Forever Loved (Forever Lost Book 2) (5 page)

When she came again and screamed his name, Leo couldn’t hold back any longer. He pressed himself deep inside her tightly clenching core and let go. His life flashed before his eyes—so many bad things and bad people, but then there was her. Cassie brought him back from the edge of his despair yet again, and he thanked God for sending her to him.

Chapter Four

Leo stood staring down into the broken and bloody face of Hank, the mole. With another crack of his fist, Hank fell to the ground and stopped his foolish begging. The only sounds that came from him were the gurgles of his blood-filled lungs, and the only movements were the spasmodic twitches that signaled his impending death. Leo planted two more punches to his face, just to be sure, before climbing off and pounding on the closed door.

“I’m done,” he called, stepping back so his fellow inmate and newest minion, Chris, could come inside.

“Nice. Go get cleaned up and get outta here. I’ll sort this out,” Chris told him, and Leo nodded. He said nothing to explain what’d happened or thank Chris for his help. Leo simply wiped his hands clean of Hank’s blood and changed into a fresh set of clothes.

In prison, Leo had become a man of few words, but many actions. He played his own game, and did whatever he had to in order to ensure the longevity of his enterprise and the safety of his criminal comrades. He’d earned the other inmates’ fear from his first day, when he’d beaten the reigning prison king black and blue and subsequently put him in a coma. On the back of that fear, he now had the proverbial throne and the respect of his fellow convicts. It didn’t matter that he wasn’t staying long, Leo had a lot of anger to offload, and prison was the best place in which to do it.

When he reached the yard, Leo nodded to his informant and headed over to his table, only to be intercepted by a piece of shit named Lenny. He’d been trying to get in with Leo for weeks, but had apparently decided he was done sucking up to him, because he stuck a shiv between Leo’s ribs. He growled and dived for Lenny. He grabbed his throat and held on to it tightly, squeezing and pressing down on his windpipe until he felt the bone break. Lenny immediately went limp. He dropped the stupid kid to the ground and looked up to find his cronies staring at him in shock, but not because of what he’d done—because of how much he was bleeding. Leo went to speak, but only managed a mumbled gurgle before coughing up a mouthful of blood and falling to his knees.

He stared up at the sky and prayed, not for his own life, but for Cassie’s. He did what he’d done every day since losing her, and wished to all that was good and right in the world that she was safe and happy. Her face was at the forefront of his mind when he blacked out, and Leo knew that if death was coming for him, at least he could still see it one last time, even if it wasn’t real.

“Leo!” Cassie’s screaming voice pulled him out of his dream, and he shot up from the bed in shock. He looked around, getting his bearings, and was grateful for the darkness to hide his confusion and fear. He’d been trying so hard not to show her how broken he still was, but his nightmares had seemingly given him away.

“I’m sorry, love. Did I hurt you?” he had to ask, terrified that he might’ve lashed out at her in his sleep.

“No,” her soft voice chimed. “You were…” She hesitated, and he felt her slide her tiny hand into his. “You were crying and calling out my name.”

“Oh,” was all he could manage. He didn’t want to tell her why. He wanted to keep it all locked away. Leo knew it was killing her not knowing what he’d dealt with, but there was a huge part of his recent past he simply couldn’t bear to share with her. He pulled on his sweats and headed to the bathroom, where he splashed his face with cold water and sat on the closed lid of the toilet. Leo kept the lights off, not wanting to see the state his dream had left him in, and he just sat there staring at the floor for what felt like hours.

***

Cassie stood in the doorway, watching him despite the dead of night. If he had noticed she’d followed him out of bed, he hadn’t said a word. There was no telling what horrors he might still be seeing in his mind’s eye, and Cassie was shocked at seeing him so broken and fragile. She did the only thing she could think to comfort him, and climbed into his lap and held him tightly. It was like hugging a stone cold statue though, like he wasn’t even there anymore and had left his empty shell behind. Cassie held on anyway. She hated that he wouldn’t tell her the truth about his past. She knew he was just trying to protect her, but it was hard watching him fall apart internally while not letting her even attempt to help him fight those demons.

Cassie didn’t care whether or not Leo wanted her in his arms; she had to be there for him. He had to know that she cared and loved him, no matter what’d gone on in the past. It had been a couple of weeks since he’d waltzed back into her life with a sexy smile and a desire for her he hadn’t hidden, and Cassie was thankful for every day since then. Whatever he needed from her she’d give him, and she knew he’d do the same for her.

They sat like that for so long Cassie drifted back to sleep in his arms, and roused when she felt him lift her and carry her back to the bed.

“We’re both fucked up, Leo. Let’s just be crazy together, okay?” she whispered, draping herself over him in an attempt to warm his ice-cold body, and was glad when Leo continued to hold her close.

“Okay, love. I can do that, just please don’t ever stop holding me in your arms and telling me it’s okay to be screwed up,” he said, stroking her hair affectionately, and Cassie nodded. “One day all of this will go away, and I hope it’s soon, but as long as I know I have you, I’ll make it through.”

“Me too, baby. Me and you against the world,” she replied, nuzzling deeper into his hold, and she soon began drifting back off to sleep.

The next morning, Leo was his bright and cheery self again, and Cassie knew not to bring up his nightmare or his reaction to it. Part of her wanted to demand he tell her so that they could clear his conscience and move on, but he wasn’t that type of guy, and figured she’d have to let him deal in his own way. She knew all too well that her past had messed her up pretty badly, but had no idea just how tormented Leo had also become since they’d been together years ago. He hadn’t cared about anyone or anything before, and had never apologized for any of his brutish or chauvinistic behavior. But now, he truly had changed, and it stunned her to see just how much.

“So, I was thinking when your lease is up maybe you should just move in here with me?” she slipped into the conversation while making tea and toast for them both.

After a second’s silence, Cassie went to turn to her suddenly quiet lover, but was stopped in her tracks when his huge arms grabbed her. Leo swung her around and grabbed her chin, pulling so she had to look up into his eyes. He kissed every inch of her face and neck while grabbing her ass and lifting her up to sit on the counter. Cassie hooked her legs behind his thighs and pulled him closer, earning herself a deep growl. “Well?” she insisted, peering up at him in the morning light, and she loved the infectious smile on his handsome face.

“Yeah, go on then,” he replied, his tone relaxed and full of tease. Leo’s eyes were alight with what she could only assume was happiness, and she lapped up his adoring gaze. He then carried Cassie back to the bedroom, where he picked up where they’d left off the night before.

***

The next evening, Leo held a party to officially open Solomon’s Billiards. Cassie stood by his side the entire time. She smiled sweetly and chatted warmly to the guests, her natural allure shining through, as well her varied experience of such things. Her days as an escort might’ve been long behind her, but the instincts and natural charm she’d relied on back then were quickly and effortlessly remembered without her even having to try.

She’d brought Siobhan and Roger along for the night as well, and watched from afar as he whooped her assistant’s ass game after game. When Leo was finally more relaxed and she felt they’d worked the crowd long enough, she headed over to their table with a smile.

“Okay, okay. Best of nine!” Siobhan was begging, giggling across at Roger when he rolled his eyes.

“Shiv, let me handle this,” Cassie interjected, snatching the cue. Her opponent grinned, clearly guessing she would be just as easy to beat as her assistant, but Cassie smiled sweetly and bounced around the table to break the triangle of pool balls at the other end. With her first shot, she potted four balls, and laughed at Roger’s reaction to her prowess with the pool cue.

“We got a hustler on our hands or what?” he said, eventually taking his shot too. Cassie had to admit, he was a good player, but she still beat him and took an overdramatic bow when she potted the black.

“Can I play the winner?” a sultry, heavily accented voice asked from behind her. Cassie turned to find a dark-skinned man watching them from the nearby bar. She went to say no, but stopped herself when Siobhan gave a squeal of delight from beside her and ran to the man.

“
José
, you came!” she exclaimed, and threw her arms around him. He smiled and kissed Siobhan’s cheek.

“
S
í
, baby. Of course,” he replied, stepping forward to greet Cassie and Roger. Siobhan made the introductions, explaining that
José
was an old flame that she’d recently rekindled. She told them how he worked as an accountant in the city center, and they’d happened upon one another when Siobhan had been out buying groceries one night after work. “I moved back to Spain for a while, so lost touch with this
Inglés aumentó,
but then we found each other again, as if by fate,”
he added, grinning down at her with a smile.

“English Rose,” Cassie automatically translated the language she’d hoped to have forgotten by now, but knew was probably engrained in her mind forever.

“
S
í
, you speak Spanish?” he asked, seemingly impressed. Cassie shook her head, not wanting to get into the details with this stranger.

“Just a little,” she replied with a shrug, and Roger immediately took notice. He stepped closer to his boss-lady, and Cassie was glad he’d picked up on her unease

“So, José. You playing then or what?” he asked, handing him the cue. José took it and set up the balls, while Cassie leaned in close to Siobhan.

“Can I trust him?” she whispered. Siobhan nodded profusely.

“I promise, Cass. I’ve known him since we were kids, you can trust him.”

“Good to hear it,” Leo’s voice chimed in from behind them, and both girls jumped. He grinned down at them, but Cassie watched him take in José with a dark expression. He too seemed uneasy about their new arrival, but not overly concerned. Cassie took a deep breath and reminded herself that she couldn’t be scared of all Latinos she came across. She thought back to the personal vow she’d made that there would be no more running from her past, just the chance to show strength and independence in the face of whatever life threw at her next.

Cassie shook off her unease, stepped closer, and took her shot with a kind smile at José. Her unease slowly dissipated, and she was glad when their fun and carefree moods returned. He won the game, but only marginally, and was gentleman enough not to gloat. They were about to call it quits when Leo took the cue from her and indicated for José to set the balls up again.

“Loser buys the next round,” he said with a wink at the girls. Cassie knew their new friend was being hustled. She watched Leo stalk and prowl around the table, stopping only to give her the odd kiss before taking his shot. With that kiss, he was staking his claim on not only his woman, but on the entire place, and it was good to watch his confident prowess come out again.

José was quickly relieved of his title of reigning champion, and his drinking money, when Leo beat him effortlessly. He wasn’t a sore loser, though, and came back to their table with a bottle of posh champagne for the girls to share.

“
Cerveza
?” he asked, handing Leo and Roger two bottles of beer, and they each took them with a smile. Something struck her as strange. None of the others seemed to notice the change in his accent, but Cassie picked it out straight away. He’d pronounced the word slightly differently to any other Spaniard she’d met.

She hoped she was just being paranoid, but couldn’t stop watching him carefully, listening to every inflection in his accent, and wondering if he might not quite be who he said he was.

***

Leo cleared the place out around midnight. He’d had enough playing nice Mr. Host, and was ready to play a game in private with his girl. He locked up and walked back into the hall, finding Cassie stood leaning against the only table still lit. When he reached her, she immediately turned and bent down to take the first shot on their new game. The move was perfectly timed, and Leo couldn’t stop the deep growl that emanated from his chest as she pressed her ass back into his groin.

He loved watching Cassie play. It reminded him of the night they’d first met at his New York mansion—the night their game of cat and mouse had begun. She’d been bent over at the pool table before him that night too. He had to admit, the view had only gotten better over the years. Leo pressed himself into her, delighting in her soft cry as she gasped and splayed her hands on the green felt beneath her.