6. Fable

6

Fable

I wake up the next morning wrapped around Leo. It’s embarrassing, and I’m glad he’s sleeping, so he doesn’t see my blush. I didn’t even hear him join me in bed, and I have a feeling this is the longest I’ve slept in a really long time. I don’t know why.

I slip out of bed and tiptoe into the bathroom. After taking care of everything in there, I pad quietly through the bedroom, only tossing a glance at Leo in bed. He’s still snoozing away, so I hurry out to the living room, closing the door quietly.

I know how to make coffee, so I start that up as I try my best to be quiet. I think it comes naturally to me. At least, that’s what Destiny always says.

I’m the loud twin because I was first.

The breath in my lungs seems to stall, and I can’t take a breath.

Destiny . My twin. My protector.

My memories come rushing back to me, our lives in that horrible house, the two of us making plans to get out and away, then the word that I was to marry that dreadful man. My father is a made man in the Russian mob, and he wanted to sell me off to Delano.

“Fable?” Leo says, his arms coming around me. I was so lost in my memories that I didn’t even hear him. I lean into his warmth. “Why are you crying, Angel?”

I shake my head and open my mouth to say that I’m not crying, but that’s when I realize my cheeks are damp. I rub them away in embarrassment.

“I remembered,” I say, my voice barely loud enough for even me to hear.

His arms squeeze me tighter, then he releases me enough so I can face him.

“What did you remember?”

He’s watching me with concern, and I don’t blame him. I’m standing here crying like a flipping baby. And worse, I have to tell him I’m a mob boss’ daughter. I’m sure that’s going to go over well.

“No matter what it is, we’ll figure it out.”

He seems so sure of himself, but he doesn’t know my family. He guides me to the couch, then settles me on his lap.

“Tell me. It can’t be that bad.”

I look down at my fingers. They’re tangled together as I try to come up with words to explain my situation. It is almost impossible. Beyond that, I’m embarrassed. Leo seems to come from good beginnings and serving his country and now his hometown…my family just sucks. Except Destiny.

“Come on, Angel,” he coaxes.

I draw in a deep breath and release it slowly before looking up at him.

“My father is Mikel Petrov.”

His eyebrows wing downward. “I know that name. Why do I know that name?”

I sigh, knowing that this will forever change everything. “My father is a Russian mob boss.”

There’s a beat of silence. “That’s why you ran?”

Another sigh escapes, and my gaze goes back to my hands. God, how do you admit your father sold you off without sounding like a complete loser? There is no way. I will forever be branded as a horrible person because of my father.

He slips his fingers beneath my chin and gently urges me to look at him. “No matter what you tell me, it will not change the way I think about you.”

“You don’t know that, but I guess it can’t be helped. My father agreed to have me marry Tony Delano.”

He frowns. “I definitely know that name. How could your father do that? The man is scum.”

Tears fill my eyes again. “Because Papa thought he could gain something out of it. That’s all he needs to sell off one of his twin daughters.”

“Twin? You mean there’s another angel out there?”

I chuckle, but it ends on a sob. He wraps his arms around me and crushes me to his chest.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

I shake my head and wipe away the tears, embarrassment filling me. “No. It’s just that I don’t know where she is. She’s the one who came up with the escape plan.”

His eyebrows shoot up. “Escape plan?”

I nod. “We live in upstate New York. We haven’t left the estate in years. The moment we heard about the planned wedding, Destiny started plotting my escape. She’s a genius math person. Whatever you call that. She’s also a bit of a hacker.”

Understanding lights in his eyes. “So, she got you out of the house to save you. Where is she?”

Tears fill my eyes again. “I don’t know. She was supposed to follow me. Then, one of my father’s men found me. I think he was tailing me since Maryland.”

His arms tighten for just a second, rage fairly vibrating off him. “He’s the one who left you in the snow?”

I shrug. “That part, I’m kind of fuzzy about. I remember recognizing him at a WaWa, and booking it out of there as soon as I could.”

“He didn’t follow?”

“Not at first. He didn’t know I got out of there. I told one of the workers my ex was following me, and I needed a back way out. She helped me.”

“He was your ex?” Irritation tinges his voice, and I have to bite back a smile. Even with the horribleness of my situation, hearing jealousy from Leo makes me feel better.

“Absolutely not. I only saw him twice in my life when he was with my father at the estate. It didn’t take him long to catch up and cause me to wreck. That was about the time the snow started. I hit my head in the wreck, I know that, and I remember running. I don’t know what happened to him, though.”

He nods. “I’ll get Frank to start working on it.”

“I’m sorry.”

“What are you sorry about?”

“I brought this to your doorstep.”

“And I thank God for that.”

I open my mouth twice, then snap it shut. I clear my throat. “My family is horrible.”

“Including Destiny.”

I shake my head. “No. She’s the best.”

“And we need to find out where she is. Where were you headed?”

“We bought a house under assumed names.”

He gives me a look.

I shrug. “I told you Destiny was a hacker. So, we have new identities, and she used them to buy the house. I don’t have the address, though. It’s…what does she call it?”

“Off the grid?”

I nod. “I know it sounds horrible, but we wanted to make sure he couldn’t find us.”

“No problem.”

“Leo, I just told you I’m on the run from my mob boss father, who tried to sell me off to another mob boss. To escape, my sister and I created fake identities and ran, which is illegal, and then I showed up in your district, and now you’re stuck with me.”

His lips quirk. “I heard it all. And I thank the sweet baby Jesus that he brought you here to me. First, because I can keep you safe.”

“Yeah?”

He nods, never taking his gaze from mine. “Second reason I’m happy is because I’m falling for you, Angel. I hate to think that I would never meet you. Because I would think the other half of me was missing the rest of my life.”

I blink, tears falling down my cheeks once again. “You don’t know me.”

“I do. I know the heart of you. You have a good soul, and you make me feel good when I’m around you.”

“Leo,” I whisper his name in reverence because I can’t believe that he sees me that way.

“It’s true.”

“How can you know that? How can you tell that I am a good person? Maybe I’ve got bad blood from my father.”

“What about your mother?”

Sorrow hits me again, and I can’t seem to stop crying. “She died before we moved upstate. Cancer.” It’s like losing her all over again as if it were just yesterday. Pain prickles my skin as I fight the sob that fights to escape.

He cups my face with his massive hands and smiles down at me. Love shines in his eyes, or maybe I’m imagining it. I’m so desperate, I will cling to him and think he cares for me.

“You’ve had a lot of loss in your short life. But I’ll make sure you have your happily ever after.”

He dips his head and brushes his mouth over mine. Just like every other time he’s kissed me, I feel it all the way down deep in my soul.

“I know you, Fable. Deep down, your soul speaks to mine. That’s all that matters in this world. Your soul. My soul.”

Adoration shines in his eyes, but I shake my head. “But—”

He stops me with his mouth. It’s as if he couldn’t wait to kiss me, to touch me. I’m unable to resist the pull. He makes me want to believe that everything will be all right and that I can walk away from that over life. His words, his actions, all it overwhelms me. I pull back as I blink, trying to control the tears. It’s no use. No other person other than my twin has ever shown me unconditional acceptance.

“Leo…” I say nothing else. I can’t. He seems to understand like he always does. He rises off the couch, keeping me snug in his arms. Another hard kiss, then he’s walking me back into the bedroom. He lays me on the bed and steps back. I grab him by the waistband of his jeans.

“Don’t leave me.”

Oh, god, I sound pathetic, but he doesn’t hesitate to answer.

“Never.” His gaze pierces into mine, telling me that this is more than just a line. This is a promise he will keep.

He tugs off his shirt and tosses it aside, and I can’t bite back a moan. The man is amazing, with sculpted pecs, a six-pack, and one of those vee’s that point down to his groin. I notice the scars—small indentations, which must have come from his time in the military. I slip my hands over his flesh. He’s always so warm.

“You will have to let me sculpt you. And draw you. And paint you.”

“Anything you want, Angel.”

“In the nude.”

He chuckles. “I said anything. Just, those naked things will not make the light of day.”

I look up at him, and he’s smiling at me.

“Sure.”

I go about exploring his body again, letting my fingers trail down his stomach. I still my hands the moment I notice the bulge behind his zipper. I lick my lips, and he groans. My gaze shoots up to his.

“You have no idea how close I am to coming right now.”

I bite my bottom lip, trying to keep my smile at bay. He growls.

“Oh, you think that’s funny?”

I nod, looking up at him, and he growls again. He’s so sexy when he gets grumpy like that. He tackles me, and before I know it, my sweatpants are off, and his head is between my legs. I can feel his beard brush against my pussy as he slips his tongue inside of me. That fast, I can feel my orgasm approaching. I’m not ready for it, so I gasp as he takes my clit between his teeth, tugging on it, and sending me right over into a fast, hard orgasm. I scream his name and bow up off the bed as pleasure washes over me.

But he doesn’t stop there. Before he pulls away, he makes me come one more time. I’m shivering, my entire body attuned to him in a way I don’t understand, but I like it. A lot. He pulls away and stands up. I force my eyes open and see him licking his lips.

“You have the tastiest little pussy, Angel.”

My face flushes and I want to hide under the covers. Plain speaking isn’t something I’m used to. I never even had the sex talk. Destiny and I had to learn about things online.

Still, I lick my lips and my gaze lands on the bulge again.

“Nope. Not our first time. I am going to be in your juicy cunt when I blow my load this time. But first, take off your shirt.”

I pout and he chuckles. I do as he ordered, and he sighs. “You were made for me.”

His hands go the button of his jeans, then he’s unzipping them. He shoves them down, along with his boxers. The moment I see his cock, I want to run. Holy mother of god, the size of it fits the giant of a man.

“Uh, maybe we should just forget this.”

He chuckles as he wraps his hand around his massive length. “Don’t worry. I’ll fit.”

A bead of cum seeps out and again, I feel the need to lick my own lips.

“One little taste,” he says as he steps closer, holding the head of his dick in front of me. “Open up, Angel.”

I do as he says, and Leo slips the crown of his cock into my mouth.

“Oh, fuck,” he groans.

The taste of him is incredible. Sweet and salty at the same time. I start to suck on him, and he pulls out of my mouth.

He tumbles me back on the bed, and he’s kissing me when he covers my body with his. I can taste my need on his tongue, and it is the most erotic thing I never knew would get me going. Before I’m ready, he’s easing his thick cock into my pussy, and I feel so full.

“It’s going to hurt a little, Angel. Just once.”

I nod, and he thrusts forward. There is a moment of pain, then it fades as he starts to move in and out of me. I forget the pain, the fear, all of it as he makes love to me. His mouth is all over me, my lips, my neck, my nipples. I wrap my legs around his waist as he thrusts deep and faster. The warmth of him, the woodsy scent that clings to him, always adds another level of intimacy.

“Come on, Angel. I don’t want to be alone,” he whispers in my ear. I don’t know what he means until his fingers slip between us and he teases my clit. I am coming for the third time, but this sensation is different. My inner muscles clamp down hard on his dick as I buck up against him.

“Yes, fuck like that. Oh, fuck me, Angel.”

Then, he lets loose a long, loud groan as he thrusts inside me once more. I can feel the warmth of his cum as he holds himself deep inside of me.

He collapses a few moments later, and I wrap my arms and legs around him. He rolls us over.

“Didn’t mean to crush you.”

“I didn’t mind,” I say, kissing his chest. I lift my head and look down at him. “Thank you.”

“I think that’s my line.”

“It was…amazing.”

He offers me a sleepy smile. “You’re the one who made it amazing.” He lifts his head up off the mattress and brushes his mouth against mine. “I need a nap.”

I laugh. “Okay.”

“You will stay here.”

“Always.”

And for the first time in my life, I think truly mean it.