THE CALLAHANS (A Mafia Romance): The Complete 5 Books Series (61 page)

Kyle

“She’s good with the baby,” Brianna said. She was hanging on my shoulder, peeking around me to watch Amelia hold Killian and Stacy’s son. At three months old, the kid was just beginning to realize there was a world outside of sleep and his mother’s breast. He was reaching for Amelia’s nose, making these soft little noises as she talked to him in one of those voices adults make when they’re playing with an infant.

“Aren’t all women?” Kevin asked.

“Not necessarily,” Ian said. “Some women have no maternal instinct at all.”

“Like who?”

He shrugged. “I’ve dated a couple of corporate-minded women who couldn’t care less about small children.”

“That’s too bad.”

Kevin ran his hand over Brianna’s shoulder before heading out onto the back porch where most of the party had gathered. It was late—and many of the guests had left. Those who remained were mostly family, gathered around the porch furniture, sharing in the free-flowing champagne and booze that was available from the small bar.

Amelia had seemed a little distant for the last few hours, going through the motions but not really engaging in the party. I caught her throwing glances at Pops from time to time, as though there was something going on between them. And when I finally got the chance to introduce them—Pops had to stay late at the office, so he arrived late—there was tension radiating from Amelia that I could have felt even if my eyes were closed.

But now, now she seemed to have returned to the happy, relaxed woman she’d been earlier in the evening. The contentment on her face as she talked to the baby made her even more beautiful than she’d been before. If that was possible.

“It’s a lovely sight, a woman holding a baby.” Pops set his hand on my shoulder. “Does it scare you a little?”

I shook my head. “Not as much as I thought it might.”

“You’d be a good father.”

I grunted. “I don’t know about that. But it doesn’t matter, really. We haven’t even reached that point where we’ve talked about it.”

“When you do, remember this moment.”

Pops moved around me, calling out to Cassidy. She immediately stood and went to him, melting in his arms as he kissed her. I couldn’t remember Abigail ever acting like that around us kids. She was a conservative woman. She believed there was a time and a place for everything. Public displays of affection were not something she believed in. But Cassidy didn’t mind. Love radiated from her face whenever she looked at Pops. And I, personally, was happy for him. Every man should have a woman look at him that way.

Someone turned on some music, something a little more upbeat than the classics that had been playing during the party. I walked over to Amelia and wrapped my hand around the back of her neck.

“He’s amazing, isn’t he?” she asked, beaming up at me.

“He’s something.”

She smiled as she focused on the baby again. “It’s been a long time since I’ve held a baby. I’d forgotten how good it could feel.”

“It’s pretty amazing, isn’t it?” Stacy asked, beaming at her son. “I never imagined I’d be happy sitting at home, alone with an infant. But now…I can’t imagine doing anything else.”

“Now you know the secret to keeping your wife happy,” Killian called from across the porch.

I kissed the side of Amelia’s head. “There are lots of ways to keep a wife happy.”

Everyone laughed, but Amelia. She simply blushed, burying her head in the baby. But then he began to fuss, so Stacy took him inside to feed him. I led Amelia to one of the chairs set around the glass table where everyone else had settled and pulled her down onto my lap. She turned into me, resting her head on my shoulder. I slid my hand over her thigh, the split allowing my fingers to brush her bare flesh. The knowledge that she wasn’t wearing any panties came back and my thoughts began to move to things that probably weren’t appropriate here in front of my siblings and my parents.

“Here’s to Kyle and Amelia,” my father called, holding up a tumbler of whiskey. “May the wind always be at your back and the sun on your faces. May you always find happiness in one another. May you have a whole houseful of children who bring you as much joy as my children have brought me.”

Cheers rose up around the table. Amelia giggled against my shoulder, but then she sat up and accepted the glass of champagne Killian handed her so that we could join the toast. She took a slow sip, then I did, touching my lips to the same place on the rim of the glass as she’d done. As I did, I slid my hand under her dress, pressing my fingers between her thighs. Her eyes widened when my hand brushed her bare cunt, but she didn’t make any effort to move my hand in any other direction.

I finished the champagne and pulled her close, kissing her with the taste of it still on my tongue. She surprised me by sucking my tongue just a little, taking as much of the flavor as she dared. I squeezed her thigh, moving my hand away before I did something that would embarrass us both.

“Let’s go home,” she whispered against my lips.

No one seemed surprised when we stood and offered our thanks and good nights. It seemed like an incredibly long walk to the car—even though it was only a few hundred yards. Instead of opening the door, I pressed her against it and captured her lips again. She wrapped her arms around my neck, holding me steady against her as we explored each other, as she did the most amazing things that I’m sure she’d never done before. Her innocence and inexperience was like an aphrodisiac. Not only was she so sweet in her slight hesitation, but the idea that I was the first one she’d ever done this with made it feel like something powerful, something incredibly important.

I pressed a knee between her legs, forced that split along her leg to open up. And then her ass was in my hand, her bare ass, so firm and delicious that I couldn’t get enough of it. But then my fingers brushed the moistness between her legs, and my heart started to pound. There was so much I wanted to do to her, so many things I wanted to teach her. And so many things I was hoping she’d want to share with me.

But I wanted to take my time. I didn’t want to ruin it all by getting too carried away here, in my father’s driveway.

I popped the door open and pushed her inside while our mouths were still touching, pushing her away before I could change my mind.

I think I got that car well over a hundred several times on the drive home. It’s a miracle we didn’t get in an accident or pulled over by some over ambitious cop.

We stepped onto the elevator, and I pushed the button for the third floor even as I trapped her against the wall, moving right back to where we’d been moments before. I lifted her to just the right height and pressed myself hard against her. The friction…
oh, my!
I felt like a teenager trying to cop a feel in the movie theater. I’d never been this eager, never been this nervous. I’d never wanted a woman so much, and I’d never been so afraid that I would disappoint her in some way.

The door opened, and I carried her to the bedroom, falling with her when my shins hit the bed frame. She giggled, but there was as much need in her eyes as I’m sure there was in mine.

I kissed her throat and ran my hands over the underside of her breasts, helping them out of that dress…finally. I’d wanted to do this all night, and it was almost a spiritual moment when I finally tugged one of her nipples into my mouth and held it there, rolling it gently between tongue and teeth. She tugged at my jacket, rising with me so that I didn’t have to let go of her as I shrugged out of it. But I did have to pull away to remove my shirt and the undershirt she had so diligently left out for me. She watched me as I undressed, her eyes moving over the tattoos she’d seen the day before, the bruises that had grown darker and wider overnight. I loved the look in her eyes, as if she was staring at a perfect piece of cheesecake that she wanted to devour.

I leaned over her and kissed her, as I reached behind to tug at the zipper on her dress. She blushed as I pulled back to tug the dress from her naked body. All night there’d been nothing more than that thin material covering her beauty. The idea was enough to drive me insane.

I pressed my face to her belly and tasted the wrinkled edges of her navel. I kissed her hips and thought about taking a nice sip of her juices. But I’d waited long enough. I didn’t think I could wait a moment longer.

“Tell me you want me,” I whispered against her lips as I lay over her again. “Tell me this isn’t just me, that you want this, too.”

“I want you,” she whispered.

I stared into her eyes for a long moment. I was pretty sure I was at that edge where “no” had no meaning. But I wanted to know; I needed to know that this was really what she wanted.

She touched the side of my face. “I want you,” she said. “I want you inside of me.”

And that…I’d never heard such sweet words in all my life.

I kissed her, trying to slow down, trying to remember to savor every second of this moment, as I reached between our bodies and undid my slacks. She stiffened a little as I brushed my hand against her, a little stutter coming into her kiss. But then she relaxed again, her hands sliding over my sides, encouraging me with these little rotating touches.

I thought I’d never get out of those pants. But then I was…and I pressed myself against her, rubbing my head against her lips, placing just the slightest bit of pressure against her clit. She moaned softly, but I could see a little fear in her eyes.

“Don’t hurt me.”

“I’ll try not to.”

There was no doubt in my mind at that moment that she’d never been here before. The night of our wedding—I don’t know what happened, but we didn’t do this. I have no idea how we didn’t when she was lying there naked beside me, but it was obvious that this was her first time. She stiffened again as I pressed myself against her, slowly encouraging her to open to me. She bit her bottom lip as the pressure increased, her eyes wide as she watched me. But then I was inside and I couldn’t hold back. I was so beyond having control, so beyond everything. I needed her.

She cried out, her fingers biting into my sides. I tried to move slowly, tried to find a rhythm that wouldn’t hurt her too much. She lay like a stone at first, her head turned to the side. But then I pressed my hands under her ass and pulled her up against me, encouraging her to join in the movements, encouraging her to find what made her feel as good as I was feeling in that moment. And, after a few beats, she seemed to catch on to why this was so deeply desired by most healthy adults.

When she began to respond to me on her own, when she bent her knees and pressed her feet against the mattress so that she could rise up to meet me, I was gone. I knew somewhere in the back of my head that I should be gentle, but I couldn’t remember for the life of me why. I pounded against her, thrusting so hard that I might have broken her hips. But she kept up with me, the soft moans coming from between her full lips the perfect soundtrack to the perfect pleasure.

And then her moans were no longer moans, but little screams. I was right there with her, burying my mouth against the pillows to hold in the screams that wanted to slip from my own throat. I filled her like I’d never filled another woman, held her as the waves seemed to continue for days, weeks, even years. It was a long time before I started to slide back into reality, before I found myself holding a shaking puddle of a woman.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered. “I’m so sorry. I tried to be gentle.”

“Is it always that good?”

I looked at her and realized she wasn’t hurt. She was a little dazed, her eyes a little bright with a touch of passion-induced insanity. But she wasn’t hurt.

I kissed her roughly, relief rushing through me.

“You’re fucking amazing!”

She smiled. “Yeah?”

I brushed the hair out of her face. “You drive me out of my mind. I don’t think I’m going to survive this relationship.”

She just giggled softly, her lips pressed to my throat. She might have thought I was joking.

I wasn’t.

Amelia

I couldn’t stop thinking about what Brian had said. Was it possible that my mom had lied to my dad? But why would she do that? The whole divorce was because dad thought she had cheated on him. If she didn’t, then…what secret could she be hiding?

I didn’t understand. But there was something about Brian Callahan that made me want to believe him. Maybe it was his relationship with Kyle. Maybe I was falling in love and that made me want to offer the benefit of the doubt to everyone.

I needed to talk to my dad. I needed to know the truth about what happened the night she told him it was over.

“What are you over here thinking so hard about?” Kyle asked, sliding up behind me.

I started to roll onto my back, but he caught me and pushed me back onto my side.

“Stay like that,” he whispered as he started to kiss my shoulder. He peppered the back of my neck, my spine, with the softest of kisses. At the same time, he pressed his naked body against me. I could feel his arousal…and it ignited a fire deep inside of me.

“Are you ever satisfied?”

“Not with you.”

He pulled my jaw back so that he could kiss me. It was an awkward angle, but I loved his kisses so I probably would have contorted my body in almost any direction in order to accept one. He slid inside of me and my body just seemed to melt all around him, the deep soreness that I’d been enjoying earlier becoming something different, something full of promise. He continued to kiss my shoulder as he slipped his hand around my waist and tugged me closer, his fingers slipping up between my breasts, his thumb brushing my nipple before his hand slid downward, his fingertip seeking out that little nub that had the power to drive me directly over the edge.

He moved slowly, his breath washing over my skin. I pressed myself back into him, closed my eyes and let the sensations his touch ignited roll all over my body. Just twelve hours ago I had no idea how incredible this could be. I was even afraid of it, to a certain degree. But now? I was with him. I didn’t think I would ever truly be satisfied. I’d always want more.

I wanted to get lost in this. I wanted to always lie in this bed with him, to always feel him inside of me. I wanted to not have to deal with the world that existed outside of these four walls. But even as ecstasy rolled over me, even as I slowly cascaded back down to earth, I knew reality would always be there waiting for us when the pleasure was over.

“Do you really have to go out today?” I asked, as he climbed off the bed and headed for the bathroom.

“I’m afraid so. Jack’s been trying to get a meeting with some important people and it looks like it might go down in a few days.”

“It’s dangerous, isn’t it? This stuff you do?”

He paused in the doorway, his naked back more masculine than anything I think I’d ever seen. I wanted to crawl out of bed and run my hands over it, feel the power in his muscles thrumming just below the surface.

“Walking out the front door is dangerous, Amelia. What I do…it’s the family business. It’s what we all do.”

“But you have a choice.”

He turned and my breath caught in my throat at the view.

“Come shower with me.”

I didn’t have to be asked twice. I climbed out of bed and joined him, once again lost in his touch.

Reality could wait a little while longer.

***

There was a new text message when I found my phone in a kitchen drawer downstairs. Colin had put it there, I suppose, and I’d never thought to ask for it back. I could have. I saw him following me yesterday when I was walking through the mall. I even slowed down a few times when I was weaving through traffic in the SUV Kyle let me use so that Colin could keep up.

He was probably outside the door now, waiting to see what I would do with my day.

The text was from an unknown number, but I knew it was from the mechanical voiced man who’d convinced me to marry Kyle in the first place. I didn’t know if I should thank the guy, or resent him for whatever scam he was playing on my husband.

Watch your back,
the message read.
If you don’t keep Kyle Callahan distracted enough, you could find yourself without the money you need to save your father.

I frowned. I couldn’t imagine how much more distracted I could make Kyle. He’d been quite reluctant to get dressed this morning, let alone leave. But maybe he was paying more attention to something outside of the house. I couldn’t control that, could I?

I had to tell Kyle about all this. I had to make this right. If I didn’t tell him, and he learned about it on his own…he would hate me forever. And that was the last thing I wanted right now.

But how do you tell your husband of less than a week that you married him only because someone else wanted it, because someone else gave him some sort of drug that made him susceptible to suggestion? How could I tell him that our wedding was a sham because I knew he was under the influence of some drug and that he wouldn’t remember it the next day?

I couldn’t even be sure that the way he looked at me, the way he touched me, wasn’t some remnant of the drug playing tricks with his head.

I began to pace the living room, wondering if I was sitting on a time bomb. What would Kyle do when he learned the truth?

“Daddy,” I said into the phone a few minutes later, listening to him breath heavily on the other end of the line. “I miss you.”

“Darlin’, I miss you, too.”

“They say you’re feeling better.”

“A little.”

I stared out the window, imaging my father staring out the window of his little apartment, hooked up to the oxygen machine that helped him breathe. He’d had asthma all his life, but two heart attacks had taken their toll on his fragile lungs, making it nearly impossible for him to breathe on his own. He needed a medication that cost thousands per dose just to keep his lungs lubricated enough to continue to function. Without it, he would likely die within days.

It was my mom’s legacy. At least, that’s how I’d thought of it until now.

“Something’s bothering you,” he said. “Tell me about it.”

“I’ve done something I’m afraid I’ll regret.”

“What’s that?”

I closed my eyes. “I just want to make things right, Daddy. I want you to be okay.”

“I’ve lived my life, Amelia. I had the love of my life, and I’ve built my own company. I’ve done all the things I ever wanted to do. Now it’s your turn.”

Tears began to run down my cheeks. “Can I ask you something about you and Mom?”

“Anything.”

“Did you believe her when she told you she cheated on you with Brian Callahan?”

My father was quiet for so long that I began to worry that he’d fallen asleep or fallen from his chair. But then he cleared his throat a few times.

“I did at the time,” he said, his voice noticeably weaker than before. “When she told me, I wanted to kill them both. But then…I knew your mother better than I will ever know myself. I knew she had her reasons for doing what she did.”

“What do you mean?”

“She was done with our life together. Had been for a while. Maybe Brian Callahan was real, maybe he wasn’t. But she was out the door either way.”

“But don’t you resent her for that? If she’d stayed—?”

“Things might have been different if she’d stayed. But they might have been the same, too.”

“Daddy—?”

“I’m not a perfect man, Amelia. It’s about time you realize that.”

“Did you know? Did you know so many people would get hurt with that scheme you were running?”

Again there was a long silence. And that told me all I needed to know.

My father wasn’t the man I thought he was. And that realization was like an ice block melting all over me. The burden I’d been carrying around was gone, but the weight of it, the chill, was still with me.