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

by Aria R. Blue

  Words choke up my throat.

  I want to soothe her, comfort her, not cause her more pain. But I don’t think words will help right now.

  I hold her hand and squeeze it tight, letting her crumple even more. Holding me, she becomes a mess.

  I can’t watch her like this anymore.

  “Do you want to-?” I say, pointing towards his room.

  “Yeah.” She wipes her eyes. New tears replace them.

  A hand comes to rest on my sister’s shoulder.

  Belle.

  She’s a sweet vanilla candle in the middle of the night.

  In her presence, I let myself grieve. I find the strength to feel my own suffering.

  My heart is covered in scars, but it still beats proud and mighty.

  Ivy stands up, and hugs Belle, her sobs turning into choppy breaths.

  Belle looks over my sister’s shoulder—at me. Her eyes assess my face and my body, looking for signs of hurt.

  I want to take her hand, and place it over my heart.

  My heart. That’s where it hurts the most. Where it hopes the most.

  It’s where my father will forever live, right next to all the people I’ve loved, lost, and found…

  My eyes drop to her rounded belly.

  …right next to all the people I’ve yet to meet.

  44

  Belle

  2 months later

  * * *

  “I think I know what I want to name the twins,” I say.

  Leo stops kissing my neck to look up at me. “Yeah?”

  “Anthony, after your father. And Rose, after this.” I hold up my hand, where the diamond sits proudly on my ring finger, now encased in a band of twisted dark platinum.

  “Are you sure?” Leo whispers against the crook of my neck.

  The heat of his breath against my skin stirs up a storm of desire inside me. “Yes. Now, go back to kissing my neck.”

  A low chuckle, but he does as I ask him to, gently kissing my neck and shoulders.

  I sigh as my head sinks further into the grassy earth under my head.

  We’re back in Silver Falls.

  The summer sky is stretched out above me. I catch glimpses of it from in between the tree branches.

  Leo and I are lying down on a blanket underneath a cherry tree.

  We’re supposed to be picking some of the cherries for a family picnic, but Leo convinced me that I needed a break.

  Our family and friends are waiting for us in the gazebo—Ivy, Luna, my sisters, my bodyguards, and some of the Blackwood men from Chicago.

  But Leo can’t seem to keep his hands off me for longer than a few hours at a time.

  His hand slips underneath my maxi dress now.

  “Leo, somebody could see us,” I say, gasping as he nips the spot where my neck meets my shoulder.

  His hands are insistent as they travel up my thighs.

  “Open up for me, Belle,” he growls.

  My body obeys his command, and my thighs fall apart to give him access.

  “But Leo-“

  His fingers dig into my slit. “So, so messy. Even as you tell me to take my hands off your body, you keep getting wetter. What’s that about, Belle?”

  Every other thought evacuates from my mind.

  Pleasure is all I know.

  “I keep getting horny for you, Mr. Blackwood. I keep wanting your hands and your cock between my thighs.”

  “Like this?” he asks, rubbing two fingers up and down my slit before plunging them both inside.

  “Yeah, just like that. But-“

  “But what?”

  “Just like that, but deeper. I get restless when you don’t thrust your heavy cock into my body, and-“

  “And what?”

  “And coat me with your cum. I think…I need it every single day.”

  “Oh, you’re going to be getting it every single day, alright. You’re going to let me fuck you raw, aren’t you? You’re going to let me cum inside you every single time because you’re a good girl for me.”

  “Only for you, Mr. Blackwood. You can use my body however you want. You can put your big cock inside any hole you please. Because I want to be a good girl for you.”

  “Fuck, Belle,” he says, his voice shaking.

  I love it when I turn him into this.

  I love to see that hunger in his eyes, and know that I was the one who caused it.

  “Aren’t you going to dip your cock into my warmth, Mr. Blackwood?” I ask, batting my eyelashes at him.

  As soon as I say it, he pulls his big cock out and rubs it against my swollen clit.

  “I keep telling myself you’re forbidden, Belle. That you’re off-limits. But every time you look at me with those innocent eyes, I can’t help but want to grab your curves and rut into your tight pussy like an animal. All I can think about is coating you with my cum, and keeping you all to myself.”

  A sound nearby makes me jump.

  Footsteps echo in the distance.

  We’re no longer alone in the cherry tree grove.

  I move to cover my body with my dress, but Leo grabs my wrist and clamps a hand down on my mouth.

  He whispers in my ear, “I’m not done with your body yet, little bird. You started this,” he says, pushing the angry head of his cock against my opening. “Now I’m going to have to finish what you started.”

  With his hand still covering my mouth, he makes me take every single inch of him. His length stretches me out, splitting me in half as he muffles my cries.

  He fucks me slowly, making my body relax for him.

  When I moan against his palm, he pulls his hand away and replaces it with his mouth.

  He speaks against my lips now. “Moan into my mouth, little bird. Tell me how good it feels to have your pretty pussy be ruined by my big cock.”

  “You feel so good when you’re inside me,” I say, trying to be quiet as he fucks with me with deep lazy strokes.

  His hands go to my tender breasts, resting them in his hands. “They’ve gotten so much bigger, Belle. I did this to you, did I not? I knocked you up.”

  He’s careful not to apply any pressure on my very pregnant belly.

  But otherwise, he takes me how he wants to. He always has.

  And I let him.

  Because the majestic man thrusting into me, he deserves it. He deserves to be pleasured. He deserves to have his darkest desires fulfilled.

  He’s a man of light and dark.

  I’m a woman of light and dark.

  And this is how we explore our duality.

  His fingers tug on my nipples as he feeds my pussy with his cock.

  “I love watching her swallow it up,” he says, looking at the part where we’re joined. “She knows who she belongs to. She knows who her master is.”

  His words make my nipples pebble into tight little points.

  “Do you want to come all over my cock, Belle?” he asks.

  A distant part of my mind hears the footsteps once again. I can’t tell if those footsteps are coming towards us or going away from us.

  “Leo-“ I breathe, trying to warn him. “Somebody could catch us.”

  “This is my estate, Belle,” he says, running his hands down my curves—from my swollen breasts to my full hips. He leans down, and presses his lips to mine as he savagely thrusts into me. “And this body belongs to me. Does it not?”

  “I’m yours,” I say, seeing stars in my vision as he manages to get even deeper inside me. “I’m yours to fuck and breed.”

  With his mouth covering mine, his hand travels to my clit and he rubs it in tune to his strokes.

  His balls slap against my ass. “They get really heavy every time I see you, Belle. So that’s why I have to keep finishing inside you. And I know you like to pretend otherwise, but you’re not really satisfied until you feel my cum hit your walls.”

  “You’re right, Mr. Blackwood. I’m a slut for your cock.” I groan as he starts to pummel into my body with wild thrusts. �
�I love it when you pin me to the floor and take my body.”

  His hands and cock move at a frenzy against me. His kisses turn hard and dominant.

  He’s claiming me with his body now.

  And a few deep strokes later, he’s marking me. I come the second I feel him start to empty himself inside me.

  He fucks me as I graze the stars and come back down.

  And when he pulls out, he kisses my brow.

  “I’m sleepy,” I sigh. “But we’re so late.”

  He pulls me into his arms. I nestle my head against his biceps. They second as a pillow.

  He tucks my hair behind my ears. “It’s alright. Rest your head for a few minutes.”

  With both of his arms wrapped around me, I fall into a light sleep. I’m aware of the way he strokes my hair and holds my belly.

  So much love.

  So much devotion.

  He’s no knight in shining armor. He’s no prince charming.

  If anything, he’s the dragon in the story.

  Loyal to the core. Ready to set fire to the entire village just to protect the one he loves. He’s capable of so much greatness, but it has to be coaxed out.

  It takes time.

  Neither of us was prepared for what the future had in store for us.

  Both of us were forced to change and transform just so we could see each other again.

  I had to teach myself how to be brave. For him.

  He had to teach himself self-acceptance. For me.

  “You’re smiling,” he whispers.

  With my eyes still closed, I cover my lips with my arm. “I just had a happy thought,” I mumble.

  He gently pries my arm away.

  “Don’t cover it. You look exquisite when you smile,” he says, kissing the apple of one cheek. And then the other.

  “The cherries,” I say, a little breathless with his face so close to mine.

  “The cherries can wait.”

  “Your family.”

  “They can wait too. The whole world can wait.”

  Before I can protest, he’s on me—kissing me like he has all the time in the world.

  Those footsteps from earlier, they get closer now.

  Light footsteps that make Leo growl and get to his feet. His face softens when he sees who the intruder is.

  “Ivy.”

  She startles and pulls out a knife from her sleeve. I burst out laughing when I see that it has a pink handle.

  “Why are all of your weapons pink?” I ask, accepting the hand Leo offers as I stand up.

  So far, I know that she has a pink gun, a pink taser, and a pink knife.

  “She says it’s her style,” Leo says, rolling his eyes.

  Ivy stashes away her knife. “No, I have pink weapons because they brighten my day.”

  “Most people would go with sunshine or puppies,” Leo says.

  Ivy sticks her tongue out at him. “Fuck you. Also, what are you doing out here?”

  “We could ask you the same thing,” Leo says, grabbing the empty basket that was supposed to have been filled with cherries by now.

  She narrows her eyes at us, and says, “I was daydreaming.”

  “About what, pray tell,” Leo says, picking the low-hanging cherries. They’re a red so deep that it’s almost black.

  “Revenge fantasies. All of them feature you-know-who,” she says. Wrath and vengeance gleam in her eyes.

  All of it is for one man—Nicolo Monte.

  She’s not going to let this go.

  Ivy is a girl who wears her heart on her sleeve. She might come to eventually forgive Nico for what he did, but only after she’s had her revenge.

  Instead of grieving for her father, she’s fixating on getting even with Nico.

  Maybe this is her own way of dealing with things.

  Ivy and Leo are both heartbroken, but they’re making space in their hearts for the good things to come.

  For the unexpected and the awaited both.

  The twins are due in two weeks.

  Luna threw me a baby shower last week, and Ivy is knee-deep in planning my wedding.

  The girl’s hearts are still cracked open, but they put their favorite lipstick on and welcome every single day with a blinding smile.

  “Dude, you’re feeding a small group of people, not the whole town,” Ivy says, watching her brother load the basket up with ripe cherries.

  “I’m trying to make a good impression,” says Leo.

  “Next time, try being on time.” She grabs a fistful and pops a few into her mouth. “Let’s go. Everybody’s waiting for you. Well, not you—nobody particularly cares about you. They’re waiting for Belle.”

  “Wait, before we go, I want you to have this,” Leo says, pulling out an envelope from his pocket.

  “What’s that?” Ivy asks, spitting out the cherry seeds into her palms.

  “A letter. From Dad.”

  Ivy wipes her mouth with the back of her hand. It leaves a red smear on her cheek.

  “Can you read it for me, please?” she asks softly.

  My heart aches for her.

  She’s a wild thing with a pure heart. Unrefined, beautiful, authentic.

  And she never got to say goodbye to her father.

  Leo clears his throat, and opens up the papers. “Of course.”

  “I’ll leave you two to it,” I say, stepping away from them to give them some privacy.

  Ivy’s green eyes pin me down. She shakes her head. “Stay. I like you.”

  I nod at her, and look up at Leo.

  He clears his throat and begins reading.

  * * *

  Dear daughter,

  * * *

  I’ve never been one to write letters to anybody. Not anything sentimental like this anyway. But as I sit down to write to you, I find that the words come freely. I have a lot I want to say to you, child. And I don’t think I’ll be able to say it all in person, so I’m penning it down for you.

  * * *

  As always, I want to start with business first. If you’re reading this, then I’m already dead. You know what that means to the family.

  * * *

  The Blackwood Crime Family needs a boss.

  * * *

  Rocco, I, and a few others sat down and decided that it should be you.

  * * *

  There has never been a female boss in any of the other families, but it’s about time that changed. Women are capable of fighting in ways that men can never compete with.

  * * *

  I know what you must be thinking—you’re young, you have no experience. But I know you. I know you’ll do whatever it takes to make the family thrive.

  * * *

  Heavy is the head that wears the crown, child. But I still hope you’re never made to feel like you have to do it all alone. Lean on the people around you. They’re always there for you.

  * * *

  I know your soul has been ripped to shreds. But something beautiful happens every time something breaks. It grows back stronger. It may not be pieced back together like it once was, but you can still choose to mend it. Choose to be grateful for everything you have instead of being broken over what you have lost.

  * * *

  “Stop,” Ivy says.

  Leo stops reading, and looks at his sister.

  “If it’s alright, I want to read the rest of it by myself,” she says.

  Leo nods, and hands the three papers of the letter back to her. I watch the pages flutter in the breeze as they’re passed from one hand to another.

  Her father’s last words to her.

  She folds the letter carefully, and stashes it away in her bag. “Let’s go. They’ve been waiting for too long already.”

  Her eyes are tired, but her smile is still bright.

  I watch in wonder as she weaves her way through the cherry trees, her long tresses floating behind her.

  She’s going to be a mob boss.

  A queen who doesn’t bow down to any king. She’s goin
g to lead a crime family.

  This girl, who’s skipping her way to a picnic is going to be in charge of a dangerous family business one day.

  I don’t know if I’m horrified or delighted by it.

  The day is bright and sunny.

  Wisps of white clouds pass through the sky. The air is humid, but the summer breeze licks away any sweat that forms on my skin.

  My family is waiting for us in the gazebo.

  All of my sisters, all of my friends, and all of the people I love are right here. They start to cheer as the three of us approach.

  “About time,” groans Julie. “We’re all starving.”

  “Amy was just telling us about how she’s never seen a violent pregnant woman before you,” Hazel says, grinning at my blonde bodyguard.

  I think I know what she’s referring to. “Not that story.”

  My two bodyguards tell this story to anyone willing to hear it—about that time when I kneed Kane Cavenagh in the groin.

  “It’s hilarious,” Amy shrugs. “You gave him what he deserved. We were about to interfere, but we also kind of wanted to see what you would do to him.”

  “My favorite part was how you held eye contact the whole time. It just made it all so much more intense,” Michelle adds, tilting her head back as a soft laugh escapes her.

  “Ooh, and that crunch we heard. You probably bent his-“

  “God, we’re still not done talking about this?” I say, taking a seat.

  Leo grins, pushing my chair in and kissing the top of my head. “You make me proud, Belle.”

  I glare at him, and then turn back to the girls. Everybody’s here except for one person. “Where’s Luna?”

  “She’s putting the kids down for a nap,” Hazel answers, glancing back at the estate with a smile on her face. My older sister has gotten along surprisingly well with the kids. They adore her.

  My sisters have been living in the Blackwood Estate with me ever since we got back from Chicago.

  It’s been like this every day.

  Big family lunches, long walks in the evening with Leo, everybody wanting to see the little baby footprints on the skin of my belly when the twins move.