A set of arms I’m becoming used to, wrap around my shoulders and I’m turned to face his chest. Theo lifts a hand to grasp my chin and guide my head back enough for me to meet his gaze. “Don’t be mad, Snowflake. Just think of it this way, if he didn’t send you here, I wouldn’t be here and you wouldn’t be mine,” he growls and leans down to press a kiss to my forehead.
“Doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt to know my brother would lie to me in order to get me here. I would have come here if he’d told me his friends were giving me permission to stay here for a little while. If it meant getting away from my parents, I’d have snapped up the chance in a heartbeat.”
“Baby girl, think about it. I tried to get you to take my offer. You wouldn’t take it. I wanted you to come live with me, but you said you didn’t want to intrude. Said you needed to get out your own way. Well, I made you think you were paying for this place but you didn’t. I sent Theo here because he needed to be here. Seems to have worked out from where I’m standing,” Christian says, and I want to turn and slug him in the chest for the gloating tone in his voice.
“Doesn’t make it right you’ve lied to me for years. I feel like a fool. You made me think you were in the military—all this time. I should have known better. God, I’m an idiot,” I mutter, shaking my head.
“You’re not an idiot, Blake. You’re a dreamer and you haven’t been allowed to dream in a very long time. Now you get to do that,” Christian declares.
At this, I do turn in Theo’s arms and look to my brother. Is he serious right now? Does he really think I’m simply only a dreamer and want to live in my own head all the time?
I don’t. I want to live in a world where I can be myself is all. Where no one will control what I want to do. If I want to sit and write an entire book and get it ready to publish, they won’t stop me by saying I’m being stupid. I want to be who I am and no one else.
“Snowflake, I think what your brother means is, now you’re with me which gives you the chance to spread your wings and be who you want,” Theo says softly against the shell of my ear.
Nodding, I relax into him.
“Now that that’s settled, let’s discuss how the hell we’re gonna get your SUV out of the snow covering it,” the other guy says with a commanding tone of voice.
“Blake, this is Leo De Luca. He’s not only my cousin but he’s the head of the family,” Theo says.
Head of the family?
What does that mean?
“He’s our boss per se,” Christian says.
“You can say that. Or you can tell her the truth. Blake, I’m the Don, in other words, without realizing it, you’ve been living in our world and are now about to have your eyes widened to what’s really going on,” Leo De Luca announces.
“Um, okay, what does Don mean? And um, what do you mean our world?” I ask apprehensively.
“The crime world. Your parents are trying to align themselves with one of the Romanian families and are trying to use you in doing so. Now I assume you are with Theo.” I nod in confirmation as I glance up from Leo to tilt my head back in order to look at Theo to find him staring at me. “Then that means you are one of ours. You already had our protection due to being Christian’s sister, but even more so with you being with a De Luca. Welcome to the family,” Leo says.
My mind feels as if it were going to explode from all of the information I’m being handed.
Crime World.
Christian is a part of this life.
Leo just stated I’ve been in this world without realizing it.
My own parents are trying to use me in aligning themselves with another family.
Oh boy.
I close my eyes and lift my hands up to both sides of my head and grasp my hair while I take all of this in.
“I think we need to give Blake a moment alone,” Christian mutters, having seen me on the verge of a break down on several occasions.
“Why don’t you two go see about getting the ATVs out of the shed?” Theo suggests. “I’ll be out there in just a moment.
“Yeah,” Leo grumbles.
“Love you, baby girl,” Christian murmurs.
I hear the shuffling of feet and then a door closing.
Theo releases his arms from around my body and the next thing I know I’m hoisted into the air and sat on the countertop. “Snowflake, open your eyes and look at me,” he commands.
Slowly I open my eyes and do as he says. The dark steel eyes I’m met with are the same ones of the man who’s been so caring and showing me affection. The same man who claimed me as his but there’s a difference right now.
This is Theo showing me who he is.
“I’ll never hurt you, Snowflake. That’s one thing I want you to remember. But I will always, and I mean always, do what I must to see you safe and protected. I’m not a man who sits behind a desk all day twiddling his thumbs. My hands are stained,” he says, holding his hands out to the side for me to see them.
I don’t see what he means by them being stained. I simply see the hands of the man who held me in his arms, mere moments ago. I see nothing but the hands of the man who touched me, caressed me while sliding himself inside me, and held the washcloth used to clean me when we were in the tub.
Theo’s hands aren’t stained to me. No, they’re beautiful. He states he’ll do what he must to protect me and I believe him. Does that mean I understand it all? No, I don’t but I’m willing to find out.
Chapter Eleven
Theo
Seeing the confliction in Blake’s eyes, I worry she’ll want to turn me away. To not want to be with me. Although I won’t allow that to happen, I’d show her she was mine in every way possible, even if it meant tying her to the bed until she realized the truth of what the two of us share.
However, Blake shocks me by releasing the hold she had on her hair and reaches out to take my hands in hers. She then lifts them up and cups the sides of her face with them both.
Fuck me if this woman isn’t perfect for me.
Blake doesn’t even have to say a word for me to understand her meaning.
“I don’t understand everything and maybe later you can explain it but just so you know to me your hands aren’t stained, they’re beautiful.” Shit, if I didn’t need to get outside, I’d be pulling her leggings down and fuckin’ her right here on this countertop.
Instead, I settle for taking her mouth for a heated kiss to which my cock throbs for more, especially, when my Snowflake moans into my mouth for more.
I lift my mouth off of Blake’s and press my forehead against hers. “I need to get out there and speak with both Leo and Christian. Stay in here and stay warm, okay?”
“Okay,” she says breathlessly.
“Good girl, I’ll be back in a few minutes,” I say and press one last kiss to her luscious mouth.
Damn, I’m never going to go without kissing her. She’s addicting in every way possible.
Stepping away from Blake, I head for the door grabbing my jacket from beside the door where I had hung it up after coming in from getting firewood. Hopefully, we’ll have enough for the remainder of the evening.