by Eden Fortae
The return to her apartment was not received well by Karrina. She hit Kya with every what if in the book and concern for why she should just stay with her and Chris. The idea was appealing. While she loved the feeling of having a roommate and a good guy friend to fill up the time between sleep and sewing, Antonio had left her with little desire to be social. In fact, all that was left after their talk days prior was room to overthink.
The stories he told her about their hardships worked on her mind and her heart. He set out to give her a clear understanding, and he did just that. His explanation of why he still had involvement in drugs not only made sense, but it made her worry. Never had she heard of someone just walking away from that kind of life. Not without someone making an attempt on said life. She cared too much for Antonio to be the cause for that happening. Then again, she cared too much to sit back and wait for it to happen.
The torment of not knowing which side of the line to stand on caused her lack of sleep. All night she tossed and turned, worried about where he was and if he was safe. That right there was what she was signing up for if she accepted his current position. A life of worry and stressing about his safety.
Without a ride home, Kya settled on a cab. The way her body felt, walking and possibly fighting off a lowlife after her purse was not an option. Once she arrived, she took her time going up the stairs. Like an old lady, she pushed herself forward with a hot shower and her bed being the reward.
At the second to last step, she stilled. Her eyes fell upon her door and the splintered wood around the knob and lock. Instead of going up to inspect the damage, Kya pulled her phone from her bag and called the police. Every ounce of sleep that was plaguing her throughout the night gave way to fear so strong that she had not considered the consequences of her actions until red and blue lights lit up the early morning sky and her father was rushing toward her.
Figures word would get back to him.
“Are you alright? Are you hurt? Can I get a bus for my daughter—”
“I’m fine, Robert.” Calmly, she pulled his hands away from her face, too tired to formulate the irony of him wanting to come to her rescue now.
“You should still let someone check you out.”
“There’s no need for that. I was not here when it happened. I saw my door and called 9-1-1 without going in.”
“So, you don’t know if anything was taken? No one has come out to talk to you, yet?”
Again, too tired to make a snide remark, she nodded her answer. “Ok. Sit tight, and I’ll go find out.”
Sit, she did. At the bottom of her stoop, she sat with her arms folded over her knees and her head lowered. Despite all the noise around her, the sound of sirens drawing near and her neighbors standing around mumbling about what was going on, Kya managed to close her eyes and feel the onset of sleep creeping over her.
That was until a car door slammed and the voice that would always awaken every molecule in her body grabbed her attention.
She had no time to answer the question before Antonio pulled her up and into his arms. Carefully and thoroughly, he checked her as much as their position would allow and with uncharacteristic urgency.
“I got a call that someone broke into your apartment. Did they hurt you? Did you see who it was? Why didn’t you call me?” Behind his concern was anger she did not care to entertain.
“No. I came home to a busted door and just called the police. They left long before I made it here, I’m guessing.”
As if noticing for the first time that there were cop cars all over the place, Antonio frowned, pulling her into a tight hug. While there, he took advantage of his mouth being near her ear and her hair muffling the sound.
“I had to hear through a dirty badge that you were in trouble when I should have heard from you. You should have called me first, Kya.”
Why that pissed her off, she could only attribute to her need for sleep and readiness to be over that entire day.
“Well, then you should get a new badge because the one you have obviously failed to tell you the exact details of this situation. If you drove all the way here with intentions of yelling at me, Tony, then you might as well leave because I’m not in the mood for this bullshit.”
By the end, she had pushed away from him. Something she regretted after she followed his line of sight to her father.
“Problem, baby girl?”
“No, Robert. Everything is fine.”
“It doesn’t look fine to me.” He retorted, causing her to drop her head.
“Unless you’re referring to the shit going on upstairs, no, she doesn’t have a problem.”
Great. The only way her evening could get worse was going to play out in the open for everyone to see.
“My daughter is not your puppet, Cortes. She can speak for herself.” Rich came down the few steps separating them, coming dangerously close to the confrontation Kya really did not need.
“But, I chose to speak for my lady. So...?”
“Tony—”
“Your lady? You say that as if it means something to me, boy. At the end of the day, she could drop you off at the curb like the piece of garbage that you are, but I’ll always be her father.”
The smile Antonio possessed was just as lethal as the vibes Kya could feel rolling off of him in huge waves. He would never admit it, but her father’s words hit him hard. He would never show it, but that was a real concern.
“True. You will always be her father, but when you step outside of that fantasy world you’re living in, Detective Rich, you’d realize that she has already scraped you off the bottom of her shoe like the dog shit that you are and transformed this piece of garbage into something that’s all her own. I’ll never be your father, baby,” he stroked her chin, looking down at her rather than the man his words were intended for, “but I’d love to hear you call me daddy.”
Robert grabbed Kya’s shoulder to pull her away but was unsuccessful due to her arms going around Antonio. To the bystanders, it would appear that she was protecting him from her father, but it was actually the opposite. Resentment was the only thing she felt for Robert, but that did not mean she was going to let the two go at it.
“Let’s go, Tony. Please. I’m ready to go, now.” Hugging him tight, she pleaded, hoping he’d focus on her rather than the threat.
“You’re not going anywhere with him!”
“Say goodnight to your deadbeat, baby.” Antonio fired back, allowing Kya to lead him to his truck.
Less than ten minutes on the scene and he managed to go at her father and revive her feelings that she was nothing more than the ultimate and final checkmate while making her believe his heart was somewhere in the mix. Whether that was true or just another part of his strategy, Kya was done fucking around, and as soon as they reached his house the fair fighting was over, and the gloves were coming off.
TWENTY ONE
“What the hell was that?” Kya waited until they reached his home to let her calm slip, but not before he had the chance to shut the door.
As he faced her, it took all he had not to smile at her folded arms, weight shifted to her left, and angry glower pulling her brows down. If she had been any other person like one of his sisters or Lilliana, those things would have failed to reach him.
“I don’t know what you mean, baby. Between you calling the police before me and that hug you gave me to keep me from embarrassing your father, I’ve lost track of who has the right to be mad at what. But, it’s late, and you need to eat. So, do you feel like waiting for something to cook or should we go back out to grab something?”
Her frown deepened, and he found it so damned cute.
“Oh, you lost track? Well, let me refresh your memory. My father; an officer of the law that has been gunning for you for years, provoked you. You took the bait by letting his commentary get to you. Rather than leaving it with that epic shit on the bottom of my shoe comment, you take it further with that daddy bull. You didn’t care if that was disrespectful to me
or not. You said that shit to provoke him back. If the two of you had come to blows, you would have been slapped with charges!”
He bit his lip, shaking his head slightly. She said daddy in passing, but… “Even that sounded sexy.”
From the way she closed her eyes and inhaled, it was evident that she was not in a playing mood. On the flip side, Antonio was not either. Just below the thin surface, he was fuming over the entire situation. His attraction to Kya simply won out keeping his temper from escaping.
“This is just a joke to you, isn’t it? All of this? That’s why you released my name to the media and put on that show for my ratchet ass neighbors that live for fucking WorldStar! Because you’re still playing to win the war between you and Robert, using me as a pawn.”
“I don’t joke about you, Kya. Trust me. Now, you never answered my question. How hungry are you?”
“Trust you? You mean like I foolishly did while you and your friends played with my life? Nah, bruh. Been there, done that. But you can trust and believe that just like you weren’t the first person I called when I realized my apartment had been broken into, you won’t be the last person I call if I only have a second to live. Get out of my life, Tony.”
She thought she was going to leave. Just brush by Antonio and walk back to her unsafe apartment at that hour. That was until her hand touched the knob and he grabbed her arm.
“I already told you, you’re not going to just walk away from me.”
She yanked away from him and made that scoffing sound that women were famous for when the claws were about to come out. She looked away briefly as if she were in complete disbelief and steeled herself.
“News flash, Antonio, you don’t own me. I’ll do what I want when I want. You may have convinced yourself and everyone else that I’m your girlfriend, but I’m not! I’m just a bitch you had sex with one time and got you so hooked on my pussy that you can't leave me alone.”
His chuckles, deep and menacing, came from the beast inside of him. The monster aroused by this rare display of vulgarity and anger. He liked it. Wanted and needed to have more of it.
“Was your pussy really that good, Kya? I haven’t tried to touch it again since that night, because I know it was a fluke. Now, I’m thinking I should taste it to see just how right I am.”
Her laughter that mimicked his, softer but just as threatening escaped through her nose. “I’m sure you do think you should test out that theory. Bite this cookie one more time or maybe just lick the creamy center. You can pretend that that would be enough, but I know for a fact that you’ll be sucking on your fingers after me to get every crumb.”
Antonio closed the distance between them in two strides. Towering over her, he peered down through hooded lids caused by the lethal combination of vexation and lust.
“Sí, mi rosa. And you would enjoy every second of my tongue sliding in and out of you. We both know the truth. I can’t leave you alone, and you don’t want me to leave you alone.”
“No,” she stood her ground, “I don’t want you to leave me alone until I’ve had you screaming my name in English and Spanish, again, like a well-trained bitch.”
Antonio reacted. Without thought or concern for the possibility of hurting her, his hand went around her neck as he pushed her into the front door. The gasp that followed was his gateway to a kiss so harsh that it hurt both of them. Kya was looking for a fight. Kissed him back just as hard and went as far as to bite his lower lip. Neither could get enough of the other and fought for dominance all the way down to their clothes.
He shoved her uniform shirt and bra up, her skirt and panties down until they were off, but never let go of that kiss. Kya tugged his shirt up, forcing him to release her lips long enough to free him of it. When it came to his pants and briefs, she got them down as far as she could with her hands then used her feet to get them around his ankles. Taking it a step further, she took hold of him, hard and ready to show her what her smart mouth earned her and used her hold to change their position.
Obliging her, he let Kya ease him against the chilled wood. Now she was in the lead. Peering up at him, naked from the chest down, and sexy as ever. The look in her eyes spoke of her intentions. She turned giving him a glorious view of her ass as she bent over, guiding him toward her silky core. She had only taken an inch, and he was ready to take over. Her warmth felt even better than before. So good he groaned and let his head rest on the door. Pleased with that sound, Kya looked back with a sly grin and took him the rest of the way. She rolled her hips in two slow, but complete circles then started pushing back faster and faster.
Her bare ass was a sight all on its own. Watching it bounce back against his pelvis, he damned near lost it.
With each stroke, her juices coated him, glistened beneath the light of the foyer. Both hands braced behind his head itched to take hold of her hips, slam forward and fuck her recklessly. The moment her walls seized around him, all sense of control was lost.
Taking Kya by the hips, Antonio eased her to the floor with a quickness. His thrusts from behind began with vigor. He slid in slowly and ended each with a hard slam that caused her body to jerk. Her moans pushed him forward. He mumbled a string of curse words as he pulled her hair and increased the speed of his hips. What was once a fight had become a quest for mutual gain. Anger melted into yearning. The demand for dominance giving way to a need for pleasure. Together they would reach an end that crossed the line of ecstasy.
Until Kya arched her spine and began throwing her ass back again.
She still wanted to fight, and he gave her that. For every hard, fast, and damned near vicious thrust he gave, she sent one back, matching his pace and his moans.
Then and only then did Antonio give thought to the fact that there was no condom. Kya’s walls pulling around him felt so good, but he couldn’t risk it. At the last second, he pulled out. Deep down, he was still pissed at her and was almost sure that she wasn’t ready to forgive him either. However, too tired and satisfied to hash it out now, he stood and wordlessly took her up to his bathroom where they took a quick shower together and went to bed.
Sleep came easily due to the energy lost during their sexual battle and that rest was lost as his imagination supplied him with nightmares surrounding Kya and the person that broke into her home. What if they had gotten into the place through cleaner means and she walked in on them? Would they have hurt her? No question about it, they would have done something to her, and he would have lost his shit. A foggy image of Kya bleeding on the floor woke him with a start. To see her beside him sleeping soundly wasn’t enough.
A kiss on the cheek and she didn’t move. Another on her lips and still nothing. Gliding his hand over her hip, Antonio slipped a finger between her folds and rubbed the sensitive nerve to produce two reactions. Both of which happened within minutes. As soon as her eyes opened, he moved over her, taking one of her legs over his hip to wrap around his waist. Again, they were lost in each other. Much gentler than before and with more care than he had ever shown any woman.
After that, he slept dreamlessly, but with his mind replaying the last time she was supposed to be asleep beside him. He awakened that time to an empty bed, with too many regrets rolling around his head, and uncertainty as to why he cared if she left.
Now he knew. And now, he secretly worried about a repeat.
By the grace of God, the stairs did not make a noise. She did not want to wake Antonio and took extra care climbing out of bed just to ensure that. Days passed without being able to see or hold her puppy, and she was ready to change that.
Entering the kitchen, she saw him sleeping on the too large bed in the corner. Curled up in a tight ball of fur and sweet. Kya’s heart melted for the small dog once again.
Wylie. That was what she called him in her mind. Holding him against her chest the name just felt right. She carried the puppy to the back door. Raindrops rolled down the sliding glass blurring the view of the yard. Thankfully, the scenery was not what she was there for.
Water in most forms allowed her to think deeply and thoughtfully. The previous night required deep and thoughtful thinking.
The magnetic pull that surged between them alerted Kya to his presence. Glancing over her shoulder, where he was, entering the kitchen in only a pair of black pajama pants, yawning as he rubbed one of his eyes.
“What are you doing up so early?” She asked with a genuine look of curiosity.
“The bed felt empty. I thought you ran on me, again.”
“And what? You were going to hunt me down and drag me back?”
He grinned deviously, “Maybe. Why are you up?”
She turned the rest of the way allowing Antonio to see the puppy in her arms, “It’s been a while. He deserved some cuddle time.”
With a quick shrug of his shoulder, he nodded his understanding, but the smile was back. “Do I have a valid reason to feel threatened by that?”
Threatened by leaving his bed to cuddle with the dog he gifted her with? The idea was amusing enough for Kya to smile back.
“You should be as threatened by Wylie as much as you would be threatened by Anthony. They’re babies to me that demand my love, in my eyes.”
His shoulders jerked again, but this time he approached her. “My nephew is most definitely a threat. Especially because he’s cute, innocent, and seems to like you so much that he wants to spend time with you. As for this one here,” now in front of her, he stood in that forever dominating stance before leaning down for a quick kiss that ended with him scratching the top of the puppy’s head. “I’ll take that as a yes, as well. You called him Wylie? Like the cartoon coyote?”
“Yes, like the cartoon coyote. Why? What have you been calling him?”
“Detective Rich.” For the third time, Antonio was grinning. Full of dimples and clear mischief.
Kya’s smile dropped, and her free hand automatically shot out to swat him. He laughed and a second later she did, too. That was disrespectful and should have bothered her, but the part of her heart that was still aching over how her father left and did not look back, would not allow her to care. For years, she convinced herself that he was just a stranger. Some man her mother had been with once upon a time and had been written out of the book chapters ago. That mindset remained.
