by Penelope Sky
Imagining Carmen being jealous was always a turn-on. I heard the sound of her steps down the hallway as she approached the living room. I glanced in her direction and saw her run her fingers through her hair, wearing my gray t-shirt better than I ever did.
She crossed the room then came to the table, her eyes immediately lighting up when she saw what I made. “Oh, thank god. I need some real food after last night.” She leaned down and kissed me on the neck before she walked back into the kitchen.
I almost forgot Ronan was still on the phone. “I’ll talk to you later.” I hung up.
Carmen came back with a plate full of food and took the seat across from me. She had a mug of coffee, three pancakes, and plenty of eggs and bacon. She immediately started to eat, starving just the way I’d been that morning.
I sipped my coffee while I stared at her.
“This is good.” She shoveled another bite of pancake into her mouth.
I hadn’t finished my breakfast, but now I was too distracted by her to eat. I sipped my coffee as I stared at her face, loving the way her hair naturally framed her face and how my shirt slipped down over one shoulder. She was perfect, regardless of the time of day or what she was wearing.
She met my gaze, knowing I was staring at her. “What?”
I was tempted to confront her about Ruby, but there wasn’t much to say. Whether she was intentionally spying on me or she happened to be in the wrong place at the right time didn’t really matter. Remaining faithful to her was the easiest thing I’d ever done. Why would I want some gold digger when I could have her? She shouldn’t be surprised by my actions. But it did mean something to me that it meant so much to her, that my fidelity made her happy. That meant if I’d fooled around, it would have broken her heart.
I decided to keep the information to myself since it seemed so pointless to share out loud. It was obvious why I was immune to Ruby’s charms, even though she was good in bed with a beautiful body. It was obvious why I put myself in the ring and fought a psychopath with my bare hands. It was obvious why I did everything when it came to her. And it was also obvious why her reactions were the same in every single instance. “Nothing.”
“How’s your pussy, Beautiful?” I lay on top of her on the bed, our naked bodies grinding together.
She rubbed her clit. “I can tell it’s a little sore…”
That was to be expected since I viciously pounded into her like she was a toy. “I would apologize, but I can’t since I wouldn’t mean it.” I widened her legs then lay on my stomach on the bed. “But I can do this.” I cupped her thighs with my hands then kissed her softly, being delicate after the harsh way I’d taken her last night. I took my time as I tasted her tartness, circled her clit with my tongue, and then slipped inside her slit. I kissed her just the way I would kiss her on the mouth, with deep softness.
She relaxed on the pillows and moaned, enjoying the way my mouth pleased her so gently.
My cock was hard underneath my body, but he had plenty of fun last night. He could wait until she was ready again.
She dug her fingers into my hair and slowly ground against my face, loving the way my mouth and tongue were pleasing her. Her sexy moans became louder, and when her nipples hardened to the sharpness of diamonds, she came against my face. “Bosco…” She ground right against my mouth, bucking slightly because the pleasure was so intense.
I loved pressing my face between her legs, feeling her clit vibrate with her orgasm. I loved the way she reached for more because my moves satisfied her. I didn’t go down on my flings very often, only on rare occasions, but I loved being settled between her legs like this.
Best pussy ever.
I pulled my mouth away then moved back on top of her, knowing my cock would settle down after a few minutes. I held myself on my arms and looked down at her, finding her the most beautiful woman that had ever been in this bed. It took a long time for her to give me a real chance, and now that she had, my life felt complete.
This woman completed me.
With satisfaction in her eyes and a slight smile on her lips, she fingered my hair. “You’re good at that.”
“I just like eating your pussy.”
“Really? I’ve never had a guy do that to me before.”
Because none of them had been man enough. “They were pussies. That’s why.”
“Well, they tried. I just never let them.”
“Why?”
She shrugged. “Seems too intimate for a fling.”
“You let me.” And this was still defined as a fling.
“But we both know you’re different.” She cupped my face and brushed her thumb across my cheek. “I still can’t believe you did that last night. You have no idea how scared I was.”
I turned my head into her palm and kissed it. “I do. I saw your tears.”
“But you did it anyway.”
“Because I had to. I wanted to kill him with my bare hands. That’s how much I hated him.”
“You could have died.”
I shook my head. “Not when I had so much to live for.” I hooked her leg around my waist. “You’re my woman and I will protect you, even if that means getting my hands dirty once in a while. You should never feel scared with me ever again. I’m the most powerful man in this city—and I hope I proved that to you.”
Her eyes softened. “You proved it a long time ago.”
“Then I’m the best choice in a man.” There was no one else who could compete with me. Carmen deserved the best—and I was the best. I wanted to ditch this contract we’d set up and start being real. I knew how she felt about me, and there was no way she couldn’t figure out how I felt about her.
She widened her legs then locked her ankles around my waist. “Give it to me slow…”
“I thought you were sore.”
Her arms wrapped around my neck, and she pulled me closer. “I don’t care.”
9
Bones
I’d been dropping Vanessa off at work and picking her up every night at the end of the day. The storm that swept through the middle of the country had been drastic. The roads were flooded and dangerous, and since she drove a small car, I couldn’t let her commute to work alone.
Even if my son weren’t growing inside her.
I pulled up to the curb in front of the gallery and then escorted her inside.
Just the few short feet into the store left us both soaking wet. Her private security was already there, giving me a slight nod in acknowledgment. He didn’t talk much, but that was why I liked him.
“You really don’t need to drive me every day,” Vanessa said. “I always drive slow—”
“Our arguments always end the same way. I disregard what you say and do what I want. So let’s skip the beginning and the middle.”
Any other woman would slap me for talking that way. Vanessa accepted me, saw through my coldness and saw the love behind the statement. “Well, thanks for bringing us to work.”
Us. There were two of them now. Two people I had to love and protect with my life. I moved my hand to her stomach even though he wasn’t kicking. I still liked to touch her belly, to feel it while I slept at night. Whenever he started to kick, my heart did the strangest thing…it did somersaults. “Call me if you need anything.” She was almost at her third trimester. We were more than halfway into her pregnancy, and the doctor said everything was going well. So far, it seemed like my wife and son were both healthy.
“I know.” She rose on her tiptoes to kiss me. “I love you.”
“I love you too.” I still got chills when I heard those words from her. Sometimes it was hard to believe that this was real, that we got the future we’d always wanted. She was my wife, my family. And pretty soon, I would have someone who shared my blood. I wouldn’t be the only member of my bloodline. Soon, I would have a son. “I’m going to check on Carmen before I head out.”
“If she needed something, she would call.”
“I’m here anyway. May
as well. We both know she’s not the kind of woman to ask for help.”
Vanessa’s smile fell immediately.
I suspected there was something going on between the two of them, but since Vanessa didn’t tell me about it, I assumed it wasn’t my place to know. “I’ll be back in a few hours.”
“Alright.” She rubbed her belly, suddenly looking stressed.
I stayed still, knowing she had something else to say to me. “What is it?”
“It’s about the baby. I’ve been thinking about names…”
I hadn’t given it much thought. I assumed we would wait until he was born before we figured it out. It was only recently that the doctor confirmed he really was a boy. Vanessa’s assumption had been correct. “Alright.”
“You can say no if you want. I completely understand, and I wouldn’t be angry about it…”
I already knew what she was going to ask. “If that’s what you want.”
Her eyes narrowed in confusion. “You don’t even know what I’m going to say.”
“Baby, I always know what you’re going to say. You’re the one who’s growing my son inside this little belly.” My hands cupped both sides of her stomach. “So you have a lot of say in the matter. If you want to name him that, we can. I know it’s important to you.”
Her hands moved over mine. “What do you think I want to name him?”
It was obvious, written in her eyes full of love. “Crow.”
Her eyes immediately softened when I got it right. “You did know…”
I knew everything about my woman, from her thoughts to her moods. She and I shared our bodies as well as our souls. We existed as almost a single person.
“You would really be okay with that?” she whispered.
I’d come to respect her father. I didn’t like him initially, but he wore me down. Now I saw him as a father figure, as someone that I even admired. “Yes.” I would do anything to make her happy.
Her eyes watered. “That’s so sweet…” She gripped my hands and moved into me. “Thank you.”
I pressed a kiss to her forehead.
“When we have our next son, I want to name him Griffin.” She looked up into my gaze. “Because you’re the other man I admire more than anyone else in the world. There’s nothing better than that.”
I wasn’t expecting that. “Really?”
“Yes. I want him to carry your name when we’re gone, to know there’s a piece of you still out there. It’s an admirable name. I love it.”
The thought hadn’t crossed my mind to name my son after me. I knew she was named after her aunt, so naming children after our relatives was common for them. “We can talk about it when the time comes.”
“Alright.”
I kissed her on the forehead again before I turned away and walked out. I ignored the rain and got into the truck before I drove a few blocks away to the flower shop. The second I pulled up to the building, I knew something was wrong. All the lights were off, and the place looked closed. There wasn’t a note on the door with an explanation.
I drove away and headed to her apartment next, checking to see if she was home. Maybe she didn’t open the shop because of the weather. Or maybe she walked to work but never made it.
I went to the second floor and arrived at her door. I knocked loudly, so loud there was no chance she didn’t hear it.
No answer.
I knocked again then pressed my ear to the door, listening for the sound of the shower. But there was no water on.
That was when I started to panic. I pulled out my phone and called her.
No answer.
My old ways came back to me, and I picked her lock before I stepped inside. All the lights were off, and it seemed like there’d been no one there for a long time. The flowers on the table had died a long time ago, and the stench was potent in the air. I opened the fridge next and saw nothing but expired and moldy food.
She hadn’t been there in a long time.
I explored the rest of the apartment and discovered the same thing.
I locked her apartment before I left and tried to call her again. I’d just seen her at the wedding, and everything had appeared to be fine. It didn’t seem like she was in any trouble, but she obviously hadn’t been staying at her apartment in that time frame.
I made it to the lobby and picked her mailbox lock while I listened to the phone ring as I called again.
She answered this time. “Hey, Griffin. How are you?”
When I opened her mailbox, it was so stuffed with mail that I couldn’t even get anything out. She obviously hadn’t checked it in weeks. I didn’t bother looking through it before I shut it and locked it again. “I dropped off Vanessa at the shop then stopped by your flower shop to see how you were doing. But it’s closed.” I didn’t accuse her of anything, choosing to read her tone of voice and all the other signs I could gather from her demeanor.
“Oh, yeah.” Her voice turned a little higher, indicating that she was lying. “I was getting no customers because of the rain, so I stopped bothering. When the weather clears up, I’ll open again. Besides, I don’t want to go out in the rain anyway.”
That sounded plausible, but she seemed slightly flustered over the line, making me assume there was something I was missing. “Then where are you now?” She obviously hadn’t been home in a while.
“Oh, I’m at home,” she said. “Just sitting in my pajamas.”
She lied to me. She didn’t seem to be in any kind of danger, so why would she lie?
“Thanks for checking on me, though. But I’m just taking it easy.”
She was definitely hiding something, but what could it be? “Of course. I’ll let you go.” I hung up without waiting for her to respond.
I stayed in the lobby as I thought this through. If she hadn’t been home in months, that meant she was staying somewhere else. She couldn’t afford to have two places, so that meant she was crashing with someone, probably a guy.
But what guy would she stay with for two months?
She hadn’t told anyone that she’d been seeing someone, and if she was living with someone for two months, then the relationship must be serious. That meant she didn’t want anyone to know about it.
But why?
Then it hit me.
Bosco.
She was staying with Bosco.
Vanessa must know about it. That was why they were so secretive all the time. Carmen must not be in any real danger. Otherwise, Vanessa would intervene. And that could only mean Carmen chose to be with Bosco.
But that was just as good as being his prisoner.
10
Bosco
I came home from the casino and spotted Carmen on the couch. She was wrapped in my t-shirt with a blanket draped over her legs, her hair all over the place and the TV on low. Like an obedient pet, she waited by the front door so she would know the second I was home.
I liked it.
I liked having a woman wait for me.
She was dead tired, because when I scooped her up in my arms and carried her into the bedroom, she didn’t wake up. I set her on the mattress and pulled the sheets over her shoulder before I stripped off my clothes. My suit had absorbed the smoke in the air, and my lips tasted like whiskey. I tossed everything in the bin and shut the lid so the maid could take care of it in the morning. I set my shoes on top so they could be properly shined.
I got into the shower next and closed my eyes as the warm water dripped down my body. The second I’d stepped into that casino tonight, there was a ripple of silence that was pregnant with respect. The Butcher was a formidable opponent, but being the honorable king I was, I’d executed him myself. I’d accepted him into the casino, and it was my job to eject him. The men didn’t say a single word to me, but I knew exactly what they were talking about.
Ronan told me everything.
The men practically bowed to me.
Ruby made eyes at me all night long, wanting my dick even more than she had before. I ri
sked my life to protect my woman, and Ruby would give anything to be that woman. She wanted the security, the protection, and the jewels I could offer.
All of that belonged to Carmen.
It was ironic. I wanted to give all those things to Carmen because she didn’t want them in the first place.
I scrubbed the smell out of my hair with shampoo and let the suds fall around me. The door opened and closed behind me, and then a moment later I felt soapy hands on my body. She rubbed the soap across my hard body, her soft hands feeling the grooves between my muscles. Her fingers rubbed my back too, massaged the muscles deep and hard.
I closed my eyes as I enjoyed it, enjoyed this woman’s touch in so many ways. I shared my space with her completely, and our time together was so perfect I stopped worrying about the weeks we had left together. After everything we’d been through, I knew that contract didn’t matter anymore.
She wasn’t going anywhere.
She belonged right here with me.
My life had changed drastically since I’d passed that dark alleyway. Now my bed carried the scent of a single woman, someone I would risk my life to protect. I was faithful to her, not getting hard for the most beautiful woman who frequented the casino. I was immune to other tits and curves because Carmen was the only woman I wanted. I’d turned into a pussy-whipped man who wore his heart on his sleeve.
But I was okay with it.
She wrapped her arms around my waist and squeezed me, her tits pressing into my back. She rested her cheek against me, her hair sticking to my skin.
My hand rubbed her arm over my stomach, and I stayed still, absorbing her affection. The sound of the water filled the space around us, shutting out the outside world. It was just the two of us together—man and woman.
When I thought about my mother, I knew she would have adored Carmen. She would have respected her because Carmen respected herself so much. My brother thought she was wonderful. I never viewed women as people, just objects. But when Carmen came along, she straightened me out.