Risking Romero (The Adamos Book 9) Read online

  My wrist feels like I’ve sprained it from contorting it so much. Finally, I get one finger on the lock and just barely manage enough pressure to turn it. If it worked — please let it work — the door should come open, if it’s not painted shut or too swollen for its frame.

  But first, I have to get my hand free.

  I don’t dare brace my foot against the door; once my hand comes free I’d be more likely than not to topple right over the railing to the ground below. Setting my feet, I plant my other hand firmly against the door and wrench the trapped one backward as hard as I can.

  My hand comes loose, but despite my best efforts, I lose my balance and go down hard, my upper body on the landing and the rest of me on the stairs. As I start to push my way back up, the steps give way beneath me and I’m left dangling, scrabbling to get a grip on the landing with my one good hand.

  I finally pull myself up, panting and drenched with sweat, to find that the door is very slightly ajar. Still on my knees, I hook two fingers of my uninjured hand into the opening for the doorknob and tug, and the door creaks open.

  Thank fuck. It’s pitch dark up here; I stand up carefully and tap around with one foot, only to encounter empty air. “Jade!” I call. “Jade!”

  I can hear the fire, licking at the house, trying to consume it entirely. And then I hear, very faintly, Jade’s voice. “Romero?”

  “Jade!” I yell again, hoping she knows the layout up here well enough to track me by the sound of my voice. “Over here!”

  There’s a pause, and then I hear her again, closer this time. “I’m by the old staircase!” I shout.

  A few seconds later, I hear her rushing toward me. She stops some distance away. “Oh my god, Rome, honey. Don’t move.”

  “Is the floor gone?”

  “Mostly. This whole part of the house is falling apart, it’s so old. We closed it off and never use it.”

  Down on the ground, people are pointing at me. They’ll do what they can, but I know we’re out of time. I can see Jade now, just barely, a dim outline on the other side of the room. “Is there a flashlight you can get to?”

  “The fire’s gotten most of the upstairs already. I was in one of the bedrooms, trying to break out a window like they say you should do, but all the furniture is stuff Dad made, and it’s heavy.”

  She coughs, and I realize she must have run through the flames to get to me. My sweet girl. “You should go back downstairs,” she says. “The fire department will be here soon.”

  “Fuck that. I’m not leaving you. We can lay boards over this for you to get across.”

  “Boards from where? The house is almost gone and there’s no time to tear the barn apart. Rome, go.”

  “No. Not without you.”

  “I can’t get across, baby.” I can see her more clearly now, because there’s a dull red glow behind her. “Promise me you’ll live your life. Promise me you’ll be happy.”

  “Shut up!” I yell. “You’re mine, Jade Callahan, do you understand me? You are fucking mine. So we live together, or we die together.”

  She’s crying now. “I love you.”

  “I love you too, babe, but don’t give up yet.”

  She looks over her shoulder; the red glow is stronger. “My skin is starting to blister, Rome. I don’t have much time.”

  “Then we jump. You from your side, me from mine. We meet in the middle, and if we fall, we fall together.”

  She doesn’t answer; she’s trying to save me. “I’m not leaving you, Jade, no matter what you say. If this is it for us, then let’s end it where we belong, in each other’s arms. You with me?”

  Her voice cracks. “I’m with you, Rome.”

  “That’s my girl. Back up, as much as possible, so you can get a running start. Then when I say go, jump as hard as you can, and I’ll catch you. All right?”

  “Okay, honey.”

  I can hear it in her voice; she doesn’t believe me. Maybe I can catch her, maybe not. But even if we fall and break our necks, I have to believe that’s better than burning to death.

  “Back up now, Jade. Until it’s too hot, and then run when I say go, okay?”

  “Yes.”

  I watch her back up a few steps, toward the inferno, while I open the door as wide as it can go to make sure it doesn’t get in my way. “Okay, babe. I love you; you can do this. Run as fast as you can, jump as hard as you can. Ready?”

  “Ready.” Her voice is thin, scared, but resolved.

  “One, two, three, go.”

  And she does it, my beautiful girl, she races toward me out of the flames. I gauge her speed, her distance, take one bounding leap ...

  and fling myself into the void.

  Epilogue

  I wake to a soft rain pattering on the roof. Beside me, Romero is still asleep. He’s usually up first, so I don’t move, just drink in the beautiful sight of him.

  It’s been a month since the fire. When we crashed through what was left of the old floor, I got a lot of cuts and scrapes and bruises on top of my heat blisters, but miraculously, that was all. Romero, who somehow managed to turn us as we fell so that I landed on him, took the brunt of it.

  Broken ribs and a concussion were his worst injuries, besides his poor mangled hand. After two days in the hospital, he was grumpy and demanding to be released.

  The doctors said he could go home so long as he had someone with him. I assured them I would not be anywhere else.

  Romero hates being fussed over; I told him he was just going to have to put up with some fussing while I came to terms with both of us still being alive. When he discovered that my nursing care includes regular blowjobs, he got a lot more cooperative.

  He’s back at work now, with a paralegal to help him with things that his injuries make difficult. She’s very cute, but I’m not jealous. Or not very much, anyway.

  The ring on my finger helps a lot with that.

  It’s the first thing Rome did once he was well enough. He couldn’t drive yet, so one of his cousins chauffeured us to Luigi’s, a fancy restaurant owned by another one of his cousins. We had champagne and delicious food, and then my man set an enormous engagement ring in front of me.

  I stared at it, awed, thinking, I’m pretty sure I’ve baked cupcakes smaller than that. “It’s amazing, honey.”

  He picked up my hand and kissed it, amusement dancing in his eyes. “You can wear it on a chain around your neck while you’re baking. I told you you were mine, didn’t I?”

  At that, my heart melted all over again. “You did.”

  “Well, now I’m telling everyone else.”

  When he put it like that, I couldn’t argue. Except … “I should probably point out that you haven’t actually asked me to marry you.”

  “You gonna marry me or what?”

  I started laughing. Romero was still holding my hand, and behind the humor his eyes were serious. “You’re my girl, Jade Callahan. The one I’d walk through fire for, the one I want beside me every day and every night for the rest of my life.”

  That fast, I went from laughter to tears. “I love you, Romero Adamo.”

  “Is that a yes?”

  He still hadn’t actually asked me, but I wasn’t going to quibble. “Yes, it’s a yes.” I wiggled my fingers, and he took the ring from its velvet case and slid it on.

  Now, in the early morning light, I lift my hand enough to see the ring. I had no trouble getting used to the fact of it, but I’m still adjusting to the size -- no pun intended. And I do wear it around my neck when I’m baking.

  Bianca and Anjelica were as good as their word. While Romero was recuperating, I was in a whirlwind of meetings along with my sisters. Due to our extraordinary circumstances, and not a little help from various Adamos, our business venture cleared its bureaucratic hurdles in record time.

  Callahan’s opened its doors a week ago, and it’s been a smash hit since day one. I still get a little delirious when I see people lined up down the street to buy our goods. We wor
k hard and put in long hours, but we love it.

  Today’s Sunday, our one day off, and I have every intention of enjoying it in every way possible. Rome was not happy about his doctor forbidding him to have sex at first; he was certain we could find a way to make it work. A few attempts convinced him we had to take it easy.

  The doctor (another one of his cousins, naturally) made it crystal clear that even after he started feeling better, Romero should avoid doing anything vigorous. In bed, this boils down to blowjobs, hand jobs, and me on top being very gentle.

  It’s frustrating, but better than him re-injuring his ribs, and way better than nothing at all. He still has a few more weeks to go before he’s fully healed and both of us are counting the days. In the meantime … I slide my hand under the covers, find him, and stroke.

  His eyes open, beautiful deep brown flecked with amber. “Morning, gorgeous.”

  “Morning, hot stuff.”

  “You realize I’m going to have to make it up to you for all this special treatment?”

  “Do tell.”

  “You’re going to wake up with my head between your legs every day for a year. And that’s just for starters.”

  I bite my lip as my pussy clenches in anticipation. “You don’t have to make anything up to me.”

  “Says you.”

  “This is me expressing my gratitude to the universe that there is still a you, and a me, and an us. There’s no end to that, as far as I’m concerned.”

  His eyes warm. “My sweet girl. Come here and kiss me.”

  I keep my hand on him, still moving, while I scoot closer and fit my mouth to his. Several of his cousins’ wives — recently married women around my age, who understand life with an Adamo man — have pointed out that there’s not another woman on the planet whom Romero would allow himself to be dependent on this way. However reluctant he may be to let me take care of him, the fact that he’s willing at all speaks volumes.

  A cell phone goes off and we both groan. “Yours,” Rome says, and I release him so I can roll over and grab my phone from the nightstand.

  “Brianna Rose Callahan, what are you doing calling me this early?”

  “Funny, Lando said the same thing. Only without the middle name.” My sister sounds appallingly chipper for this time of the morning.

  “So go bother Lando. Why are you pestering us?” My sister and Romero’s brother have some kind of strange friendship, or maybe courtship, going on. I don’t know if they’re sleeping together and I’m making it a point not to ask.

  “Because he figured if he had to suffer, you should too. He wants to have a pancake breakfast, followed by the entire Fast and Furious franchise. Quinn’s going to test out a new ice cream recipe.”

  I hold the phone to my chest and roll back over to face Romero. “Pancakes and movies at your brother’s, with ice cream by Quinn.”

  He arches a brow. “Up to you, gorgeous. It’s your day off.”

  “It’s your brother,” I counter.

  “And your sisters. Plural.”

  He has me there. “We’ll be there in an hour,” I tell Bree, and click the phone off. Since Lando’s house is only a few minutes away, that gives us plenty of time. Tossing the phone on the nightstand, I snuggle up to my man.

  “Now, where were we?”

  As soon as we walk into Lando’s house, my brother nods at me and announces, “Got an update. Thought it would be better if you were all together when you heard it.”

  Jade and her sisters move together instinctively, and I come up behind her. I will always have her back, literally and otherwise.

  Lando doesn’t waste time. “Buford’s been extradited to Florida. They want him for a bunch of stuff down there, and we’re happy to see the back of him. If he ever gets free, we’ll snap him up and bring him back on the arson charge.”

  At first, everyone assumed that Santiago had torched the farmhouse, but it turned out to be Buford — his idea of a grand romantic gesture. Deirdre showed her appreciation by skipping town and leaving him to deal with the fallout.

  “As for Deirdre,” Lando goes on, “Carlo and his crew have thoroughly investigated her. I’ll spare you the details, but they’ll be on file if you ever want to know more. Bottom line, it appears she is the woman who was married to your father, Patrick Callahan.”

  Meaning she really is their mother. It kills me to see the pain on their faces. It must be like losing her all over again, to know that the woman who birthed them is so devoid of decency. Jade’s chin trembles and I pull her close, trying to anchor her in my love.

  “I use the past tense advisedly,” Lando says. “Your father divorced her in absentia. She never got the notice because she was overseas and no one knew where to find her.”

  None of the girls says anything. What is there to say, except that they’d have been better off if they never knew her at all? And what a sad commentary on a life that is.

  “So she had no legal claim to the farm,” he continues. “Not that it would have done her any good if she had.”

  Two weeks after the fire, the bank called the loan. The sisters had lots of proof by then that they had a viable business model, but they had no cash on hand. The bank plans to auction it off; we’ve all been trying not to think about it.

  “The auction was yesterday,” Lando says, and Jade gasps and closes her eyes. I tighten my grip, wishing I could shield her.

  “Who bought it?” Quinn asks in a small voice.

  I’m not expecting the answer. “Tonio did.”

  “What?” Jade blurts, wide-eyed now. Our cousin Tonio is a self-made billionaire. He can certainly afford it, but … “Why?” she says.

  A smile flits around Lando’s mouth. “He didn’t appreciate the way the bank dealt with you, completely aside from the whole Santiago business. It’s his way of seeing a little justice done. Whenever you girls are ready, he’ll sign it back over to you.”

  I smile while the sisters look shocked. Tonio’s a class act. “We’d own the farm? Free and clear? But … Callahan’s,” Bree says.

  “It’s up to you what you do with it. The farmhouse is a total loss, but you could build another one, use the land as a home base if you like livin’ out there. You wouldn’t have to make it a working farm.”

  “A wildlife sanctuary,” Quinn says softly. “Dad would love that.”

  “Whatever you decide, he’ll hold it for you until you’re ready.”

  “What about Santiago?” Jade says. The dread he inspires has been a constant, nagging refrain, a dark thread woven through even our happiest moments.

  Lando looks almost cheerful. “Turns out he is superstitious as hell and has a particular fear of fire. He’s decided the land is cursed and no longer wants anything to do with it.”

  Relief hits me hard. Still, I can’t help saying, “That man needs some instant karma.”

  “It won’t be instant,” Lando says, “but I have no doubt his day will come and the reckoning he’s due will catch up to him. In the meantime, we’ll be keeping a close eye on his activities.”

  He ambles toward the kitchen. “Now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s eat.”

  Bree and Quinn follow him. Jade turns in my arms and we share a long look. “That’s a chapter closed,” she says at last.

  “A strange and troublesome chapter,” I agree. I lean down, preparing to kiss her. “But I’d go through it all again if it brought me you.”

  “Me too.” Jade comes up on her toes to meet me halfway. Since the fire, we’ve gotten in the habit of showing our affection whenever we can. I smile into her big green eyes, and then we go to join our family.

  Also by Mia Madison

  Adamo Family series

  Tempting Tonio, Kissing Kosta, Craving Carlo, Vexing Victor, Reaching Rico, Lone Wolf, Dreaming Dante, Baring Brando

  Naughty Boss stories

  Forbidden Intern, My Dad’s Boss, Bossy Christmas Party, My Boss’s Boss, Business with Pleasure, Bossy Valentine, Bossy Billio
naire, Dangerous Curves Ahead, Bossy Daddy, The One and Only

  Fireman series

  My Filthy Fireman, Playing With Fire, Burning For You, On Fire, Babysitter Wanted, Caught by the Fireman, My First Time Fireman, Light My Fire

  Dad's Best Friend stories

  Marcus Mine, Latin Spice, Forever My Lady, Zayum Zaddy, Dad’s Billionaire Buddy, A Day and Forever, Falling for the Star, His Shy Librarian, My Secret Crush, Dad’s Royal Buddy, Hot Single Dad

  Sexy Professor stories

  What Happens In Vegas, Late Night Confessions

  Other Older Man / Younger Woman stories

  Bossy Billionaire, Weekend in Paradise, Head Over Heels

  Love At First Sight series

  Touch & Taste, Work & Play, Protect & Serve, Wants & Needs, Bend & Break, Past & Present

  Foxworth Stud Ranch series

  My Cocky Cowboy, The Blacksmith, The Cowboy’s Virgin Princess, The Polo Prince

  Let Me Love You series

  Let Me Love You, Let Me Taste You, Let Me Keep You

  About the Author

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