Page 107 of Safe Word

‘Well, don’t you clean up nicely, DeLuca,’ he said, his voice dripping with charm. ‘You look good enough to eat, sweetheart.’

I raised an eyebrow, biting back a smile, but before I could respond, Cain cleared his throat – loudly.

Vinnie shot him a quick glance, his grin only widening. ‘What? Just giving the woman a well-deserved compliment. Don’t get all territorial on me, big guy.’

Cain leaned back in his chair, his eyes laced with irritation and amusement. ‘The word is respectful, Vinnie. You might want to try it sometimes.’

‘Oh, I am respectful,’ Vinnie quipped, handing one of the bottles to Cain. He gave me an exaggerated wink as he added, ‘I’m also an honest man.’

Cain scoffed, lifting the bottle to his lips. ‘That’s one word for it. You were supposed to return with these long ago. Where were you?’

Vinnie glanced at his little brunette at the bar, then chuckled, clapping his friend on the shoulder. ‘All right, I’m going back into battle. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t.’ With a final wink aimed squarely at D’Angelo, he walked away, his laughter trailing behind.

Cain groaned, pulling his gaze back to me with a hint of apology.

‘I’m sorry about him,’ he said, his tone sincere. ‘His heart is where it’s supposed to be. Even though his brain is missing sometimes.’

I chuckled softly, shaking my head. ‘It’s fine. He’s harmless.’

My eyes grazed over the crowd, wondering if Ghost was still there, watching me.

Suddenly aware of my phantom’s gaze, I straightened up, my face draining of all warmth and flirtation.

‘Mostly,’ Cain added, leaning back. ‘He’s a great salesman, and a damn good manager, but sometimes he can be a bit… much.’

I smiled at that, curious despite myself. ‘How long have you two known each other?’

A shadow of nostalgia crossed his countenance. ‘Since grade school,’ he said. ‘Back in New York. We were… an unlikely duo.’

‘Unlikely how?’ I asked, intrigued.

He hesitated for a moment, his gaze dropping to the bottle in his hand. I drank as I watched his finger tapping away at the glass, as if measuring the words that were about to come out.

‘I didn’t exactly have the kind of upbringing that makes you popular.’

When he paused, I knew he wasn’t going to continue. A shadow crossed his features, one that suddenly made him look much older than he was. The healthy, exotic vibe he usually gave off melted into something darker – haunted even.

‘Tell me about it,’ I said, drinking again.

He regarded me for a moment. And I recognised that probing look – it was the same one I gave people that wanted to break through my barriers, while wondering if they had the grit not to recoil from what lay beyond.

‘My father was… aggressive, to say the least,’ he said finally. And a fluttering sensation overtook me at his trust.

And he could trust me. I understood where such insecurities came from, and I would lock them into a vault – alongside mine.

He continued, ‘Home wasn’t a safe place, and that kind of thing follows you, you know? Makes you wary of people. Vinnie was the opposite. Loud, flashy, always in the middle of everything. He didn’t give a damn about where I came from, or what I was dealing with. He just decided I was worth his time.’

I angled my head, my chest tightening at the rawness in his tone. ‘That must’ve meant a lot, having someone you could lean on.’

‘It did,’ Cain admitted, a faint, almost self-deprecating smile curving his lips. ‘I probably would have turned out a lot worse without him.’ He paused, a troubled look glazing his eyes as he focused on something between the now and then. ‘We’ve been through a lot together. He’s one of the few people I trust completely. Even if he does have a habit of pushing boundaries. But I can even understand that, all things considered.’

I laughed lightly at that, glancing towards where Vinnie had disappeared into the crowd. ‘I can see that.’

And then the words landed.

All things considered…

I turned back to him, brows drawn. ‘Wait. What do you mean by that?’