DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING...ESPECIALLY THE CHARACTERS, ALL PROPS GO TO BECCA FITZPATRICK AUTHOR OF HUSH HUSH SAGA

THIS CHAPTER: DABRIA HAS A FEW WORDS FOR NORA...PATCH GET'S QUESTIONED

NEXT CHAPTER -"AUCTIONED"- GRANDMA MAKES AN APPEARANCE, THERE'S A HEART 2 HEART

CHAPTER 14

A JOURNALIST & A FUND-RAISER

"Patch."

"Hi."

Nora felt him drape his arm around her waist, pulling her closer into his chest. It wasn't the first time that he had snuggled into bed in the middle of the night and it wouldn't be his last, his bare chest pressed against her back, his legs entangled with hers, his arm wrapped possessively around her waist. She liked it when he came home to her, when he knew she was going to be there and still came just to sleep next to her and wake up next to her in the morning, it made her hope rise a tiny bit more, that one day he would wake up next to her every morning.

"I thought you weren't coming home?"

"She wasn't worth staying for," He mumbled against the back of her neck, snuggling into her. "Sex wasn't that good."

"Does this mean I won't have bagels in the morning?"

"That's exactly what it means." He chuckled against her shoulder, placing a kiss on it. "We'll force Rixon to get us bagels in the morning."

"Then he'll be nagging again about the fundraiser." She took his hand in hers, entwining their fingers. "He really wants us to go."

"Rixon needs a girlfriend." He started stroking the back of her hand with his thumb. "He has so many sexual frustrations that it's making me frustrated."

"Then maybe you should help him find a girlfriend." She squeezed his fingers with hers, pressing her back firmer into his chest. "You know a lot of girls."

"He wants you." He whispered in her ear, his grip on her tightening. "He's been in love with you for years."

"I know."

"Look at me."

Nora turned around his embrace, feeling his arms locked around her once again when she set her hands against his chest, her soft gray eyes looking for his, finding the sharp black ones filled with determination.

"Don't ever settle." Patch cupped her face in his hands, his eyes looking right into her soul. "Don't ever settle for someone who's less than you."

"You want me to become a spinster?" She tried to laugh it off but her voice broke. "Grow old with a bunch of cats around me?"

"I'll be there with you." He pushed his nose against hers, chuckling softly. "I'll be there still fucking everything that breathes and you'll still make snarky comments about it."

"You think we'll still be like this in fifty years?"

"I think we'll be forever like this." He whispered, his eyes burning with the black fire. "Just you and me."

"Always"

The day she walked out on her parents it was because they didn't want him around her anymore, and she couldn't be away from him. Her heart had ached with the thought of losing him, her soul was apart with the prospect of losing her dream. She would never be Nora without him because she grew up with their bodies tangled into each other; the world wouldn't be the same place for her if she didn't get to see it with him; her life wouldn't be worth living if she didn't get to spend it with the man she loved. So when they forced her to choose, she chose what was the only right decision for her, she chose the prospect of her dream, the calling of her heart. Patch was her choice.

"Do you have a girlfriend?"

Patch pushed himself up on the bed and leaned on his elbows, the navy blue wrinkled sheets covering his waist, sweat drops running over his abs. He arched his eyebrow as the blond girl who stood in front of his closet and traced her fingers over the smooth wood.

"No."

"Then why do you have female clothing in your closet?" She turned around to him, eying him suspiciously. "You aren't married, are you?"

"No." He threw the covers off him, standing up with a sigh. "I have a best friend."

"Must be some best friend if half your closet has her clothes in it."

"She is." He grabbed his pants from the floor and walked into the bathroom, leaving the door open. "She's the only person I trust enough to have clothes in my closet."

"She's a lucky girl." The girl leaned against the door frame, crossing her arms over her naked chest. "I bet she's in love with you."

"Let me tell you, Abi."

"It's Andie."

"That's what I said." He rolled his eyes at the mirror in front of him. "Nora is the kind of girl who wants a husband and children, I'm not that guy."

"I never said you were."

Patch eyes locked on her green ones, detecting the small amused smile on her face. He had once been ready to start a family, to be someone's husband, play with his children in the yard, but that dream had exploded into his face, the hurt it caused ripped his heart wide open. Patch would never give anyone the chance to make him go through that again, not even the woman he trusted more than anyone.

"I said that she's in love with you." Andie smiled smugly, watching him pull his pants on. "And you probably don't know her well enough to see it."

"I know Nora better than anyone." He leaned against the bathroom unit. "I know Nora better than she knows herself."

"Prove it."

"Okay." He stood up straight, biting his bottom lip. "Her favorite color is green, her favorite food is pizza, favorite series is The Vampire Diaries, her favo-,"

"Blah blah blah." Andie mocked him, waving her hands in the air. "I could know those things if I'd spent five minutes with her."

"She thinks she's a Republican because her parents brought her up to be one, but in reality she's a Democrat. She loves being around people, but after a few hours she wants to go home and curl up on the couch. She loves food, but couldn't cook if her life depended on it. Her bed is bigger than her room because she hates sleeping alone and has had night terrors since age of six, sometimes several times a week sometimes a couple of times a month that her parents refused to get her help for and the only person to make them stop and comfort her so she feels safe enough to sleep again is me, not another single person and no one but me knows what those night terrors are and that they are the same every single time. She pretends to be okay with all my one-night stands, but she hates it. And it's only partly because of all the different women, it's because she's scared that one day a grizzly bear of a husband will kill me. I know she doesn't sleep before I come home; she never did, when she was a little girl she would sit in front of her window with her teddy bear until she saw me turn up the driveway and come tuck her in or she'd watch for my bedroom light to turn on so she knew I had made it home safe. She'd do anything for those she loves and any guy catching her eye should be begging her to marry him." Patch let his eyes travel over Andie's naked form. "Don't tell me that I don't know my best friend, we grew up together, I lived next to her for ten years and lived with her after that, just because she pays her part of the rent in an apartment she shares with her girlfriends doesn't mean that she really lives there."

"I'm sorry." She pushed herself off the door frame and shrugged. "It's the journalist in me, we want to know everything."

"I think it's time for the journalist to go." Patch walked out of the bathroom, leaning against the bedroom wall. "I have a fundraiser to attend."

"You mean the annual fundraiser for all the founding families?" Her eyes went wide and then narrowed thoughtfully. "What's your last name?"

"Cipriano."

"You are the eldest son, aren't you?" She let her eyes travel over his bare chest. "I heard about you, they said your parents disowned you for calling off your engagement."

"Look, Andie." He tasted her name on his tongue. "If I wanted to share what happened five years ago, I would have accepted the interviews they offered me. But I'm not the sharing type."

"Why didn't you tell your part of the story?" She arched her eyebrow at him, shaking her head. "The only ones that gave an explanation were your parents."

Patch still remembered the day he had walked out on in his fiancé, called her every name in the book and slammed the door shut behind him. The media had camped out in front of his parents' door to know why the marriage between the two richest families in town wasn't going to happen. He knew what his parents had said to cover up the drama, how much they paid the papers to write exactly what they said. The truth was something very different, and only a few people knew the reason why he had called off the marriage of the year and turned his back on his parents with only his best friend by his side.

"It's no one's business." Patch snatched the picture she took from the shelf out of her hands and placed it back where he had it. "No one's business but mine."

"The Nora you're talking about, your best friend?" She pointed to the picture in front of them. "She's Nora Grey."

"Thank you for telling me."

"Everyone thought she was the reason for your break-up." Andie fixed her gaze on him. "Because she left her family for you."

"She wasn't the reason for my break-up." He took the picture in his hands again and smiled softly. "She was the reason I couldn't lose it after the break-up; I had to take care of her, I had to make sure she ate, slept, that she had clothes, I had to put her through school and make sure she had a roof over her head. It was just the two of us; we couldn't count on anyone but each other, not even as kids of two parent affluent households, its always been the two of us."

"There was no one to help you out?"

"I don't have any family here in the area." His mouth formed a hard-line. "We stayed with Nora's grandmother for a couple of weeks until our parents found out and did everything they could to get us out of there."

"But you survived."

"That's the thing with me and Nora." He put the picture back on the shelf and grabbed his shirt from the ground. "We always survive, together."

"She loves you." Andie stared at the picture and looked at the four people in it. "You can see it in the way she's looking at you."

"That's the day Rixon and Nora graduated." He pointed his chin to the picture. "On the right is Nora's sister Vee, the four of us grew up together. We were raised as siblings, Nora was always my favorite Grey though, it was like I had to protect my little sister."

"So you see her as your sister?"

"I did for a very long time until one day she came to me and asked me to have sex with her." He smiled softly at the memory, sighing. "Everyone was doing it and she was still a virgin, but little insecure Nora wanted to be part of the club."

"Did you?"

"I said no when she asked me." He looked down at the floor, staring at the wooden pattern."But then the day of her the prom came and my younger brother called me and told me her date, Dante, was bragging after football practice how he had gotten a date with Nora Grey, how he had rented a sleazy room at the Motel 6 there and he was going to break in the famous "Ice Princess" as they called her because she didn't date, she was still a virgin. I was seven hours away with my fiancé', but I hopped in my car and floored it back there. He had his hands all over her and she looked so resigned and miserable and yet like a goddess, all grown up and sexy as hell. I couldn't handle someone using her as a notch on their belt or hurting her. She deserved to enjoy her first time with someone who loved her and would take care of her, so I grabbed her and took her to a five star hotel in the next town over and the rest is history.

"You were jealous."

"I was engaged." He smirked dangerously, his black eyes shimmering. "We were visiting her parents in New York when Rixon called me. I couldn't stand the thought of someone else's hands on her body so I made up some excuse for my fiancé, packed my bags and drove back to Coldwater Creek to have sex with my best friend."

"You cheated on your fiancé."

"Well..." Patch shrugged indifferently. "One month after that she wasn't my fiancé anymore."

...Nora had looked so so sexy, and so innocent... so...MINE...

"It's time for you to go." His mind snapped back to the present, his eyes glancing at the clock. "Nora's going to be here in ten minutes and knowing her it will be three unless she stops for coffee on the way over, then it will be six."

"I'd give you my number but I have this feeling you won't use it anyway." She buttoned her blouse back up and smiled tightly. "You don't seem like the guy that calls a girl after sex."

"I only call them for sex." Patch waggled his eyebrows at her, handing her the black skirt. "Can you hurry up? Nora's going to torture me the whole day if she finds you here."

"Already done." She grabbed her purse from the chair and started walking to the front door. "I'll see you around, Patch."

"Maybe."

He pulled the door open and met with soft smoky eyes, her reddish-brown hair draped around her face in big unruly curls, her hand raised in the air ready to knock. He saw her eyes move from his face to Andie's, scanning her body from head to toe, inspecting every little detail about the woman. She always did this when she met one of his one-night stands; it was as if she needed to compare every one of them with herself. He never understood why when all he saw was an angel versus a descent looking fuck, hell, even the gorgeous ones he had paled in comparison to Nora, but she still seemed insecure of her looks no matter what sexual experiences they shared which were far and wide, she just never got over that one insecurity, the need to compare like she wasn't good enough for him when it was the exact opposite in his mind, he would never be good enough for her.

"I guess she didn't stop for coffee." Andie smiled tightly and stepped through the door past Nora. "Bye, Patch."

"Bye." He moved his gaze from the back of Andie's head to Nora's amused expression. "Don't give me that look."

"Whore."

"I knew you were going to say that." He rolled his eyes and pushed the door shut behind her. "You really need to come up with something else."

"Get in the shower, Patch." She placed the garment bag she was carrying on the couch and turned back to him. "We're going to be late because of your libido."

"Like you care." He clicked his tongue, shrugging indifferently. "You hate these kinds of things."

"Not when my grandmother's coming."

"This boring fund-raiser just turned into an adventure."

"Yes it did." Her dove eyes shimmered while she crossed her arms over her chest. "So get ready because we're going to dance, eat all the desserts and watch my grandmother argue with my mother."

He couldn't help but to shake his head at her and step on the platform to his bedroom; she followed him and took the small make-up bag with her into the bathroom while he pulled his pants off and grabbed the shampoo from the shelf, watching her apply her make-up in the mirror. He hated her wearing makeup, he didn't think she needed it.

"You don't need that stuff." He stepped under the beads of water. "You're stunning."

"Shadow will kill me if I don't wear it."

"I'll kill Shadow if she forced you to wear it." He smiled smugly, running his hand through his damp hair. "And it will be my pleasure."

She looked up in the mirror, locking her eyes with the darkening ones, tingles spreading across her skin as the water drops ran down his body, his hands gliding over his muscled abs. She couldn't help but to turn around and let her eyes linger, her skin itching to have his skin against hers, her body trembling with anticipation.

"Come into the shower and I'll let you touch me."

"We don't have time for that." She walked closer to the shower glass. "I wish we had though."

"Get in the shower, Nora."

"No." She crossed her arms stubbornly, glaring at him. "I spent an hour doing my hair; I'm not going to ruin it."

"You sure?"

"You're not the only one who can torture the other, you know?" She started unbuttoning her blouse. "I can do the same to you."

Nora stepped in front of the glass and locked her eyes with his, smirking playfully. His black eyes widened as she slowly let her blouse fall over her shoulders to her arms and from there to the ground beneath her. He cocked his head to the side and pouted his lips in approval of the black lacy bra she was wearing. She eyed him dangerously and slowly undid the button of her jeans, revealing the matching black lacy panties while she slowly stepped out of the jeans.

"Is it already bothering you that you're on the other side of the glass?" She bit her lip and pointed her chin to his twitching member. "Because it's certainly already bothering him."

"He's happy when he sees flesh." Patch rolled his eyes at her. "Don't take too much pride in it."

"He's smiling." She waved at his waistline, grinning like a fool. "Do you want to come here to Mommy?"

"You're a troll."

"That's a compliment of the highest order on Tumblr."

"Tumblr's the website with the moving pictures, right?"

"They're called gifs." She rolled her eyes in annoyance, huffing. "And they're pretty."

"How can they be pretty if they always make you cry?"

"Because they're so pretty that they make me cry." Nora pouted at the thought, her eyebrows frowning together. "I wish I could make them so pretty."

"I don't get it."

"That's why you would never be a good fangirl."

Patch shook his head in amusement and turned around to the tiled wall, his bare back and bottom on display for her eyes. The craving to have his body pressed against hers came back to the surface, not able to wait a few hours until she would be in bed next to him with their limbs entangled. And that would only be if he didn't meet a girl at the fund-raiser, someone he wanted to take home and show a good time, then she would end up in the apartment she shared with Shadow and Bella, alone in her bed, thinking about how she could be the one holding him at night.

"What's going on in that pretty head of yours?"

Nora jumped as he suddenly stood next to her, snapping her mind back to reality. Her eyes moved over his toned chest, water drops running down to the towel that wrapped around his waist; she looked back up and found his deep eyes staring at her, inspecting her black lacy underwear.

"I was wondering which earrings I should wear." She walked back to the bathroom unit and grabbed the two pairs of earrings. "Long or short?"

"Long."

"Okay." She started putting the long earrings on and smiled as Patch nudged her out-of-the-way. "You think they'll talk to us?"

"Do we care if they talk to us?" He turned to her, arching his eyebrow. "We're not going for our parents; we're going because Angelo wants me to talk to some potential clients."

"But we'll be forced to sit at the same table as them." She jumped on the counter in front of him. "Because the Cipriano's and Grey's are best friends."

"Well, aren't we?" He blinked his eyelashes at her, tickling her sides. "I thought we always were."

"We are." She wrapped her arms around his neck, locking their eyes. "And our parents are so it's kind of right."

"We'll be fine."

"Yeah, we will be."

Patch smiled softly before leaning in to kiss her lips. She pulled him closer with her arms still wrapped around his neck and softly pressed her mouth against his, feeling his lips part underneath her touch. Nora chuckled softly as he opened her legs for him and stepped between them, pressing himself against her core. Her tongue entered his mouth and was surrounded by a warm heat that made her moan. He started sucking softly on her tongue and started purring under her touch. Already making love with their tongues each caught up in their own slice of heaven like the greatest dessert ever invented lied in every corner and crevice of the others mouth waiting to be relished.

"Patch?"

"God, no." Patch pulled away from her, growling as he heard Rixon's voice. "I didn't lock the door."

"How are we supposed to protect our kingdom when you don't secure the gate?" Nora hopped off the counter and rolled her eyes. "I'll receive our guest."

Patch's eyes flickered dangerously and he shook his head, laughing. She sent him an evil glare and walked out the bathroom through the bedroom. She came to the edge of the platform and locked her eyes with Rixon's green ones. His mouth fell open as soon as he saw her, his eyes scanning up and down her body before he composed himself and turned away, muttering an apology while hiding a sudden raging hard on for the girl who got away, the girl who always chose his undeserving brother. It was that apology that made her look down and scan her body, realizing in that moment why Patch had laughed at her; she was still only wearing the lacy black underwear. It took the dirty laugh that came from behind her to snap her back to reality.

"You asshole!" She turned around, punching Patch's chest with both her fists. "You could have warned me."

"It's not my fault that you're so comfortable around me." He waggled his eyebrows, scanning her body. "Or that you're more often naked than dressed when you're with me."

Nora gave him one last punch; putting all her strength in it, which was a considerable amount since she worked out six days a week cardio and weights, before turning back to the living room and Rixon that still stood with his back towards them. She grabbed the garment bag from the couch and walked past Patch into the bathroom, bumping into his shoulder while he still stood there laughing.

"You can stop acting like you didn't enjoy that." Patch got off the platform and walked towards his brother. "We both know that's what you wanted to see all along."

"Don't start again, Patch."

"She looks good, doesn't she?" He bit his lip, cocking his head to the side. "Just imagine that body on top of you, I bet it gets you hard just thinking about it."

"Patch." Rixon clenched his teeth together, looking uncomfortable. "Stop it."

"She loves it when you kiss her stomach, from her naval down to paradise." He chuckled softly as Rixon clenched his hands into fists next to his sides. "And it is paradise, brother. Believe me, I've been there plenty of times. There are still no words to describe the smell or taste of her nectar, not a thing in the world to compare it to, it's a true paradise."

"I'm surprised you still notice the difference after all the women you've had." Rixon's hard eyes locked with Patch's shimmering ones. "I thought by now they would all look, smell, and taste the same to you."

"Not Nora, little bro." He pushed his finger into Rixon's chest, shaking his head. "She's better than any wet dream you've ever had, she's certainly the best I ever had and like the fine wine our family is known to have grown and still appreciate, she gets better and better with age."

"Then why do you still sleep with other women?"

"Because otherwise it would seem like we're in a relationship." Patch shrugged indifferently. "And we are not in a relationship, I don't do relationships anymore. Nora is fully aware of that and why. She just happens to love me enough to stick around and not judge me, which is more than I can say about anyone else." Looking pointingly at Rixon.

"Your last relationship is back in town." Rixon smiled smugly, watching Patch's expression. "She'll be at the fund-raiser."

"That will be interesting."

"What will be interesting?"

Nora came from behind the frosted glass, wearing a black dress that hugged all of her curves and stopped mid-thigh. Patch had to swallow the lump in his throat as he watched the angel in front of him. Her long brown hair curled and fell around her face and all the way to her waist; she wore very little make-up, but it made him even more aware of her big dove-gray eyes; the black heels on her feet made her long tanned legs look even longer than when they were wrapped around his waist.

She had always been beautiful; he had watched her grow up from a child to a teenager and with every year she gained, she seemed to become more breathtaking. The day he took her virginity he had held the most beautiful angel in the world in his arms; months later when he held her again like that he could only conclude that she had become even more beautiful. Five years later there was no one that could top her beauty, and he didn't know why he still bothered to look at other women; they were a disappointment to his eyes, they'd never have those big dove eyes or the reddish-brown silky hair, the cute dimples that grew on her face when she laughed. He didn't know what he had done to deserve her, to find her and to get to keep her in his life, she was beautiful in mind and body and what made her even more beautiful and priceless was the fact that she wasn't even aware of it.

"To see how Rixon's going to ask the girl out that he's been pining after for all this time."

"There's a girl?" Nora's eyes lit up, a smile gracing her features. "Tell me."

"No." Rixon exchanged a look with Patch and sighed. "There's no girl."

"You're lying." She stomped her foot, glaring at him. "Tell me, did you kiss yet?"

"Nora." Patch whined dramatically, rolling his eyes. "They haven't even been on a date yet."

"You don't go on a date before you kiss."

"But Rixon isn't as cool as me."

"I'm right here." Rixon gave the both of them an annoyed look. "Do not insult me when I'm standing in your apartment."

"Why are you even here?" Patch scoffed, arching his eyebrow. "I thought you'd have licked Dad's shoes by now at the fund-raiser."

"Our parents sent a limo." Rixon smiled warmly, looking at Nora. "I know how much you like limousines."

"You make me sound so shallow." She put her hands on her hips, her serious expression changing into a hopeful one while her gaze moved to Patch's. "Can we take the limo, pretty please?"

"Arriving at the fund-raiser in a car my parents paid for?" He pretended to be enthusiastic. "I don't think so, but you can ride with Rixon."

"Patch." She whined, clasping her hands together. "Please?"

"No." He came closer and tapped her nose. "You go with Rixon, I'll come after you."

"They'll probably have had me as an appetizer before you arrive."

"I don't hear you complain when I eat you..." He lowered his voice once he received an evil glare. "...out."

"Okay." She raised her voice, turning to Rixon and grabbing his arm. "I'm coming with you."

"Be good." Patch yelled after them as they walked to the door. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

"Which means we can have meaningless sex in the back of the limo."

"You don't have to be so snarky about it."

"We're leaving!"

"Use a condom!"

"So you finally went for the Cipriano they did offer you on a silver plate." The high-pitched voice made Nora turn around. "Hi Nora, I'd say it's nice to see you again, but I would be lying."

"And I would be offended." She crossed her arms over her chest, smirking. "Hello Dabria."

"Did you finally realize that Patch would never go for you?" Dabria's green eyes traveled up and down her body. "Or did he use you and throw you away like his other toys?"

"He threw you away too. Looks like only one of us is still around and it's certainly not you." She cocked her head to the side, glaring. "I thought Dabria would never be someone's toy."

"We both know he was my toy." Dabria curled her long brown hair around her finger. "And he was more than my toy; he became my fiancé, something you weren't very pleased with if I remember correctly."

This was the woman who had burned her best friend; she had made him the man he was today. She could still remember the days when Patch would have gladly settled down with the woman he loved; start a family and have a dog running in the yard, but that all changed when Dabria came along. He was blinded by her looks, by the witty remarks and the mind-blowing sex; he didn't see what she saw. The cold personality that hid in Dabria, the woman who would never give him the children he wanted, or the family he craved. She and her family were after his money, the money of his family, because he was the eldest, he was the one that would get the firm after his father passed away. But Dabria didn't foresee one thing, the girl that watched over her best friend with hawk eyes; that would claw her eyes out when she didn't treat him the way he was supposed to be loved. Carefully executed plans and time ensured the true workings of Dabria had come to light. And in the end, Nora was the reason the engagement was called off; it was something her parents or Patch's parents never forgave her for, but she didn't regret it, she still didn't.

"At least I succeeded in keeping him for twenty years." She pouted her lips together. "I remember you were gone after two years."

"Everyone takes you for this innocent girl who chose the wrong path," Dabria had a little smile on her lips, clearly amused. "But you're not so innocent when it comes to Patch, are you?"

"I want him to be happy and whatever makes him happy makes me happy as long as he's not being hurt." She looked down at the floor, biting her lip. "And you are not what makes him happy... just hurt."

"And you are?" Dabria started walking backwards into the crowd. "Take my advice Nora, marry Rixon like they always wanted you to, like Rixon has always wanted you to, because Patch, will never give you what you want."

She took a deep breath as Dabria turned around and disappeared into the crowd, her long red dress swaying across the floor. Her eyes scanned the room, noticing the draped curtains, people dancing and laughing, families talking. She grew up at these sort of things, knew probably everyone in this room and yet standing here; she had never felt so alone. She was the lost daughter of the Grey family now, the one that chose the wrong path; people would rather be dead than to talk to her. It didn't matter which dress she wore, how nice she looked or how expensive her jewelry was, she wasn't part of the club anymore, she only still carried the name because they couldn't take it away from her, no matter how hard they tried.

"Aren't you the prettiest thing I've ever seen?" The husky whisper reached her ears, warm arms wrapping around her waist. "What does this amazing body of yours think about a quickie in the bathroom?"

"This body thinks you're an hour late." She turned around in his embrace, locking her cool gray eyes with the black ones. "You better have a damn good excuse."

"Something came up."

"I'm sure I know what came up." She grabbed his crotch, making him cringe. "You do not leave me alone for an hour in a room with our parents because little Patch decides he wants to go for a walk."

"Nora, are you familiar with the term blue balls?" He whined, grabbing her hand that was still squeezing his crotch tightly. "Because it's not pretty, believe me."

"Does it hurt?" She tightened her grip, watching the pained expression on his face. "Good."

"Patch?" Angelo's voice made Bella let go of Patch. "What happened to you?"

"He's been bad." Bella turned around to Angelo and watched Patch search for support against the wall. "That was punishment."

"I wish you gave me the kind of punishment I enjoy." Patch pushed his forehead against the wall, holding his crotch. "Damn, I didn't know you had so many muscles in those tiny arms."

"Did you already tell him?"

Nora's eyes snapped from Angelo's blue ones to the door where Gianni and Gabriel came running through. She chuckled softly at the worried expressions on their faces and watched the frown appear on Patch's face. Although the two men grew up together with her and Patch, she had never been as close to them as she was to Patch. She let them use her as their little sister, but that didn't mean she bonded with them until the day she left with Patch and even Bella and Shadow refused to talk to her for months. They welcomed her into the big boys' club and taught her how to drink and smoke like real men. Angelo was not only their boss, but the one that watched over them and her, he was the one that made sure they got home safely with their pants still on and their money in their pockets on top of being Patch's other closest friend and savior when they were a step away from being homeless and starving after being disowned. It was Angelo who gave them the life they now enjoyed.

"Tell me what?" Patch pushed himself off the wall, slowly standing up. "I don't like those smiles on your faces."

"We're a bachelor short." Angelo spoke up, directing his gaze at Patch. "Since you weren't here, you pulled the short straw and you get to spend your night with the richest horny woman in town."

"You're kidding me, right?" Patch looked horrified, his eyes glancing to all of their faces. "This is too sick to be funny."

"I'm not kidding." Angelo shook his head in amusement. "You're being sold for the highest bid."

"At least you won't feel cheap after you had sex with her." Nora bit her lip to hold back her laughter. "It might make you feel better."

"Do you know what kind of women bid on those bachelors?" His eyes went wide. "They're at least twice my age and they look like dragons."

"You were obsessed with dragons when you were fourteen." She shrugged indifferently, a smile growing on her face. "It might bring back some happy childhood memories."

"I'm glad you find happiness in my misery."

She clasped her hand over her mouth to hide her smile while she walked past the three men into the ballroom. Her eyes quickly scanned over the table seating and found her name at the bottom. She sighed and started walking towards the end of the ballroom, feeling a hand being placed on the small of her back.

"Just remember that they're a bunch of idiots who have nothing better to do than to hate their children for having an opinion." Patch placed a quick kiss on her temple. "Whatever they say, I have your back. Okay?"

"And I have yours." She placed a kiss on his cheek, wrapping her arm around his back. "Just don't leave me alone to go fuck a waitress."

"Already checked them out." He nudged her side, smirking devilishly. "I think I'm going home with you."

"Wrong, Casanova." She chuckled, her eyes shimmering. "You're going home with the one that spends the most money on you."

"Don't remind me of it."

"Stud!"

"At least someone's happy to see me." Patch laughed warmly as the older lady came running from their table. "Hi Clista."

"You two are late." Clista's ash eyes glared at them before she wrapped Patch in a hug and squeezed him tightly. "How do you get more handsome every time I see you?"

"Your eyesight gets worse every time you see him." Nora interrupted whatever Patch was going to say and wrapped her arms around the older lady. "Hi Grandma, it's good to see you."

"My beautiful granddaughter."

Nora hugged the woman that had practically raised her. Her parents had never been really present in her life, neither had Patch's; so her grandmother practically raised the two of them and their siblings. She was the one that tucked them into bed and prepared breakfast in the morning before she drove them to school before Patch was old enough. Family was everything to the older woman once her husband Nick Gilbert had died twenty years ago, Nora didn't have any memories with her grandfather, but from what she heard, her grandmother and grandfather had been completely in love, the kind of love that never dies. When Nick died, everyone thought it wouldn't be long before they lost her too, but the truth had been something very different. She became a full-time parent to her grandchildren, and when five years later she noticed how absent the Cipriano's were in their children's lives when they moved next door, she took Rixon and Patch under her wing and raised them with the same love she raised her own grandchildren. Nora's grandmother was the woman she wanted to turn out to be, she had an epic love and marriage followed by a very active role in life, especially her grandchildren's lives.

"You're still as beautiful as the day I met you, Clista." Patch patted her shoulder. "Where did you find the fountain of youth?"

"And you, Stud." She pointed her finger at him, her ash eyes shimmering. "Are still as much of a charmer as the day you discovered it had girls opening their legs for you."

"I believe you were the one who taught me."

"And I'm damn proud of it." Her white curls bounced as she chuckled a warm laugh. "Come on, I ordered for the both of you."

The laugh disappeared from Nora's face as her grandmother turned around and motioned for them to follow her to their table. Patch gave her a look and placed his hand back on her back, pushing her towards the table of doom.

"Nora!" Vee stood up once she saw her, wrapping her arms around her. "Finally, you're here."

"I didn't know you were going to be here." She hugged her back, doing a little dance. "It's so good to see you, you have to tell me everything about New York."

"Hello people." Patch sat down next to Rixon and watched around the table, noticing everyone turn their heads away from him. "Well at least you won't ask me for a picture or an autograph, I can live with that."

"Your ego is already big enough." Rixon turned to him once everyone started talking again. "They just don't want to make it any bigger."

"You and I need to have a talk." Patch crossed his arms on the table, hearing Nora giggle with Vee beside him. "Why was Nora standing on her own in the hallway?"

"Dad dragged me with him and she wanted to wait for you." He shrugged, shaking his head. "She's a big girl Patch, she can stand on her own in a hallway."

"I give you an hour with her and you leave her behind in the hallway?" He clenched his teeth together. "You do not under any circumstances leave Nora alone in a place where our parents can get to her without backup. Not to mention Dabria being here tonight also."

"She was fine."

"And you're damn lucky that she is." His intense black eyes went narrowed. "Next time you take her with you, you stay with her. Got it?"

"Got it."

"Patch." Nora sing-song, shaking his arm. "It's time for the auction."