Till Death Do Us Trope

by Alexa Riley

  There’s a moment of silence that stretches between us and his face goes white. “What did you just call me?” he whispers.

  “I said I’m your wife. You’re my husband, Romeo. What is wrong with you?”

  “Oh god,” he whispers as he backs into the wall and puts his hand over his mouth.

  Just then, the door bursts open, and to my relief there stands my loving and adoring husband. I know that it’s him the second I see his eyes. He’s staring at me with pure love and relief and I feel the same way. It’s then I look to the man beside him who is identical to him in every way and gasp.

  Twins?

  “Little love, I’d like you to meet my brother Jericho.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Romeo

  My twin backs away from me as he opens his mouth with what I assume is an apology. I don’t wait for him to try and explain as I lunge for him. Officers appear out of nowhere to hold me back.

  “This is Switzerland, Mr. Trope. While we cannot take a side, we must try and keep the peace.”

  Damn this country and their sensibilities.

  “I’m taking my wife home,” I say, and I see the tears of relief in Arabella’s eyes. I want to punch my brother all over again.

  I rush to her and fold her into my arms. I can’t stop to think about her bare feet or the fact that she’s practically naked under the blanket she’s wearing. Otherwise I’d burn this building to the ground and break some kind of Geneva Convention laws.

  Scooping up my wife, I go to walk out of the door and Jericho tries to stop me.

  “Romeo, I’m sorry. I didn’t know you were going to be home.”

  “Get out of my way before I have them lock you up for trespassing,” I growl, and he does as I ask.

  I hold Arabella close as I get into the back of the waiting car. Once inside I grab her face with both my hands and then kiss her hard and deep. I woke up without her in bed and the sound of the alarm blaring. I panicked and put on a suit, because that’s what billionaires do.

  “I could have lost you,” I say, pressing my forehead to hers.

  “You didn’t know where the police station was?” she asks.

  “I heard the sirens and then you were gone. I didn’t even know my brother was in the house. I got to you as fast as I could, but it wasn’t soon enough.”

  “You saved me as always,” she says, placing her hand on my cheek.

  When we arrive at home, I carry her inside and to the living room. I situate her in front of the fire and grab another blanket to try and warm her from the cold, but she wiggles out of it and reaches for me.

  Her arms tighten around my neck and I hold her close. She’s soft against me, and goddamn it I get hard. One touch from her and I’m ready to take her on this bearskin rug.

  “How come you didn’t tell me you had a brother?”

  “I didn’t think it was important,” I answer as I tuck a strand of hair delicately behind her ear.

  “How could you not think that was vital information?”

  “Because he doesn’t think I’m worth mentioning.” We both turn and see Jericho standing in the living room looking at us with suspicion.

  “My own brother didn’t even bother to tell me he got married.”

  “It happened a little fast,” I say and shrug. “What are you doing here anyway? I thought you were hiding out in Canada.”

  “Wait, what?” Arabella says, looking between the two of us.

  Her bare shoulders have come out from the blanket and I bring the material back up to cover her skin. I know how my brother can be and I don’t want his eyes on her.

  “My brother is a paid assassin and also a spy. And sometimes he works as a vet, but that’s mostly because he loves animals so much and he needs a break from all the murdering he does.”

  “It’s just too bad I haven’t found the one to settle down with. Then I could share all my wealth with someone, and not spend my nights cold and lonely, because I refuse to have casual sex. It means something to me, and I won’t just sleep around.”

  “That makes sense,” Arabella offers, and I tighten my hold on her. I don’t want her getting any ideas about him.

  “I’m sorry I had you kicked out. I should have known you belong to my brother. Can you forgive me, Romeo?” he says, and though I could choke him, I nod.

  “This is Arabella, my world,” I say, and kiss the top of her head.

  “She’s also carrying my baby.”

  “Congratulations.”

  “Thank you,” Arabella replies, then looks at me. “He’s my world, too. There were a few bumps along the way, but I think we’re finally settled and ready to start our future together.”

  “A few bumps? How do you mean?” Jericho asks.

  “Um,” Arabella says, and I just smile at her. “Some of it’s a little over the top.”

  “But what would life be without a dash of drama?” I ask and kiss her softly.

  The kiss turns into something deeper and I pull her onto my lap. I turn to look at the spot where my brother was standing and see him walking up the stairs. There’s a sadness in his shoulders, and I can only imagine how I would feel if our roles were reversed. We weren’t always close, but now that I’m about to start a family of my own, maybe it’s time to change that. I understand what he’s been telling me for years. That money isn’t the most important thing. Although it’s probably easy to say that with a trillion dollars in the bank.

  “Make love to me. Right here on top of this dead bear,” Arabella says as I climb on top of her.

  I push away the blanket around the bottom half of her body so she’s not completely naked. Right now I just want to expose the essentials. I move between her legs and pull my cock out. I’m hard and ready to fuck my love back into her.

  I sink in deep, then cover her mouth as she groans in pleasure. I go slow, but she’s just so damn horny for it that I can’t stop the climax that approaches. I’m only a few pumps in and she’s squeezing the life out of my dick. Begging me to fill her up with another baby, even though that’s not possible. I don’t care. I will always give her what she demands. And if that’s an impossible second pregnancy, then by god, that’s what I’m going to do.

  When we’re finished we lie there for so long the fire turns to hot coals.

  “Did I dream all of this?” she asks, her smile soft. Her eyes are heavy and she’s fighting sleep.

  “If it’s all a dream, then I don’t want to wake up,” I say as I kiss her goodnight.

  Epilogue

  Arabella

  Two years later…

  I hold Romeo’s arm to steady myself as we walk into the large ballroom. Part of being an in-demand man with mountains of money is going to charity events with auctions and ball gowns. I fluff out my pink princess dress with my free hand and scan the room.

  “There are so many paparazzi here tonight,” I say, watching as they all point their lenses at us and snap.

  It’s something I’ve yet to get used to. We’ve been lucky that although we are extremely popular in the public eye, we’ve been able to lead a private life at home.

  Our son, Romeo Jr, is at home with the nanny tonight while we go out and try to enjoy ourselves. I place a hand on my growing stomach and wonder how long we can keep rumors of my second pregnancy out of the spotlight. But the way the cameras are flashing, I doubt if it will be much longer.

  “You know I’m ready to tell everyone that you’re pregnant again,” Romeo says, reading my mind.

  “I know you are. I just want a little bit more time before we have the press swarming us.”

  Romeo leads me out onto the dance floor as the band magically plays our favorite song, “Up Down” by T-Pain. His hands wrap around my hips and pull me close to him.

  “I want to remind everyone in this room that you’re mine,” he says.

  I look up at the gigantic ballroom ceiling and see the sparkles of my diamond in the light. There’s no way anyone would miss the rock on my
hand. It’s bigger than the Hope Diamond and I had to have bands attached on either side of it just so my finger could hold it up.

  “I love being yours,” I say, placing my cheek against his chest.

  “It feels like forever since it’s been just the two of us.”

  I lean up and kiss his lips. We went on a date, just the two of us, the night before last. He loves to be dramatic about things, but so do I, so I don’t argue with him. Romeo is still just as smothering and wonderful as the first moment I met him, but luckily we’ve had no incidents that required swords. Although I’ve gotten to fire the cannon quite a few times for fun.

  Since we’ve had Romeo Jr we’ve experienced what life as a family has to offer, and it’s been wonderful. I wouldn’t change a thing about how we got to this point, but I’m just glad we didn’t have a baby when we were going through it.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, we’re about to start the bidding!” someone calls over the microphone, and Romeo twists me in his arms so that he can hold on to me while I face the stage. “Our first bachelor of the night is going to be one for the ages. So loosen up those purse strings, ladies, and get ready to bid.”

  “You better not be getting on that stage,” I growl under my breath.

  Romeo laughs and kisses me below my ear before giving it a bite. “Never.”

  “Tonight we have none other than Jericho Trope!”

  I gasp as the crowd goes wild with women screaming and even some of the men catcalling. I look back to see Romeo is in shock, too.

  “Did you know he was doing this?” I ask, and he shakes his head.

  “I had no idea. I don’t know why he wouldn’t tell me something like this.”

  “Maybe he thought you’d talk him out of it,” I say and look back at the stage.

  “I guess he’s got to lose his virginity at some point,” Romeo says, and then I gasp again. “Didn’t I mention it? He’s a virgin. With being a Navy SEAL trillionaire veterinarian, he’s never had the time to find a woman. I don’t think he’s been saving himself; he just stays busy.”

  “I bet his hand does,” I mumble to myself, so low Romeo doesn’t catch it.

  “Look, there he is,” Romeo says, pointing to the stage.

  Jericho walks out in a tux with a brooding look on his face. He’s got the body of a swimmer, a short-distance runner, and a lumberjack combined. Also rugby thighs. He’s identical to Romeo in every way, yet I have zero attraction to him.

  “Welcome, Jericho,” the announcer says. “Tonight we are going to start the bidding at three hundred thousand dollars. And remember, it’s all for a good cause.”

  “What’s the charity?” I ask Romeo.

  “Sick kids with sick pets.”

  “A noble cause,” I say, nodding.

  The gavel strikes and the bidding begins. Everyone goes into the millions right away, with women throwing bills on the stage. Jericho stands there and stares straight ahead as if he’s bored and angry.

  After a moment of desperate housewives clawing at the stage, a look passes Jericho’s eyes and I see him focus on someone in the back of the room. There’s a waitress serving food at a table, and she’s ignoring him completely. Her black hair is piled high in a bun on top of her head and her clothes are cheap and messy. She’s got on thick glasses and she’s tripping everywhere she goes. It’s clear she wants nothing to do with this scene.

  The same moment I spot Jericho staring at her, so does Romeo.

  “He wants her,” he says, looking between them. He steps around me and takes a paddle with a number on it from the woman beside us. He holds it high and I gasp as he shouts, “One billion dollars!”

  The brothers exchange a glance, and Jericho jumps off the stage and rushes to the back of the room. I turn to follow his line of sight, but the dark-haired beauty is long gone. Oh well, I guess that’s the end of that.

  “Sold!” the announcer shouts, and the disgruntled women begrudgingly clap.

  Romeo waves for a second before pulling me back onto the dance floor and holding me close.

  “So that’s the end of the auction?” I ask as he kisses me softly.

  “For now. I guess Jericho will have to go and find the woman he really wanted,” he says.

  “Well, if she’s anything like me, I’m sure it will be a thrilling chase.”

  He places his hand on my chin and tilts it back so I’m looking into his eyes. “There’s no one like you, Arabella.”

  When his kiss turns deep, we decide to find a quiet linen closet in the back of the ballroom. He makes hard dirty love to me from behind as I bite down on a clean sheet. It’s fast and sweaty, but it’s exactly what I need. That’s the thing with Romeo. He always knows what to give me and when to do it.

  As he scoops me up in his arms and carries me out to the limo I think I catch a glance of Jericho and the dark-haired girl, but I’m so tired my heavy eyes won’t stay open.

  “Sleep, little love. I’ll kiss you awake in the morning.”

  Bonus Story!

  Jericho and Cookie

  Chapter 1

  Cookie

  I grip the tray of champagne I’m holding and say a silent prayer that I don’t drop them. I tried to talk the manager out of making me carry tall, breakable objects filled with liquid but he just wouldn’t believe me. How many times can I say I’m clumsy before they believe me?

  I take one slow step as another server shoots past me holding a similar tray. She’s super confident as she pushes open the door with her one free hand and turns toward the crowd. Meanwhile I’ve got both trembling hands gripped on either side as I try to control my shaking.

  “Cookie, if you don’t get those drinks out there now, I’m going to send you home for the night,” my manager barks.

  The sound causes me to wobble the tray, but I take another breath and do as he says.

  “It’s okay. I got you,” my friend Butch says as he comes by and snags the tray from my hands. “I’ll deliver the drinks. You take the crab cakes.”

  He swaps out our trays and gives me a wink as he pushes through the door. Thank God for him or I might be crying in the corner right now. Hell, I’d be homeless and jobless if it wasn’t for him. He’s my best friend in the world, but unfortunately for me he likes men. He’ll make some lucky guy an incredible Husband one day, but until then he’s all mine.

  We bonded together in school, and after we graduated I needed to place to stay. My mom took off with her new boyfriend and I wasn’t part of the deal anymore now that I was eighteen. Butch was already out on his own after his parents kicked him out. They were super religious and when they caught him with the preacher’s son, let’s just say he wasn’t welcome at the dinner table anymore.

  Butch has let me crash in his guest room for the past few months, and though he says it’s totally fine, I know it has to be wearing him down. I’m ready for my own space, too, and a few more nights of big parties like this and I’ll have the deposit I need. That’s why I can’t lose this job. It’s hard work with long hours, but the tips are always so good. Some of the girls wear low-cut tops and short skirts to pad their pockets, but I haven’t been able to bring myself to do it yet.

  I’m what my mother’s boyfriend referred to as “a practice-girl.” He said I’m too chubby to be a girlfriend, but I’d make a good one to use on the side. That was right before he tried to stick his hand down my pants and my Mom, fortunately, walked in. After that they were gone, and I wasn’t sorry to watch them go. But his words still ring in my ears and I feel like nobody wants to see much of my skin. I’ve got rolls and boobs with a big butt and hips. Even as a baby I was kinda round and ample, so the name Cookie stuck right away. It doesn’t help that I’m super short. One would think being close to the ground would make me less clumsy, but you’d be wrong.

  I watch as Butch carries the tray like a professional as he approaches a man nearby. He leans in a little and I watch the guy slip some bills into Butch’s back pocket. Even the men serving tonight ar
e going to make bank. I never make even half of what Butch does, but I don’t need all that. I just need enough to make the deposit and first month’s rent on a new apartment. I don’t have plans after that. I just know I want to work and save money. I grew up poor and I’ve never known what it’s like to pay bills on time and have money in the bank. That’s what I’m working for, and though it might be a dumb dream, it’s all I’ve ever wanted.

  “I’ll take one of those,” a man says, reaching for my tray as I’m about to pass him by. I look at the woman he’s with, who clearly hasn’t eaten since the eighties, and offer the tray to her. She shakes her head and sips her wine, but I see the way she looks at the food. There’s longing in her eyes.

  I’ll never understand women who don’t eat. As a kid we didn’t have much for toys or trips, but we always had food. I guess that’s why I’m chubby. But I’d rather live happy than miserable and always looking at food like it’s a long-lost lover.

  Butch told me there’s an auction going on tonight. They’re offering people up for money and all of the cash earned is going to charity. All I could think about was how to become a charity and get my name on the list. But then, seeing some of these rich snobs makes me roll my eyes. The eyes they give me make me feel like dirt on their expensive shoes. But I remind myself that I’m here to lighten their pockets just a smidge, and put on my best fake smile.

  I’m extra careful as I go back to grab fresh trays of food, avoiding the drink trays like the plague. I move through the crowd cautiously, trying to steer clear of a few men who’ve given me some creepy vibes. I’m not in this to find a sugar daddy, although Butch tells me that’s the ultimate goal. I think he’s after a silver fox to make him a kept man. I can’t say I blame him, but I’m not ready for that kind of commitment.

  “How you holding up?” Butch says as he slips over next to me. “This place is packed tonight. I heard backstage they are auctioning off a billionaire. Can you imagine?” He puts his hands on his forehead and pretends to faint.