The Enforcer or The Mafia Prince

Chapter 18

"Declan," Jessica whispered as she uncurled herself, checking to see if he was still awake.

"Hmm," a husky mumble was his only response. Jessica tried to sit up, but her shirt was pinned underneath him. She called his name again, but he didn't respond. He had indeed fallen asleep. Jessica, half sitting, admired him as Declan slept. He looked so much younger than usual. At first, Jess thought she'd be obnoxious and simply poke the man. She used her finger to prod against his temple. Nothing happened. Smiling, Jessica decided to enjoy the moment since he wouldn't know. She placed her hand on the side of his head and felt the stubble scratch her skin as she ran it down to his cheek and then his jaw. He really was so handsome.

Jess could tell he shaved his head but didn't understand why. Maybe he just didn't like how his hair looked. It didn't matter. The cleanly shaved way he was made his rugged features stand out. Jessica wasn't sure what she liked more about him. His gray eyes looked deep and intense when he talked to her. Maybe it was his smile when they played games at his place the other day. She moved her hand back up to cup his cheek, rubbing her thumb against his cheekbone. In a swift motion, Declan reached up and grabbed her wrist with his eyes still closed. The rapid movement caused Jess to pull back a little, only to be tugged back to him by her shirt.

"Jess," Declan said in a warning tone, "you need to stop this." On the one hand, Jess liked his voice when he told her what to do. On the other, misbehaving was so much more gratifying.

With a smirk, Jessica responded, "Or what, Declan." She had leaned closer to him as she spoke so that she whispered his name with her lips so close they brushed against his ear.

"Jess, you have got to stop teasing me," he growled at her.

"It's only teasing because you won't touch me back," she pouted. That was it. Declan snapped. Unable to resist, he rolled over onto Jess and kissed her. It was gentle and loving but turned into a desperate need to consume her. He'd tried so hard to stay away from her that the feeling of his lips on hers was electric. He felt as though she were molded just to fit against him. Every breath, every movement felt indescribable. Jess reached for the hem of her shirt. Sensing her movements, Declan helped her remove it and threw it across the room. Finally, his hands were on her bare skin. It was impossible to tell which one enjoyed it more. When he flicked his thumb over her n****e, Jessica arched her back and moaned his name. This time he didn't stop.

"God, Jess, you're so beautiful," Declan moaned before reclaiming her lips. They were just kissing, but it felt so good to Jess that it hurt. She struggled to identify where the sensations were coming from. It was like butterflies in her stomach that had multiplied so quickly that no room was left, and it hurt. Or she could say it felt like her heart was soring but moving too fast that it was catching fire. She could breathe, but each breath never felt enough. Whatever it was, it was addictive, and Jess didn't want the moment to end.

Pulling back, Jess looked at Declan in a way that made him feel vulnerable, "Declan, you really are so damn handsome." Her comment caught him off guard. No one who had seen him next to Tristan ever thought he was handsome; they were too concerned with the other man's features to see Declan. Yet, Jessica had seen them both and spent time with them. Still, she saw Declan and thought he was handsome. Which he was. Declan didn't realize women were attracted to him because of his cold behavior. How Jess could be attracted to both of them baffled Declan. At the thought of Tristan, though, Declan felt his stomach lurch. He was making out with the girl that was supposed to be with his best friend. His brother. His boss.

"Jess," Declan whispered, hating himself for pulling away, "we have got to stop this."

"Why?" Jessica whined as she covered her breasts with one hand and propped herself up with the other.

"You know why," Declan said as he climbed off her. He began searching for her shirt. The bed squeaked and covered up her response. He turned back to her, startled to see tears in her eyes.

"What?" Declan didn't know if he was asking Jessica what she had said or what he'd done to make her cry.

"I said I don't know why," she raised her voice. "I don't know why you keep pushing me away when we're both clearly attracted to each other. You're single. I'm single. What's the issue?" Deep down, Jess knew what the issue was. She could rip the band-aid off and discuss things by making him state it out loud.

"Jess," Declan buried his face in his hands as he sat back to her on the side of the bed. "You're supposed to be with Tristan. Even if you're not together, you two are going on dates and fooling around enough to have a possible video. You talked to Ciaran; he wants you here to date Tristan and make him look good." Finally, someone spoke the truth. All this "Oh, you're just here to boost his image" or "You're a good influence" bullshit was stripped away. She was there to be a trophy on Tristan's arm so Ciaran could cleanly pass the business to him.

"Tristan and I made it very clear to one another that we're not dating and are currently just friends," Jessica enunciated through her teeth.

"You're attracted to him, too. He clearly likes you. I've never seen Tristan treat anyone the way he treats you. Forget the fact that he's my boss's son. Tristan is my best friend, and thanks to him, I'm off the streets and have a good life." The more Declan spoke, the more regretful he felt for letting himself get out of control. He opened his eyes and spotted Jess's shirt. He leaned over and handed it to her, surprised she was crying then.

"Jess, why are you crying?" Declan didn't understand. He was trying to protect them from getting too deep into something they couldn't take back.

"I'm frustrated, Declan!" Jess's shout might as well have been thunder from the storm; it was so loud.

"Then why are you frustrated?" He needed to understand. Jess huffed in frustration as she pulled her shirt on and flopped against the mattress.

"You and Tristan just don't get it. How am I supposed to be around you and not like it? You're both so damn hot, and both have good qualities. Yet I can't get either of you over your bullshit. With Tristan, he saw me as something already his and didn't worry about ending things with Sophia. With you, it's all about Tristan and not caring about what you or I want. I'm not asking to date either of you," Jess tried to explain the jumbled mess of thoughts in her head.

"No, you're trying to be f**k buddies with the both of us and not realize how it pits us against one another!" Declan spat at her. Jess was surprised he'd snapped at her but even more surprised to be called on her out. "Do you realize that you only ever kiss me when something happens to you? In the library, you were frustrated, so you kissed me. You were upset because of the storm, and you kissed me. If Tristan were here, would it have been him instead? Are you constantly coming on to me just because I'm here? You were so rude to Tristan yesterday over a woman he technically wasn't with, and now you're acting like you're not doing the same thing to me. You can have it both ways, Jessica.

Jessica knew Declan had her. Nothing she could say would make things better. If Jess argued it was different, he'd argue that it's not because she's supposed to be seen with Tristan publicly, eventually. If she argued that playing with both of them was okay, he'd be pissed to be toyed with or lumped along with Tristan as s*x friends. Upset and flustered, Jessica got up and marched back to her room. She didn't want to act like a spoiled brat. She turned the handle and closed the door before rotating it again. The door didn't make a sound.

Jess grabbed a pillow, curled into a ball on her bed, and sobbed. She didn't know how to explain her feelings or thoughts. Yes, she wanted to be with both of them. Yes, Jess understood that it wasn't socially acceptable. There was Tristan, who was drop-dead gorgeous and turning out to be someone entirely different than she thought. Then there was Declan. There was Declan. What could she say? He was right that she was making it a habit to use him when upset. Still, nothing had ever felt like that kiss. He was like a magnet; she couldn't stay away from him. In all situations, it came back to him. What was wrong with her? Why did it feel so good and yet, hurt so much to kiss him? All Jess knew for sure was that her emotions and s*x drive had been all over the place since meeting them. She felt chaotic, out of control, upset, angry, hurt, turned on, overwhelmed, and worried... she felt so many things at once and couldn't satisfy any of them.

So, Jess did what any girl would in her shoes. She called her mom.

As soon as Heather heard Jessica's crying voice, she worried the storm had upset her daughter. It did, but there was more to it than that.

"Mom," Jess burst into tears and put her phone on speaker. She sat it on the bed and hugged her pillow tighter.

"Sweetheart, what's wrong? Did the storm get to you? Did those boys get to you? Was it that Greg again?" Heather wished she were healthy and could properly take care of her daughter. She felt so much guilt for being sick and causing this whole mess.

"No. I mean, yes, but no. Mom," Jess cried again. Sensing there was no immediate danger, Heather stayed on the phone with Jess until she calmed down enough to explain. "Yes, Mom, the storm upset me. But that's not what I'm calling about or even crying over. I'm just such a mess, and I don't understand why I'm acting this way."

"What's going on? You can tell me," Heather coaxed her daughter.

"Okay, but you're my mom, so some of it's awkward, but you can't get mad," Jess didn't want her mom to think poorly of her.

"I promise, sweetheart. I love you no matter what, just tell me what happened, and we can talk about it."

Jessica sniffled and began to explain as much as she was comfortable with, "Well, you know, it's, um. I'm young and single, and both Tristan and Declan are single and both handsome. Ciaran O'Sullivan didn't say it explicitly but indicated that I should date his son to improve Tristan's image. Tristan and I have been on a few days, and I know he likes me, and I like him. We even fooled around the other day. There might be a video of it out there because of a rival organization. And then there's Declan. He's also incredibly handsome and sexy in a different way. He's strong and can take on anyone, but he's also adorable and likes arcade games and neon signs." Jess started crying again.

"Oh, honey. Okay, let's take one thing at a time. Let's start with the video." Jessica explained about Sophia and the camera found in Tristan's place. Then she explained how that had bothered her, but then she met Emma and learned so much about how the O'Sullivans handle things like that, which made her feel better.

"It sounds like that's scary to worry about being out there. However, the way you explained it, there might not be a video. You can't let it get to you until you know more about the situation. It's best to treat that one as 'out of sight, out of mind,' Jessica. The O'Sullivans said they would handle it if something does come of it. Now explain to me what's going on between these two boys."

"It's just," Jessica paused, unsure how to explain. "Everyone is trying to pair Tristan and me together. I know he likes me, and I think I'm starting to like him. He is very handsome. Then there's Declan, who is an entirely different person from Tristan but is also handsome. And sweet. And interesting. And kind. And funny when he wants to be. My feelings for Declan are much more intense, but I'm not supposed to have feelings for him, according to everyone around me. I am so mixed up, and it's making me crazy. I want both of them, but that doesn't seem right. At the very least, it's unfair to both of them."

"Jess, honey, forget that I'm your mom for a moment and just listen, okay?" Jessica's mom had never spoken to her that way. Curious, she agreed to listen. "You have been there for a week. You left here late last Wednesday, and it's Thursday night now. In that time, you've dealt with finding out your father owes money to the mob, you've basically moved into a new home with new people you don't know, you've been assaulted by some boy on campus, your friend was attacked seemingly by that same boy, and you might have an inappropriate video out there somewhere. You're juggling all that with a sick mom, attending school, and trying to keep your grades up. There are so many unknowns in your future right now, and that's scary for anyone. For a girl your age to go through all this, it is a wonder you've gone so long and not broken down. Regarding which of these boys you like, I won't encourage you one way or another. I will remind you that it's been a week, and you don't have to pick anyone. You can take your time getting to know them and, if you're that frustrated, just get a vibrator."

"Mom!" Jessica stopped crying, thanks to her mom's shocking speech.

"I'm not your mom right now, remember?" Heather chucked into the phone. "But really, honey, you should ask them if they have a therapist on retainer because you need to talk to someone. This thing you're dealing with is complicated. It wouldn't hurt to talk to someone with more professional experience; bonus points if they're in with the O'Sullivans so you can tell them everything and not worry about saying something you shouldn't."

Jess thought her mom had a point there. She struggled with all these emotions, making her less focused on her goals. Before hanging up, Heather reminded Jess that she needed to call her dad. He messed up, but he was still her dad and loved her. Manuel had missed his daughter, too. Eventually, the women said their goodbyes and hung up. Jessica didn't even know what time it was. She checked the time on her phone and realized it was very late. After washing her face, she got under the covers and fell into a deep sleep that only came after crying her soul out.