I bite my lip to stifle my laughter because, even though I’m grown, I know my mom will smack me upside my head if I dare to mouth off to her. “Never, Mom.”
“Oh, it’s so pretty,” she exclaims, snatching it from my hand and twirling around in a circle, holding it like a trophy.
“Clearly, your mother has been drinking today,” Dad whispers quiet enough that Mom can’t hear.
“Clearly,” I reply but still don’t dare laugh.
The smoke alarm goes off in the kitchen, and my mother hands the lamp back to me. “The roast. Oh, my God,” she yells and takes off toward the kitchen. “The roast!” Smoke is billowing out of the kitchen, parting as she runs through it.
“Here we go again. Chinese?” Dad asks and shakes his head. “After over thirty years of marriage and more cooking lessons than I’d like to admit, you’d think she’d learn how to use a timer.”
“Dad.” I laugh and glance toward the kitchen, checking to see if my mom is out of earshot. “You wouldn’t know what to do with yourself if she didn’t burn everything in sight.”
“Tell that to my stomach,” he says, resting his hand on my shoulder and using me for leverage as he stands. “Go check on Luc and Gab for me, please. Tell them dinner is ready.”
“No Chinese?” I ask and laugh as I push myself off the floor.
“Nope. Well-done roast for us.” He grimaces before heading toward the smoky kitchen and a cursing Francesca.
I take the stairs two at a time and knock on Lucca’s door. I can hear them talking inside, but their voices die quickly.
“Yeah?” Lucca yells without bothering to answer the door. The lazy fucker never likes to move unless he has to.
Rubbing my forehead, I can feel the headache I had earlier starting to come back. “Can I come in?”
“Sure,” Lucca says, but the tone is anything but sure.
“Asshole,” Gabby says just as I open the door.
“What are you two doing?” I smile and pretend to be the brother they deserve.
“Talkin’ shit about you,” Gabby fires in my direction but stares at the ceiling.
Lucca punches her in the shoulder, and her body jerks back from the impact. “Shut up, Gab.”
I take the open spot on the end of the bed and look back and forth between them. “What’s the problem here?”
Gabby crosses her arms in front of her, blowing a curl out of her eye that had fallen when Lucca hit her. “Everyone seems to know about you except for me. I don’t even know who my brother is, and it pisses me off.”
My fist tightens, and I try to control my anger. “There are reasons for that.”
She’s had questions for years, but we’ve always been able to pacify her until now. “I don’t know how to explain it.”
“Are you a good guy or bad guy?” She pushes herself backward, crawling up the bed on her butt and resting against the headboard as she stares at me.
“I’m a little of each.” I wince because I know it sounds like bullshit.
“Are you a criminal?” she asks, tilting her head and pursing her lips. “Because I hear Mom and Dad talking about you sometimes, and it doesn’t sound like it’s anything good.”
I rub my hands on my pants and think very carefully how I should answer her. “Do I seem like a criminal?”
“Don’t give me that bullshit. You can’t answer my question with a question, brother. Do you hurt people?”
Her words are like a punch to the gut. I always wanted to be her hero. I’d give my life to save hers. “Only if they deserve it.”
“Evasive,” she bites out and her lip snarls. “So you kill people?”
“Gabby, just know whatever I do is for a reason. I can’t say more than that.”
“Great. I’m related to Vito Corleone.”
“He’s more like Michael,” Lucca adds before looking at me with the biggest smile.
“I’m neither. Soon, it’ll all be over, and I’ll just be me.”
“I thought that shit was for life.” She fumbles with the ring on her finger and keeps her eyes off me.
Lucca smacks her leg. “You’re such a girl. He’s too big to be kept down. He can do whatever the hell he pleases.”
“Gabby, baby, I know you want to visit me in the city, but it’s not safe. Someday, when you’re older and I’m not the man I am now, I’ll take you anywhere you want to go.”
“Are you embarrassed by me?” She brings her eyes to mine, and her bottom lip quivers.
For fuck’s sake. “I’m not embarrassed by you, sis. I love you more than anything. I just want to see you grow up and not get involved in my world.”
“Great,” Lucca huffs and rolls his eyes, making a gagging sound. “I thought you loved me more.”
I shake my head, telling him it isn’t the time to be funny. My biggest fear lately has been that I’ll open the door and Gabby will be at my doorstep uninvited. “When my life is different, I’ll show you around the town.”
She wipes away her tears, but her lip is still shaking. “Promise?”
I make a cross over my heart. “I promise. Someday, I’ll be around so much, you’ll get sick of me.” She hurls herself into my lap and wraps her arms around my neck. I’m stunned. “Gabby,” I whisper and hold her tightly.
“I worry about you, big brother. Something could happen to you. I don’t want to lose you.” She cries into my neck.
“Sweetie,” I whisper, stroking her hair gently, “nothing will happen to me.”
She squeezes me tighter. “I’m scared for you.”
“Don’t worry. No one can touch me.”
Of course, that’s a complete lie. I’m not untouchable. I’m as vulnerable as the next person—in fact, probably more so. I have a huge target on my back. I’m at the top of my game, and someone is always anxious to step into my shoes.
Someday, I hope to put this part of my life behind me. The longer I stay in it, the more I worry there’s no coming back. Sinking deeper into the shadowy criminal world makes the light at the end of the tunnel seem farther away and even more unreachable.
Soon, I’ll break free and try to find my way back.
ENSHRINE IS NOW AVAILABLE - CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE
Men of Inked Series
Throttle Me (FREE) - Book 1
Hook Me - Book 2
Resist Me - Book 3
Uncover Me - Book 4
Without Me - Book 5
Honor Me - Book 6
or get the
Men of Inked Books 1-3 Boxset for only $4.99
ALFA PI Series
Sinful Intent - Book 1
Unlawful Desire - Book 2
Wicked Impulse - Book 3 (December 2016)
The ALFA PI series is a spin-off of the Men of Inked series!
Standalone Books
Enshrine
Rebound
Top Bottom Switch
Dirty Work
Maneuver (October 2016)
About the Author
I’m a USA Today Bestselling author and currently live in Florida near the Gulf of Mexico. I’m a full-time writer, time-waster extraordinaire, social media addict, and coffee fiend. Currently I’ve written thirteen books and have three series available. I love spending my free time with my boyfriend, 2 cats, and my hamster.
Before becoming a writer, I taught high school history for over ten years. I hold a master's degree in Instructional Technology and a bachelor's in history. Although history is my first love, writing has become my dream job and I can't imagine doing anything else.
Feel free to follow me or drop me a message here:
WEBSITE | NEWSLETTER | TWITTER | FACEBOOK
Join Chelle’s Group on Facebook
Join Chelle’s Newsletter and get a FREE eBook - chellebliss.com/newsletter
Where to Find Me
@ChelleBliss1
authorchellebliss1
www.chellebliss.com
[email protected]
K. Bromberg
Sweet Cheeks Excerpt by K. Bromberg - An all new second chance romance: When invited to her ex-fiance's new wedding, Saylor gets more than she bargains for when an old flame offers to be her date.
An all new second chance love story by the New York Times Bestselling author of the beloved Driven series.
It all started with the invitation. To my ex-fiance’s new wedding.
I should have ignored it.Thrown it away. Set it afire. But I didn’t. I replied.
With a plus one.
Enter Hayes Whitley. Mega-movie star. The man who has captured the hearts of millions. But I gave him mine years ago. He was my first love. He was my everything. Right until he up and left to chase his dreams without so much as a simple goodbye.
When he showed up out of the blue ten years later, I should have known to steer clear. I should have rejected his offer to take me to my ex’s wedding and told him he was crazy when he suggested we act like a couple to show my ex, it’s true, I could do better than him.
But I didn’t.
And now we’re left wondering if the pieces of the life we once shared still fit together somehow. First loves are hard to forget. The question is, do we want to forget? Or do we risk the chance and see what happens next?
1
Saylor
This has to be a joke.
It’s my only thought as I turn the square, colored invitation over and over in my hands.
The same champagne-style font.
An identical scroll pattern adorning its top and bottom.
On cream-colored linen cardstock.
Every detail of the line-by-line etiquette perfected and even the layout of the words is the same.