Liam pressed the warm, wet cloth between my legs, before he closed them. With an unbearable gentleness, he scooped me up against his hard chest. He flipped the covers back, lay me down, and tucked me under them.
“Sleep now,” he murmured.
I adjusted the pillow under my head. “Where are you going?”
“Don’t worry, I’ll be here.” He went and turned off the lights. Before I could make him explain, the blue glow of a computer screen illuminated the far wall.
Was he really going to work? On our wedding night?
I yawned, despite the knot of discontent tightening my belly. I shouldn’t care. It really was a marriage of convenience more than anything. And…I wasn’t staying.
So why did this sudden cold shift in attitude bother me so much? I yawned again, gripping the horn pendant on my chest. I told myself it was better this way. The man who’d just showed me the best side of carnal pleasure was safer on the other side of the room, with the laptop as a barrier. If he’d held me, if he’d given me his warmth as I slid into oblivion, I would be at risk of a far greater craving than wanting his body. And that was damning enough.
Chapter 16 – Liam
Iwasn’t feeling particularly friendly to anyone of Italian heritage this morning. It probably had something to do with the sleepless night. Or maybe the fact that my wife was every bit the little temptation I suspected her to be. A virgin—Jaysus! Who would have fucking thought? I was certain her mystery lover had spent many long hours between those sun-kissed thighs. He was either the biggest eejit that ever existed or he wasn’t real.
Well, now that she was living in my house, it would be easier to pay close attention to where she went and who she saw. And read her journals.
I walked into the portable office at our biggest construction site after depositing my bride at my house.Ourhouse. That thought unsettled me more than the smirking six-foot-five Italian sitting across from my desk. I arched a questioning brow at my secretary. Betty, perched in the front room of the portable, gave me a shrug.
“What did you expect? Coming into work the day after your wedding,” she tsked.
“You know damn well this project is behind schedule,” I grumped. “Taking yesterday off means we’ll work through the weekend.”
“That’s what ya get for marrying on a Thursday.” Betty rolled her ancient, all-seeing eyes. “Not me. I have a poker match tomorrow night, and there’s mass on Sunday, lad.”
I stalked into the back, slammed the door to my private quarters, and crossed my arms over my chest. “Speak.”
Dominico Grimaldi’s eyes danced. “Well, hello to you too.”
“Give me one good reason why I don’t shoot you for trespassing?” I glowered.
“It would start a turf war,” Dominico said smoothly. “Or, if that’s not good enough for you, killing me would be a loss of some pretty valuable information.”
Scowling, I ripped back my chair and sat hard. The hinges groaned as Betty bustled inside. She set two stainless steel cups on the desk, gave me a pointed look, and then smiled at our guest.
“Let me know if I can get anything else, lads,” she laughed. The noise was corn husks scraping in an autumn field. “I’m headed to smoke me pipe.”
When the door closed, Dominico leaned forward. “A pipe?”
“What do you want?” I demanded.
The princeling grinned. “Felicitations on your sudden nuptials.”
I plucked the coffee. The piping hot liquid scorched my throat. It would be a damn shame to waste good joe by throwing it in the fecker’s face, but the idea was tempting.
“If we’d known you were in the market for an alliance, we could have offered you a better deal,” he drawled, smoothly shifting his hand through the air.
The bastard was fishing. Now that the news was out, his family wouldn’t be the only one asking questions we didn’t wantto answer. Such as why an affluent organization such as the McDonagh Clan chose to partner with the teeny Morelli Family.
“Last I heard, you were in Europe.” I kicked an ankle over my knee and leaned back, deciding to do a little fishing of my own. “Welcome back.”
A muscle in that sharp jaw ticked. But his smile never wavered. “Grandfather said it was time I began taking an active role in the business.”
I nodded, humming under my breath. The information made me wonder if there wasn’t a reason for Don Grimaldi to make the change. Was the old man’s health failing? Or was it just another tactic? Manipulation was something that the old heads weren’t above using to bring our generation to heel.
“And as my first official act back, I have the pleasure of bringing you some news.” Dominico flicked an invisible piece of lint off his bespoke suit. “Grandfather was approached with an offer to assassinate you—and your parents.”
