Fighter in Lingerie (Lingerie 14)

Listening to him brought tears to my eyes. I couldn’t imagine my life without my parents. They were the greatest parents in the world. There was never a time when I didn’t feel loved. “You love your brother too.”

He nodded. “We’ve had our problems.”

Since he was opening up to me, I pushed the envelope a little further. “What happened?”

He grabbed the glass of scotch in front of him and took a long drink, stalling as he considered what his answer would be. He licked his lips quickly, in a sexy way only he could pull off. With his elbows resting on his knees and his weight shifted forward, he looked at me. “Ronan didn’t do anything. I’m the one who fucked everything up.” He brought his hands together, both of his palms flat as he lined up his fingers. “When Mom died, I just shut down. Her death gnawed at me because there was so much regret. She told me she’d been feeling pain for a few months, but she brushed it off as nothing and never went to the doctor. Only when it got really bad did she see someone. By then, the cancer had spread, and there was nothing that could be done.” He shook his head. “I always wonder what if… What if she’d been seen sooner?”

My heart ached as I listened to this, listen to this strong man show his weakness.

“She and I were really close, so losing her just made me shut down. I turned cold to everyone—including my brother. We stopped spending time together, and I just…cut him out. The only time I saw him was at work, and I kept pulling away. He called me out on it a few weeks ago. I thought about it for a while and realized he was right. I’ve been so angry at the world because of what happened… But I need to get over it. It’s been five years. I shouldn’t be this bitter and this angry. My mother would be disappointed in me for letting it affect my relationship with Ronan. So I’ve been working on it, trying to talk to him, be less of an asshole…”

I watched him from my spot on the leather couch, my scotch untouched because all I cared about was him. We were hundreds of feet underground, so we were completely alone. No one could bother us down here. No one could hear his secrets.

“I’ve come to realize that it’s nearly impossible for me not to be an asshole.”

“That’s not true.” The words flew out of my mouth automatically.

He lifted his gaze to look at me. “It is.”

“You’re an asshole sometimes, yes. But not all the time. You can be a good man when you want to be. I’ve seen it with my own eyes. Don’t be so hard on yourself.”

He held my gaze, his look still cold. “I just made you sign a contract, claiming my ownership.”

“You didn’t make me do anything, Bosco. I’m not a woman you can make do anything.” If I really wanted out of this, I could walk away. Bosco was a formidable man, but he wasn’t evil. Even though I’d signed the contract, I could still get out of it. But at least now he knew I wanted this relationship to end for good in two and a half months. This was a fling with an expiration date, and I wouldn’t change my mind.

The corner of his mouth rose in a smile. “I’m a hard man who makes hard decisions every day. I never lose any sleep at night because of it. But I’ve been too hard on Ronan. I’ve treated him like one of the other men…like he doesn’t matter.”

“We all lose our way sometimes.”

He nodded. “I’m still lost. Now I’m trying to find my way back.” He was a transparent man, so secure in his masculinity that he didn’t care what he shared with me. His vulnerability didn’t take anything away from his strength. He would still walk through that casino with the power of a king, even if he wore his heart on his sleeve. He was a fascinating man, far more complex than I realized.

“Ronan loves you. I can tell just by watching the two of you together.”

“Yes…I’m very fortunate.”

“And he knows you love him too…because you just showed it.”

Bosco leaned back against the chair, his knees spread apart and his shoulders broad. With his elbow propped on the armrest, he rested his fingers over his lips, watching me closely. It seemed like his sensitive side had faded away, and now he was aggressive once more. “You’ll be on your family’s property for the wedding?”

“Yes. The wedding is at Carter’s, but I’ll be staying with my parents.”

“I won’t be able to have my men follow you there.”

I stopped myself from rolling my eyes. “Which is perfectly fine. There’s no safer place in the world than with my family.”