Page 31

Chapter 31

Constantine

I opened the hall closet and located a folded-up blanket my mother insisted I keep there despite my protests, as if she’d known I’d need it one day.

Returning to the game room, I hung back in the doorway, taking in the sight of my son passed out, lightly snoring in the leather recliner. He was still clutching the controller, his leg hanging over one side.

I couldn’t get over the fact he was here or that we’d played COD all evening to the point my eyes had started burning. I’d refused to stop playing until he was done, which apparently meant until he fell asleep mid-zombie-killing spree.

I finally got my ass moving, setting aside the blanket to handle the controller and shift his leg back onto the reclined chair. I covered him, shut off the light, and went downstairs to check on Juliette.

She was asleep on her side, her hands in prayer position beneath her cheek. I couldn’t believe she was here and in that bed of all beds, or that I’d told her about the hardest time in my life. At this point, there were so many things I couldn’t wrap my head around, I could no longer keep count.

I fixed her covers back over her, noting she seemed to favor the right side of the bed. I didn’t want to wake her up and have her find me staring at her like a psychopath, so I exfil’ed out of there for some rack time myself.

Once in my bedroom with the door shut, I stripped down to my briefs. I climbed into bed and tested out the left side to gauge how it felt. I normally slept dead center, and maybe I was getting ahead of myself, but I had every intention of sleeping next to Juliette one day. Why not work on adjusting to sleeping on the left side?

I fell asleep fast, and I wasn’t sure how long I’d been out, but I was startled awake when my bedroom door opened. Unsure how an intruder had bypassed my security, I was seconds away from going for my Glock in the nightstand drawer when I realized it was Juliette.

I also became keenly aware of two things: I was back at the center of the bed, and my dick was hard.

“Hi.” She barefooted her way over to my bed where the sheets were crumpled at the bottom. She’d get a good glimpse of my morning wood because my briefs left nothing to the imagination. “Oh. Good morning to you, too.” A blush worked up into her cheeks.

And there she was. My ray of fucking sunshine. The only better way to wake up would be for her to be in bed next to me.

“Morning.” I sat up and grabbed the comforter to conceal my erection.

Unlike me, the only thing bare was her feet. She was already dressed in skinny jeans and had a white shirt partially tucked into them. Her hair was wavy and loose, stopping short of her breasts.

God, you’re beautiful.

“Sorry to disturb you. It’s ten, so we got worried, wondering if you were okay. Something told me you don’t normally sleep this late.”

“Ten?” I blinked in surprise. Because no, no the hell I didn’t sleep in that late. Alessandro, sure. Not me.

“I guess you needed it.” She licked her lips, and at this rate, my dick would never go down. Not with her standing so close with those innocent eyes pointed at my chest.

She was doubtfully thinking about my scars—no, this was a different kind of stare. Not sympathy, but one of passion.

“Colin was hoping we could go out to eat for breakfast.” She checked the silver watch on her wrist, which reminded me that I needed to return the locket to Colin for her birthday next weekend. “Well, brunch.” A hint of a drawl slipped through, reminding me of how she’d spoken last night.

“I see your accent is still hanging around,” I teased.

“Mm. Maybe I feel comfortable enough around you to let it out.”

“Good, the only way I want you to be.” Now, back to her question. I took a moment to contemplate the potential risks of going out in public. If I talked to Hudson and Izzy first and confirmed we were in the clear with threats, maybe we could manage a day out as a family. I was rather desperate for that, myself. “I think we may be able to do that.”

“Really?” She sat on the bed and reached for my hand. “Thank you.”

My dick jumped at her proximity. My heart did as well. “I’ll meet you two in a minute.”

“Okay.” She remained sitting, continuing to hold my hand, lighting up my room with her presence. I didn’t need to open the blinds for sunlight when I had her.

“I should probably get dressed without you in here. My patience . . .” was all I needed to say. I wanted her to know the rest of my backstory before we went all in. I didn’t want walls, or my skeletons, between us.

But with her sitting on my bed smelling so damn good, I was close to saying fuck it and asking for a taste of what I felt deep in my bones was going to come. Us being together. Our happiness.

Juliette licked her front teeth, which would be keeping my cock hard. “I’ll let you get ready.”

“Thank you.” I smiled, not ready to throw back the comforter until she was free and clear from my sight.

“I, um, am going now, promise,” she said with a light laugh, and God help me, that was enough to turn me on even more than I thought possible.

She retracted her hand, and I missed the warmth of her touch the second she was standing.

On her way to the door, she gave me a fantastic view of her ass in those tight jeans, and was I seriously going to need to jerk off before brunch to survive it? Yeah, yeah the fuck I am. Because if I didn’t handle this problem between my legs, I really would snap.

When she was gone and the door was closed, I let go of a hot pent-up breath of air and got out of bed.

I sent a quick check-in text to Izzy and Hudson to see if they’d heard back from Sean and Emilia McGregor, as well as ensure Daniel and Jamie were still inside that hotel.

They didn’t respond right away, so I took my shower.

Beneath the warm spray of water from the double showerheads, I did my best to alleviate the tension between my legs.

Seventeen long damn years without her had me stroking myself in a punishing way. And had me feeling guilty for every woman I’d been with after her.

The guilt culminated into anger at myself, and it pulsed in my stomach and moved up into my chest. I snarled and bit down on my molars, stopping myself from finishing.

I slammed my palms against the wall and hung my head, cursing in Italian. I didn’t want to get off again unless it was with her, and I made the decision then and there that I’d withhold as long as I had to.

I hurriedly washed up, then stepped out, wrapping a towel around my waist before heading to the built-in shelves in my walk-in closet.

Once I had on jeans and shoes, I searched for a shirt, but nostalgia slowed me down in my pursuit and sent me to locate the NYU T-shirt Bianca bought me while she’d attended college there.

I held it open in front of me as memories assaulted my mind. After a minute or two, I forced myself to set the shirt aside, and I picked out a plain black tee, my usual. With a backward hat to tame my wet hair and my Apple watch on, I was ready to go.

I checked my messages, relieved to see a response.

Izzy: I told you, silly, I’d message you when I hear from Emilia and Sean.

Izzy: They’re still doing a deep dive. Something is fishy about Brian Cormac’s records. They'll let me know once they get to the bottom of it.

Great, just what I needed to hear about Lennon’s father, as if it couldn’t get any worse.

Hudson: Jamie, Lennon, and Daniel are still inside their hotel suite. No movement in or out.

Hudson: You should be clear to go out, but I can’t make any promises.

I hit reply to Izzy’s message first.

Me: The news about Cormac doesn’t sit well with me.

Maybe we shouldn’t go out? Maybe I also needed to contact the Sicilians and ask them why they were meeting with Jamie in the first place? Of course, the last thing I wanted to do was owe the mafia any kind of favors for information and help if I did call them up.

Izzy: If it did sit well with you, I’d assume aliens snatched your body and sent in a fake.

Me: Real funny.

Izzy: Absolutely serious. I’d Area 51 your ass in a heartbeat.

Hudson: She’s had too much coffee this morning. She’s a little jumpy, even for her.

Me: You’re both making me rethink going out into the city.

Izzy: I can’t imagine Jamie would be crazy enough to send people after you in broad daylight (or at night). He saw what you did at the rave. He saw a mafia guy piss himself.

Izzy: Plus, Daniel can’t open his mouth to Jamie about “knowing you” without screwing himself over, so I think we’re good there, too.

Hudson: She has a point. Daniel digs his own grave if Jamie or Brian Cormac find out he’s the reason we were at the rave in the first place.

Me: True.

Izzy: The second I hear anything, though, I’ll sound the alarms, I promise.

Me: I’ll just be sure to carry, then.

Hudson: Don’t you always, anyway?

Also true.

Me: Talk later.

Me: Easy on the coffee, Izzy.

I pocketed my phone, then swung my gaze over to the closet and decided to grab the NYU shirt before I headed out to find Juliette and Colin.

Juliette was holding Colin’s chin when I walked into the living room, and he swatted her hand away at seeing me, as if embarrassed by his bruise.

“His black eye is more noticeable today,” Juliette explained, and when I zeroed in on the purple mark circling his eye, that worry about leaving the house ratcheted back.

“Does it hurt?” I asked while tossing him the shirt, and it felt like I sent my heart along with it.

“Nah, I’m good.” He caught the shirt and held it out.

“It should fit you. You’re about my size.” I did my best to keep my voice level, to act like this wasn’t a huge deal, even though it was.

“Mom told you I want to go here?”

I nodded, hoping I wouldn’t have to talk more about this. I didn’t want to break down before my son like I had outside his bedroom door. Like I did again in Juliette’s presence as I revealed the truth about my scars.

“That’s a thoughtful gift.” Juliette patted Colin’s back, giving me a sweet smile, and her eyes said it all. She remembered that it was my sister’s alma mater.

“Why do you have this?” And, of course, he’d ask.

“Bianca went there. She bought it for me.” I’d assumed he’d have already read up on this, given his Google search of me the other day, but he’d probably forgotten with so much happening since yesterday.

His jaw hitched to the side as it clicked, as it hit him how important this shirt was to me, and yet, I was giving it to him.

He wordlessly set it on the couch and removed his hat, sweatshirt, and whatever T-shirt he’d had underneath it. He put on the NYU tee and smoothed a hand over his chest as if removing wrinkles that weren’t there.

He didn’t bother to put back on his hoodie but did position his hat backward instead of forward, copying me. Judging by Juliette’s quick smile, she’d noticed that distinction, too.

I did my best to backburner my emotions for now and let them know, “I have concerns about being out in public. There are risks.” Even if I plan to be armed.

“Oh.” Juliette lost her smile and walked around the coffee table to come closer, waiting for me to continue.

“Come on, you’ve got us covered. No one would dare bother us when you’re around.” Colin guilted me with sad eyes and prayer hands. “I need to get out and get some fresh air. I feel like I’m suffocating.”

Suffocating in a thirty-million-dollar penthouse? Yeah, right. “You don’t have plans to meet up with Lennon secretly, and that’s why you want out?” Believe me, I’ll find out.

“Of course not.” He fidgeted with his hat. “I was hoping you’d let me get behind the wheel of your car, though.”

“Do you know how to drive?”

He shook his head. “I thought you could teach me.”

Giving him a first anything was too appealing to turn down. Too appealing for me to remember the risks of going out.

My rational, common-sense brain became secondary to my heart as I tossed him the keys to my Maserati. “Then I guess today’s the day you learn to drive.”