Tangled Deception (Web of Secrets Book 2)

Chapter 9

“Mommy! I have pancakes,” Amina yelled in the way only a five-year-old child could.

Leo looked up at Shandra as she walked into the kitchen area. He had trouble sleeping last night because of the information he now had. Watching as she strolled into the open space, he could tell she was hesitant about his response to her this morning. What she told him last night had been a lot to deal with, but he also couldn’t blame her for taking control of her life. She needed to get her own brand of retribution. She had nothing to worry about from him. If anything, he was damn proud of her. If he were a softer man, he would take her in his arms and tell her everything would be okay.

But he wasn’t.

The only thing he felt right now was anger. He wanted to hurt someone. Kill if needed. But he had to stay exactly where he was. But, his need to grab her close, press his lips to her soft ones, and show her that the way he felt about her, and how much he wanted to protect her, was clawing at him. He loved her in a way he had never loved anyone before. But knew this was not the time to share that with her.

“Morning, baby.” She kissed Amina on the head. “Do your pancake have chocolate chips?”

“Yes,” the little girl spoke aloud with a mouth full of food.

Motioning with his hand, Leo pointed to another chair around the table. “Sit. Eat. There’s more food. And coffee.” Once she sat down across from him, she began grabbing food for her plate.

“I still can’t believe you know how to cook. You don’t seem like a man who can be domesticated.” She took a sip of coffee to wake up her brain.

“There was no one else who would do it for me. No other woman has ever been in my home. I also grew up doing things for myself. If I wanted to survive and have a decent home, I needed to learn a few things. You should taste my teriyaki chicken with rice and pineapple.”

She looked at him as she placed a forkful of eggs in her mouth. That they were having a normal morning conversation after her confession from the night before almost made her laugh. Was this really their life? Murder, mayhem, and guns at night. Pancakes, coffee, and sitting together as a family in the morning.

“What’s that smile for?”

Shandra smiled wider. “Thank you.”

“For what?” He eyed her over his coffee mug.

“Everything,” she admitted. “For yesterday. For a year ago. Every day in between. For being you.”

Leaning back in the chair, Leo shook his head. “You never have to thank me. Whatever it is I’ve done, it’s because I wanted to. Nothing has been done by chance. Everything has had meaning.”

She nodded as tears welled in her eyes.

“Mommy? Are you okay?” Amina was staring at Shandra, a look of worry on her beautiful light brown face.

“Yes, baby. I’m fine. I’m just surprised your Uncle Leo made such a good breakfast for us. Did you sleep okay last night?”

“Yes. Uncle Leo says I have to meet someone who will come to my school with me today. So, I have to be a good girl and eat all my food.”

Confusion showed on her face as she looked up at Leo. He shook his head, so she let it go for the moment. Still, she was very curious about this new person.

“Hey Amina, sweetheart? I got you a new toy. It’s in the living room. Marco is in there, and he’ll help you open it. Your mom and I will be there in a moment.”

Amina took a drink of orange juice before hopping out of her seat. “Thank you, Leo the Lion!”

“Hold on, honey,” Shandra said. “Let’s clean your hands and face. You’re all sticky with syrup.” Standing, she went to the sink to wet a paper towel before using it on Amina. Once the little girl was clean, she ran into the other room. Shandra sat down in the chair again and turned to look at Leo. “Okay, spill. Who is Amina meeting today?”

“A new bodyguard who can double as a nanny. Not that I want to pull her out of that fancy school, but I need to take extra precautions. She needs that place since it will provide her with future connections. I just don’t feel the security they can offer is adequate. There are seven hours of the day when she’s not around anyone in the family to protect her. I need to change some things to keep her safe.” He stopped speaking and shrugged, as if that was the end of the conversation.

“That school is behind a gate with a guard, and no one can get to any student without showing identification or being on the approved list.” He opened his mouth to speak, but she put her hand up. “And there are security guards patrolling the grounds to ensure the kids are safe. Some of the richest kids of the most powerful people are there. Yet, you don’t think it has enough protection for Amina?”

The man had the nerve to look unapologetic. “No. I don’t. Not for Amina, and not for any other children we have. And if the Lucarelli children go there, it won’t be enough for them. I will not play about our children, Shandra. You better get used to it. I’ve tried my best not to overstep, but having her security detail sitting outside that school every day, waiting for her to come out is no longer enough.”

Shocked. There was no other way to describe how she was feeling. This man was certifiably crazy as hell. Not that she disagreed with him. If it meant Amina getting more protection, she was all for it. She also had a feeling Leo was gearing up for a fight. The last time he did something significant for Amina, Shandra lit into him and told him he had no right. That he was not her father.

She would not make that same mistake again.

“Leo, I know how much you love Amina. I won’t fight you on getting her more protection.”

“Good,” he said, even though his voice still held a tone of guardedness.

“But why now? Is it the situation with the Ricci’s? Do you think they would go after my little girl?”

Leo felt the need to clear up a few things. Whether or not now was the right time, he didn’t know, nor did he care. It needed to be said. Shifting his chair, he pushed closer to Shandra. Leo grabbed the legs of the chair she was sitting in, then turned it slightly so that they were facing each other.

They were both relaxed and wearing weekend clothes. Actually, Shandra was wearing a comfortable pair of leggings and a T-shirt. Leo was dressed in black workout pants, with a long sleeve, fitted black workout shirt.

“Before I answer that, I want to get something straight. I know I’m not Amina’s father.”

Shandra interrupted. “I’m sorry for saying that the other day. It’s just… I …”

He shook his head. “We’ll address your feelings for me later. And I know why you said what you did. If I wasn’t so pissed off at having you push me away again, I would have realized it. So, don’t worry about that right now. What I’m trying to say is, it doesn’t matter that she’s not mine biologically. I love that little girl as if she were my own. Whatever happens between us will have no bearing on how I show up in her life. In all the ways that count, I will be there for her. As her father. Her protector. The man who will give her away at her wedding. Even if this thing between us goes south…”

“Are you already saying that we’re not going to work out?” Shandra couldn’t believe he had a plan for when they broke up. Again, was she not enough? Did he only see her as a temporary distraction? They weren’t even officially a couple yet, but he was already thinking about a Plan B.

“Woman, you can’t help yourself, can you? You’re missing the whole damn point of what I’m saying to you, Shandra.” He leaned forward and grabbed her hands within his larger, scarred ones. “I consider Amina my daughter. I will claim her as mine. Everyone in our family already knows both of you are under my protection. To claim her as mine will be a non-issue. If we need to make it official and have me legally adopt her, then we’ll do that. So, no more bullshit saying she’s your daughter. She’s ours. No other man will step in my place. I don’t give a shit who they are. You both belong to me until I’m no longer on this earth. And while you may take you longer to get where I’m at, that doesn’t change the facts of the situation.”

And it was at this moment that Shandra stopped fighting. She was truly, deeply, and undeniably in love with Leo Mannetti.

“Now, as I was saying, the bodyguard—”

Shandra wasn’t trying to hear any of that. She knew what he was doing and why. It was all about taking care of her daughter… his daughter… and his need to protect them made her stop questioning his every move. She pulled her hands from his as she reached out to grab his face and planted her lips on his. He froze momentarily before taking over the kiss. This was the first time their lips had touched, and it was everything she had hoped for. For him, it was better than his nightly dreams that made him wake up with a rock-hard cock. Their mouths slanted over each other, tongues dueling as they tasted one another. The coffee and syrup flavor lingering on their mouths made their kiss even sweeter. Strong and sweet. That was the perfect way to describe the two of them and how they meshed together.

He dragged her out of the chair and onto his lap; Leo never wanted this kiss to end. If he could lay her on the table and sink his hard dick inside her right now, he would. He wanted to taste her, letting her juices flow over his tongue. Being with her like this had been something he had wanted for so long. He would never give her up.

His fingers tangled in her hair, holding her close with one hand. His other hand gripped the thick flesh of her ass. Their kiss was feral. Needy. Hungry. And he wanted more.

Just then, the little pitter-patter of feet could be heard running along the hardwood floor. To Shandra’s credit, she pulled away and sat back in her chair just as Amina entered the room.

“Uncle Leo! Thank you so much. I’ve always wanted that car. Now I can drive it all around the yard. Can I take it to Auntie Camille’s house?”

A smile lit up Leo’s face. “Uncle Tristan has a matching one at his house waiting for you. Well, he got you a different color since we couldn’t agree.”

“Really?” She ran over to him and threw her arms around his neck. “Thank you. You’re the bestest ever. My friends always say they have the best dads, but I don’t think they do, cause they don’t have you. Can we go outside now?”

Although she did not say the words, he took her statement to mean he was the best dad. Yeah, he sure as hell was, and he would never lose that title. “Sure thing, sweetheart. Have Marco take you and your car outside for me. We’ll be right behind you. No trying to trick Marco into letting you drive it until we come out there.”

“I promise,” she said before smiling at her mom and running out of the room. “Marco! My Leo says I can go outside and wait for him.”

“Leo, you spoil her,” Shandra said. There was no use trying to convince him not to do whatever the hell he wanted. He would just do it anyway and not apologize.

“Yes. And I won’t stop.”

Leo stood, and Shandra could see the outline of his cock at eye level. Considering her ass had just been pressed up against it, she knew it was now lying in rest. Her nipples hardened at the memory of kissing him, of feeling his hands on her body, of feeling the thickness of his cock fighting to break through his pants.

“Don’t worry, sweetheart. We’ll have more of that later tonight. Now that I know what it feels like to have you in my arms, I plan to make sure you’re always there.” She stood up in front of him, and mere inches separated them. “I take it that kiss meant you’ve made your decision about us? Because you need to know that I’m all in, sweetheart. You’re mine in all the ways that count. And once we fuck, that’s as good as a fucking marriage to me. I won’t let you go.” He lifted one hand and cradled her jaw, his thumb making lazy circles on her skin. “Are you ready to give yourself to me tonight? Because I need you. We’ve waited too damn long, and I want you underneath me, with my dick spreading you wide. I want to see your stomach swell with my child. I want it all. But I need you to be there with me.”

His words made her pussy clench with need. Goosebumps raised along her skin. Shandra felt like her life was finally where she wanted it to be. It feels so damn good to have Leo look at her with desire. Want. Need.

Though she took the leap first and kissed him, they both knew the next step in their relationship needed to be her call. Leo had already made it very clear he wanted her in his life. And once she pressed her lips to his, that was her answer. She wanted this. Wanted him. Looking into his green eyes, she nodded. “I’m with you, Leo. I’ve fought this for too long. I was afraid you would turn away from me. I couldn’t bear the thought of giving myself to you and losing you. That was something I couldn’t have dealt with.”

Baring her soul to him was not on her Bingo card for this morning, but the situation changed when he put it all out there for her.

“Baby, I would never turn from you. You were made for me, and the sooner you realize that, the sooner we can begin our life together. Now, our little girl is outside waiting for us to watch her play. We’ll focus on us later.”

She grabbed his hand, then stood. It was such a small gesture, but they knew this moment was about to change everything for them.