Page 37 of Eternally Bound

I swallowed, expecting reprimanding to start any second. “Yes, but he’s not like his uncle.”

“I sure hope not,” she replied, her voice cool. “Otherwise, we might be dead by morning.”

“He isn’t,” I told her firmly.

“But he is the one that broke your heart,” she stated.

I exhaled. This might end up being a strike against Daniel. The mafia and the man that broke my heart.

“Yes, he wanted to keep me off of the mafia’s radar,” I rasped. “And thought he wasn’t good enough for me. So, he walked away, joined the military, and kept his distance.”

I wasn’t sure what I expected, but it wasn’t for my mother to smile and say the next words.

“Ahhh, Ainslee,” she murmured, smiling softly. “Finally.”

I shook my head. She always managed to surprise me. Most mothers would have preferred a man like Callen to Daniel, not mine. She was never fond of Callen and found him too weak. She found out Daniel was part of the mafia and she beamed like a hundred watt bulb.

“Maybe we can convince Eve to write a mafia romance,” she added teasingly, and I burst out laughing.

“I love you, Mum.”

“Love you too, my little bird.”

I wrapped my arms around her and hugged her tightly. “Want me to walk you to your room?”

She chuckled. “It is just a door down,” she replied. “Bram and I will stay here for a bit. You go ahead and talk to Daniel.”

I had no idea why she thought I would talk to Daniel, but I didn’t correct her. Instead, leaving Bram and my mom in playroom heaven, I went in search of Daniel. I found him in his office, an elegant room with many windows. There were a few paintings decorating the walls and a large fireplace lit, the flames flickering across the dry logs. The room was surprisingly warm and welcoming.

“Ainslee,” Daniel’s deep voice reminded me why I was here.

“We need to talk,” I murmured. “Set some boundaries.”

He chuckled darkly and rose from behind the desk. He stopped inches from me, reaching out to cup my cheek as his dark brown eyes watched me. He came so close, engulfing me with his aftershave and just the scent of it made me weak in my knees.

“What’s the matter, Nightingale?” His eyes darkened, as if he could sense the impact he had on me. His finger came and lingered on the swell of my breast. My heart thundered so hard, I was sure he could feel it.

“All this is a bit too much,” I complained in a slightly breathless tone. “Bram will assume it is all his. Kids are diff-”

“Ainslee, all that is his. I want to give him what he deserves. And what you deserve. Now that you are with me,” he murmured. “I’m not letting you go.”

Those words were everything I wanted and needed, with one exception. He hasn’t mentioned love. Just because Callen messed up, it didn’t make us Daniel’s responsibility, and I couldn’t commit to staying with Daniel without assurance of his love.

Obviously, the sex was amazing. No issues in that department.

“Do you even care what I want?” I asked him in a quiet voice.

He released me suddenly, stepping back. “Of course, I do. But my first priority is to keep you and your family safe.”

“What’s the plan, Daniel?” I inquired. “I want to help. After all, this concerns me, and it is partially my fault.”

Daniel smiled a joyless smile. “No, it’s not your fault. I put you in danger the moment I approached you all those years ago. I don’t want you to worry about anything, just stay here with me.”

I put my hand on his arm. “You walked away from me to protect me. I am the reason your family knows about me. I came searching for you and ran into your cousin.”

“But if I never approached you, you wouldn’t have been searching for me.” I forgot how stubborn he could be. He was adamant about keeping the blame.

“Daniel, let me help you.”

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