by Zoey Parker
I felt a thread of panic worm into my stomach. “Where are you going?”
Zane sighed. “I was going out back to work out,” he said. He stretched. “I feel like I need to beat something up,” he added.
“Please don’t go,” I said softly. “I don’t feel safe alone.”
Zane looked like he was going to argue with me, but finally he flopped back down in his chair. “Fine,” he snapped. “Any other demands, Princess?”
I blushed hotly. “You don’t have to be such an asshole about it,” I said. “But you know I’m right to be scared.” Zane shifted around without replying. “Who are you?”
Zane laughed shortly. “I’m Zane Ricci, honey, your dream come true. Who did you think I was?”
I glared at him. “You know what I mean. You know I want to know you, who you are, what you do.” I gestured around. “I mean, you have this great house and car and you don’t have a day job. Do you gamble? What kind of stuff do you like to do?”
Zane shook his head. “We ain’t getting into this right now,” he said in a low voice. “Sorry, honey, ain’t gonna do it.”
I stood up with my hands on my hips. “I have a right to know the father of my child. I grew up without knowing shit about my dad, and it really fucked me up. You have to tell me, Zane. Come on, out with it.”
Zane bit his lip. He seemed unsettled by what I’d just said. He stared at me for a long time without replying. Finally, he opened his wide, sensual mouth. “I’m part of a family business. Do you know what that is?”
I blinked. “Like a dry cleaner or a restaurant?”
Zane shook his head. “No, honey. A family business.” His last words were spoken in a curt tone. “Like, you know what I mean?” He raised his eyebrows at me. When it hit me that he meant the mob, I gasped.
“Like the Mafia?”
Zane stared at me without nodding. “Whatever you want to call it,” he said breezily. “We just call it the family business now. It’s a big area of commerce around this part of Jersey, and I think you know that.”
I gasped again. I couldn’t believe Zane was in the mob. It just didn’t seem likely. But then again, I was finding out lots of things today, about Zane and myself.
“I’m the son of the leader,” Zane continued. “You have any more questions you’d like to drop on me?”
I shook my head quickly. “No,” I said softly. “That about covers it.” Suddenly, the gunshot from before seemed even more ominous. Zane was in the mob. Zane was in the mob and he’d just killed someone who had attacked us first. Zane was in the mob and I’d helped him by bashing this guy on the head with a crowbar. Tears welled up in my eyes and I blinked them away as quickly as I could. God damn it, Isabella. Why do you always have to get involved with these losers?
“What’s wrong?” Zane smirked at me. “The truth hurt a little too much?”
I bit my lip. “I’m fine,” I lied. “I just…I’m tired. I hate being pregnant. I feel so emotional and exhausted and starving all of the time.”
Zane was about to reply when we both heard the doorbell. He got up and loped towards the door, fistfuls of cash in hand. By the time he’d reappeared, the tantalizing smell of Italian food filled the kitchen and my stomach rumbled loudly.
He set down a big plastic container of salad and a bigger tray of lasagna in front of me. “Eat,” he said shortly. “You’ll feel better when you get some nourishment in that body of yours.”
I felt his eyes on me as I peeled the lids off and dug in. The food was so good I almost started crying again.
“I’ll keep you safe, Isabella,” Zane said slowly. “I know you don’t really wanna believe me, but you have to know that I’m doing all of this to help you. I promise everything’s going to be okay.”
I put my fork down and chewed through a mouthful of pasta. “It’s just…it’s a lot to take in,” I said, looking down at my lap. “What’s going to happen to me?” I looked at him in fear. “And what if something happens to you?”
Zane nodded. “I’ve thought about that. That’s why we’re getting married tomorrow.” He held up a slip of paper. “We’re going down to city hall and getting married. That way, if anything does happen, you and the kid will be safe. You’ll both have my last name. If anything happens to you, the guys will protect you.”
I swallowed hard. Marriage? The thought was almost enough to make me start crying again. When I pictured myself getting married, I’d always thought I’d have a white dress and a church full of flowers. A handsome, smiling fiancé who loved me. A future mother-in-law to henpeck me over children and home décor. I never imagined going down into the windowless basement of a county clerk’s office and saying, “I do” in front of a judge who had never seen me before. I wanted all of the bells and whistles. I knew it was childish, but this was the last straw. I started sobbing, putting my head down on my arms and hiding my face from Zane.
“Isabella, what’s wrong?” Zane’s voice sounded tired. “What happened? What did I say?”
“I didn’t want my wedding to be like this. I wanted a real wedding. In a church! With a white dress, and flowers,” I whined, looking up and wiping the tears from my cheeks. “I wanted the wedding to really mean something. You’re only doing this to protect me.”
Zane licked his lips. “And you think that doesn’t mean anything?” His voice was deadly somber. “You think I don’t care about what happens to you?”
Something about his tone of voice dried my tears. I sat up straighter in the chair and tried to compose myself. “I didn’t say that,” I protested. “I just…I didn’t think my wedding would be like this.”
“Well, I didn’t think my life would be like this either,” Zane said. “I didn’t think I was ready to be a father. But here I am, with you, having this kid.”
“Fine,” I said softly. “I’ll do it. I’ll marry you.”
Chapter 20
Zane
In the morning, I had Jake come over. “Watch Isabella for a little while,” I told him. “There’s something I have to go take care of.”
He rolled his eyes at me. We still hadn’t talked about the drug deal, and I was starting to think he’d either forgotten about it or just wanted to make me squirm. Whenever he was around, I didn’t feel calm anymore. I just felt unsettled, like he was someone I had to watch out for. Jake used to be a trusted friend, but now I held him at arms’ length. Unfortunately, I didn’t see that changing any time soon.
Jake whistled when he saw Isabella. “She’s a hot one,” he said.
Isabella blushed and walked into the other room. Even though it was the kind of comment I would have made myself, I felt like smacking him. “She’s the mother of my child,” I snapped. “Don’t talk about her like that.”
“You’re turning into a fuckin’ pussy, man,” Jake said. “You seriously need to grow a pair. Lionel’s gonna die laughing over this.”
I grabbed Jake by the collar and slammed him against the wall. “Leave her alone,” I hissed. “I’ll be right back.”
After that little exchange, I didn’t feel so great about leaving Isabella in his care. But there was something I wanted to do before we actually got married.
“Do you know her ring size?” The clerk behind the jewelry counter was a cute, curvy redhead. She looked up at me with a wide smile on her pretty face. “Or do you just have an idea?”
“She’s slender,” I said, holding my hands a little apart. “I mean, curvy. But she has thin hands, probably a six or a seven.”
The woman nodded. “Seven is average,” she said. “Why don’t you go with that, and we can always resize it later. Which were you thinking of?” She pulled out a tray of platinum engagement rings and wedding bands. I pointed to a ring with a simple diamond solitaire.
“That one,” I said. “Simple, elegant. But everyone knows she’s mine.” I flashed the redhead a grin and she blushed.
“That’s a beautiful ring,” the sales girl said mechanically. “And two carats! Eve
ryone’s going to know how lucky your girlfriend is.”
“We’re getting married later today,” I said, flashing her a grin. “I just want to surprise her.”
“Oh,” the girl replied. Her cheeks pinked again and I could tell I’d made her uncomfortable. “Well, isn’t she just going to be surprised!”
After we’d picked out a matching band, I paid for the jewelry and drove home. I knew Isabella wasn’t very happy about marrying me, but maybe the ring would cheer her up a little bit. I wasn’t a romantic guy, but women liked jewelry, right?
When we got to city hall, there was actually a line to the judge’s office. Isabella and I stood around with a few dozen other couples, every single one of them looking happier than we did. She was wearing jeans and a simple top with a white scarf, and I was in my usual button-down shirt and dark slacks. Most of the other women were wearing white dresses, even if they weren’t traditional wedding dresses. Lots of girls had on sundresses, and everyone looked happy.
“Ricci,” the judge barked. “You’re up!”
Isabella and I followed the heavyset judge towards his chambers. He turned from me to Isabella and gave us both a serious look. The next twenty minutes were a blur. I couldn’t believe it, but this weird man was actually giving us a fuckin’ speech about what marriage meant, some ring that never ended, blah, blah, blah. I kept shifting my weight from side to side, conscious of Isabella’s obvious discomfort.
When the judge started in on “wifely virtue,” I held up my hand. “Come on, man, we don’t have all day,” I snapped. “Just marry us, for fuck’s sake.”
The judge glared at me. “As you wish,” he replied slowly. Turning to Isabella, he asked, “Do you take this man to be your husband?”
Isabella’s reply was barely audible. “I do.”
The judge turned to me with an angry expression on his heavy features. “And do you take this woman to be your wife?”
“Yeah,” I snapped. “I mean, I do.” Before the judge could reply, I pulled the rings out of my pocket. Isabella gasped as I slid the engagement ring and wedding band onto her finger.
Tears welled up in her eyes and she blinked at me.
The judge softened. “You may now kiss the bride,” he said, still with a hint of sarcasm in his deep voice.
I pulled Isabella to me and chastely pressed my lips against hers. The kiss was solemn, as if signifying just how dire things really were.
“Come on,” I whispered to Isabella. “Let’s go home.”
Isabella was quiet the whole way home. She was staring at her finger in disbelief. “Zane, is this for real?”
I nodded and smirked. “As real as it feels, baby. Two carats. And yes, it’s a real diamond.”
Isabella looked up at me. Her eyes were wet with tears once again. “I don’t know what to say,” she said softly. “Zane, this is incredible.”
I grinned. “I’m glad you like it. I wanted to make you smile.”
When we got home, I pushed open the door, then grabbed Isabella and slung her over my shoulder. She started kicking and squealing in protest, but I could tell she was a little happy.
“What the hell was that?” She looked at me with an odd expression. “What did you just do?”
“I had to carry you over the threshold,” I told her with a grin. “You’re my wife now. You’re Mrs. Ricci.”
Isabella blinked, like the possibility hadn’t even occurred to her. “Holy shit,” she breathed. “I guess I am.”
She was staring at me with her lips parted. Her breath was coming in damp bursts, and she looked more desirable than she had in days. Her breasts were straining her top and I longed to rip it off her body and take her delicious, giant breasts into my mouth, sucking at the nipples until she was crying out in pleasure.
“I want you,” I said softly. “My wife.” Calling Isabella my wife gave me a burst of masculine pleasure. She was mine, mine forever. And now, I was going to show her just how much she belonged to me.
She trembled as I stepped closer and wrapped my arms around her. She smelled sweet —like honey and strawberries — and as I pulled her close, she surrendered to me, pressing her soft body against mine. I groaned as my cock twitched and stiffened in my pants, desperate to be inside Isabella’s hot, wet pussy. I wanted to fuck her for days, fuck her without stopping, fuck her until we were the only two people left in the world.
Isabella sighed and put her arms around my neck. She buried her face in my neck and gently began kissing at the skin there. I shivered. The feel of her wet mouth against me was enough to make my balls ache with lust. Roughly, I tangled my hand in her hair and twisted her head to the side before pressing my lips against hers. It was a night and day difference from our kiss in the judge’s office. Her lips were warm and mobile and she slipped her tongue inside my mouth, moaning softly as I nibbled at her lower lip. She pressed her curves against me and I could feel her stiff nipples poking me through her thin shirt. I grinned and wrapped an arm under Isabella’s ass, scooping her up and carrying her up the stairs. Our kiss didn’t break the whole time. Instead, it became more intimate, softer. My lips were wet with our shared spit as I shoved open the bedroom door and dropped Isabella on the bed.
“This is just like the first time,” I said with a smirk.
Pulling my shirt over my head, I stared at Isabella. She stretched out on the bed and wriggled out of her jeans. Her slim, shapely legs went on for days. My mouth went dry as I trailed my gaze from her ankles to her slightly rounded thighs. I could smell her arousal from where I stood, and suddenly I understood that she wanted this just as much as I did, if not more. Quickly unfastening my pants, I stepped out of them. My cock strained the front of my briefs. She blushed as she stared at my hard cock before she got on all fours and crawled towards me. Reaching forward, I grabbed the hem of her shirt and tugged it over her head until her breasts popped free, swinging in the air. My cock twitched at the sight of her perfect, dark pink nipples. I pushed Isabella onto her back and shoved her legs roughly apart. She closed her eyes and tilted her head back as I crawled between her thighs. Stroking my finger down the part in her labia, Isabella moaned loudly as I made contact with her clit. She was soaking wet and she spread her legs wide apart, giving me unrestricted access to her beautiful pussy.
“You are so fuckin’ hot,” I murmured, blowing on the exposed, soaked skin. Wetness leaked out of her pussy and leaked down onto the sheet. I slipped a finger inside of her and wriggled it around, making her writhe and moan loudly on the bed. My cock twitched and I knew I couldn’t wait any longer.
Crawling on top, I wrapped my arm around the back of her neck and pulled her head up to give me a deep kiss. I closed my eyes and groaned as her soft hands stroked down my body, finding my cock and cupping my balls. She gently yanked on my cock with one hand, her other stroking my balls until I was shivering with lust.
“I want you,” I whispered into Isabella’s ear.
She didn’t reply, only shuddered as she felt the head of my cock slide inside her perfect wetness. Isabella’s pussy was like one slick muscle that enveloped me completely. I groaned as pleasure shot through my body. In my head, I saw stars. She moaned loudly and arched her back underneath of me as I rammed inside her to the hilt. I wanted to bury my cock inside of her, to fuck her until the world ended.
Isabella moaned loudly, opening her mouth and letting out a full-throated cry that echoed off the walls. Tangling my hands in her hair, I yanked her head back and slammed my body against hers. Her soft breasts bounced against me and with my free hand, I tweaked and twisted her nipples. She was so wet I could barely feel her, and her legs wrapped around my waist, burying my cock deep inside of her slick body.
“Zane,” Isabella moaned softly. She ground her clit against my pubic bone and I could tell she was about to come. Her face was red and tears were leaking from her eyes.
As I pinched one of her nipples, she cried out loudly and threw her head back, exposing a perfect, swanlike neck. Lowe
ring my face, I kissed and bit until Isabella was moaning. I felt the pleasure and lust coming together in my lower belly in a powerful explosion, and before I knew it, I was slamming my hips against her soft body, emptying my load of cum inside of her.
Isabella was breathing heavily and she twisted underneath of me. My orgasm set her off and she started screaming, wrapping her arms around me and pulling me down close as she writhed against my body. I felt her pussy spasming and jerking with the force of her own orgasm, and I grinned to myself. I might fuck up everything else on this earth, but at least I could still make my woman come.
She fell asleep almost instantly. I watched her face relax. She curled up under the covers and buried her head under one of my silken pillows. I trailed a hand down her naked body, caressing and pinching at her ass until she squirmed in her sleep and twisted her body away from my eager hand.