The Recluse Heir by Monique Moreau
7
After creeping out of Cat’s bedroom, I worked out to burn off the extra energy I was storing from having a hard dick after sleeping next to her luscious body. I showered, grabbed food from the buffet laid out in the dining room, and sought cover in the library to brood in peace. The bright morning sun streamed through the open French doors leading out into the garden, lighting the dark leather furniture and shelves of books that lined one wall.
Waking up in Cat’s bed, with her sexy little body beside me was something else. Her arousal didn’t escape my notice when she crossed her arms over her chest to hide her peaked nipples. Her deep brown eyes were heavy-lidded with lust, her pouty lips red from gnawing them. The potent desire between us was a palpable thing. Still, I was impressed that she didn’t jump out of bed screaming when she woke up beside me.
Then again, I shouldn’t have been surprised. The girl had a spine of steel. I suppose one had no choice, growing up in her family. When she’d told me that her father had been so sloppy as to murder some fucker in her presence, I almost blew a gasket. Violence was endemic in our society, but there was a time and place for torture and death. Which meant that he’d brought one of his quarries home. What kind of father was so careless? My blood started pounding hard just thinking about it.
I’d never reacted to a woman like I did to Cat, even when I was young and the desire to fuck rode me hard. But this one…this one was special. That undeniable fact made her dangerous. Ravenous didn’t begin to describe how I felt. I wanted to gorge myself on her. I couldn’t stop thinking about her, which was why I was hiding out in the library, avoiding her at all costs.
While I was eating, Alex strolled into the library with a chessboard under his arm. He sat down, propped his smartphone up against a green-shaded lamp on the huge desk, turned it on to Twitch, and moved the pieces as he followed along with an online game. He was the perfectionist in the family, constantly working on his moves. I watched for a while, and then we started a game together. Later, Nicu strolled in and took a seat nearby, poking at his cell phone while throwing a glance at our game every once in a while.
That was how Mama found us.
“I have two things I’d like to discuss with you, Alex,” she began as she took a seat on the oxblood leather couch closest to him, taking my attention away from my wayward thoughts of Cat.
Carefully placing the knight down on the board, he turned to her and said, “What’s up?”
“I think we need to have Tasa’s wedding first,” she began. Her reunion with Tasa had been dramatic, to say the least, but they had made up. “With the baby coming, it would be wrong for Nicu to be married first. You’ll have to make Nelu understand.”
Alex’s brows gathered. “How long do you intend for the Popescus to wait?”
“It’s only fair that it will take three months, like for Nicu’s wedding. Tasa would like to have her marriage at the Orthodox church in Manhattan. Afterward, it will take months to prepare a wedding that will make the right statement for Nicu.”
“Fair enough,” he replied with a nod. “I’ll speak to Nelu. It won’t be easy, especially since he will not want to concede for Tasa’s sake.”
“I think I have something that could make it go down easier,” replied my mother.
“Which is?” Alex prodded.
“I was talking to Cat and her mother yesterday…and she mentioned that she’d like to take summer classes at Barnard College. You know, the women’s college on the Upper West Side? I have to say that it speaks well of her that she wants to continue educating herself. Apparently, she went to a prestigious prep school and took her studies seriously. Perhaps you can use that as leverage. Make it seem like a concession. Insist that it is a point of honor for us to take care of her protection since she’s Nicu’s fiancée.” She gave a little shrug. “Just an idea. I haven’t really thought it through.”
Alex placed his elbows on the end of the desk, steepling his fingers together as he reflected on her suggestion.
“Hmm, I could work with that. What kind of classes will she be taking?” he asked.
“Something about Anthropology and Feminism.”
Nicu rolled his eyes. “Feminism?”
My eyebrows lifted. Huh, I didn’t know much about this girl, but I was intrigued. She was smart and into academics. Alex and I took to our studies like fish to water, whereas Nicu struggled to finish his B.A.
“Maybe she wants to major in Gender Studies,” I taunted.
“Oh, please,” he grumbled, returning to his phone.
Mama gave Nicu a withering look, and emphasized, “Like I said, it speaks well of her. She’s obviously invested and isn’t wasting her summer going to parties or clubs. She seems like a serious girl. She’ll be good for you, Nicu. Get you to settle down.”
Nicu snorted.
Mama narrowed her eyes on me and jabbed a finger at me. “And you. You’d do well to find yourself such a fine girl. Popescu or not, she’s a woman of quality. Not only is she sweet-natured, but she’s clearly lively and intelligent.”
Yeah, that wasn’t the only thing about her that was lively. Her nipples poking out of the silk nightie she was wearing were pretty damn lively as well. Given half a chance, I’d live between her tits.
“Don’t worry about me. You have your hands full trying to convince Nicu that she can rise above her status as a Popescu,” I retorted. “I’d be willing to give her a chance, but he hates them with a passion and doesn’t see anything beyond her last name.”
“I’m a little worried about that, Nicu. You make no effort whatsoever to get to know her. Any time I try to bring you two together, you go out of your way to snub her.” Her eyebrows knitted in worry. “She’s noticed, and I see her retreating into her shell around you.”
“Don’t push him, Mama,” Alex advised. “That’s not going to help the situation. They have to find their own way to live together. If you start butting in now, it will only take them longer to find their footing in the marriage.”
“But if you told Nicu that he should drive her to school and back, they’ll be forced to spend time together and he’ll warm up to her. She really is a lovely girl.”
Oh, I could attest to that. And the idea of my brother in the car with Cat for several hours a week was making the hairs on my nape prick up in alarm. Which made no sense because soon they’d be married and spending a lot more time together. I shook my head.
“Mama, what did I just say? It could as easily backfire if you push,” chastised Alex.
“You got that right,” Nicu griped under his breath, eyes glued to his phone.
“Plus,” Alex continued, “there’s no way Nelu will allow them to be alone, traveling back and forth for weeks, just prior to the wedding. It’s not appropriate. If we don’t find someone to protect her from the upper echelons of our clan, he’ll insist that Cristo or Simu drive her.”
Simu?
I hated that bastard more than I hated Cristo, and that was saying something. The rivalry between Simu and me started with a woman. Of course, it did. Nothing could be more stereotypically mafie. I’d fucked one of his women. She’d come into our nightclub and hit on me hard. I simply took what she was offering. How was I to know she was his? Afterward, the girl went around comparing the two of us in bed. I came out on top.
Only in a small, insular world like ours could a woman’s big mouth start something. It triggered an insane rivalry that lasted for years. We stole each other’s loot and poached each other’s women. Truth be told, I didn’t really have women, but it didn’t stop Simu from trying to hook up with anyone I’d fucked.
It hit a high point when, one day, I mocked Simu. Told him that his father was laughing his ass off seeing how far down the gutter his son’s Cantacuzino ass had fallen. Granted, it wasn’t my finest moment, talking trash about a man’s dead father, but he was constantly provoking me, and I had put him in his place. Aristocratic family or not, he was as dirty as we were.
To my point, I’d caught the way he looked at Cat this weekend. He was half in love with her. No one else might have noticed how his beady little eyes constantly settled on Cat, but I sure as hell did, and I didn’t like it one bit. The idea that he lusted after her made me want to tear him apart with my bare hands. She was practically a married woman! I was legit losing my mind considering what a hypocritical thing that was for me, of all people, to say. Nonetheless, there was a crucial difference between him and me. I was, and always would be, a Lupu. I’d never hurt my brother or disgrace my family. I wouldn’t put it past Simu to go after Cat for the sole purpose of spitting on our name or trying to increase his clout with Nelu.
If he couldn’t curtail his base instincts in a room full of people, what would stop him if he was alone with her for hours? Oh, hell no. That was not happening. Not under my watch.
“Make Luca do it,” Nicu pronounced.
“What?” I huffed out, although my heart rate accelerated at the thought.
Alex’s head snapped to Nicu. He jabbed a thumb in my direction as he asked, “Him?”
Irritation flared. Granted, I rarely volunteered, especially for something as inconsequential as babysitting duty, but Alex didn’t have to act so stunned.
“Yes, him,” Nicu replied languidly.
“I don’t think so…” I said. As tempting as it was, it wasn’t a good idea.
Nicu’s gaze bored into me, a calculating expression on his face. My skin felt itchy under his scrutiny. As much as I wanted it, being around Cat would be torture.
“Seriously, I have better things to do,” I muttered.
Staring at me with a serious look, he demanded, “Step the fuck up, man.”
“Fuck you,” I snarled, glaring at him. We had a staring contest for a long minute.
“Are you going to let Simu do it?” he taunted. “Because that’s the alternative if you bail out, yet again.”
Fuck, that cinched it. I tapped out first, breaking our stare.
“Fine,” I bit out. “Just to be clear, I’m doing this to prove to Alex how flexible I can be.” Hopefully, being forced to undergo this test would help my case regarding Cali.
Nicu inclined his head in agreement.
“It’s not necessary,” Alex responded. “I have other less pointless jobs for you that won’t waste so much of your time. I can find a soldier who can easily do this.”
Over my fucking dead body. For some reason, I refused to explore, I didn’t like the idea of a soldier spending hours a day with her in my place. Anyway, a soldier wasn’t high up enough to replace Simu.
“She’s not pointless, she’s our responsibility and we take care of our responsibilities,” I ground out. “Family duty is nonnegotiable.” Heard the phrase enough times in my life that it was tattooed on my brain. “She’s engaged to a Lupu, and within a couple months, she’ll be one of us. Until then, I’ll personally make sure she’s protected. It’s our duty and we don’t skimp when it comes to duty.
“Anyway, the more time she spends with our family, the easier it will be for her. I’m sure they’ve filled her head with lies that we’re violent brutes. She probably grew up listening to horrific bedtime stories about us. This way, she’ll get to know us and we’ll become human to her,” I finished.
My forehead furrowed. I wasn’t bullshitting. It had dawned on me that it mattered what Cat thought of us. Earlier this morning, I’d sworn to stay as far away from her as possible. I’d holed up in the library with that express purpose in mind. Despite my best efforts, here I was, lost in her once again. What was it about this girl that reeled me in, time and time again?
Before Alex could reply, Mama stood up as if everything was resolved. “Very good, then I’ll leave it to you boys to make it work.”
“If you offer Luca, Nelu can’t refuse without insulting us,” Nicu suggested.
“You’re positive you want to bother with this?” Alex confirmed, one eyebrow raised. I still bristled at his question.
“I’m stepping up,” I gritted out.
He threw up his hand in surrender. “Alright, good. It’s settled.”
* * *
It was anything but settled.
Instead, it had turned into a pissing match between Simu and me.
The Popescu and Lupu men had been in the library for hours. After going through the points of contention regarding the contract between the Popescu and Lupu clans regarding trafficking Afghani ephedrine from Nelu’s suppliers through our transport routes into Europe, Alex brought up waiting on Nicu and Cat’s wedding. Things were going at a steady clip until my brother offered me as the person to drive Cat to her classes.
Nelu seemed to be fine with the idea until Simu whispered into his ear.
Giving a short nod of his head, Nelu cleared his throat and carefully stated, “I’m not sure your brother is the right candidate for this job.”
Stiffening, my eyebrows shot up to my forehead.
“Excuse me?” I replied in a dangerously low tone. If he thought I’d tolerate an underhanded insult from him or anyone from his family, he was in for the surprise of his life. “What in the fuck is that supposed to mean?”
“It means what it sounds like,” answered Simu, his eyes burning into me with unfiltered hatred. I blatantly stared him down.
Ditto, motherfucker, ditto.The hatred was fully mutual.
I pushed forward until I was at the edge of my chair, about to launch an attack, when Alex put a staying hand on my forearm. Showing disrespect in front of our rivals was the only thing stopping me from shrugging him off.
“Please explain, Simu, and I suggest you choose your words carefully,” prompted Alex.
Yeah, motherfucker, be really careful.Swear to God, I couldn’t remember the last time I had such an overwhelming urge to clock the guy in his ugly-ass face.
Taking his time, he leaned back in his armchair, crossed one leg over the other, and folded his arms over his chest. I sent him a narrow-eyed glare. If he thought holding our attention captive would change the end result, the fucker had another thing coming.
“Luca has a reputation of being…unbiddable. He’s not one to follow rules. Therefore, I’m not sure he’s the best person for this delicate job.”
I snorted. “What the hell is delicate about driving a woman to her class, guarding her, and then driving her back? She’s not a porcelain doll or made of spun glass. She’s not going to break in my presence. Why don’t you tell us what you really want?”
Simu’s face hardened. “See? That just shows how little respect you have for our women—”
“What? Because I don’t treat them like fragile objects? Because I treat them like human beings with minds of their own, somehow this connotes a lack of respect to you, you fucking barbarian?”
Realizing that I’d outed him as a misogynist, he tried another argument. “She’ll be better off being protected by one of her own. Until the marriage, her last name is Popescu. It’s our responsibility to protect her.”
The heat from the sun coming through the windows doubled the fire burning in my belly.
“Actually, it’s not that cut and dried. She’s engaged to my little brother and we have already started working together under the contract running parallel to the marriage contract. We have already begun merging our family businesses together. We didn’t wait until Cat’s name was legally changed to begin working together,” observed Alex.
Remaining silent, Nelu sat back in his chair and watched our interactions as if surveying a ball being volleyed back and forth in a tennis match.
Simu waved a dismissive hand. “That’s work. This is about family.”
“They’re intricately connected,” Alex replied bluntly. “You cannot separate one from the other. Therefore, it is completely within our rights to become involved in Cat’s protection.”
“She’s safer with us,” Simu snapped.
I flew to my feet, looming over him and thundered, “That’s a fucking insult.”
Nelu stood up, putting a hand on my shoulder, which I shrugged off before backing down.
Raising his hands in supplication, he began with a conciliatory little chuckle before saying, “Settle down, boys. I’m glad to see that my only daughter is so important that you’re fighting over her. She’ll be a great asset to your family. It’s impressive that you already see her worth and consider her one of your own. That is a compliment to her upbringing.” His hand landed on Simu’s shoulder. “But we are still attached to her and worry about her comfort. She’ll be more at ease with one of our family.”
“But she is one of us and it’s about time she began to get to know us,” I insisted. “The groom should have a say in this as well. Nicu, what say you? Give us your final word.”
Nicu hadn’t said a word during this entire discussion, observing everyone closely, likely trying to interpret everyone’s motivations. Thank Christ I had the excuse of doing this as a test of my newfound flexibility, but there was no way I was backing out now. Simu’s opposition had turned this into a point of honor.
I held my breath as I waited for his response.
Nicu’s incisive gaze narrowed on Simu for a long moment before turning to me. Clasping the arms of my chair, I shut down my expression and maintained a mask of disinterest, but I had no idea what he really saw. Our relationship wasn’t as complicated as the one between Alex and me, but I’d never call it easy. We spent much of our time throwing digs at each other. I resented him for worshipping our bastard of a father and kowtowing to Alex’s every demand. He was irritated that I didn’t toe the line and lived to needle me. I didn’t resent either of them for my radically different upbringing. It wasn’t their fault. Nor had I ever been jealous of them.
Until now.
And I didn’t know what to do with that information, so I buried it down deep.
Even though Nicu and I weren’t close, we were brothers. I’d never hurt him. He didn’t care a whit about Cat, so I wasn’t worried about his feelings, but his pride was another thing. Cat was off-limits for that reason alone.
Finally, after what seemed like an interminable amount of time, he said, “She’s going to be my wife. Her protection is my discretion. Regardless of how unbiddable he may seem, I trust my brother.”
Thatta boy. There’s the old Lupu loyalty.
Turning to Simu, he spat out, “Honestly, Simu, your opinion means nothing to me while my brother’s does. As payment for your insult to his character, I insist it be Luca. Your lack of subtlety has only forced my hand. Let that be a lesson to you in the way you speak to us in the future.”
Take that, you fucker.
There were few times when my family outright pleased me, but this show of allegiance had to have topped the list.
Whether I wanted it or not, rain or fucking shine, Cat was mine. A car ride from Queens to the Upper West Side could take at least an hour, each way. I had the enviable task of figuring out what the hell I was going to do with that bounty of time. And how I was going to keep my hands off her.
