My brothers are far from perfect. They’re criminals who deal in arms and drugs, and they have played God with too many lives to count.
But they’re still my brothers, and I love them.
And Kane loved his brother, despite the horrible choices he made while he was alive.
“Fuck!” Kane stands, grabs a paperweight from the desk, and chucks it. “I just keep thinking,What if I had stepped in?” He stalks over to the other side of the room and leans against the wall. “He was my brother, and I just stood by and watched himspiral.”
“You couldn’t have done anything,” I tell him honestly, walking over to where he is. “He was committed to his plan, to getting his revenge.”
Just like Kane is,I think but push that to the side.
“He has a daughter,” he chokes out. “A little girl he’ll never get to meet or hold. Not that he deserves to. What he did to Daniella is unforgivable. But … I haven’t even told my mom,” he admits. “If she knew …” His red-rimmed eyes meet mine. “Fuck, it’d break her heart if she knew there was someone out there with our blood flowing through their veins who she’d never be allowed to call family.”
“You never know. Maybe Dani and Matteo will?—”
“Give me a fucking break.” Kane barks out a mirthless laugh. “Matteo would kill my mom and me before he let us anywhere near his daughter. And I don’t blame him because if I were in the same position, I would do everything in my power to protect our child.”
Our child.
A baby created from a part of me and a part of Kane.
The idea should scare me, but instead, I find myself bridging the gap between us and framing his face in my hands, wanting to comfort him the same way he comforted me not too long ago.
“Brielle, not now,” he rasps. “I can’t do this right now.”
“Please, let me in,” I implore. “When I had my nightmare, you were there for me. After the attack, you took care of me. Let me be here for you. Tell me what you need.”
His eyes lock with mine, and he stares at me for several seconds. And just when I think he’s going to push me away again, he wraps his hand around my neck and pulls me into him for a bruising kiss.
His fingers slide up my nape and delve into my hair as he sucks my bottom lip into his mouth and then bites down on it … hard.
I yelp as the taste of copper fills my senses and attempt to back away, but Kane deepens the kiss, pulling me closer by tightening his hold on the back of my head.
Pain radiates through my scalp, and I find myself pushing away from him as flashbacks of Anthony forcing himself on me hit me.
The act must cause him to snap out of it because he opens his eyes, looking distraught.
“Fuck, Princess, I’m sorry.” He reaches out and gently runs the pad of his thumb across my bleeding lip. “This is why I walked away … why I told you I needed some time. I don’t ever want to hurt you, and right now, I’m not capable of being in control of my emotions.”
“Then let me take control,” I tell him, threading our fingers together and kissing the top of his knuckles. “Let me help you forget.”
20
Kane
“Let me help you forget.”
I knew Daniella Antonova was having my brother’s baby. I did my research. I found out her due date and pieced it together—hence me showing up at her baby shower to drop my bomb.
And then I shoved the information aside, focusing on my own agenda.
Righting the wrongs that were owed to my family.
But tonight, when Brielle showed me the picture of the baby and she looked so much like my brother, it reminded me all over again of the domino effect that the Antonovs and Russos had set off that ended with my father buried six feet under—and nearly taking my mother down with him.
After my father’s death, when the Antonovs froze his company out, I didn’t argue. I knew I wasn’t equipped to battle them in court. So, I bided my time. I created a new brand. Started from the ground up and played it smart. I told myself that I wouldn’t make the same mistakes my father and brother had made. To be successful in my line of work, it’s all about being patient and playing the long game. I did everything I was supposed to do …
Yet here I am, letting a woman control my emotions.
