Page 33 of Avenging Azalea

“Hi,” Fawn said, startling me as she stepped into the kitchen. “Sorry.”

I smiled, happy to see her home. It had felt so empty without her.

“It’s fine. I was just off in my own little world. Sometimes, it’s safer there than the real one.”

“Tell me about it,” she said with an old sadness thick on the four little words.

She’d never mentioned what happened to her before I came along. She never talked about her family life, although from what I could decipher from my visit and the bit she’d let slip, it hadn’t been great. Then there was the whole stepfather selling her off to pay for his debts. It still gave me cold sweats to think about what would’ve happened to her if the debt was owed to anyone other than my father. Worse, what if it hadn’t been me who picked her up?

“Listen, I’m glad you’re here. There is so much to say, but now that we’re alone, I don’t know where to start.” I ran my hand through my hair. “It feels like the universe has been keeping us from having this conversation.”

Fawn waved me off as she finished stirring her coffee.

“If this is about your engagement, we don’t need to talk about it. I’m happy for you.”

The last thing I wanted to hear was that she was happy for me. I opened my mouth to say as much but let it drop. It was obvious that she didn’t want to hash out the awkwardness of my sudden engagement, and putting her through it wouldn’t make either of us feel better.

Fawn sat down at the island with me and leaned over to sniff my coffee.

“A little early in the day to be spiking your drink. What’s going on?”

I nodded toward the box, and she peered inside at all the personal things I’d brought home.

“Wasn’t this in your office?”

“I’m going to be doing more work remotely,” I said. Fawn’s mouth opened in shock, making me chuckle. “I’ve been spending too much time away and depending on you to look after the girls. Besides, I’m less inclined to run into my father lately. He is…putting more than the normal strain on the family.”

“Does this strain have anything to do with Nathaniel going to Italy and bringing home an FBI agent wife and a son over Valentines?”

My eyebrows shot up, and she laughed. God, it was good to hear that sound again.

“How do you know that?”

She smiled over the top of her cup. “The guards love to gossip. I’ve gotten really good at being invisible. And…if I beg real nice then Naji will give me a few crumbs of information.”

“Noted,” I said, smiling and she blushed. Fuck I loved when she did that. “And yes, this is about Nathaniel and Savannah. Once they’re settled, I’ll have them over to meet you. She’s amazing, and how she puts up with my asshole brother is unclear,” I teased. Fawn giggled before taking a sip of her coffee. “Cutter is adorable and so intelligent. You’ll love them.”

“I’m looking forward to it. And although I’m shocked that you’ll be working more from home, I’m really happy for you. I’ve seen the stress on your face after a long day, and this has been a long time coming. Does this mean you won’t be doing as much mafia stuff? Or is that even a thing? I’ll be honest, I didn’t think you could decide to do less…you know, the whole do it or die situation,” she said, and it was my turn to laugh.

“It’s a lot more complicated than that.”

Fawn’s lips pressed into a firm line.

“You know, I’m stuck in this weird spot of being ecstatic for you and Nathaniel taking control of your happiness and sad that this is the first time you’ve ever sat down and talked to me about anything to do with your work, business, or family. Other than letting me know you have a dinner with them or you’re working late, I only know what I’ve overheard. You’ve kept me in the dark so much that I feel like a stranger in your world.”

I looked away and stared down into my coffee.

“I never wanted the darkness that lurks in my life to touch you. I’m sorry. I never meant to make you feel so cut off.”

Fawn sighed but didn’t argue with me over my decision to keep her tucked away. I’m not sure what was worse, this silence or if she yelled at me. She reached for one of the fresh croissants I’d gone out and picked up early. It always helped to know a guy.

God, I could sit here all day and watch her peel apart the flaky goodness and put it in her mouth before licking off her fingers. My pants got a lot tighter when she moaned. Her lips were lush, with a natural pout, and there was no looking away as she continued to eat. The hard thud in my chest matched the throb of my cock. I wanted to lay her out on this island and make her my breakfast.

“These are amazing.” Fawn glanced at me and blushed before looking away. “So…tell me about Vera. Is she nice?”

My brain was slow and took time to catch up as the lustful images of her doing something else with her mouth played out in my mind.

Clearing my throat, I chugged the rest of my coffee. “She’s nice.”