Page 50 of Can't Take Moore

“There is one thing,” I drawled. “You can be my witness to what happens when I call my mom.”

His eyes widened as his head drew back. “Are you sure you want to do that?”

“Nope,” I let the P pop at the end. “But I’m going to anyway.”

“Then you better believe I want to be at your side.”

“There’s no time like the present,” I murmured as we walked through the front door. Retrieving my cell from my purse, I pulled up her contact information and pressed the button to call her.

After two beeps, she picked up. “You got the paperwork, I presume?”

“Yes, Mother. The process server hand-delivered it to me today.”

She sighed. “I’m sorry it’s come to this, Vienna. But I think it would be best if we left matters as they are until the hearing.”

“Like how you honored my wishes when I asked you to give me one month to myself?”

“You’re delusional if you think the two situations are at all similar,” she hissed, going into gaslighting mode. “You were being selfish and only thinking of yourself while I’m doing this for your own good.”

“Sure you are, Mom. Keep telling yourself that, and maybe eventually you’ll even believe it.” A rush of adrenaline coursed through my veins. “I’ll just say this, and then I’ll do as you ask and wait until the hearing.”

“What is it?” she snapped.

“There’s no coming back from this. What you’ve done cannot be undone. When this is all over and the judge sees through your worried mother act—as I should have done years ago when I could have taken Dad up on one of his many offers to move in with him—you and Nadia will no longer be employed by my company. The money train is gone, and you’re going to need to find another way to support yourselves because it’s no longer my problem. You all aren’t a part of my life anymore. When I get married, you won’t be involved in planning the wedding. Heck, you won’t even be invited. And when I have children of my own, they’ll only have one set of grandparents because Dad is dead, and they won’t know you. Congratulations on killing the love I had for you.”

“How dare—”

Not caring about anything else she wanted to tell me when her actions said it all, I disconnected the call and set my phone on the end table.

22

Dean

Vienna was trembling in the wake of the confrontation with her mother, her eyes glittering with unshed tears. Her chest heaved as she struggled to calm her breathing, and her hands were still clenched in tight fists at her sides. Operating purely on instinct, I closed the space between us and cradled her against my chest, stroking her hair over and over, hoping it would help soothe her.

“I know that standing up for yourself was incredibly hard and stressful, especially since you were standing up to your mother, but I am so proud of you for holding your ground with her.”

She took a deep, shuddering breath, then sighed and relaxed against my chest. “Thank you.”

“Of course, princess.” I rubbed her back, my hand tracing soothing circles there as Vienna twined her arms around my neck and pressed a soft kiss at the base of my throat. Just that soft, innocent brush of her lips electrified me. It set my blood on fire. My pulse raced at the touch of her lips, and my heart hammered in time with it.

Acutely aware of her every breath, of everywhere our bodies touched, I scooped her up and cradled her against my chest.

“Let’s go upstairs. I’ll do what I can to erase all the bad from your day.” I brushed a kiss against Vienna’s temple, and she nodded.

“You read my mind.” Her response came on a breathy, contented sigh.

I squeezed her a little tighter, just for a moment, before I carried her upstairs to the bedroom. Though I knew she wasn’t a fragile creature, I took great care in gently lowering Vienna onto the bed, as careful as I would have been with a fine treasure. That’s what she was, I realized. She was more precious to me than anything in this world, and I wanted nothing more than to show her just how much she meant to me.

Feathering a line of kisses from her temple down to her lips, I lowered myself onto the bed beside her and pulled her close, nestling her against my body.

“I love you, Vienna.” I slipped my fingers beneath the hem of her shirt, running my hands over her warm, soft skin. “I know I’ve already told you that, but I wanted to be sure you know I’m completely serious. I mean it.”

She ran her fingers through my hair, then cupped my cheek in her palm. Smiling, Vienna traced her thumb back and forth over my five o’clock shadow. “I love you, too.”

She leaned in and kissed me. Her lips were so soft and warm. I moaned against her sweet mouth, rolling her on top of me. Her tongue flicked out, tracing the seam of my lips. Hungry for more, I deepened the kiss. The sensation of our tongues tangling, stroking one another into a needy frenzy, made me ache with fierce desire. My hard cock throbbed with every frenetic beat of my heart. Gripping her delectable ass, I bucked beneath her, torturing us both with the sensation of grinding her pussy against my cock through our clothes.

“It’s cruel to tease, you know.” Vienna leaned forward and nipped my earlobe just hard enough to make me gasp and squirm. Of course, that only served to increase the friction between us. “Clothes off. Now.”

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