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“Of course, you can take care of me. Nothing would make me happier.”
Chapter Five
November 15th
2:40 P.M.
“So, is there some hidden meaning to your nickname? You never told me what it was before so I never really thought about it.”
Surf took his eyes off the road for a second to throw a glance at Lila. Even though he hadn’t liked the idea, she’d asked to go to her apartment to pack some more things since she’d be staying with him and the rest of his team and their families at Prey until this was over. Security wise it wasn’t the smartest move. He wanted Lila and their unborn baby where he knew they were safe and protected. Realistically, she had been extremely accommodating, even agreeing to take leave from her job, so he hadn’t thought it was fair to tell her no when she asked.
“Sorry to disappoint you, darlin’, but there is no hidden meaning. I grew up in California and taught myself to surf when I was about six. I loved it, even thought about going pro for a while as a teen.” Surfing had been more than just a hobby for him, it had been the only thing that had kept him sane. Alone out there, surrounded by nothing but the wildness and freedom of the ocean, it had been the only place he’d felt safe. That was all that had kept him … alive, if he was completely honest.
Without those hours out riding the waves, he would have succumbed to the pressures of gangs, drugs, and a life of crime.
Instead, he’d gotten out, and Surf truly believed it was because of his love of surfing and the ocean.
Lila didn’t know about his past, about how he’d grown up, no one did. Sooner or later, he would have to tell her. He wanted a future with this woman and their baby, wanted to marry her and grow old by her side. It was only fair that he not keep any secrets from her.
“Aww, that’s a shame. I was kind of hoping there was some great story behind it,” she teased, amusement dancing brightly in her blue eyes. Things had been getting better between them with each hour they spent together. They were teasing one another, laughing, and talking. It felt like it had before.
Before he’d broken things off with Lila, he’d been trying to keep things simple, move slowly. He hadn’t been ready to tell his team he’d met the woman he knew he was going to marry, and they hadn’t known each other long, he hadn’t wanted to scare her off.
Now that they were having a baby, he didn’t feel like he had to hold back.
It was time to offer her everything he had.
When they got back to the apartment, he was going to sit her down and tell her everything. It was time to stop hiding from his past. It was what it was, he couldn’t change it, but running from it was a never-ending battle. You couldn’t change who you were or where you came from, but he liked the person he was now. He had nothing to be ashamed of.
“You have any nicknames, darlin’?” he asked, switching his attention to the rear-view mirror. So far, they hadn’t picked up a tail, but that didn’t mean they wouldn’t. Dark Beauty knew where they were staying, she had to, and she’d had him followed just a few weeks ago. She was biding her time, waiting. But for what?
“Umm, not really,” Lila said slowly.
Something in her voice had him turning to look at her. Anxiety had replaced amusement, and suddenly instead of being relaxed the atmosphere in the vehicle became tense.
Why would a simple question about nicknames make her so upset?
Splitting his attention between the road, their surroundings, and the woman beside him, Surf reached over and covered her hands with one of his. She had hers twisted together so tightly he was sure she was going to dislocate her fingers. “Lila? What’s going on, sweetheart? What has you all upset?”
“There’s something I need to tell you,” Lila replied in a small voice.
“You can tell me anything, honey. You know that. I won’t ever judge you, and nothing you say can change how I feel about you. Nothing.” Surf felt that deep in his soul. The only thing she might be able to say that would change anything was that she was already married. He didn’t do married women. Ever. Not even when he’d been on his sex binge. But Lila wasn’t married.
Was she?
She hadn’t gotten upset until they’d started talking about nicknames. Was she afraid to tell him that her name wasn’t Lila Angeletti? Or that Angeletti was her married name and not the one she’d been born with?
“Christian, I know I should have told you, I meant to, but I was scared of losing you, so I didn’t. But I want to be completely honest with you now.” Lila drew in a long, ragged breath that had tension coiling tightly in his gut. “Lila is …”
The hit came out of nowhere.
His attention diverted from watching for a tail because he had been so worried about what Lila was about to tell him, Surf hadn’t noticed the other vehicle until it slammed into them.
A horrible sense of déjà vu hit.
Two months ago, he had been driving Julia when they’d been ambushed by the Mikhailov Bratva. He’d fought them off for as long as he could, killed over a dozen of them, but it hadn’t been enough.
