Keep Her From Harm Read online

  Damian swallowed as the lump began to form in his throat. He would not fucking cry, not now, not in front of his uncle.

  “And it all started because of that girl.” Rick pointed into the cemetery, and then pulled a picture out of his jacket pocket.

  Damian stared at the photo and recognized it. The picture was one he’d taken at the hospital within minutes of Betty giving birth. On her chest was Martha, and she was smiling into the camera. It was one of the happiest moments of his life, and he’d been gutted that no feelings had awakened for him when it came to her.

  Gritting his teeth, he stared at the picture, and then at his uncle.

  “She was a beautiful girl.”

  “Exactly, she was a lot of things.”

  “What were you doing, Damian?”

  Clenching his teeth, he stared at the picture. “Why the fuck do you have this picture?” he asked.

  “I have many ways of finding shit, Damian. I’ve proven it to you time and again. Stop underestimating me. Answer the question.”

  “You know the answer anyway.”

  “I don’t care what I know. I want to know what you were going to do. I want you to tell me the fucking truth.”

  There was no reason to keep the truth from him, and until he said it out loud there was no way that Rick was going to let him get back home to Mia.

  “I went there looking for a fight. I knew Ivan would provide me that, and I wanted a fight to the death. I didn’t want to feel the way that I’d been feeling since Betty took her own life. I have hated my last name and everything that the Denton name stands for. I know that I’m one of the big reasons we’re in this situation because I just gave up.” He looked at Rick. “Is that what you wanted to hear?”

  “I want the truth, and even if I wanted to hear it or not, it doesn’t matter.”

  “I saw Mia, and I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t have a fight.” He laughed. “I actually warned him against it because of the fact I’m a Denton.”

  “Damian, Betty’s death is not your fault. It’s not anyone’s fault.”

  “She killed herself because I would never love her the way she wanted to be loved. How the fuck is that not my fault? She died because I couldn’t love her.”

  “You told her the truth, Damian. You told her straight away that you couldn’t be more than a best friend to her. What more could you offer? Tell her that you love her, and then one day you would have met Mia. What then? You’re going to do what Stuart did? Break a woman’s heart.”

  “No, of course not.”

  “You want to take the blame, and you can’t. What you need to do is accept that there was nothing you could do. There was nothing anyone could do.” Rick climbed out of the car. “Come on.”

  “What do you want me to do?”

  “It’s time for you to make peace.”

  Damian climbed out of the car finding this entire journey pointless.

  “I thought you were supposed to be here to help deal with the problem?” Damian asked. “Dad and the others are getting out soon, and you should be gone.”

  “Aw, baby, you’re breaking my heart that you want me gone. I’m fixing everything, and I’m not leaving until Westbrook is dead, like totally dead, completely dead. I will even bury him in the earth myself.”

  Damian rolled his eyes. “You’re a freak. You know that right?”

  “Yep, I do, and I embrace it.”

  They entered the cemetery, and Damian went toward the gravestone he’d picked out for Betty. Harper had helped him, and it had broken his heart finally seeing it.

  “Not your fault, Damian. Remember that.” Then Rick placed his arm across his shoulders, and when he looked at Betty’s name, he wasn’t caught up in grief or pain or guilt. He was merely sad to see it because she had become such a large part of his life.

  Some wind rustled, and he closed his eyes as the last of his guilt fell away.

  ****

  Mia was so happy to be back in their apartment, and she smiled over at Gabriel. It had been a couple of days since Damian’s family was released from jail and their self-imposed lockdown had been lifted. While Damian was over at the casino getting an update, Gabriel had offered to bring her over. He carried Reese and placed him on the floor in the car seat.

  “Charlotte’s place is amazing, but it is so good to be back home.” She pulled her shirt down, which had ridden up over her stomach.

  “Everything is returning to normal. There will be guards posted on your door, and Rick wanted me to talk to you. It’s why I’m not at the meeting. He’s going to bring me up to day.”

  “Oh, okay. What is it?”

  “If you hear from Ivan, he wants you to tell him.” Gabriel held out a phone. “It’s got all of Rick’s contact details on.”

  “Why couldn’t Damian tell me about this?”

  “Damian is very protective of you, and I don’t think he’s figured out that he may reach out to you rather than anyone else. He is the father of your son.”

  “Oh.” She hadn’t thought about that, and now felt stupid that it hadn’t been on her mind. “Wow, erm, what do I do?”

  “First, you don’t panic. He knows you’re with the Denton men, and it’s now public knowledge that they’re released. It’s only a matter of time before we hunt them down. Don’t fall for any of his crap. Call Rick.”

  She stared down at the phone. “What if he wants to arrange a meet or something like that?” She licked her dry lips.

  “Stop panicking and focus.” Gabriel grabbed her shoulders, and he started to breathe. “In and out, everything is fine.”

  “No, it’s not fine. Everything is not fine.”

  “Yes, it is. Nothing will happen to you. We won’t let it.”

  She nodded her head. “What if Damian asks?”

  “Then you can tell him and also tell him to deal with Rick. I don’t want another reason for him to hate me.”

  “He doesn’t hate you. His feelings are complicated.”

  “Another reason to think that he hates me.” Gabriel shook his head. “It’s fine. It is all fine. You’re a wonderful person, Mia, and I know you’re going to take care of Damian.”

  She looked at Gabriel. “Have you followed them a long time?”

  “Pretty much. For a long time I’ve hated them, and at the same time I’ve envied them and what they have.”

  “You’re part of it as well.”

  “I know that now. I’m going to head out. Remember, call Rick the moment something happens.” Gabriel left her alone in her apartment, and she felt so lost, so alone for the first time ever.

  Brushing off that feeling, she began to put away the kids’ stuff, and everything she had used. What she loved about Damian’s apartment was the fact she didn’t have to go down to the basement to do her laundry. Everything could be done from her apartment, which saved on a lot of time.

  Throughout the day she played with Reese and Martha, fed the two of them. Once they went down for a nap, she cleaned. She loved cleaning, and then of course there was dinner. By the time Damian arrived, their kids were sleeping, and she had just put their food on the table.

  She turned to look at him, and her heart raced. Damian was looking at her, only there was something more intense in his gaze than she had ever seen before. His gaze moved down her body, and then he was walking toward her. She stayed still as her body came alive at the looks he was giving her. Her pussy grew slick, and her nipples tightened. When he was right in front of her, he gripped the back of her head, and slammed his lips down on hers.

  Gripping his shoulder hard, she held onto him tightly, never wanting to let him go. He pushed her back, and she couldn’t wait any longer. Taking hold of his jacket, she shoved it off his shoulders, and the tugged on the edge of his shirt, removing it.

  “I need you now,” he said, holding her shirt and tearing it, spraying buttons across the room.

  “I want you, Damian. Please.”

  He cupped her breasts, and then moved the
lace aside until her breasts were exposed to the air. Neither of them could wait as she yanked on his belt, pushing his pants down.

  Damian caught her face, kissing her with so much passion that it took her breath away. “You’re so fucking beautiful.

  They were all hands as her jeans were pulled down, and then his boxers were down. His cock sprang out. long and thick. She wrapped her fingers around the length, marveling at the size of him.

  “Oh fuck, baby, that feels so good,” he said. “Do you want this?”

  She chuckled. “I’m nearly naked. Don’t hold out on me now.”

  He kissed her lips, moving down her neck to suck on her pulse, and then down to her breast, sucking in one nipple before moving onto the other. Arching up, she moaned as heat pooled between her thighs. He pulled her to the edge of the table, and she watched as he pressed the tip of his cock to her entrance, and thrust forward, filling her to the hilt. She gripped his shoulders as they both cried out.

  “Oh, fuck, you feel so damn good. Your pussy is so tight.” He held her to him as they both paused for a couple of seconds basking in the heat.

  It had been so long since she’d been with anyone, and Damian wasn’t just any other man. He was hers. Everything she had ever dreamed of.

  “Are you okay, Mia?” he asked.

  “More than okay.” She kissed his shoulder and looked at him. “I want this more than anything.”

  He gripped her hips, and slowly began to rock inside her. She closed her eyes, and then opened them, wanting to see Damian and no one else. “I’m inside you, baby. There’s no one else. Just me.”

  One of his hands moved from her hips, sliding between their bodies to touch her clit, and she gasped.

  “Sh, we don’t want our kids to wake up now, do we?” He kept on teasing her. “You’ve got to be very quiet so they don’t wake up.” He pressed his lips against her neck, sucking on her pulse, and it was driving her wild. “I feel how excited you are, how much you want my cock so deep inside you, and you want me, Mia. I think deep down you also care about me.”

  “I know I care about you, Damian. I know I want you, and that is never going to be in question. I’m attracted to you.”

  He thrust hard and deep making her moan as he pinched her clit.

  “So responsive.”

  The pleasure was spiraling within her, building to a fever pitch, and she didn’t want it to stop. The pleasure was on a completely different level, and it was driving her insane, making her need him so much.

  “I want you to come all over my cock, and say my name as you do, baby.”

  “Damian?”

  “Come for me, beautiful.”

  To her surprise, she came, exploding over his cock as he thrust inside her. She cried his name even as she tried to keep her voice down. She couldn’t help it. Just the orgasm from his fingers had rocked her world.

  Damian grabbed her hips and started to pound inside her. The table was screwed down to the floor, so nothing moved as she fucked her hard and deep. From Damian, it was more than just a fuck though. She was his everything. The pleasure was on the next level, and Mia knew there wouldn’t be anyone else for him. No woman, no cheating, nothing. She was his in every single way, and it was like all of her dreams had come true.

  “Oh fuck!” Damian filled her, and his cock jerked, filling her with his cum. She held on tightly as they both panted in the aftermath of their lovemaking.

  It was like they had been possessed or something, and as she pulled away to stare into his eyes, she saw the concern. “Don’t. I loved that, and I do think I’m falling for you, Damian.” She pressed a kiss to his lips. “I’ve been thinking about that a lot. Please don’t feel guilty.”

  “I needed to make you mine, Mia.” He cupped her cheek. “I love you with all my heart, and I know you’re probably freaking out, but I don’t care. You’re mine, and I’m yours.”

  ****

  Gabriel stood in his apartment that was in the same building as Owen and Wyatt’s. He swallowed down the scotch, relishing the burn as it slid down his throat. Westbrook and Smith had both gone to ground, and even as they had gained back their own businesses and men, there had still been a lot of death. Rick Denton was not a man to be trifled with. The longer he was away from his woman, the more ruthless he became.

  Finding out about his real father wasn’t supposed to be so damn complicated.

  “You’re drinking,” Gideon said.

  He turned toward the man that had changed his life together, and sighed. “Why are you in my home?”

  “I have a thing about turning up to places uninvited. It’s my flaw and my gift.”

  “You’re neither invited or wanted. You’ve not long gotten out of jail. Shouldn’t you be between a woman’s legs or something?”

  Gideon straightened the cuffs of his shirt, and stepped toward him. He picked up a glass and the scotch, standing beside Gabriel. “Women are so easy to find, and even though I’m not balls deep inside one, I’m not a little boy. I can control myself.” He held out the bottle. “Another.”

  “It’s my damn scotch, you should be asking me for permission.”

  “I get the sense that you are pissed at me, and I can’t help but wonder why.”

  Gabriel stole his bottle of scotch, and glared at him. “Why?”

  “Why what?”

  “Why did you release that kind of truth?” Gabriel asked. “No one needed to know.”

  “About you being a Denton at your core?” Gideon held his glass up.

  “All it has done is cause nothing but trouble.”

  “Just so you’re aware. The Colton and Denton families do not have a good reputation for getting along. You were under a false need for revenge, and my father was getting pissed. Not to mention all of my brothers as well. We’re not a very patient family. You’re our brother, and I did think it was funny to see the fallout from that. Quite comedic.”

  “I don’t get it. Unless you want to see your family fall.”

  “Far from it. I have this deep, drilled into me sense of loyalty, Gabriel. I can’t just … let my family fall, but I always wasn’t about to let my brother die, nor my future brothers-in-law.” Gideon smiled at him.

  Gabriel frowned. “I haven’t gotten a clue what you’re talking about.”

  “It’s rather funny actually. About two years ago I saw this charming woman, very sweet, and she was buying vegetables at some kind of deli store. I was there because a woman I liked to fuck had moved there. Anyway, let’s just say that during that brief … encounter, not only did I discover a woman that was meant to be mine, I also found out that the love of my life was none other than Emma Colton.”

  “Oh, you’ve got to be shitting me. That’s my sister.”

  “And absolutely no relation to me at all,” Gideon said. “So I found out the truth about your parental line, and it all worked in my favor. Yay.”

  “You will stay away from Emma.”

  “Your sister works very closely to me, and I happen to find her the most fascinating woman. For the past couple of days, I’ve not had my usual fill, and I’m not feeling particularly nice.”

  “You’ve not told anyone.”

  “Why would I?” Gideon asked. “I happen to enjoy keeping secrets, and this is my damn life.”

  He finished the scotch, and handed him back the glass. “You’re a Denton, Gabriel. Act like it, and don’t take any shit from my brothers. You’re exactly like us in every single way.”

  Just as Gideon was about to leave, Gabriel reached out, grabbing his shoulder. “You’ll stay away from Emma.”

  Gideon chuckled. “See, exactly like us.” With that he winked, and left.

  Chapter Eleven

  Two months later

  “Smith and Westbrook have gone to ground. No one has any trace of them,” Maddox Denton said.

  “Cowardly fucks,” Rick said, speaking up first.

  “Yes, indeed.” Maddox turned from the window, and looked at the room. Dam
ian stood beside Gabriel and all of his brothers as his father stared at them. Stuart was there also, as was Rick.

  Ever since Maddox and the others had gotten out of jail, Rick had been taking weekends back in England to be with his woman, and then during the day, coming back to help resolve the matter that had nearly torn the entire family apart.

  “What happened was entirely my fault,” Maddox said. “I nearly brought this family to its knees for slaughter, execution style.” He looked toward Gabriel. “I never for a second thought I would have another son, and your arrival shocked me more than I ever for a second thought possible. My mistake years ago nearly cost me everything.”

  Damian held his hand up. “I want to apologize as well.” He looked toward Gabriel. “I was a total asshole about you. I treated you like shit, and that is not acceptable. I’m sorry, my brother, and I hope one day you could forgive me.” He looked toward Owen and Wyatt. “I extend that apology to you two as well. I was a total asshole, and I’m sorry.”

  He shook each of their hands, and embraced them in a hug. Before Maddox could continue there was more apologies to be had. Damian stood back and nodded at his father. In the past couple of months, since being with Mia, he’d been able to find a clear head in all of the mess. For the longest time it felt like he had been asleep and he was finally waking up from a very deep sleep where he was just existing.

  His relationship has also progressed from that first encounter in Ivan Smith’s shitty club. He had fallen completely in love with her, and that was no hardship.

  In the past couple of months their relationship had changed, developed, and gotten stronger. She shared his bed, and every single morning he woke up with her snuggled against him.

  Their babies were also flourishing, growing stronger every single day. His mother had taken them for him tonight as he wanted some time alone with her where they weren’t trying to keep their voices down, which of course always ended up with them giggling.