Chapter 27
Ishiver at the gentle pressure of Aden’s fingers on mine. He crouches behind me, encasing me in his solid warmth. The scent of his cologne drifts through my nose in a dizzying cloud of sex and cool spices.
I swear, I had every intention of learning to play the piano when he offered a quick lesson.
“Did you get any of that?” His rich voice is an irresistible mix of playful humor and exasperation.
“The basic math of triads works up and down the scale, but… something about the black keys.”
I’d be more proud of myself for remembering that, if my breathy tone didn’t sound like I actually said, “I want to fuck you so hard right now.”
His soft laugh rumbles along my back and resonates through every cell in my body.
“Did you really want a piano lesson, or did you just want an excuse to grope each other with an audience?” he teases.
I open my mouth to respond, then realize I don’t know the answer to that.
At the mention of the audience, though, I glance across the penthouse to check on our guests. Every single one of them has congregated around the kitchen island. That’s not unusual for a social gathering. What is unusual is the center of the festivities.
We invited Cian because he’s our friend, not to distract the entire guest list while Aden and I enjoyed some time alone in plain sight. Even though this party is technically in my honor, I haven’t been hating the fact that the rocker’s allure has freed Aden and me from the attention.
“Is it always like that for him?” I ask, noticing how the crowd has constricted from admiring to suffocating in the last few minutes.
“Pretty much,” Aden replies.
“Doesn’t it get old after a while?”
He remains silent, and I glance up to see his smile has faded as he studies the action.
“Yeah, it’s compli…” He cuts himself off and grins at my warning look. “It is complicated, though,” he says with a laugh.
“Fine,” I grunt. “I’ll give you that one, but that’s your ‘complicated’ quota for the week.” I settle my attention back on Cian and the horde. “So, it’s a god thing, not just a rocker thing?”
Aden sighs as we watch our friend respond to something my mother said. His stunning smile slips when his gaze crosses to us. There’s a message there, but I don’t think it’s meant for me.
“That’s my cue,” Aden says, confirming my suspicions. He kisses my cheek before pushing to his feet.
“Your cue?”
“He needs a break. Want to help me run interference so he can have a second to breathe?”
Surprised, I study the small crowd more intensely. Most of them are flirting and gazing at him like they’re in love. Several look downright obsessed. Some are even touching him like they can’t help themselves. Damn.
“It’s really that bad, huh?” I observe.
“It’s that bad.” He glances from me to Cian. “Don’t tell him I told you, but it’s not just bad. It’s a literal curse. I can’t say more. That’s his story to tell, but trust me, Cian’s secrets make mine seem tame.”
I think back to what the three of us did on the rooftop. Was my attraction to him real? Because it felt real. It was nothing compared to what I feel for Aden, but in that moment, I still wanted Cian… desperately.
“You’re thinking about the threesome, aren’t you?” Aden’s lips curve into a smile at my sharp look. “Don’t worry, your feelings for me tempered his effect on you.”
“How the hell do you do that?”
“Do what?” he laughs.
“Read my mind.”
The corner of his mouth lifts in a smirk. “Babe, your poker face needs a lot of work if you’re serious about becoming an investigative reporter. We’ll be practicing that instead of the piano.”
I twist my “poker face” into a scowl. “Not all my sources are going to be ancient deities who can read me like an open book.”
“Fair. But some might be.”
I wince at the thought. It’s still so strange that this is my reality now.
He holds out his hand, and I slip mine into it.
“We’ll finish this later?” he says as he pulls me up from the bench.
“Preferably with less clothes.”
My heart rate picks up at his suggestive grin.
We’ve been doing a lot of activities without clothing since the drama with my father went down two weeks ago. Most of it has occurred here in the penthouse, but we’ve tried to be respectful when my mother’s around. We’ve discussed getting our own place, so we can do all home activities without clothing, but I’m not ready to leave my mom alone yet. She’s still processing everything that happened, and there are still too many unanswered questions.
For example: what are we supposed to do with last week’s elaborate gift basket that showed up at our building?
The card reads, “It was a pleasure doing business with you. We’ll be in touch.” Below the message was a symbol that made it clear the basket came from The Shadow. We can only assume they were acknowledging receipt of my father and the satisfaction of our family debt. While the snarky nature of the gesture can be forgiven, it was the second part that had us on edge.
Aden is trying to set up a meeting with his brothers to discuss the latent threat, along with other developments, but it’s not going well. He can’t find Damon again, and Matteo refuses to let Luca help us anymore. After what Matteo, Analise, and Luca went through—especially Luca—I can’t exactly blame him. Aden is pissed at being denied such a valuable resource, but if the roles were reversed, and it were me in the crosshairs, he’d do the same thing.
We’ll have to figure out our next step later. For now, we have a devastatingly handsome musician to rescue.
“Why didn’t you tell me you were friends with Cian Daley?” my mother hisses at me as we approach.
Aden is already pushing through the guests toward Cian like a bodyguard on a mission instead of a friend at a party.
“I didn’t know it mattered.”
“How could it not matter? Do you have any idea what ties to someone of his caliber could do for us? Plus, he’s wonderful.” There are legit stars in her eyes as she watches Aden and Cian exchange words. “I’m mortified that I haven’t listened to more of his music. You should have warned me before inviting him! His band is After Dark, correct?”
“Correct. Hey, maybe we should tell catering to bump the?—”
“Is he single?”
I stare at my mother. “No, Mom. Absolutely not.”
Her expression sags. “He’s not single?”
“No. I mean, yes, I mean… I don’t know, but youare not dating him.”
I shudder at the thought of that mess. We’re still untangling her past with Aden.
“Who said anything about dating him? Maybe just a few?—”
“Okay, look, tonight is supposed to be a celebration of my promotion, not a singles mixer, so let’s get back to that.”
“Yes, of course, sweetheart.” But she’s still not looking at me. Her gaze is glued to Cian as Aden leads him down the hall.
So is everyone else’s.
It’s not until they’ve disappeared that she (and everyone else) seem to shake off the trance.
I make a mental note not to invite Cian to any social events ever again.
“My daughter, Slate City Star’s newest staff reporter!” Mom announces.
Our guests cheer and offer a polite applause. One of those is The Star’s editor-in-chief, Fatima Singh.
“We’re fortunate to have her,” Fatima says.
My mother beams at the praise, and yes, maybe part of me is beaming right back. I’ve waited over two decades to make my parents proud of me.
“Gabi is a terrific writer,” my mother gushes. “She’s always had such a way with words. There was this one time when…”
I lose focus on Mom’s speech when my boss’ gaze cuts into me with a silent message.
“She doesn’t know, does she?”
No. She doesn’t because no one can know. Only Aden and Fatima know the truth—that, while my profile says I’m a staff reporter covering politics, my real assignment is something far different.
It was my idea to pursue this story, and it took plenty of convincing and evidence to get Fatima’s approval. Aden wasn’t thrilled, either, but in the end, he knew he didn’t have a chance at talking me out of it. Besides, my new mission would make us key allies in his own hunt for justice.
So yes, I’ll be covering politics in Slate City. More specifically, I’ll be running a clandestine investigation into the politics involved with Slate City’s vast network of criminal organizations.
The Shadow may think they’ll “be in touch,” but I’ve determined to find them first.