Dirty

by Ella Miles

  Fine with me, I mouth back. I want her alone in our bed again.

  She rolls her eyes rascally and then takes the phone out into the hallway where she answers it.

  I continue wrestling the kids until I hear Nina's voice. Whoever is on the call with Nina has her terrified. I know Nina better than I know my own body.

  “Doherty, watch the kids," I say slowly, trying to keep my voice calm, so they don't notice my abrupt change. I don't need them freaking out.

  Tell that to my heart. It's pounding too loudly in my chest, not giving me a second to rest. I walk to the doorway where I can look at Nina and my kids. I want to run to Nina now that Doherty has the kids occupied, but Nina would never forgive me if I left them alone for even a second.

  She ends the call and turns to me. Her eyes are full, but it's not just fear I see, it's determination. She's already begun to form a plan to fix whatever problem just crashed down on us.

  This feels like déjà vu to both of us. The last time we got a call like this was when we had found out Eden was taken. My idiot brother, Matteo, took her, but just like me, he fell in love and realized his mistake brought him the greatest treasure.

  My voice cracks as I speak. "Eden?"

  3

  Eden

  My hands are clammy as I clasp them together, resting them on the table in front of me. I feel the beads of sweat dripping down my back, beneath my blue blazer jacket. My foot taps rhythmically beneath the table to a rapid beat in my heart. My breathing is shallow, and my vision is clouded with a fog that can only focus on one person: the judge sitting in front of us.

  I’ve never been this anxious to hear a verdict before. Usually, I know without a doubt I’ve won before the judge opens their mouth.

  Today is different. A man’s life rests in this decision. A man I locked up wrongly.

  Fuck.

  It still hurts every time I think about what I did. The pain wraps around my body and squeezes me tight, like a python suffocating its prey. I locked up an innocent man because I was so focused on keeping the criminals off the street, I didn’t pause to realize not all men are monsters. And even the monstrous ones are still worth redeeming.

  I hear the creak of the rusty chair next to me. Jake squirms in his chair, unable to sit still as the judge reads over the papers he was just handed with the verdict on it. I promised him I would do everything to get him out the second I realized my mistake, but getting him out has been incredibly difficult.

  It’s been almost five years. He’s had to sit in prison that entire time, even though the main witness recanted her statement. Even though there isn’t any physical evidence against him. No blood, no DNA, no weapon. Nothing to prove he is a murderer.

  It doesn’t matter in the eyes of the law. He got a fair trial. He was proven guilty. And he looks like a criminal. He’s covered in tattoos. He didn’t have a steady job. He smoked marijuana. He was in a gang. Why believe him? Even if he was innocent of this particular crime, the numerous opinion articles in the papers said he was probably guilty of other crimes. Because of who he is.

  I used to think the same way. Then I met Matteo, and my view of the world changed. He showed me the heart of a criminal; the reasons behind the crimes. People can’t choose the world they are born into. Sometimes they get lucky and can escape it, other times life can be quicksand holding onto them and eventually sucking them in until they slowly die.

  Jake was young when I sent him to prison. He never even had the chance to escape.

  I grab his hand and give it a gentle squeeze. I promised him I would never stop fighting for his freedom. I haven’t told him this, but if I can’t get him out legally, I will illegally. Matteo has been itching to do something dangerous and bad again. If the verdict is guilty, I will give Matteo the green light to get Jake out at all costs.

  He will be free, even if I have to give up some of the freedom my family has been given to do it.

  “The jury finds Jake…”

  I missed much of what the judge said as he begins talking, but now I’m focusing on every word.

  “Not guilty.”

  Jake and I exhale at the same time, as all the oxygen we had been holding in leaves our lungs. Tears stream down both of our faces as his sister gasps in joy from behind us.

  The judge continues reading, going through all the procedures of the court.

  “I’m free? I can go home tonight?” Jake asks.

  I smile, wiping the tears from my face. “You can go home in about five minutes. I’m so sorry you had to be in prison in the first place.”

  More tears fall until I can barely make out his features beneath the tears. “Don’t be; you got me out. I forgive you.”

  “Thank you,” I mouth, because I can’t get the words out.

  The judge finishes, and then his sister runs to him, engulfing him in her hug.

  This.

  This is what I wanted. There is only a handful of times I have felt this much joy in my life. This is one of the only times that didn’t involve a family or friend.

  I gather my things and walk out of the courtroom before I’m swarmed with reporters. “Mrs. Carini, how confident are you Jake is actually innocent?”

  “Very confident.”

  “But if he isn’t innocent, how will you be able to sleep at night? He is the only suspect.”

  “Jake didn’t kill anyone. He was just proven innocent today. I made a mistake, and I own that. I will sleep well for the first time in five years knowing an innocent man isn’t paying for my actions.”

  “Will you go back to prosecuting now?”

  I glance back at Jake, who is now standing behind me with a large smile on his face.

  “No, I will continue to fight for the innocent, but in a different way. I will do pro-bono work to make sure the innocent get free.”

  I hadn’t decided until this moment, but it’s exactly what I want. I’m tired of being the judge that fights to lock guilty men away. Helping the innocent get free is what I love doing now. Matteo wasn’t guilty when I found him; he just needed a way to get free. To find his innocence. I enjoy giving a man his life back better than taking it away.

  I walk to my car and smile when I see what is sitting in the front seat: a large bouquet of flowers. I climb in and read the sweet note from my husband.

  * * *

  My Wife,

  * * *

  Congrats on winning the case! I knew you would win. I ordered these before the verdict was read. You are amazing, a badass, and the strongest person I know. Now get your cute ass home so we can celebrate in our bedroom. Naked.

  * * *

  —Your Impatient Husband

  * * *

  I smile reading his note. Matteo’s too good to me. I don’t deserve him, but I do plan on showing him just how much I love him tonight. I need to swing by the liquor store first. Then call and get a babysitter for tonight, so I can spend the night rocking his world.

  4

  Matteo

  “One, two, three…” my voice trails off as I listen to the footsteps of my kids running through the apartment. I don’t have to open my eyes to know exactly where the kids are hiding. They always hide in the same spots. Not that they have many choices. Our two bedroom apartment is barely big enough to contain all of us.

  I hear a small cry from Perla, our youngest who is almost six months old. I crack my eyes the tiniest bit to check on her, even though I know she’s safe in her crib sitting against the wall in the living room. The cry was one checking to see if I would give her attention, not one because she needs anything.

  I snap my eyes shut quickly when I see her smiley face. I can’t help but smile myself.

  “Ready or not, here I come!” I shout through the apartment. I grab Perla first, snatching her out of her crib, and placing her on my hip.

  She laughs as I carry her down the hallway to Eden and I’s bedroom. I hear giggles as soon as I throw the door open. I shake my head from side to side and hold my finger up
to try to quiet Perla. I take my time walking around the room, pretending I don’t have a clue where my little squirts are.

  “Found you!” I scream as I jump down and look under the bed to find four pairs of eyes staring up at me. They all laugh and run out from under the bed before tackling me to the ground.

  My oldest goes for my head, while the triplets tackle my stomach, and Perla stays cradled in my arm.

  My head hits the dresser behind us, wobbling it hard. I snatch up the kids and roll us out of the way before the dresser comes crashing down. My heart skips a beat as I realize just how dangerous that could have been if I didn’t move the kids out of the way in time. They continue giggling and laughing, not realizing the danger something as simple as a dresser could cause.

  I’ve changed my whole world to give them a safer life. I’m not going to let something as silly as a dresser hurt them. I need to talk to Eden about getting a bigger place. I’ve loved having everyone close in this small apartment, but it’s time we get something bigger where the kids can have their own rooms.

  The front door opens.

  “Mommy’s home! Go get her!” I shout. The kids leap off me and start running, while I take a second to calm my heart and scoop Perla up.

  I walk into the living room where Eden is hugging the kids. I lean against the doorway watching her. I can never get enough of her. This is what I wanted. To be surrounded by people I love. Forever. I don’t need anything else, but this.

  I step over the Barbie dolls and blocks, a skill I’ve perfected, before I get to Eden and kiss her firmly on the lips.

  “You won your case.”

  She nods as she bites her lip, blushing.

  “How did you know?”

  I grab her ass, sweeping her off her feet, as my tongue parts her lips to slip further into her mouth. I can hear the kids laughing and yelling, wanting me to pick them up too.

  She laughs and pulls her lips from mine, leaving me aching and hard beneath my jeans. I shouldn’t get excited so quickly when I see my wife in front of the kids, but I can’t help myself. The second she enters the room I can’t think of anything but her.

  “Put me down, you oaf.”

  I growl. “No.”

  She rolls her eyes, seeing the determination in my eyes and knowing I won’t back down easily.

  “I have a surprise for you,” she whispers in my ear, knowing if she says anything too loudly, our children will think the surprise is for them. But the way the words roll off her tongue and vibrate through my body makes it clear the surprise is a dirty one.

  I raise an eyebrow, as my wife smiles seductively.

  The hoods of my eyes fall as all I see is her. Damn, even after all these years together, she still makes me insane.

  I move my head to kiss her again, but her fingers pressed against my lips to stop me.

  I whimper like a fucking girl. God, this woman.

  A knock on the door startles me. I slowly ease Eden to the ground. I don’t know who is at the damn door, but it pisses me off. I want my surprise now. I don’t want to be patient. The faster we get the kids fed, bathed, and in bed, the faster I get to unwrap Eden. Devour her and remind her of what she’s missing every time she goes into work. Whoever is at the door is just delaying my plan.

  I stomp to the door and open it, ready to chew the interrupter out, but when I spot the young woman on the other side of the door, my body changes.

  “Meghan, what are you doing here?” I ask our usual babysitter. She’s in college and has no security skills, but she’s great with our kids. We have a security team that monitors the apartment and travels with us whenever we leave the premises, so Meghan doesn’t need any skills other than loving our kids and CPR.

  She glances behind me to where Eden is walking up, carrying a kid on each hip. Damn, that’s sexy.

  “She’s watching the kids so you and I can celebrate.”

  My eyes widen, and my heart stops. How lucky of a man am I? I should have thought of hiring the babysitter for tonight myself. I knew Eden would want to celebrate if she won, which is why I was going to cook her a fabulous dinner with our favorite wine. But fuck cooking. I can cook for her another time.

  I grab Michela and Rosa from Eden’s arms and hand them to Meghan. “You remember where everything is? All the emergency numbers?”

  Meghan smiles and nods.

  “Good.” All I care about is that she knows how to dial 911 if the kids get into trouble. I don’t care if she feeds them sugar and doesn’t put them to bed until after midnight. As long as they are safe, that’s all that matters.

  I grab Eden’s hand and start jerking her out of our apartment.

  “Bye, kids. Have fun,” I shout as I pull Eden through the door.

  “I was going to change, but I guess that isn’t happening now,” she laughs.

  “Nope, no time to change. I don’t know what your surprise is, but I’m hoping it’s a hotel room. We can order room service for food or go out later.”

  “Matteo,” she says cautiously, as she eyes me up and down. Her eyes half laugh and half say ‘I want to rip off all your clothes.’

  “What?”

  She bites her lip as her hand tries to hide the smile creeping up her cheeks.

  I glance down where she’s staring. A ketchup stain has caught her attention on the bottom of my shirt. My eyes travel higher to the breast milk stain.

  She shakes her head as her eyelids grow heavier. Her hands travel over the muscles on my chest. She’s no longer smiling. Her body is dead serious now.

  “Good thing I didn’t make dinner reservations anywhere. I plan on getting dirty with you,” she moans.

  Hot.

  My mouth parts, and I know I’m drooling at my wife. I get a chance to take her in finally. She’s in a black pencil skirt and a red blouse that she’s unbuttoned one button too far. I know she keeps professional in the courtroom, but around me, she always undoes an extra button because she knows it makes me crazy. She has all the control.

  Our bodies collide at that moment in the hallway of our apartment building. Our lips locking, our tongues dancing. Eden is so much better than me in every way. She’s kinder, smarter, sexier. She’s driven to do good in a way I never could. The only good I ever do is protect my family. I would do anything for her or my kids.

  We stumble down the hallway, as I’m already trying to undress her and slip my hand under her shirt.

  She moans and whimpers against my lips but doesn’t try to stop me. We could have a camera televising us to the world, and it still wouldn’t stop us. A door opens and then quickly shuts as the person I recognize as our neighbor, Mrs. Finker, spots us making out like teenagers in the hallway.

  I wave at her just before she shuts the door, making Eden giggle. I hit the elevator button and sigh in relief when the doors open immediately.

  I shove Eden hard onto the elevator, and the doors close behind me. She rips open her shirt, revealing her perky breasts encased in a dark black bra.

  Fucking beautiful.

  I pull a card out of my back pocket and flash it under the light on the elevator, and then press the button for the garage. The card gets us an express trip to the garage without having to stop at any other floor. One of my requirements for staying in Eden’s condo. I love the city life. I love our condo. I never thought I would. I thought I wanted another mansion in the countryside, like what I had back home. But it turns out I fell in love with the damn condo, almost as quickly as I fell in love with Eden.

  I love the views. I love how close our family is from sharing such a small space. I freaking love being able to order takeout at any hour of the night. But it just isn’t working anymore.

  Later. First, I have the most beautiful woman in the universe to fuck.

  I devour her. Unable to decide which part of her I want to kiss the most. Her lips, neck, or breasts. So I take my time, over every area of exposed skin I can find.

  “You are so fucking amazing,” I say as the elev
ator stops and I grab her ass. She wraps her delicious legs around my waist, driving her tall heels into my back.

  She blushes and moans. Speechless.

  I smirk as I carry her to the Porsche. I don’t even bother going to the passenger side; I just put her in through the driver’s side. She tries to crawl over to the passenger seat, but I grab her and pull her back to my lap, so she’s straddling me.

  “What are you doing?” she asks, running her hand through her hair and panting heavily.

  “Fucking you.”

  “Not here, you idiot.”

  I frown. Nothing can stop us now. “Yes, here.“

  “We are not teenagers who have to fuck in the back seat of your car. There isn’t even a back seat to fuck in. We can be patient and wait until we get to our destination.”

  “No, I’ve missed you. You’ve been busy working on your case, which I’m incredibly proud of you for, and in no way am saying you should stop doing. Because you are a badass, who deserves to be doing amazing fucking things. But I’ve waited long enough. I’m not waiting any longer.”

  She cocks her head to one side as she straightens her arms, trying to keep me away, like that will help. “It’s been two days since we had sex. It’s not like we’ve been on a drought or something.”

  I growl. “Two days is too long when it comes to us. I want you every day. Every minute. Every second.”

  She rolls her eyes and tries to climb off me again, but she’s not going to win this fight. Because I don’t fight fair.

  I slip my hand up her thigh to the button I know will make her give into me. She’s not wearing panties. She never does when she has a court case she is trying to win. She wears the sexiest bra and no panties because it makes her feel invincible. Works for me.

  She arches her back against the steering wheel and gasps, as I find the sweet button already swollen for me.