Chapter 9

9

Zara

"What if this is my one chance at true happiness and I blow it?" My friend Solene’s face fills my phone screen. She’s an up-and-coming pop star whose last song hit number one on the charts. When that happened, it seemed like her life changed overnight, and she’s still coming to grips with it. Especially the impact it’s had on her personal life.

I met Solene through my other friend, Isla, who’s a wedding planner. I met Isla via a work gig a few years ago and we hit it off right away. I met Lena through her as well, and the four of us ended up hanging out a lot. Then, after Lena met JJ and moved in with him, Solene, Isla and I gravitated toward each other.

Now Isla, too, is married—which really leaves me and Solene as the last singletons standing in our social circle. Strike that. Solene has a boyfriend—who also happens to be one of the hottest stars in Hollywood. And clearly, while both of their careers are taking off, it’s not all smooth sailing in their relationship, as evidenced by her pinched features.

"What if I’ve already blown it?" She hunches her shoulders.

"Why, because you decided to go off on your tour rather than stay home with your boyfriend?" I scoff.

"We’ve only been together for six months; it’s still early in our relationship," she says softly.

"Six months is not that young a relationship. And if the two of you love each other, then it shouldn’t matter how far apart you are, right?"

She places her phone on the side of her dressing table and begins to apply her make-up. "I guess so."

I narrow my gaze. "What does that mean?"

She pats the foundation onto her cheeks as she answers, "It’s just, sometimes I’m not quite sure what we feel for each other."

"Umm. You either love each other or you don’t. There’s no gray area here, is there?" Not that I’m the one to give relationship advice, considering I have no idea what the hell that last encounter with Hunter was all about. I walked in there intending to prove to him—and myself—that I was impervious to his efforts. I spectacularly failed. Sure, I flaunted my body at him, and I expected him to react, but I was also confident I’d be able to resist him. Boy, was I wrong. Did I say that already? Well, it’s true. And I just can’t stop thinking about it. I’m so mad at myself.

The moment his lips touched mine, the moment his breath mingled with mine and his scent teased my senses, it’s like I descended into a fugue state. My body insisted I lean into his and absorb his taste, and his touch, and the indentation of his hard muscles into my skin. I came undone, my panties soaking wet as he leaned into the space between my legs.

That was two months ago, and I still haven’t forgotten how that thick, fat column in his pants stabbed into the softest part of me. How his fingers felt wrapped about the nape of my neck, around my wrist. How it thrilled me when he grabbed greedy handfuls of my butt and squeezed and?—

"Zara? You there?"

"Eh?" I glance at the screen. "Of course, I’m here."

"Hmm…" Solene looks at me closely. "Seems to me like you’re distracted."

I laugh. "Moi? Distracted? You know that’s not possible."

She picks up her eyeliner wand and scans my features. "I don’t know. For a second, it seemed like you drifted off."

"I’m very much here."

She continues to survey my features. "You have dark circles under your eyes. Have you been sleeping okay?"

“I’ve been sleeping just fine,” I lie. No, I haven’t, actually. The twathole is haunting my waking thoughts. I tossed and turned last night, and when I finally fell asleep, I dreamed of Olly. Something I haven’t done in a while. I thought I finally put his passing behind me, but maybe something like that never truly leaves you. Maybe all that happens is that the grief settles somewhere deep inside you where you can’t see it, only to unfurl when you’re feeling more vulnerable. Which I am now, thanks to Hunter-knobhead-Whittington.

"You sure? Is there something you want to talk to me about?"

"Not right now." I mean, what am I going to say? That I have a huge crush on the one man I need to steer clear of? That the more I try to not think about him, the more it seems my body is unable to forget how it feels to be around him? Nah. Best to pretend nothing happened. And nothing did happen. We had dinner. And you let him all but fuck you on the pool table in a place where anyone could have walked in on the two of you, and damn, but that had been hot. Not only how he made me respond, but also the fact that he didn’t give a damn that we could have been discovered at any moment. And somehow, his confidence, his not giving a damn about what that could do to his reputation, and the fact that the entire situation is so forbidden… It only turned me on even more. Ha, even thinking about it makes it all seem insane. "I’m good, really." I paste a smile on my face.

Her lips curve. "Not fooling me, but fine. If you’re not ready to talk about it, I’ll let it go."

"Thanks. I promise, I’ll tell you more when there’s something to tell, okay?"

"Hmph." With a last look at me, she turns to her mirror and begins to outline her eyelids. "We haven’t really gotten around to declaring our feelings for each other."

"That’s normal, right?"

"Is it?" She completes one eye, then turns to the other. "When my sister Olivia got together with Massimo, they declared their feelings for each other within weeks."

She’s referring to Massimo, who was once part of the notorious Cosa Nostra. However, in the past few months, he and his brothers have gone legit. They funneled their assets into the formation of CN Enterprises and Massimo’s the CFO.

"By all accounts, coming clean about your feelings and marrying each other within weeks of meeting is the exception, rather than the rule," I point out.

"I know." She sets down her eyeliner, then reaches for her mascara. "Guess their relationship raised my expectations. I keep thinking Declan will announce his feelings for me, but so far, there’s been nothing."

"The two of you did take to each other right away though. You left for the US with him within days of meeting him, didn’t you?"

I wait while she finishes applying mascara. "I was bowled over by him. Once I saw him, nothing else existed."

"So, what changed?"

She picks up a lipstick and puckers her lips. "Both of us becoming so successful so quickly. He was already on the rise when I met him, and now, with his second big hit, he’s a hot Hollywood property. He needs to capitalize on his success and sign the best offers he can get his hands on. And then my big hit—which was completely unexpected…"

"So, the two of you have had to focus on your careers? It happens, right?"

"I always knew it would be challenging when both of us have such demanding careers. What’s complicating it is being in the media eye."

"You mean #solan?" I chuckle.

She pauses to smear the color over her lips, then when she’s done, sets down the tube. "We’ve barely had the chance to get to know each other, and now the media’s all over us. The paparazzi are everywhere. We can’t step out of our house in LA without being snapped. I don’t mean to sound ungrateful. This is why I moved to LA, to make a name for myself. And Declan is so talented, too?—"

"So are you."

"Thank you." She lowers her mascara wand and turns to me. "It just hasn’t been easy. And now, he’s shooting in London, and I’m about to embark on my tour."

"Which has already been getting amazing reviews, by the way."

"It’s been better received than I expected."

"Don’t sound so surprised. You’re amazingly talented, and that video of your song with the both of you is adorable."

She blushes. "Thanks. It feels so good to hear it from you and?—"

My phone vibrates. I glance at the message that pops up on screen. "Oh, my god, the baby’s coming."

"The baby? Whose? Summer’s, or Karma’s, or?—"

"Summer’s."

My phone vibrates again. I read the second message from Lena.

"And Karma’s," I murmur.

"What? Both of them?" Solene screeches.

I hold the phone away from my face. "Yes, apparently. Gotta go, babe."

"Message me and keep me posted."

"I will." I blow her a kiss and disconnect the call, then grab my bag and run out the door.

I burst into the waiting room of St George’s Hospital and come to a stop. The room is crowded. Summer’s husband Sinclair has close knit friendships with the rest of the Seven of 7A Investments, and Karma’s husband Michael is one of seven Sovrano brothers, and the former Don of the Cosa Nostra.

The wives of the Seven have become friends with those of the Sovranos. And...given the fact that Summer and Karma are sisters, it means there are a lot of people invested in the arrival of these two babies. Still, I hadn’t expected quite so many of them to be here.

It’s through Isla that I met the rest of the Seven and the Sovranos. Summer has included me in various get-togethers. While I initially turned her down, she was persistent that I attend—that’s Summer for you, as I’ve discovered—and eventually, I gave in.

Now I take in the familiar faces of Arpad, who is one of the Seven, and his wife Karina, as well as Weston’s wife Amelie who’s talking to Karina. Then there’s JJ and Lena, who jumps up from her seat as soon as she spots me. I walk over to her, and we embrace each other.

"You came!" she gushes.

"Of course, I came." I lean back and gaze into her face. "How much longer do you expect it’s going to be?"

"We don’t know. These are babies, remember? They set their own schedules." Amelie reaches us, and while I’m not one for group hugs, this occasion definitely calls for one. I wrap my arms about the other two women.

"Isla, did you?—"

"I messaged her, and told her not to rush back from her fourth, or is that fifth, honeymoon?" Lena laughs.

Liam and Isla got married six months ago on Liam’s island near Venice. Since then, the couple has split their time between the island and London. It seems like they rush back to the island every chance they get.

"And Karma? How’s she doing?" I glance between Lena and Amelie. "I thought there were a few more weeks to go before she gave birth."

"The baby’s premature. But hopefully, everything will be fine," Lena says in a soft voice.

"Weston is with her now, along with Michael," Amelie adds.

Karma suffers from a heart condition that was exacerbated by her pregnancy. Michael has been very worried about her, all through the pregnancy. It’s why they moved from Sicily to London—so Karma could be close to Summer, and the sisters could support each other through their pregnancies. Weston, who’s a heart specialist, has been monitoring Karma through the last few months.

"I’m sure she’s going to be okay." I pat Amelie’s shoulder.

"Oh, I hope so," Lena says and lowers her chin to her chest.

"She’s a fighter. I’m sure her baby is going to be running circles around us very soon," I say firmly.

"I agree." Karina joins us. "Medical science has advanced so much, and the baby is only a few weeks early. She is in safe hands."

I shoot her a grateful look. Normally, in situations like this, it falls to me to be the strong person in the group. It’s my default setting—to bury my doubts and be the person everyone else can lean on. And I sense a kindred spirit in Karina. Her background, too, is slightly different from the others. She comes from a Russian family, and her brothers form the Bratva. She also runs a top-notch security firm that the Seven and the Sovranos have turned to when they need additional safety measures in place. She nods in my direction, then wraps her arm about Amelie’s shoulders.

The door bursts open, and the hair on the nape of my neck stands to attention.