Brunelli Estate,
New York State
“What are you doing out here in the cold?”
Standing on the terrace gazing out over the extensive Brunelli gardens and grounds, Janina didn’t need to turn to identify the owner of that low and husky voice with its seductive Irish lilt.
She turned anyway, unwilling to deny herself even one opportunity to gaze at the ruggedly handsome Kieran Price.
Aged in his midthirties, Kieran was tall, with short hair she had heard described as dirty-blond since coming to the States. His eyes were a vivid green set in a face so ruggedly handsome, he might have been one of the American action-movie stars Janina had been binge-watching in the past few weeks since coming to the US.
Kieran’s muscular chest and arms, narrow waist, and powerful thighs were in no way diminished by the formal suit he was wearing. In fact, the perfectly tailored suit only seemed to add to the badass persona hinted at beneath that sophistication, and which Janina knew to be all too real.
Kieran was second-in-command to his brother Jericho as head of Leon Brunelli’s personal security and that of his wife and baby son. Leon Brunelli was the capo dei capi of the Italian Mafia worldwide, but based in New York, and this was his closely guarded estate just half an hour’s drive out of the city.
Right now, Jericho was away on his honeymoon with Janina’s sister, Marisha, which left Kieran in charge of the Brunelli security and the dozen or so guards, most of them as Irish as Kieran and his brothers. It was a role Kieran took very seriously, to the point he had insisted on Janina having a bodyguard with her at all times when she wasn’t actually on the estate. Including when she went to her work as a nurse in one of New York’s hospitals.
Those silently watching men had certainly caused some gossip initially, but after five weeks of seeing Janina being shadowed by one burly bodyguard or another, her coworkers seemed to now take their presence for granted.
The more curious had asked about those men, of course, but Janina had only muttered something about an overprotective and wealthy father. It was a concept that wasn’t considered unusual in the US.
Janina was pleased the gossip about her had now died down, and she had even managed to make a couple of friends who also worked in the same hospital. The three of them, Zoe, Paul, and Janina, had bonded over the fact they had all started work at the hospital on the same day. Zoe worked behind the hospital’s reception desk, and Paul and Janina worked on the same ward. The two of them had quickly come to call one of their superiors Dragon Lady, because for some reason, Amanda Humphries never lost an opportunity to criticize or belittle one or both of them.
Despite that, Janina was enjoying being able to work again after the last few months of seclusion on the Brunelli estate as her father recovered from a gunshot wound before he returned to Moscow.
Leon Brunelli’s power was such that he had ensured any red tape that might have prevented Janina from working as a nurse again as soon as she wished had been brushed aside.
She hadn’t felt so out of place being a guest on the Brunelli estate when Marisha and their father were both here too. But with Marisha away on her honeymoon and their father having returned some weeks ago to resume his role as head of the Russian bratva in Moscow, Janina was feeling decidedly like an interloper amongst people who, although incredibly kind to her, had been complete strangers until a short time ago.
She had lived in Moscow all her life until flying here with her injured father two months ago. Not only the people here were strangers to her, but the way of life was too. But she liked it. She liked it very much.
She more than liked Kieran.
At twenty-one years old, she’d had a couple of boyfriends, but nothing serious. She’d felt drawn toward Kieran from the moment she met him in that dark cellar in Moscow. He had further impressed her by easily lifting and carrying her injured father, not a small man by any means, out of that cellar and up into the light of day for the first time since Boris had been shot the week before.
Occasionally, since coming to New York, Janina thought she had caught Kieran watching her from behind the dark sunglasses he habitually wore both inside and outside. Thought she had, because it was impossible for her to tell where he was looking, or what he was thinking or feeling, with those dark shields over his eyes.
He was wearing those dark glasses now, along with one of those black suits and a formal white shirt and gray tie, despite the first snow of winter having fallen the previous weekend. It was still lying on the grounds of the high-walled and closely guarded Brunelli estate.
Janina shrugged inside the thick coat she was wearing. “I’m starting to feel uncomfortable staying here. As if I’m taking advantage of Leon and Carla’s hospitality now my father and sister aren’t here too.”
A glance into the window behind Kieran showed her the happily married couple were both down on the floor playing with their baby son in front of the roaring log fire.
It was like a scene from one of those tear-jerker movies she had also watched several dozen of since coming to the US.
Kieran glanced in the window too before turning back to her. “I’m sure they don’t see it that way.”
She gave a rueful smile. “But I do.”
“Marisha and Jericho will be back from their honeymoon in a couple of weeks. You could move in with them into the house they’ll be living in on the estate.”
“Then I’d just be intruding on the two of them instead.” She grimaced. “I’m actually thinking of finding an apartment in the city, somewhere near the hospital—”
“No!”
Janina drew back at Kieran’s vehemence. “What do you mean, no?” she finally said slowly.
Kieran meant exactly what he’d said.
In fact, fucking no way no!
Even the thought of Janina moving off the estate, where he wouldn’t be able to totally ensure she was kept safe, was enough to send cold shivers down his spine. A chill that owed absolutely nothing to the below-zero temperature out here.
“Let’s go back inside,” he bit out abruptly. “We can talk in my office.” The few minutes’ respite of walking to his office at the back of the house would also give him time to regroup and get over his reaction to Janina’s idea of moving off the estate.
If Kieran had his way, the only place she would be moving, and sooner rather later, was his bedroom in the house he shared with his brother on the grounds of the estate.
Had shared, because when Jericho returned from his honeymoon, he and Marisha were moving into their own house in another part of the estate.
The Brunelli estate was over forty acres set in the New York State countryside. The family lived in the large main house, but there were several farther houses, along with a very large one where the majority of the Brunelli security guards bunked when the family were in residence. Liam, Kieran’s younger brother, preferred to bunk there with the rest of the protection detail.
There were several other smaller houses on the estate, none of them visible from the main house, with three or four bedrooms. Kieran had shared one of those houses with his brother Jericho and their cousin Killian, until Killian married Leon’s daughter, Natalia, a year ago. Now with Jericho also moving out into the privacy of one of the other houses with his new wife, Kieran was rattling around in their house like a—
“Move in with me.” He spoke the idea out loud before giving it the proper thought he probably should have, if the shocked expression on Janina’s face was an indication. “I didn’t mean that the way it probably sounded.” So much for reaching his office and regrouping! “But there are four bedrooms in the house I live in here, and with Jericho having moved out, I’m the only one there now.” He leaned back against his desk. “It’s a compromise, a way of ensuring you remain safe on the estate but don’t feel you’re intruding on Leon and Carla’s or Marisha and Jericho’s privacy,” he added when he saw she was about to protest.
She eyed him quizzically. “What about my intruding on you?”
“Why would you be intruding on me?” He frowned blankly.
She smiled tightly. “I doubt the woman, or women, in your life would appreciate knowing you’re sharing your house with another female.”
His frown dissipated. “If that’s your way of asking if I have a girlfriend—”
“It isn’t,” she defended with such vehemence, it instantly made nonsense of her denial.
Kieran’s expression softened. “I don’t have a girlfriend, Janina. Or women.” The only woman he wanted in his life was the one standing in front of him.
Kieran had been drawn to Janina the moment he first saw her in that grim, dark cellar in Moscow two months ago. To all intents and purposes, she looked exactly like her identical twin: straight black shoulder-length hair, blue eyes surrounded by a darker rim, with an ivory complexion, and those full and pouting lips Kieran wanted to kiss every time he looked at them.
The sisters might be identical twins, but Kieran had never had a single moment when he didn’t know exactly which one of them was Janina.
Just as well, as Jericho was now married to Marisha and had turned into a very jealous bastard. The fact his brother had married Marisha after knowing her for only a matter of weeks, and the two of them were now in the Caribbean on an extended honeymoon, was even more of a surprise.
Jericho had never been a player, as such, but nor had there ever been a woman in his life who he was serious about. Within days of meeting Marisha, Jericho had willingly put his job as head of security for the safety of Leon Brunelli and his family in jeopardy by taking Marisha somewhere he considered safe without first discussing it with Leon.
Luckily, Leon had considered Jericho’s ten years of service to be more significant than one lapse over the woman Jericho had obviously fallen in love with.
On the surface, the three Irish Price brothers and their cousin, Killian, might seem like a strange choice for personal security to the Italian Mafia capo dei capi. But Leon hadn’t remained in that position by taking needless chances with his own life or that of his family. He had seen that the four Price cousins, sons of two dead members of the Irish Mob, but with no affiliation to that organization or any other, would be perfect to lead his own personal security team. He had been right.
Leon had taken them in when they left Ireland to come to New York without a clue as to what they were going to do next. The loyalty the Price cousins now felt toward Leon personally was absolute, and that included his family.
“Safe?” Janina now repeated slowly. “You said just now that staying on here would ensure I remain safe?”
Kieran scowled at the way Janina had once again demonstrated she was as intelligent as she was beautiful.