26. Ronan
Chapter 26
Ronan
I am extremely unhappy with the way the previous night went down. For the first night since Valentina moved in, we slept in separate bedrooms, and I missed her so fucking much it was like an ache in my body.
But she decided for me. She took away my choice, and that bothers me too much to ignore. If I tell anyone in my family about my arrangement with her, that should be entirely up to me—it’s not her place to insert herself into my affairs. Even if she has good reason.
I try to focus on work. My office is quiet, though I can hear my mother whistling in the kitchen as she cleans up from a small, more intimate breakfast, not our weekend monstrosity. I have paperwork for the legitimate business, plus calls and messages to send about the illegitimate business, and I can’t fucking focus on any of it.
Valentina’s swimming around in my brain.
That girl pisses me off. She’s got the balls to get pissed when I mention the other Capos, as if that’s not part of our ultimate goals, and then she pulls that shit with Niall. I’m frustrated, and the worst part is, all I want to do is to go home, pull her into bed, kiss her, and make everything right again.
There’s a knock. Niall enters and takes a seat in a chair across from me. He watches me for a few moments, and I watch him back, not sure where this is going to go.
“You should’ve trusted me,” he says.
I take a deep breath and blow it out. Maybe he’s right. If there’s anyone in the Group I can trust without hesitation, it’s him.
But this situation with Valentina is different. It’s not my own ass on the line—she’s very much mixed up in all this, and I want to protect her at all costs.
The calmer I can keep my family, the better everyone’s life will be.
And if they start revolting because I’m living with a former Italian mafia princess? That’s basically the worst-case scenario.
“You know why I didn’t tell you.”
He tilts his head and nods to himself, looking away. “Yeah, I get it. With everything going on, you didn’t want to take the risk. Too much at stake, and it’s easier to keep it to yourself, right? But you still should’ve trusted me.”
Something in my chest softens. “Yeah, all right, I should have.”
“I like Valentina.” Niall leans back in his chair, hands behind his head. He’s got a little smile on his face again. “She’s smart and strong. I bet she can keep your ass in check.”
“Most of the time.” I grin back at him. “She tries, anyway.”
“Despite everything going down with the cousins and such, you’ve been making good decisions lately. The chop shop job went great, and now this business with the Rocco guy seems to be headed in the right direction. More product on the street means more money in all our pockets. The cousins might not be able to separate the whole Italian thing away from pure business, but there are plenty of people in the family that can see what you’ve been doing, and they appreciate it.”
I’m surprised to hear that. From my perspective, everyone despises absolutely everything I do, and nothing’s ever good enough. “That’s nice to hear,” I admit.
“Valentina’s a part of that. I get it, she’s not the right kind of girl for the boss of the family, but if there hadn’t already been whispers about your leadership before her, I doubt anyone would’ve really cared.”
I grunt and lean back. So much for feeling all right for a moment there. “And now here we are. She’s living at my place for the foreseeable future, until I can get Julien to agree to leave her alone.”
Niall gestures at my phone. “Go ahead and call him then.”
“I’m not in any hurry.”
“Yeah, that’s what I thought. You two are actually together, aren’t you?”
“Something like that. I’m not really sure what you’d call it.”
“Fuck buddies, maybe?”
I give him a hard look. “Don’t degrade her like that.”
“Ah, so you’re more. That’s good. I was worried you were just into her because she’s pretty.”
“Yeah, well, it’s more.” I stare at my friend, and I feel strangely vulnerable for the first time in a long time. I don’t have relationships and I sure as fuck don’t talk about women. They’re a distraction most of the time. But now Niall knows I’m infatuated with Valentina, or at least he’s figuring out how serious I am about it, and I feel like I’ve shown too much of myself. Even to him.
“Good. That’s a good thing. The cousins might not love Italians, but they’ll respect you more if she’s not just a mistress.” Niall pushes his chair back and stands. “You don’t have to worry, cousin. I’m not going to tell anybody about her. Aside from the fact that you’ve got my loyalty, I would also prefer not to see our family descend into civil war.”
“That’s very kind of you.”
He waves a hand like it’s no big deal and goes to leave. As he steps out, another person’s in the hall. He moves aside, gesturing for Valentina to move past him. “We were just talking about you,” he says.
“Good things?” she asks, looking over at me.
“Mostly.” Niall winks behind her back and heads off.
Valentina watches him go then sits in the chair he just vacated. “What was that about? You two making up?”
“Yeah, something like that.” I stare at her, aching to pull her across the desk and into my lap. “You all good?”
“I wanted to talk about last night.” Her face is set, and I can’t tell if she’s here to apologize or what. “I understand why you feel the way you feel.”
“You made a choice for me that could impact my entire family. It’s a big deal.”
She nods slowly. “I get that. From my perspective, I was trying to stop two friends from getting into a feud for no good reason, but I understand that I was being a little too shortsighted.”
My anger begins to dissipate. Valentina’s a very, very proud person, and coming here must’ve been hard, much less sitting down and admitting that she could have been wrong. “I appreciate you saying that.”
“And I might have overreacted when you brought up the Capo thing.” Her gaze slips down. “Last night wasn’t my best.”
That finally cracks me. I hate seeing her like this. Valentina is big and bold, she’s strong and hard, and right now she seems tired and slightly defeated, and I can’t be having that.
“Come here, love.”
She looks up. Something in her expression sharpens. “Where’s here?”
I gesture at my lap. “Come and sit.”
She doesn’t move. “I’m comfortable here.”
“I want you to get up and come sit in my lap right now, love, or this conversation is over. I don’t give a damn what else you have to say.”
She laughs, cheeks turning red. I love it when she gets flustered. But slowly, she gets up, comes around the desk, close enough that I can reach out and pull her the last foot. I love her soft ass in my lap and the smell of her hair.
“All right, I’m in your lap,” she says, squirming slightly as my hands brush against her hips.
“I am not using you for your information.” I lean forward and kiss her neck. “If you want to back out, you can back out at any time. You’re not a prisoner. I don’t own you.”
“I know that.” Her breathing quickens. “Rocco’s just been as difficult as possible lately, and I took it out on you.”
“All right, so long as we’re clear. If you want to discuss the next Capo, I’m open to it.”
“I do. We should.” She looks at me and leans forward. “But kiss me first, okay?”
“I missed you last night.” I lean forward and bury her mouth with mine. This feels better—this feels right. It was a cold, lonely evening in bed, and I don’t want to repeat it again. “I’m glad you came here.”
“I’m glad I did too.”
“I know you meant well, showing yourself to Niall last night. I won’t hold it against you.”
“Good. I’m glad.”
“But I’ve been thinking.” She runs her fingers through my hair. “The next guy I want to look at is Matteo Ricci, and I think Rocco might be a big help there.”
“You think so?”
“Matteo’s got an interesting business model. Let me talk to Rocco, then I’ll tell you all about it, all right?”
“If that’s what you want to do.” I lean forward and brush my lips across her neck. “Just don’t burn yourself out.”
“Me? Work too hard? Never once in my life.” She kisses me then quickly gets out of my lap. “See you later, boss.”
I laugh as she quickly leaves. That fucking girl. If she had stayed another second in my lap, there’s no way I would’ve let her get up without having a taste of her first.
“I like when you call me boss,” I call after her as she leaves, smiling to myself.