Authors: Bethany-Kris
“Tough. I’m still coming home. I won’t keep hiding. I have a life.” Lucian smiled and added, “
We
have a life we’re only starting together. I’d like to get back to it.”
“I wasn’t going anywhere, Lucian.”
“Oh, I know, sweetheart.”
“Mmm, you have been watching, haven’t you?”
Lucian shrugged. “I couldn’t be far from you for long.”
Jordyn remembered the box she still held and tried to hand it over. “From your father.”
“Actually,” Lucian said in that cocky way of his, “… it’s from me for you. I had him pick it up when it came in a few days ago. I wanted you to have something from me tonight to wear with your gown. Go on, open it.”
Not entirely sure what to expect, considering the last gift she revived from a Marcello that came in a box like this was thousands of dollars’ worth of diamonds, Jordyn took a breath and opened the box. For a moment, she didn’t look down, not wanting to be overwhelmed again by jewelry she couldn’t ever afford on her own.
“Look at it, sweetheart. I promise it’s not pretentious and you’ll love it.”
Trusting him, she finally regarded the gift. A single strand of white pearls with matching earrings rested inside the box. Between every globe was a tiny diamond separating the pearls. The piece wasn’t ostentatious at all. In fact, it was delicate and simple in design and very much to her taste had she been the one to pick it out. She hadn’t even given thought to her jewelry for the night, and it was one thing Cecelia didn’t bother to mention.
Now Jordyn understood why.
“It’s beautiful,” she whispered, still awed. “Thank you.”
“You’re more than welcome. It felt like you. I wondered how they would look on you. May I?” Lucian asked, waving at the pearls.
“Yes, please.”
Carefully, Lucian removed the pearls from their case and under his urging, Jordyn turned so he could place the strand around her throat. Warm fingers ghosted along the expanse of her neck as he clasped the back of the necklace closed before releasing the jewelry and kissing the side of her neck. He let her put the earrings in herself, refusing to remove his lips from her throat all the while.
Jordyn sighed into the kiss. “Yeah, I definitely missed you.”
“Love me, too?”
“Of course.”
“Good,” Lucian murmured as his arms wrapped her frame once more. “And I know you’re worried about tonight, but you really shouldn’t be, Jordyn. Money might give people all the control and power in the world they can buy, but it doesn’t give them what’s most important. Designer dresses doesn’t give a woman beauty if she’s not amazing in her heart. Diamonds won’t give her dignity if she has no good in her soul. Education doesn’t make a man worthy. A last name won’t garner someone respect unless they can work for it. Those are things we earn by being who we are. You are wonderful. I wouldn’t want anyone else to stand with me tonight while I celebrate my mother.”
Oddly, those words were all Jordyn needed to hear to make the nerves disappear.
• • •
“
Buon compleanno
,
Mamma
,” Lucian murmured in his mother’s ear as he came up behind her, wishing her a happy birthday.
Antony met his son’s gaze and smiled, pride shining through strongly. “Good to see you, son.”
“You, too.”
Cecelia’s lips split with a wide smile as she turned to face Lucian. “You’re here!”
“Of course I am, and on time, as you demanded. You look lovely,” Lucian appraised, taking in the white silk and chiffon gown Cecelia wore. “Angelic. Appropriate for one of the angels in my life looking out for me.”
Cecelia may not have given him life as his mother, but she had given him the next best thing: love. She was the second woman on earth to show him it was possible to love something with an unconditional fierceness. While his biological mother had given up her life to save his, Cecelia gave that life back in a whole new way. Cecelia had essentially taught him how to love others … like Jordyn. Lucian wouldn’t miss his mother’s special day for the world.
His mother winked, glancing over his shoulder at Jordyn who was already in conversation with Gio. “Did I do well?”
“Perfect,” Lucian assured. “She looks beautiful. Thank you.”
Cecelia reached up and swiped at the corner of his mouth, suppressing her grin. “Well, even if you hadn’t said anything, I would have guessed you liked it by the red stains on your mouth. Try to keep the PDA to a minimum, Lucian. No need to go marking your territory all over the place tonight, sweet boy.”
“Got it.”
“I’m so very happy for you.”
“I know,” he said quietly. “But it’s your night, not mine. I take it we’re still drinking ourselves stupid on cocktails until they allow us into the ballroom again?”
Cecelia nodded, eyeing the closed doors over her shoulder. “I’m getting bored.”
“It won’t be long,” Antony said behind her. “Patience,
Tesoro
.”
“Did you like my gift this morning?” Lucian asked his mother.
“The flowers were lovely. They filled the kitchen table. I didn’t have time to find places for them all.”
“There was a point to that. I bought you a bushel for every room in the house so you wouldn’t keep moving them from room to room like you did the last time I bought you flowers.”
“I figured,” Cecelia said wirily. “I still have to decide where they need to go in the rooms, though. It’s a process, Lucian. Someday you’ll understand.”
“Did you look inside the flowers?” he asked purposely.
“No, why?” Cecelia eyed him curiously, smiling even wider. “What did you do?”
“There’s something special in each of the bouquets. Be sure to check them all, yes?”
“Lucian … the flowers were enough.”
No, they certainly weren’t. Not for his mother.
“I love you, Mom,” Lucian said. “Always.”
Cecelia sighed softly. “I love you, too, my boy. Now, go keep an eye on your brothers before they steal Jordyn away.”
She didn’t have to tell Lucian again. Sure, he wanted to speak with his father about what he missed over the last couple of weeks, and Cecelia definitely deserved more of his time, considering he missed most of her birthday. Still, Lucian felt out of place when Jordyn wasn’t at his side.
“You’re a special kind of woman,” Lucian told his mother. “There’s a beautiful place in heaven for mothers of all boys, especially our kind.”
“So someone keeps telling me,” Cecelia agreed with a look back at Antony. “Go, Lucian.”
It wasn’t long before Lucian was back where he belonged, and so was his hand, firmly planted to the curve in Jordyn’s waist. Because some of the guests in the hall were friends of Lucian’s parents, those people made their way through the crowd sipping on catered drinks to give Cecelia birthday wishes. That, of course, led them to the brothers to say hello, also.
Jordyn didn’t stay hidden behind Lucian, and for that, he was proud. Introducing her to just a few people was good enough, as once they knew, it would start to spread between the others who were curious and asked without actually coming to meet her themselves. That was also how the gossip would begin to spread, but he didn’t care.
It wasn’t like he planned on leaving her alone to the wolves.
After the doors were opened to the ballroom for the important guests who were invited early to the Opera event, things moved more fluidly. While the whole night was essentially about the show happening later, the early party had a point, too. A silent auction was going on in the hall they’d just come from, all the proceeds being donated to a charity both Cecelia and Antony were fond of.
The live band in the background of the ballroom was of a more classical type. Certainly not to Lucian’s tastes, though his mother pulled him out to dance a waltz with her at least once. It led her to demanding he do the same with Jordyn.
How was he supposed to deny his mother when it was her birthday?
“Let me lead, sweetheart,” Lucian told Jordyn after she muttered for the fourth time she couldn’t dance to music like this. After the first steps, Jordyn caught on that the waltz was a simple few movements that followed the same pattern over and over. It was about the man leading to show off the beauty of his partner. “See, easy.”
Jordyn winked, then looked around. “People are watching us again.”
“Good. Beautiful things should be watched. They shine.”
• • •
“You don’t seem impressed,” Jordyn said quietly.
Lucian shrugged, chancing a glance over his shoulder at the curtain that kept their private booth closed off. “Opera and theater isn’t my favorite thing. Cecelia loves it, so Dante couldn’t resist getting us the balconies for her birthday.”
“I think it’s fascinating. The elegance and power mixed together is kind of astounding.”
“You do, huh?” Lucian was happy she was enjoying herself. “That’s all that matters, then.”
“It does get to be tiring after a while, though.”
Jordyn tossed him a grin from her plush leather chair pushed close to his. Between them, their fingers laid laced together, her thumb rolling soothingly over the side of his hand. It was the only thing keeping Lucian from nodding off in the dimly lit balcony, even with the singing filling the theater. Her innocent touch was ensuring Lucian’s body was fully awake and hyperaware of just how close she was.
Oh, he’d missed this woman terribly.
“Another hour,” Jordyn said, reading the event itinerary in her hand. “And then you’ll be free again.”
Lucian hummed lowly. “Or we could skip out now. I do have that hotel room booked for the night. It’d be a shame to waste it and the hot tub out on the balcony I didn’t even get to try.”
Jordyn’s lips crept upwards with a smirk. “Will Cecelia be terribly angry?”
“She won’t even know.”
His lover was standing before Lucian could get another word in edgewise.
The moment the elevator doors opened, Lucian was pushing Jordyn inside the small space.
Jordyn had teased and touched him with her soft hands and sweet mouth all the way back to the hotel. Whispered words in his ear sent desire spiking. Lucian was as hard as a steel rod under his tuxedo pants and it was becoming downright fucking painful.
He was going to find the best relief between the heavens of her thighs.
Lucian backed Jordyn into the corner of the empty elevator, his lips meeting hers punishingly. All over again, he wanted to leave his marks on her body and feel her on his for days afterwards. Being apart, even if it was only for a couple of weeks, had led him into a slow insanity of want. Her tongue slipped into the heat of his mouth, exploding his taste buds with her flavor and causing his cock to grow harder still.
The shower and palm sessions just weren’t getting it done. Lucian needed this.
“I’ve wanted to fuck you so badly,” Lucian muttered against Jordyn’s mouth. “Taste you coming all over my tongue.
Mio Dio
, I’ve missed this.”
Jordyn gasped a breathy laugh as his teeth and lips attacked her neck. “Not in here, Lucian.”
“Why not? Let’s give the cameras a show, sweetheart.”
Lucian took the silent glimmer of heated desire in her eyes as her consent. Driving the satiny skirt of her gown upwards, he reveled in the smoothness of her thighs to his palms. With her dress above her knees in his grasp, Jordyn squeaked an embarrassed noise that stopped his motions in their tracks.
It was only then Lucian realized the elevator doors were finally beginning to close.
A glance over his shoulder said someone had slipped in last minute and was standing only feet away, attention fully diverted to the closed doors of the elevator. Lucian huffed an irritated sigh and rested his forehead to Jordyn’s chin, feeling her smile as he dropped her dress back in place.
“Dammit,” he mumbled.
Jordyn giggled. “Patience is a virtue.”
“I’m not a virtuous man,” Lucian replied very quietly. “Not when it comes to you.”
Still, he couldn’t help but think the person’s presence behind him was odd. It was a hotel, a rather busy and well-known one, for that matter. But, that wasn’t really his issue. Frankly, it was late, which meant most guests were either in their rooms, or still enjoying the New York nightlife.
Most people tended to take notice of an engaged couple in an elevator and made an effort to let the doors close and wait for the next one, not wanting to be rude or interrupt.
At least, that’s what Lucian would do.
This hotel sported four elevators. Why in the hell was his so important?
Tossing another scathingly look over his shoulder, something else about their elevator guest caused Lucian to take pause as the machine began to lift. Like Lucian and Jordyn, the man seemed well-dressed in a tuxedo, but the ball cap he also wore was off-putting to the rest of the suit. The guy was keeping his back turned and head down, ensuring his face was hidden from view.
Just like the ball cap would have done for the cameras up above.
No one needed to keep their face hidden unless they didn’t want to be seen.
All over again, like the day he was shot, Lucian was starting to get that creepy feeling. Something wasn’t right. Maybe he did have one hell of an instinct he never noticed before now; it was sure acting up again.
Jordyn didn’t seem to take notice of Lucian’s sudden discomfort, leaning back to the wall with her hands resting to the bar along the back of the elevator wall. Or maybe she just assumed he was tense from being cock blocked.
“Jordyn?”
Her blue eyes turned on Lucian with a heat burning behind the irises. “Hmm?”
“Kiss me.”
“What?” Jordyn whispered, grinning again.
Lucian had the distinct feeling they were stuck in a six-by-six confined space in a bad situation, and while he hoped he was wrong, he probably wasn’t. Elevators only went up and down. They didn’t stop to open on upper floors to pick up others unless those guests had pushed the up button, also. No one in a hotel wanted to go up unless they were going to their room. Chances were, their elevator wouldn’t stop until it reached the top floor. As always, his ever faithful Eagle was at his back, but it would only do so much.
So yeah, Lucian wanted to kiss her.
Lucian didn’t bother to ask Jordyn again, he simply leaned forward and took what he wanted, pinning her to the elevator wall under his hands as his lips claimed hers. Jordyn didn’t shy away from the kiss, instead sighing a quiet moan and granting him access to her mouth. Intense couldn’t adequately describe the way his entire body seemed to tune in to her, the person behind him, and everything else around them.
“Close your eyes,” Lucian murmured lowly. “And no matter what, don’t move. It won’t help.”
The distinct zing of a wire as it uncoiled registered behind him. Lucian knew that sound. It wasn’t the first time he heard it, or used it himself, for that matter.
Jordyn’s brow furrowed as she looked up at him. “What are you talking about?”
“Just close your eyes, and don’t move, sweetheart. Trust me.”
She didn’t need to see this. Whatever it was.
Jordyn’s eyes fluttered close and Lucian pressed one more feather light kiss to her cheek before telling her to stay that way no matter what. Then, he started to pull away.
While Lucian kept his words down to a quiet murmur, too low for the man to hear, he hoped the guy thought all of his attention was on Jordyn. It usually was, but he’d been keeping track of the movements he could hear behind him, too.
The man had stepped back at least a foot from his previous position, and he was slightly turned, now. It was only a millisecond before the guy rotated completely and the wire wrapped tightly around Lucian’s throat, yanking him backwards from the unexpected force. The Eagle at his back fell from its spot, hitting the floor with a clatter. Lucian kicked the gun away, not wanting the attacker to pick it up instead.
Instantly, all the air in Lucian’s lungs left. It was a natural reaction of the body to expel air in a shock. It was also why those who suffered death by strangulation died fast. The fight or flight instinct kicked in for the victim, all desire being completely focused on the one thing: the need to breathe.
But, no matter how hard or fiercely the victim fought for that breath, with an attacker behind them, and a wire to their throat cutting off all oxygen to their damaged trachea, it became a useless fight. Too much energy was focused on needing to breathe, and not the fact they needed to find a way out of the situation.
A wire was quick, quiet, and effective. It was more efficient in a hand-to-hand situation than most other weapons when a job needed to be done quietly. There was no fuss about it, and no mess to clean up but for a body with a mark around the neck. It could essentially take down a two-hundred pound man with little to no fight at all in mere minutes, if not seconds, when done correctly. There could be a crowd of people just feet away, and they would never know a thing until the body was found.
Lucian was not a stupid man. He’d used this silent attack before. It was a good one, frankly.
Despite knowing the last thing he needed to do was fight for his breath and instead, fight to get the wire off his neck, Lucian couldn’t help the immediate flood of fear and adrenaline raging a war in his body. Pulled back against the strong chest of his attacker, Lucian’s hands grappled for anything in those first few seconds. He wanted support, something for leverage to keep him steady. Instead, he found himself grabbing at air because he was panicking.
The choked off cry he released came out on its own accord. Another natural reaction of a body in survival mode.
Jordyn’s eyes opened, then, staring straight into Lucian’s.
It took her but a flash to take in her surroundings and realize what was occurring. The fear there was immediate, breaking his heart as he couldn’t tell her to close them again if he couldn’t speak. Lucian didn’t want her to see this happening to him. When she jerked forward from the wall to try and help him, he managed a tight shake of his head that sent her flying back into the corner. She could have picked up his gun and turned it on the man, sure, but she wasn’t all too familiar with weapons or how to use them. There wasn’t anything more dangerous than someone will little to no knowledge of how to use one brandishing a handgun.
Who knew what this person behind him would do to Jordyn, but the intent on Lucian was clear enough that he was going to keep his attention on him for as long as he could. Lucian also wasn’t sure if the wire was the only weapon the attacker had.
Those wide blue eyes of hers with tears spilling to her cheeks and a fist pressed to her mouth did do something good for Lucian. For a brief moment, it calmed him. The welling, thick panic saturating his senses dulled enough to let him think, and consider more than just the acts.
The man behind him was strong, even with Lucian’s fingernails digging deeply into the forearms locked behind his neck, keeping the wire extra taut. The attacker didn’t speak, not a word. In fact, he barely seemed to breathe as he squeezed tighter. The lack of scent also caught Lucian’s attention. People wore things … deodorant, perfumes or colognes, shampoos, and soaps. If they didn’t, a person smelled like sweat and poor hygiene. This person had no smell.
Because they’d wanted to be invisible, Lucia realized.
The man had meant to be overlooked. Just another guest in the corner of the hotel, chatting on a phone or reading a paper. No one important or a cause for concern.
A professional.
Perhaps the man had been at the hotel earlier, but his chance to make a move had been lost for whatever reason.
Lucian quickly decided this one would be, too.
As much as his body and mind screamed in protest at the choice, Lucian compelled himself to let go of the man’s arms and stop grabbing at the wire around his throat. It wouldn’t do him any good at this point. He tried to think how many seconds had passed with him in the panicked state—thirty, maybe.
Inside his chest, his lungs burned with the need for air. Saliva was choking him. His eyes felt dry. His heart beat far too fast and out of control and his mind was muddled, but clearing slowly. Pain from the wire cutting into his neck was dulled compared to everything else. The urge to cough, though no sound would come out, bubbled up repeatedly.
Thirty-five seconds.
Thirty-six …
Thirty-seven …
At forty, Lucian forced his body to relax.
The man didn’t loosen the wire for a second.
A professional wouldn’t, Lucian knew. They weren’t supposed to stop until the job was done.
Lucian hated that’s what his life was right now, a job.
Once more, Lucian met Jordyn’s teary-eyed gaze. He was aware of what she was seeing, and how frozen she was because there wasn’t a thing she could do. It was likely his face was turning red, blood vessels in his eyes expanding, readying to burst from the lack of oxygen. Perhaps a bluish tint was beginning to creep over his grimacing lips.
Forty-five, he counted silently.
Lucian wanted to marry Jordyn. He didn’t know when exactly, but he had a feeling it didn’t much matter as long as she was his. Every morning and every single night, he wanted to love her. He couldn’t—wouldn’t—ever get enough of her. Strangely, he bet Jordyn would make an amazing mother to his children, something else he’d never considered but wanted with her so desperately. He didn’t even care she’d only been in his life for a couple of brief months, as something inside whispered she wasn’t ever going to leave.
Sometimes that was how love worked.
It was the worst time to be having the realizations, but the mind has a funny way of coping.
Fifty seconds …
A darkness was starting to seep into the edges of his vision. If he didn’t act soon, the oxygen deprivation would pull him into a blackout.
As the elevator dropped slightly from reaching the top floor, the door dinged and began to open. It was the moment Lucian had been waiting for. He only needed to survive the trip up, as his attacker no doubt assumed his job would be finished within that time frame. Briefly, the wire loosened just enough to tell Lucian the man had turned to check the opening doors. Lucian took the chance to breathe, as deep and with what little air he could, though it hurt to do so.
At that point, he attacked back.
One of his elbows landed with punishing force to the middle of the man’s stomach, knocking the air from his lungs with a staggered whoosh. At the same time, despite the protest and pain from the wire at his throat, Lucian used what strength he had left to pull forward enough so his other elbow could slam up into his attacker’s face.
The sickening crunch of a nose breaking told him he hit his mark right on.
“Shit,” he heard hissed behind him.
Maybe the man hadn’t expected Lucian to have the power left he did after being choked to near unconsciousness, but the surprise hits worked. The wire slipped from one gloved hand, releasing the deathly tight hold on Lucian’s throat.