Knocked Up by the Beast: A Mafia Romance (Kingdoms Book 1)

by Aria R. Blue

  I want to go after him, but I know fully well that Leo is as stubborn as I am. If he wants to do something, nobody can stop him.

  So I try to fall back into my regular routine.

  I’m still his housekeeper.

  So I look after the house.

  I start by cleaning a portion of the library.

  But for the first time, I don’t want to be in here. Every nook and corner reminds me of him. We made…memories literally everywhere.

  When it feels like the walls are pressing down on me, I flee.

  Fresh air helps. The sweet flower-scented breeze around the gardens helps.

  I walk the familiar paths, and gather deep red and white chrysanthemums. I take them back to the house, and put them in water-filled vases.

  I open all of the curtains to let sunlight in.

  Even all this light can’t fight off the darkness surrounding my heart right now.

  Still feeling restless, I pace up and down the corridors of the estate. I move from room to room, trying to find something to do, but my mind is pulled back to Leo.

  His wounded arm isn’t what I’m worried about. What scares me more is the icy, unending fury I saw in his eyes right before he left.

  This is a man who would burn down empires to protect me. So I try not to think about what he’s going to do to Kane.

  If it really was Kane Cavenagh who attacked us last night.

  The sheriff is an intense man. He’s persistent and abrasive and unpleasant. But is he capable of murder?

  I can’t see it.

  He was a jerk to me in high school, but I don’t think he would try to harm me for being with another man.

  As I walk down the empty corridors of the estate, a painting on the wall catches my eye. It stops me dead in my tracks.

  Those eyes.

  A dark midnight blue.

  The woman in the painting is beautiful. With long blonde hair that softly curls down to her waist and glowing cheeks.

  Leo’s mother.

  The clothes she’s wearing surprise me. I would expect a woman like her to pose in finery—in jewels and furs.

  But this woman looks…simple. She’s wearing a white cotton dress, and her hair is loose around her shoulders.

  The rose garden is in the background.

  There’s one dimple in her luminous smile. It’s directed at something we can’t see in the painting, but I wonder if she was looking at her son—baby Leo.

  The thought of it fills me up with a strange longing.

  My hands automatically go to my belly.

  Our baby.

  I was going to tell him about it last night.

  It’s scary and it could disrupt everything we have right now, but I was going to tell him anyway. And I would have if that gun hadn’t been fired.

  I take one final look at the painting, and walk away.

  I wander around the halls aimlessly. I have the whole house to myself, but none of it manages to hold my interest for long.

  The West Wing.

  He told me to never step foot in it, but that only intensified my desire to do so. It’s a whole quarter of the estate that I haven’t seen yet.

  I didn’t have any plans to invade his privacy, but I find myself moving there anyway.

  Maybe I can walk around it, instead of into it.

  I just need to get my mind off Leo and what he might be up to right now. I circle around the estate, and end up in front of the West Wing.

  Lush red carpet silences my footsteps.

  The wood paneling on the walls and the winding staircase invite me in, telling me to keep going.

  But I stop.

  He didn’t want me here. It’s not right to be snooping around his house while he’s away.

  I’m about to turn back around and leave when I hear a soft voice behind me. “You’re not supposed to be here.”

  I whip my head around, and find her right behind me.

  Luna.

  The girl I saw with Leo on my first day of work here. I haven’t seen her since.

  She’s taller than I had imagined. She looked tiny standing next to Leo, but I guess Leo can make anybody look small.

  Also, she’s infinitely more gorgeous up close—a startling kind of beauty, with her honey-colored eyes and shockingly black hair.

  What’s even more dizzying is her perfume—a glorious blend of all things earthy. Cinnamon, sandalwood, and light notes of citrus stand out.

  “Who are you?” I ask, instantly defensive for some reason.

  Why is it that she’s the only other person who permanently works at the estate, and yet, I’ve never seen her around before today?

  She answers my question with a question of her own. “You’re the new…housekeeper, right?”

  “Belle Carpenter,” I say, extending my hand.

  Her hand is warm against my cold fingers. “Luna Sullivan,” she says.

  She’s balancing a charcoal grey storage box in her other arm. It appears to be heavy, and she sets it down with a sigh.

  “It’s weird that we never ran into each other before today,” I say, addressing the elephant in the room.

  She shrugs. “Not really. I keep to the West Wing mostly.”

  The West Wing. The West Wing.

  What does he keep in there that’s so special?

  I look at the box on the floor. Lightbulbs go off in my head.

  “Does Leo sell drugs on the side?” I blurt out.

  Luna’s eyes glimmer with amusement. “Not that I know of.”

  I narrow my eyes. “Okay. Because that would explain so much if he had like an opium field up there.”

  “I can assure you that he does not have opium fields in the West Wing.” She’s grinning now—a real smile on her face.

  I can’t help it. I grin back.

  After all of these weeks with Leo, it feels good to have female companionship.

  Nostalgia hits me like a punch to the gut. I miss my family. I miss Julie’s chatter and Hazel’s calm.

  “So what does he keep up there?” I ask, tipping my chin at the staircase that leads to the West Wing.

  “That is not for me to tell,” she answers, her smile fading.

  I nod. Fair enough.

  “How did your date go last night?” Luna asks, switching up the subject.

  “You…he told you we were dating?” I can’t help but blush.

  “I kind of figured it out myself.”

  “How?” I whisper.

  “I found him smiling to himself, laughing more often, that kind of stuff. It was so obvious that he was in love.”

  My blush deepens. “I didn’t mean for it to happen.”

  “When do we ever?” says Luna, somewhat sadly.

  I look up at her, and find that she has a faraway look in her eyes. She’s thinking about somebody from her own life.

  She continues, “Anyway, you’re beyond lucky to have a man like Leo. He’s one of the good ones. I, on the other hand, seem to only fall for assholes.”

  Her eyes flash with hatred and something even more intense. Love.

  It seems like a dangerous combination. To hate and love someone at the same time.

  “The date was perfect,” I say, clearing my throat. “Until-“

  “Oh, I knew you’d love it. We spent the whole day setting it up,” she says, clapping her hands.

  That’s when I understand that she’s not just an employee to Leo, but a friend as well.

  I wonder why he never talks about her. Or about what she does.

  “I knew a man wouldn’t be capable of planning something that beautiful without some help,” I chuckle.

  “He wanted to give you the perfect birthday present. We were making lists all week, trying to decide what the perfect evening would be for you. He came up with the idea, and I set up the decoration.”

  “Thank you,” I say, thinking about the white theme with the little pops of color in between. “It was the best.”

  “Really?” she gri
ns.

  “Yeah,” I smile.

  The heaviness returns to my heart as I think about how the perfect evening had abruptly come to an end.

  “Where is he, by the way? I haven’t heard from him all day,” she says.

  I swallow, trying to decide how much I should tell her.

  Fuck it. I might as well tell her everything.

  The rant turns out to be just what I needed.

  I voiced all of my fears and shared all of my dark secrets with a stranger.

  It was nice to have somebody to talk to. Bumping into Luna had been the perfect distraction.

  It stilled my mind.

  Enough so that I went back to the library, and worked until sunset. After dinner, I curled up in one of the high-backed armchairs with a book, and read until my eyes started to get heavy.

  It’s only after midnight that I walk back to my bedroom.

  Don’t stay up for me, he said. But how could I not?

  I know that he’s smart and strong, but I can’t stop worrying about him.

  I know that nothing can touch him. But I just want him back in my arms, and I want him to stay in my arms.

  So I leave my bedroom door unlocked for him.

  I strip down to my lingerie, and slide under the warm silk bedsheets.

  Sleep doesn’t come.

  After one hour of tossing and turning, my bedroom door is pushed open.

  23

  Leo

  She sits up, clutching a white bed sheet to her chest.

  Despite myself, despite everything that I just went through, a low growl escapes my lips as I take in the sight of her curvy body.

  “I asked you not to stay up,” I rasp.

  She must hear the brokenness in my voice, because she throws off the bed sheet and rushes to me.

  No.

  Not when I’m like this.

  But I scoop her into my arms anyway.

  I hold her soft body against mine, and let the comfort of her seep into my tired bones.

  “Leo. You’re shaking,” she says, clutching my shirt and looking up at me. She lifts her hand up to my face, her fingers hovering over the bruises. “You’re hurt.”

  My voice is low. “You should’ve seen the other guy.”

  “Tell me what happened.”

  “I don’t want to talk about it,” I say. I couldn’t even if I wanted to.

  If I say it out loud, the truth of it will shatter me completely. It’s better if I keep it all inside my head. At least for tonight.

  “Did you find Kane?”

  Oh I found him alright. “Yes.”

  “Did you…confront him?”

  “I didn’t kill him, if that’s what you’re asking.”

  She shifts under my arms. Her puckered nipples rub against my body, making my blood rush south.

  “It wasn’t him last night, was it?” she asks, tilting her chin up.

  How the hell did she deduce that? “No, it wasn’t. And I don’t want to talk about this anymore.”

  The rage in my body reaches a crescendo, rising and rising until it hits the upper limit.

  An equal fury flashes in her eyes.

  “You can’t just shut me off from parts of your world, Leo. I get worried, okay? And it doesn’t help that you keep me in the dark half of the time.” She looks like she’s about to say more, but then purses her lips.

  I spin her around until she’s pressed up against the wall with her back to me.

  My eyes rake down her almost-naked body.

  An excuse of a thong splits her ass in half. A tight red camisole rests a few inches above her navel.

  The result is mouth-watering.

  Everything slams into me at once—the rage from the day, the lust for Belle.

  My fists punch the wall, caging her in. I don’t touch her but I surround her with my voice and heat.

  “Now is not the time, Belle,” I growl.

  Her back arches, making her soft ass brush against my thickness. “Why not?”

  “I’m in no position to talk right now. I’ll…I’ll tell you in the morning.” She relaxes when she hears that. “And stop bouncing your thick ass against my cock.”

  I’m still not touching her.

  I can’t.

  I want her, and if the shameless writhing of her body is any indication, she wants me too.

  But not like this.

  Not when my rage isn’t on a leash.

  She turns herself back around, and lifts her chin up defiantly. “I thought you liked it when I dance for you.”

  “Not right now, baby,” I growl, eyes dropping down to her red tank top. The swell of her breasts beg me to come take a bite.

  “Then why are you in my bedroom?” she asks, raising an eyebrow.

  “Not. Right. Now.” She wants to play, but I can’t show her the beast inside me.

  “I know you lose control sometimes, Leo,” she says, lifting her hand up and resting it against my cheek. “I want you to lose control on me.”

  A dull pounding starts at the base of my stomach. It spreads throughout my body, lighting me up with a dangerous fire.

  With need.

  Greed.

  To mate the beautiful woman standing in front of me.

  To have her pinned underneath my body with her thighs spread, ready to receive my brutality.

  Ready for my seed.

  My balls draw tighter at the thought of her belly swollen with my child. It lights up a possessive instinct inside me.

  Mine. Mine, mine, mine.

  “Yes, I’m yours,” she hiccups, her arms grazing up the planes of my chest.

  I hadn’t realized that I was speaking out loud.

  I lean forward. Her cherry-stained lips part, expecting to be kissed.

  But I bring my mouth right next to her earlobe, and hiss, “Be careful of what you wish for, girl. It might come true.”

  Her hips undulate under mine, her sex dragging down my shaft. Both of us groan at the contact.

  “I know exactly what I’m wishing for,” she says. “I want you. All of you.”

  I squeeze my eyes shut.

  If there’s anything that can help me get my mind off today’s events, it’s Belle.

  But she’s precious.

  She’s a queen, and she deserves to be treated like one. I can’t show her the darkness that lurks inside me.

  “Belle, you’re playing a dangerous game here,” I warn.

  She pulls out the big guns. “Remember that first time you fucked me, Mr. Blackwood?”

  I know that if I touched her little slit right now, I’d find her dripping for my cock.

  Her smile is devastatingly devious. “We could have that again. This time, you could be rough. You can take me how you really want to. Don’t you want that?”

  “Belle.” I slam both my fists into the wall behind her. It doesn’t faze her one bit.

  “I won’t tell anybody,” she says, her teeth biting down on that full bottom lip. “I know you had a long day, Mr. Blackwood. I know that you’re frustrated, and need something to take the edge off. Take it out on me. Go wild. On me.”

  I can’t.

  Twisting her hair in my grip, I unleash the beast inside. I let it take full reign over me.

  “You’ve been plotting this haven’t you, Belle? All of the ways you can seduce me so you can get what you want. That’s all you dream about, isn’t it? To have a big cock pulsing inside your little cunt, stretching you out and filling you up.”

  “Not just any cock,” she says. “Yours. I dream about having you fill me up, Mr. Blackwood.”

  “Tell me what you need, Belle,” I say.

  Finally, finally, I let myself touch her. My hands go down to her waist, and I hold her against the wall as I wait for her answer.

  “I need you to take me. I want you to use my body and fuck me senseless.”

  “What shade is your lipstick, Belle?” I ask, my fingers curling around her throat and tipping her chin up so I can get a better look
at her lips.

  They’re stained a bright red tonight, matching her skimpy tank top and skimpier thong.

  “It’s a blend of flamenco red and-“

  “All I see is a fuck-my-mouth red. Get down on your knees,” I order.

  She’s alarmed. I never demand her to do anything. It’s always been about her pleasure. It’s always been about putting her first.

  But tonight, I’m going to take.

  She gets down on her knees. Her face is inches away from my cock. I can feel the heat of her breath on me already.

  “I’m going to teach you how to suck a cock tonight,” I growl. “I want those pretty lips wrapped around my thickness.”

  Her throat bobs as she looks at my straining zipper.

  “Now pull it out, baby,” I groan.

  She jumps to action then, fingers trembling as she fumbles with unwrapping her present.

  If she drags this out any further, I’m going to end up coming inside my pants.

  And I can’t have that.

  I make it a point to save all of my cum for her sweet little pussy.

  She holds the weight of my cock in her palms, and rubs her hands up and down my shaft.

  She’s a little out of her mind too.

  I don’t even have to tell her what to do. She takes my heavy balls into her mouth, and sucks me off like a champ.

  Normally, I would let her do her thing.

  But I don’t plan on being gentle with her tonight.

  So I step forward until her head is pushed up against the wall. And slowly, I start to pump my hips into her, using her mouth like its sole purpose is to take my cock.

  She opens up for me, allowing me to hit her throat with every thrust.

  Even as her eyes water, my little cock slut spreads her thighs on the floor. There’s a wet patch on her panties. Right at the spot I’m about to take her next.

  “If I knew that being treated like a whore would get you off, I would’ve done it a long time ago,” I say, gathering all of her hair on top of her head to get a better grip.

  She looks up at me with hooded eyes, and squeezes my balls in her small hands.

  I start to fuck her harder.

  “Pull that tight little tank top up,” I say. “I want to see those fat tits.”

  She does as I order.

  Her round breasts jiggle as I feed her my cock. I lean down to squeeze them. It makes her moan with my cock still inside her mouth.