by J. L. Beck
The kid shakes his head, realization slowly leaking into his features. “Nah, man, I’m good, just getting my ball.”
“Then get your fucking ball and walk away. Don’t look at her again, and tell your friends to keep their eyes on your game, or you’ll all regret it.”
He scoffs. “Whatever, man.” He tosses the ball in the air toward his friends and bounds away.
I’m coiled tight with rage, ready to go after him, teach him a lesson in respect.
Celia grips my cheeks and drags my focus to her. “Look at me, Nic. Please, look at me now.” Her voice is frantic.
I focus on her pretty face, anger still coursing through me. “I’m looking at you. Keep talking to me.”
She releases a tiny sigh of relief to have reached me. “Don’t think about those dumb guys. It’s a habit to look at a woman more than anything.”
I trap her hands under mine. “Don’t talk about that, or I’ll go over there and kill them all.”
Her forehead bunches as she studies me. “You’d kill them for looking at me. Don’t you think that’s sort of messy?”
“Doesn’t matter. I protect what’s mine. I keep what’s mine, and as I said…”
“I belong to you, yes, you’ve mentioned that a time or two.”
Something eases in my shoulders. “I’m glad you were listening.”
As I relax, so does she, but she doesn’t know how close to the edge I still am. “Let’s go back to the car.”
She nods, tucking my hand into hers and leading me toward the vehicle like she thinks I might make a break for it and go feral on the college kids.
I glance over my shoulder to find they’ve moved down the field away from us. The kid is smarter than he looks.
Gently, I help her into the vehicle and climb in after her, closing the door. She moves to her side, but I drag her back to mine, tucking her under my arm. “No, let me hold you, reassure myself with your presence.”
She lays her hand on my chest, snuggling into the curve of my arm. “Did you go to college?”
I shake my head. “No, there was no need. I was building an empire. Everything I’ve learned, I learned on the streets. There isn’t exactly a degree program for street justice and commerce.”
“But there has to be something you wanted to do before you created your… empire.” Her tone says she wants to use a different noun, but I let it go.
“No, when our parents were killed, there wasn’t any time to consider what we wanted. For a long time, our lives were only about survival. And after we finally established our territory, our goal became growth, maintaining, and vengeance.” It’s the reason I keep my secrets to myself. To know me is a burden more than a gift.
She nods against me, dropping her gaze. There’s no need to bring up the facts again and ruin the moment, and I’m thankful she doesn’t want to start a fight right now. Not when I’m primed to do damage. I’d never hurt her like that, but I might say something she doesn’t want to hear and won’t forget easily.
I look at her from this angle. Fuck, she’s beautiful. The soft slope of her nose leads down to full plush lips I love to look at. One day, I’m going to buy her every shade of fuck me red lipstick just to watch her put them on.
One day, like we have a future, an actual life. The idea comforts me, easing my shoulders down from my ears further.
“Do you want children?” The question slips out without me thinking about how she might take it first. But she doesn’t act like it’s strange.
She nods at me. “Yeah, of course. I want a huge family, lots of kids running around. I love babies. They smell so good.”
“And do you plan on staying home with all these children, taking care of them?”
Her smile is bright as she lifts her face to look at me. “Yes, of course. While I used to study psychology as a hobby and wanted to go to school for it, I always knew that eventually, I’d want to raise a family. I’ve never had a real one. My sister was the closest thing to familial love I’ve ever gotten. I want to have babies and give them all the love I didn’t get when I was a child. To love them and teach them how to be kind and caring people.”
I tilt her chin to kiss her lips. “I think you’ll be an incredible mother.”
Her pink flush warms something in my chest. “Thank you.”
I signal the driver to take us back to the house. Since her punishment, the vision of her swollen with my child has been stuck in my mind. I can’t get enough of her. And right now, I want to lie between her spread thighs and come inside her until she’s full of my seed.
When we reach the house, Soo is lurking in the foyer.
I kiss her cheek and whisper in her ear. “Go up to the room and get naked. Then lay down on the bed and wait for me.”
If arguing enters her mind, she doesn’t show it. To my amazement, she nods at Soo and heads up to our bedroom.
“I tried to call you,” Soo says. “Sorry to interrupt your afternoon plans, but we need to think about the next steps.”
I sigh. “You’re right. But there’s something I need to do first, or I won’t be able to focus on it.”
“What’s that?”
I glance up at the hallway leading to our bedroom. “I need to make sure Celia can’t slip away from me again, no matter what happens.”
“You think she’ll try to run?”
I don’t anymore, but it doesn’t mean I’ll take the risk with her. “No, but I want to make sure she doesn’t have the option. I need to make sure.”
He nods. “Okay. I’ll start on my own while you handle your business. Let me know if you need anything.”
Any other man, it might have been a taunt, but I trust Soo completely, more than anyone in my life. Ever since the day we were sixteen, staring down the barrels of another gang’s guns. Neither of us had a reason to trust, but somehow, when we looked at each other, we agreed. We’d get out of it together. And we did.
I clap him on the shoulder, my focus shifting to my princess lying naked in our bed.
I race up the stairs and down the hall. When I open the door, I breathe out a sigh. And damn, I should say a prayer of thanks.
She’s completely nude, stretched out flat on top of the made bed.
“I love it when you follow directions so prettily,” I say, already stripping clothes as I cross to the side of the bed.
She scowls up at me but doesn’t comment. No doubt remembering how much I enjoy punishing her when she lets her smart mouth run free.
I finish undressing and crawl up on the bed. She spreads her thighs open for me, her pussy already pink and gleaming. “Did you touch yourself while you waited?”
Her eyes go round, and after a second of hesitation, she nods once.
I run my hands up her thighs and smile down at her. “Naughty princess. I think you want me inside you right now. Say please.”
“Please,” she whispers.
I anchor my weight over her. My cock is already rock hard, and I love the way it looks pressed against her skin.
Carefully, I ease into her, watching as my body disappears into the cradle of hers. She sighs as every inch sinks into her warm heat. When I’m fully seated, she wraps her hands up to cup the back of my head. I lower my chest to hers slightly, still maintaining most of my weight on my forearms.
Then I grind my hips forward and ease out. Letting my cock brush over her sensitive bud to give her the friction she needs.
“Did you come when you touched yourself?” I ask, meeting her eyes as I fuck her.
“No,” she breathes.
“Good girl. You remembered; your pleasure is mine.”
I increase my pace, her body clenching around me with each arch of my hips. She feels so good underneath me.
Soon my body is slamming into hers as she thrashes her head and claws at my skin. I love the way her entire body shows her enjoyment. All too soon, she’s coming, her pussy clenching as she gasps and pants underneath me. When she’s finished coming, I stop moving and
stare down at her sleepy smile.
“Marry me.”
Her eyes pop open. “What?”
“Marry me, stellina. I want you to be my wife.”
Her mouth bobs open and closed as she seeks something to say. I arch my hips forward, and she squeezes her eyes closed. I’m so close to coming, and I want to hear her say yes as I do, but I can’t wait.
I push up to gain a different angle and slam into her a few more times, loving how her orgasm only adds to the slick slide of me into her body. I come with her name on my lips, and my forehead pressed into hers.
When I open my eyes, she is staring at me, searching my face, my gaze, everything. “Was that a serious question, or were you just messing with me?”
I shake my head. “I’m a monster, stellina, but I’m not that kind of cruel. I want to marry you. Say yes.”
“I don’t know if I can.”
Still semi-hard, I ease into her a little bit. “If you marry me, I’ll give you everything. I’ll give you pleasure, money, jewels, houses, cars, you name it, and it’ll be yours.”
Her forehead scrunches in that cute little way I love when she’s thinking too hard. “Are you trying to bribe me into saying yes?”
“I’d prefer not to, but let me remind you, I’ll do anything to get what I want, and I want you.”
She shoves at my chest, but I don’t leave the warm, slick clasp of her body. “Marrying me won’t mean I’ve given you my heart, especially if it’s done with coercion.”
“I’m confident I can earn your heart in time. If you can’t say yes, at least tell me why.”
She takes a second to answer, but when she does, she meets my gaze solidly. “I don’t know what it means. Do you want to marry me because I’m some kind of conquest or because you care? And if I do marry you, and then you try to exact your revenge, I don’t know if I’ll be able to forgive you for it. Then where does that leave us?”
I asked for honesty. It doesn’t mean every word isn’t a sharp stab to my chest. “What can I do to prove I want you?”
She laughs, her body tightening around me. “I think you being inside me right now at least proves you want me. Lust has never been an issue with us, but marriage, love, isn’t the same thing, is it?”
Is love what I’m offering? I brush her hair away from her face. “I’ll be honest. I’m not sure if I’m capable of love. But I know about commitment, loyalty, safety. These things I can give you.”
She narrows her eyes at me as if considering. I kiss her, knowing I can’t handle whatever else she might say to me. “Let me prove to you that your pleasure and your comfort will come first to me.”
I slide down her body and widen her thighs. My cum is dripping out of her cunt, and it makes a possessive ache spear my chest, chasing away her doubts. I’m the only man who’s been inside her, and I’ll be the only man she has.
I lean down and lick her clit, tugging the swollen nub between my lips. She arches up and spears her fingers into my hair.
“Oh, my god,” she whispers.
I suck on her clit gently until she’s rocking up toward my face in time with each drag of her flesh between my lips.
Then I lap at her flesh, enjoying the way she squirms, trying to get more from me, demanding more, even as she writhes in my grip.
I lift my head, and she drops her knees and groans in frustration. “This is what you have to look forward to if you say yes. I’ll make you come every single night we’re together.”
“Solid argument,” she whispers, thrusting her hips up toward me.
I dip my head back down and fuck her with my tongue until she comes again, groaning and gripping my head.
When she eases down, I climb back up her body and settle in beside her on the bed. Gently, I tuck her against my side and run my hand down her front to ease my fingers over her belly.
“Why do you want to marry me?” she asks after a while.
I can lie, but right now, I don’t want to, not to her. “Because once I lost my parents, it was like I lost my name, too. I had nothing. The moment I made myself a Diavolo, I vowed my son will never face that feeling. I’ll be married to his mother, and he will have my name. He’ll be a Diavolo and have respect just for that.”
“What if your child is a girl?”
I stare down at her and smile. “Then she’ll have my name, and the city will quake when she comes into her power. You might already know this, but women are more ruthless than men in defense of their territories.”
She smiles, her eyes bright as she looks up at me. When she wraps her hand up around my neck and kisses me, I let her take the lead, take what she wants from me.
Now I just need to make her believe I can give her everything, and as my wife and my queen, she’ll have more power than she’s ever known.
16
Celia
The next morning, Nic is sitting on the end of the bed, a black dress draped across his already clothed lap. I shove the covers out of the way so I can see him better. “Are you all right?”
He drags his gaze to mine as if he were far away. “Of course, get dressed, and I’ll have Sarah bring you some breakfast. I wanted to give you this. I have to go finish a couple of things before we leave.”
He stands and lays the dress on the bed. But I can’t shake the feeling that something is wrong.
As he walks out, I call out to snag his attention. “Where are we going?”
With his hand on the door, his body already partially in the hallway, he stops. “It’s a surprise. Get dressed, and you’ll see soon enough.” I can’t see his face as he speaks since it’s hidden behind the heavy wooden door, but there’s something in his voice I can’t pinpoint.
When he leaves, it’s as if all the air in the room goes with him. And it’s not because there’s one huge question hovering between us. Or maybe it is.
Nic asked me to marry him last night. It still seems surreal. Like he’s going to walk back in the bedroom and tell me it’s all a joke or a cruel trick he used to force my guard down.
And the worst part, I’m not sure I don’t want it all to be a joke. Maybe he can see it in my eyes, and that’s why he looked so… defeated just now.
I clean up and dress quickly. By the time I leave the bathroom, a breakfast tray is sitting on the bed. I barely have a few moments to scarf down a couple of bites of toast before Nic returns, his immaculate suit in place, and his jaw tense.
“Are you going to tell me where we’re headed?”
He cups my cheeks in his hands and drags me up to his mouth. Obviously, meeting me halfway since the height between us is all in his favor. When he pulls away, I’m breathless, and he says, “Where’s the fun in that?”
My worry turns into excitement. I’m smiling as I snag the rest of the toast, slip my feet into some black ballet flats, and let Nic lead me out to the car. For him, this dress is practically matronly. I wonder when he picked it out. Everything up till now has been slightly sexy, sometimes daring.
When we pull up outside a familiar apartment, I take a moment to memorize the lines of it in the light of day. Now the demure clothing makes sense. “Why didn’t you tell me we were coming?”
The entire car ride has been tense, and he hasn’t touched me since he helped me into the vehicle. Something that’s strange for him. Whenever we are in the same room, he always has his hands on me. If not on my skin, in my hair, or around the back of my neck.
“I wanted it to be a surprise.”
I try to smile to let him know how much I appreciate this. And even more, I try not to over-analyze it because all I can wonder is why now? And did he do this to ensure I say yes to his proposal? Last night, he promised to let me make the choice on my own. However, I never mentioned enticement.
I stare up at the building. And showing me trust, finally, definitely entices me. He comes around and helps me out of the car.
We get to the door, and Lucas answers after one knock. “What do you want?”
Nic clears
his throat, and I can’t see him from where he’s positioned behind me, but Lucas’s face makes me think he doesn’t appreciate the attitude.
Instead of arguing, he steps away from the door to let us inside. He’s cleaned up the mess from the tussle between him and Nic.
Once we sit on the couches, Lucas throws himself in a chair and glares, dragging his eyes between us to make sure it registers with both of us.
I turn to face Nic and take his hands in mine. “Can I have a minute alone with Lucas?”
He grits his teeth, tightening his palm around mine. “Absolutely not.”
“He won’t hurt me. And I just want to talk to him, and I don’t think he’s going to say anything in front of you.”
“He will if I beat him into it.”
I cup his cheek in my palm, forcing him to look at me head on. “I understand why you brought me here. You want me to know, truly know, things are different now. However, you have to know when to ease up.”
“I can’t leave you alone with another man.”
I wave at Lucas. “He’s not going to touch me, either. How about you go into the bedroom and stay there until I call you out? At the very least, give me the illusion of privacy.”
He takes a long time to decide, staring around the room, pinning Lucas with a death glare. Finally, he stands, buttons his suit jacket, and heads back into the bedroom. Before he closes the door, he calls out. “You only have a few minutes. When I come back out, the meeting is over.”
The room feels bigger without his demanding presence at my side. Lucas clears his throat pointedly but doesn’t say anything.
“Sorry, he’s being weird. We’re trying to decide something.”
“Looks like you’re trying to decide something. I know my brother. He’s already made his choice.”
I’m not touching that one. He looks much better since the night Nic found me. I’m reminded of the way he looked that night when I left.
“Did you see a doctor for your ribs?”