by Jenika Snow
That thought had strength moving through me, and I found myself walking down the opposite corridor Buffy had gone. A few doors were open, and as I walked past them and glanced in, I took note of which ones were most definitely not Lucius. I kept going, a breakroom on one side, a conference room full of windows on the other.
I was about to turn around when I stopped at the very last door of the hallway, two massive double doors in front of me, the silver embossed plaque on it telling me I was right where I needed to be.
Lucius Blacksmith
What were the odds that I just happened to go down the right corridor where his office was? He might not even be in there, but I could wait inside for him, break the shocking news so we were both left speechless together.
I gripped the cold, firm handle, and the door started to open silently, not a creak from the well-oiled hinges. But I froze, hearing a man speak. My heart was racing as I realized he was probably in a meeting and how I shouldn’t have just busted in here when I didn’t even know his schedule or the important things he had to do throughout the day. I should have listened to the uptight Buffy.
“Are you absolutely sure you want to do this, Lucius?” The man who spoke had a tone like he was familiar with Lucius, close with him. It was an easygoing manner, questioning him in his decision—whatever that decision was.
There was a moment of silence, and I knew I should’ve left, closed the door just as silently as I opened it, but I was frozen in place.
“I’m sure, Michael.” Another moment of silence before the man named Michael started speaking.
“I really think you should put more thought into this. Just find a woman, and I’ll create a contract.”
My heart momentarily stopped at that.
Find a woman?
Make a contract?
“You don’t have to do anything with her aside from the agreement that she’s your surrogate. It can be very legal, very clinical. No physical aspect between you and her whatsoever.”
The air left me at the thought of any of that.
“That will secure your spot with the company, make things official for the trust.”
My heart plummeted to my stomach at that. I remembered the conversation Lucius and I had previously, the brief mention about his father and an heir, something to do with the company. I hadn’t delved deeper into that, and he hadn’t offered more information.
“I won’t—”
“You need to really think about this, Lucius. You need to think of the future of the company and all the employees.”
I heard them speaking again, but everything was murky, the sounds distorted. I couldn’t see straight, my vision blurry. I felt dizzy, like I might pass out. I held onto the handle even harder, swaying slightly at the thought of Lucius having a child with someone other than me.
“Hey, what are you doing back here?”
The sound of Buffy’s voice pierced the fog that settled in my brain, and I glanced at her, blinking my vision back into focus.
I looked over my shoulder, hearing the men just on the other side of the door stop talking, no doubt hearing her and now seeing the door was partially opened.
“I’m calling security,” Buffy seethed as she strode up to me.
A second later, the door was opened, my hand falling away from the knob. I looked at Lucius, who stood just a few feet from me, the man named Michael directly behind him. I knew my eyes were wide. They felt like they were as big as saucers right now.
“Elise?” Lucius asked, the confusion in his voice clear. “What are you doing here?” He took a step closer. “Are you okay? Is something wrong?” Immediately, the concern laced his voice. Of course he’d assume something was wrong. I’d never been to his place of business before.
“Mr. Blacksmith, I’m so sorry,” Buffy said, pushing her way past me to enter Lucius’s office. “I’ll call security right now and have her escorted out.”
“Absolutely not,” Lucius replied in a strong voice, having all three of us freezing. I felt the room chill at his tone, at his protectiveness over me. “This is my…” He looked at me, probably unsure what to call me.
Yeah, I’m right there with ya.
“She’s mine.”
I felt my eyes widen even more at the way he said it. It sounded so primal, so alpha… so barbaric. Heat filled me, and I felt my cheeks tingle, knowing they were beet red.
“I—I….”
“What’s wrong?” he asked again, the concern even thicker now.
“Nothing,” I whispered. But that was a lie. So much was wrong, or at least it felt that way right now. “That’s not true.” I didn’t want a lie to be between us, even if it was said because I was terrified of the truth I’d eventually tell him.
“Leave us,” he said, and there was a moment where Michael and Buffy just stood there. “Leave. Us.” Lucius’s voice was hard, unyielding. Buffy scurried off, and Michael grabbed his papers, put them in his suitcase, and gave me a glance before he excused himself and left.
I stood in the doorway feeling skittish as well, so nervous that my knees threatened to give out.
“Come here,” Lucius said softly, holding his hand out to me.
I hesitated a moment but finally stepped into his opulent office, closing the door behind me, sealing us in.
We sat down, him on the couch across form me, me on the loveseat. The leather was frigid, chills racing along my arms.
“What’s wrong, baby?”
My throat was so dry, so tight.
Just say it. Tell him. Everything will be okay. Right?
“Um.” That word was lodged in my throat, and I couldn’t get any others out.
“You’re scaring me, Elise.”
I nodded, although I wasn’t sure what I was agreeing to. “I’m sorry,” I finally said. “I don’t mean to. It’s just… I have something to tell you.” I stared into his eyes, seeing the worry on his face, knowing I was the reason he felt that way. “I’m pregnant, Lucius.”
He was silent for so long I thought maybe he hadn’t heard me, or maybe I hadn’t said those words out loud. Maybe I’d just thought them, imagined being truthful.
“A baby?” he wheezed out, as if he couldn’t catch his breath. “My baby,” he said, this time to himself.
I licked my lips and nodded slowly, my hands clasped tightly in my lap as I twisted the bottom of my T-shirt, waiting to see which way he’d go on all this.
“How far along are you?”
I ran my hands up and down my thighs. “A little over a month. I think. I just took the test this morning. But thinking back to when I last had my period,” I stooped and swallowed, feeling embarrassed for talking about that part of my life with him. “It would put me at like five weeks or so.” I shrugged, because I didn’t know what else to say, didn’t know what else to do.
He glanced at the ground and leaned forward, resting his forearms on his thighs, the air around him heavy. “A baby,” he said without phrasing it like a question.
Would this be the end of us? Would he only use this as what he needed to secure his company? God, that thought felt like acid in my veins.
Don’t cry. Don’t cry.
He finally lifted his blue eyes to me, his gaze unreadable. I couldn’t breathe as I waited for him to say something, anything. Before I could comprehend what he was doing, Lucius was off the couch and right in front of me, dropping to his knees and taking my shaky hands in his.
He stared into my eyes so intently I felt it in my bones. I felt Lucius’s warmth, how he felt for me… how he cared so much for me from that one look.
“I’m scared,” I whispered—admitted. “And I’m worried about everything.” I cleared my throat. “I heard you talking about a contract… a woman and a baby.” The words stung coming out of my mouth.
He brought our joined hands to his forehead and closed his eyes, staying like that for a prolonged moment. He then slid them down and kissed my fingers, looking into my eyes again. “My father’s la
st dying order, the one he put in his trust, was for me to have a baby in a year’s time or I’d lose the business. I’d lose everything that had the Blacksmith name attached to it.”
That had my blood running cold. “What?” That lone word left me on a rush of air.
He nodded. “Yeah. And what you heard today between Michael and me was me giving everything away, because I refused to do that. I refused to have a child with someone I didn’t love. So I was having Michael set everything up to sell, to make sure all the employees were taken care of.”
God, what kind of father did that to their child, made them do something so… emotionless?
“You were going to give up everything—”
“For you, Elise. I was going to give up everything for the prospect that one day I’d find a woman who could love me and who I could love with all my heart.”
My heart skipped a beat.
“You don’t have to be afraid, Elise.” He tightened his hands on mine. “You don’t have to be afraid, because you have me.” My heart skipped a beat. “You have my love, and I’ll never leave you. I’ll never let you go.” He was sitting on the couch beside me then, surprising the hell out of me by pulling me onto his lap. “I’ll always be here for you and our baby.” Lucius placed a hand on my belly, and I closed my eyes, feeling a different kind of tears prick at my eyes.
“You want… me?” The look he gave me was pure shock, as if he couldn’t believe I’d just asked that. “I mean, you want me and the baby? I know you just need a baby to keep your business.” I prayed he didn’t say that, because right now, I might’ve been vulnerable, but I wouldn’t go down without a fight. I wouldn’t let my child be used as some fucking pawn.
“Elise,” he said with a hard voice, one that brokered no argument. “Look at me.” I hadn’t realized I was focused on the floor, but when I looked into his eyes, a soft sound escaped me at his expression. It was fierce. He took my chin between his thumb and forefinger, keeping me close so we could stare into each other’s faces. “I’d give up everything for you, baby or not, Elise.” I saw a flash of vulnerability in his blue eyes. “I’d give up my business, my money, everything I have in my life. And you know why?”
I shook my head, not trusting my voice.
“I’d give up everything, because I know the only thing worth anything in life, the most precious thing to me, is you and the baby in your belly.” He placed his hand on my stomach, and I did cry then, tears tracking down my cheeks. He brushed them away with his thumb, then kissed the pad of the digit. “I love you, Elise. I loved you before I found out about this baby. I loved you before I knew I’d give up everything for you.” He leaned in and kissed me softly
“There’s nothing more valuable to me than you, Elise, and I’ll spend the rest of my life proving that to you.”
He pulled me in and just held me, hugged me like I was his lifeline. What he didn’t know was he was my anchor, and as long as we were together, tethered, we’d never drift apart.
Lucius
The ultrasound
God, was this real? Was this my life?
I was staring at the ultrasound screen, the tech moving this little wand over Elise’s rounded belly, and I was amazed at the sight of my baby, our baby.
Little hands, little feet… that tiny little nose.
God. Perfection.
I glance at Elise and saw she was grinning from ear to ear as she stared at the little miracle in her belly. She glanced at me as if she felt my stare, her eyes lighting up.
“You see her? Him?” she whispered and looked back at the tech. “Do you know what it is?” There was this excitement in her voice, and I felt the same thing.
I looked at the tech and saw her smile. She gave a small nod and started typing on the screen before looking at us. “I do. Want to know what the sex of your baby is?”
Elise was nodding before I could say yes. We both chuckled.
Possessiveness slammed through me. My baby. My woman.
“A little boy,” the tech said, and Elise laughed softly as her grin widened.
“A baby boy,” she whispered to me, and I grabbed her hand, giving it a little squeeze.
And as I stared at Elise, the one thing that kept moving through my head over and over again was how much I loved her, how I’d do anything for her, lose everything for her. I’d die for her. As I looked at the screen again, at our little boy who was moving around inside Elise like he was excited to be there, I chuckled again, feeling tears in my tears, telling myself I’d be the best damn father to this little boy.
“Aiden,” Elise said softly, and I grinned.
We’d been thinking about baby names, little boy and girl ones, because we hadn’t known what the sex was until this moment, but we narrowed it down to two. Aiden if it was a boy, and Lyla for a little girl.
I’d be the best fucking father to that little boy, and the ugliness and loneliness my father bestowed on me would never touch my children. They’d know their father loved them. They’d know they always had someone to watch their back, to protect them and give them kindness and support.
I couldn’t stop myself from cupping her face and leaning in, kissing her deeply until I was breathless. “I love you,” I whispered against her mouth.
“I love you too, Lucius.” She placed her hands in my hair, smoothing her fingers over the short blond strands, keeping me close. It was clear neither of us gave a shit the tech could see all this.
A lucky bastard. That’s what I was, and I would never screw this up.
Not ever, because when you had something as good and pure, perfect and right as what I had—what I felt for Elise—you hung onto it with every fucking molecule of your being.
Epilogue One
Elise
Eighteen months later
I could get use to this, but not because of the money or the mansion, not because Lucius insisted on buying me pretty stuff because he said he liked looking at me in the things he bought.
I could get used to this because of the love Lucius gave me, the way he made me smile every day, and the way he made me feel beautiful despite the fact that I was thicker and had some stretch marks thanks to carrying and birthing our little boy, Aiden.
He made me feel like there was no one else in the world that mattered to him except Aiden and me. And he made sure I felt like that every single moment of every single day.
I glanced over at him, the back of the limo smelling of leather and the expensive cologne Lucius wore. God, I loved that combination, and I especially loved the way he looked in a suit. He hadn’t given up the Blacksmith company, and I’d been grateful, not just for the people who worked with him and for him, but because Lucius was doing so much good. The thought of breaking up the company, of Lucius selling because of some barbaric, disgusting thing his father wanted him to do—even if I was having his baby—seemed so wrong. Lucius wasn’t anything like his father. He was good and warm and everything I ever wanted in my life.
But I put all that in the back of my mind, not letting reality seep into this moment with the man I loved.
This was the first night we’d gone out as a couple since Aiden was born, and it had been perfect. Lucius had taken me to our favorite restaurant, an intimate authentic Portuguese place owned by Maria Alfonso and her husband Francesco, two immigrants who moved to the States when they were barely in their twenties. They started the restaurant from the ground up, and now it was a renowned business that was packed every day of the week.
I was staring at the man I loved, the father of my son, and soon to be my husband. I looked down at the diamond solitaire engagement ring. He proposed to me shortly after we found out I’d gotten pregnant, and although I’d been worried he was only asking because of the baby, he squashed any worries when he cupped my face in his hands, looked into my eyes, and said he loved me more than anything and wanted us to be a family.
He looked at me now, and as the seconds moved by, I watched the way his eyes heated, the look of pur
e lust covering his face.
“You’re looking at me like you want something, baby.”
I swallowed, the interior of the limo getting too hot. I felt beads of sweat line the area between my breasts, felt desire pool between my legs.
He leaned back, and the grin slowly spread on his face. “Well, if you’re still hungry, Elise, come and get it, girl.” He patted his lap, and I felt my heart race.
I wasn’t about to deny him… or me for that matter. I wanted Lucius pretty fucking badly. He put the privacy screen up, sealing us in, allowing us to really have this intimate moment.
I moved over to him, and he reached out and grabbed my waist, hauling me onto his lap. I instantly felt how hard he was, that massive, stiff length pressing against the most sensitive part of me. My pussy clenched down hard, wanting what he sported to be buried between my thighs, easing this ache.
“I don’t want to hurt you, don’t want things to get too crazy.”
I need crazy.
He relaxed against the leather seat, and when I glanced down, I could see the outline of his erection strained against the material of his slacks.
When I looked back at Lucius, he had this intense, arousal-laced expression covering his face, grinning again.
“You want this?” His voice was low but deep, taunting me.
I nodded, not trusting my voice.
“Well then, baby, what are you waiting for?”
Nothing. I’m ready now.
My heart was racing as I watched him reach down and go for his zipper, and then the sound of him pulling it down surrounded me, filled the interior of the limo. My mouth dried, everything in me heating to the point sweat broke out on my forehead.