by Ari Reavis
It feels like home. It feels like everything good coming back to me as he slides into me. He stretches me in a way I’ve craved since the last time he was inside me. He’s the one to shudder this time, staying still in me, my hands gripping his shoulders.
“I have missed this pussy in ways I cannot even explain,” he murmurs against my lips.
“Show me just how much. Give it to me just how you told me you would in the letter.”
His head moves back, a sexy grin taking over his face before he pulls out of me until only the tip is in and then slams back in. My body moves, but his hands are quick to go to my hips, holding me in place while he drives into me. My arms and legs wrap around him, holding on for dear life. Kisses steal my gasps and moans while his hands go to my ass and squeeze. He tilts my hips up and hits an angle so good, my eyes close in bliss. A few more thrusts and him sucking on my tongue takes me over the edge.
“Damir.” I gasp. “God, don’t stop. Please don’t stop.”
“Never.”
He sits up once my back stops arching, hands wrapping around my thighs and pulling them wide apart. His eyes are on nothing but my pussy as he drives into me, but they fly up when I begin massaging my breasts, pinching my nipples. His groan vibrates through me before he speeds up, leaning forward and moving my hand aside so he can take my nipple into his mouth.
His body grinds against my clit while he sucks on my nipple, quickly bringing on my second orgasm. I grab his ass, pushing him into me harder until I come again, biting down on his shoulder when I explode around him. His hold gets rougher, a sigh leaving him and his face going to the crook of my neck. He comes, groaning my name until his body slows down. His weight begins to settle over me, but then he suddenly gets up.
“I’ll crush the baby,” he exclaims.
“Really?” I chuckle.
“What? We gotta be careful.” His face screws up. “Maybe that was too rough.”
“I’ll let you know when something is too much for me to handle.” I lean forward until my lips are against his. “And I don’t think your dick will ever be on that list.”
He grins as my lips meet his.
“I know something you’ll be worried about tomorrow morning though,” he says while I turn so my back is to his chest.
I wrap his arm around me, absently asking him what that is.
“That my parents are in the next room,” he gets closer to my ear. “And you were very loud just now.”
And he’s right. I feel like I’m doing the walk of shame in my own house when I go to the kitchen for breakfast. Although Evelyn just shoots me a smile as I get some plates for her to put the pancakes she’s making on, my mind swears the twinkle in her eye says, “I know what you were doing last night.”.
“Well you look much better.” She compliments.
I almost spit my juice out thinking she means because I finally got some.
“Hmm, do I?” I ask.
“Yes. Must be the pregnancy glow starting.” She smiles.
“Oh yeah, maybe. I wasn’t nauseous this morning, so there’s that.”
“Well, you are almost to three months, so that’s when you have a little time to enjoy being pregnant before your back, feet, and well, everything starts hurting.”
I cringe. “Lots to look forward to.”
“You’ll forget about all that the moment you look down at your baby.”
“I’m still a little shocked we’re talking about a baby,” Damien’s voice says when he enters the kitchen.
He walks over to Evelyn and kisses her forehead before making all of our plates.
“Where is that son of mine?” he asks.
“My guess would be still sleeping. He had a long night,” Evelyn says.
I actually do spit out my juice this time, and I know I do not imagine the amusement in Evelyn’s eyes when I look at her. I’m sure my entire face is red with embarrassment, but I just duck my head and get a paper towel to clean to the juice. After Damir wakes up and eats, we both get dressed and head over to Liam’s to see the progress that was done while Damir was in jail.
“So all that’s really left now is the basement.” Damir nods in approval.
“I don’t know how you got those guys to still work on the house while you were away,” Liam says.
“I had the guy who was helping me out bribe them with days off.” Damir chuckles.
“Well they deserve it. They did really good work, and fast too. Thanks, man.”
“No problem. What are you thinking for the basement? Man cave, gaming room, bar?”
“Ugh.” I interrupt. “I hate the phrase man cave. Call it a den and be done with it.”
“Well then, let’s go with...a man den.” Liam smirks.
Damir rubs his hands together. “I have just the plans in mind.”
Liam and I go back upstairs as Damir takes some measurements in the basement.
I look up at him from the side. “You do know if we move, I’m still gonna be a thorn in your side, right?”
He smiles at me. “I couldn’t get rid of you if I tried, little sister. It’s two hours. We can make that work. Especially when you’re about to have my nephew.”
“Again with the nephew.” I chuckle.
“I can see staying here isn’t good for you or Damir. If that cop set him up before, he’ll definitely do it again. Are you sure you’re gonna be able to find a new job out there?”
“I haven’t started looking yet, but schools always need teachers, right?”
“I have a little surprise for you today.”
“Oh, what?”
He looks down at his phone. “Should be here any...”
The doorbell rings and his smile grows. Just from that, I can tell what the surprise is. Or rather who.
“Don’t stare.” He quickly whispers before heading for the door.
My eyebrows scrunch in confusion. He opens the door and in walks a beautiful girl, huge grin on her face as she wraps her arms around Liam. The fact that her eyes close when he hugs her tight tells me everything I need to know about her feelings for my brother. She’s in love with him just as much as he is with her. He pulls back and kisses her, his hand going to her face, moving the hair styled over her left cheek aside.
It’s then that I notice what he was referring to. She has a long scar that goes from just below her left temple, through her cheek, disappearing under Liam’s hand, and reappearing under it to the end of her face. But it doesn’t end there. It continues to her neck, slightly curving at the end like whatever cut her turned as it finally lifted away. It doesn’t take away from her beauty in the least though. If anything, it makes her more beautiful, knowing that she’s been through something and survived it. But that’s the fighter in me nodding in approval.
When their hug ends, her eyes leave Liam and widen in surprise when she notices me.
“Oh, I didn’t...” her hand shoots up to move her hair back as if it’s natural for her to try and cover her scar.
And just as quickly Liam is gently pulling her hand away from her face and linking his fingers with hers.
“This is my sister, Mariah. Mariah, this is Nia.” He introduces us.
I rush across the living room and extend my hand. “It’s so nice to meet you.”
“You too. I’ve heard about so many pranks between you too.” She chuckles.
“But did he tell you that I’m winning?”
“I mean, I wouldn’t call it winning, so much as we have a truce because I can’t be pranking my nephew.” Liam cuts in. “That does not count as winning.”
“Says the loser.” I smirk.
Damir’s boots make loud thumps as he walks up the stairs and Liam introduces him and Nia. We all drive to a diner that’s on the rougher side of town, but with some of the best food around. I point out some of the places Liam and I lived, both with our parents and by ourselves as we go. The look in Damir’s eyes alternates between sadness and anger while he looks out the window at the rundow
n buildings.
“So what brought you to community center?” I ask Nia once we’re sitting down in a booth.
“I wanted to work somewhere that I felt I could actually make a difference.” She answers.
“And you live in Newport?” Damir asks.
She shakes her head. “About half an hour away. My mother said if I moved to Newport, she’d never come visit me. No offense Liam.”
He chuckles. “None taken. It’s definitely not a town I would tell anyone to move into. I literally live on the one block that was left half way decent. So unless you’re moving onto that street, I’d be advising people to move out.”
“But how?” Damir puzzles. “Why is that block nice?”
He shrugs. “Probably because the houses were owned by older people who didn’t have bad ass teens running around making trouble. I only got my house because the tenant went to a nursing home, and her kids just wanted to get the house off their hands. Plus there’s no apartment buildings near there, so less riff-raff.”
Damir and Liam start talking about this man den so I look over at Nia.
“And you like working down at the community center?” I ask her.
“I love it. The kids are amazing. And I really like all of the outreach that the center does in the schools and even in some peoples’ homes.”
“And you’re the counselor?”
She nods.
“Is it hard?” I inquire.
“It can be. Hearing some of the things they’ve been through or are still going through is hard, but when you can help them, in any way, it makes you feel like hopefully things can change for them, get better.”
“And that’s where you met Liam?”
She arches a brow. “Oh, he didn’t tell you?”
“No, but I definitely have to hear it now.” I chuckle.
“He practically ran me over running away from one of the kids. Playing tag in the hall and bulldozed right into me.”
“Oh my, God.” I laugh. “That definitely sounds like my brother.”
“I honestly saw him pause for a moment as he decided whether he was going to help me up and risk getting tagged or keep running. Right before he used me as a shield, Mariah. And still got tagged.” She shakes her head, laughing. “After he helped me pick up all the papers that were sprinkled over the hallway, we got to talking and...” She spreads her hands. “Here we are.”
“That is a love story only befitting my brother.”
Her eyes soften at the word love and then quickly cut to Liam. He’s laughing at something with Damir, but then, maybe feeling her eyes on him, he turns and looks at Nia. They stare at each other for a moment, and a smile forms on my face just watching the amount of love in both their eyes. When the food comes and breaks their moment, Nia looks down, a small smile on her face.
“We have to get together soon. Just us,” I tell her.
“I would like that a lot.” She nods. “As long as you won’t spend it threatening my life over Liam.”
“Oh, I think you already know not to let this smile fool you.” I grin.
“Noted.”
“Did I just hear what I think I heard?” Liam cuts in.
“Yes. But didn’t it sound much better than what you said to Damir?” I accuse.
Liam just laughs. “Just imagine what I would say if you have a girl, and someone tries to date my niece.”
When everyone is done, Liam asks to take a picture with my barely there bump before we go. He basically frames my stomach with his hands as Damir takes the picture. Then I take a picture with Damir.
“Okay, you guys,” I say to Liam and Nia.
I see the smile drop from Nia’s face, but before I can say never mind, Liam wraps him arm around her waist. She hurries to switch to the other side of him though. Her head only comes to his shoulder, and she makes sure to tuck the left side of her face against his chest. I see Liam frown at her action before he kisses her hair and turns his face towards my phone. Finally, we ask the waitress to take a photo of all of us before leaving.
I look over the pictures in the car, knowing Nia will be in all the future photos. Except in the future ones, there’ll be a little boy or girl in them as well.
Chapter 24
“I just wanted to thank everyone,” I say to my employees when I get back to the site on Monday. “For working hard and getting everything done in my absence. I really appreciate you guys keeping everything on track.”
Everyone nods and one of the men speaks up.
“Did they catch whoever really killed Stanley yet?”
I shake my head. “Not that I’ve heard of. He was a good man and hopefully they find whoever killed him soon.”
I head to the office to get the change in plans I want to review with one of my employees when a shadow darkens my door. When I look up and see who it is, my face darkens right along with it.
All the rage I felt when I saw Miller in the courtroom feels no less now that I’m no longer being set up for something he knew I didn’t do. I have to grab the back of my chair to keep from wrapping them around his neck as he looks around my trailer, smirk still on his face as if he didn’t try to ruin my whole life. Doesn’t matter to me that he failed. He tried, and I have to convince myself that’s not enough of a reason to walk around this desk and fire my nail gun into his neck.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” I growl.
“Came to see what you look like now that you’ve shed the jumpsuit,” Miller says.
“Do you know what I’ve been working on with my lawyer since I got out of that jumpsuit? A harassment lawsuit against you.” His face goes red with anger. “In fact, I think he should have left the courthouse from filing it just a few minutes ago.”
“You think I don’t know that?” He spits, then tries to regain some type of composure, visibly calming himself. “Nothing happens in this town that I don’t know about. I know all about your little lawyer going down to the courthouse an hour ago, thinking he can take me down. It’s not just me though, it’s the whole police force you’ll be facing, and that’s not going to happen.”
It dawns on me why he’s here. He found out about Terry being at the courthouse, maybe even knew it was to file a lawsuit against him, and got scared. Terrified, if he came here knowing the risk having any contact with me brings. And he thought he’d come here to...what? Intimidate me? Reason with me?
Even with anger that’s just one wrong word or move from boiling over, I still smile. Smirk really. “So that’s why you’re here? You’re shitting yourself because you know your world’s about to come crashing down around you now that everything you did is coming to the light?”
His face twists. “You don’t know what you’re starting boy.”
“Boy?” I laugh, cutting off whatever he was about to say. I walk around the desk, closer to him as I begin talking. “This boy just beat the murder charges you helped cook up against him. Remember that the next time you even glance in my direction,” I get in his face. “Boy! Now get the fuck out of my trailer.”
“We can let bygones be bygones,” he says through clenched teeth. “You stop that lawsuit in its tracks, and you won’t have any more problems from me, from anyone.”
I back up, utter astonishment rushing through me. I could almost laugh if I wasn’t so shocked at the audacity of this asshole. Coming here, asking a favor of me. Of me. Like he hadn’t done his damnedest to destroy everything I’ve worked so hard for.
“You tried to take everything from me. My freedom, hell my God damn life if I’d been found guilty of something you and I both know I didn’t do. How fucking dare you come here offering me some bullshit truce because you realize just how deep in your own shit you are. Everyone is seeing you for exactly who you are now, a crooked ass cop, and really just a fucked up human being, and you want me, me,” I shout, the anger bleeding through. “The person you painted as a fucking killer, to come clean up how people see you? The fucking nerve you walked in here with to even ask me t
hat.”
“Listen Damir...”
I scoff. “Oh it’s Damir now? Not criminal, scum, piece of shit? Damir huh?” I walk over to the door and open it, the sunlight spilling in. “For the last time, get the fuck out of my trailer, off of my site, and away from me. If I suspect you’ve even been thinking of me, I’ll be letting my lawyer know. I better not fucking set eyes on you again until it’s time for me to testify against you this time.”
He takes a step, but towards me, not the door. “If you fucking think I’m going to sit back and let you tarnish my career...”
“Go ahead, finish that sentence so I can tell my lawyer how you threatened me. I dare you.”
His eyes narrow, hatred in them, a muscle ticking in his jaw as he stares hard at me. Some type of common sense must hit him because he begins walking, pass me, out the door, down the steps of the trailer. I stand in the doorway and watch him until he’s completely off of my site. And then I quickly call Terry to let him know what happened.
“You really do need to move,” Terry repeats again. “This asshole really has it out for you. He’s not going to stop Damir. Him coming there shows he still thinks he has some type of power to throw around.”
“And what’s to stop him from just fucking up my life wherever I move?” I shout, slamming my hand down on the table. “What good is filing the lawsuit if it just seems to make him realize he has nothing to lose?”
“It’s worse here, he has much more sway here than he will anywhere else, because this is where he works, where the other officers think they know him, and took his word for things, like the bullshit he told the detectives. That won’t be the same anywhere else. And we filed the lawsuit to take away the badge he’s been using to get away with everything. Once we take away what that badge gives him, he’s got nothing.”
“I know, I know. Sorry.”
“It’s okay. I get it. You have every right to be pissed. But just don’t let it make you do anything stupid.”