by Penelope Sky
“Until tomorrow morning,” Conway answered.
“Alright,” Father said. “We’ll make the final arrangements for the baby’s arrival at home.”
“Thanks,” Conway said. “We appreciate it.” He hugged all of us and then shared a special moment with our father. “Thanks for everything, Father. Now that I have a son, it really hit me how much you’ve done for me…how much you love me.”
Father cupped the back of his head and kissed him on the forehead. “I know, son. As your love grows every single day, you’ll understand it more and more.”
Nine
Bones
I stayed in the mountain overnight, feeling the freezing temperatures as the night deepened. If my muscles weren’t so thick, I could have been in serious danger. Max continued to talk in my ear every few hours, assuring me there was no one approaching me through the satellite feed.
I had a lot of time to sit there and think. And of course, I thought about Vanessa.
I wasn’t in any serious danger, but if she knew what was going on right now, it would kill her. I felt like shit for putting myself in this situation, for risking what we had for money. My loyalty to Max had trapped me in the situation, but that didn’t change anything. It was still horrible. I was sitting in the mountains surrounded by snow, and I was waiting until the following evening to finally make my escape.
When I came clean about it, she would kill me.
The hours passed until morning arrived. I stayed hydrated and snacked on the emergency food supply I’d brought. It was nothing but protein bars, not nearly enough to fuel my size, but it was all I had.
That night, Max spoke in my ear. “Chopper is moving in.”
“What about the men?”
“They’ve pulled back. They searched the mountain and the path to the town square, but they started to disperse when nothing happened. Since the chopper can’t get to your location, you need to move down to the flat surface.”
“Got it.” I packed up my gear and moved out, taking the quickest way down to the flat section of land. I wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible, to end this final mission and put it behind me. I wanted my money and my retirement. “I’m in position.”
“Alright.” Max was quiet for a minute while he worked with the pilot.
Ten minutes later, I heard the sound of the rotors. All the lights were off, making it impossible to see. It could only be heard if you were close enough. The wind swept through my hair as the chopper landed on the sand, and once it was on the ground, I hopped inside.
The chopper rose into the air and flew away. The lights from the square were noticeable from this height, and as I watched the country slowly disappear, my heart rate started to slow down. I’d never been scared during a mission. I didn’t fear death or pain.
But I feared Vanessa.
That mission didn’t go as smoothly as all the others. On top of that, I lied to her.
I fucking lied.
But I didn’t have any other choice. If I’d told her the truth, she would have had a serious breakdown. Max told me Sapphire went into labor, and I couldn’t ruin this beautiful time in Vanessa’s life. I knew I’d made the right decision.
But she would tear into me anyway…as she should.
I put the headset on and relaxed when the sight of Morocco was no longer visible. Max spoke in my ear. “You alright, man?”
“I’m fine.”
“Need any medical attention or anything? Dehydrated?”
“I’m fine,” I repeated. “Just get me home. Tell Vanessa I’m on my way.”
I refueled my body on the plane, eating the enormous meal I bought at the airport. I drank water by the gallon, and after a few hours, I started to feel better. I slept the rest of the way, finally relaxing after four days in Morocco.
When the plane touched down on the ground, it was a bumpy entry, and the movement stirred me from sleep. I wiped the sleep from my eyes and felt the relief circulate in my bloodstream. I was officially back in Florence.
I got off the plane, grabbed my bag at the terminal, and finally drove home.
Vanessa would be there. Max gave her my flight information, and even though she had a new nephew to visit, she wouldn’t miss seeing me when I walked through the door. She would drop everything to see me, to make sure there weren’t any bullet holes in my flesh.
I parked my truck at the curb then took the stairs to the small apartment I shared with her. The sun had just gone down, but the late summer heat was undeniable. The front door wasn’t locked, so I stepped inside.
She was standing there, waiting for me. She was my t-shirt with puffy eyes, her hair stretched down her chest. She didn’t look happy to see me, just emotional that the turmoil was finally over. “Thank god…” She moved into my chest and hugged me, her face resting against my beating heart. “It’s over… I’m so happy it’s over.”
I rubbed her back while my chin rested on the top of her head. “Me too.”
“Never again?” she whispered.
“Never.”
“Promise me?”
“I promise, baby. Never.” Even if Max asked again, I would deny him. I finished my term because he asked, but we were even now. After what happened in Morocco, I could never do this to Vanessa again. I had no regrets about my decision. Work used to be my life, but now this woman was my life. I would gladly give it up to make her happy. “It’s over now. You never have to worry about it again. I’ll sleep by your side every single night as long as we live. I’m ready to give you the quiet life I promised.”
She stayed against me, clinging to the moment like she never wanted it to escape. She must be feeling so many things at once, relief as well as joy. She kept her hands around my waist and rested against me, using me as a crutch to support herself. She didn’t need me for anything, and that made her love even more pure. She loved me because she wanted to, because she had to.
I gave her all the time she needed to let the past go. She was probably still resentful she had to go through that turmoil for so long. It must be difficult to accept the fact that it was truly over, that it would never return again.
My hand moved into the hair at the nape of her neck, and I gently caressed her, my fingers tinging once I embraced my woman. Being on that cold mountain made me long for her even more, long for the bed we shared together. I warmed the sheets throughout the night, and she hugged me like I was her favorite teddy bear.
When she was finally ready, she lifted her gaze to look at me. “You’re right…it’s over. It’s us now. At last.”
“Yes.” I leaned down and kissed her on the forehead. My lips burned the second I felt her, and the guilt inside my chest started to boil. My moral compass had never pointed north, but lying had always been something I despised. It stripped my credibility as a man. A man who lied wasn’t a man at all, because he feared the consequences of his actions. That wasn’t me. I could look her father in the eye and tell him things he didn’t want to hear. But that was still better than pretending to be something I wasn’t.
“My brother had his baby. He’s so—”
“I have to tell you something. I want to get it over with before we change the subject.”
She stilled at the interruption and slowly backed up. “Okay…what is it?” She pulled away and crossed her arms over her chest.
I hated the instant she moved away from me. I hated the space between us, the divide that kept us apart. It just made me want to get this over with even more. “I lied to you.”
Her eyes widened in surprise.
“I did it because I had to. But I promise you, I’ll never do it again.”
“What did you lie about?” Her voice turned firm, her hostility slowly rising.
“The reason why I stayed in Morocco an extra day was because something went wrong.”
She immediately started to breathe hard, the terror moving into her gaze. Her hand moved over her chest, like she was massaging away a dull pain that formed in her
heart.
“I took out the target, but his son caught me. He set the alarm, and I had to run. There were too many men on my tail, and Max couldn’t evacuate me. I ditched the car in the mountains then moved on foot. I hiked to a place where they couldn’t find me and waited it out. I was there for about twenty-four hours, waiting for the men to move their search elsewhere. That’s when Max sent the chopper and got me out of there.”
She rubbed her chest, her eyes filled with pain.
“I told Max not to tell you the truth at the time because it would destroy you. There was nothing you could do to help me, and there was no point in worrying. I wasn’t in any serious danger. I just had to be patient before I made my move. I was cautious on purpose. If I didn’t have you, I probably would have had the chopper pick me up right away. But I took my time, knowing I couldn’t take any chances.”
She covered her face with her palms, sighed, and then dragged them down her face. “Not take any chances, huh?” Her cold sarcasm filled the apartment. “A bit ironic…since every time you leave, you’re taking a chance.”
I knew she would be pissed. But there was nothing I could do about it except face it like a man. “It’s over, Vanessa. That was the last one.”
“Like I said, all it takes is one time, and you’re dead.”
“But I’m not dead, baby. I’m home—right now.”
She crossed her arms over her chest again. “I can’t believe you lied to me. You told me you never lie.”
“I know…I didn’t feel good about it.”
“Oh, that makes it better,” she hissed.
I knew she wasn’t really angry about the lie, just the fact that I was ever compromised. “Baby, let it go.”
“You could have died!”
“I wasn’t anywhere close to that. There was just a bump in the road. Big difference.”
She threw her arms down. “Shut up, Griffin.”
My eyes narrowed. “I’m gonna let that comment go because of the context. But don’t ever tell me to shut up again. I love you, baby. But I don’t put up with shit from anyone—including you.”
She averted her gaze, taking my words to heart.
“I’m sorry that I lied. I didn’t know what else to do.”
She tucked her hair behind her ear, her breathing still rapid. “I know…”
“I never want to lie, especially to you. It’s not who I am. I never want to be that kind of man. I despise those kinds of men. But I had to protect you. Your nephew was just born, and I didn’t want to distract you from that, especially when there was nothing you could do anyway.”
“My father could have helped you.”
“And I would rather die than accept his help.”
Her eyes flashed in pain.
“Because I would never want you to risk losing your father. I’m not worth it.”
“Griffin…”
“Can we put this behind us?” I said quietly. “I won’t lie again.”
“I know you won’t.”
“Then you forgive me?”
She rolled her eyes. “Griffin, you don’t even need to ask that. I’m sorry I’m acting this way right now. I just…want you safe. I want you home. I just…it kills me inside. Everything is over now, so I need to let it go…put it behind us.”
“I agree.”
She raised her gaze and looked at me, her eyes watering with emotion. “Let’s forget it.”
I knew she would forgive me. She knew I wasn’t a liar. My decision to mislead her didn’t change her opinion of me. Now, those green eyes were on me, the gateways to her beautiful soul. Now that I was home, I didn’t care about the mission I’d just completed or the money wired into my account. It was the last time I would walk through the door from work. That part of my life was officially over. “It’s forgotten.” My hands were in her hair next, and my mouth was on hers.
Her slender hands wrapped around my wrists, and she gripped me as I kissed her, breathing into my mouth with arousal. She gave me her tongue first, her nails slowly digging deeper into me.
I didn’t bother carrying her down the hall to the bedroom. Instead, I pushed her thong over her luscious ass until it fell down her slender thighs and hit the floor. Once my jeans and boxers were pushed past my balls, I lifted her into my arms and pressed her against the wall. My large hands gripped her ass cheeks, and I angled her against the wall so I could shove myself inside her.
Her arms wrapped around my neck, and she pulled her knees against her chest, folding her body closer so I could fit deeper inside her. Her face was level with mine, and she held my gaze as I started to thrust into her. “Griffin…”
I was buried between her legs, exactly where I should be. Her pussy was warm after the freezing cold of the mountain, so slick and wet that my cock was surrounded by my woman’s desire. There was no place I’d rather be, no other woman I would rather be fucking. We were connected at all times, but when I was deep inside her, it was a different story. Our hearts beat as one, and our souls intertwined. Love was a myth until I met this woman, and now it looked me in the face every single day. Full of passion, loyalty, and trust, we had something no one else could comprehend. We beat the odds to be together, made endless sacrifices so we could have this for the rest of our lives. I’d been shot a dozen times, but I had far more scars from keeping this relationship together.
But it was all worth it.
I slept in that morning because I was exhausted from the mission I’d completed. It was almost nine when I opened my eyes, on my back with Vanessa pressed into my side. Her arm rested across my hard stomach, and her sexy leg was tucked between mine. She must have been exhausted too, unable to sleep while I’d been away.
I ran my fingers through my hair then wiped the sleep from my eyes as I took in the morning light that filtered through the bedroom. It heated the room, lifting it several degrees as the summer sun rose higher in the sky.
Vanessa must have already been awake because she sat up when she knew I wasn’t asleep anymore. Her hair was pulled over one shoulder, and when she woke up first thing in the morning, she was even more beautiful than usual. Her eyes glowed a little brighter after a full night of rest, and the olive skin of her face seemed more relaxed. As she slowly moved on top of me, the sheets fell, showing her perky tits and endless curves.
I lay back and enjoyed it.
She straddled my hips then pressed her palms against my chest for balance. “Now it’s time for you to give me morning sex.”
My hands moved to her tits, and I groped them as she sat on top of me, her lovely figure looking perfect in the morning light. My thumbs flicked over her nipples, and my cock twitched when I felt her. “I’m all yours, baby.” The only reason why I fucked her every morning when she was barely awake was because I needed her. Had to have her in order to function normally. How could a man lie next to a woman like her every morning and do nothing about it? I got to keep her for the rest of my life, and that was a great perk of monogamy. I could fuck her whenever I wanted—no explanation necessary.
She ground against my length, smearing her slick arousal from my tip to the middle of my shaft. Her body was wet because it was used to getting sex at this time of day every single morning.
My hands gripped her waist, my fingers meeting across her back because she was so petite and my hands were so big. If I pressed my thumbs into her stomach, I could crush her. She was small but not delicate. Even if I were twice her size and ten times her strength, she would still beat me somehow. That’s what turned me on about her. She was resourceful and determined.
She lifted herself up and pointed my cock at her entrance. Slowly, she slid down, putting my thickness inside her. It was never easy for me to shove myself inside her with a quick thrust. Her pussy was still tight, still needed a few seconds to prepare for my size. She moaned as she slid all the way down, taking in my most of my length like a real woman.
I wanted to roll her over onto her back and fuck her hard like I did every morning
, but I decided to lie still and let her do all the work. If she wanted to fuck me, she was more than welcome.
She pressed her weight into her palms against my chest and rolled her hips, pulling her pussy down over my length repeatedly. She moaned right away, like she’d been wanting to do this for the past hour. The signs of arousal crept onto her face, and she let her pretty mouth open with the endless moans that came belting out. Her fingers dug into my chest as she fucked me harder, getting off on my fat dick.
I thrust my hips up to meet her cunt, to shove myself inside as she lowered her body at the same time. I could feel her racing heartbeat under my fingertips, feel her sexy muscles shift and flex as she worked hard to fuck me.
Fuck, this felt good.
My hands gripped her tits again, loving the way they shook right in my line of sight. I wanted to come, but I would let her finish first. She deserved a powerful climax after the way she fucked me so good.
She moved her hands to either side of my head, her hair falling down around me. “I love you, Griffin…” Spoken in a whisper but packed with the passion of a lover, it was one of the sexiest things she’d ever said. I was buried deep inside her, feeling her as intimately as possible, and she wanted me there every day for the rest of our lives. This woman could have any man she wanted. All she had to do was flash a smile and snap her fingers, and she could capture all the hearts around her. But I was the only man she wanted, the only man who was good enough for her. I was the only man she wanted to ride like this.
I propped myself up on my elbow so I could be closer to her. My hand moved to her hair, and I cradled her face against mine, feeling that pussy surround me over and over. “I know, baby. I can feel it.” I brought her forehead against mine while my fingers continued to stroke the silky strands of hair. The sound of our moving bodies was loud in the room. Her wetness increased, making it echo noisily and turn both of us on even more. There was so much slickness between her legs that it built up around my balls. I listened to her breathing, listened to it grow deeper and heavier. I didn’t kiss her because being pressed together like this seemed even more intimate. All I wanted to do was feel her, listen to her, and enjoy her.