Page 34 of Beautiful Trauma (The Irish Rogues #5)

A fter coming in from my date with Kellan and the confrontation with Lev, I took a scalding hot shower before collapsing in bed. I’d shared a goodnight text with Kellan before falling into a deep sleep.

It felt like I’d barely been asleep when the buzzer on my door went off. Groaning, I rolled over and glanced at my phone. It was only eight in the morning.

As the buzzing continued, I staggered out of the bedroom and down the hall. “Coming!” I shouted as I hurried to the foyer. A part of me wished it would be Kellan standing before me and that he’d come to surprise me again.

But it wasn’t.

Instead, Kira stood with a drink carrier and a bag from our favorite bagel place. “Morning, Sleeping Beauty.”

Rubbing my eyes, I demanded, “When do you get up before noon on the weekends?”

“Since Father has been in even rarer beast form after Dima’s accident.”

“Is that what we’re calling it? An accident?”

She wrinkled her nose. “I have to call it that to condition myself not to slip up around my friends on the outside.”

“I see.”

“As I was planning my escape this morning, I thought I should come check in on you after the week you’ve had.” She handed me one of the coffees. “Skinny Vanilla Latte with a shot of espresso.”

“Thanks.”

I trailed behind Kira as she made her way to the kitchen. After a scalding hot sip of my coffee, I said, “You know you’re more than welcome to stay here with me until things blow over.”

She snorted. “I might as well be poking the bear if I did that.”

“You really know how to make me feel like the pariah I am,” I joked.

She arched a brown brow at me. “Hey, you know I have to play dirty until I’m twenty-one and get my trust fund.”

And I did know because I’d played the same game with Father. I’d bit my tongue more times than I could remember so that my college would be paid for, that I’d have a place to live, a car to drive, and food on the table.

I endured all of that until I was twenty-one. That magical birthday unlocked a trust fund worth millions left to us “bastards” by our Grandfather Korolova.

With a smile, I reached for a bagel. “Just two more years.”

“Thank God.” Jerking her chin at the fridge, Kira asked, “Will you grab the butter? They left it out again.”

“Sure.”

As I opened the fridge door, Kira’s words froze me. “Lev said he caught you on a date last night.”

When I whirled around, I scowled at Kira. “You know what? I’m going to quote Miranda from Sex and the City when I say that these are bullshit bagels.”

“But I’m not here to talk about my ex like Carrie was,” Kira challenged.

“No. You’re here to get all the details about my new man.”

Kira rolled her dark eyes. “Well, duh.”

“Then why pretend you were here to check on me?”

“Because I know you. If I came in here asking about Kellan, you’d become all cagey like you always do when it comes to talking about your feelings.”

Dammit. I hated that she knew me so well. “Whatever.”

“Does that mean you’re going to give me all the juicy details?”

“I’m surprised Lev didn’t.”

She wrinkled her nose. “He only gave me depressing stuff like how Father would kill you if he found out, or that if he didn’t kill you, then you would be banished from all of us. Blah, blah.”

I laughed. “Only you could be so blasé about death and banishment.”

“Come on. It’s obvious he’s someone extremely special if you’re risking it all to be with him. Especially after just a few days.”

“He is special.”

“Then tell me.”

And I did. Every single detail that made Kellan so special. I told her about the night I met him at Bandia when I had to seduce him. Then I told her about him saving me. And when I finished with all the details from our date last night, I think Kira was just as in love with Kellan as I was.

“All of that and the man has a pierced dick,” she mused.

I rolled my eyes. “Out of everything I told you, that is what stuck with you?”

Wagging her brows, she replied, “I’d like him to stick it to me.”

I playfully shoved her. “Oh no. That pierced dick and the man attached to it are all mine.”

“Does he have a single brother?”

“He does. But before you can ask, I have no idea if his dick isn’t pierced.”

Kira grunted in frustration. “Well, damn.”

“I’m sorry. I mean, Kellan is the least likely guy to have a piercing that I’ve ever met, but I have no knowledge whether his manwhore brother is or isn’t.”

Wagging her brows, Kira said, “Ooh, a manwhore!”

“I think you’re the only woman who would find that a redeeming quality.”

“Hot fucking is always a redeeming quality.”

“I think I’ll hold off introducing you to Eamon.”

As I started to put the butter back in the fridge, Kira breathlessly panted, “Oh Eamon, yes, Eamon. Right there!”

Cringing, I replied, “Could you never do your sex voice in front of me again?”

She laughed. “I was just trying out his name. There’s nothing worse than a guy with a name like Fred or Boris.”

I snorted. “You have a point there.”

I’d just put the butter up when my phone rang. Kira popped out of her chair like a Jack-in-the-Box. “Is that him?” Kira squealed.

After glancing at the ID, I said, “Yes.”

“I want to talk to him.”

“No!”

“Why not?”

“Because it’s too early in our relationship to be meeting family?”

“Seriously, Mila? I think we moved past formalities when our brother tried to shoot him.”

“Fine,” I relented in a huff. “But give me a minute to say hello first.”

“Okay,” she pouted.

When I answered, Kellan’s handsome face appeared before me. “Hey, babe,” he said.

“Hello to you, too.”

“How did you sleep?”

I laughed. “Like the dead.”

“Me too, which sucked since I didn’t have any dreams of you.”

At Kira’s happy shriek, I turned away from her. “I know you can’t tell me much, but how’s Ava doing?”

“She spent most of the night sedated. We’re hoping she’ll be able to attend the funeral tomorrow.”

Despite the fact Ava was the woman who had ruined Dare’s marriage contract with Annika, my heart went out to her.

“Ow!” I shrieked when Kira pinched my ass.

“Are you okay?” Kellan asked, concern etched on his face.

With a roll of my eyes, I said, “So, Kira–my very annoying younger sister–would like to talk to you.”

Kellan smiled. “Okay. I’d love to meet her.”

“You might be rethinking that statement soon.”

I handed the phone over to Kira. Like the gentleman he was, Kellan said, “It’s nice to meet you, Kira.”

For a moment, all Kira could do was stare wide-eyed at the phone. I couldn’t help smirking that she was having such a physical reaction to Kellan.

“Uh…” She swallowed hard. “I’m Kira.”

“He knows that,” I mused.

“You have an amazing sister.”

“And you have a magic pierced penis,” she deadpanned.

I screeched in horror before snatching the phone away from her. “What is your problem?”

“I’m sorry. I panicked for a minute.”

“And that made you talk about his penis?”

“I just blurted out the first thing that came to mind.” Motioning to the phone, she said, “Put me back on, and I’ll apologize.”

I jabbed a finger at her. “You better not say anything else crazy.”

“I promise.”

When I handed over the phone, Kira gave Kellan her best mortified face. “I’m so, so sorry. I don’t know why I said that.”

“It’s okay.”

“No, it isn’t,” Kira and I said in unison.

“While it’s nice to hear Mila has been telling you about me, I was hoping she’d mentioned some of my better qualities.”

“Oh, she did. I swear. She told me all about how you saved her from that bastard Brian and took care of her that night in Dublin. And I heard about that amazing date at the Fels planetarium. Like that was swoonworthy.”

An adorably sheepish look came over Kellan’s face. “I’m glad to hear you approve.”

“Oh, I don’t approve of the two of you, but I do have to give you props for your dating skills.”

I grabbed the phone from Kira. “On that note, say goodbye to Kellan–the man you don’t approve of.”

Kira rolled her eyes. “Seriously, Mila? If he was Kellan Smith off the street, I would be helping him pick out a ring. But he’s a Kavanaugh. Our brother tried to shoot him, and Father still wants him dead.

“He does?” Kellan and I asked in unison.

Kira looked down at her hands. “He said something about it at breakfast.”

“Has he put out a hit on me?” Kellan questioned.

“No. It’s nothing like that. He was just running his mouth about what had happened with Dima.”

“That’s it. Until this all blows over, you’re not coming back to Philly.”

“I won’t stop seeing you.”

I grinned. “Oh no. You’ll see me. It’ll just be in Boston.”

“Maybe you two should find some neutral ground?” Kira suggested.

“She has a point.”

“We’ll go to New York,” Kellan said.

Heat bloomed in me when I remembered what was in New York. “Will you take me to Inferno?”

An endearing blush reddened his cheeks. “If you want me to.”

“Oh, I do.”

Kira furrowed her brows. “What’s Inferno?”

“Nothing you need to know about.”

“Be cagey. I’ll just Google it.”

“Whatever.”

After Kira went into the living room, I said, “Do you think we could meet next weekend?”

“I hope so.”

“I haven’t been to New York in years. After Father had a blow-up with the Bratva there, we weren't allowed to go.”

“Is there a Bratva on the East Coast your father doesn’t have shit with?” Kellan questioned.

I laughed. “Not many. It’s one of the many reasons he should be taken out and let Dima rule despite him being in a wheelchair.”

A shriek came from behind Kellan. “Dere he is!”

“Oh shit,” Kellan muttered.

“What’s going on?”

“The girls found me.”

“Excuse me?”

“My nieces.”

“Oh,” I said with relief.

“Has you been hidin’, Unka K?” a little voice asked.

“I’m sorry, Mo mhuirníns.”

“Should I be jealous you’re calling other women your darling?”

Kellan chuckled. “I’m impressed you remembered that.”

“Can we play princesses now?” another tiny voice asked.

“Well, uh–”

I actually giggled at the situation. “Go on. I don’t want to take you away from them.”

“Are you sure?”

Before I could answer, one of the little voices said, “Ooh, Unka K, is dat your girlfwiend?”

Laughter burst out of me at the mortification on Kellan’s face. “I’ll let you go, but you have to promise to send me a picture of you playing princesses.”

“Mila,” Kellan grunted.

“I mean it.”

“Fine.”

“Bye, Unka K,” I teasingly replied.

“Bye, Mila.”

As I hung up, I held tight to the amusement of Kellan and his nieces and did everything I could to drive away the shadows that hung heavy at Kira’s mention of Father wanting Kellan dead.

But as hard as I tried, anxiety prickled over me like jabs of a knife. Kira gave up on trying to brighten my dark mood and decided to meet up with some friends.

The only thing that remotely helped my mood was the picture that came to my phone about half an hour after I hung up with Kellan.

At the sight of him in a sparkly purple tiara with a matching purple boa draped around his neck, I burst out laughing. I kept laughing so hard that I could barely see the bright pink lipstick or blue eyeshadow.

Still giggling, I typed back

You are the prettiest princess I have ever seen

This photo should be deleted ASAP.

Oh no. This is future blackmail

Don’t make me regret sending it

What if I said this photo makes me want to have your babies

Don’t tease me

I’m serious. And I’ve said no kids before thirty

I’ll send more

I grinned.

Please do

In that moment, I knew that I would risk anything and everything to keep Kellan in my life.