Page 48 of Merciless Attraction

“I was busy with my fiancé,” I tell Casper before he says anything when he answers my call.

“No thanks. I don’t want to know about that. I was calling to let you know the security system is in place. I have a pair of matching prints from your car and the window outside of your bedroom. If it makes you feel any better, I didn’t find any prints inside, but also Damien was cleaning the last time I was here.”

“Fuck, I told him to stop that.” I sigh. “It’s fine. At least it’s safe for me to go home. Are you still there?”

“I will be for a while just to see how the motion sensors work, but you did get a package,” Casper says.

“Who is it from? Does it look weird or anything?”

Casper pauses and I can hear him moving something before he comes back to the line. “No worries. It has Natalie’s name on it. Maybe she forgot something had her folks ship it to you out here?”

“Just leave it, I’ll be there in the morning. If you can meet me there tomorrow to show me how it all works, I’ll take you to my favorite breakfast spot. They have an amazing Fruity Pebble milk shake you’ll love.”

“I’ll see you in the morning then. Good night, Gem.”

“Night Casper.” I end the call and realize I’ve been walking around the condo while talking to my brother. I’m by the window when I hear Antonio in the loft.

That handsome face staring at me from above is menacingly alluring. The energy is palpable as he says, “Come up here so I can have you for dessert.”

Chapter 22: Antonio

There’s nothing more relaxing than waking up to Gemma in my bed, but I need to keep myself in good shape. I can’t take another day off from training, but I don’t want to leave her alone. I start by going downstairs and that’s when it hits me.

The living room is still in disarray. I slept through the night.

I don’t remember any nightmares, or the incessant need to wake up and move things around because I can. Being confined to a prison cell for six years makes me cherish the ability to move around at any time I want. The problem is that I could never sleep for too long behind those walls because it’s not made for men like me to sleep peacefully.

I survived too many attacks and learned to never let anyone sneak up behind me. But having Gemma here, our passion, our connection, it lulls me into a sense of security I’ve never felt before. I don’t want to lose that. I don’t want to lose her.

Instead of moving the furniture into any suitable setup, I use the empty space to do pushups and jumping jacks. It’s simple and effective. Especially when I commit to doing five hundred of each.

My body is dripping in sweat by the time I finish, and I’m happy to see Gemma snoring peacefully in my bed. This girl could probably sleep through a hurricane. After I get in the shower, she turns over, eyes still shut, but pussy begging for my tongue to wake her up. I fight the urge, because just like me getting a full night of sleep, I want her to do the same.

After putting on some coffee and whipping up some pancakes and sausage, I sit down to make some calls and check my emails. It’s then I remember to call in to check if there are any messages on my hospital extension. I take a few moments to have my calls forwarded to my phone and I’m happy to hear Ronan’s voice.

“Hey, I figured you’d be calling to check this soon enough. I’m heading to Jackson, but call me on this number, I tossed my old phone. Camilla and my sisters have the new number now too, but the clinic’s going to be closed for the next few weeks. Call me.”

I decide to go into my office to use the phone. It’s not an archaic landline, but a phone with an internet number which doesn’t belong to me, so it’s unlikely to have someone listening in. I sit behind my desk to call him, and he picks up immediately.

“What the fuck did you do to piss off Melanie?” he asks with laughter bursting through the line.

“I told her I needed to take a leave of absence for family stuff,” I tell him.

“She’s pissed, and I told her that your fiancée was living here now. She said she didn’t believe me and we were in cahoots, her words not mine, to leave the hospital because I too requested a leave of absence. I didn’t even know you were doing that.”

I find myself laughing. “That’s definitely her problem, but at least I got your message before she wipes our access to the systems.”

“I figured, since we’re talking right now.”

“Don’t be an asshole. Are you okay?” I ask him.

“Yeah, I just left Vegas. Not the most welcoming place for me right now. I’m heading down to Jackson. A friend of mine runs a private game out there.”

I blow out a puff of air. “Be careful. You know that’s MC territory and Dixie mafia, right?”

“Everywhere is someone’s territory, but thankfully enough, I have enough cash to get by. Did you know there was an obscene amount of money in Frankie’s car?” he says, and I can hear the grin in his words.

“That’s not a gift, Ronan. Don’t spend that money,” I warn him.

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