Page 4 of Lines Drawn
Tennant growls as he fists his hands. I roll my eyes at him. Probably not the smartest thing to do with a psychopath, but fuck it. I deal with Lio on a regular basis, and he’s a far scarier psychopath. Still, I nudge Benjamin toward Tennant, who grabs him immediately. I turn back to facing the door as Tennant quickly escapes with Benjamin.Whatever.
I fall back into my watching. Standing guard against the unknown. I battle against my desire to see my Little One, and facing Dr. Ranlen’s wrath if I go in early.
Fuck. How long will this take? All I want to do is touch him, to reassure myself that he’s alive. And then I want to stand by his side as we cut a bloody path through our enemies…
They dared to touch what’s mine. Fuckers. At least, I’ll get to see my Little One in action. Fuck knows he’s hot as hell when he’s gleefully killing others. I smile grimly as I imagine it—and how I'll take him afterward. Who knew I had a kink for that?
Groaning, I try to ignore my hard-on, and the four men chatting quietly further away. The only thing that matters right now is Roman. Vengeance and sex will come later.
If I thought I could get away with it, I’d shoot Ignacio for daring to think he can not only touch Benjamin, but call himLittle Mouse. That might have been his nickname first, but the Topolino ismine.
“Don’t be an idiot,” Hollis signs.
I huff and hold Benjamin close. “I didn’t do anything,” I say quietly.
“I know you too well, Love,” he replies. “We don’t need this right now. Roman doesn’t need it,Benjamindoesn’t.”
Looking down at the man by my side, I find his eyes already on me. Sighing, I reach for his face, cupping his cheek and tilting his head back a little for more eye contact. “Are you upset with me, Topolino?” I ask quietly.
He bites his lip and stares at me with those sea green eyes that seem to be able to cut down to the quick of me. I’m distantlyaware of Hollis and Jude moving back toward Ignacio, giving Benjamin and I as much privacy as possible. I want nothing more than to drag Benjamin somewhere for some actual privacy, but I refuse to leave Roman. At least, my Baby Mouse seems to understand that.
“No… Maybe a little. I want you to at least try with him. Please? You don’t have to like him—hell, you keep telling me I don’t have to be friends with Roman, but I need to respect him, and this is the same thing.”
“This is not the same.”
“It is.” He pulls away and stands in front of me, his hands on his hips. “You don’t have to like him. I wish you did, because you’d get along really well, if you gave him a chance. But at least respect him, as Roman’s love, as a member of the Family, and as my friend.”
“Do you want him back, Topolino?” My chest constricts as I ask the question. Weird feelings roll through me, and it’s impossible to shove them aside.
Benjamin moves in close again, taking my hand in between both of his. “I don’t know,” he says so lowly he barely makes a sound. “We… Il Padrone punished me. I… Can I tell you about that later? Now isn’t the right time.”
I soften a little. “Of course. You don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to, but I would like to know, so I can support you.”
Tears fill his eyes and he shakes his head. “I…I don’t know how to talk about it. It… He knows how to break us.”
Pulling my hand from his, I gather him close again. “Shhh. It’s okay. Tu stai bene. Io ho te. You can tell me later if you want. Just…you’re scaring me, Baby Mouse. If you’re going to leave me…”
“No!” he says loudly, fiercely. Pulling back, he looks me in the eye. With one hand on my chest, the other reaches up to pullme down by the neck. “You are mine, Nocciola. I will endure anything in order to be with you. Things between Ignacio and I are…complicated.”
“You slept with him,” I bite out.
He nods, but keeps a firm grip on the back of my neck, holding me in place and asserting dominance over me. I let him because he is one of the only people I will ever bend for. We both know I could reverse our positions quickly, but why would I when it’s so fucking sexy to be put in my place by the baby mouse?
“As part of my punishment,” he says softly. “I think Il Padrone knew I didn’t want to, that the emotions that come with sex between Ignacio and I would be too much, and I wanted to avoid it. So he…made me prove my loyalty. We use sex to strengthen our bonds, and remember what we’re fighting for. How can I call myself a Martelli if I refuse that connection?”
Tears fall down his cheeks, but neither of us move to wipe them away. “Do you still want to be a Martelli?” I ask carefully.
And apparently, none too quietly, as Ignacio says, “What kind of fucking question is that?”
Benjamin and I both turn to face him. I have to fight to keep my voice level. “Stay out of this, Chaos.”
“How dare you suggest?—”
“I wasn’t speaking to you.”
“It’s fine, Ignacio. It was a simple question.” Benjamin looks back to me and says, “Yes. I do. Lio is my best friend, I’d never leave him.Never.That’s like asking you to leave Hollis. It's an impossible thing to ever consider. The Martellis are my family. You…are my home, Ten. The place I feel safest outside of Emilio’s arms. Please, don’t ask me that again.”
“Okay, I won’t. I promise.”
