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“What’s so funny?”
We seemed to have caught the attention of the room. James chuckled. “Elizabeth just joined the mafia.”
* * *
James wrappedhis arm around me, pulling me against him. My first party went on for way longer than I thought it would and I was exhausted. After being teased for accepting a job from Liam, I spent a good amount of time kicking Yuri’s ass at as many games as he could throw at me. Between that and the light and happy atmosphere, I felt a lot better about going to parties, at least with this group.
I was overjoyed when James locked the door behind the last guest. He didn’t even question if he was staying with me. I knew he’d go back to his home eventually but I wasn’t looking forward to it. I don’t like to sleep alone anymore.
“What are you thinking about?”
I tipped my head up to look at him. The only light was coming from the moon outside the window but my eyes adjusted already and I could see him smiling at me. I sighed.
“Just wondering how I’m going to get used to sleeping alone again. I got spoiled staying with you.”
He relaxed against the pillows, stroking my shoulder lightly. I still had another week in the stupid brace but he was always gentle.
“I could always stay here with you.”
My heart pounded hard and I jerked up so I could see him. “Really?”
He smiled softly at me and I melted. Leaning over, I pressed my lips to his. “I’d like that.”
He cupped my cheek, pulling me down to kiss me again. Given that we are both still injured, I knew we couldn’t do anything and I was extremely disappointed when he pulled me back down to lay against him again.
James fell asleep quickly but it was my first night back in my apartment and James just agreed to move in and everything was perfect. I couldn’t settle down. I thought about how this all started, with a mafia take over of college finals to a whirlwind romance, a long break, a reconciliation, and then an all out mafia war of epic proportions. Who’d have thought a nerd like me would end up in an adventure like that.
Maybe I was wrong before. Maybe nerds and bad boys make a good match. Book nerds and mafia bosses, movie nerds and arms dealers, me and James. I’ll figure out Mariana’s nerdom eventually. I smiled to myself. The nerds are taking over and they are in love with the most dangerous men in the city.
Chapter Thirty Five (Epilogue)
It tooka while for the repairs to be finished on the O’Connor’s house but once it was done, Jo decided she wanted to have a party to celebrate. Nothing too big, Liam kept her under control for the most part, but she promised good food, good conversation, and a tour of all the upgrades they threw in while they were already doing construction.
I was pretty sure I was the only one so far who’d noticed she didn’t mention drinking, which was a staple when it came to her little club. I didn’t mention anything, wanting to give her a chance to share the news if what I suspected was true. It’d been a few weeks since the attack on the house and the timeline made sense.
James moved in with me right after we fixed up my place. He’s been working hard on staying with me unless he absolutely had to leave. And since I usually went with him to meet Liam at the Ramirez house, it worked out pretty well. I could probably do most of my coding at home but I really enjoyed working there. Jo, Gabi, and Mariana would always steal me away for lunch and James would come and rescue me if they tried to keep me from my job for too long. They were a fun group and the anxiety melted away after a while.
“Elizabeth?”
I poked my head out of the bedroom, frowning. “Yeah?”
He sighed, holding up his phone. “She’s driving me nuts. Are you almost ready?”
I smirked. Jo was really excited about this party and had been bugging us since this morning about when we’d get there. It wasn’t supposed to start until five p.m. anyway but she didn’t care. If she had her way, we’d get there at breakfast and stay the entire night.
“Almost. Just trying to figure out what to wear.”
I moved back into the room but I didn’t miss the salacious grin that crossed his face when he realized I was still just in a towel. He’s turned me into a monster when it comes to sex. Or maybe an addict. I can’t go twenty four hours without getting my fix. With my awkward nature, I never really thought I’d be that type of person but with James, I never felt awkward. And he made me feel sexy even in just a towel.
He leaned against the door frame, his arms crossed over his massive chest. His eyes trailed over my body and I bit my lip, spinning to face away from him. I didn’t want to give him any bright ideas. As much as I wanted to spend the whole day in bed with him, I promised Jo we’d leave soon.
When I bent over to pick up one of the shirts I tossed on the floor, I felt his hands on my hips. I stilled, straightening slowly, and he wrapped his arms around me.
“We should skip the party…”
I pursed my lips against a grin. “I can’t. I promised Jo I’d be there. Besides, you can wait until tonight, right?”
Spinning around, I lifted my eyebrows. His answering grin dumped butterflies into my system and my heart started racing.
