Not-So Temporarily Married

“I’m glad to see things worked out so well with your queen,” I said, lifting my chin towards the huge framed photo of him and his new wife on their wedding day hanging on the center of the wall to the left.

“No thanks to your father,” he answered grimly.

“Yet another reason why he needs to die. And fast, before he causes any more trouble.”

“I can’t really argue with your logic, but the death of your father will cause a major void in the O’Reilly family and that wouldn’t be good for my city.”

It probably wasn’t the smartest thing to do considering who Nic DeLuca was, but I snorted at the obviousness of his statement. “I hope that doesn’t mean you aren’t willing to do it because he”—I aimed my thumb towards Brandon—“promised to protect me and break me free of my da. The only way to do that is to put him six feet under.”

“Blood thirsty little thing, aren’t you?” Nic chuckled, glancing over at Brandon. “Are you sure you want to keep her?”

My back straightened in outrage, more at the implication that Brandon shouldn’t want to keep me than the idea that he could just decide he was going to. Brandon slid his hand up my back and wrapped it around my neck, practically shackling me in place. It was a macho move, but I found comfort in his show of possession and relaxed into his hold.

“Quit messing around,” Brandon growled. “You knew she was mine before I was willing to admit it.”

“That I did,” Nic murmured with a smug grin before turning his attention my way again. “When you first came to me, I offered to eliminate your father and you refused to believe it was the best way to proceed. What’s changed since then?”

My breath caught in my throat as I tried to fight against the tears that welled in my eyes. I’d learned long ago that my da didn’t really love me, but it didn’t stop the pain of knowing how very little I meant to him. “Killing my da would only halt things in his organization temporarily. I wanted to blow it the fuck up. But, now he knows about my betrayal. Chances are, I’ll end up in his next shipment of girls.”

Brandon’s fingers dug into the skin of my neck, hard enough I wouldn’t be surprised if I ended up with bruises. “No fucking way,” he hissed, turning my head until I was staring into his eyes. “I knew he was after you, but I can’t believe he would sell his own daughter into slave trade.”

“He likes to play his cards close to the vest as much as he can,” I explained. “I wouldn’t even know about it, except Tommy overheard my da on the phone with one of his guys when I disappeared. Apparently, he was royally pissed that his ditzy little girl was able to outsmart him. Da told the guy I’d be worth the trade and ‘kept in line’ with a firm hand, or find myself saying Hail Marys on my way to hell.”

“Motherfucker,” Nic growled.

I laughed without any humor. “Oh, and let’s not forget how valuable I am, being a virgin and all.” In any other situation, I might have felt uncomfortable discussing my sexual experience, or lack thereof, with Nic Deluca, but I didn’t have the luxury of being squeamish.

“There’s no fucking way that’s gonna happen.” Brandon’s voice was deceptively soft. “No one will lay a fucking hand on you."

“What’s with us and falling for virgins?” Nic murmured, shaking his head, as though disappointed. The possessive look in his eyes and half-smile on his face said otherwise. His attention returned to us. “If she isn’t a virgin any longer, that may negate his plans to sell her to the highest bidder,” he said, displaying the level of cunning and ruthlessness that had gained him a fearsome reputation as the head of the DeLuca family. “I’m sure I can depend on you to take care of that little problem, right Bran?”

“Shut the fuck up before I shut you up myself.”

“Yeah, that’s what I thought,” Nic chuckled. “Unfortunately, I’m sure Pat will decide his only other choice is to kill her.” Brandon practically snarled at Nic, who held up his hand to indicate that he wasn’t done. “Which is all the more reason to agree with Carly. Pat O’Reilly needs to be taken out.”

“After he’s spent a few hours in my company,” Brandon muttered with grim determination. There was an air of deadly intent in his words. He clearly wanted my da to suffer, and I was surprised when I didn’t feel a single ounce of compassion for the man who’d fathered me. Truth was, I wanted him to suffer, to pay for his sins in this life and the next.

Nic nodded. “How you handle it is up to you.” He looked at Brandon meaningfully. “I’d also suggest you marry her sooner rather than later. It would solidify your place in her life, and you’ll be thankful for it later when she takes over.”

Marry me? Take over? What the fuck? I didn’t know which to respond to first. I decided the whole—I mentally cringed—marriage thing could wait and be dealt with when I was alone with Brandon.

“Takes over?” I repeated. He couldn’t possibly mean... “What am I taking over?”

“You’re going to be the new head of the O’Reillys, Carly.”

I reached out blindly to grab Brandon’s free hand and squeeze it. “What? No! That’s impossible!” Being with Brandon meant being a part of this life, and I accepted that. I didn’t want anything to do with my family’s organization though. “No one would follow me, they are all loyal to my da.”

“Anything’s possible with the DeLucas behind you,” he informed me with unwavering confidence. “We’ll make sure your father eats a bullet, and soon. In return, you’re going to step into his shoes and fill the void he’ll leave behind, keeping my town safe from the assholes who might otherwise think it’s the perfect opportunity to grab power.”

Chapter 7

Brandon

Carly looked shell-shocked, and though she was putting on a strong front, I could see she was on the precipice of falling apart. Using the hand on her neck, I tucked her in close to my side. It was a testament to her emotional state that she allowed herself to be vulnerable in front anyone, much less Nic.

“Let’s put this discussion on hold while we concentrate on tracking down her dad,” I suggested.

Nic studied Carly for a moment and seemed to come to the same conclusion. She needed time to process. He looked to me. “You know it has to be this way.” I jerked my head in the affirmative. “I’ll let you deal with helping her understand that.”

Lifting my chin in farewell, I started to guide Carly from the office when Nic called my name. I stopped and glanced back over my shoulder with a raised brow.

“You’ll take care of the other...?” He trailed off, well aware I knew what he was referring to. I glared at him, the thought of him even thinking about my woman and sex, no matter how platonic and well intentioned, pissed me the fuck off. Not to mention, our relationship was nobody else’s business. Understanding my expression, he held up his hands in surrender, but the smirk on his face still made me want to rearrange it into a grimace of pain. I pushed my violent intentions away, knowing my focus needed to remain on Carly, and took her home.

She was quiet on the short drive back to the house. I circled the block twice, then found a spot on the street to parallel park but waited to get out until I saw Paul, one of my guys, give the all clear from his vehicle across the street. Carly started to open her door, but I held her back with my hand on her bicep.

She looked at me with surprise, then narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “I know you’ll protect me Bran, but I’m not an infant, I can open my own damn door.”

I slowly perused her body, my eyes lingering on her chest and lips, before meeting her gaze. “Trust me, kitten. There is no possibility of me mistaking you for anything other than a woman.” She was fighting to keep her indignation, but the spark in her green eyes and the subtle flush of her skin, told me how my words truly affected her. “Also, my mother taught all of her boys to respect women, so how about you let me be the gentleman my mother raised me to be?”