27. Viviana
Viviana
I ’m sitting on the couch with Psycho, running my fingers through his fur when there’s a knock at the door. “Come in.”
The door opens and Nox walks in. I smile up at him. “Hey. What’s up?”
He looks at Psycho on the couch and grimaces, but still sits down on my other side.
He looks over at me from the corner of his eye and I grin at him.
I already know what this is about. The silence stretches between us, neither of us willing to break first. We’re both stubborn that way.
Thankfully, neither of us has to say anything because Zane storms into the room.
“You’ve been sneaking out of the house?” he demands like he has a right to.
My eyes flick to him and I blink slowly. “It wasn’t sneaking out. I left the house because I wanted to. I used to sneak out back home because I wasn’t allowed to leave. See the difference?”
Nox grins but tries to cover it with his hand before Zane sees.
The slump of Zane’s shoulders makes me feel a little bad, but I already told him once that I will not be trapped in a bubble again.
I’m going to do what I want, when I want.
I don’t want to upset them, but I just can’t live like that again.
Psycho crawls into my lap, bracing his paws against my chest to rub against my face. I hadn’t even realized I stopped petting him. Once he get’s what he wants, he settles back down into my lap while I stroke his fur.
“I just don’t want anything to happen to you,” Zane says, finally.
I try not to get mad at him. “You leave the house all the time by yourself.”
“That’s different! I’m not…”
I cut him off before he can finish that, “If you say, a woman, I will stab you.”
He grins at me but it falls away quickly. “I was going to say that I’m not the one the mafia will want to kill.”
I scoff at that. “We talked about this already. You’re in just as much danger as I am. You’ve been seen with me. I publicly claimed you in front of the capo’s of the family.”
Zane’s mouth opens and then closes. His shoulders fall just a little and he looks away. “Okay, fine. I’m just worried about you.”
My anger subsides. “I understand that, but I’m not going to hide behind you guys.
This is my life and I plan to live it to the fullest. I was raised by the mafia for fuck’s sake.
My life will always be in danger. All worrying about me will do is give you an ulcer.
So the best you can do is to be by my side when I need the back-up.
All I can promise is that if I’m going to do something dangerous I’ll give you a heads up and you can tag along for the ride if you want, and you can do the same? ”
Zane looks more relieved than anything else when he looks up into my eyes.
“That’s fair.” He gives me a small grin and looks away.
“In the spirit of our new agreement, I should tell you that I’m tracking a ring of child predators and it could get dangerous.
But not yet. I’ll let you know before I move in. ”
I blink at him. Of course he’s already doing something dangerous. “Thank you for letting me know. Just be careful.”
All I get is a nod. He takes the few steps to me, leaning down and pressing a kiss to my lips before pausing to run his fingers through Psycho’s fur. “I’ll be back in a few hours. Are you planning to sleep in your room tonight… or…?” He trails off, looking over at Nox.
He sighs, making eye contact with me. “I had you to myself last night. I guess it’s only fair if I leave you to the two stooges tonight.”
“Can’t I just like order a giant bed to fit you all in? The more books I read that Zane’s picked out, the more it seems like a tempting idea.” I tap my lip as I consider it.
Nox shrugs. “I mean, I wouldn’t hate that. We can all still have our own room if you ever need some space.”
I grin at that, already trying to figure out the logistics. I’d need to do some calculations to figure out if I have the funds to get a custom mattress to fit against an entire wall of my bedroom.
How the hell am I going to convince Cain to sleep in it when he’s still trying to tell himself that I’m just his student?
He’s into bondage. I could convince Zane to help me tie him up for the first few nights until he gets used to it. And the mental image I get of Zane and I lugging Cain up the stairs to keep him hostage in my bed is magnificent.
“What are you thinking about? Should we be worried? You only smile like that when you’re talking about something highly illegal.” Nox actually looks anxious, which only makes me smile wider.
Shaking my head, I manage to let the smile fall for the most part. “Just considering logistics on how to make the bed happen.” Which isn’t a lie, and isn’t even stretching the truth.
“I’ve got to get going. I’ll be back tonight. Don’t kill anyone without me.” Zane presses another kiss to my lips before he leaves.
Nox reaches over and starts petting Psycho, who purrs and rolls around in my lap. When he peeks one eye open and realizes that it’s Nox petting him and not me, he starts to hiss at him. Scrambling up from his relaxed position, his claws dig into my thighs as he growls at Nox.
“See, I told you that he just hates me!” Nox throws his hands into the air.
I shush Psycho while petting him, and he calms down, but doesn’t get comfortable, keeping his eyes on Nox like he’s about to attack. I roll my lips in. It’s true, Psycho really does hate Nox. Which is really sad, because Nox is one of the best people in the world.
I frown down at the cat. “He’ll get used to you. Just give him more time.”
Nox huffs and changes the topic, so I’m not sure if he thinks that plan will work or not.
“I came up here to talk about you throwing me under the bus to Cain and wanted to warn you that he’s recruiting people to his side, but I think you’ll be okay.
Even if he convinces Sloane, you’ve got Zane and I agreeing with you.
You need your freedom and we won’t let him be an ass about it.
Just be prepared. Cain is not above stalking you. ”
The irony of Cain Price stalking me is almost laughable.
It’s also slightly flattering. I’m very insecure about my place with Cain, so the thought he might care enough to follow me around feels nice.
Because I question whether or not he actually likes me all the time.
I glance over at Nox again. “Thanks for the warning.”
He gives me a nod. “I’ve got some files I need to go through before bed, so I’ll leave you to your books.”
He looks at the pile of textbooks on the coffee table that I haven’t been able to bring myself to open yet. When he leans in to kiss me, I melt into him. Psycho gives out a yowl at Nox’s close proximity and jumps off my lap.
See, progress. He didn’t even try to scratch Nox’s eyes out.
The warmth of Nox’s palm curls around the side of my neck, his thumb pressing in ever so slightly to hold me still as he deepens the kiss.
All too soon he’s pulling away from me, and I would pout and whine about him leaving if I wasn’t a full-blown adult.
The grin on Nox’s face tells me I haven’t completely kept the pout from my face though.
Once I find myself alone in my apartment, I do actually manage to crack open my Sociology textbook for the quiz coming up.
I’m not sure when I fell asleep, but I’m woken by Sloane whispering my name.
They seem to have learned not to shake me awake, but I don’t think I would still wake up stabbing anyway after so many months with the boys filling my bed.
When I manage to blink the sleep from my eyes, I find Sloane grinning down at me. “Ready for the gym?”
I furrow my brow before I realize I never told him that I wasn’t going today. It takes a moment for me to clear my dry throat before I can clear things up. “I’m not going today. I’ve got an appointment at the clinic this morning.”
A frown mars his handsome face and he tilts his head to the side. “Is something wrong?”
My head shakes vigorously. “No, no nothing is wrong. It’s nothing to worry about. It’s just the clinic on campus. I don’t have to be up for another hour, I forgot to let you know I was sleeping in this morning. I was going to tell you, but it slipped my mind.”
Sloane’s face smooths out. “It’s all good,” he whispers, pressing a soft kiss to my cheek. “I’ll see you later.”
He leaves quietly, and somehow Zane manages to sleep through my conversation with Sloane as well as my alarm when it goes off an hour later. I’m not sure what time he came in last night but it must have been late if he’s this tired.
I manage to get dressed quietly, not wanting to wake him.
The black yoga pants I pick out are comfortable, especially on a day like today when I’m bloated and feel gross.
And the shirt I grab is a long sleeve, Sweeny University hockey shirt with Mckenna and Sloane’s number on the back.
The sleeves are loose and it’s another comfortable option.
Leaving the apartment, I creep down the stairs to grab a cup of coffee.
The machine in the upstairs apartment isn’t as fancy, so I actually have to put it on and don’t just wake up to a pot of freshly brewed coffee every morning.
Besides, it seems like a waste when there’s already coffee ready downstairs.
The soft tapping of feet on the hardwood lets me know that someone is approaching. “Where are you going?” Cain asks behind me, suspicion practically dripping from his words.
I roll my eyes but tell myself that he’s just trying to look out for me.
This is what I’ve always wanted so I need to suck it the hell up and just be glad my dreams are coming true.
He takes the creamer from my hand, putting it into the refrigerator for me before folding himself into a chair on the island.
I turn toward him, my to-go cup of perfectly made coffee in hand, and decide that since he’s being nice, I probably should too.
“I’ve got an appointment. I’m not going off to blackmail anyone else.”
His eyes narrow on me like he’s trying to detect whether or not I’m telling the truth. “Give me a minute and I’ll go with you.” He shifts his weight like he’s about to get up from his seat.
I purse my lips. “You can’t. It’s at the clinic on campus. It would definitely not be good for you to be seen with me in public like that.”
The muscles in Cain’s jaw tense and his nose flares. It’s a good thing he can’t breathe fire or else alarms would be going off with the amount of smoke he would be puffing out. “Can’t you take Zane or Nox with you?”
I shrug. “I could, but I’m not going to. It’s a doctor’s appointment; it’s not like I’m heading off to assassinate Chlamydia.”
Cain’s head shakes imperceptibly as his brows furrow. “How the hell would you assassinate an STD?”
Rolling my eyes, I make sure the lid to my coffee cup is on tight. “No. It’s my new name for Carol.”
Cain’s brows raise and his head tilts back. “Oh. Okay, that makes more sense. Are you sure you don’t want to bring one of the guys with you?”
I huff out a breath. “I’ll be fine. It’s right before class and I’m meeting the guys and Sandy at the coffee shop after, so you don’t need to worry.”
Cain runs a hand through his hair before he grits his teeth. “Fine. Just be safe and call if anything feels off. And I mean anything, Viviana. You will call us for back-up if you need it.”
Wow. He just full named me. It’s been awhile since he’s used my full first name. His demands aren’t anything too taxing so I might as well agree, but I can’t let him know how easy it is to get me to see reason so I give him a mock salute. “Sir, yes Sir.”
Heat fills his eyes at me using the title, and he’s so stupefied that I manage to press a quick kiss to his lips before I head out of the kitchen.
That, along with the quick breath he lets out, tells me he’s not as unaffected by me as he usually lets on.
When I’m halfway to the front door his words reach me.
“Keep pushing me Rossi and I will show you exactly what I want to do to you. I’m not a soft Dom; your ass will be red if you keep behaving like a brat. ”
Shivers go down my spine as I turn to find him standing in the doorway, and I bite my lip.
He watches me closely, his eyes focused on my mouth until I look away.
I feel like an idiota sometimes in the presence of this man.
He’s in front of me so fast that I startle when his hand wraps around my neck, forcing me to make eye contact with him.
“Do you understand?” he demands, and I nod my head.
“Words, Viv. You will use your words with me.”
“Yes,” I say automatically.
“Yes what?”
A flush travels through me at the intense way he stares into my eyes. “Yes, Sir.”
“Good girl.” His lids droop as his eyes slowly trail back to my lips. “And next time you want a kiss, you will ask.”
“Yes, sir.” I shift, rubbing my thighs together.
He tightens his grip around my throat and leans in.
The kiss is anything but soft. It’s all clashing teeth and nipped bottom lips.
When his tongue finally breaches my mouth the moan that leaves me is embarrassing, but it urges him on nonetheless.
When he pulls away, my mind is fuzzy and I want to chase after him, but the grip he has on my neck is firm and keeps me where I am.
“Now go to your appointment before I change my mind and break Nox’s ‘no fucking in the living-room’ rule. ”
“Yes, sir.”
The long blink he does at that almost makes me combust. When he opens his eyes, the hold around my neck releases as well and I turn to leave.
I’m very close to being late now. I’m only one step away when a sharp sting spreads across my left ass cheek, and when I look over my shoulder I see the absolute gratification on his face.
Biting my lip, I have no choice but to leave.
If I stay here any longer I’m going to be late.
I made this appointment three weeks ago and I don’t want to have to wait another three.
Somehow my coffee survived my encounter with Cain, so I take a sip as I settle into my car.
Giving myself only twenty seconds to calm down and reclaim control over my libido, I start the car and head to campus.