Sloan stared at the little house, the sound of the ocean in her ears. She’d done it. She’d really done it. It had taken her the majority of two days to get here—first a plane to Denver and then a rental car to LA and a different rental car north to the little Oregon town of Callaway Rock.
She rubbed her hands over her arms, the sea air distinctly chillier here than it was back in Boston. I’ve been alone more in the last two days than I have in the last five years. There had been no one looking over her shoulder or checking up on her or drawing her into some plot that she wanted no part of. There had just been her and the open road. It had been…terrifying.
This is how the rest of my life is going to be.
She wasn’t sure if the thought was scary or exhilarating. Sloan pulled the flip phone out of her purse and turned it on. Teague’s instructions had been detailed to the point of being tedious, but he knew more about putting people in hiding than she did, and she wasn’t about to take any risks that her family could find her. She pressed one, speed-dialing the only number in the phone. Two rings later and her brother’s voice came over the line. “You’re there?”
“Yes.” The house was dark, not even the exterior lights on. “I thought there was someone already here.” The whole reason they’d picked this place to begin with was because Callie had some distant aunt who owned it. Sloan fully expected to have to deal with that once she arrived, but the place looked deserted.
“She’s out of town, but she’ll be back in a few days—a week at most. You have enough money to get you started in the meantime. I can always wire you more if you need it.”
“I won’t need it.” She was going to get a job and provide for herself. Teague had already put himself out there too much for her. She wouldn’t let him take any further risks—or give her any more handouts.
“If you do—or if you need anything—I’m there for you.” He paused. “I’ve got to go, but there will be a package showing up in the next day or two with phones to contact me. Don’t ever use the landline.”
“I won’t. And, Teague, thank you.” She hung up, took a deep breath, and started up the narrow walkway to the front door. She reached for the key she’d shoved in the inner pocket of her purse, when the sound of a foot on the gravel had her turning around. She squinted, trying to make out the details in the darkness. “Hello? Is anyone there?”
A shadow detached itself from the corner of the house to the left of her, and Sloan had to cover her mouth to keep from shrieking as it formed into a hulking brute of a man. He had shoulder-length hair and a close-cropped beard and looked like he was capable of the kind of acts that would put someone into prison for the rest of their life. “Stay back.”
“Trespassing is against the law.”
What is he talking about? She backed up a step, hating the fear that clogged her throat. “I’m renting here.”
“That’s impossible.” His voice was so low, it was almost lost in the nearby sound of the waves hitting the shore.
Get a hold of yourself. You can’t spend the rest of your life jumping at shadows. Now’s the time to discover your spine. She lifted her chin like Keira tended to do before a confrontation, though the move made her feel like an imposter. “Hardly. I have a key.” She turned, resisting every instinct that screamed she was an idiot for presenting that man with her back, and inserted the key into the lock.
Or she tried.
A hand covered hers and, this time, she couldn’t fight down a small shriek. The man used his hold on her hand to turn her around. Being faced with the fact that he towered over her made her literally shake in her boots. Show no fear. “Get your hands off me.” Instead of coming out harsh, the words were small and weak.
He didn’t answer, just turned her and used the hand not touching her to point at a house about fifteen feet away from where they stood. The lights were on and it appeared downright cheery. “That’s where you’re going.” When she just stood there, shivering, he cursed. “The O’Connor place. That’s the only empty house on the street.”
Callie’s aunt’s name was Sorcha O’Connor. There was no way it was a coincidence—which meant he was right and she was most definitely trespassing. She tried to jerk away, but he held on to her for several seconds—long enough to make it clear he was choosing to let her go. In that second, she could have sworn his thumb traced a line across her inner wrist, but it had to be her imagination, because his expression was just as forbidding as it had been since he appeared.
Show. No. Fear. She took one cautious step back. “I guess that makes us neighbors. I’m Sloan.”
He didn’t respond, didn’t so much as grunt, so she carefully made her way down the steps and back toward the relative safety of the street. He said something, and she turned around, nearly impaling herself on what looked like a rosebush. “I’m sorry?”
“I’m Jude.” She made it a few more steps before his gruff voice carried the rest of his words to her. “Now stay the fuck off my property.”
That would not be a problem. She didn’t want to spend any more time with that horrible man than she already had. Sloan hurried over to the correct house, kicking herself for mistaking the address in the first place. She wasn’t the most social of creatures, but even she wouldn’t have reacted like that man—Jude—had to an honest mistake. It wasn’t as if she’d been peering into his window and taking pictures.
She let herself into the house and locked the door behind her, that barrier between her and the rest of the world allowing her to take her first full breath since she stopped on this street. The hallway led straight into a small living room. It should have felt cramped, but with the dainty couch and coffee table facing the wall of windows, it didn’t. She stopped in front of the windows, trying to see past the glare and into the night. It was no use, so she opened the sliding glass door and stepped onto the back porch.
The sound of the ocean was louder here, the reason obvious once she moved past the lights illuminating the porch. There was a narrow path leading right to the beach, her property and the sand separated by an uneven white picket fence. She almost laughed at the sight. It’s perfect. She didn’t need to see the rest of the house to know that.
All the same, she went back inside to explore. There were two bedrooms, both decorated in shabby-chic beach style, and two massive bathrooms that overlooked the ocean. There were windows everywhere, which should have made her feel like she was living in a fishbowl, but she suspected the views they’d offer in the morning would make it more than worthwhile. She glanced through the nearest window to where her cranky neighbor’s house stood. I wonder what his story is.
“No. Absolutely not. You’ve gone out of your way to leave danger behind, and if there’s one thing that man is, it’s dangerous.” She yawned. Tomorrow would be soon enough to unpack and settle in. Tonight, she was going to take a walk on the beach. Sloan smiled. She’d taken the first step—the most important step. Now all that was left was for her to press forward and make a life for herself here.
A life where she could truly be happy.
*
Despite how the morning started and the sheer volume of the calls he’d had with both Teague and Aiden, the rest of the day went off without much drama. Cillian moved his work into the living room and kept pulling on the leads that he’d gotten from the shell corporations while a Disney movie about Rapunzel played in the background. Hadley couldn’t quite sing the words, but she had the tune of every single song down pat. Even Olivia managed to relax a little, though she got up every half hour to wander the room and look out the windows.
Sometime around Rapunzel using her hair to save the hero, Cillian got sucked back into the numbers. It took longer than he would have liked to crack the shell, only to find another shell within it. What the fuck? That was a lot of work for a measly three percent—which added up to a few grand a quarter from this particular business. Even with all the other businesses that seemed to be paying it, there was barely a hundred thousand dollars missing. It wasn’t exactly chump change, but in their line of work, it wasn’t enough to put this level of effort into.
It just didn’t make any sense.
“Are you hungry?”
He looked up from his computer and frowned. The light had changed in the room, the shadows getting longer as the sun went down. “How long have I been working?”
Olivia shrugged. “Three movies’ worth of time.”
Damn it, he hadn’t meant to zone out on her like that. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to get so distracted.”
“It’s okay.” She shot another look at the nearest window. “I’m just jumpy. You’re sure he couldn’t track my phone?”
He set the laptop aside and stood, stretching. “Chances are that he wouldn’t have the tech to do it, since you have a prepaid phone. Even if he can, we’re still better set up here than we would be anywhere else. Small hotels have too many entrances and exits to cover with five men. My men know this area, and they know this house. No one is going to get close without them seeing.”
She didn’t look completely convinced, but she nodded all the same. “Okay. I’m just…I’m not good at sitting on my hands while other people do the work.”
He understood that. If he hadn’t had the money mystery occupying him, he’d probably be in the exact same headspace as she was. “It will be okay. Between Teague and Aiden, this isn’t going to get away from us.” He’d even called in a favor with Carrigan—and, through her, James. With all three families in Boston uniting, even Dmitri Romanov would think twice before coming after Olivia. “They have a meeting set up for tomorrow. They’ll make him back off.”
“I’m sure you’re right. It just seems like I should be there.” She held up a hand. “I know I can’t and that might be playing into his hands, but it doesn’t change the fact that I’m having trouble with all this.”
He’d done what he could do to stack the whole thing in their favor, but obviously he’d missed a step when it came to comforting her. Cillian stepped closer, until they were almost chest to chest, and lowered his voice. “What can I do to make this easier for you?”
Her smile was almost real this time. “You’re a strange man, Cillian.”
“It’s been said before.” And it would no doubt be said again. As it was, he now owed serious favors to three of the most powerful men in Boston. It didn’t matter that two of them were his brothers and one would eventually be his brother-in-law. Family meant a lot, but he’d put Olivia in front of family, and that wasn’t something they were going to forget anytime soon. It wouldn’t stop them from helping him, but he’d have a whole hell of a lot to answer for once this all died down.
The only one who wasn’t actively pissed at him was Carrigan, and that was only because, as she’d said on the phone, she’d told everyone that they hadn’t seen the last of Dmitri Romanov six months ago when he disappeared from Boston. Their father hadn’t listened, and neither had Aiden.
Well, they were listening now.
He took her hand. “You said something about food?”
“I did.” She led him out of the living room and down the hall to the kitchen, where Hadley was staring intently at the stove. “Hadley and I have prepared a very glamorous and high-end macaroni and cheese for dinner thanks to your men delivering a truly outstanding amount of food.”
“Kraft?”
She laughed. “Is there any other kind?”
“Not as far as I’m concerned. I’m a fan.” Always had been, much to his mother’s annoyance. But then, plenty of shit Cillian had done over the years put that look of disparaging frustration on her face. One would think she’d finally accept it. But not Aileen O’Malley. She just kept right on trying. I wonder what she thinks of all this. He cringed. On second thought, better not to know.
Olivia dished up two large bowls and a much smaller one, and set them on the table. “Dinner is served.”
He didn’t realize he was starving until he took that first bite. Cillian smiled at Hadley. “You did a great job with dinner.”
She ducked her head and stuffed a massive spoonful of food into her mouth—or mostly in her mouth. A girl after his own heart. He glanced at Olivia to find her watching him with that strange look on her face again. “Do I have food in my teeth or something?”
“No. It’s just…Never mind. It doesn’t matter.” She took a bite.
He almost pressed, but decided that it was possibly something she didn’t want to talk about in front of her daughter. This whole dealing-with-a-small-human thing was full of more pitfalls than he could have guessed. Once dinner was done, he sat back and really looked at Olivia. He’d seen the anguish on her face this morning when she realized that her neighbor had been hurt by her ex, and he knew all too well that it wasn’t gone, no matter how good a face she tried to put on it. “Why don’t you go take a bath and try to relax?”
The look of disbelief she gave him would have been comical under other circumstances. “A bath.”
“Yeah.” He got up and started the water running. “Hadley and I’ll do the dishes and get the kitchen all squared away.”
“You…I…” She shook her head. “You don’t have to do that.”
He knew, but he also knew that Olivia would run herself into the ground if she didn’t stop and take a little time for herself. And the reality was that if he wanted something more with her, he’d have to get to know her daughter, too. He might as well take out two birds with one stone right now.
But Cillian waited, because if she didn’t trust him with Hadley, he wasn’t going to push. She’d proven herself to be a fierce mother and she’d already gone through hell trying to create a better life for her daughter. It would hurt if she didn’t want him spending time alone with her, but he’d understand.
Finally, Olivia nodded. “I guess a bath would be nice.”
He let loose a breath he hadn’t even been aware he was holding. “We’ll hold down the fort, won’t we, Hadley?”
The cheese-covered toddler grinned and waved a spoon, sending more cheese sauce flying. Olivia sighed. “Are you sure you don’t want me to clean her up first?”
“Nah. We got this.”
With one last lingering look, she stood and walked out of the room. He waited until he heard the board at the top of the steps creak to turn to Hadley. There was some advice he’d read once that showing fear to either young children or wild animals was a recipe for disaster, so he just charged right in. “How about we get you wiped down and then you can help me rinse?”
She stared up at him with those inky eyes like she wasn’t quite sure what to think of him. Hell, he didn’t blame her. Cillian wet a washrag and walked back to the table. He carefully extracted the spoon from her chubby hand and moved the plate out of reach. “This was my least favorite part as a kid, but we can’t have you cleaning dishes with messy hands, now can we?” He didn’t hesitate. He wiped down her hands, making silly noises that seemed to amuse her, and then went for her face. She sputtered a little, but she didn’t start crying, so he called it a win. Cillian lifted her and brought a chair over to the sink. She could barely get her hands into the water, so maybe that would minimize the mess.
Hadley squealed and splashed both hands into the sink, sending a wave of water onto both her and Cillian. She froze, her eyes getting shiny and her face screwing up into what promised to be an epic meltdown.
“No, no, no.” He moved fast, grabbing a cup and handing it to her. “A little water never hurt anyone. Now we’re ready to really get to work.” He took her hand and guided it into the water, rinsing off the plastic cup. “See—easy. Isn’t this fun?”
Frankly, he didn’t know what the fuck a fourteen-month-old found fun other than princess movies, but she gave him a tentative grin and dunked the cup again. He stayed close in case she somehow managed to get into the sink and went to work on the pot. Hadley seemed completely content to splash around with her cup, making little noises that might be words in a few months.
He set the pot to the side and picked up the first plate. “I really like your mama, Hadley. And you’re pretty cute, too.” She was adorable enough to get away with murder, which was something he’d have to keep in mind, because she turned those liquid eyes on him and he handed over a plate without thinking. Damn. But he’d do what it took to keep her happy and distracted from what was going on. He doubted she was aware enough to realize the full extent of it, but in case she was, he needed her to know that there was nothing to be afraid of. “I’m going to keep you and your mama safe. No matter what.”
*
It took Olivia longer than usual to get Hadley down for bed, but that was as much due to her distraction as her daughter being riled up from “helping” Cillian with the dishes. She kept going back to dinner, to his insistence that she take a little time for herself. As much as she hadn’t wanted to admit it, he was right—that bath had helped relax her and fend off the panic attack that she’d had brewing all day. Then she’d come downstairs to find both Cillian and Hadley soaked and doing more playing in the sink than actually washing dishes. He turned a smile her way that had actually made her skip a step.
She finished the story she’d been absently reading and looked down to find Hadley sleeping soundly. This is how it could be. This is how it’s supposed to be.
Olivia sat on the edge of the bed, staring into the darkness. A truth stared back at her that she’d been doing her damnedest to ignore.
She was in love with Cillian O’Malley.
It had snuck up on her somewhere around the time he offered his help without expecting anything in return, and how he’d been interacting with Hadley only solidified it. Though he obviously didn’t spend much time around kids, he didn’t patronize her daughter or dismiss her, and he didn’t so much as blink at the kind of help a toddler offered. He’d been so incredibly respectful of Olivia’s boundaries and careful when interacting with her in front of Hadley.
Not to mention the sex was out of this world.
She traced the floral pattern of the bedspread. Her heart might be all tangled up in him, but that didn’t mean she had to do anything about it. She snorted. Right. Because going through life alone and playing the martyr was so much more attractive than finding a man who’d actually be a partner—one who’d love both her and Hadley.
Getting a little ahead of yourself, aren’t you? You don’t even know how he feels.
No, she didn’t. But a few times today she caught him looking at her with some indefinable expression on his face, and she couldn’t help feeling that he was as caught off guard by the thing growing between them as she’d been. Yeah, he’d wanted to take her out, but a date and riding in to whisk her off to his out-of-town fortress to keep her safe were two different things.
He hadn’t hesitated.
She double-checked on Hadley—still sound asleep—and carefully moved her to the Pack ’N Play. Just because she realized she loved him didn’t mean she had to tell him right away. They had time. Hopefully. If she said anything right now, it would look like she was responding to the fact that he’d brought her here or, worse, that last night had gone to her head.
She wandered back downstairs, and stopped in the doorway when she caught sight of him. He’d changed out of his wet clothes at some point since she went upstairs, and was now frowning at his computer just like he had been most of the day. “Trouble?”
“Troublesome, for sure. My father is going to blow a blood vessel when he finds out.” He sighed and closed the laptop. “But I’m not going to get any more done tonight, and the conversation can wait until morning.” He set it aside and held out his hand, just like he had last night, in a silent command for her to come to him.
Since she was only too happy to obey, she walked over and slid her hand into his, letting him pull her into his lap. “Have I said ‘thank you’ recently?”
“It might have come up.” He stroked a hand down her back. “Hadley’s asleep?”
“She fought it hard, but she’s out like a light now. I suspect her bath in the form of helping with dishes had something to do with it.”
He chuckled. “It’s tiring work.”
She waited, but he didn’t seem like he was going to do anything other than rub her back. As good as it felt, she had her epiphany rattling around in her head, preventing her from totally relaxing against him. She straightened. Though she wasn’t willing to start throwing around four-letter words, she could show him how she felt. “Come on.”
He let her pull him to his feet and lead him down the hall to the powder room. It had a fancy pedestal sink and little else, but it was more than big enough for what she had planned. More importantly, it had a door that locked and a massive mirror that went almost floor to ceiling. She locked the door and pushed Cillian until his back hit the wall across from the mirror. His gaze jumped from her to the wall behind her. “I like where this is going.”
“Good.” She unbuttoned his slacks. “Don’t move.”
He raised his eyebrows. “You can have your way—for now. But in approximately five seconds, I’m going to strip you naked, spread you out, and fuck you in front of that mirror so you can see me sliding in and out of you until you come.”
Holy shit. She shivered and went to her knees in front of him. “Try to hold out for more than five seconds.” Though she meant the words to come out amused, they were breathy instead. She pulled his pants down just enough to free his cock. She stroked him with one hand, looking up his body to meet his eyes as she did. The picture he presented made her hot in ways she never could have dreamed, and knowing she was the cause of the expression on his face was the icing on the cake.
She ducked down and took his cock into her mouth, rolling her tongue against him as she sucked him deep. His curse was music to her ears, and his fingers lacing through her hair made her moan. She might be in charge, but it was only because he allowed it. The combination of power and submission made her head spin, and so she didn’t think about it. Instead, she gave herself over to doing whatever it took to make him curse a blue streak. When his hips started pumping to meet her strokes, she knew she had him.
Which was right around the time he dragged her up his body and kissed the living hell out of her. She fisted the front of his shirt, her tongue tangling with his, the feel of his body against hers better than the best vodka. Cillian spun her around and jerked her shirt over her head. “My turn, sweetheart.”