“Hey, Nate, are you all right, man?”
Nathan’s eyes were semi closed as he mumbled, “I’m good...” He was pretty sure he was about to pass out from all of this pain. “Can somebody go grab my wife, please?”
And just like that, he was out.
Chapter 9: Two Faced
Nathan inhaled a deep breath, filling his lungs to capacity then releasing. It felt good, like he’d just gotten out of a deep, heavenly sleep. He shifted on top of what felt like a cloud and stretched his limbs. As he yawned and stretched his arms, his fingers grazed something soft. Nathan sunk his fingers into the soft tresses and moaned. Oh, now he knew where he was. In bed, with his sexy wife.
“Mmm … morning, baby,” he mumbled. “Gimme a kiss.”
“Umm … your wife is right in the bathroom, so I don’t think that would be appropriate. Plus, I am kind of your brother-in-law and all …”
With a gasp Nathan’s eyes shot open wide. He jerked his hand back like it was on fire, and jumped up from the bed. “Wh–what the fuck?” he shouted. Noticing that he wasn’t wearing a shirt, he quickly covered his body and frantically searched the room for his wife. “Where is Carter?” Jesus Christ, he was having the craziest fucking day of his life!
Gabriel, who knelt by the side of the bed, stood up with a large amount of blood-stained gauze and medical supplies in his hands.
“Relax, dude. I was just cleaning up the old gauze,” he explained, and pointed to Nathan’s side. “We had to patch you back up. Robert popped one of your stitches loose and you lost a little blood. Carter would have done it by herself, but her hormones are a little out of control right now.” He’d said that last part through soft laughter. “Carter, he’s awake,” Gabriel called, then looked back at Nathan with a smile. “I like your tattoo.”
A second later, Carter came running out of the bathroom. “Nathan,” she cried when she saw him. She ran into his arms and then abruptly jumped back. “Oh no! Did I hurt you?” she panicked.
Nathan quickly took her hand and sat on the bed, bringing her to stand in between his legs. “No, you didn’t hurt me, baby,” he reassured her.
Smiling, she touched his face lovingly and brought his face to her breasts, hugging him tightly. “I’m so glad you’re okay, bubby. I wanted to be next to you when you woke up, but there’s something wrong with me. I have to pee all of the time …”
“I told you that’s normal, Carter,” Gabriel chuckled.
“I was so scared. I was five minutes from taking you to the hospital.”
“I convinced her that you were fine, though,” Gabriel said, still cleaning behind them. “You were a little out of it, but you’ll feel better after you eat something.”
“There would be nothing wrong with him if Daddy would have just kept his hands to himself!”
“Carter, you knew he was going to attack your husband whenever he got the chance.”
“No I did not. I thought he was just screwing around. Now I’m gonna kick his ass.”
“Be calm, Carter. He’s just being a father,” Gabriel reasoned. “You’re his only daughter and this is the first man you’ve brought around him.”
“That’s because for the past six years I thought he was dead!”
Nathan listened to them go back and forth, pretty sure they had forgotten he was even in the room. He watched Carter while she angrily voiced her contempt for her father’s actions and Gabriel acted as her conscience, reasoning with her, trying his best to keep her from going downstairs to challenge her father and fight for Nathan’s honor. Chuckling as he listened to Carter’s anger winning over Gabriel’s reason, he decided to help the guy out. He turned his gaze to her belly, and proceeded to lift her shirt and press his lips to the place where his child grew inside of her.
He kept his eyes on her stomach and spoke softly. “How’s it going in there, bambino?” he asked his child. “How long do you think your mama will ignore you and Papa?”
Even when he heard the bickering stop, Nathan continued his conversation with his baby. “Do you want to tell your mama why it’s not a good idea to challenge your grandfather to a fight, or should I?” Nathan acted as if he was listening for an answer and then nodded. “All right, bambino, Papa will talk to her.” When he looked up, Carter was gazing down at him with a smile in her eyes. “I’m sorry, honey. I know you’d like to fight and defend my honor, but my baby and I discussed it and decided that it’s in your best interested to stay as far away from violence as possible.”
“Don’t I get a say?” she asked.
Nathan shook his head in mock sadness. “Sadly you’ve already been outvoted, honey. I’m mean, between my vote, bambino’s vote, and …” He glanced back at Gabriel and he nodded. “Looks like that’s three votes. Sorry, baby.”
Carter leaned forward and kissed his forehead, then his nose, and finally his lips. “I’m sure you are, Nathan Salerno.”
“I am,” he whispered before capturing her lips in a kiss.
“I’ll just meet you two downstairs” Gabriel said as he slipped out of the bedroom.
Nathan lifted Carter in the air and placed her gently on the bed. He positioned himself between her legs as his kisses traveled to her neck.
“Nathan,” she sighed. “You’re still hurt, honey.”
“I’m fine, Carterina.”
“Baby, we can’t make love again. I’m sure they heard us last time.”
Grunting, Nathan released the button on her jeans. “Your father should still be out, Carter, so this is the perfect time. As for the rest of those motherfuckers, they can kiss my ass. It’s my house. If they’ve got a problem with what they hear they can get the fuck out.”
“Nathan, don’t be mean.”
“I’m not mean, I’m nice.” He should beat all of their asses for spectating while Robert kicked his ass, but he wasn’t going to do that. Instead he’d just make them run late night shipments with the soldiers when they got back to New York.
“Nathan, you need to eat. Your dinner will get cold—”
Nathan silenced her with hard, passionate kiss. He knew they’d already done it three times today, but after weeks of no sex, they had a long way to go before Nathan was satisfied. Carter’s pussy now, then Carter’s cooking a little later … then more of Carter’s pussy.
He removed her shirt, releasing her perfect full breasts from her bra. Nathan covered one of her hard nipples with his mouth and slipped his hand into her jeans. Carter tossed her head back, arched her body, and let out a glorious moan. Her fingers sunk into his hair as he continued to lap—
“Well it looks like you’re feeling better.”
Carter screamed when his voice sounded at the door, and scrambled to cover herself by hiding behind Nathan. With a long, frustrated sigh, Nathan sat up on the bed, blocking her half-nude state with his body.
“Dad! What the hell?” Carter screamed.
Nathan reached over and yanked one of their pillows off of the bed, placing it over his raging erection, which only became more painful when Carter pressed her bare breasts against his equally bare back. Jesus fucking Christ … Nathan shut his eyes and tried to focus on anything but her nipples grazing his back. Not even Robert’s presence outweighed how much he wanted his wife right now.
“This is … highly inappropriate, Daddy.”
Nathan pinched the bridge of his nose. “Can we help you with something, Robert?”
“No,” Robert said nonchalantly. “I’m just going to stand here until you decide not to fuck my daughter.”
“Dad!”
“Shall I take a seat on the bed?” he asked. “Cause you know I will. It doesn’t bother me one bit.”
“Dad, would you please leave our bedroom. We’ve already discussed this! What Nathan and I do in the privacy of our bedroom is our business.”
“Carter, do you think I’m going to stand by and let you spend the entire day fornicating with this miscreant? Hell no! You’ve had enough private time, get your asses downstairs.”
Robert ignored him and continued to yell at Carter. “You’re barely twenty-three, Carterina. We never even had the fucking sex talk.”
Carter groaned and raked her fingers through her hair. “Well as you can see, I don’t really need it now.”
Robert pointed his finger at her. “Don’t test my patience. Don’t fucking do it! I’ve already overlooked a large amount of shit that you’ve done thus far. Do not push me.”
“I’m not doing anything wrong!”
“Are you at least using protection Miss I don’t really need the sex talk now?”
“He is my husband!” she shouted.
“So you’re not protecting yourself? You’re twenty-three!”
“I know how old I am,” she screamed, her cheeks now becoming flush with anger.
“God forbid he get you pregnant!”
Carter and Nathan’s silence gave away their secret almost immediately.
Robert’s face twisted with pure, unadulterated rage. Nathan could have sworn he saw steam coming from the man’s ears. “You’re pregnant? What in the fuck, Carter?” Robert roared. “I have never been more disappointed in you than I am in this moment. What the hell were you thinking? It’s unlike you to do something so stupid. So foolish … so fucking mindless! I’m looking at you now, and I don’t even know who the fuck you are. Because you’re damn sure not my goddamn daughter anymore!”
He’d shouted every heart-piercing word, and when Carter flinched behind him Nathan had had enough.
He stood up from the bed, leaving the pillow for Carter to cover herself with, and walked over to the door where Robert stood.
Looking Robert directly in the eyes, Nathan spoke in low, firm tone. “Listen to me closely, Robert. While I respect you as a person, and as Carter’s father, I will not allow you to talk to my wife that way, especially in our home. I cannot express to you how much I do not want this to turn into an argument between the two of us, so I will tell you this as kindly as I possibly can. You need to get out of our bedroom, right now.”
For a moment longer than Nathan had patience for, Robert just glanced between the two of them, then he turned and left.
Nathan swiftly closed the door behind him, relieved that he didn’t have to come to blows with his father-in-law. Yes, the man was talented, but Nathan knew that if he actually fought back, he’d give the man a serious run for his money.
Shaking off his thoughts, Nathan turned to his wife. She looked up at him with big, teary eyes and Nathan’s heart immediately broke. Fuck Spook! He couldn’t believe the man had been so callus, so fucking cold to his own daughter. Did he not see how much his approval and opinion meant to her? Nathan wished there was something he could say to make her feel better, but he knew there wouldn’t be anything. Therefore, instead of talking he just joined her on the bed and waited for her to speak.
~*~
Carter pulled her knees to her chest and gazed deeply into her husband’s concerned eyes. She was fighting with everything in her to not succumb to her emotions, but it was proving to be too hard. So many times she had asked her mother if her father would approve of the woman she’d become, and every time her mother had assured her he would. Carter had always felt in her heart that she was doing everything she could to be a woman her father would be proud to call his daughter, but now it was quite clear that she had failed. Her father was disappointed in her. He wore that disappointment on his face as he openly disapproved of everything she’d done, every decision that she’d made thus far. What had he called her decisions? Stupid. Foolish. Mindless. Not thinking. Acting without justification or concern for consequences.
“Carterina. Stop, baby.” Nathan’s soft, comforting voice brought her back to the present. “Thinking about it will only make you feel worse.”
Worse? What is worse?
“How can I feel any worse than I do now, Nathan?” she whispered the words, hating that tears had fallen from her eyes when as she said them. “And now I’m crying.” She wanted to smack herself for being so weak. “He’s disappointed in me. He says I’m not his daughter anymore. He’s going to leave, Nathan.”
“What? No, baby.” Pushing her hair from her face, he tucked it behind her ear. “He wouldn’t leave you.”
“Yes he would, Nathan. I’m not the same girl I was when I was seventeen. He doesn’t approve of who I am now. I don’t know how to change anymore, I don’t even think I want to change.”
“You don’t have to change—”
“He won’t stay, Nathan. I know my father. He likes things to be a particular way. If his world is being shaken, he’ll move on, with or without me. He expected everything to be the same, but it’s not and he doesn’t like it. He doesn’t seem to particularly like me either—”
“Carter, don’t say that,” he murmured, stopping her from continuing tormenting herself.
Shaking her head, Carter hugged her knees closer to her chest. “It’s the truth, Nathan. He knows everything. Every stupid and embarrassing decision I made when I was on my own.” Carter closed her eyes as shame and embarrassment caused her stomach to twist in a painful knot. “He knows that I was an addict. He knows that I shared a bed with m–my own fucking … my own brother.” Carter tried and failed to take deep breaths to suppress her emotions. Unfortunately, more tears fell from her eyes regardless of the fact that she didn’t want them to. She was beyond heartbroken and embarrassed. She was so fucking stupid to think she’d done anything right.
“Carter,” Nathan said in a soft, firm voice. Holding her face in his hands, he pressed his forehead against hers. “I said stop.”
“I can’t,” she cried.
He nodded his head. “Yes you can. Get out of the past, Carterina. Those days have come and gone. You’ve grown, you’re not that person anymore. You made mistakes, but so the fuck what? Everyone has. You are beautifully human, baby. Your imperfections are what make you even more beautiful on the inside, than you are on the outside …”
“Why is he so angry with me, Nathan? I don’t understand.”
Nathan shook his head. “He’s not mad at you, baby, he’s mad at himself. You grew up and he missed it because of the mindless decisions he made, not you. He needs to get out the past and take the time to get to know the amazing woman you are now.”
“But what if he doesn’t want to?”
Nathan smiled and kissed her lips. “He will, baby. You mean too much to him. He’s having some adjustment issues right now, but he’ll work through it.”
“You think so?”
“Of course I do,” he said with that confidence she loved so much. “Everything will work out, Carter. I promise. I’ll make it better, you just wait and see.”
“You always make it better,” she whispered, a smile tugging her lips up.
“It’s my job,” he teased with a shrug.
Carter smiled. “You’re such an amazing husband to me, Nathan Salerno.” She caressed his face softly. “I love you so much.”
“I love you, too, Carterina Salerno.”
“You’re going to be an amazing Papa.”
Nathan smiled as he leaned forward and captured her lips in a kiss. Carter sat up on her knees, sunk her fingers in his hair, and pressed her body against his, kissing him fiercely.
Abruptly, she pulled back from the kiss, remembering that she’d had to tell Nathan something. Holy shit! How could I have forgotten?
Nathan looked as if he were fighting to regain his focus. His face was flush, and she felt his heart beating rapidly in his chest.
“Why?” he asked breathlessly. “Why’d you stop? That was a sex kiss. I was pretty sure we were about to finish what we’d started earlier.”
Carter nodded her head. “Yeah, it was. We were going to have sex, but I forgot that I had to tell you something that might take you out of the mood.”
“What the hell c
ould possibly take me out of the mood right now, Carter? You’re half naked, your tits are pressed against my chest, your nipples are hard, and I know …” Closing his eyes, Nathan took a deep, frustrated breath. “I know you’re wet, Carter. You’re killing me, baby, I’m so fucking hard right now—”
“But I have to tell you what I found out, Nathan.”
“Yea, well tell me in about twenty-five minutes. Fifteen if you keep making me wait woman. Now come on—”
“Nathan!”
“Tell me what?” he asked sharply.
Carter ignored his sharp tone. “It’s about Kyle and me.”
He frowned. “What about you and Kyle?”
“We’re related, Nathan. Kyle and I. Abrielle is Anastacia’s sister. They have the same father.”
“What?” Nathan exclaimed.
Carter pursed her lips and nodded her head. “That’s what I said.”
“Why the fuck wouldn’t Anastacia, Cesare, and my father think that was a fact worth mentioning?”
Carter shook her head. “I have no idea. I was so mad, Nathan. I’ve seriously had it up to here,” she held her hand far above her head, “with their bullshit and their lies. I plan on confronting my mother and Cesiebear after I talk to Kyle.”
“You’re going to tell him?”
Carter frowned. “Of course I’m going tell him. Why wouldn’t I?” she asked suspiciously.
With his brows furrowed, Nathan shook his head. “I always thought …” His words died off. “Never mind.”
“Thought what, Nathan?”
Nathan hesitated then sighed. “You kind of look like his mother …”
“What? Bullshit,” Carter said, shaking her head in disagreement. “You’re out of your mind, bubby.”
Nathan shrugged. “I didn’t say you were the spitting image, but you do have some of the same features. It make sense you’re a Stone, she’s a Stone. Then there’s your brother.”
“What about my brother?”
“Well, now that I know their related …” He ran his hand over his jaw. “The resemblance is the jawline.”
“Why are you just mentioning these resemblances now?”
Dangerous Beauty: Part Three: This is War Page 16