25. Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Five
Zeke
Ernesto passed two days later with Carlotta and Rory by his side. The sickness that had been kept at bay had finally ravaged his body. At her insistence, Rory had arrived at the villa, more to support her through her grief than to mourn the man who had caused us all untold trouble.
The funeral was held a few days later and after the reading of the will, where he left the bulk of his fortune to Carlotta, we flew back to London.
“She’s a very rich girl,” I said to Rory as we sat in the apartment later that evening.
“I’ll have to put the money in trust until she’s old enough. What was he thinking leaving her all that?” Rory had been fuming, but then the realisation had set in that Ernesto had no one else to leave it to other than his daughter.
She’d be taken care of and would want for nothing, but he’d left Carlotta millions. She’d never have to work in her life.
Carlotta had been shocked and insisted her father take some of the money, but he had refused. It wasn’t his to have, but she’d huffed and said she’d see about that.
She could be determined when she wanted to be, and I had a feeling she’d get her own way.
Two weeks had passed since we’d initially left London, and in that time, so much had changed. Ernesto had died, and Rory was slowly coming around to the fact that we were mates, fated to be together for all eternity.
We still had a lot to iron out, some conditions I’d not yet told him. No doubt he’d have a hissy fit, but I’d direct him to Jason.
They’d become firm friends and spoke almost every day. How did I feel about that?
Eh, it saved me having to explain the whys and wherefores. After all, I wasn’t that sure of things myself, and I’d probably spoken with Mal more the past week than I had in a few months.
“Is she going back to school tomorrow?” Hopefully, I wouldn’t have to do the school run again.
“No, I’m leaving her off for the rest of the week. I think we all need some time to come to terms with what happened. Me more so than her. As much as I hated him, it’s difficult knowing he’s no longer here. She’s missing her nonno, but I no longer have to look over my shoulder and wonder.”
“You no longer need a bodyguard.” Fuck. He didn’t need me anymore.
“Hey, I know what you’re thinking. I might not need a bodyguard, but I need, no, I want a mate. I’ve thought long and hard over this, and it might be too soon, but it feels right. The thought of no longer having you around doesn’t sit well with me.”
“Does this mean…?”
“Yes, it means I’m willing to go ahead with the mating. I’ve spoken at length with Jason, and I think I can handle you. The question is, can you handle me and a twelve-year-old girl?”
I pounced on him and covered his face with kisses. My demon somersaulted with glee inside me, a steady chant in my head.
Mate. Mate. Mate.
“Erm, what’s going on in here?” Carlotta walked into the room.
We sprang apart and burst out laughing, not knowing what to say to her.
“I don’t mind, you know, if you want to be together. I’d like it, actually. You make my papa happy again, Zeke. He’s been so sad since Mamma died. And you can do algebra, which means I don’t have to.”
Good enough reason as any. “Well, if you don’t mind, I think that’s a done deal.”
She squealed and squeezed herself between us. “Can we watch a movie? With snacks, of course.”
“Yeah, we can do that, sweetheart.” Rory grabbed some popcorn while Carlotta found a movie for us to watch and for the rest of the evening, we snuggled on the sofa, the three of us.
Who’d have thought a couple of months ago, for that was how quickly this had happened, I’d be content to watch a movie with my mate and his daughter?
We’d endured so much it was time to kick back and relax. And what better place to do that than at the house, not shut up here in the apartment in smoggy London?
“Hey, how about we go away for a few days?” I threw it out there.
“Ooh, exciting. Can we, Papa?” We both looked at Rory expectantly.
“I don’t see why not. We’ve nothing planned. We’ll get up bright and early tomorrow morning and get the train down.”
“Let’s go pack now!” Carlotta hopped off the sofa, waving her arms in the air. Her broken one came dangerously close to the wall.
“Be careful,” Rory and I shouted, but she wiggled her fingers over her shoulder and disappeared into her room.
“Thanks for this. It’ll be a welcome distraction for us both, I think, a change in scenery.”
“Don’t thank me yet. Mal and Jason live there as well, and we have a dog. I hope you’re okay with that.”
“Carlotta loves animals. She might steal him away, although I’m not sure what the rules are about animals in this apartment.”
“Well, he’s big, I’ll warn you now. Will that be a problem?”
“I know something else that’s big.” Rory winked and laughed, his eyes drawn to my dick. We’d experimented more with my fingers and tail, but he wasn’t ready for me yet.
The wait was torture, but it’d be worth it.
He stood, but I dragged him down onto my lap, kissing him hard. “I can’t wait to fuck you. You’ll be screaming my name when I do.”
He placed a finger to my lips and shushed me. “Be quiet. She’ll hear.”
“She’s too busy opening and closing doors to hear what we’re saying. A hurricane could blow through the apartment, and she wouldn’t hear.”
Letting him go, I slapped his arse as he walked away. “Go throw some clothes in a bag.”
It was a firm backside, but with the right amount of jiggle. I groaned as he swayed his hips, unsure how much longer I could wait.
Maybe we should start with the nice butt plug at home? Something to think about, at least.
A little while later, I made my excuses and drove back to my apartment. I’d need to pack up some things and organise a car.
We’d definitely not fit on the bike and a train would take forever, despite how close we were.
Since Ernesto’s death, I’d slept a lot easier knowing that Rory and Carlotta were safe and if it hadn’t been for the car delivery the following morning, I’m not sure I would have woken until midday.
I took the keys from the woman, her eyes drawn to my bare chest. On another day in another lifetime, I might have been tempted, but my mate waited for me. My playboy days were over.
I screeched to a halt outside Rory’s place and beeped the horn. The sooner we were out of London, the better. As much as I loved leaving the house, I craved the fresh air and open spaces. Maybe Rory would be content to move there?
It was a question to be asked, but first he’d have to decide if he liked it. The quiet life wasn’t for everyone, but I had a feeling Rory had had enough excitement for a while.
As for Carlotta, there were plenty of excellent schools around. It depended on whether she’d want to move again.
“Morning, Zeke.” Carlotta jumped in the back of the car, leaving Rory to put their cases in the boot.
“Good morning. All set?” Rory rolled his eyes as he sat in the passenger seat.
“She couldn’t decide what to bring with her, so she’s brought a selection.” He said, with air speech marks?
“Ah, hence the two cases.”
“I said we were only going for a couple of days, but she knows best.” Rory buckled up as I started the engine.
“You have to cover all possibilities, Papa. We might go out or go walking. Maybe we’ll go horse riding.”
“Did you mention horse riding?” Rory whispered.
“Not a dickie bird. I don’t know where she got that from. I mean, we could find somewhere if she wanted to go.”
“She has a broken arm still.”
“It’s fixed. The consultant said…” she piped up.
“That you still needed to be careful. Horse riding isn’t being careful, Carlotta.”
I smiled at the pair of them. Would this be what it was like every day for the rest of our lives?
I checked in the rear-view mirror, Carlotta’s head nodding to whatever music she was streaming on her phone.
“We should be there soon. A couple of hours, maybe.”
Rory rested his head on the rest behind him and looked at me. “I’m just happy to be out of the apartment. Being cooped up in there wasn’t good for either of us. Thank you for asking us.”
“It was my pleasure.” He placed his hand on mine and the familiar tingle of electricity danced between us.
“I love it when that happens. It connects us, don’t you think?”
“I do. This wasn’t something I’d ever wanted, having a mate. I thought it’d be too constricting, too much of a hindrance taking on someone else’s baggage.”
“So we’re baggage now?” He laughed, knowing I wouldn’t have done what I did for just anyone.
“You’re my mate, and I’d do anything for you and her. And when we complete the mating—”
“Jesus, Zeke. Not here.”
She couldn’t hear us through her earbuds and we were whispering, but he closed his eyes, a huge grin on his face.
I’d not yet told him the details, but I think he guessed how it was going to go.
Lots and lots of sex and the one important component, the biting. I may have neglected to tell him that, but when the time eventually came, I’d break it to him gently.
For the rest of the journey, both Carlotta and Rory slept. They’d had a rough couple of months and needed sleep. Rory had mentioned Carlotta’s nightmares. Hardly surprising what had happened, and I was surprised she’d not experienced them sooner.
I knew a good therapist who could help her, and maybe Rory too. It had been an ordeal.
Despite wanting to get away from the house, the moment the driveway loomed before me, I took a deep breath.
Home. This was my home.
The moment I pulled up outside, the front door opened, and Jason appeared, Mal by his side.
“Wow, I slept the whole way here.” Rory rubbed his eyes and yawned. “I must have been tired. And we have a welcome committee.”
“We do indeed.” I was less worried about Mal and Jason than I was about Smokey. That dog was a menace at the best of times, and with new people around, he’d be overcome with excitement. One leap at Carlotta and she’d be on her back.
As Rory and Carlotta approached Mal and Jason, I got the luggage out of the car.
The crunch of gravel scattering gave me a fair warning.
“Smokey, don’t you dare.” I shouted as he barrelled around the corner and headed straight for Rory, but it was too late. The big brute planted his paws on Rory’s shoulders and covered him with kisses and slobber.
Carlotta shrieked with delight.
“Oh, my god. He’s fabulous. Here puppy. Come here, boy.” Distracted, Smokey dropped to his feet and padded over to her.
I held my breath, waiting for the inevitable onslaught, but the stupid mutt lay on the floor and bared his tummy.
Carlotta dropped to her knees and rubbed it, telling him what a good boy he was. Well, fuck me.
Mal and Jason gaped at their dog. Not once had he ever been so docile about meeting new people. Perhaps he sensed her injury, or maybe he recognised which side his bread was buttered on and knew she’d be a pushover for him.
Rory, on the other hand, looked aghast, his face wet.
“Let’s get you inside and cleaned up.” I left the others outside. Rory had said Carlotta loved animals. It seemed he was right.
I led him into the downstairs bathroom and handed him a washcloth.
“Some house you’ve got here.” He dried his cheeks with a towel.
“It’s mine and Mal’s. We’ve lived here for years.”
“Just how many years?” Rory knew how old I was.
“Probably too many, but we love the house. If I could pick it up and move it somewhere else, I would. People will notice we’re not ageing soon, and that brings its own problems.”
I saw the cogs working in his head and waited for the inevitable question.
“What will happen to me?”
A clatter of feet saved me from having to answer, and Carlotta ran into the hallway.
“Did you see, Papa? Did you notice?”
“Notice what, sweetheart? The enormous dog you took a liking to?”
“No, the house. It’s the one I drew in the picture, and Smokey is the dog. This was meant to be. Don’t you see that?”
“I guess it is.” He side-eyed me and took her hand. “It’s a beautiful house, and we must thank Mal, Jason, and Zeke for letting us stay here for a few days.”
“And here he is. Back in the fold where he belongs.”
Mrs Gold walked in, wiping her hands on her apron.
“I wasn’t gone that long.” I said, kissing her cheek.
“Long enough. We all missed you, and now you’re home. Now, why don’t you introduce me to these lovely people?”
“Mrs Gold, this is Rory and his daughter, Carlotta.”
“Very pleased to meet you. Why don’t you come with me and grab some cookies? Fresh from the oven.”
She held her hand out to Carlotta, and together they walked to the kitchen, chatting as if they were long-lost friends.
“Seems she’s settled in already, and she’s only been here five minutes.” I handed Rory his case, and we went upstairs.
“Carlotta can sleep in here.” The room was bright and airy with light-coloured walls. A lilac cover lay on the double bed. Not dissimilar to her room at home.
“And this is where we’ll be sleeping.” I led him to my room, dropped the bags to the floor, and closed the door. “Finally, I get you to myself for five minutes at least.”
I pushed him against the door and slowly lowered my head until our lips were an inch away.
“Move here with me. Live with me. We can make it work. I’ve spent my life looking for you. The thought of you living in London and me here isn’t something I want to contemplate.”
“It’s a lot to give up. We have the apartment. Carlotta has school.” But the indecision swirled in his eyes.
“Say yes. Don’t make me get down on my knees and beg.”
“I mean, I can think of something else you can do while you’re down there.” He smirked, his dimples on show.
Who’d have thought I’d want to spend the rest of my life with someone? But here we were. Rory was it for me. Gone was the Zeke, who didn’t know what he wanted.
I knew now what made my heart happy, what made my demon happy, what made my life complete, and it was the man standing before me.
The man who owned my heart.
“Move in with me, and I’ll spend the rest of my life on my knees, pleasing you.”
“Is that a promise?” He fluttered his eyelashes. How could I resist?
“I give you my word. You were meant for me, Rory Tushingham-Smythe.”
We needed no more words, and our lips met. Tender kisses that melted what was left of my resolve, and when his hand slipped into mine, I was done for.
“I love you.” Words I never thought I’d say spilt from my lips. I knew it was too soon for him. He’d been through so many life-changing events over the past few years, but to my surprise, he took my face in his hands and looked deep into my eyes.
“Ditto, Zeke. Now kiss me like you mean it.”