Devotion (Mafia Ties #3) by Fiona Davenport Page B

filled with a certainty that Nic would come for me. The darkness in him which I’d worked so hard to ignore was going to be the very thing to save me from this mess. I was surprised to discover the concerns I had over Nic’s lifestyle had fled. Considering it was the reason why I found myself on that floor, the timing might have seemed odd except for one thing—I knew he would never give up until I was back where I belonged. Right by his side.
    I chose not to focus on what might happen to me in the time it took for him to figure out where I’d been taken and come to my rescue. Instead, I reflected on the time I’d spent with Nic. I thought about why I fell in love with him so easily, the passion he awakened in me, and how he made me feel cherished, protected, and... safe. He was big and strong. Scary at times, too. But, even when his intensity was aimed my way, I never felt a twinge of fear.
    When he was bossy, a part of me wanted to obey so I could see the satisfied approval shining from his eyes when I gave him exactly what he wanted. And when he threatened to spank my butt until it was cherry red, I trembled with need rather than alarm. Nic DeLuca made me come alive in ways I never had before. He made me feel excitement and pleasure. He made me laugh as often as I wanted to scream in frustration at his high-handedness. He just plain old made me feel.
    Nic was perfect for me, darkness and all. It wasn’t because he was drop-dead gorgeous. It wasn’t his beautiful house or his fat bank account. It wasn’t even because he was an amazing father to the most adorable girl in the world—well, maybe it was partially because of Sophia and how he was with her. He was perfect simply because he loved me as much as I loved him.
    I’d finally found the man of my dreams and now I was in the hands of his enemy. I fought the tears in my eyes, filled with a determination to stay strong until Nic found me. I refused to believe I might die or think this might be the end. I wanted the future Nic had promised me, my belly full of his child and both his rings on my finger. Thinking of Nic’s reaction to my puke-fest this morning, or whichever morning since I wasn’t sure how long I’d been out of it, I thought about what it could mean. Chuckling softly, I un-fisted my hands and cupped my stomach. My laughter died at the sound of a door opening and closing.
    “I’m no’ sure what ya have ta laugh about.”
    His voice got closer, signaling he was moving in my direction. I forced my hands to clench again, refusing to give him any more ammunition against Nic or me. It was bad enough he’d taken me hostage, I could only imagine what he’d do if he knew there was a chance I was pregnant with Nic’s baby. He didn’t need any additional leverage.
    The hood was lifted from my head and my eyes instinctively squeezed shut. There wasn’t a lot of light streaming through the filthy window I saw over O’Reilly’s shoulder, but it was enough to send shards of pain into my head.
    “Open yer eyes, girlie. We need ta have a wee chat.”
    I blinked them open at the bite of command in his tone. It wouldn’t do to piss the nasty man off any more than he already was.
    “Ah, dat’s better now,” O’Reilly murmured, towering over me. “Me name’s Pat O’Reilly.” I stared up at the man, surprised at what I saw. If I was on my feet, he’d only have a few inches on me, but he was barrel-chested. His red hair was streaked with gray at the temples and his face was wrinkled with age. If this man was Carly’s father, then he must have either lived a very hard life or had her when he was much older than most parents. Or both.
    “I can see why DeLuca wanted ya for himself, lass. Ya have the face o’ an angel, eyes like emeralds, and enough curves to keep yer man warm at night.”
    I gulped at the hint of masculine approval in his eyes, shrinking away from him when he reached out to touch me. With my hands tied, there was no way to avoid him