Chapter 13
THIRTEEN
STEPHEN
I don’t give a fuck who may catch us, all I care about at this moment is making Dallen remember who we are and what we’re starting to mean to each other.
There is something special—I can feel it whenever I’m around her—and nothing, not her high-and-mighty mother or her law-abiding father will change that.
I lift her gown. She’s so utterly beautiful this evening that my chest hurts.
I kiss along her leg, feeling her tremble under my touch.
Her fingers glide into my hair. I expect her to push me away, but she doesn’t.
Instead, she holds me against her. The distant hum of the ballroom filters down the hallway, muffled applause and clinking glasses echoing faintly.
She leans back against the wall, and I know she’s mine.
Mine to fucking eat.
I reach under her gown and pull her panties down. They settle at her ankles, and she lifts one foot to free herself from them. “Put your leg on my shoulder, Pumpkin.”
She doesn’t argue. Instead she watches me while she does as I tell her.
Good girl…
“Stephen, not here. We’ll be caught, and the scandal will be ridiculous.” There’s amusement in her voice, and very little denial in her body.
I smile against the skin on her leg, kissing my way along her thigh.
Her skin is so soft, and damn, she smells so good.
Warm lighting from the sconces casts a low, golden glow over her skin, making her look ethereal.
“I don’t care who catches us. I have to taste you, remind you that you belong to me now. ”
I feel her still at my words, but I don’t stop kissing toward her sex. Almost there. My mouth waters at the thought of licking her pretty cunt.
“I don’t belong to you or anyone.”
I ignore her words, let her believe what she wants, but she is mine. She’s been mine since the moment I took her virginity. Hell, the moment I saw her in the nightclub. And I had seen her first, even if she never knew that fact.
I push her dress up to her hips and pin her against the wall with my hands. She sucks in a startled breath as my tongue glides along her opening.
I groan. Just as I thought—sweet as sin on the palate.
My cock presses hard against my pants. I’m going to take her back to my place tonight, and I’m going to fuck her in my bed, lay claim to her once and for all.
But now—right at this moment—it’s her turn to enjoy. To revel in what I can do for her. I slip two fingers into her tight cunt, tease her as I suckle her clit. She undulates against my mouth, seeking release, and I’m going to give it to her.
“Stephen…” Her breathy moan makes my head spin. Damn, I like the sound of my name on her lips. It’s like the purest cocaine in the world, the best high a person can have.
I lick her good, suckle that sweet button relentlessly until she shatters in my arms. I hold her upright, allow the tremors to subside, her pleasure to wane, before I, with one last kiss on her thigh, pull back and help put her panties back into place.
The sight of her, allowing me the privilege of touching her so intimately, shatters something cold and dark within me, and I know I can’t allow anything to come between us.
I’ve fucked a lot of women, but Dallen… Dallen is my endgame.
I stand and adjust her gown, brushing a stray curl from her cheek. Her breathing softens, the flush in her skin slowly fading. Down the hall, the ballroom noise grows louder—auctioneer chatter, claps, laughter—reminding us we’re expected back.
“Ready?” I murmur.
She nods, still a little shaky. I take her hand, guiding her gently as we walk back toward the double doors. The moment we step inside, bright lights and the swell of voices swallow us.
And that’s when Alex Romero appears.
He materializes suddenly before us, blocking our path, a glass of champagne in hand, smiling widely like we’re old friends. We’re far from friends and I don’t want him or his kind anywhere near me or Dallen.
I stiffen, fight not to rip the bastard’s smug head off when he leans in and kisses Dallen’s cheek, bold enough to make my blood boil.
Careful, Romero…
“Dallen,” he drawls. “You look stunning this evening. Glad to see you here tonight. I did wonder if you and your family would be on the guest list.”
I force myself to stay polite but can’t hide my disdain. I crack my neck, the tension coiling within me wanting an outlet. Preferably, a fist to Romero’s nose.
“Mr. Romero,” Dallen says, surprise in her voice. “Good evening to you.”
I clear my throat, wrapping my arm around Dallen’s waist and pulling her close. “And you know each other how?” I ask, unsure how Dallen could have crossed paths with this family, and yet, here we were.
“Redwood and Tully are our new law firm, Dallen is our contact there,” Alex says, too friendly, too bold for my liking. “Elio and my family feel most fortunate to have such an accomplished and well-respected lawyer and firm behind us.”
Their lawyer.
Alex reaches out and brushes a hand along Dallen’s arm like he has any fucking right.
I ground my teeth and stare at Romero until he gets the hint to back the fuck off. He catches my eye and whatever he sees in mine is enough that he heeds my silent threat. Alex smiles, tight and sharp.
“We need to get back to our table,” I say, moving Dallen before she’s had a chance to wish our unwanted guest a good evening.
I guide her back to our seats—right beside her parents—ignoring their displeasure that Dallen and I are at least back on speaking terms. Little do they know we’re on a lot more terms than that.
I cross the room to where Alex and Elio sit, their false laughter and enjoyment for the evening like nails scoring down a chalkboard. When I reach their table, I pull out the empty chair beside Alex and sit down without permission.
Not that I need any.
“Evening, gentlemen.”
Elio straightens a little too fast, betraying nerves. Alex tries for a charming grin, but it twitches unsteadily at the edges. “Stephen. To what do we owe the pleasure?”
“You seem too familiar with your lawyer,” I say. “Let’s clear that up.”
Alex shrugs. “Just a friendly greeting, nothing more. We’re building rapport.”
My smile widens yet I feel no mirth. I feel like slamming the bastard’s head into the table and stabbing him with the dessert spoon. “Professional relationships don’t involve you putting your mouth on her.”
Alex swallows and I can almost hear his nerves. Jaw flexing, he glances away momentarily.
Good. I want him to feel uncomfortable. I want him to know he doesn’t touch what is mine or he’ll end up as dead as his cousin.
Elio cuts in, tone smoother, as if he’s going to console my fury with his words.
Idiot.
“Stephen, lad…we meant no disrespect. Miss Byrne is…impressive. Skilled. Sharp. And honestly? Surprisingly brave, not to mention extremely pleasant to be around.”
My jaw ticks. I know pleasant means she’s nice on the eye, and Dallen is, but she’s nice on my eyes, no one else’s. “Brave?” I mention. “How so?”
Alex leans back, lacing his fingers over his stomach. “Well, you know. Considering who she’s dating.” His eyes glitter and my fingers twitch to strike. “Walking into the lion’s den without even knowing she’s a juicy piece of meat.”
A cold, controlled fury threads through me. “Careful, Romero.”
“We’re being friendly, that’s all,” Alex says, voice too casual and high to be honest. He looks to Elio as if he’s said nothing wrong. Oh, he’s said something wrong and he’ll pay for it, one way or another. I’ll make sure of that.
“Friendly,” I repeat, pretending to digest the word. “Is that what we’re calling it?”
Elio leans forward as if we’re enjoying our combined conversation. We are not. “You bring a woman into your life—she falls right into our world. Call it fate that’s she’s also useful…for now.”
Oh, hell no.
Some would call that a threat.
I call it a threat.
“And some,” I say, voice glacial, “would call that suicide, because that’s what it would be to say such things to a Moretti.”
Alex tilts his head. “Depends on who you ask. We’re businessmen. We look for opportunities as do you and your brothers.”
Opportunities?
I know exactly what that means. “You think touching her is leverage? That by hiring her firm it enables you to get close to her to do her harm.” I shake my head, my blood pumping loud in my ears.
I cannot kill them here. We’re at a charity auction. It would ruin the family if society watched me dispose of these two goons before them all.
“No, boys, that path merely ends with you buried in an unknown, unmarked grave. Don’t try it.”
Elio’s mouth twitches. “We’ll take your words under consideration.”
My blood turns to ice, a cold weight settles in my veins as realization dawns that they don’t care.
That they either think I’m bluffing, or we’re not cut from the same cloth as our father.
How wrong they are. I lean in, close enough they can feel the warning radiate off me.
“You go near her again. You breathe in her vicinity. You speak her name and I’ll crack this city open, bury you and your entire bloodline beneath the rubble, name carved in stone as a warning to anyone else who thinks to test me. ”
Alex blinks slowly. “Touchy.”
Elio murmurs, “She must be something—got that Moretti fire burning. Matteo would love to see it, but alas,” he says with a sigh. “He can’t, can he, because he’s dead.”
I force my expression to stay calm even as my pulse roars. “This isn’t about Matteo, he has nothing to do with anything, not us and no longer you.”
“Oh, we disagree,” Alex says quietly. “You killed him. Or your brother did. Or both, doesn’t matter to be honest, but my point is—we haven’t forgotten, and we don’t forgive.”
I smile coldly. “Don’t start something that won’t end well for you.”
Their eyes flare with hate.
Good. They need the warning. Idiots think I’m bluffing. They have no idea what me and my family are capable of when one of our own is threatened. And Dallen, she’s mine, not theirs to toy with, injure or kill.
Mine…
“Last warning, boys. Stay away from Dallen. Don’t poke a bear you can’t outrun.”
Alex grins. “We’ll stay away if she does. She’s our lawyer—hard to avoid.” He shrugs. “Want her to drop us? That’d be a disappointment to her bosses and may be hard to accomplish.”
My muscles lock, tension racing through me as my eyes narrow. And for the first time, they know it. They know I can’t control everything, certainly not her bosses nor her family, who are hell bent on ridding me from her life.
Elio raises his glass. “To our new legal counsel. And to you, Stephen. Congratulations. It seems you’ve got yourself a woman worth bleeding for.”
Alex adds, “And a woman worth taking, if someone wanted revenge.”
I stand so suddenly that both men flinch. “That will never happen.”
Alex smiles slowly. “Then you better make damn sure she’s kept safe. Lots of dangers in New York. Murder capital of the world the last I heard. So many missing women, quite sad really,” he says, nonchalant.
I walk away before I pick up the spoon and scoop their eyes from their heads. My jaw clenches so tight it aches, every instinct sharpened to a blade. They think they found a way to drag us back into war. Over my dead, shattered body.
Or over theirs first.