by Blue Saffire
“Nick,” she giggles. Her belly has become so sensitive as it has begun to stretch more and more. A smile curls my lips as I keep them pressed against her soft flesh.
I pull away to look up at her and reach to pull one cup of her bra down. Her full breast bounces free and I lick my lips. I gently pull her forward by her waist and flick my tongue over her protruding nipple.
Sucking the chocolate tip into my mouth, I get lost in her taste. I slip my fingers between her legs to feel her soaked swollen lips. My cock jerks wanting to be the one to feel her hot, wet, warmth. I don’t disagree with him.
Pulling away, I release the buttons on my cuffs and pull my shirt over my head without bothering with the buttons. I turn Sephora until her back faces me. Using her curvy hips, I guide her back onto my waiting member. Once she is seated on me, I wrap my arms around her waist, pressing my chest to her back.
This is what I needed, skin to skin. Her warm body to my warm body. Sephora cries out my name as she starts to ride me. I thrust up into her, reaching for her breasts. I pull down the other cup to have access to both heavy globes.
“This is what I needed,” I hiss in her ear as her head falls back onto my shoulder.
“I need you too,” she gasps.
“I’m sorry I’ve been neglecting you. I’m going to make this all right again,” I groan out.
Our pace isn’t frantic; it isn’t too hard. It is just what we both need. Her tight, wet pussy on my cock, milking it for everything it is worth. I can’t comprehend how I have stayed away for this long. I chide myself for letting my darkness creep out and blind me to the fact that my actions were selfish and hurting the woman I love, more than protecting her.
“I’m so close, Nick,” She chimes, almost singing.
I drop one of my hands to her belly as she grinds her hips into me. I bury my face into her neck and suck on it. I can feel we are going to go over together. She is so slick, and I can feel her rippling around my swelling flesh.
I release her neck from my mouth and press my forehead to the center of her back, and that’s when I feel it. The other night Sephora was ecstatic when she felt the babies move, but when I tried to feel them nothing happened. I was annoyed that I couldn’t sit and wait with her. I had to go out for a late meeting with Joe Black’s FBI connection.
However, right now. I can feel my little royals moving inside her belly. I am inside my queen, and my future is living inside of her as well, and I can feel them. All types of emotions well up inside me.
Then I feel it again. I am too choked up to say anything. It hits me hard that I am almost lost all three of the people that mean the most to me in the world. Once again, my unborn children were almost snatched from me.
I feel Sephora’s hand cover mine on her belly. When I lift my head, she is looking over her shoulder at me and her eyes reflect mine with unshed tears. Words aren’t needed at this moment. Our souls are speaking and she knows exactly how I feel.
Both of our lips part and unspoken cries of ecstasy escape our lips. They are soundless, but they say all that needs to be said as we climax as one. Sephora sags back against my chest and I capture her lips. I let everything I feel pour out into her.
“I love you,” I murmur into her mouth.
“I love you too,” she sighs. “Don’t do that to me anymore, Nick. Don’t push me out.”
“I won’t,” I reassure her. “I promise from here on out I will keep your heart, body, mind and soul safe. No more shutting you out.”
chapter Eighteen
Introductions…
Sephora
Nick redresses me after we make love once more on the roof top. Once he has both our clothing back in place he leads me back to the main living room where everyone had been gathered when I arrived home.
This time, I notice that my mom, Ettie, Kimmie, and Lilla have arrived as well. I am a bit thrown by the severe look of concern on my mother’s face. I also notice a few new additions, one of which I believe is my savior from earlier.
He is surely big enough to be. My eyes bounce between him and Wyatt, who he is standing next to, and they can be twins. At least if not for the fact that when he turns his eyes on me, they are a noticeable green, not the signature golden color the Blacks are known for.
He smiles at me and gives me a wink. “Good to see you safe, Lass,” he says. The Irish accent pours from his mouth thick and heavy.
“Sephora, I should introduce you to Cole. He is the one that saved your life today,” Nick says.
Cole moves towards us and waves his hand at Nick. He pulls me into a bear hug. “Everyone calls me Brooklyn. You’ll do the same,” he says as he places me back on my feet.
I look at him then look at Wyatt, then back at him before turning to look at Noah. Brooklyn’s laugh booms through the room. He points to himself and then circles his finger at Wyatt and his brothers.
“Aye, we look alike, we do. We are cousins. They’re all my little cousins,” Brooklyn says in response to my questioning assessment.
“Oh, sorry,” I say and blush when I realize I am being rude. “It’s nice to meet you and thank you so much for saving me.”
“No thanks needed just doing my part,” Brooklyn shrugs.
“Did you find the car, do we know who it was registered to?” Nick asks as he wraps a possessive arm around my waist.
Ryan snorts and speaks up first. “Yeah, we found out alright. Same as everything else. The car was registered to you,” Ryan replies and I wrinkle my brows in confusion.
“Son of a bitch,” Nick growls beside me.
“It was purchased today through one of the dummy companies,” Kevin speaks up with a frown.
Nick tugs a hand through his hair. “I don’t understand how the fuck this is happening.”
“Nick, what’s going on,” I ask as I look up at him confused.
He looks down at me, and I can see the war that is going on behind his eyes. I press my lips at him and dare him to shut me out again. He sighs heavily and nods at whatever thoughts he is having.
“Ry, can you explain what’s been going on to Sephora,” Nick says tightly.
“Yeah,” Ry says from his perch on the couch next to Felix who is clicking away on a laptop. “This phantom guy, it's like he has somehow cloned Nick. He is hiding so well because he is somehow doing everything as Nick.”
“It’s crazy,” Braxton chimes in. “He has businesses, accounts, properties, everything, you name it, all in Nick’s identity.”
“Everyone we talk to swears it is me. They swear up and down that I am the one that they are dealing or have dealt with,” Nick snarls.
I look up at him, but he is looking up at the ceiling with his jaw tight. Suddenly, it is like a brick hits me. All of the pieces finally fit together. I know what I have been missing.
“Oh shit,” I blurt out and Nick’s head whips in my direction. “Holy shit,” I mutter again.
“What,” Nick asks as he searches my face.
“It’s been in my face all along. I knew it. Every time I looked at that file, it was staring me in the face. I couldn’t place what it was at first, but it was nagging at me. I would stare for hours, unconsciously, not knowing why.
“Kevin, do you still have that encrypted file?” I ask moving towards Kevin and his laptop.
“Yeah, it's right here,” Kevin replies as he pulls up the file.
“Can someone get a hook up to the big screen,” I ask.
Meanwhile, I look at the file on Kevin’s screen and point out what I need him to pull up. Kevin clicks into the sub-file I am looking for, and I gasp. What was just an itch before is so clear now.
“Oh my God, the letter,” I murmur. “But…”
“Sephora, what are you babbling about. What did you find,” Nick asks in frustration.
“Oh, sorry,” I say as I continue to piece things together. I point to the mounted TV screen as the image comes up. “You’re my husband. I know you. I know your face. We were never looking f
or a stranger, not in a sense. Every time I looked at this file, there was something about this picture. I would stare at it for hours wondering why you looked so off to me.
“It’s the eyes. Your eyes have never been so… distant…sad…I don’t know… cold. Not even in the boardroom. You don’t have this type of look in you. Yeah, you have had sadness in your eyes, but not like his. The letter I got said something about having to stop you and him, for the babies. Stopping you both before you destroy the only family you have left or something like that.”
I shake my head as I get my thoughts in order. “They weren’t talking about the babies and me. That’s not you in that picture. That’s him, that the one who is living as you. Kimmie and I found some accounts and things that we couldn’t reconcile when we first started digging.
“I couldn’t come to you about them because I knew you wouldn’t want me to help. I followed the trail back to Ivana. You said she was homeless up until a year before she met you. You also said that you stopped tracing the money trail back then because of her and your parents’ death and the fact that you had to let it go.
“Well, I couldn’t let it go. This guy, whoever he is, has been pretty clean all these years, but Ivana slipped up once. I don’t know if she did it on purpose or not but she goofed big time.
“She had some things delivered to the apartment she was staying when you guys first met, not that long after you started dating from what I gathered. Two of the items were personalized. One to a Gavin the other to a Rick. When I found the two names, I traced everything I could as far as a year back from when you met her.
“I’m so stupid. I dismiss that photo,” I say to myself. “I thought she was smiling up at you. Oh my God!”
“Baby, what,” Nick demands as he cups my face. He searches my eyes as it all hits me.
“Kimmie’s neighbor, the one I ran into and broke my phone. He was in that photo. He was at the hospital when Lilla was born,” I gasp.
“What,” Luke roars.
“I ran right into him again. I thought he looked familiar, but his hair was different and his eyes. They were blue the first time I ran into him. In the hospital, I was thrown off because they were blue-green.
“In the picture, the one with Ivana and the Nick lookalike, he was in it too. I could only see his profile, but he was in the picture with them. Amy’s assistant said that the man who dropped the letter off had dreamy blue-green eyes,” I explain.
“Holy shit, Gavin Carbon, and Rick Carbon,” Felix exclaims as he hacks away feverishly at his laptop. “This shit is crazy, they just disappear…nine years ago, they just fell off the map.”
“Wow, this motherfucker looks just like you,” Braxton says in awe.
Nick and Luke go over to look over Felix’s shoulder. There is a scowl on both of their faces. Nick looks back at the picture on the big screen, and I can see the wheels turning as rage builds.
“He was right in our faces. We talked to him,” Nick snarls at Luke. “That’s where I recognized his voice from. It was different hearing it in person, and I was distracted by looking for Sephora.”
“I know man, that’s probably why he was so nervous and mumbling, but we had no idea. Fuck, why was he living next door to Kimmie,” Lucian growls pulling a hand down his face.
“But which one wrote the letter,” I ask, thinking out loud.
“I don’t give a fuck,” Nick snarls. “They have both been fucking with my life.”
“But why,” Lucian asks shaking his head. “Why have they been fucking with all of our lives?”
“Because all of your fathers made mistakes. All except Joe,” my mother speaks up with a trembling voice. “Wyatt, you became involved by default.”
chapter Nineteen
Confusions
Sephora
“What are you talking about, Mother,” Lucian turns to my mom.
“Greed is a powerful thing. So is selfishness. Dean Lincoln had both in spades. Forgive me for speaking ill of the dead. Shelly just went along with whatever he wanted. As a mother, I will never understand how she agreed to what Dean wanted.
“Liam and Dean were best friends at one point. They had grown up together. They did everything together. Liam had even dated Shelly first. Things weren’t right for them and eventually they broke things off, and Dean made his move.
“Liam never had any hard feelings about it, but I’m not so sure it was the same for Dean. When Dean took over FLI and Liam started his own company, they made a lot of the same moves. Liam never thought any better of it.
“If his friend recommended a business venture he thought was solid, Liam was in for it. He didn’t know that Dean was knowingly involving him in mob ties,” My mother pauses and gives a side glance towards Brooklyn. She nervously licks her lips and slides her hands down the front of her pants.
“When he did find out, he was livid, but it was too late by then. He was in too deep. Dean promised him that as long as they remained silent and successful they wouldn’t have any problems.
“And for years it remained just as Dean promised. That is until Shelly and Dean had trouble conceiving an heir. Dean wanted a son to take over everything someday.
“However, Dean’s pride had gotten in the way as well. He wouldn’t go to the specialist. He didn’t want to be told he was the cause of he and Shelly not conceiving. Shelly was depressed, and Dean had changed. He accused Liam and Shelly of having an affair. They weren’t.
“That is when Liam and I met. It wasn’t long before Liam asked me to marry him and then we were expecting you Lukie. We were so happy and excited. I guess Dean didn’t want to be bested so he finally agreed to IVF treatments.
“Shelly conceived on the first round. She was so happy. Well, she was happy until they found out that she was pregnant with triplets. Dean was pissed. He was adamant that he only wanted one child. One son to pass his empire to.
“I personally thought it was crazy. I mean what if all three babies were girls? Liam tried to keep us out of it. He said that Dean had become someone else, someone he didn’t know.
“And we were going to stay out of it. That is until Shelly came to us begging for us to help. Dean wanted to just get rid of two of the babies. At first, she just wanted Liam to talk to Dean. After Dean wouldn’t listen she wanted Liam to find the two other babies a home.
“When you were born, Nick. You were the last born, but the first baby Shelly got to hold. She fell in love with you right away. You were the smallest, but you were the healthiest. Gavin and Rick had issues with their lungs.
“At first, they didn’t think the others would make it. It made it easy for Liam to step in without Dean knowing. Rodney Hilton was a good friend of Liam’s. Liam had introduced him to Dean, and they had gotten into business together.
“We knew that Rodney and his wife took in foster children from time to time. Cary was pregnant with Craig at the time, but they still wanted Gavin and Rick. Harvey Carver took care of the paperwork. He made it all look as legit as possible without Dean’s knowledge.
“George Ligal, Sr. had become like an uncle to them. Those boys were spoiled with love. Rodney and Cary had the boys for two years before Dean found out, but when he found out he was livid, embarrassed, and he felt betrayed.
“Things went down from there. Dean ripped those sweet little boys from that warm, loving home, and we never knew what happened from there. Dean became vengeful, and things became strained.
“Dean became resentful. Harvey Carver, Rodney Hilton, and George Ligal, Sr. were loyal to Liam. They were also some of Dean’s largest supporters and investor. He couldn’t rock the boat without tipping it over.
“His mob connections would not have been happy. So over time he tried to mend fences. He played the children card and brought Lucian, Wyatt, and Kevin in your life, Nick.
“I think his plan was to get you as close as he could to the crime families. I don’t know why or what he was thinking because his next move was foolish. Dean was out of mone
y. He needed everyone else to save his company.
“That deal the one that allowed an opening for all of this, it was a mistake. Somehow Dean was bested by two young boys. Gavin and Dean were just becoming men when they tricked your father into that deal. It was meant to destroy him, and the others.
“Somehow they knew where they come from, and they have been after anyone that knew of their existence,” Mom shakes her head.
“Liam thought he could stop them. He got involved with the FBI. Bianca was his connection. Those two boys turned that into a circus. They ruined Bianca’s credibility. That sex tape and those pictures were all fabricated. They were excellent fabrications, but fabrications just the same.
“Things only got worse from there. So much was going on. The boys threatened to bring the O’Brien and Locatelli families down on our heads next.
“That is when Liam had no choice, but to fake his death. We couldn’t pretend anymore. Harvey advised him to wait for things to cool down before we tried to strike back again. Liam had to just disappear,” mom looks at Brooklyn with tears in her eyes. “My husband is not a snitch. He never said a word against either family. He was only ever a part of trying to stop the boys.”
Brooklyn gives my mother a stern look. “I am a different man from the one’s you fear. I run my clan differently. I have no interest in your husband’s life,” Brooklyn reassures her.
I watch my mother visibly relax. Mom’s words sink in, and I stumble to a seat. My father is alive. I had this nagging feeling all this time, but now to hear that I was right.
“That’s why Bianca disappeared after dad died,” I say just above a whisper.
“Motherfucker,” Luke growls scaring Lilla awake. “Shit.”
“He is so proud of you all,” Mom says with tears in her eyes. “He did what he thought was best for the family. Gavin and Rick are dangerous beyond what you can imagine. They spent years plotting their revenge.”
“Wait,” I gasp. “G.L. That was what I found when I traced the email from A&T. The emails were going back and forth between Jillian Carver, a G.L. and that slimeball VP of theirs.