Awake My Heart (The Bentini Brothers Book 3) (8 page)

     “Who is?” he ask, more focused on the traffic than on what she
is saying.

     “Beverly Montenegro,” Tiressa supplies, observing every nuance
of his reaction.

     “Yes, she is…but then, so are you,” he compliments glancing at
her.

     “Nice save,” Ti laughs.

     “Look Baby, you have absolutely nothing to be concerned
about.  Although I have always thought of Beverly as an attractive woman, she’s
not my type.  She’s Thad’s girl and has been from the start.  I regard Beverly
more as a sister than anything else.”  He’s matter of fact in his manner; so
much so, that Ti thinks about it for a minute and decides that he’s telling her
the truth.  “Thank you Antonio,” she says softly, “I don’t mean to be this
way—”

     “Don’t apologize Baby.  I like that you are possessive about
me because I sure as hell am possessive about you.  The day that stops being
the case, one or both of us will probably be resting six feet under and then it
won’t matter anymore,” he flashes a cocky grin.

     “That’s my man.”  Ti adores him with her hot gaze, placing his
large hand high up on her thigh.  Leaning into him, she whispers huskily, “I
can’t wait to get you home and out of your clothes.”

Chapter 7

     Will expels a heavy breath as he exits the elevator on the
fifth floor.  Although he hasn’t been back to the hospital in a few days, he
has been closely monitoring Kathy’s progress.  Dr. Phillips is impressed with
her speedy recovery and plans to discharge her in a day or two.   Will is
thankful that Kathy pulled through this nightmare and is on her way to having
her life back to normal.  But nothing will be the same for them if… 

     He pushes open the door and enters Kathy’s hospital room,
pausing in his tracks when he sees that her family is present and all eyes are on
him.  “Mr. and Mrs. Walters,” he acknowledges in greeting, his gaze sweeping
over the other occupants very briefly before finally resting on Kathy. 

     “Who are you?”  Will’s gaze snaps back to the belligerent
voice and he easily surmises that this must be one of Kathy’s three brothers. 
Their eyes lock in challenge.  “I’m William Bentini and you are?”

     “I’m the man who’s going to kick your ass for what you’ve done
to my sister!”  Pandemonium erupts as the hostile young hothead runs up on Will
with hands fisted.  Will turns to face the threat, prepared to defend himself. 
He ducks the punch thrown at his face and counter punches with a blow to the
other man’s ribs.  The fight ends almost as suddenly as it begins when Kathy’s
other two brothers rush into the room grabbing the combatants and pulling them
apart.  Will immediately holds both hands up showing that he’s not intent on
keeping the fight going, but Charles isn’t willing to be as compliant.

     “Damnit Charlie, calm down!”  He resist the restraint.  “That
son of a bitch has the nerve to show his face here!  After what he’s put Kathy
through!” 

     “Stop it damnit!  Can’t you see what you’re doing to mom?!” 
Charlie looks wildly about the room, finally realizing he’s making a spectacle
of himself and upsetting his mother in the process.  “Okay, I’m calm,” he says
trying to pull out of his brother’s hold, but his brother isn’t quite so
convinced.  “I said alright, Richie!”  Richard, the eldest, slowly loosens his
hold, giving Charlie a brotherly thump of the shoulder.  Mrs. Walters hurries
over to Kathy and orders her to get back into bed, “Get back into bed right
this minute. Now Katherine!  I will not have you jeopardize your recovery.”

     “I feel fine mom,” she tries to convince her frantic mother,
to no end.

     “I don’t care, get back into bed.  Help me Emily,” Mrs.
Walters commands, as she and Emily help Kathy back into bed and tuck the covers
neatly back into place in no time.

     Ignoring everyone else in the room, Will addresses Kathy, “Can
I speak with you Kathy …in private?” he asks, stepping towards her bed.

     “No way in hell we’re leaving you alone with our sister,” David,
the middle brother states forcefully as he and Richard move to block Will’s
path. 

       “It’s okay Davie,” Kathy quickly intercedes, hoping to avoid
another fight between her brothers and the man she loves.

     “Are you sure Kathy?” Emily asks, ready to protect her little
sister from this tyrant who has shamefully taken advantage of her.

     “Yes.”

     “You shouldn’t listen to a damn thing this bastard has to
say!”

     “Charlie, please,” Kathy implores her overprotective sibling.

     “That’s enough Charles!” Mr. Walters places a restraining hand
on his son’s arm.  “That’s quite enough son,” he repeats, looking at all three
of his boys.  “It’s up to Katherine,” he states, watching her closely.  “What
do you want to do, Kitty?”

     “I want to talk to William, dad…alone,” she replies, not
taking her eyes off Will.

     “Okay, boys, you heard your sister.  Let’s all step out and
give them some privacy,” Mr. Walters herds his family towards the door.  “Okay,
dad, we’ll leave…” Charlie grates, but sends a warning to Will before he walks
out of the room, “But we’ll be right outside this door.”

     “You got five minutes, buddy.  Five minutes,” David add a
warning of his own. 

     Will watch as Kathy’s family file out of the room one by one,
before turning his full attention back to her.  Now that they are finally
alone, she finds it difficult to meet his steady regard as he approaches her
bedside with both hands jammed in his pants pockets as if he doesn’t trust
himself to have them free.  He stares at her averted face for several long
seconds, before asking the question that has been uppermost in his thoughts for
the past several days.

     “Is it true?  Did you have a baby?” he asks, but has to ask
again, when she doesn’t immediately reply; this time with more bite in his tone,
“Did you have my baby Kat?”

     “Please Will, let me explain—”

     “Is it true, Kat?” he grates between clenched teeth.

     “Will, you don’t understand—”

     “Damnit Kathy, answer me!  Do I have a child?!”

     Forcing the words past her clogged throat, she finally answers,
crying softly, “Yes, Will, I was pregnant with your baby.  I gave birth to a
baby girl,” she pauses for a second and thinks to offer, “Her name is Willow.” 

     Will digests this shocking news for a long few seconds, not
breaking eye contact with Kathy.  “Why Kat?” Although he doesn’t raise his
voice, his confusion and hurt fills the room.  “Why would you keep this from
me…why would you keep
her
from me?” he ask trying to understand.  “Was
this your sick attempt at revenge because I dated another woman?”

     “You did more than date her!  You got engaged to her, you were
planning to marry her!  But, I didn’t do it to hurt you, William.  Honest to
God, I was doing what I thought was best for my daughter.”

     “My daughter!  She’s mine too!  And I’m what’s best for
my
daughter!”  Voice raw with emotions unfamiliar to him, Will fights back the
urge to roar his outrage.

     “Will—”

     “How the hell do you dare to keep me from my child?!”

     “Will, please!  If you would just give me a chance to make
this right…I know I can make it right between us again.”

     Shaking his head, he turns away from her.  “I can’t do this, Kat. 
I’m done,” he says, walking to the door.

     “Will, wait!  Why can’t you give me a chance?” she sobs,
reaching out to him.

     “Like you gave me a chance?” 

At the door, he looks at her with something akin to hatred.  “I will
never forgive you for this.”

***

     “Kathy?  Why are you crying?  Girl, what’s the matter?” Tiressa
asks, sitting on the edge of Kathy’s bed and embracing her. 

     “I’m so tired of crying, but that’s all I seem to do these
days.”  She flops back against the mattress, wiping a fresh batch of tears from
her pale cheeks.  “Oh, Tiressa, I’ve really messed things up with Will!” 

     Although Ti has a good idea of exactly why Kathy is upset and
Will is angry, she wants Kathy to be the one to bring it up if she wants.  “What’s
going on Kathy?  I saw Will as I was heading up here.  He looked like a killer thunderstorm.”

     “We had a terrible fight.  I’ve done something so awful and
Will is more furious than I’ve ever seen him before.”

     “Surely, it isn’t anything that can’t be fixed.”

     “You’re wrong, Tiressa.  He’s not going to forgive me for
this.  He says he’s never going to forgive me for what I’ve done.”

     “Do you want to tell me about it?  Maybe I can help.”  She
gives Kathy a direct look, “No judgment, remember.”

     “I’m so ashamed,” Kathy weeps, covering her face.

     “Girl, we’ve all done things that we are not proud of.  Whatever
it is, it doesn’t make you a bad person, and I’m sure when Will calms down and
is more himself, he’ll remember all the reasons why he loves you.” 

     “No, he won’t.  And even if he does, he won’t forgive me…I had
a baby.”

     “What?  When?”  Tiressa tries her best to look suitably stunned,
but is relieved that Kathy is not looking at her.

     “Two years ago I had a baby…it’s Will’s baby.  I never told
him.  No one but my family knew about the baby.  Will found out.  Now, he hates
me and he’s never going to forgive me Ti,” she says with abject hopelessness.  Meeting
her friend’s sympathetic gaze, Kathy attempts to put on a brave face, asking
with as much feigned humor as she can muster, “So,
girlfriend
, can you
help me fix that?”

***

     “Pour me a double this time Carl and keep them coming.”

     “Whatever you say Mr. Bentini.”

     Two hours later, thoroughly inebriated, William calls his
driver to pick him up from his favorite downtown pub, Smokin Joe’s.”

     “Good evening Mr. Bentini.”

     “Good evening, Jed,” Will greets with a hint of a slur in his
speech as he acknowledges his personal assistant—who steadfastly refuses the
title of butler—with a brief nod.

     “Scottie would like to know what time you and Ms. Donavan
would like dinner to be served tonight.”

     “Alison is here?” he asks hazily.

     “Yes sir, she’s awaiting you in the master chamber.”

     Without another word, Will ascends the stairs, slowly focusing
on each step while trying not to appear to be swaying on his feet.  When he
gets to the top landing, he pauses to collect his bearings, thinking,
“Alison
being in my house when I’m not here is nothing new, but she could have let me
know she was back in the country.  Shit! I don’t need this tonight of all
nights.  I’m so drunk I can barely put one foot in front of the other.”
 

     He swings open his bedroom doors to the muted glow of candlelight,
soft music and a scantily clad Alison sprawled seductively across his giant four-poster
bed wearing one of her most revealing negligees.  “
Again, nothing new
,”
he thinks, staggering into the room, but with enough presence of mind to close
the door firmly behind him.

     “Welcome home darling.”

     “Alison,” he plops down on the edge of the bed.

     “William!  Is that all I get after being gone for nearly three
weeks?” she pouts, crawling over to him and rubbing her breasts against his
broad back.

     Ignoring the warm sensual feel of her full soft breasts, he
exhales a steadying breath.  “Alison, we need—”

     “I’ve got exactly what you need,” she purrs running her hands
around his waist to unbuckle his belt.  Seeing that he is in no condition to
stop her, she has his pants unzipped and open in seconds.  “Now, you just lay
back lover, and let Alli do all the work,” she whispers deliciously as she
pushes on Will’s shoulders and he lays back with a quiet whoosh.  “Slide up on
the bed William, you’re bound to fall off…here lift your hips, let me help you
get out of all these uncomfortable clothes…”  

     “Alison, we need to talk,” his slur is more pronounced. 
Closing his eyes, he exhales tiredly.

     Determined on her course, Alison ignores his obvious
intoxicated state and continues undressing him, touching and caressing his
manhood in the process.  Sitting back on her heels between Will’s spread legs, Alison
silently congratulates herself on the smooth execution of her seduction.  She
has William right where she wants him.  He may not be excited to see her, but
his manhood is and that is all she needs.  Licking her lips, she bends forward
inhaling the
heavenly scent of William’s own distinctive, tangy man-musk as she buries her
head between his legs.  Moaning, Will gives up all pretense of protest as he
lays back spreads his legs wider and enjoys the unbelievable sensation of being
handled so skillfully.  Alison has her way with him, savoring every inch of his
shaft.  When his climax begins, he clutches her hair tightly, bucking until he
suddenly stiffens. 

     “Oh gawd William, it’s been too long since we’ve enjoyed each
other,” she murmurs, rubbing her face against his inner thigh.  “Umm, I’ve
missed the smell of you,” she drones, burying her nose in the dark bush at his
groin.  “William?”

     Unexpectedly, the sound of his loud snores fill the room. 
“William?!”  Alison shrieks, lurching up from between his spread legs. 
“William?!”  Pushing furiously on his shoulders, the only response she receives
is more loud alcohol-induced snores.  “Of all the nerve!  You are just as useless
as that bastard brother of yours!” she huffs indignantly, slinging herself from
the bed and throwing on her negligee.  “You are not going to ruin my grand
plans,” she whispers furiously, walking through the connecting doors into the
adjoining suit.  Flopping down into one of the beautifully upholstered Queen
Anne chairs, she places a call, “Mr. Bentini won’t be needing anything more tonight,
but I’d like you to bring a tray up to the Primrose Chamber.”