Cautious (Sequel to Disastrous) (6 page)

“So where are you guys going?” Megan’s voice broke my thoughts.

Smiling, I uncrossed my arms and made my way toward the bedroom.
“Don’t know. It’s a surprise. Want to help me pick out an outfit?”

With that, Megan jumped off the stool and followed me down the
hall. She loved going through my closet.

For the next couple of hours, I tried on a few outfits as we
talked. She filled me in on how she and Jeremy began sleeping with each other.
It started a couple of weeks ago with innocent flirting, which led to full-blown
crazy sex, as she described. She lit up every time she mentioned his name,
which had worried me. Even though she said there was nothing more, I was afraid
Megan would get attached and Jeremy would end up hurting her. I’d kill him if
he did.

Standing in front of the mirror, I twirled around to examine my
outfit. Since it was chilly out, I settled on a cream cashmere sweater dress, a
pair of caramel colored knee-length wedge boots, and a matching thin belt. “You
look hot! You are so getting laid tonight.” I laughed once and let Megan in on
the entire bet issue. “No you didn’t!” She squealed.

I nodded as I began to apply my makeup. “Yes, I know it’s going
to be hard.” Marcus was so hard to resist, and, God, the way he touched me and
the way his lips felt on mine, I just knew it was going to be difficult to push
him away.

“You’re so going to break this bet. Come on, Marcus is hot! And
not to mention you guys haven’t slept with each other in what, a month?”

“It was three weeks, until last night.” I turned and stared at
her wide-eyed expression. I bit my bottom lip and blocked the pillow she tossed
at me.

“See! You are not going to be able to resist him. Heck, I
wouldn’t.” I arched a brow at her. Shrugging, she continued, “I mean can you
blame a girl? But, of course, he’s off limits for me.”

“For anyone, he’s off limits.” I was never the jealous type, but
with Marcus, I was horrible. The thought of his hands touching someone else,or
his lips kissing another woman—I shuddered at the image. Shaking the nasty
thoughts out my mind, I twirled around. “So what do you think?”

Waving her fingers, she purred, “Fab, darling, just fab.”

***

After I swung the door open, I studied the gorgeous man
standing in front of me. Marcus, with a crooked grin, showed off the adorable
dimple I loved so much. His dark hair still damp from a fresh shower and his
powerful, luxurious scent weakened my knees. Yeah, it was going to be hard not to
jump his bones. I continued to admire him, until I took note of his wardrobe.
He was dressed down in jeans, a black t-shirt, boots, and a jacket. “Should I
change?” I felt overdressed beside him.

Marcus’ smile widened. “No, you look perfect, beautiful as
always.” He reached in and kissed my forehead.

“Are you sure, Marcus? I would only be a minute to change into
jeans and a top.”

Grabbing my arm, he tugged me out the door. “No, come on. We have
a long day ahead of us.”

After fastening my seatbelt, I turned to face him in the driver’s
seat. “Where are we going?”

“I told you it’s a surprise.”

“I know. I’m just excited about the whole dating thing. It’s kind
of sexy.”

Marcus let out a low raspy laugh, leaning in to me. His stare
traced from my eyes toward my lips. “Is it now? Will it be sexy enough for you to—”

“Don’t count on it, DeLuca.” He burst into a full belly laugh. I
missed that sound. He quickly kissed my lips and then pulled out of the parking
spot. Sighing with contentment, I slumped back onto the headrest and studied
his features as he drove.

“Are you hungry?” He asked.

“Actually, I am.”

“Okay, we’ll have lunch first, and then we’ll have fun.” He
winked at me and then focused on the road. My stomach fluttered. I felt like a
teenage girl on her first date with the most popular boy in school. I knew it
was a cliché thought, but it was my cliché moment. I thought every female was
entitled to at least one.

After thirty minutes, we pulled into a parking lot in the north
end of downtown. It was also the neighborhood where Marcus lived: Back Bay on
Commonwealth Avenue. His home was absolutely beautiful with the entire original
historic structure and a few modern touches.

We exited the vehicle and strolled down the strip hand in hand,
passing by a few restaurants and bars. We settled for a laid-back bar and
grill. Marcus ordered a beer, and I ordered a martini as we waited for our
meals.

“I’m sure it’s too early for me to drink.”

“By all means, Mia, please drink as much as you like. Besides,
you get horny when you’re drunk.” He winked.

With a dramatic gasp, I slapped my hand against my chest. “Are
you saying that you would take advantage of me while drunk?”

“Yes, I most definitely would.” Letting out a laugh, he shook his
head. “Nah, I’m kidding.”

“No, you’re not.”

“Alright, maybe a little.” We both burst out laughing.

After we ate our lunch, we decided to go for a long walk before
he took me to the surprise spot. It was a little chilly out, but still a
beautiful afternoon. We continued to joke around, flirt, and laugh. It was fun
and nice to have that innocent moment for a change. No thoughts of all the
issues we needed to work on crossed my mind. I wanted that moment to last
forever. I loved seeing Marcus like that. It was the side of him that made me
fall in love with him in the first place.

Marcus came to a complete halt, causing me to jerk in his arm. I
studied him suspiciously. “Are you okay?” I asked.

“We’re here.” His lips spread into a boyish grin.

Bunching my brows together, I looked around us. We were in front
of Lucky Strikes. “Your big surprise is a bowling alley?”

He nodded.

“Um . . . thanks?” I didn’t know what else to say. My handsome,
top notch lawyer/mobster boyfriend took me bowling as a surprise date. I was at
a loss for words, and not in a good way.

“Trust me. You’ll love it.” Grabbing my elbow, he dragged me into
the building.

After we rented our lane and grabbed our bowling shoes and some
alcoholic beverages, we made our way toward lane number eight. I couldn’t
believe we were going to bowl. Still in shock by it all, I tossed off my boots
and laced up the bowling shoes. I was in a freaking dress for Christ’s sake! I
was sure I looked ridiculous. I stood and stared down as I rocked in the blue-and-red
bowling shoes. My eyes darted to Marcus at the sound of him chuckling. “What?”
I asked.

“You look adorable.”

Suspiciously, I flashed him another glare and grabbed my martini.
I sipped on my drink as he entered our names onto the screen. The last time I
went bowling was probably a few years ago with some college friends in
undergrad. No, it was with an ex-boyfriend, the one who’d cheated on me with my
roommate. Good times!

Marcus was up first. He searched for a bowling ball. Once he
found the perfect one, he turned and winked at me. “Babe, don’t be discouraged
if you don’t win. It’s a learning process; you’ll get better with each try.” I
cocked a brow at him. He laughed at my expression and then turned around,
slowly walking toward the edge of the lane. Straightening his position, he took
a deep breath. He took the game seriously, I could see. Marcus gently stretched
his arm back with the bowling ball in hand and then tossed it down the lane. It
gently rolled down the smoothly waxed wooden surface. His aim was a little too
far to the right, so by the time the ball hit the pins, only three went down. He
tried again and missed completely as the ball rolled into the left side gutter.

“My fingers were stuck.”

“Yeah, sure they were.” After downing my drink, I went and
searched for the perfect bowling ball. I settled for a nine-pound orange one.
Walking toward the edge of the lane, I straightened my position and scooted
lightly toward the right. Staring down the lane, I focused on the first pin.
Keeping steady, I swung my arm back and tossed the ball down the lane with no
hesitation. All I could hear was the sound of the ball rolling along the wooden
surface at a rapid speed until it collided with the middle pin. My eyes and
mouth spread wide open when all ten pins were knocked down. Strike! Turning, I
ran toward Marcus, who was just as shocked as I was, and jumped into his arms.
“Oh my God, I got a strike on my first try!” I squealed.

“That’s awesome.” He laughed.

The next few rounds, I continued with my strikes. I was on a high,
beating Marcus. He was failing miserably. I found it hilarious that he came up
with a ludicrous excuse every time he missed the pins or didn’t bowl a strike.
The more I drank my martinis, the looser I got and the better my aim was
getting.

It was beginning to get crowded in the bowling alley. Groups of
people chatted and sang along to the loud music playing. The lights were dimmed
as colorful strobe lights flicked through the space. I was actually having a
really great time.

It was Marcus’s turn again, so I decided to help him out. I
walked up behind him, and he must have sensed I was near, because he looked
over his shoulder. “Here, let me help you.” Placing my hand behind his, I
straightened the ball in his hand. “You want to have a straight angle.”

“Mia?” He arched a brow.

“Shh, listen, don’t be discouraged if you don’t win. It’s a learning
process. You’ll get better with each try.” I threw his words back at him then
innocently batted my lashes.

Laughing, he shook his head. “I’m not sure if I should kiss you
or kill you.”

Looking aside, I raised a finger toward my chin. “Mmmh. Decisions,
decisions. I would prefer the kissing.” I nodded and looked back at him.

His eyes brightened as his smile widened. Tossing the ball in his
hand down the lane, without bothering to see if it hit any of the pins, he
turned to face me. He picked me up in his arms. My legs wrapped around his
waist as he kissed me eagerly. He bit on my lip playfully, forcing me to laugh.

He slightly pulled away from our kiss, allowing me to rest my
forehead against his. The humor in his eyes was gone. “What would I do without
you, Mia?”

Tightening my arms around his neck, I pulled him in closer to me,
our lips mere inches away. “You’ll never have to find out because I’ll always
be here, Marcus. I’ll always be yours.”

With that, he gripped the back of my neck, pulled me in, and
kissed me hard and passionately.

After our date, Marcus drove me home and parked in front of my
building. We continued to talk, laugh, and make out like two teenage kids for
what seemed like hours. I wanted to take him in the car or even ask him to come
up, but I was not giving in too easily. With my insides throbbing and aching for
him, I pulled away, kissed him one last time, and wished him a good night. I
spent the rest of the night staring at the ceiling and smiling about how
wonderful it felt to spend time with Marcus. A night of pure fun was just what
we needed after all the heavy drama we’d been through. Sighing, I shut my eyes
and hoped that things stayed this way.

CHAPTER FIVE

MARCUS

It had been almost a week since Mia and I had rekindled
our relationship, and everything was going smoothly. We met up for dinner or
drinks three days out of the week. It was hard for us to meet up with our
schedules, between her attending school and my working at the firm or meeting
up with the guys, but somehow we made it work.

It was a Thursday late night, and I was in Lou’s office. Lou
called in all of his men, but he wasn’t there yet. I stood by the far right
wall of his office as I heard the door open. Jimmie walked in with Vinnie. He
nodded when he spotted me and greeted the other guys before making his way
towards me.

Once he shook my hand, he stood beside me and crossed his arms. “What’s
going on?” Jimmie whispered as he leaned in.

“I have no fuckin’ clue.”

“Vinnie was about to drop me off at home after a job when we got
the call to meet here.” He ran a hand over his face and breathed out a heavy
sigh exhaustedly.

“Who was the job with? I just had one with the Quincy boys.”

He nodded, knowing who I was talking about. “It was with the men
in little Italy, James’s men.”

“Yeah, I know who that fucker is.”

“Yeah, he wasn’t too keen on you either. He said you were a
wiseass if he remembered correctly.”

“I was fuckin’ seventeen, and it was my first deal.”

Jimmie chuckled at that.

For the next forty minutes, we stood there in the office
observing everyone. Buddy was leaning against the wall, humming a tune as he
tapped his foot against the marble floor. Gio sat on top of a desk, scrolling
through his phone. Vinnie and Al stood by the door, discussing the previous night’s
boxing match. Lou had more men who worked for him, but we six were his main
guys that were given specific, important, top jobs or assignments.

Before we arrived at Lou’s office, some of us were on a job with
the Irish cartel. Carrick Boyle a.k.a. Rick was in charge of his family crime
organization in Quincy. Rick and his men were known as the Quincy boys. Rick
had done business with Lou for many years, gaining a respectable and
trustworthy relationship. Everything worked out smoothly with the transaction, so
I couldn’t pinpoint what could have caused this meeting.

Our heads swung toward the door the moment Lou stormed in. He
stopped midway into his office and glared at his nephew. “Are you fuckin’ dumb
or something, Gio?”

Gio’s brows molded together in confusion. “Huh?”

Lou waved his hand toward the antique mahogany desk. “Get the
fuck up! That desk is a fuckin’ original, imported from Sicily.” He snapped his
fingers eagerly.

Gio jumped off the desk, inching toward the far left with both
his hands raised in surrender. “Sorry, Uncle Lou. I had no idea.”