In Too Deep (The Lovers Duet) (27 page)

Ronan and Naomi looked equally as impressive. He wore a black Armani suit while she was dressed in a black cocktail dress straight from some exclusive boutique on the Strip with a pair of Christian Louboutin high heels. Her lean, muscular body was a sight to behold in her outfit and as usual, her cropped, pixie cut and makeup matched perfectly with her outfit.

Linx looked like the perfect rock star in a pair of black leather pants and a white dress shirt which fit him perfectly. His hair was perfectly rock star, all mussed and bedhead perfection that actually was a lot more work than it seemed.

I rarely left his side though I felt awkward in the violet cocktail dress I wore, which was babydoll style to make room for my growing baby bump and a pair of three-inch Chanel pumps that matched my dress.

My hair was up in a chignon with a few pieces sporadically placed to hide the tattoo on the back of my neck.

I noticed even at a party like this, people segregated themselves to the class of people they were used to associating with and the only couple that fit both worlds was Kaz and Syd. She was an heiress after all, worth billions of dollars and her wealth would expand even more after the Landvik Hotel, Spa and Casino was finished being built. Her grandfather had already willed it to her so she would become a regular power player in Vegas like many of the other big shots in the room.

I sipped mineral water as Talia spoke to me in hushed tones. Hardy had gone off to speak to his boys—Linx, Jaden, Trey, Ronan, and Kaz—while we were seated on the sofa.

“How’s pregnancy treating you?” She swigged from her champagne and touched my arm gently as she spoke.

“Pretty good. The morning sickness is still a bitch but…what can I do?” I murmured as I swallowed what remained of my San Pellegrino water.

A waiter immediately appeared and took my empty glass before he replaced it with another.

“Then, should you be drinking fizzy beverages? Doesn’t that make the morning sickness even worse?”

I shrugged nonchalantly. “Not for me it doesn’t. I can’t drink alcohol—not even a glass of red wine—without feeling violently ill and upchucking moments later but the little one seems to have no problems with fizzy beverages…yet.”

“I’m proud of you, you know that? After everything you’ve been through, you really have come through this like a champ, sweetie. I’m sorry I haven’t been able to help you out more but as you know, my life has become a soap opera unto itself.” Talia swigged from her champagne again for liquid courage.

“Speaking of, what’s going on between you and Hardy? Things will not end well if Jaden keeps shooting him daggers all night,” I teased.

The point was I had no wish to get into a serious conversation with my cousin. I was happy and so was Linx. We’d had a rough run, and it’d all taken place during the first year of our marriage when we should have been enjoying wedded bliss. I didn’t want to rehash the living nightmare we’d lived through—not with my own fractured psyche and certainly not with my cousin.”

“Hardy and I are both adults and we have an adult relationship. He hasn’t told me a bunch of lies and promised me forever…then again, neither have I. We’re both clean and over the age of twenty-one but if I am being honest with myself, he makes me feel safe. I don’t have to worry he’s sneakin’ around with some Club skank and he knows I am faithful to him.” She paused and finished her champagne before it, too, was quickly replaced with a fresh glass.

“I still love Jaden—fuck it, I am
in
love with Jaden, and I would do anything to ease his pain but that’s not my fucking job. He broke my heart and he wasn’t around when I needed him the most. As far as I’m concerned, whatever we had together is over.”

“Wow.” I shook my head not believing a word she said and truth be told, she didn’t look like she believed her own lies either. “Just like that, Dexter ‘Hardy’ Cox is the man you want to spend some time with and Jaden means nothing? I call bullshit, Talia.”

My cousin glared at me with hard green eyes sharp enough to cut glass. “You also haven’t been through what I have—our situations are like comparing apples to oranges. Between Faith, and the tug-o-war between the three of us…I can’t live my life like that anymore and even if I could…I can’t trust him because he’s never been truthful with me, not once.”

“You know what’s best for you better than I do, Talia.” I glared at her before my face softened. “I just want you to be happy, that’s all. Am I asking too much?”

She shook her head before she stood. “Let’s go see what the guys are up to.”

I dreaded those words left her mouth at all because to me, that sounded like a stupid idea.

We found them in the pool area discussing strategy. I began to walk out before Talia grabbed my hand and we tip-toed into a corner where we couldn’t be seen.

“Dizzy is concerned about your personal safety. We all know the WKs haven’t attacked but that don’t mean they won’t, yeah? More changes are takin’ place and I think they are the best for everyone. The Prez and VP of the Las Vegas charter will be takin’ over Glendale while Ronan and I take him and his VP’s place here in Vegas. We got no choice, man. There could still be blowback from what happened in Belfast with Trey and the WKs are still a problem.”

Kaz shook his head sadly. “Is this really necessary? Does the old man plan on sendin’ you and Ronan behind Trista and Linx like lost fuckin’ puppies every time they decide to make a move?”

“Pretty much.” Ronan lit a cigarette. “We pulled them into this mess, Kaz. You and Jaden are well protected but they will try to come after the weakest links. In this case, it’s Linx because he’s not a full-fledged member and Trista. She’s Trey’s sister and the only family he’s got left. Dad doesn’t want anything to happen to either one of them and he’s willing to do whatever the fuck it takes to keep them alive. It’s as simple as that.”

“Can’t you just hire some Aztecas Infierno members to guard them or somethin’?” Jaden questioned belligerently as he crossed his tattooed arms against his chest.

“Not in this fuckin’ neighborhood. Do you think a few cholos in a ridiculously expensive ride bumpin’ hip-hop music wouldn’t stand out like a sore fuckin’ thumb?” Hardy explained calmly, his Cockney accent thick with sarcasm. “I don’t know what you’ve been smokin’ or who’s got you whipped this week but climb outta the pussy for a moment and
think
with your fuckin’ head instead of your knob for a change. The only Mexicans they’re used to seein’ here are the ones who clean their fuckin’ houses, tend to their perfect fuckin’ gardens and wipe their fuckin’ asses.

“Dizzy has already approved the cash transfer. We managed to buy that ridiculously over-the-top mansion next to Trista and Linx. There’s a guest house, yeah? Ronan and Naomi want to make that their sleeping quarters while Talia and I will be livin’ in the main house like a regular Ozzie and fuckin’ Harriet. No one will know the difference and life will go on as usual. End of.”

“You’re not plannin’ on marrying
my
girl, are you?” Jaden stood and dragged from his cigarette before he allowed the smoke to plume from his nostrils.

“Talia ain’t never been your girl…bro. Who the fuck do you think you’re talking to? I’m your fucking uncle and I will kick your ass from here till next fuckin’ Tuesday if you don’t learn to keep that mouth of yours shut! You blew it with her and yeah, I’m gonna fuckin’ marry her because she deserves stability, a one-woman man who won’t fuck around on her and Kaelan needs an old man. You’re just a fuckin’ pussy who let a rich skank lead you around by your cock. Fuck me—you didn’t even have the balls to tell Talia to her face you were stayin’ with that silly little slapper.”

Hardy stood as Talia and I looked at one another in the dim light. “I’m through with ya, Jaden. Don’t approach my woman and don’t you dare try to break up a happy fuckin’ home because I got some news that’s gonna make you feel like stir-fried curry shit,
bro
. Talia’s pregnant with my fuckin’ kid.

“I been doin’ the good ole pokin’ holes through condoms shit and she’s six weeks along. Now, you’re probably thinkin’, how does she plan to start her contract on time? She don’t till she has the baby and we already worked that shit out with Introspect, Dominic and the hotel. Seth will take over as temporary lead singer until she’s rested and can get back on her feet. The show will go on and you, my friend, have lost the one woman you have ever been in love with…forever.”

I turned toward Talia and dragged her back in the house before the guys could see we’d been eavesdropping on their conversation.

She snatched her arm from my grasp as soon as we climbed the stairs and finally had enough privacy to talk.

“Is it true?”

She looked away before she said, “Yes, it’s true.”

“But you’ve been breastfeeding Kaelan and I thought—”

“I started ovulating not too long after we had that radio interview. Kaelan is old enough to start eating and he’s not taking as much milk from me. I haven’t dried up and I am still breastfeeding but I am also able to get pregnant and last week, I found out I was expecting…again.”

I began to pace while holding the small of my back with one hand while caressing my baby bump with the other. “An abortion—”

“—isn’t an option. Never has been, not after I threw away Seth’s kid in college, Trista.”

“Do you love him?”

“Who? Hardy? Do I have a
choice
? I can’t be that fucked up star with kids and baby daddies all over the place. He wants to marry me and we will get married, simple as pie. He’s committed to me and that is all I can ask any man to be with me when I am so fucked in the head emotionally. Am I ready to do this again? No, I’m not but I’ll deal.” Talia sighed and stared back at me. “Shouldn’t I be the one askin’ questions? What’s up between you and Linx in trouble with the White Knights? Care to elaborate?”

I shook my head. “No, not really. It all goes back to what happened to Trey and Keri in Belfast and we’re just collateral damage. If they took us out, they know it would shatter my brother. He’s hangin’ on by a thread now tryin’ to deal with the death of Keri. Dizzy wants us to be protected and we will be. You don’t debate or defy a man like him…look what happened to that Faith chick.”

“Can’t argue there,” she murmured.

I suddenly felt bad because Talia was still going through shit and with trying to temporarily replace a hole in her heart, she’d fucked herself into a situation she would never be able to get out of.

I closed the distance between us and gripped her shoulders softly. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have yelled at you. You’re gonna be an old lady and you’re going to have another beautiful baby with a man who cares enough about you to make him your old lady. Give me a hug.”

Talia and I embraced before she began to sob. “What am I going to do?”

I smiled. “You’re going to put one foot in front of the other and live one day at a time, Tal. You’re going to learn how to be content, cherish the little things and realize that life is so precious, sometimes we just have to deal with the hand that has been dealt to us. Hardy is committed to you. That should be enough. Take him by the balls and hold on tight, you got that?”

As we separated, she nodded profusely.

“There you are.”

We both looked up to see Linx striding toward me with a seductive smile on his face.

“Talk to you later,” she said before she strolled past Linx and walked down the stairs.