by Tia Siren
When we stopped shaking, our breathing and heart rates slowed, and our bodies finally returned to normal. Marco collapsed on top of me. He looked me in the eye, a small smile playing upon his lips as he rolled over, pulling his now deflated cock from my body. He lay next to me, and we were both silent for a moment, just relishing the sensations coursing through our bodies. Savoring the afterglow of the most amazing sex. He reached for me, pulling me over to him, and I rested my head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat and his breathing.
“Is this how you plan on keeping me safe?” I teased.
I ran the tips of my fingers across his chest, tracing them along the lines of a tattoo that spelled out his last name. Moretti. The infamous Marco Moretti was beside me in bed, and we'd just had the best sex of my life. I looked up at him with a soft smile, still not believing what just happened.
“It’s working, isn’t it?” he said, a cocky grin on his face. “As long as you're with me, Kendra, no harm will come to you. I promise you that.”
I then asked him a question as a joke.
“Who else, besides you, would have reason to hurt me?” I asked him.
With a sigh, I could tell Marco was torn between telling me the truth or withholding it. But when he looked down at me, his expression was serious. Grim.
“You already know about my family and their reputation,” he said. “And I already told you that I'm not like them. Which you chose not to believe, until –”
“Well, I might have changed my mind over time, even if you didn’t save my life,” I said, kissing him on the chest softly.
He grinned at me as if it pleased him very much to hear that I may have had a change of heart about him. But more than that, he looked a little relieved as well. As if my changing my mind about him voluntarily really meant something to him.
“I'm glad to hear that, Kendra,” he said, stroking my face with his hand. “Others within my family—like my cousin—aren't too keen on you being alive.”
“Well, that's comforting,” I said.
He sighed, but continued to speak.
“They believe I'm too soft,” he said. “And I'm sure my cousin thought he was doing me a favor by getting rid of you. But that's not what I want. And no matter how many times I try to tell them that I’m not like them and I refuse to sink to their level—they refuse to accept it. After how things went down last night, they will have a huge eye opening.” He went quiet for a moment. “I would never hurt you—or let anybody else hurt you. Even if you weren't a hot little blonde who fucks like a sex goddess.”
He winked at me, and I couldn't help but laugh, playfully swatting him on the side. Knowing what Marco had had to do to save my life, it was hard not to be pulled into his charm. Hard not to be overwhelmed by the feeling that he genuinely cared about me. I was trying like hell to resist, but I knew I was falling fast.
“But if you are with me—like truly with me—you're untouchable. And they will care less about what you know because you'll be on my side and wouldn't betray me,” he said. “Does that make sense?”
“Is that why you offered me a job last night?”
He nodded. “Yes, I thought if I couldn't get you to want to be with me, that it would at least be the next best option. I'd still be able to watch over you and keep you safe.”
It all started to make sense now, and I realized that Marco cared for me much more than I believed. Much more than I previously thought possible. All those silly jokes and flirty comments added up, and I started to think that maybe he was falling for me as fast and hard as I was falling for him.
“So, what do you say, Kendra?”
“About what?” I asked, cocking my head and giving him a confused look.
“About being with me,” he said. “You know . . . being my girl.”
As much as I wanted to say yes to his offer, I knew it was a dangerous proposition. Being with a man like Marco would be dangerous—and I wasn't sure I was up for that just yet. Taking a deep breath, I answered the only way I could in the moment.
“Well, if that job is still available,” I said. “I might reconsider your offer.”
“Of course,” he said, his voice soft as he pushed a strand of hair from my face.
I could hear the slight sound of disappointment in his voice and could tell that wasn't the answer he wanted to hear, but it was the only one I could give him in the moment. At least until I knew more about how Marco planned to change the Moretti family business. There were so many things I still had to unpack and sort out in my own mind. There were questions that needed to be answered and feelings that needed to be reconciled.
Plus, I wasn't ready to be a mob wife anytime soon. Not if that meant getting comfortable with the idea of murder around me.
4
Marco
One week later
Kendra might only call it a job, but I could tell it was more than that to her. In my mind, our “work” consisted mostly of getting to know each other better, fucking, and enjoying life to the fullest. And the longer she stayed with me, the more I wanted to make her mine forever. Not only was it the only way to keep her safe, I’d wanted it for a long time.
For that reason I couldn’t be a hundred percent honest with Kendra, and had to tell her one or two white lies throughout our time together. It was for the best.
I heard soft footsteps down the stairs next to my bedroom.
“What's wrong?” I asked when she arrived to the kitchen.
She'd been feeling off the last few days, so I'd let her sleep in a bit. But as she came into the kitchen and sat down across from me, there was a worried look on her face. She looked at me, apparently unable to form the words she wanted to speak and an electrical jolt shot through me as I wondered if perhaps she'd discovered my secret.
“I don't know,” she finally said, looking down at her hands instead of up at me. “You said you were sterile, right? You were sure about that.”
“Mmm hmm,” I said, taking a drink from my coffee. “Why do you ask?”
“It's just weird,” she said. “I haven't had my period yet. It's late and I'm usually very regular. But you're the only person I've been with in months, so—”
I kept a straight face as she looked at me, perhaps searching my eyes for some sort of answer. Instead, I shrugged and tried to deflect her concerns.
“Maybe it's stress?” I offered.
“Maybe,” she said, biting her lip. “Do you think Maritza would mind picking me up a pregnancy test—just in case?”
“Sure, baby,” I said. “I'll ask her to do that when she's out doing the shopping today.”
I reached for her hand and laid a gentle kiss upon it, not taking my eyes off of her. She was so beautiful and everything I'd ever wanted in a woman. Even though we'd been having a great time together and enjoyed the hell out of each other, she was still hesitant to make our relationship official, which bothered me. I wanted her to be mine, needed her to be mine.
“Thanks,” she said, gripping my hand tightly. “I'm sure it's nothing. I mean, it's impossible, right? It has to be just a false alarm. I mean, you're probably right about it being stress related. Still, it would just ease my nerves to rule it out definitely. That's all.”
“I understand,” I said.
Part of me felt bad for what I’d done. But in the end, it was for her own good. It was to keep her safe. No one would ever touch her if she was the mother of my child, if she carried the legacy and the future of the Moretti family. She'd be safe from harm, and I'd get what I want—a family with Kendra.
I'd be a good father. I'd be a good example and raise my child right. I'd teach them to lead the organization in a better way. A way my own father was never capable of—and if I was honest with myself, I too was not able to run it like I’d desired. A lot of that was out of my hands, thanks to the precedent that was in place before I took charge.
Violence had been built into us. It was taught from an early age. It was in our DNA and deeply ingrained in us
. But my children would have someone like Kendra—a kind, loving, gentle mother who'd make sure they grew up with compassion and empathy. Her example would help them lead the Morettis into the next generation. They'd have my smarts, my strength, my resourcefulness, and most importantly, their mother's beautiful character.
It was the only way I could atone for my family's sins and fix all the damage they had done to this city over the years.
Kendra would understand. She'd have to understand. And I'd make sure she was the happiest woman who ever lived. Because deep down, I knew I was already falling in love with her. I just hoped she felt the same way about me. Once in a while, I caught a glint in her eye that made me think she was falling as hard as I was, but she was so reserved and hadn't said those three words yet. She was reluctant to entangle herself with me too tightly. I couldn’t blame her, but that was something I needed to change. I needed Kendra in my life.
When she smiled at me, it felt like everything in the world was suddenly right. Though she resisted the urge to tell me she loved me, I thought I felt the emotion she had for me in every kiss. And every time we made love, it was with so much passion and so much intensity, I felt like it had to be love.
As I stared into her beautiful blue eyes, I saw the look of a woman in love. I knew, because that same look was in my eyes as well.
“What?” she asked, her pale cheeks turning a nice, rosy pink as she blushed. “Why do you keep looking at me like that?”
“Just admiring the woman I love,” I said. “Is that so wrong?”
She let out a gasp as the words I'd just spoken sunk in. With wide, almost scared eyes, she looked back at me, opening her mouth and closing it again as if her voice had just failed her.
“Did you just say—”
“That I love you? Yes, I did,” I said, taking a drink of coffee like this was the most normal thing in the world. “You heard me right.”
Her face softened and she pulled her hands away from mine. At first, I assumed she was pulling away from me entirely, but instead, she stood and walked over to where I was sitting. She sat down in my lap and kissed me, the intensity of her emotion pouring out of her into that kiss.
“Does this mean you love me too?” I asked. Kendra straddled my lap and looked into my eyes, using sex as a distraction. Her tight little body always felt so good against mine. But instead of stripping me down and letting me take her on the kitchen table, she looked at me—really looked at me—and then started to speak.
“You make me the happiest I’ve been in years. You’re really a good man, and as scary as it is to say, I am falling in love with you too,” she said.
I responded with a kiss, pulling her down onto me. My cock pressed against her body, harder than ever because here she was admitting she loved me, and that excited me like nothing else. I didn't even care what else she had to say—she loved me and I loved her.
Things may have gotten heated, but we heard footsteps coming down the stairs
Kendra pulled away and stood up, a sad little pout on her face as she sat down across from me once more. Sam, Bella, and Jack all came down with Maritza, my maid-slash-nanny, who was getting them ready for school. I still hadn't found a regular nanny yet, but Bella seemed to like Maritza more now that she was used to her.
“Maritza, can you do me a favor and pick up a few things at the grocery store while you're out?” I asked, slipping her a piece of paper.
“Not a problem,” she said, taking the note from me and glancing down at it.
My list only had one item written upon it and when she read it, the item made Maritza look up at me with a raised eyebrow and a small, knowing smile.
Kendra wouldn't meet her gaze, instead focusing on the top of the kitchen table like it was the most interesting thing in the world. Maritza looked pleased as punch as she ushered the kids out the door. Kendra let out a sigh.
“Man, she's going to be pretty upset when it comes back negative, isn't she?” I just laughed.
“This isn't possible,” Kendra said, staring down at the lines on the test.
She was sitting on the bathroom floor, leaning against the bathtub, just staring down at the plastic stick in her hand. It was the second test that had come back positive and she was absolutely beside herself.
Now came the hard part: admitting the truth and convincing her that I wasn't a lying asshole for lying to her. Well maybe that first part was true. I joined her on the floor and took her hand in mine, giving it a reassuring squeeze.
“Anything is possible, I guess,” I said.
“But you're sterile, you said so yourself,” she said, looking at me with wide, scared eyes.
I shrugged. “I guess the doctors were wrong,” I said. “That happens sometimes.”
The doctors had never told me I was sterile—though it was true that I never got my ex pregnant. Not that we tried for very long before splitting. All of that was a lie.
But now that I knew I was going to be a father I was ridiculously happy.
I looked over at her and smiled, “We'll get through this, baby,” I said gently. “We both love each other, and we can have a happy little family.”
Kendra shook her head. “No. I'm not ready. We just started dating—I can't be—”
She threw the test stick across the room. It hit the door and bounced to the floor, spinning around like a bottle before it finally came to a rest. Kendra buried her face in her hands and began to sob, her body heaving. It killed me to see her so torn up, but what hurt the most was what she said next.
“You lied to me,” she said in a quiet voice. “You’re not sterile, are you?”
“Kendra, listen, you're emotional,” I said. “I understand –”
“You don't understand anything, Marco,” she said, her voice rising as we spoke. “I'm pregnant. I'm not ready for this and neither are you.”
I pulled her close to me and held her tightly against my body. I stroked her hair gently and placed a soft kiss on the top of her head.
“I'm ready, Kendra,” I said. “I've actually been ready for a very long time.”
“But I don't want to be a part of this lifestyle,” she sobbed. “And I sure as hell don't want my child growing up like this. I'm just not ready. I don't know if I ever will be, Marco. I don't think I can do this.”
I held her chin up to make her meet my gaze, and I wiped the tears from her eyes, giving her a gentle smile.
“Do you really think I’d ever let our child down, Kendra? Because I won’t,” I said. “You're a strong woman. A kind woman. The type of woman I need in my life to keep me centered. I know I’ve got faults, but you make me want to be a better man. You make me want so much for us.”
“I shouldn't keep it,” she said. “I can’t—”
My heart sunk. There was no way I could let her abort my child. No way in hell would I ever be okay with that.
“No, Kendra. There’s not one version of this where I let you get rid of our baby,” I told her.
She shook her head and looked at me through her tears.
“I know you. You couldn’t go through with it anyway. You’re an amazing woman, and you'll make an amazing mother too. I just know you will, babe.”
We were quiet for a long time before she looked up at me with the faintest hint of a smile on her face. Her tears had all but dried up, which did my heart a world of good.
“You are very good with Anthony's kids, so I have no doubt you will be a good father,” she said.
“I will be, because I love you and this baby with everything I have,” I said.
She leaned her head against my shoulder and brought a hand to her stomach.
This woman had made me the happiest I’d ever been, and now we had a baby on the way. I couldn’t believe my blessings.
5
Kendra
“He's beautiful,” my best friend Lisa said, cooing as soon as she stepped into the hospital room. “Look at those little bitty toes! They're absolutely precious.”
&nbs
p; Xavier Graham Moretti laid peaceful and still in my arms—yet I still couldn't believe it was real. I kept counting his fingers and toes, unable to comprehend how this beautiful baby boy came from me.
Marco, the proud and doting father, sat beside me, holding my hand, his face beaming with sheer joy. And when he looked at Xavier, it was with an expression of stunned disbelief. Like he couldn't believe he'd sired such a beautiful boy either.
“So much hair too!” Lisa said, smiling from ear to ear.
“I know, right? I don't think I've ever seen a baby with this much hair,” I said. “It's dark too. He must take after Daddy.”
Marco kissed my hand and looked at me with nothing but love and affection in his eyes. His phone buzzed, and as he pulled it out of his pocket and checked the display, I looked over and whispered to him.
“Who is it?”
“It's my dad,” he said with a sigh. “Calling from prison. Probably to ask about his grandson.”
My insides roiled at the mention of Marco's father. I knew what type of man he was, and I wanted nothing to do with him. More than that, I wanted that man to have nothing to do with our son. I watched Marco carefully, and he put the phone back in his pocket without answering it.
“He's just going to have to keep on waiting,” he said.
Lisa didn't know about Marco's past or his family. Like I had when I'd first met him, she thought Marco was a banker. So, at the mention of a grandfather from prison, she raised an eyebrow and gave me a curious look.
“I'll explain later,” I told her. “Long story, but we don't have anything to do with that side of the family.”
“I see,” Lisa said, sitting down next to me, taking my hand in hers and giving it a squeeze.
