by Cassia Leo
The driver’s side door and the back door fly open at the same time. I don’t know where to look as Dave stops the car next to the disabled van. The skinny guy that jumps out of the van races across the bridge, nearly getting run over by a taxi that’s trying to pass us up.
I raise my gun and point it at him as he rushes toward the pedestrian bridge. I’m about to squeeze the trigger when I hear the sweetest sound I’ve ever heard.
“Knox?”
I turn toward the back of the van and Lita is helping Rebecca out of the trunk. I drop my gun and race to her. If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the past five days it’s that love always trumps vengeance.
I wrap my arms around her and lift her out of the van. She holds onto my neck, but I can feel the weakness in her embrace.
“My princess.” I kiss her temple and squeeze her gently. “Baby, are you okay? Did they hurt you?”
“No,” she whispers hoarsely. “But I could really go for a slice of pizza right now.”
I pull my head back to look her in the eye. Her brown eyes are a bit sunken in, but they’re still burning with that fire they always get when she’s near me. She’s telling me the truth.
“I’ll get you anything you want.” I kiss her forehead and her lips hint at a smile. “But first I have one thing to do.”
I set her down on the bridge as the soft sound of sirens rises in the distance. Then I kneel down on one knee and take her left hand in mine. I plant a soft kiss on her knuckles and she covers her mouth with her other hand.
“Rebecca Veneto: I love you.” I take a deep breath, keeping my gaze trained on her eyes so I don’t lose my grasp on this shred of certainty. “I’ve never said those words to any woman other than my ma. But they’ve never been more true.
“For ten years, you were the girl of my dreams. Losing you five days ago was the beginning of my nightmare. I’ve been chasing my tail trying to track you down. You drive me crazy.” She smiles down at me and I swallow hard. “The past few days without you have made me sick. I don’t ever want be without you again. I want you next to me, safe, for the rest of my life. Will you marry me … in two to three years?”
She laughs out loud at this. I don’t know if the tears streaming down her face are a good or bad sign, but my stomach is in knots waiting for her to say something. Then she nods and I feel as if I could fly to the moon.
“Yes!” she says brightly. “Yes, I’ll marry you. I’ll marry you in two years, three years, or a hundred years. Yes!”
She falls to her knees and I kiss her for the first time in five days. And for the first time in ten years, I’m free.
7
Rebecca
The question and answer session at the 7th Precinct in the Lower East Side is short. Lita and I are questioned separately, but our lack of injuries corroborates our story that we were not assaulted while in captivity.
They question Knox and Dave about what happened at Marco’s old house and they have expert answers. They’re just Good Samaritans who stumbled upon a crime in progress. Lita and I appeared to be in “imminent peril.” They defended themselves while trying to protect Lita and I from further injury.
We leave the 7th Precinct at 3:40 a.m., getting a glimpse of the van’s driver in another interrogation room on the way out. Our police escort drops Lita off at her apartment first.
“Call me when you wake up. You owe me brunch,” Lita says as she leans over and kisses my cheek.
“You’re the one who stood me up,” I tease her.
She shakes her head as she slides out of the back of the police car, then pokes her head back inside. “And don’t forget to tell me about you-know-what?”
She slams the car door shut and drags herself up the front steps of her apartment building. I glance at Knox to see if he knows what she was referring to and he’s wearing that cunning half-smile. I can’t hide anything from this man.
Officer Helms drops us off at Knox’s apartment. Despite his injuries, Knox insists on carrying me up the front steps and the staircase to the second floor master bathroom. I can see him gritting his teeth against the pain, but he refuses to let me go.
We take a long, luxurious shower together. Washing away every bit of the last five days. I’m careful when I scrub the right side of his chest where he took a bullet to his vest.
“Whose blood is this?” I ask as I scrub a bit of caked blood off his forearm.
His gaze falls to the floor and my stomach aches as I wait for him to respond. “Your father didn’t make it out.”
My entire body gets weak and Knox catches me around the waist before I collapse. I fall into his arms and he holds me tightly against him as I cry.
I know my father wasn’t a great man. Maybe he wasn’t even a good man. But I loved him. And I know everything he did was to protect my mother and me — and Marco. To provide us with the best and to deliver us the justice he believed we deserved.
And now I’ll never be able to tell him that I forgive him. I forgive him for what he did to Frank Mainella. I forgive him for loving two women at once. I forgive him for not knowing that I’ve needed him every day for the last four years we were apart.
Once we’re out of the shower, Knox dries me off and helps me get dressed. Then he forces me to eat some crackers and juice before we go to bed.
We lie facing each other in the darkness. He reaches up and lays his warm hand on the side of my face. Then he softly brushes his thumb across my cheek.
“He wanted to get you back himself,” he whispers. “He couldn’t sit back and watch.”
I heave a long, stuttered sigh and nod.
He kisses my forehead. “Go to sleep, princess.”
“Knox?”
“Yes?”
I place my hand lightly over the right side of his chest. “Thank you.”
“You don’t have to thank me.”
“Thank you for loving my father.”
He’s silent for a moment and I feel as if I’ve broken down the final blocks of stone around his heart. I clasp my hand around the back of his neck and pull his lips to mine. His warm hand lands on my hip and he begins to roll me onto my back. I press my hand against the left side of his chest and push him back.
“You lay back. You’re injured.”
He hesitates for a moment, unsure whether he’s willing to relinquish control. Then he lies back for me. I run my fingertips over his solid chest, then down his smooth abs. I reach the light trail of hair under his navel and his skin prickles.
“I love you,” I whisper as I wrap my fingers around his hard length.
He sucks in a sharp breath and pulls me closer so my chest is on top of his. “I love you more.” He grabs my face and kisses me slowly. “I’ll always love you more.”
I climb on top of him and gasp into his mouth as he enters me. His hands are warm as they glide over my back and down to my butt. He grabs hold of me and pushes my hips down as his hips thrust upward. I cry out in pain as he hits my cervix.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes,” I reply quickly, though a tiny voice in my head is telling me that this is a sign. Maybe I am pregnant. “Don’t stop.”
I clench myself around his cock as we thrust in unison. Each time we connect so deep it sends a bolt of pain through my core. My nipples rub against his chest as we move together. He keeps one hand on my waist and the other tangled in my hair as he kisses me. I grind into him slowly, savoring the friction of my clit against his pelvic bone. My breathing quickly turns to panting and my whimpers turn to screams.
“I want you to have my babies.” He groans as he comes and attempts to thrust even deeper.
I let out a soft chuckle. “Babies? With an S?”
“We’re gonna do this all day, every day,” he says, his waning erection twitches inside me, “until there’s an army of Savage children running around this house.”
“Savage children,” I whisper, then I lick the clean sweat at the base of his neck, smiling when his cock jum
ps. “Sounds ominous.”
And then he’s hard again. He wasn’t kidding about all day, every day.
8
Rebecca
Knox insists on taking me to his private doctor as soon as we wake up at eleven. His doctor has a private office inside Knox Security. Maintaining the health of his employees is very important to Knox.
Once my blood is drawn, we’re taken into a very modern and cold examination room to wait for the doctor. Knox and I stand next to the examination table as he holds my trembling hand.
“It’s so cold in here.”
“You don’t have to be nervous.”
“I’m not nervous¸” I reply too quickly.
He wraps his arms around my shoulders and pulls me against him. I bury my face in his warm chest and breathe in his scent. All it takes is a few deep breaths and the trembling subsides.
He kisses the top of my head and loosens his hold on me. “It’s okay if you’re not pregnant now. We’ve got plenty of time. I promised your dad I’d wait to marry you until I’ve kept you safe at least two years.”
“That’s what you meant when you asked if I’d marry you in two to three years?”
He grins and plants a quick kiss on my cheek. “I always keep my promises. I promise you we’re going to have lots of babies.”
The door swings open and the doctor enters with her eyes cast downward, looking at the tablet resting in the crook of her arm. Dr. Inglehoffer is a woman. Dr. Inglehoffer is an attractive woman. Probably early forties, and I must admit that the thought of her giving Knox any type of exam makes me crazy jealous. The sides of her silky brown hair are pulled back in a knot at the back of her head. Her red-rimmed glasses are stylish, even sitting atop the end of her nose as she reads the results of the blood test.
She looks up from the tablet and smiles at me. “You’re four weeks pregnant.”
Knox’s hand tightens around mine. When I look up at him, his eyes are closed.
“I’ll give you two a moment,” Inglehoffer says as she quietly leaves the examination room.
The door closes softly behind her. My heart pounds as I wait for Knox to say something. Then his gorgeous lips curl up into that sexy grin I love so much. His eyelids open slowly and there’s a carnal hunger in his eyes. Like a lion who’s cornered his prey.
I bite my lip as I anticipate his next move. Then in one swift motion, he positions himself in front of me, where I sit on the examination table. He spreads my knees apart, then his hand slides under my skirt and into my panties as his mouth locks on mine.
“Knox!” I protest into his mouth. “There are people outside!”
“I don’t give a fuck. This is my building.” He takes a step back and yanks my panties down. “All mine.”
His face disappears beneath the gray silk fabric of my skirt. His fingers part my flesh as his mouth closes around my clit. My muscles tense and twitch as he sucks gently. Then he moves down and thrusts his tongue inside me.
“Oh, God.”
A chuckle issues from deep inside his chest. “You taste different today.”
“What?”
“Sweeter.”
I relax at this clarification, then I lie back and close my eyes as he devours me. He consumes slowly, teasing and hinting at a spectacular finish, until I have to beg him to make me come. When he’s done, he gives me a moment to regain my strength before he bends me over the examination table.
My bare ass is in the air, my elbows resting on the cushioned table, as a knock at the door startles me. Knox continues thrusting into me, completely undaunted.
“She’s coming in!” I whisper urgently.
He chuckles softly, but doesn’t answer me. Almost as if he wants to get caught.
“Knox!” I cry as the doorknob begins to turn and the door is pushed open an inch.
“We’re busy!” he roars and the door slams shut.
“Jesus Christ!”
He laughs as he continues piercing me, faster now. His sac nudges my hard nub with each thrust and soon I’m getting closer to another orgasm. He reaches around and massages my clit as his other arm tightens around my waist.
“You like that, princess?” His mouth is hot on my neck as his cock stretches me slowly one moment then rams into me the next.
“Yes,” I murmur.
“Come for me,” he growls into my ear as he caresses my clit. “Come all over me.”
I whimper as my body twitches and my knees turn to rubber. My arms tremble and give out beneath me. The side of my face presses against the cool paper covering the exam table as my eyes roll back into my head. My pussy clenches around his cock as I come hard.
He finishes a minute later and collapses on top of me. “I love you so fucking much,” he breathes into my ear.
He pulls out of me and I get that familiar empty feeling I despise so much. If there’s one thing I’m certain of, it’s that Knox and I were made to fit together like two shiny cogs in a machine. When we’re apart, everything stops turning.
He stands up and turns me around to face him. “Do you know what it means to be a partner?”
“Of course.”
“My mom told me something shortly before she died. She said women don’t want to be owned. They want a partner. An equal part of a whole.” I smile because this is not at all what I would expect from Knox after what we just did. “I always thought she was full of shit, but now I get it. Before you, I was half the man I was meant to be. Without you there is no me.”
I wrap my arms and legs around him as he lifts me off the floor. Then I breathe in the crisp scent of his skin. The scent of forever.
9
Knox
I wake to find myself alone in bed. A beam of white light is shining through the crack in the curtains, cutting the bed in half. My half and hers. I prop myself up on my elbows to look around for signs of her, but there’s no pile of discarded clothing or anything. Then the bathroom door opens and there she is, in all her naked glory, hair still damp from the shower.
She smiles as she glides toward the bed. “Good morning.”
My gaze follows her body, taking in the soft curves of her hips and the fullness of her breasts. She never looks sexier than when she’s pregnant. Which is probably why she’s pregnant for the fourth time in six years.
She climbs onto the bed with a sly twinkle in her eye. I grab her waist and she squeals as I throw her down onto her back.
“I can smell that pineapple lotion,” I growl, burying my face in her neck.
She knows that lotion drives me crazy. I slip my hand between her thighs and she gladly spreads her legs for me. Her clit is hard and ready to be touched. I slide my finger into her pussy to gather her wetness first, then I caress her clit in tight circles right over the one o’clock position where she’s most sensitive.
I kiss her neck and get a hint of the pineapple flavor. Removing my hand from between her legs, I slide my finger into my mouth. As I suspected: sweet, succulent pineapple.
“You’re such a cheater,” I whisper into her ear and she laughs.
I kiss my way down her shoulder, over her chest, licking the smooth skin over her belly as I continue. She lets out a soft squeak as I take her clit into my mouth. The taste of her alone is better than the lotion, but something about her trying to make herself more edible is a huge turn-on.
I spread her flesh apart and lay a soft kiss on her clit. It’s such a tiny thing, but it’s mine. Like the tiny person growing inside her.
I lick her lightly because I know it drives her crazy. As usual, I can hear her breathing quicken with anticipation. I lick her again, massaging her bud with my tongue and she whimpers. I close my lips around her clit and suck on it lightly as if it were a delicate rose petal. You can’t put your teeth on a rose petal or you’ll mar it. She comes quickly, but I make her come a second time before I slide off the bed.
“Where are you going?”
“Get on all fours.” She does as I say, but her face is pointed towa
rd the headboard. “Turn this way.”
She turns around so her face is in front of my hips and her ass is pointed at the mirror behind her. Perfect view.
I grab the hair on the back of her head and slide my cock into her open mouth. “Oh, yeah.”
Like a good girl, she covers her teeth with her lips and lets me use my hips to decide how slow and fast I want it. Watching the mirror as I ease into her slowly, I smile when I see her hand reach between her thighs to touch herself.
Her muffled moans only get me more excited. I thrust into her just a little deeper until her eyes widen, then I pull back. I go back and forth between watching her face and watching her ass in the mirror. Then she pulls her hand out from between her thighs and I know she wants me to finish inside her.
I pull out of her mouth and she sits back. Then she beckons me forward until I’m settled between her legs. I kiss her deeply as I slide into her and finish her off missionary style.
I’m not totally opposed to missionary. I just happen to like my sex the way I like my hotel rooms. With a gorgeous view.
Besides, it’s rare that I get the opportunity to satisfy my kinky cravings anymore. We had to tear down all the walls in the basement and get rid of the dance room and the dungeon after a water main broke and flooded the basement. It’s been under construction for four months because we can only have the crews here when five-year-old Knox, Jr. is at school. Otherwise, he asks too many questions about what they’re doing down there. And I’m trying to keep my construction plans for the basement a secret.
It’s been hilarious for me to witness Rebecca’s frustration since the dungeon flooded. She found as much release in there as I did. Probably more. She didn’t need to be the always-in-control super-mom in the dungeon.