Loving Vin (Barretti Security Series, #1) (8 page)

Rage went through Vin. “What the fuck, Dom?” he shouted.

“My texts also back up to that server,” Dom said quietly. “There would have been enough there for them to piece together that I hid her at your house.”

“Son of a bitch!” Vin yelled as he stepped back from the desk, his chair crashing to the floor. “How could you let this happen?” he snapped.

Dom paled at the attack and he instantly felt guilty. His brother was one of the smartest men he knew and also the savviest when it came to computers. If he didn’t know something, he made sure to hire the people who did. Not to mention that he was probably already torturing himself for the breach and didn’t need Vin to add his shit to the pile.

“Sorry,” Vin muttered as he reached for the chair. “You think it was some overzealous reporter?”

Dom dropped into one of the chairs across from his desk. “Probably not someone who’s legit since he would have had to pay a really good hacker to get past our firewall. Freelancer maybe – for the tabloids.”

Vin sat back down and ran a hand through his hair. “I guess it doesn’t really change anything,” he murmured.

“It could have also been Hamilton’s accomplice,” Dom said.

Shit, he hadn’t considered that. Chances were the guy who’d rigged the collars for Mia’s father and helped him hide his true identity for so long was in the wind by now. But he probably would have had the skill needed to hack their system himself.

“Fuck, I have to tell her,” Vin muttered.

“I heard,” came a voice from his office door.

Vin wanted to rail at his brother all over again for not closing the damn door, but the reality was Mia wouldn’t have heard a thing if he’d managed to keep his temper in check and his voice down.

“Come on in, Mia,” he called. He was proud of how well she carried herself as she crossed the room and sat down, especially since her pale skin and wide eyes said that she was anything but unafraid at the moment. It was all he could do not to pull her into his arms and tell her everything would be okay. That’d he’d keep her safe.

“Whoever helped your father probably went underground the second his crimes were discovered,” Dom offered.

“But you don’t know that for sure,” she whispered. “And why would he steal information if he wasn’t planning on using it?”

He could see Dom didn’t have a reasonable answer so Vin said, “It doesn’t matter. He won’t get anywhere near you.”

Her copper eyes landed on him and held his gaze as if testing the validity of his words. Whatever she saw must have made her feel somewhat better because she smiled briefly and nodded. And that tiny show of trust made him feel like king of the fucking world.

“Dom, can you give us a minute?”

Dom nodded and left and Vin got up to sit in the chair next to her. “Nothing changes, okay? This guy doesn’t get to take the life you’re putting together for yourself.” He couldn’t help but reach out and take one of her hands into his.

When she nodded and gave him a reassuring squeeze, he actually found himself leaning in so he could brush his lips over hers. But at the last minute he managed to remember he’d agreed not to kiss her again. Damn, that had been a smart move on her part.

“A
sshole!”

Vin bit back the smile as the irritated bird stretched out his wings and flapped them angrily. Mia glanced up at him and his insides did something funny when she smiled at him. She crooned to the bird on her arm and the cockatoo settled and then bumped his head against her fingers.

“What’s his story?” Vin asked as he moved farther into her room. The kittens came running at him and he quickly scooped them up so they wouldn’t use his leg as their personal scratching post. He deposited them on the bed and kept an eye on them so they wouldn’t tumble off the edge.

“Asshole!”

“I’d say it’s pretty obvious what his problem is,” Mia joked.

Vin did smile this time. “I meant his wing,” he said.

“I guess his owner was pretty frustrated that Percy had only learned the one word.” She settled the bird back on his perch. “Apparently it was something the guy’s wife called him all the time and Percy picked up on it. The jerk grabbed Percy by the wing and threw him across the room. His wing snapped and by the time the wife took him to the shelter, the wing had already started to heal and it was too late to try and fix it,” she grumbled.

“You have a way with him,” Vin said and was surprised when she came and sat next to him on the bed. “All of them,” he managed to get out as he tried to shift his weight discreetly to hide the effect her proximity was having on his body.

“Do you think it’s something I could do someday? Like for a living?” she asked.

“What? Take care of animals, you mean?”

She nodded.

“I don’t see why not. Riley does,” he pointed out. “I could invite her over if you want to talk to her about it.”

He could see she was reluctant but he wasn’t sure if it was because she didn’t want to be around other people or if it was because the woman in question was one of her father’s victims – a lucky one since she’d managed to walk away mostly unscathed - but a victim nonetheless.

“I’d like that,” Mia finally said. “Have you know them long? Her and her husband?”

He shook his head. “That day was the first day I met either of them,” he admitted, hating the way she stiffened when he mentioned that horrendous day. But she recovered quickly.

“But they were friends with Dom already?”

“Yeah. Gabe and Logan went to college together so they’d been friends for a really long time. I’d only been back in the country for a couple of days when the kidnapping happened so I didn’t have a chance to meet any of Logan’s friends or his sister before everything happened.”

“Where were you?”

He tensed. Talking about Ren was always difficult for him. Not to mention Rafe. He’d failed not one but two brothers – it was a weakness he hated having to admit to.

“Sorry,” she suddenly said and made a move to get up but he grabbed her wrist before she could escape and gently pulled her back down.

“I was looking for my brother,” he began.

***

M
ia flinched at the heat that flared under her skin where Vin still had a hold of her. She should pull free of his gentle grip but his thumb was rubbing back and forth over the pulse point on her wrist. She wondered if Vin was even aware he was doing it. A little part of her wanted to believe he needed a connection between them as he told her about something that was clearly a painful subject.

“What’s his name?” she prodded when he fell silent.

“Ren. Lorenzo,” he said with a smile. “We all shortened the traditional Italian names our mom gave us so they’d be more American. Vincenzo, Dominic, Lorenzo and Rafael.”

So he had four brothers.

“What happened to Ren?”

“His unit was ambushed in Afghanistan. But his body was never found so we’re not sure if he’s alive or dead. I feel like I’ve searched that fucking country a dozen times but I can’t find any proof either way. I go back every time there’s a new lead but they come less and less now,” he admitted.

“I’m sorry,” she murmured.

His fingers drifted up towards her palm and she was surprised when he laced their fingers together.

“I was supposed to watch out for them,” he whispered. “I promised.”

“Your brothers?” she offered.

He nodded. “After we lost our parents I swore to all three of them that I’d keep us together. That we’d still be a family.”

His hand tightened around hers but not enough to hurt. “You were a good big brother,” she said softly.

Vin shook his head violently. “I wasn’t. We lost Rafe within weeks. His real father took him away and I couldn’t stop it. He was begging us not to let him go.” The pain in Vin’s voice had Mia’s heart breaking for him.

“His real father?”

“My mother cheated on my father with some guy she met at the trucking company she worked part time at. It went on even after Rafe was born but my father didn’t find out the truth until Rafe was almost eight. He confronted her and she admitted there’d been more than one affair and that Rafe wasn’t his. He stabbed her to death and then shot himself,” Vin grated out.

Horror shot through Mia and she instinctively wrapped her other hand around the one already clenching hers. “Vin,” she gasped. When his eyes shifted up to meet hers she nearly reared back at the pain she saw.

“It was my fault,” he said in a barely audible voice. “I was the one who told him.”

“Your father?” she asked.

Vin nodded. “I saw her with one of the men. I knew it wasn’t right so I told my dad.” His voice broke as he admitted, “I thought he would leave her. I didn’t know...”

“It’s not your fault,” she said firmly as she reached up to grab his cheek and force his eyes back to meet hers. “There was no way you could have known what would happen.”

“It doesn’t change the fact that my decision tore my family apart,” he said bitterly. “We have no idea where Rafe is and Dom’s been killing himself for twenty years trying to find him. And Ren...if he is alive...”

Mia didn’t need him to finish the thought. If Ren had survived the initial attack, he would have wished himself dead a thousand times over as he suffered at the hands of his captors.

Any words Mia could think of seemed inadequate and trite so she did the only thing she could think of and wrapped her arms around Vin’s neck. He stiffened at first but then she felt his arms go around her waist and he buried his head against the crook of her shoulder. There were no tears or words but the fact that he held her so close for so long gave her some measure of hope that she’d done the right thing.

“Ow,” Vin murmured against her neck. She drew back and smiled at the sight of the three kittens nestled in his lap, their tiny claws digging into him as they got comfortable. But when she went to remove them, he whispered, “Don’t” and then drew her back against him.

***

H
e’d said much more than he intended. What was supposed to be a simple explanation had turned into a full on confession. He hadn’t even told Dom his secret shame – that he was the reason their parents were dead. But once he’d started talking, he hadn’t been able to stop. And touching her. Jesus, even when it wasn’t about sex he couldn’t get enough.

His body didn’t care that she was too young or too innocent or too vulnerable. Even now as she sat on the opposite side of the loveseat, her gaze focused on the RomCom movie she’d picked out after they’d finished dinner, it was all he could do not to drag her against him and cover her body with his. No woman had ever had this effect on him – not even Elise who he’d been sure he was in love with.

Vin didn’t even realize the movie had ended until he sensed her passing him.

“Good night,” she said softly as she stepped carefully over his outstretched legs.

All he had to do was say the same words back and let her go. Tomorrow would be a fresh day and he’d be strong again – he’d be in control of his raging lust and scattered emotions. So he had no idea what possessed him to grab her wrist as she walked by. Relief shot through him when she didn’t try to pull free and her amber eyes met his with open curiosity. But within seconds her expression darkened with desire and understanding and when he gave her a light tug, she stepped between his legs without hesitation.

Not one word was spoken as they stared at each other but suddenly she was lowering her whole body down, her knees coming to rest on each side of his hips as she straddled him. He cursed the jeans she was wearing as his palms settled over her thighs but he didn’t have much time to dwell on it because she dropped her mouth to his and kissed him as her hands cradled his face. Her touch was soft but her tongue was demanding as it stroked over his. It felt so good to have her exploring him that he leaned his head back on the couch and moaned when she followed, the angle letting her search out even the deepest recesses of his mouth. Her hands left his face to travel down his chest and a couple fingers slipped between the buttons on his dress shirt and brushed his hot skin. When she released his mouth, he opened his eyes and saw her staring at him and then followed her gaze down to where her fingers were resting on the top button of his shirt. He saw the unspoken question in her eyes and he nodded in silent answer.

She dragged in a breath and then fumbled with the buttons, the tips of her fingers driving him crazy with need every time they grazed his flesh. When she shifted her ass back slightly to reach the bottom buttons, his cock surged up against her and she froze. But instead of backing off, she did the move again and smiled when his body reacted to the contact. It took everything in him not to grab her and take control but in truth, he was enjoying her inexperienced exploration and innocent caresses. She peeled his shirt back and studied his chest for a long time before running her hands all over him. He had no idea how long the exquisite torture lasted but then her mouth was back on his and her curiosity was gone, replaced with desperation and need. His hands went to her hips so he could grind her against his shaft.

Her whimpers turned into full on moans that spilled into his mouth as their tongues dueled. A shred of sanity returned to his brain briefly and he managed to say “we need to stop” between kisses. But she either didn’t hear him or chose to ignore him because she began to rock against him blindly. And then he felt the tingle in his spine that told him how he was already too late to stop this and he quickly reached one hand between Mia’s legs and pressed hard on her next forward glide. The effect was exactly what he wanted because he felt her hands clamp down on his shoulders as she desperately rode his hand and each shift of her hips had him groaning at the friction of her movements  on his sensitive dick.

She suddenly cried out as her body began to shake violently and just seeing her come apart had his own release shooting from his body.

“Fuck!” he shouted as slammed his hips up hard against her, his hands holding her in place as his body emptied itself. Mia’s aftershocks continued long after she dropped her face down to where his neck met his shoulder and he felt her warm breaths drift over his skin. He turned his head until his lips found hers and he kissed her languidly.