15. Thea
15
Thea
F ucking Eden. I wanted to wring her neck for blurting out my not-so-happy news. Aoife had promised not to tell anyone, but we all knew she’d never keep her promise. Verity would soon know, and once she did, my window to do anything about this pregnancy had closed.
Not that I planned to get rid of the baby. I firmly believed women should have the choice of terminating a pregnancy if they wanted to, but it wasn’t the right decision for me.
No matter what happened, I’d willingly look Satan in the eye and dare him to harm my baby. And since Torrance was still out there like the indestructible cockroach he was, it might come to that.
I stepped into the elevator to go back up to our apartment, having left Eden with the girls. The new college semester started in a week, so I needed to figure out what to do with my sister before then, as Eden planned to go back to Abernethy.
She had been upset when I said I wasn’t going to return, but after I explained the only reason I’d been there was to spy for my father, she said she understood.
“But I have no friends there if you don’t come back!” she’d wailed. I pointed out she also hung out with a few other girls, and eventually she agreed that maybe her social life wasn’t as bad as she thought.
Just as the elevator door slid shut, a foot wedged it open. “Thea. A word, if you please,” Declan said, his face as inscrutable as always.
Damn . I’d been hoping to avoid him, knowing full well he must have run out of patience with me by now. Clearing up my messes was rapidly becoming a full-time job. But since I could hardly refuse to talk to my temporary landlord, I pasted a smile on my face. Hopefully, he wasn’t in the mood to remove me from the chessboard and pretend I ‘disappeared’, like a well-known business rival called John O’Rourke, who mysteriously went missing just before Christmas.
“Sure.”
I left the elevator and walked downstairs to where Declan had an office. A fire blazed in the hearth as he pointed at a chair and indicated I should sit.
“I won’t offer you a drink,” he said while pouring himself one.
So he knew too.
Did everyone know??
“Only the important people,” he said in answer to my unspoken question. “And in case you’re wondering, no, I wasn’t planning on letting Vasily Orliov know, even though I bet he’ll be thrilled to learn he’s going to be a granddaddy.”
“I very much doubt that,” I muttered.
Declan waved his hand dismissively. “Anyway, that’s not why I wanted to talk to you.”
I stayed silent, waiting for him to continue.
“Sky News says your father’s been arrested by the DIA.”
“Yes.”
“My contact told me a ton of evidence arrived on the desk of the DIA’s director, Matteo Carabone. I believe it came from Francesco’s former accountant, who sadly died in a car bomb attack a few days ago, yes?”
“You’re very knowledgeable,” I commented.
“Knowledge is power, Thea, as I’m sure you’re aware.”
He made a good point. Torrance had always hoarded knowledge like a dragon collected gold. He then used it to blackmail and coerce my father’s enemies.
“Any idea where Torrance is?” I asked.
“That’s why I wanted to talk to you.” He frowned. “None of my contacts can pin him down, which is a concern.” I nodded in agreement. Torrance was a loose end none of us needed. Least of all me. The sooner the DIA arrested him, the better.
“Until he’s located and eliminated, you and Verity are in danger, and while you are friends with my cousin, it puts her at risk as well.”
I understood what he was saying. Torrance wouldn’t think twice about using the people I cared for to draw me out. He probably thought I’d played a part in my father’s arrest and wanted to exact revenge. Plus, he knew that handing me over to Marku would earn him a hefty reward.
“We can leave this evening. I’ll talk to the guys when I go back upstairs.” I went to stand, eager to get the fuck out of here before he decided the best way to resolve his security issue was to kill me. Or at least try.
“That’s not what I meant, Thea,” he said dryly. “Sit down.”
Now I was confused.
“My sisters go back to school in four days. They’re enrolled at an exclusive boarding school in the south. Security there is impeccable, which means they are safe. If you are agreeable, I will arrange for Verity to attend the same school.”
“You’d do that for me? For us?”
The milk of human kindness did not flow through Declan’s veins. He ran the Irish mafia, for fuck’s sake. Yes, notionally speaking, Seamus was in charge, but everyone knew Declan sat in the hot seat these days. Seamus seemed to spend most of his time on the golf course or relaxing with his wife.
Not that I blamed him. The life of a mafia don was a hard one. Many dons ended up dying prematurely, so the fact he’d lasted this long suggested he was smart as well as ruthless. Traits Declan had clearly inherited.
“Yes.” He half-smiled. “I like you, Thea. You have a good heart.”
I almost blushed at the unexpected compliment but managed to maintain my usual blank expression.
“Thanks.”
He chuckled. “You’re not at all like my cousin, but she seems to adore you, so I’d prefer it if you stayed alive. So, are you happy for me to enrol Verity at Castlemaine Academy?”
“Um, how much are the fees?” School fees didn’t fit into my budget, but maybe if he agreed to a payment plan, I could do some jobs for him?
But to my surprise, he shook his head dismissively. “Don’t worry about the fees. The principal owes me some favors.”
“We don’t need charity, Declan,” I gritted out, not liking the idea of owing him more than I already did. “I’m more than happy to pay you back once I can start working again.”
“Don’t worry, Thea,” he replied smoothly. “I can always use someone with your skills, so the minute you are ready to work for me, let me know.”
Cassian sat at the kitchen counter when I re-entered the apartment. This was the first time I’d seen him since I got back. Milo was still AWOL. Hopefully not because he was avoiding me, but if he was, I wouldn’t blame him.
“Hey.”
Cassian looked up, but instead of the warm smile I expected, he seemed deeply uncomfortable. Hurt hit me hard. I thought we’d settled our differences at the beach house, but maybe it had been nothing more than a quick fuck for him.
“Hey, you’re back,” he said, scrubbing his jaw and looking anywhere but at me. Not even a comment about my short hair.
“Yeah.” Fine. If he wanted to pretend we were strangers, that was OK. I was a big girl. And besides, it wasn’t as if I didn’t have other men in my life. Men who actually wanted to be with me. Cassian could go fuck himself.
Deciding to ignore his blatant attempt at pushing me back into the ‘friend zone’, as Eden liked to call it when a hookup pretended you were casual acquaintances, I moved around him and headed straight to the coffee machine.
Thanks to Kyril fucking the life out of me earlier, I was seriously low on energy. A nap would have done me good, but it was too close to dinner time. If I slept now, I’d miss another meal, and I’d already missed way too many of those lately.
As my mug filled with black gold, I remembered Eden’s warning about drinking too much coffee. But this was only my second cup, so whatever. The tadpole would be fine.
“I heard your father is in prison.”
“Yeah,” I replied, not knowing what else to say about that.
My jaw ticked when he turned his attention back to his phone. What the fuck was wrong with him? Was I that forgettable?
Irritation swept through me. Yes, I could have walked away, but I wanted answers.
“Was it something I said? Are you mad because I left after New Year’s Eve?” He was fine that night. We’d danced. Kissed at midnight. So what had changed?
“No, I’m not mad at you.” He still refused to look at me, so I stepped closer.
“Then what?” He was hiding something. I could tell. Acting on instinct, I reached out to touch him, but he reacted like I was toxic. His chair scraped on the tile floor as he pushed away from me so fast it was a wonder he didn’t get whiplash.
I sure as hell had whiplash.
“What the fuck is your problem?” I snapped. “Have you decided I’m the whore everyone else thinks I am? Is Daddy Lucian giving you too much shit about me?”
“Thea, I…” Tension filled the room. Something had clearly happened, but seeing him act like I had a nasty disease crystallized my feelings.
“You know what? Never mind.” If he didn’t want to fight for me, then he wasn’t worth my time or effort.
I took my coffee and left the kitchen. There was enough time for a power nap before Kyril, Landon, and Dar got back from wherever they’d disappeared to. If I napped now, the coffee would revive me soon.
My bed had freshly laundered sheets. I didn’t bother undressing. The soft cotton pants and long-sleeved tee I wore were comfortable enough to sleep in. As soon as I finished my coffee, I lay down, closed my eyes, and fell asleep in seconds.
The feel of a warm body curling around me woke me. I stirred, groggy from my nap. The room had fallen into deep shadow, but it wasn’t nighttime. Not quite, anyway. Hopefully I hadn’t missed dinner.
“You’re awake.”
Milo.
“No. Still asleep.” He chuckled.
“You’re touching me,” I observed. “Doesn’t it make you uncomfortable?” I’d woken to find him in my bed many times, but I knew he still found physical contact difficult, so I’d always tried not to touch him unless he touched me first.
“No. It’s different with you.” From the thoughtful way he spoke, he’d put a lot of brainpower into analyzing why being with me was different. Which made sense. Milo was nothing if not analytical.
“So, nerd boy, why am I different?”
His chest vibrated with silent amusement.
“No idea. I just know you’re special.”
“So you don’t hate me for leaving so quickly after we…?” I guessed not since he was lying next to me, but I had to know.
“No? Why would I be upset?” He seemed surprised I’d even ask such a thing.
“Because, you know…” I tried to shuffle away, feeling embarrassed, but his arm held me tight against his hard chest. “Because we, um, had sex, and it was your, um, first time. Then I fucked off.”
He sighed and nuzzled my hair, inhaling deeply.
“No, I wasn’t upset. I knew you planned to leave.”
“You did?”
“Of course.” Was he psychic or something? It felt like he knew my plans before I did. “Just like I knew you were pregnant.”
I remembered him giving me the folic acid supplements, which I’d not been taking regularly. Dammit.
“How did you know?”
“I was tracking your menstrual cycle, of course.” It was just as well we weren’t facing each other, as my face burned hotter than the sun at the revelation he’d known more about my menstrual cycle than I did.
“What the actual fuck, Milo! Who does that?!”
He sniffed. “I figured it was important. If I knew when your period was due, I’d know when to bring you chocolate, heat pads, and flowers.”
My heart softened. Why couldn’t all guys be as sweet as him?
“You’re adorable, you know that?”
I shifted and turned to face him, still thankful it was almost dark because my blush hadn’t quite faded.
“It’s creepy that you knew when my period was late, but still sweet.”
“I want to know everything about you, so I can make you happy.”
“You already make me happy, nerd boy.” I leaned in and kissed him, enjoying his small sigh of happiness when our lips touched. “And I am sorry for leaving you that night,” I said when we broke apart. “I didn’t want to.”
“Thea, it’s fine. You’re back now, and that’s all that matters.”
He was hard, but he didn’t try to take things further. Typical Milo. Unlike Kyril, who rarely asked permission before fucking me senseless, Milo let me take the lead. I had to admit, it was kinda hot being in control.
The other guys were a lot more alpha, which I liked, but being with Milo was a change in pace I could get on board with. And right now, my traitorous body was horny as fuck.
I reached down between us and gripped his cock through his sweatpants.
“Does my sweet nerd need some attention?” I asked in a mock serious voice, trying not to giggle.
He groaned. “Fuck, Thea, you don’t need to—” he began, but I ignored his half-assed protest and shuffled down the bed, pulling his pants down in the process.
His cock twitched eagerly as he rolled onto his back, cum leaking all over his abs. We’d had sex, but I hadn’t had a good look at his dick before.
It was perfect. Thick and long, but not too long, with a slight curve to the left. When I wrapped my fist around his shaft, he shuddered with arousal. Another bead of fluid oozed out. I touched it with my tongue, enjoying the salty flavor.
“Thea,” he grunted, trying to push me away, but I gripped his length harder.
“No! Be a good boy and lie still.” At the words ‘good boy’ he moaned softly. Did my sweet little nerd have a praise kink? Interesting. “If you behave, I’ll let you come in my mouth,” I told him. “But you have to stay still, OK?”
He looked down at me. “Can you…take your top off…so I can see your tits?”
I did as he asked, quickly pulling my tee off and tossing it aside, then figuring I may as well get naked, I shucked off my pants too.
“Take your tee off,” I ordered. He sat up and yanked it off while I admired his leanly muscled chest. He wasn’t as bulky as the others, but he had muscles. Lots of lovely muscles.
When he lay back, I sat astride his thighs and leaned down to lick his shaft. Then I took him in my mouth, noting how he reacted to each touch.
“You feel so good,” he panted. “So warm and wet. Like your pussy. God, wait, I don’t want to come too soon!”
I released him immediately, sitting back on my haunches, waiting for him to regain control. He shuddered and closed his eyes for a moment, gripping the sheets hard. Once I was sure he was ready for more, I sucked him into my mouth, deeper this time. With each slow lick and swirl of my tongue, my need grew.
But this wasn’t about me. He needed to come first. Then once he got hard again, I could take what I wanted, which was him deep inside me.
Milo came with a yell, unable to last any longer. His release flooded my mouth in a warm gush. I swallowed hard, gulping it down as he grunted. When I pulled away and looked up, licking my lips, he was staring at me like I was a goddess.
“That was…” he breathed, eyes shining.
“Impressive,” a droll voice said from the doorway.