Deathless & Divided (The Chicago War #1) (12 page)

She remembered the night before clearly. She hadn’t tumbled into an unfamiliar bed out of drunken stupidity, but instead, climbed under Damian Rossi’s sheets without so much as an argument. Then again, he took the guest bedroom.

Why he just didn’t take his own bed and gave Lily the guest bed, she wasn’t sure.

The tiny kitchenette gave a view of the large living room. Lily damn near tripped over her own two feet at the sight of Damian bare-chested with track shorts riding low on his hips. With every pull as he lifted his fit, muscled frame over the bar set between the doorjamb of a connecting room, his body barely reacted to the exercise. Like it was nothing at all, he did several sets of chin-ups while he watched a news program turned on low.

Lily’s throat went dry.

The expanse of his muscled chest drove straight down over a railroad path of abs into the hard cut V of his groin. Damian’s skin was clean of any ink and other than a small scar on his right pec, his body was unblemished. The slightest sheen of perspiration dampened his skin while his dark hair fell over his gaze glued on the flat-screen. Any female within the vicinity of this man looking like he was right then would probably throw themselves at him. He was the perfect vision of a male personified. Sex on fucking legs right there in flesh and blood.

Even Lily found herself shifting on the spot and rubbing her thighs together to soothe the sudden ache between her legs.

Jesus Christ.

What was wrong with her?

I want you to come to me willingly.

Lily sucked in a breath and forced the sudden desire pooling in her stomach away.

She couldn’t help but wonder how this ridiculously attractive man seemed to go as unnoticed around people as he did. How could he slip into a crowd and disappear when he practically screamed for someone to look at him?

A vibrating sound stopped Damian’s chin-ups. He dropped to the floor without making a sound, crossed the space to the couch in two fluid steps and swiped at something on the cushion. Damian wiped at his bottom lip with his thumb; Lily licked hers in response.

What did his kiss feel like?

She shook her head to rid that insane notion.

“Yeah, Boss. Morning.”

“Ghost,” came a familiar reply.

Terrance Trentini.

Lily had the distinct feeling she shouldn’t be standing there listening.

“You watching this?” Damian asked, his gaze still surveying the silent television. His body blocked Lily’s view of seeing what the screen showed. She didn’t mind. The sight of his muscled back roped with chiseled lines was much better.

“Breaking news,” Terrance replied. “Well done.”

“Something like that,” Damian muttered.

“I did happen to notice the mention of a blue vehicle. What was it they said?”

“A striking color,” Damian said. “Nothing more.”

“Still too close for comfort, my boy. That isn’t like you.”

“I wanted to hit him elsewhere. It worked like this, too.”

“What happened?” Terrance asked.

“Plans changed. It doesn’t matter, the witness couldn’t give an adequate description of the car or license plate. The suburb isn’t well-off enough to have cameras in that area. I did my fucking homework before I decided.”

“Thirty-k has been transferred,” Terrance said.

“I already checked.”

“I thought you would have this done sooner. I’m happy to see it finished either way, but still, you took your time.”

“I did my job,” Damian said drily. “Is there anything else, Boss?”

Lily swore there was a smile in Terrance’s voice as he replied, “Hmm, no. Time to deliver the terrible news to Joel, I suppose.”

“Just keep my name out of it.”

“I always do, Damian.”

The call ended without another word.

Damian didn’t turn around as he said, “Eavesdropping is a bad habit you should break before it gets you into trouble, Lily.”

Lily bit her bottom lip. “Sorry?”

He shot her with a heated glance over his shoulder. The sight alone seemed to strike her in the chest with the intensity. “There are things you are better off not knowing.”

“I didn’t actually mean to eavesdrop.”

Damian smirked. “No, you were spying on me.”

Lily’s arms tightened around her frame again. She suddenly became hyperaware of Damian’s gaze raking over her figure with a slow intent. He didn’t hide his staring at all and his smug grin only seemed to grow into a sight of satisfaction the longer he took her in.

She felt unnerved under his surveying.

“I look like hell,” Lily said, unsure of why she even let the words out in the first damn place.

“You look incredible,” Damian said quietly. “Like you spent the night rolling in someone’s sheets, which I suppose you did.”

Lily laughed. “Just not with someone, huh?”

“Not by my choice, sweetheart.”

She shivered.

Goddammit.

Damian was clearly playing for keeps in whatever game he had decided on.

Lily wasn’t sure she was ready for this.

Needing to get her mind away from the sexy, panty-soaking worthy place it had quickly gone to, Lily asked, “Is this usually what you do in the morning?”

“Talk on the phone?”

“No, work out.”

Damian nodded once. “If I have time, I try. It’s a good stress reliever.”

“What else do you do besides track girls down at clubs, work out, and watch news broadcasts on silent?”

“Are you asking about my job?”

Lily pursed her lips, her stare flitting between him and the spot where he’d answered the phone. “Yeah, I suppose I am.”

“I do what the boss wants me to do, Lily.”

“Anything?” she asked.

“Yes.”

The second shiver that crawled up her spine came for an entirely different reason than the first. It was a hell of a lot colder, too.

Anything was vague enough for Lily’s imagination to run wild but pointed enough for her to understand without him directly saying it.

“So, you’re not like my brothers, right?” she asked.

“And I’m not like Tommas, either,” Damian said.

“Huh.”

“That bothers you, doesn’t it?”

“A little,” she admitted.

“There’s a reason why they call me Ghost, Lily.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, because they never see me coming and they don’t hear me leave.”

Lily thought about Dino and the vague reasons she had been given as to why Damian was his first pick for her. Maybe aligning her with one of the most dangerous men was Dino’s way of keeping her safe. She wasn’t sure how she felt about that.

“Because you’re invisible,” Lily said.

“In the most important ways.”

“How?”

“The ways that keep me from getting caught,” Damian answered.

Damian turned all the way around and crossed his arms over his broad chest. He nodded at her and said, “You look good in my shirt.”

The statement was so random it took Lily off-guard. His voice had lowered an octave, turning it into that rich, dark tone. An instant heat bloomed in her sex and spread to her stomach.

“Do I?” Lily whispered.

“Yeah. It’s a shame you have to take it off only to put that damn dress back on.”

Good God
.

“I don’t know how to do this,” she said softly.

Damian didn’t move a muscle. “Do what?”

“Be okay with this.”

“The marriage thing?”

“No,” Lily said, her gaze flicking away from him. “I’ve been told more than enough times to know I don’t get a choice in the matter.”

“Then what?”

“I don’t like what you do. I don’t like the things you’re a part of. I don’t like that you agreed to this at all, regardless of your reasons.”

“And?” Damian asked.

“And maybe I might like you.”

“Yeah,” Damian said, his laughter coming out like black molasses. Slow, thick, and covering every inch of her it could reach. “That’s a bitch, right?”

Who was this man?

“You’re late,” Dino said, his words coming out as a sharp whisper.

Damian shrugged. “I called.”

“At one in the goddamn morning,” Dino growled.

Lily pretended to ignore the way her brother looked her over like he was searching for some sign of her defilement. She hated to be the one to break it to him, but that defilement happened years ago when she was sixteen on a summer vacation to Germany.

“Church steps,” Lily said quietly, reminding her brother of where he was. “People are watching us.”

Dino scowled. “Why didn’t you call?”

Lily waved a hand in the air. “I forgot. Damian did instead. It was late, Dino. I was having fun.”

Her brother didn’t look like he believed her for a second.

“She was with me, so what is the damn problem?” Damian asked. “Didn’t you call Tommas?”

“Yes,” Dino said.

“And?”

“And I don’t want her at that club again, supervised or not.”

Lily faced her brother. “Why not?”

“Because Tommas does business in that place, Lily, and not the drinking kind.”

“Fine, I’ll take her elsewhere next time,” Damian said.

Dino’s glare turned on Damian. “Make sure it isn’t owned by the Outfit.”

“Will do.”

“Fine,” Dino muttered.

“Perfect.”

Lily sighed, annoyed with the entire day already. “Church, then?”

Damian’s hand found her lower back and Lily tried not to react to the touch. She seriously needed to get her head, heart, and body on the same page.

“Yes,” Damian said. “Church.”

“Okay, now that’s something else,” Evelina said.

“She looks like a well-priced hooker,” Abriella replied, roaring with laughter.

“I didn’t say it was nice. I said it was something else.”

Lily didn’t even bother to hide her own snickers as she took inventory of the slinky silk number in the mirror. It was held together by thin silk and two small straps and was weighted down with heavy jewels along the neckline. A slit at the side cut the ivory fabric all the way to the top of Lily’s thigh.

The wedding dress was sexy, to be sure, but it was not Catholic material.

“Oh, God,” Lily said, eyeing the piece. “Could you imagine Dino or Theo’s face?”

“Can we take a picture just to send for a joke?” Abriella asked.

Lily posed and let her friend snap a quick picture. Abriella typed a message before dropping her phone back into her bag.

“Next,” Abriella ordered.

“Not the style we’re going for,” Evelina said to the store manager. “Think classic, not classless.”

The lady nodded tightly before ushering off to find another dress.

Despite loathing the very idea of spending hours in a dress shop searching for that perfect dress to wear, Lily’s friends had convinced her to give it a try. It hadn’t turned out to be such a bad thing, really.

Lily brushed her hands down the silk. “I do like the feel.”

“You can do silk,” Evelina said. “Just not like that.”

“Or,” Abriella drawled with a leer, “You can do silk for the wedding night.”

Lily turned away from the girls, not wanting them to see the heat in her cheeks. She forgot about the goddamn mirrors she faced.

“Hey, what did we miss?” Evelina asked.

“Nothing,” Lily said maybe a little too quickly.

“Oh, I’ll tell you what we missed,” Abriella replied, her reflection showing her knowing grin. “Sunday morning, Tommy got a phone call.”

Lily spun on her heel. “Mind your business, Ella.”

“You were with Tommas on Sunday morning?” Evelina asked.

“Early before I skipped back to mine and Alessa’s apartment. I had to arrive at church alone, you know.”

Of course
, Lily thought.

Abriella was playing with fire and when that happened, somebody always ended up with burns.

“Anyway,” Abriella said.

“Ella, please,” Lily pleaded. “Just leave it alone. It was nothing.”

“All right.” Abriella tossed her hands up in defeat. “The bride is always right. We mustn’t anger the DeLuca princess.”

Lily’s gaze narrowed. “You’re one to talk, Trentini Queen.”

Abriella snorted. “Cute.”

Evelina didn’t look as though she was about to let it go like Abriella had. “What aren’t you telling me, Lily?”