“It’s more than that, Missy Ann. We want you in every aspect of the word. We’ve already claimed guardianship of you with the sheriff. We’ve been supportive of you all these months and have taken our time gaining your trust. We know what you went through was traumatic,” Salvatore said to her. She shook her head and then she reached out and cupped Salvatore’s cheek.
Antonio watched her. He saw the love in her eyes. Maybe she didn’t want Antonio. Maybe she only wanted his brothers.
“So it’s me then? I’m the reason why you won’t come home with us?” he asked, uncrossing his arms and standing there angry.
She stepped away from Salvatore but he kept a hand on her hip.
Antonio locked gazes with Missy Ann.
“You don’t get it. I don’t know who hurt you, Antonio. I don’t know what she did to you or why you’re so untrusting and hurtful. I don’t. In fact, I don’t understand the way you think, or what’s going through your head when one minute you can be so commanding and hard and the next so compassionate and caring. It’s like you turn your emotions on and off and I can’t process it and know where you stand.”
“What do you want, Missy Ann?
What are you after?”
She shook her head and snorted low. “You see what I mean? You think I want something from you. You think I want your money, your damn stupid fortune with all this material stuff around you. You’re obsessed with it.”
“I’ve worked hard for it. All of us have,” he countered, getting angrier, and angrier at her challenging him.
“I’ve worked hard at protecting myself. Protecting my heart from men who only want a piece of ass. Your money doesn’t mean a thing to me. You know what does? Your honesty. Your truthfulness when you give in to your emotions and you just feel the attraction between us. Like what we shared here today. I don’t know where you stand after that moment. After we make love, not have sex. What it will mean to you. ”
“Where I stand? I’m here, aren’t I? I’ve taken my time, too. If you were any other woman my dick would have been buried deep in your pussy over those kegs in the basement the other day.”
He immediately felt like an asshole for saying that. He was scared. Scared that she would turn out to be like Sophia and scared because he already knew he loved Missy Ann. She was perfect for him and his brothers and he was fucking it up.
She pointed at him and took a step toward him. He was shocked at the anger he saw in her eyes and how badly he hurt her.
“You son of a bitch. That took a lot for me to do. You have no idea, Antonio. None, and you want to know why? Because you only think of yourself and what you might risk. What you might lose. Like I said before, I don’t know who hurt you or who made you this way but I’m not about to give my heart, my soul or my virginity to a man who can’t give me all of him.”
She started to walk away and it hit him fast. She was a virgin. She wanted his heart and his love, not his money or anything more. She was more special than he deserved. His brothers looked shocked but it was him who leaped across the room fast, pulled her into his arms, and pressed her up against the door.
She gasped as he cupped her cheeks and stared down into her eyes.
“I’m an asshole.”
“No argument there,” she replied and stared at him in anger.
“I’ll make it up to you.”
“Don’t think you can.”
“Yes I will, because everything you said is true. Everything. I don’t trust anyone. A woman hurt me, used me and my brothers to get what she wanted. It was hell, Missy Ann. She accused me of things I would never do. She lied and manipulated people and I could have lost everything. But none of that should have made me blind to the woman you are. My God, baby. Those men attacked your innocence and nearly ripped it from you. Now, here you are, trying to trust four men who want to make you their woman and I’m making you second guess my brothers’ love for you already.”
“I just want the truth from you. No walls, no suave answers, no one-sided demands, Antonio,” she whispered.
He looked at her lips and at her baby blue eyes.
“I’m going out on a limb. I’m not some mushy sentimental guy, Missy Ann. I’m hard. I’m demanding and I expect complete control. But God damn it, I’m not letting you walk out that door when you’re the best thing that has ever and will ever happen to me. I’m not, because I can love you. I can show you how special you are and the gift you are to my brothers and me. I can and I will,” he said and then covered her mouth and kissed her.
When he slowly released her lips and started pulling her away from the door, she shocked him. Missy Ann jumped up into his arms. He lifted her as she straddled his legs and she cupped his cheeks.
“Well then, now that we cleared the air, you can take me home. I’m ready to be claimed by the Connelly brothers.”
He smiled wide as his brothers joined them and he released her to Finn who pulled her into his arms and kissed her deeply. Then he passed her to Salvatore and finally to Billy, each of them kissing her and caressing her before they prepared to take her home and start securing a future with Missy Ann.
Chapter 6
“Tell me what you have so far, Colton,” Boston asked, holding the phone with his shoulder against his ear. He was at his desk in his office in New York preparing some papers for his boss, Darius. There was an event this evening and Darius would be meeting some businessmen from Dubai that were interested in securing dates for their three week stay in Manhattan.