Three Months Later
Reed flexed her hand after punching the idiot from Utah who’d thought it was a good idea to steal chips off one of their tables. Granted, there were people on their payroll who could’ve given the moron a lesson, but it was nice to get some action every so often. “Take some friendly advice. Next time, it’s going to take surgery to fix those sticky fingers. You understand that?”
“Yeah,” the guy said, holding a tissue to his nose.
“If I see you in here again, your fingers will be a treat compared to what’ll happen to you.” She motioned for the security guy to show him out. “Make sure you pass around his picture to the others and make them understand he’s not welcome.”
“You got it, boss.”
“Anything else tonight?” she asked Oscar over the phone. It was only eight, but she’d had months of late nights working with either Remi or Mano learning the ropes, and she was looking forward to a beer and maybe a game on television.
“Elliott’s working tonight and said he’d let you know if he needed anything, but everything’s quiet. At least as quiet as a big crowd of people in a casino can be. Go home and don’t forget about the meeting with the catering staff tomorrow.”
She laughed as she waved to a couple people on the way out. It was still strange to have so many people recognize her, but it was becoming more second nature. Her first instinct was still to retreat to the solitude of the really nice house Sylvia Jatibon had left decorated for her. This job, though, was all about finesse, as Remi and Mano kept saying, and she was learning that slowly. “That’s not something I’d ever expect to hear from you.”
“Well, it’s not going to change the fact that they’ll be expecting you at one. See you tomorrow and have a good night.”
The drive home was quiet and she listened to the news on the way. It was the distraction she used every night to make her not think about Brinley and Finn and what they were doing. Oscar had told her how upset Brinley had been when she’d woken up alone and realized Reed would never be in touch with her again.
That night was the closest she’d ever come to staying and trying to have something more important in her life, but she didn’t have the tools for a long-term relationship with a mother and child. It was one more failure on her long-ass list. There was no way she’d subject Brinley or Finn to what she’d grown up with.
She drove by the apartment complex and saw Brinley’s new car in the lot. It was her parting gift, along with a college fund for Finn. It was all Brinley would accept from her, but it’d made no dent in the money she still had from Victor’s contract. With time she hoped to have better luck working through Brinley’s mom to give them more to make life easier.
The street was fairly busy, so she started driving home, not wanting anyone to notice her parked and staring up at Brinley’s place, and it still took some thought to turn toward the new house. Her neighbors were mostly the upper management and headliners at the various casinos, but there was plenty of space between the houses for privacy.
A note from the maid on the table by the door said she’d placed a meal in the oven, and that the pool guys would be there early. That someone was in her space during the day still made her nervous, but all her secrets were locked in the office. Plus, Remi told her every staff member was trusted and vetted.
“Shower first, then enchiladas,” she said, dropping her keys next to the note. Gloria, her maid, was Mexican American and enjoyed feeding her some of her favorite recipes along with friendly advice about a slew of different topics. It was like the older woman had taken one look at her and decided she needed a mother as well as clean bathrooms, and she was doing both jobs beautifully.
The bedroom had a little light coming from it, but she figured Gloria had left the bathroom light on for her. She froze at the sight on the bed.
“You know,” Brinley said, holding the sheet up to her chest, “a woman I dated for two years, who broke my heart, didn’t hurt me as much as waking up and finding you gone. You touched me and left, which kind of makes you an asshole.”
“I probably am an asshole, but I thought it was the right thing to do.”
“Staying and talking to me would’ve been the right thing to do. I mean, you still could have left after that, and it would’ve made you less of an asshole.” Brinley dropped the sheet and stood. Her gorgeous body was everything Reed remembered. “Do you think that’ll happen again?”
“Not unless you want me to go.” She didn’t stop Brinley from unbuttoning her shirt and unbuckling her belt.
“I was the one rooting for you to stay.” Her pants dropped to her ankles and Brinley dropped to her knees to take them, and her underwear, off. “And it’s your house, so you’ll have to ask me to go.”
“I’d never do that.” She almost cried when Brinley stood and pressed herself to her. The kiss of all that skin against hers was enough to make her want to rush.
“I know that too, but the problem is, I know where you live. It won’t be so easy to ignore me now.” Brinley took her hand and led her to the bed. “Sit.”
She followed orders and sucked Brinley’s nipple in, then put her hand between her legs when Brinley stood between her knees. “God, you’re so wet.”
“If you think you’re getting away with that tonight, think again.” Brinley pulled the hair at the back of her head to get her to lean away from her, and she grabbed her by the wrist to take her hand away.
“I’m sorry, I assumed…” she said, stopping when Brinley kissed her.
“You thought right, but you need to slow down.” She didn’t understand until Brinley knelt and spread her legs. “I need to touch you first in case you relax me to the point of unconsciousness. Think of it as cutting down your chances to revert to your asshole ways.”
“I think this is just an excuse to call me an asshole a bunch of times.”
“You think that’s all this is about?” Brinley pushed her back and touched the bullet wound scar on her side. As she started to assure her it was fine, Brinley lowered her head and started slowly dragging her tongue from her sex to the top of her clit. It instantly made her crave more and she wrapped her hand in Brinley’s hair.
“I must be doing something right,” Brinley said after another swipe of her tongue. “You’re not telling me it’s in my best interest to go.”
“It is,” she said but didn’t let Brinley go.
“My God, I thought I was stubborn.” Brinley bit her mound as punishment and she moved back some. “That was a wrong answer. Do you really want to end up with a nickname like—well, I don’t think I have to say it again. Unless it’s warranted.”
“You want honest, don’t you?”
“I want you to sit back and let me touch you. That’s all I’m asking…for now.”
Brinley started again with her tongue, and when Reed thought she couldn’t take any more teasing, when it felt like she’d damage something her clit was so hard, Brinley sucked her in and really used her tongue.
“Fuck,” she said, needing to come. “Fucking don’t stop,” she said, losing herself to the orgasm that was starting. It was ridiculous, but it was like she was unraveling, and she had to hang on to Brinley or she’d fly away.
“Are you okay?” Brinley asked as she lay on top of her. She didn’t remember falling back or Brinley moving but she was glad to open her eyes and see her.
“I’m fine…but not really.”
“That’s a confusing answer,” Brinley said, running her finger along her eyebrows.
“I’m alive, but I’m not sure what you just did to me.”
The way Brinley smiled made her happy. “That’s easy, I loved you. It’s the only way to crack that heart of yours open. Up to now it’s been a tough nut, but I’m not giving up.”
“You’re a little insane, you know that, right?” she said, rolling over and taking Brinley with her.
“It’s a quirk of mine. Not insanity, obviously.” Brinley pulled her down to kiss her.
“What quirk is that?” She moved down, wanting to taste what Brinley was offering.
“I’ve fallen for every single person who’s tried to kill me,” Brinley said as she lowered her head. “So you’re nothing special.” She tapped the end of her nose before pointing down. “But since you’re down there, get to work.”
She looked Brinley in the eye as she ran her tongue through her heat, and stopped to savor the moment. In all her sexual experiences she’d never done this to another woman. It seemed like an intimate act that should be reserved for a lover, and that was someone she’d never had.
The taste of Brinley was as intoxicating as the woman herself.
“You need to put your fingers in me,” Brinley said when she sped up. She lifted her head when Brinley pulled her hair again. “I’ve been waiting for you all night and I can’t hold out much longer. I want to come in your mouth but with your fingers in me.”
She flicked her tongue over Brinley’s clit again as she slowly slid her fingers in, liking the way Brinley’s sex squeezed them every bit of the way.
“Yes,” Brinley said, throwing her head back and lifting her hips slightly. “I need you.”
“Tell me what you want.”
Brinley bucked her hips to keep pace with her but her movements were starting to become erratic. “Uh…oh my God,” Brinley said as she sucked her in again. “Like that, don’t stop doing—”
The end came way too soon, but Reed doubted it would take long for them to repeat the process. “You changed my life, you know that?”
Brinley sighed when she moved up and put her arms around her. “I think it was mutual, baby.” Brinley drew random designs on her chest with her finger as she put her leg over her as if to hold her in place. “It’s time to stop overthinking this and see what it could be.”
“I’m not throwing you out, but don’t sugarcoat it. There are a lot of demons in my past, and I don’t want you or Finn getting hurt. It’s not like I’ve gone to work for the Girl Scouts, either.”
“That’s true, but you haven’t taken any more contracts either, have you?” Brinley pinched her nipple hard enough to make her suck in a lot of air. “I mean, you’re not bringing home any other women and children you’ve been hired to kill, are you?”
“No, but I told you who Remi and Mano are. The job I accepted is still a kind of contract with the Mob.” She grabbed Brinley’s hand before she got pinched again. “You need a nice quiet life in the suburbs.”
“And what you need to do is stop dwelling in the past and turn your head to the horizon.” Brinley straddled her like she had the first night they were together. “You can’t change anything that’s happened, but you can work to make all your tomorrows your own.”
“Did you read that in a fortune cookie?” She laughed when Brinley pulled away and pinched her again, hard.
“My mother told me that when I admitted I was crazy about you,” Brinley said, laughing as well. “Don’t shut me out. Remi and Dallas must agree with me, since they’re responsible for me being here.”
“We’ll learn together as we go, I guess, and I promise to do my best. You need to know, though, that I’ve got plenty to learn.”
“That’s all I’m asking of you.” Brinley lay down and kissed her. “All you have to keep repeating is that you’re not alone anymore.”
They made love again and shared the food in the oven when they finally came up for air.
When Brinley led her back to the bedroom, putting on pajamas wasn’t what she had in mind. “Are you suddenly shy?”
“Believe me, I’d love nothing better than to sleep naked, but we’ll have to wait a few years on that one. Six thirty will roll around faster than you think.”
“That’s a weird thing to say,” she said, since all she was waiting on that early was the pool guy.
“Good night, baby, and if you sneak out of here before I wake up, you’re going to wish you’d killed me.”
“Good night.” Reed pulled her close, the novelty of holding someone and knowing they didn’t want to leave a wondrous thing. Brinley was beautiful, of that there was no doubt, but she was also an interesting woman with an infinite capacity to forgive. Her sense of humor, though, was going to take a little getting used to.
* * *
The sensation of something running up her leg woke her what seemed like minutes later, but it was light outside when Reed opened her eyes. For a split second she thought she was going to have to stab something when she felt the sensation again, but then she realized: Finn.
“Where’d you come from?” she asked, smiling when he moved to sit next to her. He had some more words now, but she still couldn’t understand most of them.
“The guest room. I didn’t have a sitter.” Brinley smiled at her sleepily.
“I get the pajamas now,” she said, closing her hand around Finn’s when he put his in hers.
“Once he learns to knock, we can go with the naked option,” Brinley said, kissing her.
“It’ll be worth the wait, I’m sure.”
This was as far from where Reed had started as she could imagine, but her need to run and hide was beaten back by the desire to make a new life, wherever that might land her. It couldn’t be better than this.
“We’ll take it slow until you adjust,” Brinley said, kissing her again. “I don’t want to freak you out.”
“I think not adjusting my universe might be what I’ve been doing wrong all this time, so no need to slow anything down.” She smiled, thinking about all the mornings they’d spend together, and it wasn’t completely terrifying. “Six thirty sounds like a good time to start over, and we’ll go from there.”
“Promise?” Brinley asked.
“That’s an easy one to make. The rest we’ll work on together.” Whatever came next, she had something to fight for and believe in now.