DENY: A Dark Romance

by Sophia Gray

  “I’ve been better,” she said, her voice soft. She chuckled softly and then winced.

  “Mom, I’m so sorry. I’ll come home,” I promised.

  Somehow, I’d make Anton understand. He wouldn’t be that unreasonable, would he? Family came first. Surely he could accept that. He was desperate to have a family of his own.

  “Don’t be ridiculous,” Mom scolded. Her face was pale, but her eyes were sharp, and she could still glower. “You need to stay with your new job because you need the money,” she urged, patting my hand.

  I hung my head. She had no idea what the new job entailed, and I couldn’t bring myself to tell her about it now. I didn’t even want to think about what would happen when I did become pregnant. There would be no way to hide that from her, and then when I wouldn’t have a baby afterward, she’d be sure to have questions, and what then? I couldn’t avoid seeing her for months on end, and I didn’t want to. I had taken this job to be able to provide for her healthcare, but what if that same job prevented me from being able to spend time with her and she ended up dying anyhow?

  I inhaled sharply, willing myself not to start crying again, and smiled sadly as I saw her eyes fluttering closed. I didn’t want to worry her, so I didn’t bother to explain anything and just let her sleep.

  A few hours passed with me sitting beside her, but I knew I couldn’t stay here the entire length of her hospital stay. After talking to the doctor and learning they would keep her overnight, I knew I had to leave, as much as I didn’t want to. Anton would not be happy if I stayed away for too long, especially since I had just upped and left and hadn’t told anyone where I was going. I hadn’t been thinking the clearest. He might already be waiting for me, and he wasn’t the kind of guy to take kindly to that kind of thing.

  Would he understand my having to rush out of there? If this happened again, I wouldn’t hesitate to leave again. He needed to respect that, to accept it. I’d have to talk to him about it. But he did send my mom a nurse, and he hadn’t had to do that. It wasn’t anywhere in the contract, and he had just gone ahead and made arrangements without even asking me first. Clara, it had turned out, was a highly respected nurse, one who had worked with many high-end patients before. Anton hadn’t hired just any old nurse. Maybe he would be reasonable, after all, but I couldn’t help wondering. Neither being in the mob nor needing an heir spoke of being reasonable. There were times when he came to me that I thought he was maybe afraid. It wouldn’t last long, just a look in his eyes, but then it would go away.

  I would take it away.

  What would cause a mob boss to be afraid?

  It wasn’t something I wanted to think about, though. I had so much on my plate already. Maybe it was better to remain in the dark. Or maybe I was just hoping ignorance was bliss.

  When I had stayed for as long as I could, I called a cab and vowed to focus my worries on my mother rather than my boss. I was just ending the call and tucking my cell into my pocket when I walked out of the hospital. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a tall man leaning against the hospital wall. He stayed there for a moment, but something about him seemed shady, and I kept glancing in his direction. I didn’t like the looks of him. No one else was out front right now. The guy who handled valet parking must be parking a car. Great.

  The shady guy straightened and approached me, and I thought about going back inside the hospital, but he was already beside me. He grabbed my arm, holding me too tightly. I gasped and wiggled, ready to scream and kick, but before I could, he said, “You need to tell your boyfriend to watch his back, or we’ll come for you.”

  I gaped at him. Boyfriend? Come for me? What the hell!

  The guy squeezed my arm enough to make tears prickle in my eyes. His scowl was nasty and vicious, but then he just released me and walked away, melting into the shadows, out of sight.

  For a long moment, I just stood there, shaking. What just happened? That man threatened me! He had been tall, wore dark clothes, but I couldn’t remember any kind of distinguishing marks, nothing to help pick him out of a crowd. He looked too ordinary. But the hatred on his face, that was all I could see when I closed my eyes to try to remember more clearly.

  I removed my cell and darted in the direction the guy had gone in, but I couldn’t see him anywhere. Why hadn’t I taken a picture of him? Why had I put my phone away? I could’ve recorded the conversation. Well, it hadn’t been a conversation. It had been a threat. Still, to have his voice recorded would’ve been nice.

  Someone was going after Anton. He was fearing for his life. That was why he wanted a legacy. Why he needed me.

  Fury roiled through me. How dare he want to bring a child into this mess! If these guys were willing to threaten me to get to him, they would have no problem going after a baby. And how could he have kept this from me? He should’ve disclosed the possible danger when he offered me the position. No wonder he had offered up two million dollars!

  I was still shaking when the cab rolled up, and I debated sending it away and going back up to my mom, to throw Anton’s money back in his face and force him to find himself another uterus.

  But I had just finished paying off all of our hospital bills only yesterday, and now, with another hospital stay, more would be piling in. I couldn’t give Anton back all of his money. I was trapped. And even if I did end our contract — which I might not legally be able to break — the people watching us might not realize I was out of the picture. What if they still came for me at my house? What if they harmed my mom?

  Yes, I was trapped. So back to Anton’s I went. Terrified. Frightened. Worried. Anxious.

  Accepting this position might be the worst decision I ever made.

  Chapter 16

  Anton

  That evening, I just wanted a chance to unwind, and what better way to unwind than a few hours’ romp in the sheets? I bounded up the stairs to Lily’s room, only to discover it was empty. Strange.

  A little perturbed, I walked toward my room, unbuttoning the first couple of buttons of my shirt as I strolled. I pushed opened the door to find Lily sitting on my bed.

  I stilled in the doorway. She had never been in my bedroom before. I had always come to her. Did I like this change in the routine? Maybe…if not for the dour expression on her face. I quickly glanced at my watch. It wasn’t a super late hour that she would rather be sleeping in bed than sleeping with me, so that couldn’t be it. Had she had a second thought about the position? That wouldn’t do well for me. We were only a few weeks in, but so far, it seemed like she wasn’t pregnant yet. If I had to find someone else and start all over, I’d be more than just a little annoyed. I’d arranged for the nurse for her mother and everything, and besides, I enjoyed Lily. She was very talented in the bedroom, and she was more than willing to go the extra mile to ensure I was happy. And more than that, she seemed to genuinely want me to be happy. It wasn’t just that she felt like she had to for the sake of being paid. And I enjoyed making her happy in bed, too. When she orgasmed, it made my own that much more satisfying.

  But something clearly wasn’t right.

  I cleared my throat. “What’s wrong?” I asked, remaining by the door, feeling for some reason that I should keep some distance between us as we spoke. Had something happened?

  “Earlier today…” she said, trailing off. She was staring at me in a way she hadn’t ever. Like she was mad at me.

  “What happened?” I demanded.

  “Earlier today, a man accosted me.” She narrowed her eyes, her hands fists on her lap.

  “What did he say?” I growled, my own hands curling into tight fists. “What did he want? What did he look like?”

  “He said, and I quote, ‘You need to tell your boyfriend to watch his back, or we’ll come for you.’”

  “Fuck,” I muttered. I wanted to rub my chin, to grit my teeth, to react, but I knew that would be a sign of weakness, and that was the last thing Lily needed to see right now. What the hell was she thinking after being threatened like th
at? But as pissed as I was that she had been accosted, I was even more furious for another reason. “Why the hell did you leave my house?” I demanded. She should’ve known better. Nothing like this would have ever happened if she stayed where she was supposed to: in the bedroom, waiting for me.

  How could my butler or her guard allow her to leave like that? Heads would roll for this!

  She scowled at me, her eyes narrowing, lips pursed. Even furious, she remained pretty, and something inside of me grew uncomfortably tight. “I received a phone call from your nurse,” she said slowly, haltingly.

  I pulled up short.

  “My mom…she had a fall. She’s in the hospital.” Lily glanced away and started to cry.

  Oh. My heart ached for her. What would it feel like to know your mother was sick? To do everything in your power to try to give her the best care all the while knowing it might not be enough to save her? My mother died before I could experience anything of the sort. Lily clearly loved her mother, so much so she was willing to rent out her uterus. I knew now I had definitely made the right choice in having her be the one to have my child with, but it also made me slightly fearful, too. Would she be willing to give up the child when the time came if family meant this much to her?

  Despite myself, I could feel myself softening to her. I wanted to take her into my arms, to kiss away her tears, to whisper promises that she would always be safe, that I would never let anyone harm her, that her mother would be looked after by the best doctors money could buy. I wanted to comfort her.

  But I stopped myself. I dialed it back. I wasn’t here for emotions. I couldn’t get emotionally involved with Lily. She was just a uterus. Nothing more.

  Right?

  But listening to her cry tore at me, so I did pull her into my arms after all, but instead of kissing away her tears, I kissed her full on the lips, hoping to distract her.

  For a moment, she didn’t respond, so I pulled back. I didn’t want to force myself on her. I would never do that. But then she initiated another kiss, one that had my cock stirring. I knew this time wasn’t about me. It was purely for her, for distraction, for her to maybe do something life-affirming, to continue living while her mother fought against the claws of death. And I would give that to her. I would let her lead for once. I would grant her this small kindness.

  She slowly — way too slowly — undressed me and then herself, but even after we were naked, she took her time, with lots of kisses and caressing. I wanted to take charge, to dominate her, but I held back, letting her dictate the pace. Gradually, she seemed to recognize that I was following her lead, and then she smiled, and that smile was definitely sly.

  That smile sent a jolt right to my throbbing cock. Man, this was fucking hot.

  Still smiling, she pulled me close for a deep, long kiss, and I almost rubbed myself against her. Her fingers gripped my hair, and she pushed me down. I managed to suck one of her nipples for a second before she pushed me down farther. The lower I went, the wider her smile grew, and she lay down on the bed. It wasn’t hard to figure out what she wanted, and I went to town. Lily was so wet, so fucking wet, and I lapped it up. Her moans were the loudest they had ever been, but not once had she screamed out my name while we fucked, and I found myself trying harder, wanting that validation for whatever reason.

  One time, at least one time, she would scream out my name while orgasming. Other women had in the past, but I hadn’t wanted them to, not as badly as I wanted Lily to. I didn’t want to think too much about why that was. I only wanted to give of myself, to give her pleasure. Watching her draw closer and closer to her climax made me that much harder, and I knew that as giving as I was being, it was also selfish, too, because giving her pleasure gave me pleasure, as well.

  Her squirms became more and more frantic each time my tongue flicked against her clit in between licking up her juices, so I changed tactics and lavished her clit with more attention from my tongue and lips and shoved a finger then two more inside of her. Her walls clenched tightly, and she came almost instantly.

  “Did you like that?” I asked, pulling away slightly but still fucking her with my fingers.

  She nodded meekly, eyes closed. Her forehead was covered with sweat, some hair sticking to her cheeks. That combined with the fresh pink glow of sex made her gorgeous. “Yes,” she murmured, opening her eyes, her expression a little dazed. “Oh, yes, I liked that.”

  I smirked, feeling invincible. “What’s next?”

  Her eyes widened, and she grinned. Fuck, I loved it when she grinned. “I think I have an idea…”

  She sat up and got onto her knees, and I allowed her to lay me down on the bed. I normally wasn’t a fan of girl on top — probably because of my control issues — but I gritted my teeth and vowed to bear it. This was about her. Not me. Not us. What would it be like to have a go around that was for us both mutually? For us to both be leading and sharing our deepest secrets, to give into our basic desires, to let loose, have no worries?

  I had never had all that I needed from a woman before. I liked to push the limits. I liked to take things almost too far. Would she be the first woman I would feel comfortable letting her in?

  Only time would tell, but that would be a matter for another day.

  Lily didn’t mount me right away. Instead, she pinned my hands above my head and kissed my eyelids, my nose, my cheeks, my lips. She sucked along my neck and nibbled on my nipples. She licked the ridges of my abs and then the length of my cock. Her hot breath caused my cock to twitch, and she giggled.

  I leaned forward slightly to be able to watch this woman destroy me. Her having her way with my body and expecting me to just lay here and take it was amazing. It was fucking unreal. But I needed more. I willed her to open her lips, and she did. I desperately wanted her to put me in her mouth.

  She licked her lips and maneuvered herself to plunge down straight on my cock. What a tease and yet this was so much better. Her walls massaged me, and she rolled her hips up and down, her head back, her tits bouncing, and just watching her enjoy herself was almost enough for me to lose control. I couldn’t sit back and do nothing anymore, not while watching her tits move like that. I reached up and palmed her breasts. Lily glanced down at me before slamming down hard and throwing her head back again. She was moaning loudly, and I was moaning myself. God, this felt un-fucking-believable.

  And then she did something unexpected.

  She reached behind her and tickled my balls, and that was all it took. The forcefulness of my orgasm left me gasping for air, and the way she kept on going, riding up and down, her walls squeezing every drop of cum out of me as she orgasmed, too…damn it all if that wasn’t pretty close to perfection.

  Lily collapsed on top of me. I wasn’t much for cuddling, but I still wrapped an arm around her, tracing lazy circles on her soft skin. To say I was relaxed would be an understatement, and she sure seemed distracted. Mission accomplished.

  She lifted her head and stared at me, her eyes shining. “That was…”

  “What?” I asked as I brushed her hair back and tucked it behind her ear. She always looked her best in the moments right after we finished.

  “Our fifth time this week, wasn’t it?” she asked.

  I slowly dropped my hand. “Yes…” I said, drawing out the word. So she was keeping track of our romps. I had enjoyed them so much that I hoped she wouldn’t mind if we ever did do more than four times in a week. She certainly seemed to enjoy them, as well. I sometimes forgot that the purpose of them wasn’t pleasure but to get her pregnant.

  “But this time hadn’t been about making a baby, had it?” she murmured, staring at me intently. “It had been for me. Wasn’t it?”

  Fuck, she could read me. That wasn’t good.

  I just lay there, not saying anything, but my silence had to be confirmation enough.

  She settled back down on my chest, and I resumed tracing patterns on her skin. We were sticky, and my room was hot, but I didn’t mind. I was oddly comfort
able.

  All too soon, though, she sat back up again. “Do you know anything about the man who threatened me?” she asked. “I tried to get a good look at him, but there isn’t a whole lot to go on. He was wearing—”

  “I don’t know why someone would threaten you,” I said smoothly, trying to get her to lie back down on me, “and I’m sorry that happened to you. If you would stay here, you won’t ever have to worry about that happening again.”

  Her eyes clouded over, and she shifted away from me, though we were still touching. “You would have expected me to stay here, to do nothing, when I found out my mom was in the hospital?”

  Way for her to kill the afterglow. “I would expect you to not leave without your bodyguard.”

  “Ah, yes, my bodyguard. Because that’s normal.” She snorted and pulled away completely, disentangling her limbs from mine. Her back to me, she started to get dressed. Even her movements showed how upset she was, all jerky and forceful.