Page 141 of Merciless Desires

I fold my arms, my nipples straining against the fabric of the sweater. “You’re certain you’re still good at sex?”

“Very.” His confidence is so damn arousing.

I can think of so many reasons why I shouldn’t do this, why I shouldn’t get close to Darragh when he holds so many cards. The power imbalance is wide enough. But damn, I need sex, and I admit, the idea of him taking me heats my blood.

Mostly as a big fuck-you to Cormac.

My heart aches for him briefly. “What are you doing about your brother?”

Darragh’s eyes flutter that I killed the mood. “I’m getting his case thrown out on the basis of him going into remanded rehab.”

“Remanded?”

“Forced. He won’t be able to leave.”

“He won’t like that.”

“He gave up that right when he got you pregnant, forced you to commit crimes with him, and made you live in that hovel.” Darragh’s passionate words kick me in the heart.

“Is it that he did it to me, the Russian princess? Or just any woman?”

Darragh thinks about that. “I know we’re enemies back home. But you don’t know my family. We respect women. Sure, my brothers use sex clubs, escorts, and have one-night stands, but all with full consent. My father treats my mother like gold. I’m much younger than my brothers, but Kieran had a long-time girlfriend who walked on water in his eyes.” He looks down. “It destroyed him when she died.”

I’d heard about the new Irish king who suffered a terrible loss and refuses to love again. It strikes me how long I’ve been gone.

“I have something I need to tell you.” I swallow.

Darragh dumps his ass into a kitchen island stool. “Considering what I do know, whatever you’re holding back can’t be worse. Go ahead.”

“Dante Caruso helped me escape. He got my fake ID and the phone your brother stole.” I take a seat next to Darragh. “I know I made what happened look like a kidnapping. But it’s been over two years. I don’t care what anyone thinks. I have a trust fund. Will you get in touch with Dante to—”

“Dante Caruso is dead.”

My throat goes tight. “What?”

“Kieran killed him.”

“Wait.” I wave my hands. “Your brother, the head of the Irish mob, killed the Italian underboss?”

And Dante said I’d start a war.

“It’s a long story. Gabriel Parisi is dead, too. Kieran married his daughter, Isabella.” Darragh exhales. “I don’t know who’s running the Cosa Nostra now.”

That’s information overload. “Darragh, can you help me get access to my trust fund?”

“So you can escape for good?”

“Yes. After the baby is born.”

“Not if you’re taking him with you.”

“I’m not leaving my baby with you. I can call Katya. She’ll find someone to help me.”

Darragh’s eyes flare with restrained anger. “I can prove that’s my son with a DNA sample after he’s born.” He folds his arms. “I put a call into a genetic researcher to confirm that identical twins’ offspring match the other twin’s DNA.”

“I’ll tell whoever is swabbing his mouth for the sample that he’s Cormac’s.”

“My brother is a remanded drug addict.” Darragh grips my throat. “And you’re out on bail. Do you want to jeopardize that? I can make sure you go to prison, and they will take your baby.”

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