Exploding: A Mafia Romance (The O'Keefe Family Collection #1) (11 page)

She kicked her heels off and rested her toes atop his expensive leather shoes. “I usually try a few desserts whenever I go someplace new. That way I know the competition. This way if they’re doing something better than me, I’m on top of it.”

“Smart. So you want to try a bite of whatever I get?”

“If you don’t mind.” She waited for him to order his Mexican chocolate soufflé, and she requested the horchata cheesecake. She couldn’t recall the last time a handsome man fed her a delicious dessert, but when her lips closed over James’ fork, she knew they were hitting a new stride. They talked and laughed until the server politely explained to them that the restaurant was closing. Fallyn’s head whipped around, only just noticing that there were no other patrons in the dining room. “Oh! Did we really just close the restaurant together?”

James was just as surprised. “I think we did.” He stood, waiting for Fallyn to slip her heels back on. He proffered his elbow to her, and she walked out into the crisp night air on his arm, grateful she didn’t have to use her injured side and muscle through the pain of mere movement. “I’m parked this way,” he said, pointing down the street. “Follow me home? I’m not done getting to know you yet.”

Fallyn stopped, turning to face him. “I don’t put out on the first date, no matter how good the desserts are,” she warned, half-teasing and half-serious.

James nodded, taking in her words and weighing them. “Then I guess it’s getting late.” He dropped her arm and took a few steps toward his car, waving over his shoulder to her. “See you around.” Fallyn’s mouth dropped open, flabbergasted that he would leave when sex was taken off the table. James spun on his heel, laughing at her horrified expression. “I’m kidding! Oh, wow. I didn’t think you’d take me seriously. Follow me back to my place. I really did just want to hang out and talk. The restaurant closed too early. I mean, what kind of place closes at ten o’clock on a Saturday?”

Fallyn shoved him playfully. “Alright, you got me. Well done. Lead the way, oh lawyer of mine.”

James pulled her flush to him and placed a gentle kiss to her lips. “See you soon.”

F
allyn hadn’t known
what to expect of James’ place, but the cold feel to the sparse décor left much to be desired. Everything was white, beige and gray, and Fallyn could tell by the cleaning lady feel to the place that he spent very little time in his expansive townhouse. There was a painting on the wall that showcased abstract splashes of green and gray, adding the only touch of color in the living room. When he went to the fridge to fish them out a bottle of wine, she noticed there were two jars of condiments and about half a shelf of food inside, most of it being takeout boxes. “Your place is nice,” she commented politely. There were four chairs at the dining room table, but three were perfectly pushed in, cluing her in to the fact that he didn’t have people over very often.

“Thanks.” He poured her a glass of red wine and brought it out to her, setting it on the glass coffee table in front of the couch. “You were telling me back at the restaurant that you went to an all-girls school for college? How’d you like that?”

“It was a culture shock, honestly. I grew up with men. No sisters and one close girlfriend, so it was strange. The whole thing was a learning process. It was good for me to get away, though. Studied a lot. Had so much more freedom than I’d ever had before. I thought when I graduated I would stay away and build a life there. That plan worked for a couple years, but here I am. Home sweet Fairfield.”

“You missed your family?”

“I did, but there were other reasons I came back, most having to do with legal briefs, so I won’t bore you with those details. How about you? Does your family live around here?”

“My parents packed up and left for Florida the second I moved out. I see them once every couple years when I fly down if I’ve missed enough Christmases for them to say something about it. We’ve never been all that close.”

“What about your siblings? Do you see them often?”

“Only child.”

Fallyn’s eyes widened. “I can’t even fathom that. What was that like?”

“Boring. A little lonely. I played on a lot of sports teams and picked up a career where I’d have a distraction at all hours of the day. Always wanted a brother, though. I asked for a brother for Christmas once. Got a goldfish instead. Not quite the same.” He took a sip of his wine and set it on the coffee table, scooting closer to Fallyn.

“Probably a lot less mouthy.” She surrendered her glass to him when he reached for it to set it on the table.

“I was wondering what it would be like to kiss you without fear of your brother and my coworker walking in on us.”

Fallyn’s lashes fluttered against his cheek when his lips brushed against hers. “I like this much better,” she admitted, leaning in for more. The kiss was soft and gentle, and though she didn’t want to, her mind immediately started comparing his kiss to Vince’s. Vince had been wild and passionate, making her feel things she never had before. James was slow in his seduction, making her just a little bit more curious each time he kissed her to see if there was passion she could grasp onto. Fallyn did her best to push Vince out of her mind, telling herself she’d hallucinated the whole thing, and that it hadn’t really happened. She hadn’t betrayed her entire family. She hadn’t kissed the man who’d spat on her mother’s casket. She only chose things that were good, like kissing James under cover of his home where her family would never see them.

James pulled her closer and deepened the kiss while her mind was still in the bakery under the desk with Vince. His hands rubbed down her arms, and before she could stop herself, Fallyn shrieked into his mouth, jumping back at the pain he’d unwittingly reignited in her tricep. “What? What’s wrong?” James released her with wide eyes, standing up from the couch to give her some breathing room.

Fallyn held her arm where the echoes of renewed agony swept through her in the rhythm of a screaming heartbeat. “Sorry. It’s not you. I just hurt myself today and I didn’t tell you, so you accidentally touched it.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. What happened?”

Fallyn shook her head. “Legal briefs.” The invocation of her safe word felt like a copout, but the pain was still ripping through her.

“Let me see. Is it a bruise or something?”

“Or something. It’s fine,” she lied through gritted teeth.

“Can I look?”

“No. You don’t need to see it.”

James raised an eyebrow at her secrecy. “Well, now I really think I do.” His hands moved slowly toward her green silk sleeve, rolling it up to reveal a bandage. He peeled back the bandage, and Fallyn was relieved that it hadn’t started bleeding afresh. “Seriously, how’d you hurt yourself? You’ve ‘legal brief’ed no less than a dozen things since dessert. What, did you cut yourself in the kitchen?” He sat back down next to her to get a closer look. “You’ve got stitches! What happened?”

Fallyn covered the wound back up and rolled her sleeve down to hide it from view, taking a step back. “Nothing really.”

“Fallyn, seriously. What happened?” James’ hands moved to his hips.

She harrumphed, knowing it was a mistake to answer. “I just got a little shot this morning. Nothing that won’t heal in a week or two.”

James’ face contorted like he’d eaten something spicy. “You got shot?!” he exclaimed, his volume climbing with his alarm. “Who? Who shot you? How did it happen? Why are you out and about? Shouldn’t you be in a hospital?”

Fallyn waved off his concern. “The bullet just grazed me. It wasn’t meant for me anyway. It was for the guy restraining me. It all worked out. It’ll just be sore for a while.”

James was not calmed, nor were his questions quelled. He started pacing, his eyes darting to her when he spoke. “What sort of trouble are you in?”

“No trouble. It’s taken care of. The guy was killed by the bullet that grazed me, so it’s all fine. You can read about it in the papers tomorrow probably. I’ll be ‘unnamed woman unavailable for questioning’, and the corpse will be Gino. Didn’t catch his last name. The gunman will be ‘concerned Samaritan’ or something.” When James was flabbergasted at her response, she pressed on. “It’s really not a big deal. I’ve been hit way worse than this and pulled through just fine. This is nothing. Just maybe don’t touch it for a while. It’s a little tender.”

“Of course it’s tender, you just got shot!” He put his hand to his temple. “How about the next time we’re talking about the office and the bakery, you take a break from the normal conversation topics if something happens in your morning, like say, you get shot.”

“I didn’t tell you because I have enough people in my face about it. We don’t know each other all that well yet, and I didn’t want you to have to be all concerned about someone you’re just getting to know. And do you think anyone really wants to start conversations with ‘I got shot this morning’?”

“I guess not, but you have to tell me stuff like that next time. If for no other reason than I don’t want to accidentally grab your bullet hole!”

“Fine. Next time I get shot, I’ll tell you before we start kissing.”

“Very funny. I’m serious. This is a big deal. It worries me that you’re acting like it’s not.”

“I’m not acting. It’s really not a big deal. If I was in a hospital somewhere, I’d bring it up on the next date probably.” She winced at the lie. She knew she wouldn’t bring that to his attention and prayed the occasion would never arise. She stood from the couch when he sat next to her, and picked up her purse. “Look, I had a great time tonight. I’m going home and we’re going to pretend the date ended right after that first kiss. The gun stuff falls under the legal briefs category, which we agreed was something saved for way in the future, if we decide to make it that far. Deal?”

“No! I should know if the girl I’m dating gets shot. I’m allowed to freak out about bullets ripping you apart.”

Fallyn leaned over, cupped his face in her hands and kissed his lips with the pressure of a feather’s brush. “Thank you for caring about me. I had a wonderful time with you tonight. Did you?”

“Up until a minute ago, it was the best time I’d ever had on a date.” He stood, wrapping her waist in a hug that pulled her closer out of the angst that rose up in him at the prospect of letting her go out into the unknown. He kissed her again, savoring the taste and all of her innocence that was still there despite her upbringing. “When can I see you again?”

“Next Saturday? Same time, same place?”

“It’s a date.” As James kissed her, he made a wish for her to stay safe until then.

F
allyn had been
on edge all morning. She and Loretta moved around the kitchen easily, baking and prepping and filling custom orders as quick as they could. When Jen came in her signature ten minutes late, Fallyn kissed her cheek and went straight back to the grind.

“How’d you sleep?” Jen inquired nonchalantly as she twirled the apron strings behind her back.

“Oh, fine.”

“I figured you were deep in a REM cycle for most of the night. Danny called me to go and stay with you until he got off work. Your phone was off, so he couldn’t get ahold of you to let you know he’d be by. I stopped in to check on you.” She paused when Fallyn froze. “I told Danny you were sleeping and asked not to be woken. Told Declan the same thing when he called a couple hours later. And Seamus. And Finn. I even went in to check on you a few times to pacify them. Funny how an empty bed doesn’t answer you back.”

Fallyn reached for an explanation, but couldn’t grab onto a solid one. She moved Jen farther from Loretta, who hadn’t been paying the slightest bit of attention to them. “I… I…”

Jen wrapped her arms around her best friend. “You don’t have to tell me a thing until you’re ready, but when you are, I want full details. Not just ‘he’s nice and sweet and opens doors’ but ‘he rips my clothes off and we make loud and raucous love all night long.’” Jen kissed Fallyn’s temple. “I’m so happy for you! Is it James? The guy with the gooey eyes for you who served coffee here our first week?”

“Please don’t say anything. You know how my brothers can get. Please, Jen. I don’t even know if it’s going anywhere, but I’ll never find out if my family knows a thing about it.”

Jen mimed zipping her lips shut. “I know, and I didn’t tell them a thing. Next time you need me to cover for you, let me know where you are so I can make up a convincing lie.” She squeezed her friend. “Good for you for going out. James is all kinds of hot.” She restocked the to-go bags as she talked. “Danny was sweet. He stayed for two hours with me on the couch last night in case you woke up and needed anything. He’ll probably be in today to check on you. And Carrigan brought you soup that I put in the fridge. He was so worried.”

“The bullet barely grazed me. Everyone’s overreacting.”

Jen paused her bustle and narrowed her eyes at Fallyn. “You remember when I broke my arm last year? I went home for Thanksgiving and no one even asked about it. It’s a friggin’ cast, and no one cared. I know your family can be overwhelming, but the other side of it isn’t pretty either. Danny loves you. And Carrigan? Well, you’re closest with him and Killian. Might want to call them today to let them know you got a good night of sleep.”

“I know. You’re right. Thanks for covering for me. The whole thing’s a little tense right now. When I turned my phone back on, the mailbox was full.” She dripped a few drops of purple dye in the bowl of icing and started mixing with her good arm. “Vince is sending some guys over this morning to do the pastry trade. So if you want to hide, I understand.”

Jen stiffened. “Vince, or his men?”

“I think just the delivery guys. Vince doesn’t do much of the grunt work.”

“Good. Vince scares me. So does Angelo. The whole lot of them, really. Every time he looks in my direction, I feel like I’m one breath away from getting my neck snapped.”

“He’s not so bad. The trade’s going to happen at the bakery from now on, given the mess that happened yesterday.”

“I guess that’s better than you getting shot, sure. I was worried about you, Fal. You could’ve told me. I wouldn’t have flown off the handle.”

“I know. I’m sorry. I got into it with my dad, and then my brothers are… I should’ve told you. You’re the one person who would’ve been cool.”

Jen bumped her hip to Fallyn’s. “I’m all kinds of cool. Hannah’s here,” she said, pointing to the blonde standing outside the front door. “She’s starting to get the hang of this place.”

The four women worked without incident until Danny showed up at six-thirty in the morning with Declan and Killian, all carrying guns that were tucked just barely out of sight. Danny and Killian milled around the kitchen while Declan sat in the window looking out onto the street as he ignored the bustle of customers coming in and out for their morning coffee.

When Seamus appeared at six-forty-five with Finn, Fallyn’s nerves turned into frustration. “Look, it’s a small storefront. Could you all please be less conspicuous? If the delivery truck sees you all, they’ll just keep on driving. Is that what you want? This is my business, and I say some of you need to go home.”

Killian considered his sister and consented begrudgingly. “Fally’s right. We don’t want to look like we’re itching for a fight. Seamus, go on to work. Danny, head on out. Finn and Declan can stay. That’s plenty of backup in case anything goes south.”

Seamus’ stubborn streak rose up. “I want every detail of what goes down here today. I don’t like that you’re benching me for this.”

“Yesterday you almost got yourself thrown in lockup when you wouldn’t calm yourself down. That can’t happen today. Go on.”

Seamus rested his chin on the top of his sister’s head and put his heavy hand on Killian’s shoulder. “If anything happens to her…”

“I know. It’s on me. I’ll watch her.” Killian opened the door for Danny and Seamus, who each glared at their eldest brother. When the men left, Killian’s shoulders loosened with the release of a little of the tension they’d been holding onto.

Fallyn watched her eldest brother and saw the weight that he carried. This had been her decision, but so far it was only affecting the family negatively, which hadn’t been the point. She dropped the spatula back in the mixing bowl and closed the distance between them, burying her face in Killian’s shirt. “I’m so sorry I’m making things complicated for you. I really thought this would help ease the tension between the families. I didn’t know it would come to gunfire and having to get everyone involved. I’m sorry.”

Killian relaxed in her arms as he always did. “It’s okay, hun. It was a good idea. I wouldn’t have let you go through with it if it wasn’t.” He rubbed her back as Declan gave her scalp a healthy scratch when he walked past to check the back entrance for danger. “You’re hugging me lopsided. I can tell your arm’s still hurting. You sure you don’t want to press charges?”

“I’m sure. Carri left me a message that they were releasing Angelo this morning. I want you and the boys to leave him alone. He saved my life. If you see him, tell him thank you.”

Killian hesitated, but nodded into her hair. “Okay.”

Fallyn pulled away and slapped her hands together with renewed focus. “Three O’Keefe boys with nothing to do on a Sunday morning? The shame of it. Declan, could you start in on the dishes? Kill, you can help unload the stock in the fridge. Finn, could you go bus some tables out front and see if the girls need any help restocking the case?”

Finn tugged on a lock of her hair with a frown. “I came for backup, not to be your shopgirl.”

Fallyn reached up and pinched his cheeks. “Oh, but you have the prettiest smile. Go flash it at a lonely heart or two. Your handsome face will up my female patronage easy. Maybe you could just stand in the window and flex for the passersby,” she teased.

Finn flexed once for show, earning a hoot from Loretta, who fanned herself. He grinned at his sister as he set about helping in the storefront. Declan made himself useful by plowing through the dishes, the sleeves on his blue striped dress shirt rolled. Fallyn always got a kick out of making her big, scary brothers do menial chores. They always amused her doing normal things with guns tucked into their belts.

Ten minutes later, Declan whooshed into the backroom with his hand on his belt, should he need to draw his weapon. “Delivery truck’s here.”

Killian put his hand on Loretta’s shoulder. “Go take a break, Loretta. Give us the kitchen for half an hour, okay? And make sure the girls stay away, too.”

“Stay away? Boy, I’d like to know when you thought it was a good idea to take over this kitchen.” Her head swivel was in full swing as she brushed flour from her hands.

“The D’Amatos are on their way.” He took his gun out and laid it on the counter to show her just how bad it might get. “I don’t think you want to be here for that.”

Loretta grumbled, but saw the merit in being nowhere near the men with too many guns. “Alright, alright. But don’t you fire those things near my pastry dough. It’s still rising.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Killian smirked, bowing his head slightly to her as she instructed the storefront workers to stay out of the kitchen, and then left for a much needed break. He kept his hand on the backdoor and tucked Fallyn behind him, posturing when her dainty hand rested on his back. “Stay back until I know it’s safe,” he cautioned her.