Claimed by the Sicilian Tycoon (20 page)

Can’t believe you just did that
…
The thought echoed in her mind and Lyra took a swallowed carefully. She’d had
no choice really. Someone had to do something! And as the eldest, it was her
job to take care of things. To fix them.

She’d
been trying to fix things for the past three months.

She
clenched her fists as she replayed the moment the three sisters had met back
up. Each had returned to their home successful in their missions, but bruised
and heart sore. Penny because she was missing her Greek, Sebastian, Rachel,
because she was heartbroken by her Italian, Dominic, and then there was her.
Lyra frowned.

She
missed her Sicilian, Andros.

There
was no denying it. She missed him far more than she’d ever expected to. In fact
if Lyra were honest with herself, something she tended to avoid being, she had
to add herself into the heartbroken trio. She woke up wondering where he was,
fell asleep thinking about him. Dreamed about his hands and mouth on her, his
body moving inside of hers.

More
than once she’d walked past the apartment building he’d housed her in. Not
because she expected him to be there, simply because she wanted to try and
recapture some of the feelings she’d felt during that brief time.

It
was pathetic.

Lyra
knew it. She couldn’t help it.

Work
helped a little, was a distraction during the long hours. Building work on
The Point
was in full swing, and that
kept her busy. And now there was the other issue, too, the one that had brought
her to Dominic Rimeria’s building.

Lyra
gritted her teeth as she considered the situation. Rachel, her perfect,
delicate, little sister, had sat her and Penny down and confessed her secret.
She was pregnant. The baby belonged to none other than her mark, Dominic
Rimeria, the man Lyra had just been to see and apprise of that very fact.
Rachel was too scared to. Penny would leave him in the dark forever given the
chance, and so Lyra knew it was up to her.

It
had always been up to her to sort things out, and it was a job she had always
taken very seriously. More so now that there was a niece or nephew in the
offing.

Of
course, Rachel wasn’t going to be happy to hear that her sister had slapped her
shit down—quite literally—on her beau, but then, if things turned out the way
Lyra hoped none of it would matter. Rachel would be back in Dominic’s arms,
just like Penny was settled in her own husband’s, Sebastian Demetrious.

She
laughed slightly, causing the receptionist to give her an odd glance. Only
Penny could rob someone then have him marry her, Lyra thought. The Greek was
desperately in love with Penny—who could blame him for that—and Rachel,
pregnant Rachel—was happily living with them in Sebastian’s London home. She
too had been invited to stay with them, but Lyra had declined. She knew her
sisters thought it was because she was too proud, but that wasn’t it at all.
Lyra just couldn’t bear to be around all that happiness. It didn’t work on her
right now at all. Made her feel…funny…

The
reason was ridiculously obvious.

Andros.
How she missed him.

Only
there would be no babies or marriage for her. Lyra knew that. Andros had made
it perfectly clear. Still two for three, she thought, was pretty damn good,
better odds than they could ever have hoped for, with two of the three sisters
happy. It would be enough. Seeing her sisters glowing with their men would be
more than enough to keep Lyra content.

It would!

Lyra
stood back up, her heart rate slowing now, the adrenaline subsiding at last,
and readied herself for the journey home. Dominic Rimeria’s office was in the
city proper and was a good hour away from
The
Point
.

She
smiled slightly as she thought of the building that encapsulated all of their
hopes and dreams—or at least the hopes and dreams as they had been all those
months ago. It was in the middle of a complete makeover, builders swarming all
over it, rooms being created before her very eyes. The whole thing intrigued
Lyra, and was more than enough to keep her busy. To keep her attention focused.

It was!

She
made her way over to the water dispenser and poured herself a cupful,
swallowing it down quickly. It soothed her suddenly dry throat and she slung
her bag over her shoulder. They’d set out with a clear plan and they’d achieved
it, that was the main thing. That was what she had to remind herself of,
whenever she started to feel a little down. Apart from the swag they’d managed
to get in their individual missions, Sebastian was hugely generous, and they
had plenty of money to help those who needed help—what more could she possibly
ask for? What more was there?

Her
cell vibrated in her bag. Lyra grabbed it quickly. It was one of the
contractors, something about a rusting pipe. She dealt with him, before
dropping the clunky cell back in her cavernous bag. She missed her iPhone. It
had been so sleek and cool, but also far too expensive. She’d sold it not long
after leaving the apartment, replacing it instead with a cheap, generic handset
that worked just fine and cost very little. Hell, she’d sold practically
everything Andros had bought for her. The Mac, the cell, the clothes…even the
flashes of fire…and if it had hurt to hand those exquisite pieces over, Lyra
would admit that to no one. They were just stones and metal. They didn’t really
mean anything in the end. Only the money she’d managed to get counted….it was
always about the money….it had to be!

But,
God, how she missed him.

“Miss
Matthews…Lyra…”

Lyra
paused with her on the double doors to see Dominic Rimeria prowling over. Not
wanting another confrontation with the man, she glared, before pushing through
the doors, and heading off in the direction of the Tube.

“I’ll
follow if need be.”

His
voice, that accent so like Andros’, halted her, and Lyra swiveled round.
Dominic was pushing through the doors and striding over. What Rachel saw in him
Lyra did not know. He was far too stern for her taste, and those eyes of his.
She frowned as a pair of chocolate brown eyes, full of secrets and desire,
immediately replaced them.

Andros’
eyes.

Her
heart clenched a little, and she immediately pasted a fake smile on her face,
flicking her hair behind her shoulder as she did so.

“What
do you want?” she demanded, aware that she was taking her scratchy feelings out
on Dominic.

He
scowled, glared, and then scowled some more. “I need to know why you told me
about the pregnancy. I have to know that before I go to see Rachel.”

“What
does it matter?”

“It
matters to me,” he said. “So speak.”

God,
she hated demanding men. One day, she decided, she’d find herself a nice,
biddable man, one who would agree with everything she said and say very little
back. One who wouldn’t leave her heartsore and teary eyed.

“Don’t
try and boss me around, sweetheart, it only angers me.”

Dominic
glared. So did she.

Eventually
he gritted his teeth. “Please.”

Lyra
sighed, heaved her bag a little higher, and then spoke truthfully—because in
this, her sister’s relationship, and the baby she carried—only the truth was
good enough. “None of us knew our fathers.”

Dominic
scowled, just like he had in his office when she’d explained about Rachel’s
upbringing. He did not like realizing he’d been wrong about her motivations.
Lyra had enjoyed seeing him squirm. “I see.”

“They
were simply….absent figures in our lives,” she continued. “None of us even
knows what a father is supposed to be like. And Rachel would have felt that
keenly with her baby. She wanted you to know.”

“You’re
sure about that?”

Lyra
nodded. She knew her sister well. “I’m sure. Rach just didn’t know how to go
about it.”

“Well,”
he said. “I thank you for telling me.”

“You
better thank me by doing right by my sister,” Lyra snapped. “Hurt her again and
I will make you pay.”

“My
relationship with Rachel is none of your business,” Dominic snapped back.

“You
have no idea how wrong you are.”

He
glared some more, Lyra flicked her hair back again, giving him a taunting look.
He deserved it for hurting Rachel already…though it was true that Rachel had
also been at fault. Regardless, he needed to understand that such behavior
would be unacceptable in the future.
 
And
if she was pushing him because she’d like to be pushing someone else, well no
one could prove it, and Lyra would be damned if she’d ever admit it.

“I
would love to meet the man who manages to tame you,” Dominic grated.

“You
and me both, sugarplum,” Lyra said but her words felt like a lie, because she’d
already met him hadn’t she, and his name was Andros Casstellini.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Andros
could not quite believe what he was seeing. In fact, he blinked once, and then
again, just to be sure, but the image in front of him did not disappear.

Lyra. Lyra!

She
stood across the street, by the entrance to the office building directly
opposite him, the headquarters of one Dominic Rimeria, a longtime acquaintance
of his. The other man was Italian, so they shared a language and a heritage,
and their bank accounts were almost identical. Both men were rich beyond
belief. Worse, Rimeria was one of the few billionaires in London as young as
he, and as ruthless in his private life. What the hell was Lyra doing outside
of his building? And…as Andros shifted position, his heart thudded and his gut
clenched…what the fuck was Rimeria doing was with her?

The
answer came to him immediately. Stood close together, their gazes locked, an
intensity he didn’t understand arching between them, it was obvious. Rage
exploded, and it was visceral, unlike anything he had ever experienced before.

His
chest ached in a way Andros did not understand, and before he knew what he was
doing, he was striding across the street, his eyes narrowed on them both, his
anger ridiculously out of proportion. It felt almost like it had at Club
Belmont, when he’d realized exactly what Lyra was doing to him.

Dios…

“Lyra!”
He spat the word out and both she and Rimeria turned at the same time.

Andros
didn’t have time to take in the shock stamped across her face, or the fact that
her eyes widened and her lips parted. Instead, his attention was focused on
Rimeria alone.

“Dominic,”
he growled.

The
other man nodded. “Andros.”

“You
two know each other?” Lyra said.

“Of
course we do,” Andros snapped. “What is going on here? Lyra, why are you here?”

Dominic
looked back and forth between them. “I take it you are also acquainted?”

Andros
glared. “Quite.”

“Oh…”
Dominic raised an eyebrow. “It all makes sense.” He turned to Lyra and shook
his head. “What you said in the office…about there being three. One for each.”

She
nodded. “Yep. You’re quick. I’ll give you that.”

“Then
you will excuse me, I have a fiancée to see.”

“You
make sure you behave yourself!”

“Unlikely.”
The Italian grinned. “I will see you soon, Lyra, and thank you.”

“Don’t
make me regret it.”

“I
won’t.”

Baffled
by their odd exchange Andros glared at Rimeria as he headed back into the
office, before reaching forward and gripping Lyra’s arm. His hand immediately
felt warm in an inexplicable way, but his frown deepened. “You have lost
weight.”

“And
hello to you too.”

She
tugged on her arm, hard, leaving Andros no choice but to let it go. He raked
his eyes up and down her, taking in everything like a parched man seeing water
for the first time in days.

She
looked so fucking beautiful. A little thinner maybe, dark smudges under her
eyes, her hair not as bright as he remembered, but…Andros shifted, his hard-on
immediate. How he wanted her still. The months away had done nothing to dim
that. Why the fuck had he imagined they would?

“What
is going on here, Lyra?” he demanded.

“Excuse
me?”

“You
heard me,” he said, the rage expanding. “I cannot believe this. I look across
the street and my eyes refuse to believe what they are telling me.”

She
narrowed her eyes. “Believe what? And that’s not even how the analogy goes.”

“This.”
He waved a hand towards Rimeria’s office block. “You and him.”

“Me
and him what?”

“It
clearly did not take you long to find yourself another protector,” he snapped,
goaded into divulging his thoughts, his chest burning at the thought.

She
gaped. “That is not what I was doing!”