Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 82945 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 415(@200wpm)___ 332(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82945 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 415(@200wpm)___ 332(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
The thought of her as a mother. The idea of having a family—
It scares the hell out of me.
But for the first time, I met a woman that I could picture by my side.
How did I let things get so complicated? Why couldn’t I have seen this before?
But I can’t let myself fantasize. There are strict limits to our fake marriage, and I’m pretty sure kids are way, way off the table.
Still, it’s tempting. The thought of having someone there with me through all the pain and struggle—
Fuck, I wish I never signed that contract.
Molly whisks Fiona away, leaving me alone with Orin. I lean back against the railing while I finish my drink, sloshing ice around the glass. He eyes me for a moment before producing two cigars.
We light up and puff away. “If you decide to join our family, there will be some rules,” he says softly, staring off toward the ocean, his face almost beatific as if he weren’t talking about his criminal organization. “We’d expect certain things. Discretion. Loyalty. Above and beyond what you provide to other clients.”
“I can promise complete discretion and loyalty. However, if you’re ever pulled into in a proceeding that involved another one of my clients, I will have to recuse myself. I can’t represent you above their interests, and I wouldn’t do that to you, either. It’s not a likely scenario, but I want to be clear.”
He tilts his head, considering, before grinning. “Spoken like a true lawyer. But fine, if that’s how it needs to be.” He squeezes my shoulder, directing me back toward the house. “There’s only the small matter of access.”
“Access?” My eyebrows raise.
“You’re based in Dallas. That’s not going to work for me.”
“I assure you, I can practice law in nearly every state—”
“That’s not what I mean.” He glances through the window to where Fiona sits with Molly at the table. “If I need you, I need you immediately. Not in a few hours, not after a plane lands. But right away.”
“That’s difficult,” I admit. “I can hire staff and have them on hand in Boston, but—”
“I need you to move closer,” he says, staring into my face. “If you want to join my family, I need you to join for real.”
I don’t know what to say. I’ve been in the Dallas area for a long time—it’s my home base, it’s everything I know. But what do I have there, really? An empty apartment? Carmine and Ford? They can take weekend trips to visit. Evander’s in Chicago and Lanzo’s all over the world; I still count them as my best friends.
“I’ll consider it,” I say cautiously, not ready to commit to a move just yet. “But it’s on the table.”
“Good. I wouldn’t expect you to say yes right away. Only decide sooner rather than later.” He laughs and yanks open the door. “Let’s get something to eat. We can discuss more business later.”
As we sit down, Fiona gives me a look, eyes narrowed like she’s asking me something. I squeeze her thigh and give her a smile: everything’s okay. At least that’s the look I try to convey.
This is happening. Orin wants me to be his lawyer. He hasn’t said the words yet, but he’s talking about loyalty and cross-country moves. That’s serious business.
I’m close to getting what I want.
So why do I feel absolutely nothing right now?
Chapter 24
Fiona
“Dinner was good,” I say, climbing into bed. I pull the sheets over me as Gareth stands nearby in nothing but a pair of boxer briefs, looking like he’s on set for an underwear modeling job.
“You get along well with Molly,” he says, watching me, eyes roaming over to the empty side of the bed. “Did you really mean what you asked about kids?”
“Absolutely,” I say, feeling sleepy and barely resisting it. Lying out in the sun all afternoon took a lot out of me. “I think I got a sunburn on my arm.”
He moves closer, still looking at me. His face is tense, almost anxious, but I don’t know why. “Orin said something to me while we were outside. He wants me to move to Boston.”
I roll over to frown at him. “Really? That’s a lot to ask.”
“He’s not a normal client. Anyone else and I’d tell them to fuck off. But Orin Crowley?” He shakes his head, clearly torn. “This is my chance, Fiona.”
I sit up on an elbow. I like the way his eyes drift down my arm, to my shoulder, to my chest, back up to my lips. I lick them, giving him a little teasing show. Why not? I can still feel that orgasm pulsing between my legs.
“Is that something you’d want? I mean, you’ve been in Dallas a long time, right?”
“I lived on the East Coast in college.” He tilts his head. “But most of my life has been in Dallas otherwise.”