Dylan (23 page)

“You told Dylan?” Is her only response.

Really, that’s what she chose to focus
on?
I look up at the ceiling as I mull around the words in my
head.

“I kind of had to, you know? How can I let
myself fall for him if I’m keeping something like that between us?
Life is about letting go, trusting, and realizing that even if you
get screwed over, you learn from it. Life is about more than
playing it safe. I don’t want to find someone I can live with. I
want to find someone I can’t live without.”

When I look back, Trisha is silently crying
again, but this time there is something else in her eyes.
Determination maybe, or acceptance. I’m not sure, but it’s
reassuring.

“You’re right.” She swipes at her face with
her hands. “I’m going to see him.”

“I think that’s a good idea, as long as you
remember to tell him you love him while you’re there.” I smirk at
her, knowing exactly how this will end.

Trisha smiles brightly before picking
herself up to walk to her room with a little extra bounce in her
step. As soon as she is out the door, my thoughts return to Dylan.
I want to dress to impress tonight. I want to look so good that
Dylan will never be able to look at a half-dressed woman the way he
did the night I met him again. I want to be the only woman he sees,
and that is a new feeling for me.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Trisha

I’ve only
been to Ethan’s condo a handful of times, but even if I’d never
been here I’d know it belongs to him. The ridiculously expensive
car sitting outside, the fact that this prime piece of property
sits directly in the center of the city, and then there is the
empty tumblers he uses to drink his scotch, clumsily strewn on the
outside table.

I walk up the steps and onto the nicely
finished wooden deck. I know that there is a matching deck just on
the other of the house. Only that side opens onto the beach instead
of the street, and has a great view of the ocean in the distance.
We have sat out there many nights together before moving inside for
another wild night together. This place is gorgeous, and insanely
expensive. There aren’t many people who can afford to live so
lavishly around here.

I knock gently, and the door swings open,
but no one is on the other side. My heart rate picks up instantly.
Why would Ethan’s door not only be unlocked, but open?

Ethan has never denied who he is. Not that I
needed him to tell me he is the son of the most infamous mobster in
Florida. However, as soon as he decided he wanted to keep me around
as his own little plaything, he told me everything. I had been okay
with it. In fact, knowing he could keep me safe had been part of
what attracted me to him.

Ethan Quinn is so much more than a badass
with a gun, and I fell fast and hard. Now, I’m about to tell him
that, and the only thing I can think
is
that something has happened to him. Ethan is usually pretty
laidback when it comes to security measures. He knows he can take
care of himself, but I’ve never seen him leave his front door open
before.

I push it fully open as I slowly step
inside. It’s a disaster in here, which only increases my fear.
Ethan is the epitome of neat freak, but even if he weren’t, his
housekeeper, Talia, would never allow it to look like this.

I step quietly around the random items of
trash littering the floor. There are beer cans, pizza boxes, and
random bags of half-eaten food items. The couch is shoved slightly
out of place, and the cushions are on the floor.

As I move into the narrow hallway that leads
to Ethan’s room, I hear a loud crash followed by a muffled sound.
My panic increases, and I find myself rushing in that
direction—needing to see for myself that he is okay.

His bedroom door is closed, and as I shove
it open, I feel my heart drop into the pit of my stomach and
explode into a pain so sharp I know that I must be bleeding
internally.

Ethan hasn’t seen me yet. He has his naked
backside facing my direction as he hammers away into a girl I’ve
never seen before. She has her head thrown back, and her auburn
hair is falling loosely around her shoulders. Their clothes are
flung around the room, and the sound of their bodies slapping
against each other is embedding itself into my brain.

Anger tears through me. Without thinking, I
storm across the room, grab a lamp off his dresser, and hurl it at
them. It crashes loudly against the wall, just missing the back of
his head, and they jump apart as the girl’s shrill scream fills the
air. The stench of sex and pot fills my every breath, and fuels the
anger already burning brightly inside of me. I know this will be
his excuse. He was too drunk or too high to know what he was doing.
Well, fuck that.

I focus my attention on the girl he’s with,
because I know I will never forget her. For the rest of my life, it
will be this girl who ruined whatever illusions I’d created when it
came to Ethan. “Get out of here before I remove every strand of
hair on your head one at a time.”

She moves to walk around him, and Ethan
doesn’t stop her as she circles the room slowly gathering her
discarded clothes. Her eyes are wondering between the two of us,
but she doesn’t say anything. I wonder where he picked this one up.
What kind of woman doesn’t even try to defend herself in this
situation? She must fuck a lot of taken men to not be even the
slightest bit fazed. Ethan’s eyes are on me. I can feel the heat of
his gaze, but I keep my eyes on the woman who shattered my
world.

When she finally leaves, I force myself to
take a deep breath before turning my gaze back to Ethan. His face
is flat and emotionless, but his eyes are flashing fury. I want to
throw things at him. I want to scream and yell. I want to hurt him
the way that he has hurt me, but I know that I can’t. It’s
impossible to hurt someone who never cared in the first place.

I swallow back my tears and decide there
will be plenty of time for crying later. Right now, I need to
figure out how I will get the strength to leave him, and not go
running back when he begs. I know Ethan, and he fights dirty to get
what he wants—even if it’s just sex.

“Is this what you want, Ethan? Like, for the
rest of your life?”

He doesn’t respond, but I can see a
questioning look shadow his face.

“I came here to talk to you.” I rest my
hands on my hips as I glare at him.

“If I wanted to talk, I’d have answered the
phone.” Ethan crosses his arms defensively over his bare chest as
he finally speaks. His words feel like daggers shredding the
remaining pieces of my heart.

“So, you were ignoring me so you could fuck
whomever you want? Does that make you feel less guilty?”

Ethan takes a harsh step toward me. I
immediately take one back. “I have a lot to feel guilty for,
Trisha, and none of it has a damn thing to do with you.”

My face flames in humiliation and anger at
his words.
Why am I still here?
“And it never will again. I
deserve so much better than this.”

I turn to walk away when his hand clasps
around my elbow. I try to jerk it free, but he uses my momentum to
pull me against his chest. He looks down at me, and I realize that
I don’t recognize him. This isn’t the same Ethan. Something has
changed, and it’s more than the fact he’s completely naked next to
my fully clothed body. I’m too upset to care about exactly what it
is at the moment, though.

“Let go of me, Ethan.” I bite the words out
without looking at him.

“What’s the difference, Trisha? You can fuck
any man who looks at you, but I’m not allowed to touch anyone else?
Sorry, love, but I don’t play that game.”

My eyes widen as a new wave of heated anger
courses through me. My pride overrides my need to escape. “I
haven’t fucked anyone since you! How dare you accuse me of fucking
anyone, especially after this?” I wave my free hand around his room
in irritation.

Ethan leans in closer to me, his eyes still
burning brightly. “Don’t fucking lie, Trisha. I’ve seen them touch
you. I don’t see you pushing them away.” I feel my face scrunch
down in question.
What the hell is he talking about?
“Yeah,
I’ve seen it. When you think I’m not there, and you let them put
their hands all over you.”

“No one puts their hands on me, Ethan.”

He squeezes my elbow. I wince, but he
doesn’t seem to notice. “So I’m imagining you grinding against them
at parties, huh? It’s all in my head?”

“The only thing I do at parties is dance. Do
men touch me while we dance? Yeah, sometimes, but it’s only dancing
you fucking moron!”

“No man would be happy just dancing with
you. Have you looked in a fucking mirror? Men dream of women who
look like you.”

“They can keep fucking dreaming, and now, so
can you, because you sure as fuck won’t touch me again either.” I
jerk against his hold, but he doesn’t let go.

Ethan stares at me. The glazed over look in
his eyes makes my chest ache. Would he have done this if he was
sober? Has he done this before? How many other woman has he been
with? “Let go of me, Ethan.”

“Why did you come here, Trisha? Did you need
me to take care of that tight little pussy of yours? Did you miss
my mouth? I know how much you love my mouth. I can—”

“I came here to tell you that I love you.
That I am in fucking love with you, Ethan!” I cut him off before he
can tear me apart any further.

Ethan’s grip instantly loosens and he
stumbles back, never taking his eyes away from me. “What did you
just say?”

I use this moment to rush out of his
apartment, and I’m not surprised when he doesn’t follow me. I
should go home. I should vent to Raven, watch sad movies, and cry
myself to sleep, but that won’t make me feel better.

I climb into my car, send a text to Dad and
Raven, and drive out of town. Running may seem cowardly, but it’s
the only thing that will help. I don’t need to be around him. If I
am, I know I will be under him as soon as he apologizes. I don’t
want to be that kind of girl. I won’t be that. Not for Ethan. Not
for anyone.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Dylan

I pull up
to the house at exactly six o’clock, and the lazy guard at the gate
just waves me through without calling the house first. I am
definitely going to have a conversation with Jim about that. If
Raven is staying here, then I want her safe.

I walk up the steps before knocking on the
door. Jim pulls it open with a concerned look on his face.

“Dylan. I wasn’t expecting you.” He says
with a lifted brow, his
arms crossed over
his chest.

“I came to see Raven. She’s expecting me.
You need to fire that motherfucker working the gate. He just waved
me through.”

Jim nods, stepping back to allow the door to
open farther. “Raven and Harper are in the kitchen.”

“Thanks.” I start to walk past him when his
hand shoots out and stops me. I look over at him, and see the
warning in his eyes loud and clear before he ever speaks.

“If you hurt her, I will hunt you down. Do
you understand me? I don’t care what organization you belong to.
The only reason I’m letting you anywhere near her is because I know
you can protect her, and she really needs someone to be that person
for her.”

I nod, but don’t respond with words. After
what Raven told me, I’d be pretty pissed to not get this talk from
the only other man in her life who gives a shit. He drops my arm
allowing me to walk through the house and into the kitchen. I see
them instantly.

Raven is wearing a jean skirt that has my
heart lodging in my throat, and my thoughts racing. The lacy red
and black tank and black pumps aren’t helping me calm down in the
slightest. This has to be Trisha’s outfit, but even if it is, Raven
pulls it off better than anyone else ever could. It clings to every
beautifully natural curve of her body as she moves around the
kitchen grabbing everything necessary for a PB & J.

That’s when my eyes settle on the little
girl waiting patiently at the breakfast bar for her sandwich. The
resemblance to Raven is undeniable, and I wonder how I missed it
the first time I met this adorable little girl. She’s the same girl
I originally assumed was Trisha’s sister.

The little girl shifts slightly in her seat,
and innocent brown eyes look up at me. A grin spreads across her
face as she starts to clap drawing Raven’s attention. I move around
the island and lean down to press a kiss against Raven’s cheek. She
blushes as she sets the plate down in front of Harper who
immediately starts devouring the sandwich.

“Sorry, she was hungry. I thought she’d have
it finished before you got here.”

“Hey, no worries, Angel. You want to
introduce us?”

Raven smiles as she gathers a still eating
Harper in her arms. The sweet little girl now has peanut butter
gushing out the corners of her mouth, and I feel my smile grow as
my heart inflates right along with it.

“Harper, this is my friend Dylan. Dylan,
this is Harper.”

Harper looks up at me with the same smile as
before, and I reach out to shake her hand. “It’s nice to meet you,
Harper. Would you and your mommy come to dinner with me? I’d really
like to not eat dinner by myself.”

Harper grins as she tangles one hand into
Raven’s soft hair. “Mommy go to winner?”

Raven chuckles as she nods happily at
Harper. Harper looks back at me, and nods too. “We go winner wif
you.”

I clutch my heart, and breathe an
exaggerated breath of relief. “Whew! I was starting to sweat over
here.”

A laugh pours from Raven. It fills the room
with the most beautiful sound I have ever heard. I tilt my head
toward the door and let Raven and Harper walk out in front of me.
We stop so they can say their goodbyes to Jim, and then we get a
car seat put in my car for Harper. After I get the seat put in, I
step back and watch as Raven tucks Harper safely inside her seat
before she stands up to face me. I can’t hold back anymore. I have
to touch her.