That put a smile back on my face. I stood. The entire world tilted, and my vision became spotty.
“Maura?”
I immediately sat back down and waited for my vision to clear along with a weird pulsating pressure in my face.
“Maura?” Jamie called out to me. Then I felt hands cupping my face. I blinked the last of the spots away and saw him kneeling in front of me, worry etched around his eyes. I quickly plastered a smile on my face.
“I think I stood up too fast. I got a little dizzy, but I’m fine now.” I didn’t know who I was trying to convince more, him or myself.
Slower this time, I got back on my feet. When nothing unusual happened, I believed what I'd said to be true. As we made our way down to breakfast, I added a bounce to my step, showing Jamie I was fine. It seemed to help ease the tightness around his eyes, but once we approached the stairs, he took ahold of my hand. His concern was sweet and made me grin like a loon.
It was crowded at the breakfast table. Louie, Rourke, my uncle Conor, my aunt Kiara, and, of course, Stefan were all seated and already eating. Stefan noticed us right away, eyes flicking from my aunt sitting across from him to Jamie and I, or more specifically, our joined hands. I released Jamie’s hand and we went our separate ways with him heading for his seat and me making my way over to my aunt.
“Maura, how are you?” she asked, beaming with warm affection as she got up and hugged me. My aunt Kiara was awe-strikingly beautiful with long golden-brown hair and the Quinn green eyes. She was Stefan’s baby sister and had an aura about her that radiated grace and sophistication.
“I’m great, Auntie. How are you?”
“I’m good, honey,” she replied. She touched the bruises on my cheek, then turned to glare at Stefan. “She is the Banphrionsa,” she seethed disapprovingly at him. “Papa would have never allowed one of his men to put their hands on me or their whole family would be dead. You need to educate your men, Stefan.”
The whole room muted. I noticed Conor had his elbow resting on the table with his face planted in the palm of his hand. Rourke was wide-eyed but staring down while biting the inside of his cheek. Louie was clearly feeling awkward as he pushed the food around on his plate. Jamie looked bored and Stefan regarded his sister with a displeased frown.
I sighed, feeling the need to ease the tension. “He was new and didn’t know who I was.” I put a hand up to stop before she could argue. “I know it’s no excuse and I made sure he got what he deserved. I appreciate your concern, Auntie, but times are different. I can fight my own battles. Stefan respects this and so should you.”
Kiara pursed her lips, clearly not happy. I gave her a forced smile before walking around the table to sit to the right of Stefan. “Morning,” I greeted him out of politeness.
“Good morning.”
I could feel him staring at me. I chose to ignore him. I was still pissed. “What’s for breakfast?” I asked, peering at Rourke’s plate next to me. He had bacon, eggs, hash browns, and toast. I reached for his last slice of bacon. He intercepted me by scooping it up and shoving the whole thing into his mouth. Pig! He smiled triumphantly with his cheeks puffed out around his food.
“You’re going to eat breakfast?” Stefan asked, sounding surprised.
I shrugged. “I woke up starving.”
“I wonder why that is?” Louie muttered caustically from across the table. Both Jamie and I frowned at him while Stefan eyed the three of us. What is Louie’s problem? I was about to ask him just that when Maid Barbie decided to walk in from the kitchen.
Angela glanced around the table. Her gaze landed on me. The faintest hint of annoyance narrowed her eyes until she noticed Jamie. I watched as she zeroed in on him like a predator, licking her lips.
“Jameson, I was wondering if you were going to make it to breakfast. It’s not like you to be late. Would you like your usual?” she asked him sweetly while touching his shoulder.
I bristled. I was going to sever that appendage. So help me, I’d use a damn butter knife if I had to. “You can blame me for that,” I said just as sweetly. Back off, bitch. “I can be a little distracting in the shower.”
Rourke choked on a bite of food before releasing a fit of coughs. Thankfully, Jamie didn’t look at all upset that I had basically just announced we were sleeping together. In fact, he looked downright smug about it. Angela on the other hand was glaring at me. The meanest smile pulled at my lips. Bring it on, Barbie. In the back of my mind, I was already smashing her face against the table. Who didn’t like entertainment with their meal? “If you’re taking food orders, I’ll have whatever Rourke had, but with extra bacon and hash browns.”
Angela’s lips pressed into a firm line before she retreated back into the kitchen.
“Well, that didn’t stay a secret long,” Louie commented around his food. I ignored him and everyone else at the table. My focus was solely on Jamie.
He was smirking at me. “You done marking your territory?”
I steeled my features, showing him this was anything but funny to me. The only other relationship I’d been in had ended because of infidelity. I wasn’t saying Jamie would ever cheat on me. I trusted him more than anyone, but I still felt doubt. I fucking hated it. “If she touches you or you her, I will kill her. It won’t be quick and she will suffer.” My warning didn’t shock him in the slightest. It amused him. I directed the rest of my warning to Stefan. “You will never find her body and if we ever hire another beautiful maid again, don’t be surprised if pieces of Maid Barbie get mailed to her replacement.”
His brows arched as a small smile pulled at the corner of his lips. I couldn’t tell if he was proud or laughing at me. Either way, I was surprised he wasn’t mad I'd threatened him.
“That’s kind of morbid,” Rourke said, pushing his plate away.
“She’s too much like you, Stefan. You should have raised her to be more like a lady who deserves respect and a lot less like a mobster who kills to earn it,” Kiara lectured.
“Kiara,” Conor snapped, chastising her for berating Stefan again.
Stefan ignored them and leaned back in his chair, still holding my gaze. He reached into his pocket and retrieved a dark blue velvet box. “I got this for you,” he said, handing me the box.
I schooled my face as I flipped open the lid. I guessed the tattoo on my lower back was no longer a secret, like everything else in my life. Inside, pinned by two satin snaps, lay a rose gold necklace with a shamrock pendant. Four heart-shaped diamonds made up the sprig’s petals and a cluster of smaller diamonds encrusted the stem. It was beautiful.
“Are you trying to buy my forgiveness?” I asked him.
He didn’t immediately respond, clearly choosing his words carefully. “I’ve agreed to hiring back someone from the team who watched over you in Hartford,” he said, as if that righted the wrong, the violation I'd felt. “Which, I’ll have you know, is almost double what I normally pay for security.”
Manipulation. Guilt. Tools of the game. I wondered if it was on purpose or after playing it for so long, he didn’t even realize he was doing it. Either way, he was skirting the line, threatening to break the terms of our deal. “Am I not worth it?” I asked, using his own tools against him while acknowledging his transgression, accidental or not.