Page 15

Chapter 14

My bruises had faded, and I was left with only a tiny scar on my lower lip from the smack from Ethan. I was also adjusting to my new look, wearing the brown contact lenses around the house a few hours per day to get used to them. Soon I’d have to wear them full time, or at least when I was out in public.

Jamie had removed the packing from Dane’s nose yesterday, and while it was still discolored and swollen, it was straight. He’d stopped slicking his hair back so it now had a slight curl to it, and his beard was coming in nicely. He no longer looked the part of a Mafia son. Now he just looked like a normal guy. A very good-looking guy, but I tried not to notice.

I was doing my best to accept this whole situation I’d gotten myself into, though I annoyed Dane every chance I got. It gave me joy and kept me from thinking too much about my family.

But today? Today I was finding it difficult to put on any semblance of appeasement.

Foregoing the contact lenses—because fuck it—I dressed in a baggy blue T-shirt and comfortable athletic shorts before leaving my bedroom. I didn’t want to be alone today, but I also didn’t want to see anyone. No one in this house anyway. I wanted my family.

The enticing aromas of sugar and coffee drew me to the kitchen where my feet stalled in the doorway. What the hell is all this? I walked on bare feet to the breakfast bar, my fingers skimming over the cool, smooth surface of the clear vase. Burying my nose in the light-purple blooms, I inhaled the unmistakable scent of lilacs.

“Do you like them?”

My watery eyes lifted to find Dane standing beside the far counter, his face apprehensive.

“I do. They’re beautiful.”

“Happy birthday, Evie.”

I didn’t correct him for using my real name because my throat was clogged with emotion, managing only a soft, “Thank you.”

“I made tiramisù last night after you went to bed. It should be ready to eat now.”

“For breakfast?” I asked, the surprise and delight clear in my voice.

“Hell yes. You can do whatever you want today.” He took a couple steps toward me, stopping only a foot away. “Is this okay? You said your dad always got you lilacs and took you out for tiramisù on your birthday. I know it’s not the same, but I was trying…” His voice trailed off.

He’s trying… That struck me in the chest, and my dislike of him softened a bit. “It’s great, Dane. Thank you for doing all this.”

He crooked a half smile at me. “Good. Have a seat, and I’ll bring your breakfast to you.”

I did, and a couple minutes later, he placed a large slice of tiramisù and a glass of orange juice in front of me. “Holy crap. I’ll never be able to eat all this.” After one bite, I was proved wrong. The dessert was rich, creamy, and absolutely delicious, the flavors melding together perfectly against my taste buds. “Oh my god, this is freaking fantastic,” I mumbled around a mouthful.

Dane looked pleased with himself as he took the seat beside me with his own slice. “Did you know that the original tiramisù recipe contained no alcohol?” I lifted my eyebrows at him. “The dessert was created in 1972 at Le Beccherie, a restaurant in Treviso, which is a town just north of Venice, and that recipe was alcohol-free.”

I was stunned. “I didn’t know that. I always thought it contained Marsala wine.”

He did a fist pump that made me laugh. “Finally, I know something you don’t. Most modern adaptations do contain Marsala or liqueur, as some chefs believe it enriches the flavor, but the original ingredients were espresso, mascarpone cheese, egg yolks, sugar, Savoiardi biscuits, and cocoa powder. That’s how I make mine.”

“Well, I’m a fan. It’s the best tiramisù I’ve ever had.”

“There are also legends that say it was actually created in Treviso in the 1800s by a maitresse in,” he cleared his throat and widened his eyes significantly, “a house of pleasure.”

“Like a brothel?” I asked incredulously, and Dane nodded.

“They say she served it to men at the end of the evening to reinvigorate them.”

I pointed my fork at him. “Okay, you win the random knowledge award for the day. That’s pretty interesting.”

“Want to get out of the house for a while?” he asked. “I’m feeling a little cooped up.”

Brightening, I nodded. “I’d love to. Where are Jamie and Robert?”

“They went down to the house in the Keys to get it ready. It’s around seven hours from here, so they’re going to stay the night down there.”

“They said the house is in Marathon, and I’ve been researching it. I think it’s a wise area to hide. The city is over eight thousand in population, so big enough to easily blend in and not so small that everyone is in your business.”

“Which island is Marathon on?” Dane asked, eating the last bite of his dessert.

“The city limits extend to several islands. Knight’s Key, Vaca Key, Hog Key, East and West Sister’s Island, Boot Key, Deer Key. A few others too, but I can’t remember them all.”

He began cleaning up our breakfast dishes. “Have you ever been to the Keys?”

“Just Key West. My dad took my brothers and me a few years ago. We flew into the airport and spent all our time on that island, so I’ve never seen the rest of them.” I stood and helped him load the dishwasher.

“Your mom didn’t go with you?”

I wrinkled my nose. “No, she didn’t have much to do with us. It was actually nicer without her there. All she ever does is complain.”

“Hmmm,” he hummed, drying his hands on a dish towel.

“You never talk much about your mother or sister.”

“They’re both dead,” he said quietly, hanging the towel with over-meticulous care on the oven handle and avoiding my gaze. “Why don’t you go get ready?”

Shit. “Dane.” He finally looked up at me, and I could read the sadness in his dark-brown eyes. Reaching for his wrist, I wrapped my fingers softly around it. “I’m sorry.”

He nodded and attempted a smile, but it was weak. “It’s okay. It was a long time ago.”

Glancing down, I noticed the bandage on his arm and decided to change the subject. “Did Kevin work on your tattoos some more?”

Kevin was a friend of Robert’s who was a tattoo artist. He’d been working on Dane’s ink to disguise it a bit. The tribal tats were kind of nondescript, so Kevin had just added some color to them. The most notable was the longsword that took up one entire forearm.

“Yeah, take a look at this,” he said, peeling the edge of the bandage up before removing it to reveal the changes. I was astounded. The sword was no longer visible at all, the previous design now covered by an intricate peacock feather.

“Wow,” I breathed, drifting my fingers over the gorgeous teals, oranges, and yellows. The design was bold, the colors vivid. “It’s beautiful.”

“I’m happy with it. Kevin said peacock feathers are supposed to transform negative energy into positive.”

“Well, we could certainly use all the positive energy we can get,” I joked, and Dane laughed.

“No shit. Maybe I should cover my entire body with them.”

Dane kept me busy for the rest of the day. We walked along a stretch of beach, sampled foods from small shops, bought souvenirs like tourists, and stopped by a Redbox on the way home to pick up some DVDs.

Then we spent the evening on the couch and laughed our asses off at Wedding Crashers and Diary of a Mad Black Woman . We also ate more tiramisù after dinner, and it somehow tasted even better than it had that morning.

“Did you have an okay birthday?” Dane asked as we walked down the hallway toward our rooms later that night. He was carrying the bouquet of lilacs while I had a bag of T-shirts and jewelry looped around one hand.

“It was better than okay,” I assured him, placing the bag on the dresser. He’d effectively distracted me from brooding. Of course I’d thought about my family a few times, especially Monty since it was his birthday too, but the mopey mood I’d woken up in this morning had been brightened considerably. Because of Dane.

“I’ll just set these right here,” he said, placing the flowers on my nightstand before checking to make sure my door was slightly ajar. I still didn’t like being in closed spaces. I didn’t have full-fledged panic attacks, but my anxiety definitely spiked if the door to my room wasn’t cracked open at night.

“Dane?” He stopped on the way to the bathroom and turned. My voice sounded meeker than usual. “Can I give you a hug?”

A tiny line formed between his eyebrows but only for a second before it smoothed out and a smile snaked across his lips. “Yeah, Wildcat. You can give me a hug.”

Stepping toward him, I wrapped my arms around his waist and rested my cheek against his chest. “Don’t call me Wildcat.”

“Don’t call me Dracula,” he retorted, amusement in his voice as he returned my embrace.

We’d hugged once before, that first night when I’d so desperately needed comfort from someone safe. I’d been so shaken, I hadn’t even noticed the hard ripple of muscle beneath his shirt. But I was noticing now. Dammit.

“Thank you for today. Everything was perfect.” Okay, maybe that was a bit of a stretch. Being with my family would have made it perfect, but under the circumstances…

“You’re welcome,” he murmured, kissing the top of my head, and that simple act of affection was so sweet, my heart melted a little. He released me and stepped back. “Get to bed, Eden.”

When I laid my head on my pillow a few minutes later, I whispered into the darkness, “Happy birthday, Monty. I hope you had a good day.”

Jamie and Robert returned the next day, and as we polished off the rest of the tiramisù, Jamie slid a wrapped white box with a hot-pink bow across the table. “Happy belated birthday, Eden.”

My mouth dropped open. “You didn’t have to get me anything. You’ve already done so much.”

“It’s something you need,” Robert replied, fixing his eyes on mine. “Please remember what we’ve talked about and use it wisely.” The jolly man was uncharacteristically solemn, and I wondered what the hell was in the package.

Tearing off the paper, I recognized the iPhone box immediately and smiled. “Thank you so much, and I promise I won’t do anything stupid.”

“Good. Dane, here’s one for you too,” Jamie said, passing an unwrapped box to the man beside me.

“Why doesn’t mine have a fancy pink bow?” he complained, so I peeled my bow from the paper and planted it on top of Dane’s head.

“There. Now you look all pretty,” I teased, working my phone from the package and turning it on. “Smile!” I snapped a picture of him with a scowl on his face.

“You’re so ridiculous,” he grumbled, pulling the pink satin from his head.

Jamie spoke through a giggle at our antics. “Robert is going to finish up your IDs tonight. Dane, your bruising is much better today, but I’ll cover it with some makeup so he can snap a photo. We also need to take some wedding pics of you two.

“W-wedding pics?” I stammered, feeling my eyes widen.

“Yes. It would look suspicious if the newlyweds didn’t have any pictures of their happy day.”

Happy day, my ass.

And that’s how we ended up on the beach that evening with the sun setting behind us in a cacophony of supple pinks and purples. I was in a simple white dress that belonged to Jamie. It was too big, but she’d cinched it up in the back with a clip so it clung perfectly to my body. Dane was in a white button-down with tan pants.

“You just got married, for fuck’s sake. Stand a little closer,” Jamie instructed while Robert held a large Canon camera to his eye.

Dane snaked an arm around my shoulders and hauled me up against his huge body, and I reluctantly wrapped my arm around his back, plastering what I hoped was a happy expression onto my face.

“That’s good,” Robert said, snapping away. “Now look at each other.”

Jamie blew out a huffed breath when I looked up at Dane. “Smile, Eden. You look like you’re being forced to take a picture with your least favorite cousin.”

That made us both laugh, and I could hear the whir of the camera as Robert did his thing. “Good job. Those will be cute. Now turn your bodies to face each other and gaze lovingly into each other’s eyes.”

Good grief!

With some fumbling, we repositioned ourselves with my hands on Dane’s shoulders and his on my waist. It was awkward as hell. “You’re too tall,” I complained, and a second later, I let out a squeal when my feet left the ground as Dane curled his arms around my body and lifted until we were face to face.

“Better?”

Yes. No. I’m not sure.

He was awfully… firm. And I was pressed right up against all that firmness. His lips curved sinuously into a smile, and it softened the darkness of his eyes into molten pools of chocolate.

“Your irides look lighter out in the sun,” I informed him, and he chuckled under his breath.

“Excellent! Good stuff,” Robert called as we continued to stare at each other. This should have felt more awkward, just gazing at this man, but it was very… okay.

Dane leaned his forehead until it touched mine, and then he whispered. “Close your eyes, Wildcat.” Like someone had physically tugged on my eyelids, they dropped without me even telling them to.

Something brushed my lips. His lips , I realized. What the hell is happening right now, and why am I not pushing him away?

My body stiffened, and when I placed my hands on his chest to do just that, he shifted, holding me up with one strong arm. Then he cupped the side of my neck, his thumb drawing a mesmerizing line over my jaw that had my stiffness ebbing away.

It wasn’t an open-mouthed kiss. His lips simply moved against mine, tiny pulls that would have counted as suction if they hadn’t been so tender and slow. When he finally broke away, I noticed my hands had found their way to the back of his head, my fingers tangled in the thick, dark locks that hung halfway down the nape of his neck.

How the hell did that happen?

Removing them, I scowled at Dane. “What. Was. That?”

He ran his tongue over his top lip before sucking the bottom one into his mouth. A smug grin morphed onto his face as he slowly rolled that full bottom lip out, leaving a trace of moisture there.

“A kiss.” Then he fucking winked at me. “For the pictures.”

Oh. Right. The pictures. I’d forgotten about that for a second.

“You can put me down now,” I said curtly, feeling heat creep up the back of my neck and around to the front.

He did, but he took his damn time about it, letting me slide down his body. I ignored the ridges of his abs I felt on the way down. Didn’t want to think too much about what was beneath that shirt of his. Nope. Didn’t want to think about that at all. Instead, I took a large step back and turned my attention to the couple standing a few feet away.

“These look great, you guys,” Jamie said, peering at the display screen on Robert’s camera. “Nice touch with the kiss. Very convincing.”

“What kind of wedding would it be if I didn’t kiss my wife?” Dane asked, still wearing that infuriating smirk.

“ Fake wife,” I reminded him, and he had the nerve to lick his lips again. “Can we go now?” Without waiting for an answer, I stalked up the beach and toward the parking lot.

Damn you, Dane, with your soft lips and hard body. Damn you, I say.