27. Lancelot #2
I smiled to myself as I imagined the fit Julian would pitch about that.
If he wasn’t staying with me, I wouldn’t be able to make it better by fucking him like he’d suggested the first night.
He’d shocked the hell out of me, and totally solidified my infatuation with him.
I didn’t want him to be where I couldn’t touch him.
I doubted either of us would sleep well if he wasn’t curled against my body, warm and safe.
I’d be awake waiting for a call, waiting for somebody to tell me there’d been an incident.
My father’s house was one of the safest places in south Louisiana, but this was Julian. My Julian.
When I got home, he was sound asleep. He didn’t even stir when I climbed into bed.
I wanted him. Hell, I always wanted him, but right then I wanted to snuggle against him and sleep just as much as I wanted to make him come.
I’d been up for thirty-six hours, and if I was going to be at my best to defend us against Carlotti, I needed some rest. I closed my eyes and listened to his soft, even breathing until I drifted off.
The next day was hell. I spent every second on high alert. In the afternoon, I got a call from Remington, letting me know our father had taken out two men who’d attempted to take my stepmother while she was out in the garden. How the hell had they gotten past the perimeter guards?
At least everyone was safe, and I was sure Pop would plug any holes in his security. I focused my energy on calming Remington down.
“Henri is there!” he said as if I hadn’t comprehended that.
“I know, but he’s okay, and so is Marjorie. And now he’ll be even safer because Pop will double or triple his security.”
“We need to do something. Now.”
“Hey, I’m the one that usually wants to rush in. We need to stay firm until they agree to negotiate with us.”
“We should make plans to get Henri and Julian out of town.”
“No way.” I wasn’t trusting Julian to anyone but family. “Julian doesn’t even want to stay home from the library.”
“Then fucking make him.”
“Let me handle Julian.”
As it turned out, staying home wasn’t any safer than being at the library.
The guards I had on my house stopped an attempted break-in, and Remington received another threatening call from Carlotti.
“What the fuck did he say?” I asked.
“That this was only the beginning, just a tease so we could see they had eyes everywhere. The longer we wait to surrender, the worse it could get.”
“How did you handle it?”
“I reiterated my offer from last night and told him we’d be willing to meet at a time and place of his choosing. He said they didn’t need to make concessions. I told him neither did we.”
I grinned imagining the cold tone Remy would have used. “I wish I could have heard you.”
“I almost threw up after I got off the phone.”
My brother was really bad off if he was admitting weakness. “Remy, this isn’t your fault. You’re handling everything perfectly.”
“Thanks, I… Pop always made it look so easy. Do you think…”
“He got scared? Of course I do. I bet he was scared to death this morning when he saw Marjorie in danger.”
“If they had hurt her…”
I could easily imagine his reaction. “He would have burned down everything in his path until he’d destroyed them all, not caring if he died as long as he took them out too.” We’d been lucky to block all their attacks so far. Two of our guards were wounded, but they would recover.
How long could we keep it up, though? If they kept picking us off, our resources would run too low, and sooner or later we’d be drawn into a police investigation, which would divert our attention.
“Keep Julian safe. He didn’t ask to be involved in this.”
I tried to ignore the sickening sensation in my stomach. I’d dragged him into it. I’d put him in the spotlight.
“Stop blaming yourself,” Remy said as if he could read my mind.
“You love to blame me for things.”
“Not this. Are you really in love with him?”
“I remember once asking you a similar question about Henri and being dismissed.”
Remy was silent for a moment. “That was?—”
“Not different at all, and yes, I think—no, I know I am, but I don’t know if he feels the same.”
Remy huffed. “Then get off the phone with me and go find out.”
I didn’t fuss at Remington’s bossy tone the way I usually did. I was thrilled he sounded like himself again. “He’s still at work.”
“And you’re there watching over him instead of helping Corbin and Dax track down more of these assholes?”
“I am. Dax called in Ambrose, and between that sneaky son of a bitch and Blackjack, they’ve got it covered. Dax and Corbin are just there for muscle.”
Remington snorted. “Go get your man, take him home, and tell him how you feel.”
“But he…”
“Lancelot Theriot. Are you actually hesitating to charge in and take what you want?”
“I… Yeah.”
He laughed softly. “Then you really are in deep.”
“You seriously think I should tell him?”
“Yes.”
I still wasn’t sure. “He’s stubborn.”
“As if any man who wasn’t could ever hold your attention.”
He was right. Julian was the perfect combination of stubborn and submissive. He resisted until he couldn’t, and then… Heat rushed through me at the thought. The time hadn’t been right in the car or after I’d come home late last night, but now the time was perfect. I was going to get my man.
“I’ve got to go.”
“Stay safe.”
“I’ll do my best.” I would keep us safe physically. I was too determined not to, but my heart? It wasn’t safe at all.