Filed to story: Falling for My Ex's Mafia Dad Novel Free PDF (Fay Alden & Kent Lippert)
And then we both almost leap out of our skins as a hard knock comes at the door.
“Shit,” Kent breathes, pulling me to him in an instant and clamping an unnecessary hand over my mouth. Because I go still as a rabbit, shocking myself by not emitting a noise. We are both still and tense for a moment, but then the knock comes again.
“Through the passage, Fay,” Kent commands in a whisper, quickly standing up and hastily pulling the sheets off the bed to wrap around me. “There’s no time they wouldn’t wake me if it wasn’t urgent.”
I nod, still not daring to say a word, and wrap myself up as fast as I can as I cross the room. I look over at Kent, who is pulling on his underwear as he heads for the door not the one to his office, but one I think that goes to the kitchens. He holds my eyes for a long moment, giving me a nod, and then he shocks me by pressing the fingers of his right hand to his mouth for just a second, kissing them before clenching that hand in a fist and moving towards the kitchen door.
I pause a moment in my surprise because I mean, I could swear that that was the Kent Lippert version of blowing me a kiss. But I move through the passage door as quick as I can, pulling it silently shut behind me.
The next few minutes of tottering awkwardly through the freezing basement passage are not…my favorite moments of my life, as I spend one third of my time wishing I had some socks, another third ignoring the unfinished ache in my core, and the final third anxiously worrying that there is some kind of horrible disaster happening upstairs.
But as I pass through the wardrobe into my room, everything is…peaceful. Totally normal. I take a moment to listen quietly for any changes but eventually the tension unwinds from my muscles as I hear absolutely nothing.
Then, frustrated that what seemed like it was going to be some really great sex was interrupted for absolutely nothing, I scowl and head into my bathroom for a long shower.
Because the day has finally arrived, and I can no longer use tequila and sex to distract myself from the one big problem in my life: Natalia.
Natalia, the woman who wants my father dead and me gone with him so that she can take her place as Kent’s wife.
But as I step into the steaming hot water of my shower, a little snarl curls on my lips.
Because if that’s what she wants?
God damn it, but I’m going to make her step over my dead body to take it.
When I come out of the shower and move back into my bedroom I’m pleased to see that my clothes for the day have arrived riding clothes, thank god and even more pleased to see a little note on top. I scurry over and grab the little white envelope, ripping it open.
It’s a simple, short note as all of Kent’s are:
Everything is fine.
I owe you.
I smirk, a little, at how coy he’s being here. Because if anyone intercepted this note and read it before me, it’s innocuous enough to mean anything. But those words at the bottom? I know precisely what they mean. Who knew three short words could get me so hot.
But I sigh and toss the note in my waste basket, knowing that I have to wait, and endure much, before I get to that more pleasant part of my day. But I get ready quickly drying my hair and braiding it back and then changing into my crisp riding clothes, excited to finally have the opportunity to visit my horse instead of doting on Natalia and Alessi all day.
After all, they’ve taken away any reason I had to be kind and solicitous to them. And now I can just do as I please.
I pull on my tall riding boots and nearly skip down the stairs towards the kitchen, hungry for breakfast and eager to start the day. Some of the things that Kent said last night still echo in my mind that he sees me as a viper, for instance, disguised as a fawn…
And even as I shake my head at the idea as I push the door open to the kitchen I wonder what would happen if I just decided to believe him? If I just accepted it, instead of fighting against it, and tried to…I don’t know, embrace it? To see the viper in myself, instead of the shy and frightened nerd I always assumed I was?
I’m lost in the thoughts of this as I make my way to the espresso machine, so lost that I don’t even notice the old man standing next to me until I’ve already loaded the coffee and pulled the levers that I know will make me my favorite drink.
“A double this morning, Fay?” a creaky old voice beside me asks, and I jump a little as I spin towards him. But then my face breaks into a smile.
“Uncle Gino,” I say, giving the man I now know is Kent’s uncle the man who raised him, who saved Kent’s family a wide grin. “Good morning am…am I…oh god,” I say, grimacing as I look around at the coffee station, “please don’t tell me that I cut in front of you ”
But he laughs and pats me on the shoulder. “No, girl,” he says, shaking his head. “I already have mine.” And he raises a tiny cup towards me in a little toast, which brings me great relief. “Are you going to see that horse of yours today?”
“Yes,” I say, my eyebrows going up as the machine next to me hisses and steams. “Do you do you know Heathcliff?”
“Helped Kent pick him,” Gino says, giving a deep nod towards the kitchen. I turn my head to see Kent standing in there, dressed in his suit and speaking to some of his men. “That boy doesn’t know as much about horse flesh as he thinks he does. Women, on the other hand…” he says, nodding appreciatively and raising his eyebrows at me.
I laugh and shake my head at him. “I won’t tell him you said that,” I say, reaching for my little cup when it’s finally filled with coffee.
“Knew I could trust you, girl,” Gino murmurs, patting me again on his shoulder before hobbling over to the table of old men, who all raise a hand to me as I look their way. I smile back and give a little wave before heading towards my own table, where I can see Daniel already sitting.
When I slide into my seat across from Daniel, I note that the table is smaller today that he removed the two extra seats where Natalia and Alessi have been sitting since they arrived. I open my mouth to say good morning to him and ask about that choice, but then I my words fail me when I see Daniel slumped over his plate of eggs, his skin pale and almost green in places.
“Whoa,” I say, picking up my coffee cup and raising it to my lips. “Rough night, Danny?”
Daniel lifts his head and glares at me a little. “Who told you to call me that?”
I laugh a little wickedly and blow on my coffee before taking a sip. “No one. I just heard a little bird call you it.” I wrinkle my nose at him. “I think it fits.”
Daniel just growls something noncommittal and looks down at his plate again.
“Aww, come on, sugar,” I say, leaning forward and taking his hand. “Are you really feeling this poorly?”
“Yes,” he sighs, sitting back in his seat but keeping my hand in his. “But Fay we have to…”
“I know,” I say, squeezing his hand and looking at him seriously. Because he’s right we need a plan. Daniel takes a deep breath and leans forward to whisper to me, all the time getting greener, as if he might barf all over his plate.
“Fay,” he whispers, “I don’t know what my dad has planned but I have no intention of breaking this engagement or letting Natalia have a place in this family. I went to my dad’s room this morning and he agrees ”
“Oh,” I say, perking up a little bit and feeling a relieved. “That was you?”
“Yeah wait,” he says, looking at me narrowly. “How did you…”
And I bite my lip, realizing what I just let slip.
“Were you…there?” he asks, glancing around to make sure that he isn’t heard but the kitchen is full, and quite loud, and the Italians aren’t here yet, so I’m fairly sure we’re safe. “What,” he says, scrunching his face a little with distaste. “Did he like shove you in a closet to keep you secret?”
“No,” I reply simply, sitting up straight and keeping my mouth shut. But I can’t help giving Daniel a sneaky little grin that lets him know that I’m keeping my secret on this one.
“Okay,” he says, dropping my hand and covering his face with his palm as he leans back in his chair. “Now I’m really gonna barf ”
I laugh and lean forward to tease him more, but a plate slides in front of me before I can say another word and I look up to see Kent standing there.
“All right?” he asks, looking between us.
“Daniel’s going to barf,” I say, giving Kent a little smile before reaching for my fork and eagerly stabbing at the pile of eggs on my plate.
“Daniel,” Kent says, slipping his hands into his pockets and turning towards his son, “needs to learn his limits.”
Daniel just flaps a hand at his dad, who chuckles a little and opens his mouth to say something more, but at that moment the door to the kitchen swings open and Natalia and Alessi walk in, looking bright and fresh. All three of us turn to look at them and I consider, passively, that you’d never know that they ordered a hit on my father last night.
Kent swallows whatever it was he was going to say to us and turns away instead, his demeanor going cold. “I’m busy today,” Kent calls over his shoulder to Daniel and I as he walks towards the kitchen, ignoring Alessi and Natalia as he goes. “But I have my phone. You two call if you need anything.”