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Eros lit up three cigars, handing one each to Cian and Orin. I went into a sneezing fit, which seemed to amuse everyone at the table.
“I’m sorry, Nova, I’ll put it out.” Cian stabbed the cigar out and gave a pointed look to his brothers.
“Oh, no, no, no, it’s fine. My father used to smoke them all the time, and for some reason, it just always tickled my nose. Regular cigarettes don’t do it. Just some weird thing about me.” I chuckled.
“I hate to break it to you, but that’s not the only weird thing about you, Nova.” Eros cackled at his own joke and moved to put out his cigar, but I stopped him.
“OK, God of Love, real funny. Smoke it, I’ll go get some fresh air on the patio.” I held my hand out to Cian. “Wanna come?” I grinned at the devilish look on his face.
When it was time to leave, I didn’t want to go. It felt like I belonged in this house with Cian and this family. Not out there up in a penthouse belonging to a man I loathed and despised, who was hell-bent on ruining my life.
Things became clearer in that moment as we walked the four blocks home, Eros trailing behind us in the distance. I would do anything to bring Ryzen down and get back to normal. So long as Cian was a part of that with me.
*****
I got the best news when I got home that night. Not only was Grams out of the hospital, but Ryzen was going to be gone the rest of the week. Things were going so well with Covington, all thanks to my performance at dinner, that Covington had invited him to stay even longer. Ryzen wasn’t sure when he would be back, but it wouldn’t be sooner than Friday.
Which meant one thing. I had at least five days of freedom, and I was going to take advantage of every single minute of him being gone.
Over the next few days, we fell into a nice and easy pattern. Juliet and I went to the office for a few hours a day where we tried to handle as many emails and phone calls as we could while Owen worked on our social media. We didn’t need to actually be in the office to do any of the work, but it was important to build back up a sense of normalcy, especially for Owen. He could have walked away at any time, but he hadn’t.
Valik would chauffeur us all home and sit around outside my door for a bit until I changed into gym clothes and told him I was going to work out, and no, he didn’t need to follow me. I would go for a run, which I fucking hated to do, and my prize was Cian waiting for me four blocks away where we spent the next few hours together, mostly in a state of blissful orgasms.
But it was more than just sex now. We spent hours talking about everything and learning all we could about each other. We talked about our childhoods, me telling him how my sister Grace would terrorize me, and him explaining a little bit more about how he grew up. It pained me to hear about his abusive father, and how his mother did nothing to help him, to help any of them. How people could be so cold-hearted, I could never understand. I learned more about the young Cian, the sports fanatic who loved playing football, who turned into a real estate junkie after starting college. And even though Ryzen had been a huge part of his life during that time, we both refrained from mentioning him. He was the dark shadow hanging over our heads, and all I wanted to do was forget about him.
The night before Ryzen was to come home I had a special night planned with Cian. I had sent Valik on a wild goose chase around the city running errands for me, and by the time he got back, he was more than willing to take a hike because he was sick of picking up “my girly shit.”
I laid out the lingerie set on my bed, tapping my lip as I hummed. Sexy outfit. Check. Trench coat. Check. Sex drive of a virgin freshman in college about to fuck the quarterback. Check. I held the roses up to my nose and sniffed for the hundredth time. Cian had sent over a bouquet earlier in the day, and my heart had sung for the rest of the afternoon.
My phone dinged and I smiled as ‘Pizza Delivery’ flashed across the screen, my secret name for Cian.
Pizza Delivery: Change of plans, little mouse. Meet me at 723 Donahue at seven. Can’t wait to see you.
I scrunched up my nose at the nickname slip and shrugged. Maybe he was going to surprise me with something. Excitement raced through me as I changed into my lingerie and trench coat and checked my hair for the millionth time.
I got a cab and we took off, getting to the location just before seven. The driver left me at the end of a long driveway, and I had to double-check the address on my phone and the mailbox. It was the right place, but something seemed off. The house was pitch black, and there were no cars in sight. Uneasiness settled in my stomach and I hesitated to walk up the path. It was just paranoia. It had to be. Cian was probably inside waiting to surprise me, and I was standing out here in slutty lingerie being an idiot.
But there was one thing I had learned since this whole ordeal had started months ago: I needed to trust my gut more. And right now my gut was screaming,Bitch, get the fuck out of here.
I moved to the side of the driveway, out of sight from anyone who might be inside peeking out the windows. Thora picked up on the second ring.
“Hi, love, what’s up?” The sound of plates clinking in the background and light music made me realize she was probably out.
“Hey, sorry to bother you. Um, this is going to sound crazy, but… I’m supposed to meet Cian for a date.”
“Uh-huh. OK, Nova, I’m just gonna stop you right there. I love you and I love him, but I don’t think I can give you any kind of advice that you’re probably looking for. That sounds like a Juliet job to me.” She chuckled.
“No, the thing is he texted me and changed our meet-up spot. And, well, I just got here, and the house looks empty. Um… I don’t know, I’m probably being stupid and he’s inside waiting for me.” I forced out a laugh.
“What’s the address?” Her tone turned serious.
“723 Donahue,” I whispered.
“Hold on.” Her side of the line went silent, and I paced in the darkness, sweat forming on my forehead. “Cian’s not answering and that property is listed for sale. I don’t like the sound of this. Orin is out chasing his bounty, but let me see if I can get Eros to run over. Do you have a gun?”
Did I have a gun? She said it so casually, as if I should obviously have one with me. “No.” My voice was nothing but a whisper as a sense of dread washed over me.
“OK, it’s fine. Better to be safe than sorry. Hold tight, and I’ll send Eros. Just wait outside, OK? Don’t go in there, because we can’t be sure what’s going on.”
