Chapter 20

Mason

The entire day,I’m trying to escape the pit of my stomach reaction that something is wrong.

I shouldn’t feel this way.

My permits are pushed through in record time, everyone who needs to sign being present and accounted for, all inspections happening without a hitch.

By the end of the day, I’m the proud owner of digging rights in the Las Vegas sand.

This is a day I’ve spent two years preparing for and I should be ecstatic. But that pit of dread won’t go away.

Roman is sitting next to me in the back seat of the car and he’s been unusually quiet as well, especially considering the major victory we just had.

But I can’t focus on him, or the fact that my family thinks I’m losing my mind, because my thoughts are consumed by Charlotte.

She was different this morning and I don’t like it.

The guards she’d been letting down were back up and stronger than ever. Worse still, she was asking questions.

About my motivations. About the future.

None of them had nice answers. I scrub a hand through my hair, rubbing at my face. Roman looks over at me with a frown. “Are you going to tell me why you’re in a shit mood after the day you just had?”

We might be brothers, but we don’t exactly talk about feelings. “Probably not.”

“Did you take my advice?”

I don’t need to ask what he’s referring to. “I don’t want to talk about Charlotte.”

“I do,” he turns toward me then.

“Too bad.”

He goes on like I haven’t spoken at all. “Either you did not take my advice, in which case you are sexually frustrated, or the two of you got into some kind of fight.”

“Neither,” I say through gritted teeth.

His brows raise then. “Do tell.”

“No.”

Jackson’s eyes meet mine in the rearview mirror. I don’t take the limo on days like this because it’s too ostentatious. When the inspectors see a vehicle like that, they will apply themselves to taking you down a peg or two and find a reason to create more red tape. They’ve got their own egos and who can blame them for wanting to take arrogant pricks down a peg? But right about now, I’d give anything for a privacy screen.

“Are you upset about that thing with the professor yesterday?” Jackson asks. “I can hire someone to have him killed. I’ve still got those old school connections from our mob days.”

“The professor?” Roman asks, leaning forward, looking at Jackson and not me. He knows where he’ll get answers. “What happened with the professor?”

“He got really handsy with Charlotte.” Jackson answers for me. I swear, I’m going to punch them both when this car stops.

“And how did that make you feel?” Roman asks like he’s my fucking therapist.

“Like I’m going to beat the shit out of you if you don’t stop talking.”

Both Jackson and Roman laugh.

“I can fire you,” I snarl at Jackson.

“But you won’t,” he answers unconcerned. And then he shifts his rearview mirror gaze to Roman. “He can’t stop touching her. Got to have his hands on her all the time.”

My skin crawls to hear Jackson speak like that. I am a man of infinite control. “Would you two stop acting like a couple of old women?” But I know the truth. They’ve both figured out that I am not in control at all when it comes to Charlotte. That I’m about to lose everything. I feel the truth crawling up my spine and I wait for Roman’s inevitable questions. Who will take over when I come undone…

Only…neither seems that concerned.

“She is a looker,” Roman nods, agreeing with his own words.

“Beautiful women are everywhere,” I respond but I know it isn’t true. No woman has ever affected me like Charlotte.

And Roman knows it too. “Soft, sweet, submissive,” he adds, ticking off the list on his fingers.

“You know the rules just as well as I do.”

“Mason, you’re a fucking king. Make the rules, don’t follow them.”

I star at him without a response because he’s right. I made the rules to begin with…

Is it because Roman was younger when our father died that he isn’t worried about my relationship with Charlotte? Because this is not at all what I expected.

My phone dings, Charlotte’s name popping up. She’s asking about purchasing a photo album. I stare at the message, shaking my head.

I’ve been worried about the woman all day and now I’m getting this totally benign message about photo albums?

I send a message back telling her to forward me a link from Amazon. The three dots appear and I wait, realizing I’m holding my breath. What the hell is wrong with me?

I wantto buy it myself. Can I have it shipped here? Do you not want my name on packages? I could give you money.

I stare at the screen.She doesn’t even have a job and I’m worth well over a billion dollars? This is a ridiculous conversation, and also, why would she not want me to buy it for her?

I’m back to worried. Who’s the old woman now?

My fingers fly over the screen as I start to fire back a text that says as much when Roman begins laughing. I look over at him, my stare so fierce, he stops laughing, but he’s still grinning. “What?” I bark.

“Just admit you’ve fallen hard.”

I snort but that knot in my stomach only tightens, expanding to my chest. Because Roman is right. “We don’t do love.”

Roman shrugs, settling back into his seat as Jackson pulls into the garage in my building. He’ll drop me and then take Roman home. It’s how we usually do these sorts of things and I know that both Roman and Jackson have noted how eager I am to return to my apartment.

I just fucking missed Charlotte, and what’s more, we have several things to talk about. It might be time to come clean and to maybe move forward? I have no idea what that even looks like.

On the one hand, I’ve spent almost my entire adult life building this business and I know it means losing the support of Jake, Luke, and fucking Leo if I choose Charlotte.

On the other…my life would feel hollow and empty without her. I’m starting to be able to admit that to myself.

Which is crazy. I haven’t even been inside her yet. And yet, the signs have been there for a while. It’s in the way I want her to wear my ring.

The way I can’t keep my hands off her. The way I almost lost all my shit when that fucking Professor Burke tried to hurt her.

I get out of the car with hardly a goodbye and punch a button on my phone to open the elevator, typing in the new code.

The doors slide open and I step inside, letting out a long breath of air, trying to loosen my muscles.

The ride is short, and when I step out, an amazing smell hits my nose. It’s Asian, but it’s not salty soy sauce heavy, it’s delicate and savory all in one.

Striding out of the hall, I find Charlotte in the kitchen, pale blue dress and a white apron adorning her body, her hair pinned back in a neat twist. Her feet are bare as she stands at the counter and the picture is just too much. It steals my breath.

“Hello,” she smiles over her shoulder as she chops red peppers. “You’re home early.”

Home. It is my home. And with startling clarity I know for a fact that wherever my home is, Charlotte belongs there too.

I step up behind her, holding her hips in my hands as I place a soft kiss where her neck meets her shoulder.

She stiffens and I know whatever was between us this morning, is still there. It’s time to clear that shit.

I want Charlotte to be warm and comfortable in my arms. I want her to be safe, and I’ll do whatever it takes to give that to her.

I don’t take my hands away, if anything I tighten them, giving her a squeeze before I slide my arms around her waist. “Whatever your making smells unbelievable.”

She relaxes a bit. “That’s good.”

“Where did you learn to cook like this?” I’m well aware of what her budget has been.

She shrugs, picking up the knife and starting her preparations again. “Not many Asian restaurants in Nebraska. And you know me, I like things just so.”

It’s true. She has the eyes for detail that can elevate anyone in life. I sweep my hands down her belly and then back around her hips, kissing a trail along her neck. I breathe in her scent.

Here’s the truth.

I built this business from the ground up. My dad was in debt. I scraped the money together to buy that first club, made it a massive success so that I could get the collateral to buy another and another.

And the shell company. It was originally to hide us from the Italians and Toni Carcetti.

In those early days, it was my sheer force of will that made us a success. If my family wants to take my empire away from me, I’ll let them have it. Then, I’ll build another. And this time, I’ve got several assets that are in my name alone. Like this building. In and of itself, it’s worth a small fortune. I won’t be starting from negative, and I won’t need anyone’s help.

If I’m headed down the same path as my father, to death and destruction, then I’m going to die happy.

I think of Charlotte that first night. When she’d kneeled before me and told me she was ready to die, just as long as it was me who did it.

I suck in my breath, straightening up. She was ready to end it with me right then. I think I might finally be there too. If I’m headed to my end, she’s going to be next to me.

“What’s wrong?” she asks, her brow scrunched as she looks over her shoulder again.

I give her a smile. No malice, nothing but joy. “Not at thing, princess. Not a damned thing. In fact…”

My phone rings, shrill and loud from my pocket, and I lift it out to send the call to voicemail. I don’t care who it is…

But Roman’s name has my brow scrunching as I debate whether or not to answer.

We were just together. He wouldn’t be calling unless there was a problem.

Keeping my other hand on Charlotte’s hip, I keep her ass firmly in the cradle of my hips as I pick up. “What?”

But Roman doesn’t snark back. Instead, he lets out a loud breath of air. “It’s Leo and it’s bad…”