Chapter Thirty-Five
Cian
Three days they kept me in the hospital. Three days of the man behind the curtain cussing out the nurses until they walked into the room, then he was sweet as molasses.
Three days of him threatening to burn down the hospital, rip out his colon, and stab himself. And moaning that he just wanted to die.
The man was in his nineties, and I understood, from eavesdropping when the nurses spoke to him, that he had stage four colon cancer and was refusing life-prolonging surgery. It wouldn’t save his life, only prolong his suffering, but every day they came in and asked him if he wanted the surgery.
Quality over quantity.
By the time I left, I wanted to put him out of his misery. People shouldn’t be forced to live with uncurable diseases.
Mac came to pick me up. Caity hadn’t been in since the first day. I’d called and begged her to talk to me, always leaving a message on her voicemail because she wouldn’t pick up.
We pulled into the parking garage under my building, and I sighed. Mac parked the car but left the motor running.
“You staying or going?” he asked.
I couldn’t be here without Caity, not anymore. Never again.
“Going.”
Mac grinned and shook his head. He backed out of the space and drove out of the garage onto the street. He didn’t ask me where to; he knew were Caity was, same as I did.
He pulled up in front of Sal’s house and got out. He opened my door and helped me climb out. We’d made it to the steps when the front door opened.
“It’s about fuckin’ time.”
“Fuck you,” I returned, not hiding my grin. “She here?”
“Yeah,” Sal sighed. He held the door open while I hobbled up the stairs. “You got any clothes?”
When I made it to the top, I looked at him. “Why?”
“I figure it’s gonna take you a few days to convince her to go with you. I’m just glad you’re in no condition to fuck. I can’t live in a house where you fucked my sister.” Sal’s body visibly shook, and Mac laughed behind me.
“You’re a fuckin’ asshole, you know that?”
Sal shrugged, and Mac announced, “I’ll go. Be back in a bit.”
I moved inside still irritated with Sal and his vulgar description of what Caity and I had. Had I fucked her? Multiple times, but the first time we were together we’d made love. It was the nail in my coffin when it came to my obsession with Caity O’Malley.
Almost thirty years ago...
I lifted her off the floor and her legs wrapped around my waist as I carried her to the bed. She deserved more than a quick fuck against the wall. I wanted to take my time with her. I wanted to keep her all fucking night because I knew when morning came it would be over.
I’d never have her again.
I laid her down and my body covered hers. I took her mouth with a possessiveness I couldn’t control. She was mine. I didn’t care that she was married. I didn’t care that she was my best friend’s little sister.
Caity O’Malley would be mine from this point forward. There would never be another woman who would own my heart the way she did. Never be another woman who would fill my soul.
Tomorrow she would take a piece of me with her. A piece I would never recover.
I trailed kisses down her neck to her shoulder, to her breasts. Taking a lace covered nipple in my mouth, I sucked hard. Her back arched up, and I slid my hands underneath her to unhook her bra. She slid it from her arms and tossed it to the floor.
“Cian, please,” she moaned when I scissored her nipple between my teeth. Her hands pulled at my hair, and I chuckled.
“So impatient, banphrionsa.”
I kissed down her stomach. Her body shivered beneath me, and I wondered if the tremors were in anticipation or fear.
My dick was uncomfortably hard, but I knew if I removed my pants, I’d dive in and never climb back out. I was already torturing myself by being here. I didn’t know how I’d walk away.
I settled between her legs, my tongue charting a searing path along the waist of her lace panties. I ran a finger over her pussy, feeling the moisture seeping through the lace. Then I pulled them to the side and slipped my tongue between her lips.
“Fuck, Ci!” she shouted.
She raised her knees, planting her feet on the bed to lift her ass, pressing her pussy against my face. I took it as a sign of encouragement and doubled down, adding pressure, fucking her with my tongue.
I slipped a finger inside her, and she moaned as her pussy tightened around the digit. Adding a second finger, her moans grew louder.
It was all for me. Every moan, every whimper I could pull from her full lips was mine. They would always be mine.
I continued my assault as her body writhed on the bed. I loved hearing her beg me. She had no idea what being here meant to me. How many late-night fantasies she’d starred in. How many times I’d come in my hand thinking about all the dirty fucking ways I wanted to use her body.
“Come for me, Caity. Let me have what’s mine and only mine.”
My tongue lapped at her clit while my fingers fucked her pussy. A few more minutes and she was screaming my name as her body tensed and she arched off the bed.
She flooded my mouth and fuck if I didn’t almost come myself.
“What are you doing here? You should be home resting.” Caity’s voice pulled me from the memory, and I readjusted myself.
Sal gagged and walked toward the kitchen, mumbling under his breath as he passed me, “Fuckin’ perv.”
I hid my smile and focused on Caity. “I am home.”
Her brow furrowed and she glanced at Sal, who was ignoring us both. “What are you talking about?”
“I’m staying here, at least for now.”
“Why?” she asked, her hands on her hips.
I took a few steps forward until I was standing toe to toe with her. “Because you’re here.”
“You told me to go home,” she reminded me as she crossed her arms over her chest.
“I was an asshole.” My hands went to her waist, and Sal made another gagging sound. I turned to glare at my boss. “You have somewhere else to be?”
“It’s my fuckin’ house!” he argued.
“I’m about to make out with your sister, so unless you want to watch, I suggest you find something to do.”
“Do I get a say in this?” Caity asked, as Sal walked out the back door. I studied her, the angle of her chin, the stiffness of her body. The pursing of her lips. It all said she was pissed.
But her eyes, they told a different story. Her eyes were filled with a love I knew we shared. Filled with the same hunger I had for her.
“I thought I was making the right choice, Caity. It made sense at the time. Without confirmation of Sylvia’s death, our daughter would always be in danger.”
“So you thought walking away from us would make her slink back into hiding? Did you honestly think she would find out about Maddie and just walk away? You’ve read the files, Ci.
You know what she’s capable of. The fact that she’s still alive when everyone else is dead should tell you something about who we’re dealing with. ”
I took her hands in mine. “I know. It was a mistake. I underestimated her knowledge. I thought if I could find her, I could get the jump on her. I had no idea she knew where I was the whole time.” I took a deep breath. “She knew my mother. Set it up with Eamon for her and my father to raise me.”
Caity gasped, and her eyes filled with fear. “How do we find her?”
“I’m working on that. We’ll figure it out,” I said as I pulled her into my arms. “Together.”
“I’m still mad at you.”
I cradled her face in my hands. “I know. What I did was wrong.”
“You broke your promise, Ci. You said you’d never leave me.”
“In my defense, I never planned on it being forever. Only until she was taken out. You’re mine, Caity. I might not have had you first, but I’ll damn well have you last.”
I slammed my lips on hers. I was prepared to do whatever I had to do for her to forgive me. When she melted under my touch, I knew she was mine. And when I pulled back, she smiled.
“You know you have a lot of groveling to do.”
“I know.” I nodded.
“A lot of orgasms, once you’re cleared.”
“So many orgasms,” I agreed.
I smiled, knowing that kind of groveling wasn’t a hardship. I’d keep this woman tied to my bed if I thought I could get away with it.
“Will you come home?” I asked her expectantly. Praying she’d say yes. I really didn’t want to stay in my boss’ house, but for her I would. I’d do anything for this woman.
The front door opened, and Mac walked in with a bag over his shoulder. He froze when he saw Caity and me. His chin dropped to his chest and the bag dropped to his feet.
“I just rummaged through your drawers for nothing, didn’t I?” he asked.
“I’m not sure she hasn’t answered me yet.” I turned to Caity. “Well?”
Her shoulders rose and fell with her deep breath, and I knew she was making me suffer. I had a lifetime of making it up with this woman ahead of me, and I was looking forward to every minute.
“Yes.”
I smiled and kissed her again. Stepping back, I yelled, “Hey, Sal!” A moment later my boss walked in. “Good news, you won’t be waking up to me at your kitchen table. I convinced her to give me another shot.”
Caity walked down the hall and came back with a suitcase. I scrunched my brow as I looked at it.
“You’re so fuckin’ stupid.” Sal laughed. “We were getting ready to leave when you pulled up. Come on, Mac, help me grab the rest of her bags.”
I glared at Caity. “You made me do all that groveling for nothing?”
She slammed her hands on her hips. “For nothing?” she repeated, and my chest sank. She was right; I deserved it.
Mac and Sal came back down the hallway carrying a few more bags. “We’ll get some of the guys over here to move the rest in the next day or two.”
We packed Caity’s bags into her car. I couldn’t drive, but I didn’t have an issue letting her drive us back to my apartment. As long as she was coming in with me.
“Thank you, big brother.” Caity kissed him on the cheek.
“Anything for you, baby sister.” Sal hugged Caity back and turned to me. “I’m glad you finally got your head out of your ass.” He slapped me on the shoulder and walked back inside without another word.
When the elevator doors opened into the apartment, I was hoping to find my daughter waiting for me. I hadn’t seen her since before I was admitted to hospital, but I’d talked to her every day. She wouldn’t tell me where she was, only that she was safe.
“You’re thinking about Maddie, aren’t you?” Caity asked, putting her arms around me from behind.
“I want her here.”
“So do I, but I want her safe, and right now, that’s with Rurik.”
“Bullshit. She’s safe with us.” I turned around and wrapped my arms around my woman.
“It’s the Mob, Ci. We’re never truly safe. But we’re together, and when Sylvia has been dealt with, we’ll have Maddie back too.” She looked up at me. “And then, maybe we’ll finally get to meet our grandson.”