I wanted to laugh at his words, but it was impossible with the way his hand was brushing against my skin, driving me insane with want. How could he have such an effect on me? How could he—
I tilted my head, realizing that he may have been able to drive me crazy, but I could play that game too. He was the one who would be watching Leo until the fight was over, and afterward, we were staying at his house. So for hours, he’d have to wait for me to come home, and in the meantime, I could make it torture for him. Two could play this game, but I wanted to be the winner.
“I’ll be in your bed tonight,” I murmured and stepped closer to him. His hazel eyes darkened at the move, and my lips curved up. “Only a few hours.” I lifted my own hand to trail over his chest. He jerked as I laid my palm over his heart. “And then I’m all yours.”
“Fuck, Belle,” he ground out. “I shouldn’t have played this game with you, because all I want to do right now is bend you over and—”
“Do it,” I begged, losing myself in his words. I thought I was playing him at his own game, but I’d been wrong. We were both winners here, and the prize was each other. But I didn’t want to wait for my prize. I wanted it right now.
“Don’t tempt me,” he warned, but he was already turning me around so my back was toward him.
“Why?” I turned my head and met his gaze, then slowly bent over, placing my hands on my bed and biting down on my bottom lip.
“Fuck me,” he breathed out, his gaze tracking my ass and not moving. I kept my head turned, and my attention solely on him, not able to look away as he took me all in.
“That’s what I was thinking,” I quipped back, and as soon as the words left my mouth, he yanked his jeans down just enough for his cock to spring free, then pulled my panties aside.
“This is gonna be quick,” he told me, and I nodded in reply. His hands gripped my hips, and I felt the head of his cock press against my entrance, and then he thrust inside me, filling me deliciously to the hilt, and owning every single part of me. “Damn,” he sighed. “This feeling will never get old.”
He pulled out slowly and then thrust back inside, moving to his own rhythm and driving me to the edge. I moaned but couldn’t look away as his features relaxed into euphoria.
“Belle? We need to leave!” Asher shouted up the stairs, and Ford thrust harder and faster, gaining traction and not letting up. He opened his eyes, meeting my stare, and gripped me harder, warning me not to move. His one hand trailed around to my clit, and he pinched it then rolled it between his thumb and finger, and it was like he’d just pressed the button on a detonator. “Belle?” Asher called a second time.
“I’m coming!” I shouted, but I wasn’t sure whether I was talking to Asher or Ford. I moaned louder, and Ford’s hand covered my mouth as he pounded faster. My chest scraped against the bedding as my body started to come down from the orgasm, and with one last thrust, Ford stilled, not concealing his groan as he unloaded inside me.
“Fuck, Belle. How the hell do you do that to me?” His breaths were rapid, sweat beading on his face, and he looked sexy as hell.
“Me?” I asked as he slowly pulled out. My body wanted nothing more than to collapse onto my bed, but I couldn’t. “You did that to me.”
“I can’t help it,” he murmured, stepping back. “Not when it comes to you. I lose control.”
I stood and stretched my arms above my head and felt the trickle of his cum trailing down my leg. “I need to go wash.” My face burned with a blush as I realized what we’d done and where we’d done it. We’d just fucked while my little brother and Mom were downstairs, and I couldn’t bring myself to regret it. Ford said he lost control when it came to me, and I felt the exact same way.
I leaned up onto my tiptoes and placed a kiss on his cheek, then darted out of my bedroom and across the hall to the bathroom. It didn’t take me long to clean up, and I headed back into my bedroom so we could switch places. By the time I was dressed, Ford was sauntering back into my bedroom and Asher was shouting for me again.
“Go,” he whispered, leaning forward and placing a kiss on my lips. “I’ll see you when you come to my place later.”
“Okay.” I hesitated and pressed another kiss to his lips. “I pumped some milk earlier. It’s in the—”
“Refrigerator,” Ford finished for me. “Go. I’ll see you later.”
“Okay.” I paused and stared at his face, my stomach dipping, and then rushed out, “I love you.”
“Love you too, Baby Belle.”
FORD
We watched as Asher backed out of the driveway with Belle in the passenger seat of his car. By we, I meant Leo and me. This would be the first time I’d truly be alone with him, and to say I was nervous was an understatement. I’d been around plenty since Belle had given birth, but this time was different. I’d be alone. Alone with a baby—my baby. And all I could think about was if I fucked up. What if something went wrong? What if I couldn’t figure out what he wanted? What if I put his diaper on wrong? What if—
“You’re overthinking it,” Lola’s voice said from behind me, and I turned to see her leaning against the living room doorframe, her brow raised.
“What?” I pushed my shoulders back and adjusted Leo in my arms. He was all bundled up and ready to go, but I was hesitating. I’d never been unsure of myself, but this had me debating whether I could do it or not. He was my son, but what if I made the wrong move? “What are you talking about?”
“Ford.” She pushed off the doorframe and stood to her full height, which was nearly the same as Belle’s. “I see that look on your face.” She pointed at me. “I’ve known you for over twenty years.” She paused. “And I can see you’re scared.”
I pushed my shoulders back and schooled my features. “I am not—”
“You are.” She smiled, the kind of smile that told me she felt sorry for me, but she didn’t need to be sorry for me. I was perfectly fine with having Leo on my own for a few hours. It wasn’t like Belle would be gone all night, right? And I had everything he needed at my house. But deep down, I knew she’d hit the nail on the head. I put on a front, one that most people believed, but only those who truly knew me knew that deep down, I was just like everyone else—wading through each day and not really knowing what I was doing.
“I’m only a phone call away,” Lola murmured. “Call if you need me.” She tilted her head to the side. “But I doubt you will.”
She was right, I probably wouldn’t. I had to prove to myself that I could do this, but more than that, I felt like I needed to show everyone else that I could too. I cleared my throat, not sure what to say. I was scared, but only because I loved this tiny human so much. So instead of saying anything, I nodded at Lola in appreciation and stepped out of her house.
Leo’s car seat was already in the back of my car, so I strapped him in after working out how all the pieces clicked together and then pushed into the driver’s side. Lola was still standing at the front door, watching me, and I lifted my hand in a wave as I backed out of her driveway.
Leo was quiet on the drive over to my house, but as soon as I got him out of his seat and into my house, he screamed so loud I thought my ears were going to pop. His little arms flapped around along with his legs, and I wasn’t sure what he wanted. Belle had said she fed him not long ago, but she had told me he was feeding more often at the moment, so maybe it was that?
I sat on my sofa and placed Leo down to take his coat off, and Lottie sat beside us both on the floor, watching every move we made. She was observant, and she even pushed her nose on the side of his face gently as if she was trying to console him. But nothing we were doing was working.
I finally got the coat off him and lifted him to check his diaper, but that was fine too. “I don’t know what he wants,” I told Lottie as if she’d answer me back, but she just stared at me silently. Standing, I rocked him back and forth, but his cries only became louder and louder. I hadn’t even been alone with him for thirty minutes, and I alre
ady felt like I was failing.
Could I do this? Could I really be a dad? Could I really be responsible for another human life? The second-guessing myself was constant, but as I stared down at his little button nose and stroked his soft, dark hair on the top of his head, I knew I could. He was half of me and half of Belle. There was no way I couldn’t do this. Not that I had a choice anyway.
“Okay, okay,” I whispered to Leo. “I’ve burped you, rocked you, checked your diaper. So that only leaves one thing.” His gaze focused on my face as I spoke, his cries getting lower. “Milk? Do you want milk?” He cried again, and I looked down at Lottie. “I think he wants milk.”
I grabbed his diaper bag and pulled out the milk Belle had pumped earlier, then took it over to the warmer. My arm started to get tired from all the rocking, so I switched him to the other arm as the milk warmed. And as soon as his mouth wrapped around the teat of the bottle, he drank it greedily, his entire body relaxing.
Lottie barked, almost as if she was confirming it had worked, then trotted over to the sofa. I followed after her and sat in the corner so I could lean my elbow on the arm. I knew I was tense, but it was because I was worried I’d fuck up. It wasn’t easy being responsible for another human, and it would most probably only get harder from here.
Leo drank the last of his milk, and I stared down at him in awe. He was perfect in every way possible, and I’d had a hand in making him. He was the product of the love Belle and I had for each other, and I didn’t regret it for a single second.
I placed the bottle onto the coffee table and lifted Leo to burp him, asking, “What shall we do with our guy time?” I rubbed my hand on his back, waiting for the burp to come. “Maybe we could order takeout and watch the game?” Leo burped, and I took that as my answer.
Tonight was our first guy night, and I was determined it would be the first of many. Father and son time. I’d never had it with my dad, which made it even more important to make sure Leo had it with his. It didn’t matter whether I worried if I could do this or not. All that mattered was that I tried my hardest and loved and protected him. Everything else I could learn, even if it meant I’d make mistakes along the way.
All that I needed was Belle and Leo in my life, and now that I had them, I was determined to do everything in my power to keep them.
Chapter Thirty-Two
FORD
I stared at the screen in the back of the van, waiting for the right moment to strike. When Brody first gave the case to me, he told me it’d be a quick one, but the guy had been elusive, and it had been nearly two months. The guy had left the country two weeks ago and was scheduled to land back on US soil in twenty minutes, which was why we were waiting at the private airport. As soon as his feet touched the ground, I was arresting his ass.
I had all the evidence I needed to charge him, but I was hoping there’d be extras on the plane that could rack up more charges. I had a feeling I knew what it was because cocaine was a drug of choice lately, and it reminded me of where this all began. I’d run cocaine and helped sell it to the biggest buyers when I was in my twenties, which meant I had a unique vantage point, one the dealers didn’t realize when they were trying to escape me. I’d been there, done that, and bore the scars to prove it.
“They’re about to land,” Jord said from next to me. He was the main computer guy, but he was also some extra muscle, just in case. I hadn’t needed the entire team for this, just some extra bodies. I was doing this operation small because that way, there was no chance of him getting away or re-routing his flight if he caught word of what was about to happen.
I leaned forward in my seat and watched as the private plane landed on the tarmac, then shot out of the van we were using. I was going undercover, but this time was different. It would only be for minutes as opposed to months like I was used to doing.
Pulling my driver’s cap on my head, I sauntered toward the large SUV that was booked to pick him up and pushed into the driver’s seat. I clicked the button to start the car and slowly moved toward the plane with another two SUVs behind me. We’d intercepted the car hire company and taken over, which meant all three cars had DEA agents inside them. There was no way for this dealer to escape. We’d made sure of that.
I halted twenty feet in front of the stairs to the plane and waited for him to descend. I drummed my fingers on the steering wheel, listening to the coms in my ear as Jord reeled off what he could see that I couldn’t. And then finally, he appeared. The jeans hanging low on his hips looked like they’d been worn to within an inch of their life, but I knew they’d been made that way and probably cost the amount of an average person’s vehicle. His white T-shirt had a stain on the front that he was wiping at, and he nearly missed a step because he was so preoccupied with it. The man was a fool.
“Getting out,” I told Jord through my coms and pushed out of the car. I nodded to the other two vehicles, and they followed behind me, opening up their trunk just like I did. It was an easy way to arrest someone because you were covered, and they were unaware of what was around them.
“Hey, bro, the door is locked.” I shook my head at his voice. He sounded like a surfer, not a drug dealer who could afford his own private plane and mansion complete with the latest sports cars.
I pushed my shoulders back and walked around to where he was standing. His cell was in his hands as he paid no attention to what was around him. It was an error on his part, one which would cost him greatly. “Sorry about that,” I murmured, reaching into my pocket and acting like I was getting the key. My fingers skimmed across cool metal, and I yanked them out and slammed his body against the car. His cell crashed against the asphalt as I cuffed him.
“What the hell, man!”
“You’re under arrest,” I started, and proceeded to read him his rights. He shuffled to the left, but I clamped my hand on his cuffs and led him away from the SUV. The rest of the agents were arresting the people who were on the flight with him, and although we were only after him and two people in his operation, we had to take them all in. One of them was a snitch who had provided us with valuable information, and we didn’t want to blow their cover and put them in danger.
The guy tried to squirm away, but as soon as the van pulled up, I pushed him inside and closed the door on him. His whiny voice was grating on my last nerve.
“I’ll come around and get you,” Jord said in my ear, and I slapped my hand on the back of the van the prisoner was in to let them know they could go. A couple of minutes later, the van Jord and I had been in pulled up, and his grinning face was turned toward me.
“Enjoy that?” he asked.
“Hell yeah, I did.” I grinned and pulled the driver’s cap off as Jord peeled out of the airport grounds. “My first arrest since Garza.” His name wasn’t one I often said because it was like a black cloud hanging over me. He’d been dealt his sentence, and he’d never see the light of day outside the prison walls again, but that didn’t mean the threat of him still wasn’t there.
We followed the van to the offices where I booked the dealer and decided to make him sweat before I presented him with the evidence. The DA was already set to press charges, so at this stage, it was just a case of what we would find on his plane and the formality of letting him know the deep shit he was in.
I stopped at my desk and pulled my personal cell out, checking to see if there were any messages, and just as I was about to click open one from Belle, I heard, “Ford, come into my office,” from Brody.
Flicking my head up, I met Brody’s gaze, and my stomach churned. I hadn’t seen him since Belle and I had told him and Lola she was moving in with me. I stored my cell away and pushed my shoulders back, preparing for what he had to say. I had no doubt he had an opinion on it, but it wouldn’t change what would happen. Belle and I were moving in together, and I was going to provide for her and my son, just the way she needed me to.
My feet felt heavier as I walked to his office, and it felt like everyone’s attention was on me. I clo
sed the door behind me and took two steps inside, then waited. His gaze was focused on his cell, and after a few seconds, he looked up at me, his dark eyes almost black.
“I need you to look over Curtis again.”
I frowned, not having been expecting that. “What? Why?”
He let out a breath and stared out of the windows to his office that looked out into the den. “I just got the coroner’s paperwork.” He pushed a piece of paper across his desk. “Take a look at who signed it.”
I stepped forward and picked the paper up, scanning the top of the document and then the bottom, and reading who the body was released to. “Rory?” My eyes widened, and I stumbled back a step. “Why would Rory pick the body up?”
“That’s what I want to know.” Brody stood and crossed his arms over his chest. “Ryan was tasked with investigating him when you were away, and he came up with nothing. He’s been on sabbatical these last few weeks.”
“I wondered where he was,” I commented, only just now realizing I hadn’t seen him in the office or around any of the houses since Belle had returned.
“But something seems…off. Why is a member of the cartel picking up Curtis’ body? I don’t remember Belle saying anything about Curtis being connected.”
I stared at the ceiling, trying to recall the things she’d told me, and also the statement she’d given when they interviewed her. I knew the statement didn’t depict exactly what Curtis had told Belle he’d done—that he’d killed Stella and Justin—and although I’d had my doubts about it, maybe he’d been telling the truth. I’d thought that maybe he was only saying it to hurt Belle, to cause her more pain than he already had, but what if he wasn’t? What if he had killed Stella and Justin? What if the cartel signature was his because he was connected? There couldn’t be another reason for him to have taken ownership of what happened to Stella and Justin and for Rory to pick his body up.
Bonded Duet: Ford & Belle: Torn Bond & Tied Bond (Easton Family Duet Boxsets Book 3) Page 38
