Chapter 17
17
SCOTT
Deer Marshall was my boyfriend . Well, perhaps partner was a better term. Boyfriend seemed juvenile.
Then again, I felt like a thirteen-year-old kicking his feet and squealing over the fact that I was in a relationship. I’d never cared about dating someone, but Deer was a puzzle piece that had been missing in my life. He fit in my world as if he was always meant to be in it.
By the middle of January, Deer was back at college and excelling. He made himself at home with my insistence and began inviting Bryn around for dinner and drinks on weekends, and it was nice. Sometimes I had Zombie, Hashtag, and Rafe around, too. We felt like a real couple.
Avery and Cricket returned home, though, and I missed them already. Cricket promised to visit more regularly and hinted that “I might even make this place my home. Fuck, it’s nice, despite being colder than a witch’s tit.” I hated the thought of my brother being in danger when he was around me, but I also loved the idea of him being close.
I missed my family.
By the time the middle of January hit, Deer and I were at a great place with our relationship. We played during the evenings, when he wasn’t too exhausted from school, and I took him on dates like Avery had suggested.
Work was perfect, too.
The gun Tyrus designed was well constructed, and Killough was happy with the product. I was in the process of finding a chemical engineer with a factory space who could help us attain the polymer we needed, and we found a warehouse to run the hundreds of 3D printers Killough bought through an offshore business. I’d also made contact with someone who could make the Killough Company standard guns without serial numbers.
I was flying on a high with how well everything was going.
To celebrate my success, I decided to take Deer out for a date in the Hamptons. I’d greased the right palms, and today we were at a winery, sitting next to a cozy fire by ourselves. Outside, snow fluttered around the grape vines that stretched off into the distance, coating the ground in a fresh blanket of white. Inside, the soft croon of romance songs echoed around the wooden lodge. They’d closed the vineyard to the public for the day.
It wasn’t often they only hosted two people.
“This is beautiful,” Deer whispered, staring out through the floor-to-ceiling windows. His necklace glittered at his throat as he moved around in his seat, taking it all in.
“Erie’s a wine town, too, right? Have you ever been to a vineyard? Know you said you weren’t much of a wine fan, but thought I’d be able to change your mind. There’s lots of kinds.” I reached across the round table to slide my fingers through his, and he gave me the sweetest smile in return.
“Erie is a wine town, but I’ve never been to a winery. When something’s normal in the place you live, you don’t think about it much or visit often.”
I nodded. I understood that. Back in Townsville, we had the Great Barrier Reef out from the coast, but I’d never once gone to see it. Skippy had gone snorkeling on the reef a lot and asked me to join him a few times, but I’d refused. Now, it felt like a missed opportunity.
Deer touched his neck, and the light glinted on the diamond deer necklace with its red nose lying against the dip between his collarbones. He hadn’t stopped touching it since Christmas, and pleasure curled in my stomach.
A waiter cleared his throat as he approached us, a huge smile on his face and a tray of cheeses in his hand. A woman stood behind him with a chilled wine bottle and two glasses.
“Your cheese and wine are served, sirs.” The man’s grin widened as he laid the tray down in the center of the table.
“Mm. Cheese.” Deer’s entire face lit up and he rubbed his hands together.
I threw my head back and laughed. “Cheese makes all life’s problems go away.”
“It really does.” As soon as the waiter stepped away, Deer snatched a piece of cheese nestled inside a date and popped the nibble into his mouth. The moans he made went straight to my cock, and I shifted uncomfortably as blood rushed south. No, I wasn’t going to get hard right now. We were having a nice lunch. I fidgeted as a pleasant ache settled into my groin.
The waiter’s eyes crinkled as the woman beside him set down the wine and glasses. “That’s the Gruyére, a Swiss cheese.”
“It’s yum.” Deer swallowed and pointed at a yellow piece. “What’s this one?”
“Smoked Gouda with a honey drizzle, sir. Each of these selections pair perfectly with our wines. We have aged cheddar, Brie, blue, pecorino, and Camembert as well.” He gestured to the bottle. “We’ve brought you one of our best pinot noirs. If you’d prefer a different choice, we’ll be happy to accommodate you.”
“It’s perfect.” Deer’s cheeks pinkened as he gave the waiter a shy smile. “Thank you.”
The waiter blinked down at him. “Uh, you’re—you’re welcome, sir.” He took a few steps back, and I held in a laugh. It was easy to be in awe of how gorgeous Deer was, usually, but when he blushed and got shy, he was a hundred times more beautiful.
The waiter inclined his head and left with the woman, leaving us alone.
“You flustered him,” I teased.
Deer gave me a wide-eyed look. “What did I do?”
“Blushed.” I winked and picked up a piece of Brie on a dainty cracker and held it to his mouth. He obediently opened those pretty lips, taking my fingers between them and sucking the appetizer out of my hold. Kissing the tips of my digits, he grinned as he pulled back and chewed on the food.
“Yum.”
“Can I spend the rest of my life feeding you?” I stared at him in wonder. I’d never thought someone was hot when they ate, but Deer was opening new doors.
He chuckled and his cheeks flushed even brighter. “If that’s your thing, I wouldn’t mind being loved that way.”
“Oh, Fawn, I will worship you every day of our lives. If you asked me to, I’d drop onto the floor right now and crawl under this table and suck your cock.” I picked up another delicate appetizer and held it to his lips. He took the bite from my fingers, lips barely brushing my skin in a sumptuous tease. “I’ll give you whatever your heart desires. Your pleasure is my pleasure.”
“Mm.” He closed his eyes as he chewed before running his tongue over his upper lip when he was finished. He opened his eyes again and smiled sweetly at me. “All I want is you.” He groaned and covered his face with his hands. “Was that too much?” he mumbled into his palms. “I’m giving off Mariah Carey vibes.”
I grasped his wrists and pulled down his hands so I could see the blushing mess. My partner. “Never. I love it when you get all mushy, Fawn. You’re my sweet deer, aren’t you?”
He nodded and grinned.
“Now, how about a sip or two?” I grabbed the bottle of wine. After I poured us both a drink, I passed him a glass and raised mine. “To us and the adventures we’re going to experience together.”
He clinked his glass against mine, eyes sparkling. “To us.”
We both took a sip and moaned. There was a sweet note below the dryness of the wine, just enough to not make it overwhelming and remind me of the honey I’d fed Deer.
“God, this is delicious,” he murmured before taking another deep swallow. “I’ve been trying crap wine.”
“Pace yourself, Fawn. They do make some of the best wines here.”
“I can tell.” He threw the rest of the drink back and swallowed.
I laughed as he held out his glass again, a mischievous smile stretching across his red cheeks.
“Just remember, it’s only lunchtime,” I teased as I filled up his wineglass again.
“And you’re driving, so I can enjoy.” He poked his tongue out at me as he stole another piece of Gouda and popped it into his mouth before taking a sip. “Mm. They really do go well together.”
I shook my head, amused and in absolute adoration of him. How did so many men pass on him? Idiots, the lot of them.
“So, little fawn, tell me about Christmas.”
He froze with the glass halfway to his mouth and slowly lowered it back to the table with a clink . “What about it?”
“You didn’t want to spend it with your mum and brother?” Now that we were officially dating, I wanted to know more about Deer and his life. He was careful about what he told me, and I respected that. I was in the same position. However, I didn’t want to go into this relationship with unnecessary secrets.
He sighed and traced the stem of the glass. “It isn’t easy to explain. It’s a lifetime thing, you know? The short version is that I’m the middle child. My younger brother is Mom’s favorite. He gets everything, and I get what’s left over. But since we were cut off from our family money, Mom’s been cagey. It’s hard to explain because I grew up well off, sort of, but not? She’s always crying about how she doesn’t have enough to live on. I gave her most of what I got from you in December, and she still asked for more.” He winced. “I’ve always had to sort of fend for myself in certain ways. It was feast or famine at our house. I’m supposed to support her and Bell now that my older brother cut us off.”
“How much does she need?” I asked, leaning forward.
“No.” He straightened and grasped my hand. “I’m not dating you for your money, Scott. I won’t take more than I have to from you, and when I get a job after college, I’ll take care of what I need. But I’m starting to realize that it’s never enough for her. I could hand her a million dollars and next week she’d be crying again. Moderation isn’t something she’s interested in. I’ve tried so hard with her. I don’t want to do it anymore. I want to live my life. So yeah, I chose to spend Christmas with you over them. You made me happy, make me happy, and you did even before we were official.”
I stared at him, taking in the sincerity behind his kind brown eyes. “The men in New York City are fucking drongos.”
He cocked his head in confusion. “Huh?”
I laughed. “Every single one of them are idiots for not choosing you because you are the most perfect man I’ve ever met.” I raised his hand and laid a kiss on the back, his skin soft against my lips. “I’m never letting you go, little fawn. Ever. You’re mine.”
“I’m okay with that.” He leaned forward over the table, and I met him halfway to give him a gentle kiss.
My phone chose that moment to chime. I groaned, tempted to throw it across the room at the wall. Unfortunately, my job didn’t allow that.
“Answer. I know your clients expect you to be available all the time.” His eyes softened in understanding.
I love you . The words nearly slipped right out of my mouth, but I managed to catch them before I even opened my lips. Instead, I swallowed around a lump that lodged in my throat and dug in my pants pocket. I yanked my phone out and sighed when Sloan Killough flashed across the screen.
Fuck.
I clicked Accept.
“Sir?” I sent Deer an apologetic smile.
“The warehouse was raided.” Killough’s dangerous tone filled the line, and I jumped to my feet, nearly knocking the chair onto the floor.
“What?” I stepped farther away from Deer, not willing to involve him in the mob business.
“The warehouse full of the 3D printers. The Feds had a warrant on the suspicion of weapons production.” It was rare to hear stress in his voice, but it was riding him hard, which ratcheted up my heart rate.
Anger sliced through me, sharp as a knife, and I clenched the phone tighter. We’d worked fucking hard to get that warehouse up and running, and the printers had only arrived last week.
“How is that possible? They’d need an informant or top-notch proof.” I shook my head.
“Exactly. How many people know about the operation?” Killough growled out.
“Only the ones involved in buying the printers and their parts and setting them up. We haven’t had a chance to get the polymer yet. Even if they got that warrant and raided the warehouse, what could they find other than the printers? There’s no criminal activity in there yet.”
“Apparently, suspicion of making weapons was enough. They claimed the owner was an offshore business linked to terrorism. Obviously, not true. They shut down the warehouse and confiscated all the printers.”
“Motherfucker. That’s a reach.” I ran a hand down my face. Arseholes. I’d been so distracted by Deer that I hadn’t stopped to think about what the Feds might be up to. I’d thought the actions we’d taken were enough to keep them from realizing what we were doing, but obviously, they weren’t. “There’s no way to link it back to you?”
“No.” Killough’s unimpressed voice made me flinch. “But I’m not happy, Scott. That’s a waste of my cash and time.”
“I’m sorry, sir. I didn’t expect them to catch on.” I’d fucked up and I’d pay for it, too. I’d never been that stupid.
“Where are you?”
I glanced toward Deer and smiled when I saw him eat another piece of cheese and top up his glass again. “I’m on a date in the Hamptons.”
“Come here. Now.”
“Sir—”
He ended the call, leaving me in silence as my phone went black. Inwardly, I cursed the mob bastard and stared up at the ceiling. Could I take Deer to Killough’s place? I had no choice. I was safe because of that fuckwit, and despite him driving me crazy, the New York Italians didn’t come anywhere near me.
I shook my head and walked back toward the table, shoving my phone in my pants pocket. “Fawn, we need to go.”
He paused as he slipped another piece of cheese past his lips and frowned. He chewed the food, then swallowed. “Is everything okay?”
“One of my clients needs me to visit right now. He lives in Southampton. It’s urgent.” I winced. “I can leave you here with the car if you want, but this is one man I can’t say no to.”
Deer was straight to his feet and nodding in understanding. “Of course I want to go with you.” He hesitated and stared down at the spread. “Do you think we can take these to go?”
I laughed despite the tension that carved lines of anxiety through me. “I think we can. I paid enough for this venue.”
After we had the waiters pack up the cheese and bottle of wine while we slid on our coats, I ushered Deer out to my car—a dark-and-light blue Bugatti Chiron. Once we were inside and on the go, I squeezed my grip around the leather steering wheel to calm my nerves.
“Sweetheart.”
“Hmm?” Deer gave me an encouraging smile, head tilted.
“My client is a well-known person in the States. He’s rich. Very rich. Dangerous, too.” I licked my lips as I chose my words carefully. The weight of what I was saying lay heavy in the air. “I don’t know how long I’ll be in there, so I’ll call a driver to come get you.”
Deer frowned. “I can handle myself. I won’t say a thing. I’ll just sit there.” He twirled his necklace between his fingers.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
He laid a hand on my thigh and tightened his grip in comfort. “It’ll be fine. I promise. And if you don’t want me in the room, I’ll sit in a different one, but I want to spend today with you. We’re on a date, no matter how long this takes.”
Seriously...how did I get so lucky with him?
I simply nodded.
The drive from the vineyard to Killough’s estate didn’t take long, and I pulled into the driveway that went around a beautiful elephant water feature in the center. It was a typical Hamptons home, with a peaked roof and balconies to some of the rooms. My favorite part was the brownstone chimney because we never had anything like that in North Queensland. We never needed that kind of heat. I parked in front of the entrance and turned off the Bugatti’s engine. I didn’t take her out much. I didn’t need to when I had the tower’s car service, but it was nice to get a drive in with Deer.
I slid out of the Bugatti and Deer did the same. I met him around his side and held out my hand. He slid his fingers between mine, letting me lead him toward the front door. Deer’s gaze wandered over the manor’s exterior, eyes wide as he stared in wonder. This house was the epitome of luxury with the overblown size.
As we approached the door, it opened, and I wished I’d actually brought my knife with me this time. I’d left it at home, thinking I didn’t need it for a date. How wrong I was. I paused, surprised to see it wasn’t Mr. Hopper, the usual butler. Instead, a young man who couldn’t be older than Deer bowed toward me from the threshold. He had short blond hair, bright blue eyes, and a smile Mr. Hopper wouldn’t have been caught wearing.
“Mr. Cairns?”
“Yes.” I frowned. “Where’s Mr. Hopper?”
The young butler sighed. “Unfortunately, that’s private, but I’m also Mr. Hopper. I’m his grandson.” He grinned as he gestured us in, stepping out of the way. “Please, come in. Mr. Killough is waiting.”
Deer made a sound and sagged against me. “Mr. Killough? As in?—”
He was interrupted as Killough came storming out from the hallway to our left, his strides long and determined. He was regal as always in a charcoal suit I knew at a glance was a Tom Ford and shiny black shoes. He came to a stop in front of me.
“You took too long,” he said as a way of greeting.
I’d sped the entire way here, so he was being dramatic, but I wasn’t stupid enough to question him. Instead, I offered him an apologetic smile. “Sorry. Traffic. Mr. Killough, this is my partner.” I gestured to Deer.
“Bellamy?” Killough’s gaze narrowed on Deer, eyebrows furrowing.
“No, actually. It’s Diarmuid.” Deer raised his chin defiantly, and I glanced between them, confused. Had I missed something?
“Do you two know each other?” I tightened my hold on Deer’s hand, heart racing a little too fast as recognition passed between them.
“You’re a clone of your father,” Killough whispered, staring intently at Deer for a long time. Then, his icy blue eyes moved to me and his jaw tensed. “You’re dating my nephew?”
I froze. Wait.
“What?” I glanced at Deer. “What’s he talking about? Your last name is Marshall.”
Deer winced and shrugged. “Sloan’s my uncle. I’m Diarmuid Killough. Marshall was my mother’s maiden name. I use it for... work.”
Fucking hell and back!