Empire (Eagle Elite Book 7) (13 page)

Darkness engulfed us.

And an electrical charge that warned me to run, yet again, filled the air.

But it was Sergio.

So I stayed.

Because I was that stupid girl.

The one who believed that everyone had something good — right?

“Look at me,” Sergio’s whisper was urgent, harsh, as he held my face between his hands. “Val, look at me.”

I shook my head. “I think — I’ll just… not.”

“You’ll just not,” he repeated softly. “Val, please.”

Slowly, I lifted my eyes to his, unable to stop the fact that the longer I stared at him, the more they filled with big, fat, ugly tears.

“Damn me to hell,” he muttered and then pulled me in for a tight hug, one that felt safe, even though I knew better now. I knew better.

I tried to pull away.

But he wouldn’t let me.

So I turned my face into his chest.

It was hard to breathe.

But at least he wouldn’t think I was trying to kiss him.

Even though the car ride hadn’t gone that way, if anything, he’d leaned forward like he was going to kiss me, I’d simply reacted to his reaction.

Cause and effect.

Not that I’d argue it.

“Val…” His words went from English to Italian then back again as he cursed himself and this life. “I’m sorry.”

“For?”

“Stupidity doesn’t work on you.” He sighed. “And I mean that as a compliment… but for your sake, I’ll say it.” He pulled back so that his face was inches from mine. “I’m sorry for threatening you in the cab, but most of all, I’m sorry for making you feel like you aren’t safe with me, when the exact opposite is true. I would die for you. Val, a gun is all I know…” He shook his head. “Knew. It was all I knew until someone showed me more… sometimes, it’s just easier to revert to old habits. It’s easier not to think.”

“Okay.” I tried to pull away. Needed to get away.

“Val, you’re not even listening to me.”

“Heard you loud and clear.” I tried to look convincing. “You’re sorry, and I shouldn’t be scared. Got it!” I made a beeline for the door.

Well, I tried, but he was freakishly strong and kept me paralyzed against the frame of his huge body.

“You may have heard, but you don’t understand.” He cursed again. “Words… were never my strong suit.”

“No?” I laughed nervously, still trying to peel myself away from him. “Because you were pretty clear about your intentions the other night.”

He frowned. “I’ve literally never had a woman pull away from me. Ever. I’m also not used to doing things… delicately.”

“Kinda caught that,” I said mouth dry.

“Shit.” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “A little help here.”

The screen in the empty theater lit up with a preview, who knew they still showed the movie even if nobody was in there?

A girl ran across the screen in the rain and then she turned back to the guy and yelled. “A kiss to make it better?”

Sergio’s eyes widened a bit as he glanced from the screen back to me.

And without hesitation.

Placed his mouth across mine.

Lovers to bed, ‘tis almost fairy time —A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Sergio

HER LIPS WERE
soft.

It was her first kiss.

It had to be.

Because she wasn’t doing anything.

At all.

It was like kissing a soft wall.

One that smelled really good — too good.

Memories assaulted me, and then finally, I licked the seam of her lips. With a gasp, her mouth opened. I hadn’t planned on kissing her at all, let alone kissing her the way I was.

But, damn it, she wasn’t kissing me back.

And I was proving a point.

And she was ruining it by not responding.

Her soft moan was all I needed to hear and, when she pressed her fingertips into my biceps, I knew she was enjoying herself. Kissing another woman wasn’t as painful as I thought it would be.

It felt different.

But not bad.

Not like cheating.

Then again, I was too confused about everything and too upset that I’d scared her to even feel anything but relief that she wasn’t running away screaming. I was used to dealing with strong women. Women who knew how to fight back, even physically if need be.

Hell, if I pulled a gun on Trace she’d probably shoot me first.

Mil would laugh while kicking her spiked heels into my forehead, and Mo would slit my throat before I could even apologize.

And Andi.

Andi would have tried to tackle me to the ground and choke me out.

Val was just starting to respond, her tongue tentatively touching mine, when I pulled back.

Andi, Andi, Andi
.

What the hell was I doing?

Val still looked afraid.

And the kiss had affected me in ways I wasn’t ready for.

My lips buzzed while my body craved the nearness her soft curves promised.

Damn it, I was a changed man. A man who finally knew what it was like to have someone to share the horrors of life with — and a woman who had no choice but to say yes to me at the altar.

“Sorry.” I apologized again. “I was just…” I refused to let her think it was more than me proving a point, so that’s exactly what I said. “Proving a point. See? No gun.” Except for the one in my pants, what the ever loving hell? When had that happened? My dick strained against my jeans as horror and astonishment washed over me.

With a gruff curse, I motioned to the door and muttered, “We good?”

With a confused stare, Val opened her mouth then pressed her fingers to her lips and gave a mute nod. Pieces of dark hair whipped across her cheeks, and I stared longer than necessary at her lips. Again. And then at her face, which was a really bad idea, because I was looking at the full picture, the lips with the eyes, the cheeks, the innocent bow-shaped cherry lips.

Damn it.

“Great.” Just freaking great. How the hell had a simple kiss turned me on?

It was wrong.

So horribly wrong.

Yet my body was ready — and screaming about the rightness of it all.

Hell.

“We should get back to the house, unless you wanted to watch the movie?”
Please don’t want to watch the movie
.

“House,” she said in a hoarse voice. “House sounds good.”

We sat a foot apart the entire taxi ride back to the neighborhood, and when the car screeched to a stop, she jumped out and ran inside the house, slamming the door behind her.

Which left me on the doorstep after I paid the driver.

With no choice but to call the guys and see if they could make sense out of the mess I’d created.

“I’m a piece of shit,” I blurted the minute Tex answered with his gruff voice asking who I killed and if I needed cleanup.

Tex burst out laughing on the other end of the phone. “This may be my favorite conversation we’ve ever had. Please continue. Should I be recording this? Hold on, I’m putting you on speakerphone.”

“You son of a bitch! You said you were alone!”

“He’s the Cappo, he lies for a living,” came Chase’s amused voice. “So, you’re a piece of shit, and…?”

The phone crackled like they were playing hot potato with it, taking turns listening to my embarrassment.

Funny, the rage wasn’t even present in that moment.

I was too damn confused and irritated to feel even the slightest bit of anger, which, if I thought about it too long, made me feel even more unsettled.

Anger had always been available.

And now, it was out of reach.

Because of a stupid kiss.

And the words that had followed.

I groaned and slammed my hand against the cement stairs, my palm stung as little pieces of cement stuck to my skin. “I pulled a gun on her.”

“And?” Nixon asked.

“You too? Really?” I rolled my eyes and looked up to the sky hoping like hell Andi was enjoying the show. Grab popcorn, sweetheart, it’s about to get much worse. I could almost hear her laughter ringing in the air.

And for the first time in a while.

It didn’t make me want to commit suicide.

Progress?

Or maybe just insanity.

I’d take either. Both?

Over the confusion, I felt in the pit of my stomach as though I’d just marched into completely unfamiliar territory and lost the map that told me how to get back to the safe zone.

“Was she in trouble?” Chase asked.

“If those Alferos are giving you shit, we’ll take the next flight out. Son of a bitch, I knew it!” Tex started barking orders while I waited for someone more sane to interrupt him.

Naturally, the sane one would be Mo, his wife, who was the next to speak. “Wait, you pulled a gun
on
her? Not
for
her?”

Silence.

I looked at the phone. Yeah, still connected. I sighed.

“In my defense, we had a moment.” Oh hell, someone just shoot me and get it over with. A moment? Seriously? Was I eighteen again?

“Gasp!” Chase yelled. “No shit, Serg, a moment, huh? Better notify the CIA. Better yet, bomb New York. God forbid you have a moment with anyone.”

“I’m setting you on fire next time I see you,” I growled. ”Fair warning and all that.”

Chase laughed. “Losing your touch, since the last time you tried to hurt me you used the element of surprise, who’s a bitch now?”

“Still you,” I fired back.

“Wait, wait, wait.” Another feminine voice piped up.

I sighed. “Hey Mil.”

“Yo.” Something crunched on the other end of the phone. “Bee’s here too.”

“I think it’s safe to just assume…” Nixon chuckled. “…everyone’s here.”

“No shit,” I muttered. “And my humiliation’s complete.”

“Let us be the judge of that,” Tex said. “Now, you pulled a gun on her because you had a…”

“Moment.” Chase finished for him.

“Right.” The bastard was probably using every ounce of control he had to keep himself from laughing. “And so you pulled a gun on her to scare her away from your… hidden treasure?”

“Maybe his—” he coughed “—treasure doesn’t work anymore.” Chase snickered. “Like it’s hidden but no map can find it…” He burst out laughing. “Serg, be honest, was there ever any treasure in the first place? We won’t tell.”

“Forget setting you on fire, I’m gonna take a sniper’s shot, coward’s way out and all that, hope you don’t mind.”

“Eh.” Chase laughed again. “I’ll duck.”

“He’s good at that,” Mil offered helpfully while Chase started yelling so loudly I had to pull the phone away from my ear.

“I really don’t know why I called,” I said mostly to myself. “I’m just trying to keep her away, all right? My wife just died. Oh, look a freaking elephant, I think I just shot it in the ass.” I huffed out a breath and kept talking so I wouldn’t lose my nerve. “Look, it’s fine, I’m here on a job, the only problem is she’s my job and, as of yesterday, she didn’t even know the mafia existed outside of TV shows.”

I was met with absolute silence.

“Shit, you’re serious?” Nixon asked, his voice laced with disbelief. “I mean, we assumed she’d at least not be ignorant.”

“She works in a flower shop,” I interrupted whatever else he was going to say. “And she thought it was a hidden camera show! And then she accused me of being a loan shark.”

“Hah, if the shoe fits,” Chase muttered.

“Wait,” Bee piped up. “What does this have to do with the kiss?”

“Keep up!” Phoenix snapped. “They had a
moment,
and he panicked because she’s innocent.”

“Kind of.” I frowned. Was that why I freaked? “More like, I panicked because I don’t want her, not like that.”

It felt wrong saying those words out loud.

Like I was hurting her even though she wasn’t even there.

But I couldn’t want her.

Not like that.

And I couldn’t give her anything she deserved.

But I could at least keep a promise. Right?

“Harsh,” Tex coughed. “So after the gun what did you guys do?”

“Watched a movie.” I might as well tell them everything. “And I noticed that she couldn’t even look at me without shaking, so I tried to make things better and asked for a sign, you know, because clearly I’m losing my sanity, and a preview came on about kissing and making things better so I just… went for it.”

“And when you say you went for it?” Tex’s voice held amusement.

“I kissed her, and forced her to kiss me back, then told her it was to prove a point, and she slammed the car door and the door to the house in my face, and now I’m freezing my nuts off sitting on the cement talking to you bastards, no offense girls, and most likely fulfilling a lifelong dream of Chase’s by allowing him to play Doctor Phil.”

“Love that guy, he’s a genius,” Chase whispered reverently.

“Tex, I say this in all seriousness, come down here and put a bullet in my head, it will be easier that way. Please.”

“Okay!” Tex answered. Yelling ensued as more noise made it impossible to hold the phone to my head. “What!” Tex yelled about the dropping of plates and crashing. “He said please! He never says please! He’s desperate! Mo, get off!” Mo started yelling in Italian while Tex asked, “How you want it?”

“Oh I’m not picky, head, clean exit, you know, the usual.”