“One other thing. I need you to accelerate finding a property for Saverio and Anais.”
He nods. “I’ll consider it a priority. Until then, why don’t we move them to the west wing of the house?”
The last place I wanted to take Salerno and his daughter was my house, my own personal refuge, but he called in his favor, and I had no choice. He was badly injured in the attack on Vegas and lucky he got out of there with his life. As far as we know, the Russians are still after them.As long as Salerno is alive, their hold on Vegas is not guaranteed, so the threat to his life is considerable. I couldn’t turn him away in his time of need, so Leo drove him, Anais, and a couple of their soldiers—all with blindfolds on—to Greenwich in the dead of night. All the staff has been sworn to secrecy so no one reveals the location.
I had put them in the east wing so Angelo could keep an eye on them while I’m not there during the week, but housing Sierra and Rowan with them is not a good idea. There is no love lost between her and Salerno, and I want him nowhere near my future wife. I haven’t forgotten how much he wanted her.
Having them in my house is not ideal—at all—and it was only meant to be temporary while Salerno healed and we identified a secure house to move them to. Their remaining men are scattered across a few different safe houses, and the plan is to find one large property where they can all regroup and we can plan retaliation.
Now my priorities have changed, and I need to get them out of my house ASAP. Until then, I want them kept far away from Sierra and Rowan. If she knew they were there, she would resist moving in, and I can’t let them fuck this up for me.
“Ask Natalia to make it happen.” I called my sister earlier, and she immediately dropped everything to go to my house. I had a list of things I wanted her to set up for me, and she didn’t hesitate to offer her help.
Leo sees himself out, and I grab a few bottles of water from the refrigerator before switching off the lights and heading upstairs. I set one bottle down on the bedside table in Rowan’s room, kissing his brow and watching his breathing for a few minutes to reassure myself he is okay, before I pad out of the room and into the master suite.
Sierra is already in bed, but she’s not sleeping. She is sitting upright against the headrest tapping out a message on her phone. “Is everything okay?” I ask, tugging my shirt from my pants.
“I’m just updating Esme and Pen. The news is all over Glencoe, and they were worried about me.”
“Don’t tell them about the Greenwich house,” I say, perching on the side of the bed beside her as I unbutton my shirt.
She frowns. “Why not?”
“I don’t want anyone to know you and Rowan are there. As far as family and friends are concerned, you are both living here. Until we figure this out, keeping our location a secret is critical. Besides, no one knows where my house is. I have gone to great lengths to keep it hidden, and I’d like to keep it that way.” I remove my shoes and socks, digging my toes into the soft plush gray carpet.
“How bad is this, Ben? And please don’t lie to me.”
I take her hand in mine when she sets her phone on the bed. “I won’t lie to you, Sierra. I will tell you anything you need to know, but is this really what you want to discuss now?” I tuck her hair behind her ear. “I’m not deflecting. You’ve been through a lot today. Let’s just sleep, and when you and Rowan are settled into the house tomorrow, we can talk.”
She nods slowly. “I thought I could keep myself removed from what you do, but I realize now how stupid and naïve that was.”
“I understand, and honestly, I would rather you didn’t know too much, but shielding you by keeping you in the dark was a foolish plan. You don’t need to know everything, but you need to know enough to understand the risks. Maybe if I had told you about the Russian threat and what has happened in Vegas, you might have been more suspicious, and you might have guessed what Lucille was up to.”
“It’s doubtful,” she says, “but knowledge is power, and I can’t protect myself and Rowan if I don’t know the basics.”
“I agree.”
She smiles. “Look how far we have come.”
I lean in and kiss her, just because I feel like it. This kiss is tender, unlike any kiss we have shared before, but I can’t be rough with her today. Not after the things she has endured. “Hold that thought,” I whisper over her lips. “I need to grab a shower.” I stand, battling a yawn.
“Esme and Pen are going to my house tomorrow to pack up more of our stuff,” she says, her eyes widening as I remove my dress shirt. Her eyes follow a path from my shoulders, down over my chest, and along my abs. Two rosy dots stain her cheeks as her eyes latch on to the line of dark hair leading into my pants and the obvious swelling of my cock behind my zipper.
It’s on the tip of my tongue to say something dirty, but I won’t make tonight about sex. Clearing my throat, I fight a smirk as she whips her head up to my face, her cheeks staining a darker shade of red. “Just let me know when they are ready, and I’ll send a van to pick everything up,” I say.
“I’m not packing up everything,” she supplies. “And I’m not saying this is a permanent arrangement either.”
“Whatever you say.” I let my smirk loose. She can act delusional if she wants. I’ll give her that tonight.
She purses her lips and narrows her eyes. “I thought you were taking a shower.”
“In a rush to get rid of me now?” I ask, removing my belt and unbuttoning my pants. I let them fall to my feet, enjoying the shocked gasp that escapes her lush lips.
“I’m tired,” she blurts, working hard to avoid ogling me as I finish removing my pants, standing before her in tight black boxers that do nothing to hide my semi.
“I won’t be long,” I say, shoving my boxers down my legs before taking them off and scooping up my clothes.
A red flush creeps up her neck and onto her face as I walk off, flashing my bare ass at her. I would love nothing more than to bury myself balls deep inside her tonight, but I won’t push her into anything until she is fully in control of her faculties and I know she wants me as much as I want her.
