“Where’s Julian?” I ask, though every atom in me screams to rush into his embrace, to wrap my arms around—say it, think it—my manand disappear into him.
“Safe,” Damian says softly. “He took a bullet to the forearm. A flesh wound, but he needs patching up.”
Damian sweeps me into his arms, his solid hold crushing me against him. I claw at his chest as his lips find mine. The little sister in me aches with guilt for kissing my brother’s best friend before tending to his wound, but Damian’s lips eclipse everything.
When he leans away, a soft smile is on his lips–a smile that would’ve seemed impossible when I first naively walked up to his ramshackle house. “I’d do it all again just to get to you.”
I cling to the back of his neck, his solid muscles twitching with our closeness. “We should go. Julian needs me.”
He nods, then takes my hand, holding me tightly. I squeeze him even tighter as we walk through the house. Julian sits at the kitchen table, holding a rag to his arm. Sweat beads all over his brow, but when he sees me and Damian holding hands, he smiles.
I let go of Damian and rush to my brother, feeling like I’m in a dream. Is he seriously smiling?
“Nurse Celine is on duty,” I say, a sob making my voice crack. I throw myself at him, careful to avoid his arm, clinging to him. “Oh, Julian. Are you okay?”
He buries his face in my neck. “I’m sorry I lied all this time.”
I laugh, half in disbelief and half in relief he’s still here. “You’re not the only one who lied.”
“I’m sorry, Celine,” he says seriously.
“Hush,” I whisper. “Let me get the first-aid kit. We’ll get you patched right up.”
Later, we sit around a crackling fireplace, heat spreading through the room, droplets of sleety snow sliding down the glass of the windows. I’m in a big armchair with Damian’s arms wrapped around me, and Julian lies on the couch, breathinggently. He drifted off soon after lying down… but not before he saw Damian and me together, not before he gave a slight nod as though offering his blessing.
I sink as deeply into Damian’s embrace as I can possibly get.
“What happens now?” I ask.
“I’ll become the Don of the Family,” he grunts, not sounding too happy about it.
“You don’t want that?”
“No. But it’s either that or let another lowlife like Salvatore take over. I’ll become Don, then I’ll work from the inside to dismantle every fucked-up thing the so-called Family does. I’ll wreck the mob from the inside without them even knowing they’re being wrecked. When all that’s left are legitimate businesses, when they can’t hurt anyone else, I’ll leave.”
“How long will that take?”
He sighs heavily. “Years, most likely.” His hand glides casually up and down my thigh, but he’s careful not to go too low, not to stray too close to my sex.
I know he can feel the need in me, burning like the fire in the grate just by being close to him. But though he’s a Beast, he’s not going to touch me with my brother so close.
“You’re doing the right thing,” I say. “It’s hard, but I know you can do it.”
“If it means I can stop this from happening again, I’ve got no choice.”
“What about…” I swallow, almost don’t say it. “Us?”
He stiffens against me. “I want you, Celine. I want you more than I knew a scarred, messed-up bastard like me could want anyone. But?—”
He doesn’t have to finish.
Thebutis across the room from us, sleeping fitfully, a bandage on his arm.
We don’t say anything for a long time. I let my head rest on Damian’s chest and listen to the heavy, steady thump of his heartbeat. He gently strokes his hand through my hair, sometimes leaning down to plant a soft kiss on the top of my head.
“Will those women and girls be safe now?” I finally ask.
“A full FBI investigation has been opened. As Don, I’ll be working with the Feds … in secret. I’ll have their backing from the shadows. Already, the victims are being reunited with their families.”
