex with him and, unbeknownst to her, he filmed it. He showed it at the reception, made a spectacle of the entire thing, and gave me just cause to cancel the contract.”

It shouldn’t have hurt, but it did, and I looked down, trying to collect my thoughts.

“What’s wrong? I don’t understand.” Titus used his finger to tip my head up.

“So…you didn’t leave her for me.”

Titus froze, obviously catching on to what I was thinking.

“Um…yes, and no. I mean, yes, I wanted to, but I couldn’t until Ronan did what he did.”

“Let me make sure I understand. What you’re saying is that if Ronan hadn’t found a way to humiliate Vera in front of hundreds of people, then you’d still be with her and getting married in three months?”

“Fawn…I explained that I was trapped.”

“No, you told me you couldn’t. You’ve never explained anything to me. In fact, you’ve never really told me anything about your life. I know nothing about you other than the little I’ve managed to overhear or gather from brief interactions with your family and guards.”

“That’s not true. You know more about me than anyone,” Titus said.

I cocked my head and crossed my arms.

“Really? Okay, ask me a question.”

“What?”

“Ask me a question. If I know so much about you, then let’s put it to the test. And I don’t mean what is your favorite muffin, or milkshake, or even movie.”

“I’m not doing this,” he said and stepped past me.

But I wasn’t letting him off the hook. I followed hot on his heels all the way into his office.

“Why not? Because you know you’ll lose?”

Titus picked up a folder and smacked it down on his desk.

“No, because what I do for work, who we associate with, or what crimes my family commits are nothing you should ever have to worry about. The less you know, the better.”

I shook my head. “You don’t have to tell me specifics to let me into your life. You could share stories of you and your family, happy ones. Tell me what people to avoid, or really anything that doesn’t make me feel like I’m an outsider. Does Savannah know everything?”

“Yes, but she’s FBI.”

“What does that matter?”

“It matters because she can?—”

Titus stopped, but I knew what he was going to say, and it was such a blow after last night.

“Let me guess, because she can look after herself and I can’t? You still see me as someone who needs protecting.”

Titus stormed around the desk, his footsteps heavy and jaw tight with something more than anger, something feral.

“Yes,” he snapped voice rough. “There. I said it. Yes, I see you as someone who needs protecting.”

His chest heaved, and his eyes burned into mine with a raw possessiveness.

“Not because you’re weak. Don’t twist this into something it’s not.

If something ever happened to you…if someone touched you…

” His voice dropped to a dangerous level.

“Then my heart might as well stop. Because you’re not just someone I care about.

You’re not even simply the person I love. You’re mine.”

The look in his eyes should’ve scared me…should’ve sent me running. But it didn’t. Instead, I had to contain a smirk as heat unfurled low in my belly. That look didn’t terrify me. It turned me on.

He moved closer, and the air crackled between us. I swayed slightly on my feet as I looked up, and our eyes locked.

“The further you are from danger, the better I sleep. Because when you’re safe, I can breathe . And when you’re not…” His hand curled into a fist. “I start thinking about how many bodies I’ll stack just to make the world leave you the fuck alone.”

That was it, that was all I could take. My reason for being angry was pushed to the back of my mind.

“You keep looking at me like that…” I murmured. “And you won’t get any more work done today.”

I was shocked at my bravado, but the hunger in his eyes was making me bold.

“Is that so,” Titus asked, the tension rolling off him filled the room.

“Oh, it is.”

I was all in on whatever happened next. My gaze drifted to the desk before I trailed a single finger down the center of his chest, slow and teasing.

“What if I said I want you to take me?” I stepped in close enough that I could feel the heat coming off his body. “Right here. On your desk. Right now.”

The sound he made was guttural and oh so deliciously dangerous. It rippled through the air and slammed straight into my core. A heartbeat later, Titus turned and swept everything off the desk with one violent motion. Papers, pens, and even his laptop crashed to the floor like an afterthought.

“I don’t know what’s gotten into you, Little Bird,” he growled, closing the space between us once more. “But fuck…you’re about to make me lose the last bit of control I’ve got.”

I smiled, tilting my chin up to meet his gaze. The golden amber color of his eyes burned as brightly as the sunlight shining in from outside. Today was a new day and a new me.

“Good,” I said. “Show me exactly what that look in your eyes means.”