SEALed Bride: A Bad Boy Romance (Includes bonus novel Jerked!) (27 page)

I stepped out into the muggy Philly summer afternoon and took a deep breath. I was trying to figure out how I felt about seeing Brenna again after all this time. The last time I had seen her hadn't been under the best of circumstances.

The smell of her sweat and her skin overwhelmed me as the sun beat down on us.

“I’m from nothing, and your father...”

“Fuck my father and his business. I don’t care who you were.”

I climbed into my car, willing myself to forget about that afternoon. I turned the engine, giving it a little gas, and pulled out into traffic. The streets were thin in the city, since it had been built so long ago, and I carefully wove my way through the slow-moving traffic. It didn’t take me long to get from O’Brian’s pub to his stately brownstone. I pulled up out front and put the car in park, looking up at the building.

It had been years since I last stayed there. I moved out pretty soon after Bren left, more or less as soon as I started making some real money with the Right People of the Mob. But it was still my first home, and the first place I lived after I had left the orphanage. It was surprisingly large on the inside, mostly because it was actually two row homes; the two entrances gave the illusion of separate homes, but they were actually a single building on the inside.

I climbed out and walked up the stoop, fighting back the memories and the nostalgia that threatened to overtake me.

What’s the worst that could happen?
I thought to myself as I turned the front door’s handle and pushed it open.

I
t had been almost five years since I had last seen my dad. Five years was a long, long time, and I had no clue what he was going to be like in person. We hadn’t exactly left on good terms; truth be told, I regretted how I had acted with him, but I didn’t think that I was wrong.

He was a violent Mob asshole. Nobody could deny that fact.

I looked at myself in the mirror and frowned at my long brown hair. I’d always been jealous of the ginger Irish girls, and felt a little resentful that I ended up with a darker complexion. Then again, it made it easier to try and put certain parts of my life behind me.

I got up and pulled on a pair of tight dark jeans and a light blue tank top, not caring too much what I looked like, but not wanting to be a slob either. I had to admit, there were a few guys that I was looking forward to catching up with, even if they were all a bunch of scumbag criminals. Though that didn’t necessarily mean that they were bad people.

I grinned to myself. Maybe I didn’t hate criminals as much as I thought I did.

A sudden knock at my door made me look up with a start.

“Who is it?” I called out.

“It’s me.”

I checked myself in the mirror real fast, though I wasn’t sure why. Colin didn’t care about what I looked like. He was just my private bodyguard, right?

He stood leaning against the wall when I pulled open the door.

“What’s up?” I asked.

He shrugged and walked toward me. “Guys are going to be here soon.”

“Yeah, I know that.”

“Just wanted to make sure you knew.” He stopped right in front of me.

“Are you checking up on me?” I could feel my temper rising.

He shrugged. “Not really. I guess I was curious about what your room looked like.”

“Yeah, I’m sure.” I stepped aside and made a dramatic gesture, letting him come further inside. “Take a good look, Mr. Bodyguard.”

He walked in with a grin, ignoring the sarcasm dripping from my words. He laughed as he looked around.

“I haven’t been in here in a long time.”

“Yeah, that’s true.”

He leaned against the bed and crossed his arms, looking at me.

“What?” I asked, and walked over to him.

“Are you ready for this?”

“I’m not sure what you mean.”

He shrugged and grinned. I wasn’t in the mood for his crap, so I clenched my jaw and waited for him to explain.

“It’s been years, Bren. Are you sure you’re ready to dive right back into the family?”

I sighed. He was absolutely right, but I hated the implication hidden behind his words: I couldn’t handle it. I was too weak, or whatever, to deal with Dad’s people again.

“Worried about me, Colin?” I spat.

He looked surprised, then smiled. “I’m never worried about you.”

“You never seemed to care all that much, back then.”

He stood and shrugged, taking a step closer. “People change, I guess.”

“No, they don’t. Not really. What are you doing here?”

He stopped right in front of me, and I could feel the heat rolling from him. My anger faded almost as quickly as it rose, and I felt a little silly for having snapped at him.

“If you want to play that game, why’d you invite me in?”

His stare was intense and strong and I felt something spark inside of me. A soft shiver ran down my spine.

“I don’t know,” I said, looking away.

Before I could react, he grabbed my waist with one arm and pulled me against him. I was surprised, but his arms were strong and he moved so fast that I couldn’t help but press my body against his firm muscles. I was shocked but I realized that I didn’t want to struggle. I wanted him to pull me tightly against him, even if it was a horrible idea, even if he was acting like he owned the place.

“Let go of me,” I said softly.

“You sure this isn’t what you wanted?” he said, touching my face.

Tingles of electricity ran through my skin and my body as I remembered that day, the feeling of him against me, the way my head was on fire for hours afterwards, practically buzzing. I had never felt something like that before nor since.

I looked back at him defiantly. “I’m not sure what you’re talking about.”

“I think we both know.”

And I could see it in his eyes, that same longing gaze he gave me way back then.

“Cut it out, Colin.” I pushed softly against his chest, but he was like a brick wall.

“I don’t think you want me to. I think you’re practically begging for it. I think that if I wanted to, I’d find you eager enough.”

I glared at him sharply. He had never been so forward with me before, and although I was surprised, part of me liked it. But I couldn’t let him get to me, not when so many things were still up in the air, and my heart was still swirling with unanswered questions. And, worst of all, my biggest mistake was still unspoken, my darkest secret. I twisted and pulled away from him and took a step back.

“We’re not doing this again,” I said through my teeth, hating every word.

“I’m not sure what you mean.”

“You know exactly what I mean. We’re not going through all of this again.”

“That was practically a lifetime ago for both of us.”

I looked back at him, finding my resolve, and keeping my face calm.

“You’re right. So let’s forget about it.”

He shrugged, looking unflappable, and it drove me insane.

“Whatever you say, Princess. I was just playing with you.”

My eyes narrowed. “Don’t call me that, asshole.”

I could practically hear the laughter in his response. “Okay, sure, Bren. I forgot you hated that nickname.”

“Yeah, I’m sure you forgot. Look, we need to set some rules if we’re doing this.”

“Fine, what do you have in mind?”

“First, my room is off limits. No more appearing out of nowhere.”

He shrugged and didn’t answer, his face a mask of amusement. I decided to push forward, not letting him disagree.

“Second, you’re a guest here, so act like a guest. And last, I can do whatever I want. If you have to follow me around like a little puppy, then fine, whatever. But I am not staying in this house forever.”

“Is that it?”

“Oh, and don’t call me Princess.”

“Okay, I won’t call you Princess. But as for those other rules—“

Suddenly, the front doorbell rang loudly, interrupting him. I could feel the redness in my cheeks as he stepped closer to me.

“Better get that,” I said, looking away.

“It’ll be the guys. Come downstairs soon.”

I nodded. “Fine, whatever.”

He looked like he wanted to say something else, and there was a short second there where I thought he was going to disagree, take me up in his arms again and run his full lips along my throat, but instead he shrugged again and turned around, shutting the door behind him as he left my room.

I cursed softly to myself. What had he been thinking, grabbing me like that? And why did I always get so angry? There had always been something about Colin that drove me crazy in every single way, and apparently he still had that special something. It was frustrating and annoying and it drove me absolutely fucking wild, and I couldn’t get enough of it.

For a second, I had completely forgotten about my dad and Vince, and there was only Colin’s perfect body and huge grin. And that was why he was so dangerous.

I checked myself in the mirror, mentally steeled myself for what I was about to walk into, and opened my bedroom door, praying for the best.

––––––––

“H
ey there, Princess!” Davin called out, sweeping me up into a tight hug.

I grimaced, and I could see Colin’s huge, amused smile in the background.
Yeah, enjoy it now, asshole
, I grumbled mentally.

“Hey Davin,” I said, returning the hug.

He pulled away and looked at me. Five years had passed, and he hadn’t changed all that much. His hair was thinning, and he had put on a tiny bit of weight, but the steely resolve and sharp intelligence were still plain as day on his face.

Back when I was a kid, and still blissfully naïve, Davin had been around the most. When my mom died of breast cancer, Davin had helped out around the house, at least until my dad had hired someone to take care of that stuff. Still, even when he didn’t have to, Davin was constantly showing up, checking in on me, bringing me little gifts, and calling me the Little Princess. I only found out later that all the guys called me the Mob Princess, but obviously they didn’t do that to my face.

Sometimes, when I remembered those happy days, I felt like an idiot. It seemed so obvious later on, so clear as day. I felt foolish that it had taken me so long to figure it out, and only because one of Dad’s idiot guys had gotten too drunk one night and let it slip. Once he'd said it, though, everything clicked into place.

And I had lost it. I was furious with Dad, so beyond angry. I couldn’t believe he had been lying to me for so long, letting me believe that all those men were his employees at the pub. Worst of all, I was mad at myself for believing it, and for still wishing that it had all been true. I'd wished I could go back in time, back when I was still just an innocent teenager, but that was all ruined. I had to grow up quick.

But I was pissed about it. And I took it out on my dad, like a bratty child. I regretted that most of all.

“You look great, kid.”

“You do too.”

He stepped away, smiling bashfully. “Ah, well, that isn’t true, but thanks.”

I scanned the room. A bunch of guys were milling about, grabbing drinks from the refrigerator, setting up a card game back at the kitchen table, and generally screwing around. There was food out on the island, and I had to admit that I was impressed that Colin had set everything up so quickly. I recognized a few of the guys, but most of them were basically strangers. Interspersed throughout the Mob guys were a bunch of young, pretty girls.
They must have brought their daughters, too,
I thought.

And was immediately repulsed as one particularly attractive blonde bent over and kissed one of the men.

Wives
, I corrected myself, and frowned. The girls were barely older than me, and they were all attractive. I mean, cliché attractive, all long legs and long thick hair and curves and tits and make-up and more. There weren’t a lot of them, just enough to make me notice their presence, but they still felt strange. I wondered who they belonged to. Then again, I didn’t care, and wasn’t about to ask.

I looked back at Davin.

“So, uh, where’s Dad?” I said.

He shrugged. “Your old man should be here soon. How about a drink? You’re of legal age now, yeah?”

I laughed. “Yeah, I’m twenty-three.”

He whistled. “Twenty-three, God have mercy. I remember when you were ten, and you were this tall.” He gestured with his hands and I laughed.

“You were a lot thinner back then,” I teased.

He pretended to look hurt. “You wound me already, Princess.”

I winced. “Hey, maybe we don’t need to use that nickname.”

He grinned. “Okay, whatever you say. Your wish is my command.”

I rolled my eyes. Davin had always been fake gallant around me, probably to play up the whole Princess thing.

“Come on, let’s have a glass of wine, toast to your mother and the old times.”

I smiled and nodded. It felt good to be around the old crowd again, especially since Davin knew my mother. I caught Colin lurking around the edge of the room, pretending like he wasn’t watching me. He was welcome to join us, but I wasn’t going to invite him over.

Davin led me into the kitchen, pulled out a bottle of red, and then poured two glasses. He held his up for a toast.

“May you live as long as you want and never want as long as you live.”

I grinned. “And to my mother.”

He nodded. “And your mother.”

We clinked glasses and drank. I noticed a few guys glancing in our direction, but I didn’t care. Davin grinned at me.

“Feels strange, giving you a drink after all this time.”

“Feels strange drinking in my own kitchen for the first time.”

He laughed. “Is it really your first time?”

I nodded. “First time home since ... you know, since I left.”

He nodded and didn’t acknowledge my awkward pause. “Well, you’re back now, and we couldn’t be happier.”

“Thanks, Davin.”

He gave me a conspiratorial look. “So you mean to tell me one of the boys never once snuck you a drink?

I laughed. “Not once.”

He nodded sagely. “Your father has that power.”

Before I could reply, there was a sudden hush, and the sound of the front door closing. I felt something drop in the pit of my stomach.