24. Fiona
Chapter Twenty-Four
FIONA
It seems when it comes to Cormac Sullivan being an asshole, that side of him is purely reserved for me.
Scout, on the other hand, gets the side of him that is unwaveringly attentive and loving.
I guess my presumptions about his parenting techniques were completely wrong. He is nothing but a doting father who clearly loves his son more than anything.
While it’s heartwarming to witness, it’s making it harder and harder to rationalize spying on him for Lorcan.
In the beginning, I thought that, on some level, Cormac deserved whatever Lorcan had planned for him. Even once we put sex on the table, it didn’t change the fact that he was still an asshole. He was now just an asshole who gave me incredible orgasms.
But seeing Cormac with Scout… I’m failing to see the monster that Lorcan has made him out to be.
What if my actions have a domino effect on Scout? Could I live with myself if I hurt him?
I already know the answer is no, but I’m not sure what choice I have. I can’t back out of my agreement with Lorcan, and now that Amber is involved in the deal, I know he wouldn’t hesitate to use her in order to get what he wants.
These thoughts have been stuck on a loop ever since I found out Cormac had a son. And now that I’m living in his apartment, they’ve only gotten worse.
It doesn’t help that I don’t have much to distract myself with. Scout is a pretty lowmaintenance kid, and once he’s gone to bed, I have nothing to do but stare at the ceiling or go downstairs and battle with Cormac’s ever-changing moods.
I sigh. “Ceiling it is.”
My phone starts buzzing on the bedside table, and I feel a spark of relief.
I hope it’s Zoe. Right now, she feels like the only link I have to my old life, the one where I didn’t live in a penthouse with a painfully handsome man and his five-year-old son.
But it’s not Zoe calling. It’s an unknown New York number.
And my stomach drops.
“Hello?” I answer tentatively.
“Is this Miss Callahan?”
“Y-yes.” I clear my throat. “Who is this?”
“My name is Dr. Marcus Langford. I’m the Chief of Pediatric Cardiology at Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital.”
I straighten, clutching a hand to my neck as my pulse spikes. “I-is this about Amber?”
“I’ve been instructed to give you a call to discuss her condition. Your husband informed me that you’re unable to travel to the hospital at this time.”
My husband?
I don’t question whatever strings Lorcan had to pull to get Dr. Langford on the phone. Right now, all I care about is finding out what is going on with my niece.
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Well, we’ve run some tests on your niece, and they’ve revealed she has a genetic heart defect called Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy."
The words ‘heart’ and ‘defect’ in the same sentence are never something you want to hear.
I have to close my eyes and force myself to take a breath to try to stop myself from panicking.
“What does this mean for Amber?” I ask, my voice barely above a whisper.
“For a lot of people with HCM, they have little or no symptoms. But for some, like Amber, the condition can cause fainting, dizziness, and shortness of breath.”
“Oh, god,” I choke as tears sting my eyes.
“Our next step is to place a pacemaker to help control and monitor Amber’s heart rate. Her surgery is scheduled for Monday morning.”
My worst nightmare has come true.
Amber is barely six years old, not much older than Scout, and in less than forty-eight hours, she’s going to have her chest sliced open.
“It’s a very simple procedure, one I have performed hundreds of times,” Dr. Langford assures me. “Granted everything goes well, I’ll be able to send her home in a few days.”
“You said this is genetic… Does this mean Skye has it?”
I don’t know if I could bear it if Skye ends up in the hospital too. She’s only just turned four and has already lost her mother and seen her sister end up in the hospital. She’s already suffered so much, they both have, and the fact that I’m not there…
At this moment, I don’t think I’ve ever hated anyone more than I hate their father for keeping the girls away from me.
I should be with Amber and having the conversation with the doctors alongside her, not over the phone as a result of a blood debt with a mob boss.
“We did test Skye, but she was found not to carry the gene.”
I exhale at the rush of relief knowing that Skye is all right. But it’s only short-lived.
“I would suggest you get yourself tested also, as Amber’s father was ruled out as the carrier.”
Wait, what?
I could have a heart condition, and I don’t even know it?
“O-okay,” I stumble, barely processing what Dr. Langford is saying.
“I assure you that Amber will continue to receive the best care.”
“That’s really great to hear?—”
“Granted you do everything you’re supposed to.”
I stiffen at the subtle threat.
This is obviously a message from Lorcan, making it clear that Amber’s doctor is very much under his control.
Bile burns my throat, but I swallow it down.
This is the price I have to pay for asking him for help, and I would gladly pay it a thousand times over if it means Amber gets the best care possible.
I’ve barely hung up the phone when a faint knock sounds at the door.
“Scout, you’re supposed to be in bed?—”
The door opens to reveal Cormac on the other side.
“Oh, sorry. I thought you were Scout.”
He leans against the frame. “Sorry to disappoint. Everything okay? You look tired.”
I push my hair out of my face. “Oh, I’m fine. Just…dealing with some family stuff.”
“Is your niece okay?”
I glance over at him to find genuine concern in Cormac’s eyes.
This is exactly the kind of thing he does that makes it hard to hate him.
“She’s having a pacemaker put in on Monday.” Saying the words out loud hits me like a ton of bricks, and I clamp a hand over my mouth to try to muffle the strangled sound that escapes me.
Cormac stays silent, but it doesn’t feel awkward. If anything, just having him here is comforting.
“Sorry, it’s just…a lot. But the doctor says she will be out of the hospital by the end of the week.”
“Do you need to leave to be with her? I understand if you do. Family comes first, especially during job interviews,” he adds, a hint of amusement in his eyes.
“You’re never going to let me forget that, are you?”
“You should be proud that you put your family first. Not many people do.”
“You do,” I say quickly.
Cormac tucks his hands into his pockets as his gaze falls to the floor. “You should be with your niece.”
“I’d love to, but…it’s not that simple.”
Cormac’s eyes flick to mine, but before he can pry any further, I quickly change the subject.
“What are you up to for the rest of the night?”
A flash of guilt crosses Cormac’s eyes as he looks at me, and I’m about to ask what’s wrong when he suddenly closes the door behind him and crosses over to the bed.
“You tell me.” He groans before he takes my face in his hands and brings his lips to mine.
Every muscle in my body relaxes the moment he kisses me.
All the thoughts and worries that have been circling around in my mind instantly vanish, and I eagerly wrap my arms around his neck.
“I thought we decided to keep things professional,” I gasp against his mouth.
He kisses along my neck. “That was a terrible idea.”
I moan as I arch into him. “Yes, it was.”
“I have a much better one.” Cormac pushes me back onto the bed and climbs over me, pinning my body between his powerful thighs as he continues to explore my jaw and neck with his mouth. “Close your eyes.”
“Why?”
“Because I told you to.”
That’s good enough for me.
I’ve never needed to get out of my own head more than I do right now, and being with Cormac is the perfect way to do that.
My eyelids flutter closed as I relax into the mattress.
Cormac continues to kiss along my neck as his hands roam beneath my shirt, squeezing my waist before moving further up to cup my breasts over my bra.
“Cormac…” I gasp as his thumbs rub over my hardening nipples.
“Arms above your head,” he growls.
I do as he asks, my pulse already thrumming in my ears as I anticipate what he’s going to do. Though with Cormac, I can never know for certain.
Something soft and silky wraps around my wrists, and a rush of adrenaline courses through me as he binds my hands to the headboard.
“Much better,” he murmurs.
I tug against them, but there’s no give.
A tiny flutter of panic settles in my chest, but then Cormac’s hands are on my body once more, roaming beneath my shirt as his mouth explores mine, and that panic turns into excitement.
I fight against the restraints, desperate to get my hands on him too, but of course, it’s no use.
Cormac chuckles against my mouth as I let out a groan.
“Nice try.” He sits back on his heels and gazes down at me.
“I knew you were a closet sadist.”
Cormac smirks as he reaches into his pocket, drawing my eyes to the very prominent bulge in the front of his pants.
I whimper as a dull ache starts to build between my thighs.
God, I need him so badly.
I’m so distracted by my own desire that I don’t even notice that Cormac has a knife in his hand until he’s slicing open my blouse.
“Were you seriously walking around the house with a weapon?” I stare down at the blade with my eyes about to bulge out.
Cormac chuckles as he runs his finger along the edge of the knife.
My mouth goes dry as I watch him, knowing all too well what those fingers can do.
“It’s a small switchblade. I was a Boy Scout who was taught that you never know when you’re going to need a weapon.”
“Pretty sure this wasn’t what they had in mind.” I pant as he slices off the rest of the buttons until my shirt falls open.
He bends down and presses a kiss to my navel, and I shiver as his stubble rubs against my skin.
I try to remember how to breathe. “There’s only one problem.”
“Oh?” Cormac glances up at me, his eyes darkening with need.
“You should’ve gotten me naked and then tied me up,” I tease as I tug against the restraints.
“No matter,” he says with a smirk before cutting away the rest of my top.
I huff. “Seriously?”
He slices through my bra straps.
I roll my eyes. “You wouldn’t do that if you knew how expensive underwear is.”
“If you’re a good girl for me and do as you’re told, I’ll give you my card and you can buy as many scraps of lace as you like,” he murmurs, tossing aside what’s left of my bra before bending down and wrapping his lips around my nipple.
“Oh, god… That seems fair.” I arch against his touch.
“But until then, you need to do exactly as I ask.”
I squirm as his breath tickles my nipple. “And if I don’t?”
Cormac looks up at me under his lashes, a faint smile tugging at his lips as he runs the tip of the blade along the curve of my breast. “Do you really want to find out what happens if you disobey me?”
Yes.
As if reading my thoughts, Cormac bites down on my nipple, and I cry out at the sharp sting of pain.
He chuckles. “That’s what I thought.”
“Asshole.”
He presses the blade into the soft swell of my breast. “You won’t be calling me that when I make you come.”
I gasp, arching against him. “Do you want to fuck around and find out?”
Cormac’s eyes darken with need. “That’s exactly what I intend to do.”