Collateral Damage - Giulia Lagomarsino Page 0,136
anywhere. No more suits, no more fancy car…just me, all of me.”
I was grinning so big my cheeks hurt. I couldn’t believe he gave up everything for me. “I regretted it the next day. I would have moved to the city to be with you.”
He ran his thumb across my cheek and smiled. “But I really didn’t want that life anymore. All I’ve ever wanted is you. Right here in this crazy town where it all started. For the rest of our lives.”
I smiled and leaned in for a kiss when Salt ’n Pepper’s “Push It” came over the loudspeaker.
“Uh,” Joe said, rushing over to the music. Heavy breathing came over the loudspeakers as the music played and Joe started pressing buttons to get it to stop, but all he managed was to make it louder. Suddenly, the float was flooded with women, all wanting to dance with the Cortell brothers.
“I swear, this was not part of my plan.”
I quirked an eyebrow at him. “You had a plan?”
“I sketched it out on a piece of paper and everything.”
“I think you’ve been hanging around your brother, Derek, too much.”
He tilted his head to the side and smiled. “Maybe, but if I had consulted him, I would have ended up burying a body.”
“I liked this version just fine.”
“Good, because it’s all over the town Facebook page for everyone to see.”
“Yeah, that seems to be a thing with you guys,” I grinned.
“So, knowing that, do you still want to keep me?”
“Well, I can’t walk away after that performance.”
Robert
“I have to say, I’m a little jealous that I didn’t get serenaded by all the brothers,” Kat complained.
“Hey, I shared my pizza with you,” Andrew shot back.
I pulled another slice of pizza from the box in front of me and gripped Anna’s hand tighter in mine. We all came back to Eric and Kat’s house to celebrate New Year’s together. It was just a few minutes before midnight, and I planned to take Anna back to her house after this and spend the rest of the night with her wrapped up in my arms.
“So, how does this work now?” Eric asked. “Are you finding your own place?”
“That’s up to Anna,” I grinned, looking over at her. “I’m currently homeless and in need of a place to stay. And with starting up my own business, I’m pretty much poor.”
She bumped her shoulder into mine. “Yeah, like I would buy that after you sold your apartment and that car. But you could just ask to stay with me.”
“Well, I would, but you said you didn’t want to live together.”
“That was when you asked me to move to the city. I think I could accommodate one of the spare bedrooms for you.”
I held a hand over my heart. “You wound me. A spare bedroom?”
“Well, I wouldn’t want things to move too fast,” she grinned.
I shook my head dejectedly. “After I sang to you and everything…”
“Aww, don’t pout. I’ll let you stay with me, but you know what this means?”
“What?”
“You’ll be responsible for half the bills. I won’t have a man leeching off me.”
I grinned at her, wrapping my hand around the back of her neck. “I would never do that. Although, you’re going to have to get used to the fact that I won’t be rich now that I’ve sunk a lot of my money into a new business. And, I’m pretty sure I won’t make the same money as I did in the city.”
“I think I can handle that.”
“Good, I might have to buy you a slightly smaller ring also when I ask you to marry me.”
“I would be fine with just a wedding band.”
I rubbed my nose against hers, grinning like a fool. “That’s why I love you.”
“Someone gag them,” Andrew whined. “I’m trying to eat here. Not everyone wants to see this rancid display of affection.”
I tossed my napkin at him. “I can’t wait until you fall in love. I’m going to tease you so much.”
“Yeah, well, you’ll be waiting a while. I have no plans to fall in love anytime soon.”
“Watch, you’ll be next,” I jeered.
“Uh-huh. That’s not going to happen. You know why?”
“Is it because you cut off all that beautiful hair?” Eric laughed.
“Or because you stopped wearing purple shirts?” Will asked.
“Haha, you’re so funny. No, it’s because I have a five year plan, and there are no women involved in the five year plan.”
“There never are,” I grinned. “They just kind of come out of nowhere and knock you on your ass.”
“Hey,” Anna protested. “I didn’t come out of nowhere. I was here the whole time.”
“And I wasn’t expecting you to come back into my life. Hence, you coming out of nowhere and knocking me on my ass.”
“Are we going to argue about this or toast to the new year?” Kat asked. “We have two minutes,” she said, grabbing glasses and champagne. Eric snatched the bottle and started pouring.
“Here’s to a happy New Year and the best family anyone could ask for,” I said, raising my glass to clink with everyone else’s.
“Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three-“
The back door swung open and in stepped a dark, looming figure. We all stared and I pulled Anna behind me. The figure stepped into the light and my jaw dropped. It was like seeing a ghost.
“Josh,” Eric said, completely shocked.
He was so much older than I remembered, and he had filled out over the years, his frame so much larger than it had been. He glanced around at all of us, swallowing hard.
“Am I interrupting?”
We all looked at each other, unsure of what to say at the moment. Our brother, whom we all kind of thought was dead, had just reappeared before our eyes.
Joe held up his glass. “Happy New Year!”
Also by Giulia Lagomarsino
Thank you for reading Robert and Anna’s story. You can read more about The Cortell Brothers in the next book, coming in January, Wanted Dead Or In Love.
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Are you a new reader? See where it all began with the For The Love Of A Good Woman series. And continue with some of your favorite characters in the Reed Security series! Or follow the individual links down below!
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Did you start in the middle? We’ve all done it! Find your place in the series and start from there! There’s no need to question which book to start with. These books are best read in order. All books are available in Kindle Unlimited! For The Love Of A Good Woman:
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Jack , Cole, Logan, Drew, Sebastian, Sean, Ryan
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Not ready for those characters you love to disappear? You can catch them again throughout the Reed Security Series! These men and women are strong, sexy, and willing to fight for those they love. Sometimes, they fall right into love, while others need a little more convincing. Don’t miss out on this exciting series!
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Sinner, Cap, Cazzo, Knight, Irish, Hunter, Whiskey, Lola, Ice, Burg, Gabe, Jules, Sniper, Jackson, Chance, Phoenix Rising, Alec, Storm, Wolf, A Mad Reed Security Christmas, Rocco, Coop, TNT, Nightingale, Parker, GoodKnight
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The Cortell Brothers
Maintenance Required, Collateral Damage, Wanted Dead Or In Love