Page 17 of Where the Wicked Reign

Nico looked on as stunned as I was, because the two of them just didn’t do that sort of thing together. That was just me and Milo all the way. Nico didn’t protest, though, just watching and shifting a little in his chair, in a rare relaxed state where he, for once, didn’t have the wherewithal to call the shots.

When Milo was done, he grinned at Nico, then winked at me.

And then he was pulling on his boxers and jeans. “So? Welcome back drinks?”

“Aww, knew you missed me, big boy.”

“Arrogant shit,” he said, before throwing my clothes at me, one piece at a time, until my full navy suit covered me like little blankets.

I turned and nuzzled into the pillows. “Give me five.” I’d been chasing my pleasure—and pain—hardcore for two straight hours before the two of them had even shown up. And prior to that, I’d been driving for five hours to get back. I needed to take a beat.

“Let him nap,” Nico told him, as he fixed himself back into his pants and rose from the chair. “He’s done a phenomenal job for us with the Reincourt Construction acquisition.” He smiled out at me. “I’m impressed.”

“It was all worth it. I’ve got you guys. Always.”

I closed my eyes, meaning to just for a second.

But my body had other ideas.

The last thing I was aware of was Milo stroking my hair and finally calling meSunshine,his beloved pet name for me, just before I took that much-needed nap and fell asleep.

Peacefully for the first time in two weeks.

Because I was back with them.

Things just didn’t work without the two of them.

It was part of the reason I’d been so worked up—being away from them for so long.

It was really fucking good to be home.

3

~Caterina~

I was a loner at heart.

It had become who I was and who I was comfortable being after being brought on by necessity from the way that I’d spent my childhood.

Alone. Isolated. Feared.

All of that had been caused by my father.

Because of who he was.

Because of what he did.

Santino Leone was feared by many. Foolishly respected by others. And reviled by the rest.

And due to that, it had proven impossible to make friends during my school years. People hadn’t wanted to get close to me because of him, afraid of being connected to the mob through me. The bright side of it was that I’d never been bullied. Not in conventional ways, at least. But I had basically been shunned.

Sure, some of hiscolleagues’children had been ordered to try to make friends with me, but it had been so obviously fake from the get-go so I’d stayed away from that. How could I have ever trusted those who were ordered to be my friends by a man like my father? They might as well have been spies for him. I’d had enough of that as it was with being assigned guards to watch my every move whenever I’d stepped out of the Leone Estate.

Then I’d gone away to college, finally getting away from it all.

And now I was free from it entirely.

I was living my own life.

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