by Reana Malori
“You asked us if Terra knows who we are, what we’re capable. We’ve never fully discussed our world with our children. Didn’t see a need to. They were loved and cared for, and we wanted them to be children for as long possible. But, if anyone knows, it’s Terra. The darkness that’s within her father and me, the thing that helped us get to where we are today, Terra has it twofold. She just hides it better. But, when that darkness comes to the surface and refuses to leave, I don’t know what it will do to her. I don’t know if she’s ready to embrace the world we’re in. The world you’re in. And if she does embrace it, be prepared. Our Terra is unlike anyone either of us has encountered before.”
Taking a sip of his cognac, her father boisterously called out, “Hell, we’re just happy she fucking loves us, or our asses would probably be buried underneath the fucking gazebo.”
Terra’s voice called him back from the memory. “Our lives are so different now.”
Thinking about what her parents said, he knew she was still hiding.
He’d allow it. For now.
“Are they really that different? I think we have more in common now than we did when we were younger. And we were determined to be together anyway. What's stopping us now?” He knew the answer before she said it.
“Nothing, really. My own stupid fears about what's going to happen once you return to your normal life.”
“The only thing that'll happen when I return to my normal life is that I'm going to miss you even more. So why would I put myself through that if I didn't have to? If you really think this is a fluke, then why are we doing this?” he demanded. He needed her to get out of her own way.
“You know how I feel about you, Terra. How I've always felt about you. I'm not going to let you push me away.”
“I'm not trying to push you away, I'm just trying to be realistic. I want you here as much as you want to be here. But what if the life you live in DC won't let you go? If you try to change things up and it blows back on you, I will lose my shit and that’s one thing you don’t want.”
Her tone was fierce. Good. He’d rather have her giving him shit than for her to give up on what they have. Fuck that. He would make her fight him, to keep what they had.
“I don't have to be in DC to do my job. I can be anywhere to take care of business. You know this shit already, Terra. I just need to make sure that I have the right people in place to help me keep things running. And if at any time I feel that it's not working anymore, I can walk away. I don't need to be in that job. I can build my world around me no matter where I am. But the most important thing is that I have you next to me. Understood?”
*****
Glancing up at him, Terra knew he was telling the truth. She’d tried to fight it for so long. Tried to ignore her love for him, but it was no use. She knew it, and so did he. These last few weeks had been like heaven. She not only had the man she’d always loved, but she had someone that understood her world. Someone she could talk to.
Her girls were one thing, and they knew secrets that no one else did. But Damian, well, he knew the real her. As much as anyone could. He knew who Terra was and where she came from. Not many people could say that.
And the sex didn't hurt, either.
“Why don't we get out of here?” he whispered down to her, his heated gaze lingering on her lips. One of his hands cupped her ass through her slacks. The other cupped her face as she leaned into him.
God, she loved him so fucking much. Smiling up at him she knew exactly what was on his mind. It was on hers as well.
“Where would we go?”
“My place. I think you need a little more convincing.”
“Convincing of what?” She was convinced that she was going to get fucked to within an inch of her life. That was a damn guarantee.
“That I'm not going anywhere. And if that means I have to convince you all night long, then that's just what I'll do.”
A short time later, Terra laid back, wrapped in Damian's arms. Their lovemaking had taken on a new meaning. It had been more intense, more sensual, and more mind-blowing than ever before. Maybe their little talk in her office had changed things for both of them. It wasn't like her to take a sex break during the middle of the day, but this felt good.
Damian had her doing things she never expected. When she thought about it, she was having more fun than she’d expected. She was always a little too serious.
A secret smile covered her face; if only her girls could see her now. They would never believe it. Terra, getting her freak on in the middle of the day? They’d be shocked at first, but then they’d probably cheer her on with yells of “Get it, girl! Go, Terra!” What was it Dredd called it? Oh yeah, a nooner.
“What are you smiling about?” Damian's arms tightened around her body as he pulled her closer.
His naked form pressed up against hers. The thick flesh lying between his legs brought her so much pleasure every time they were together. Just moments ago, she’d screamed his name as he brought her to orgasm. Tears had escaped her eyes as he’d pressed inside her, the warmth of his release causing another orgasm to rip through her as her body spasmed.
Looking at him in all his glory, she wanted to run her tongue along his skin. Take his cock in her mouth, tasting him one more time before they went back to work. Raising her gaze to his, she tapped his chin with one finger. “You don't really want to know what I'm thinking.”
“If it's anything like what I'm thinking, I really do think I do.” His heated gaze covered her face.
Body tingling in anticipation, she smiled. Rubbing her body against his, she purred, “What are you thinking?”
“I'm thinking I want one more round with you before we go back to work.”
A soft smile hovered on her lips. Her hand traced lazy circles on his sculpted abs and her tone was playful. “Is that so?”
“Baby, I can never get enough of you. You know that, right?”
Staring into his eyes for a few seconds, she knew denying her feelings for him were useless. It was time to grab on to what she wanted. She needed him in her life.
No. That wasn’t quite correct. She wanted him in her life. And that meant so much more. “I know. I feel the same,” she admitted.
“One more round may not be enough.” Damian rolled over, placing his body between her legs, positioning his cock at her wet channel. He moaned deeply as he leaned down to kiss the skin on her shoulder. Sliding inside her, he moaned deeply as each inch of his dick breached her body. “I’m not giving you up again.”
Whimpering at how good he felt, she lifted her legs and wrapped them around his waist. “God, I hope not.”
CHAPTER NINE
“What the fuck did I tell you, Anton? I want this shit handled and I want it done yesterday.”
Damian was pissed, and heads were going to roll. Two more days had passed since Dredd dropped that tidbit of information on him about the lead on Milley St. James. That woman was as slippery as an eel. He had some of his best men on the job—or so he’d thought—and none of them could find her. Anton’s excuses came through the phone and Damian’s jaw went rigid as he gritted his teeth in anger.
If he were in DC, this shit wouldn’t be happening. His crew knew he didn’t condone excuses. Especially when it was something important to Damian. He’d taught lessons in the past to employees about not doing what he wanted when he wanted. He had no problem doing it again. If someone in his crew made a habit of blaming others for their mistakes, he was more than happy to relieve that pressure from their shoulders. They might not be seen or heard from again, but that was just an unfortunate outcome.
Depending on others to handle his shit was not working out for him at all. Motherfuckers had clearly forgotten just who the fuck he was. It was time he reminded them.
“Anton, I’m only going to say this once. Get the fuck off my phone. Contact Dominic and let him know what you told me. Better yet, don’t do a fucking thing. I’ll take care of you later. I’ll call Dominic my damn
self. And the next time you call me and decide to make excuses for your own fuck-up, don’t.”
Ending the call with a loud curse, he rubbed his brow in frustration. He’d been down here in Mississippi too damn long. He knew it. His crew knew it. And those who wanted to test him knew it as well. Mistakes were happening, and they shouldn’t be.
His plan had been to stay down here for only a week or two. He was coming up on four. It was only two extra weeks, but when someone ran a tight ship the way he did, any uncertainty tended to throw things into a tailspin.
Dominic had warned him. He’d told him to not stay too long; he’d said to him before he left that if it began to look like he’d be down here for more than two weeks, he should travel back to DC to make sure people didn’t get any funny ideas. Then he could travel back to Mississippi and finish his business.
“Fuck!” he yelled into the silence of Terra’s office.
“Everything okay?”
He turned around to see the woman who made him want to give it all up; walk away from DC and relocate down here, just to be close to her.
Terra stood across the room in a pair of blue and pink pin-striped slacks, a pink shirt, and a dark blue blazer. Her shoes were hot pink and he pictured her naked, with only her shoes on, while he fucked her into oblivion. She was quickly becoming his obsession and he needed to fix this shit. Quickly.
“Yeah, baby, everything’s all good.” Looking down at his phone, he cursed under his breath again. He knew shit needed to be handled back home, but he also wasn’t going to leave Terra. Nothing on God’s green earth was going to take this woman out of his arms again. He’d kill anybody who tried. And he meant that.
“I came back up to tell you that Dylan had some information. Seems like our little sabotage job was about more than just making the casino lose money. There was someone else in the running for this place, but when we were able to come up with cold hard cash to buy it at the cash price, the other buyer had no chance to recover. This was supposed to be their operation to cover up a drug and prostitution ring in the local area. We just happened to beat them to the punch. And because they’re pissed, they set us up. Tried to get us to give up and quit.” Terra was angry. He could see it all over her face.
“Who was it?” All this because some two-bit hustler wanted to try and make a name for himself? So they set out to ruin Terra? Oh, hell no.
“What?” she answered distractedly. Just by the look on her face, he knew she was trying to figure out how to solve this herself. Her eyes kept darting to the locked cabinet against the wall.
Laughing to himself, he could admit he was proud of her. That cabinet was her gun safe and only he and her friends knew about it. He’d caught her opening it the second day he was here to give a weapon to Dylan and return the one her friend handed over to her.
“No, Terra. You’re not allowed.”
Glancing in his direction, she shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know what you mean.”
Shaking his head, a smile covered his face. In all these years, she hadn’t changed a bit and he was damn glad about that. Sighing, he stared at the woman who’d held his heart since he was a young boy. No matter how many miles had separated them, or long it had been since they’d last spent any time together, he still loved her. She was the woman who completed him. No one else could understand and accept his brand of crazy. Then again, she was two steps from joining him in the loony bin. Hell, she was the one leading him to the front door.
“Baby, you can’t go around town shooting people just because you’re pissed.” That was best left to him…and maybe Dredd. But only because she was kinda crazy and would sneak out and do it on her own without him.
“Damian, they fucked with my casino. They fucked with my friends. And they fucked with my money. My money is not to be fucked with. Ever.” Her hands balled into fists as she continued to get riled up. Damn, she turned him on.
“I said let me take care of it. You can curse and fuss all you want, but you will not walk out of this room with a weapon in your hand. You will not try to resolve this yourself. And last, but not least, you will not put yourself in danger.”
At her slick smile, he rolled his eyes and stalked over in her direction. “And you will not allow your friends to do it either. I mean that shit, Terra. Stay out of this. You’re the CEO of a fucking multi-million-dollar casino. Stay out of the mud, baby. Let me get dirty for you. That’s my job. To protect you. Right now, it’s the only job that means shit to me.”
And he meant every word. He’d find a way to resolve the shit happening up north. Right now, he needed to make sure whoever was fucking with Terra was handled. He knew his woman, and she was just crazy enough to ignore every word he said to her about not getting involved.
“How are you going to take care of it?” She didn’t look scared or nervous, more curious than anything.
Damn, she’s up to something. “Do you really want to know?”
He was close enough to her to see her eyes as she gazed up at him with that look he loved so much. She raised her hands and placed them on his chest. “Yes, I do. I want to enjoy knowing how they’re gonna suffer. Then again, you won’t tell me anyway.” Lifting her face, she kissed him softly on the lips, her eyes never leaving his. “I’m glad you’re here. Now, more than ever, I’m certain my dad sent you here on purpose. I think he’d always been your fan.”
“From the dirty looks and ‘don’t fuck with my daughter’ conversations he had with me as a young boy, I had my doubts. I thought he would have been happy for me to leave Philadelphia and move far away from you.”
Laughing, she rubbed her hands up and down his crisp white shirt. “You would think so, but more times than not, he was the one bringing me ice cream at night when I wouldn’t leave my room. When the sadness got too deep, he was the one convincing my mother to just leave me alone. My heartbreak over losing you often became too much for a young teenage girl to handle, so my dad was the one who’d comfort me. Make it all better. I think he would have been happy if I’d decided to join a nunnery. But that didn’t happen. I chose to fall in love with the boy next door. And then you had to leave.”
Tears hovered in her eyes and he wanted to pull her close to him. Tell her that everything would be okay. That he wasn’t leaving again. But he didn’t. He knew he had to give her this moment without putting his own needs and feelings ahead of hers. “Baby, if I could have stayed, I would have. I was too young. We both were.”
“I don’t blame you for your parents moving away.” Looking up at him with a small smile, she shrugged. “Well, not anymore.” Stepping away from him, she moved across the room. He placed his hands in his pants pockets as he waited for her continue. “I think you know more about my parents’ lives than I do. You move in the same circles my dad does.”
Damian knew they were wading into a sticky area. There was no way he was admitting to anything he knew about her father. Not because he was concerned that she would repeat it—because she was the man’s daughter. If she didn’t know what her father did—who he was—then he sure as shit wasn’t going to tell her. That was a question she’d have to ask him herself.
“I’m not sure what you mean.”
Smiling at him, she shook her head. “Damian, it’s okay. I know who my father is. I also know that if he asked you to come down here to help me take care of things, you’re part of his world.” Looking away for a second, she allowed acceptance to roll through her. “A world I thought I’d left behind a long time ago. But it seems, I can’t really escape my past. I can’t erase who I am. And I don’t think I want to anymore.”
“What are you saying?”
“These ladies, I haven’t told them the whole truth about me. I don’t think I ever will, and that’s the way it should be. For now. They know my life wasn’t all roses and white picket fences, but they don’t know the full extent. They have no idea that my father is the head of the Black Kings. And I want it to stay that way.”
She stood
tall, her arms crossed in defiance. She’d just freely admitted to him she knew her father was head of one of the biggest criminal families on the east coast. Fuck.
His baby just accepted her place as the princess of a fucking major crime family. And the only thing he wanted to do was throw her over the desk and fuck her silly. There was no use in denying what they both knew to be true.
“Baby, are you sure you want to take on that mantle? Your father was certain that you wanted to go straight. Do this the right way without his interference.”
“And I still do. I will make this casino work because I and my best friends need it to. Plus, have you met those ladies I hang with?” She motioned over her shoulder with her hand, “They’re all crazy as fuck, but I love them. If accepting my role in the family so that I can call in some of those favors owed to my father, I’ll do it. For those three women, I’d tear this fucking town apart and not feel sorry at all.”
“Terra…”
“No, I mean it. And I say all this…” She paused and took a deep breath. “I say this so that you know.”
“Know what?” He had an idea of where her head was at, but he wanted her to say the words. Needed to hear her say it.
“That you and me,” she waved between the two of them,” what we have is too important to let it go. My parents, well, let’s just say they built their world based on what was available to them at the time. We’re going to take that shit to the next level. That is, if you want to do this with me. If you want to build something with me.”
Now she gets shy?
Just a moment ago, she was on the verge of going on a one-woman killing spree because someone was stupid enough to try and bring her to heel. Now that she was talking about the two of them as a couple, creating a world that could never be brought down by an outside force, she turned shy.