by Lexi Cross
“And a Jacuzzi tub. And maybe one of those body jet shower things. And a playroom for the kids. Oh! Maybe a bowling alley and a trampoline.”
He kissed her forehead and smoothed back her hair. “Sure thing. We’ll make it whatever you want.”
Chapter 22
When Pia walked into the hotel room, a huge grin spread across her face. She’d wanted badly to shower at the motel since she hadn’t taken a shower in so long, but she decided to wait. And it was worth it. This hotel was more like what she was used to instead of that nasty motel. She walked through the rooms of their suite, appreciating all the amenities. Fresh flowers on the table, coffee maker with good coffee, a fruit basket, high quality shampoos and soaps and lotions. And the towels were so soft.
She grabbed an apple from the basket and ate it, trying to eat slowly so that she didn’t get sick again. Ryder handed her a room service menu.
“I’ll order while you take a shower.”
“Just get me one of everything.” She chuckled, then told him what she wanted.
She walked into the bathroom, peeled off her dirty, disgusting clothing, and stepped into the hot water. It was like heaven in there. She let the water run over her, cleaning and cleansing. The shampoo was so soapy in her hair and smelled wonderful, like vanilla and honey. When she finished, she dried off and slipped into the soft robe. Now she felt much more like herself.
When she left the bathroom, the smell of breakfast hit her and her stomach snarled with hunger. Ryder was already eating some bacon and she sat at the table beside him, picking up the toast first.
“Good shower?” he asked.
“The best,” she mumbled with her mouth full.
“Eat slow. I don’t want you to be sick again.”
“I’m trying.” She stuck a forkful of eggs into her mouth, letting them melt over her tongue. “This is the best food ever.”
When they finished devouring the meal, Ryder took a shower. She lay in the bed, flipping through TV channels until she heard the water stop.
“Can you come in here a minute?” Ryder asked.
Pia went into the bathroom, where he was sitting on the toilet, facing the wall. His back and sides were covered with bruises and dark marks. A wound on his back—maybe a scrape?—was oozing blood around the scabbed sections.
“Can you bandage me up?” He handed her a pack of bandages and ointment.
She covered all the wounds she could, feeling almost sick at how badly hurt he was. “Are you okay?” she asked when she stuck a small Band-Aid on a cut on his cheek. “Do you need the hospital?”
He shook his head. “I’m perfect now. I’ll heal.” He stood slowly, wearing only a towel around his waist.
She looked over his dewy, mostly naked body. His muscles rippled under his tattoos and scars. She remembered how she used to hate them. But now the tattoos seemed to accentuate his body perfectly, and she saw the scars for what they really were—battle marks of his survival. It was either scars or death, and he’d survived. She traced the outline of an eagle covering his left chest. There was a round scar just above its head, toward his shoulder.
“Is this a bullet wound?” She touched it, running her fingertip around its edges.
“It is.”
“It’s amazing that you’re still alive. So many scars.” When she looked back up at him, he was looking at her intensely.
“It’s what I do. I stay alive, I protect people, I kill whoever gets in my way.”
“Now, I guess you’ll have people killing for you.”
“I can’t wrap my mind around this. I’m a mob boss now? I never thought this could happen. I think I’m still in shock.”
“You’ll be amazing. You’re a much better man than my father.”
Her fingertips reached his nipple. The skin hardened under her touch and she pinched it gently. He moaned and pulled her closer.
“It’s been too long,” he whispered in her ear.
“It has been.”
“Can we fix that?”
She gave him a seductive smile that he took for a yes. He picked her up and carried her to the bed. She lay among the fluffy white covers, her robe falling open to reveal her naked body. He put his hand on her stomach. There was a small bump there. Still tiny and no one would notice if they hadn’t seen her naked before. But she knew it was there. Her pants were just a tiny bit tighter than normal and when she looked in the mirror, she seemed to have gained a few pounds. But soon, her belly would extend out, round and full with their child.
Ryder bent down to kiss her stomach, caressing it tenderly with his hands. “I can’t wait,” he said.
“I can’t either.” But she wasn’t only talking about the baby. She dug her fingers into his hair and tugged.
He looked up at her as he lowered himself down. He pushed her robe the rest of the way open so that it fell around her. She opened her legs wide and he dove in.
With his fingers, he rubbed her clit and flicked his tongue over and below, between the layers of her lips. She let her head fall back, enjoying the sensation of his tongue and fingers on her. She’d missed him so badly and now that they were together, it made every touch feel like the first touch and the best touch she’d ever had.
He pushed one finger into her and she moaned with the feeling of his finger sliding in and out, then he added his pinky in her ass and as he slid it inside her, she came, almost screaming out in pleasure.
When she lay there, panting, Ryder crept up to kiss her.
“That felt so good,” she said.
“I could tell.”
She pushed on his shoulder. She was nowhere near strong enough to move him, but he didn’t resist. He knew what she wanted. He lay on his back and she paid him back for her orgasm.
She straddled his legs and bent over, taking every inch of his hardness into her mouth. He groaned and gripped her shoulder, then moved to tugging on her hair. She pulled back to flick her tongue over his head, then plunged his cock deep into her mouth, sucking and gripping his base with her hand.
“Oh God,” he said. “You are so good at that.”
She continued to lick and suck another minute or two until he pulled his hips back.
“Stop,” he said.
She made her way back to his mouth, kissing him passionately for several minutes until he was no longer right on the edge. Then she slid down, grabbing his dick and sliding it in. When he was fully inside her, she had to pause. She loved the moment of penetration, when he filled her completely. She moved her hips in slow circles as she sat up straight, letting her pussy soak him up.
She was teasing him, moving so slow, and she was teasing herself. It was only a matter of time before things sped up. He was more impatient than her today. He sat up and wrapped his arms around her, cradling her as she faced him, their bodies pressed fully together.
He took her hips and bounced her up and down on his stiffness. She bent her knees so that she could get a harder angle and slammed herself down on him, then rose up fast to repeat.
Their bodies made slapping noises in the heat of their motion, mixing with the sounds of their moaning. She came again, digging her nails into his back when she did, before she recalled that he had multiple injuries. He took her waist and pounded her hard against him until he cried out, pulsing inside her with his orgasm.
They sat there together for several long minutes, rocking gently back and forth. She kissed his neck and pulled lightly on his earlobe with her teeth. He dragged his nails softly across her back.
He might need a few minutes to recover, but she was far from done with him. She crawled off of him and went to the couch against the wall. She lay back, letting one leg hang on the floor with the other bent on top so that he had a full view of her.
As he watched, she sucked on her finger, then slowly moved it down her body until she was touching herself. She moved in slow circles over her clit, biting her lip in the pleasure of it. She spread her wetness around, getting her fingers sticky with
it, then she plunged two fingers deep inside herself.
She kept her eyes on him the whole time. His eyes widened slightly and he took in a deep breath. He looked down at his half-formed erection. It was only a matter of seconds now, she thought. She kept fingering herself until he came over to her.
The couch was the perfect height for him to get on his knees in front of her. She wrapped her legs around his waist and he thrust deep into her without hesitation. He slammed into her hard, just how she liked it. He took one leg and pinned it up in the air, allowing himself to enter her even deeper. A few more hard thrusts and they came together in a series of loud cries.
He slid out of her and picked her up to carry her back to the bed.
“I need a nap after all that.”
“Mmm,” she murmured, and curled up against him.
His hot body formed a shell of warmth around her, protecting her. She pressed her back into him and he squeezed his arms tighter around her.
“I love you,” he said, breathing into her ear. “I’ve never said that to anyone before. Except for my mother.”
She giggled. “I’ve never been in love before either. But I am in love with you.”
He kissed her neck and they drifted off to sleep.
She woke to the feeling of him caressing her. It started with her breasts. He cupped them and squeezed gently, teasing her nipple until each one grew stiff. Then he trailed down her stomach. He let his fingers separate her, making her heart race and bringing her fully awake.
She moaned softly. He rubbed his hard cock against her, slipping between her legs, rubbing against her lips. When it was nice and wet, he parted her ass cheeks and pressed gently against her ass.
She let out another moan as he slipped into her. She gripped the covers and swallowed hard. She still wasn’t used to this feeling, to the extreme pleasure of it. How could something feel so good that seemed like it should be so wrong?
He moved slowly in and out of her, each time sending a wave of tingly heat over her body. He rubbed his fingers around her clit and when he shoved a finger into her pussy, she couldn’t hold back. She came hard, screaming out and gripping the covers tightly.
“Why does that feel so good?” she breathed. “I can’t even think straight; my head is spinning.”
He kissed along her shoulder and slid gently out of her. “I will do my best to continually blow your mind.”
“Okay.” She lay back on the bed, trying to breathe to recover herself. She closed her eyes and felt the sensation of the air moving in and out of her lungs.
Before she could open her eyes, she felt him spread her legs and his tongue was on her.
“I can’t come anymore,” she said.
“Give me just one more.” He went to work on her clit, flicking and sucking it while he slipped his finger in and out of her. She was so wet, she could barely feel it. She really doubted she would come again. But he kept at it, using more fingers, ramming them into her harder. It felt good, but she was far from orgasm.
“Baby, it’s okay, really. You don’t have to,” she said.
He pulled out his fingers and thrust his cock into her, plunging deep in her wetness. She cried out in surprise. He bent her legs up, folding her so he could get on his knees and pound her hard.
It was as if her body suddenly woke up. She had been thinking it was too much, she’d come too many times to have another orgasm, but as he slammed her, he sent a wave of pleasure through her with each thrust.
He reached up and put his hands on her shoulders to keep her from moving up as he pounded harder and faster. She moaned loudly as her body rejoiced in the feeling. He’d never done her so hard, and it’d never felt so good.
The impossible happened and as he leaned down to change angles slightly, she felt the familiar rush as she came. He thrust again once, twice, crying out himself before collapsing onto her.
He mumbled into her stomach. “We might have a problem.”
“Mmm?”
“I don’t think I’m ever going to be able to stop fucking you.”
“I sure hope not.”
He came to cuddle her again. She turned to face him to kiss him and look deep into his eyes.
“Thank you for coming for me,” she said.
“You came for me, too.”
“No.” She chuckled. “That’s not what I meant. Thank you for coming to get me from my dad’s. For rescuing me.”
“I’m sorry it wasn’t sooner. I got held up getting attacked and being kept in your father’s fruit cellar.”
She pulled her eyebrows together. “That’s where he had you?”
“The rest of the basement isn’t much of a dungeon.”
“I thought you were just locked in a room.”
“Too easy to escape. Though, the fruit cellar didn’t prove to be too hard.” He made a face of pain as he turned his body.
“Are you in pain?”
“Only for a few days now. I have some broken ribs.”
She gasped. “You need to get to a hospital.”
“There’s nothing they can do for broken ribs. They just have to take time to heal. But they hurt like a bitch while they do. I’m okay. I’ve suffered through worse.”
“I don’t like you hurting.” She ran her finger along the point of his nose.
“It’ll be your turn in a few more months.”
“Yeah.” She sighed. “I guess that will hurt pretty bad.”
“They have good drugs. Don’t worry about it.” He closed his eyes as she continued to trace the contours of his face. “We do need to get you to a doctor, though.”
“If we’re staying in the area, I have one. I just need to make an appointment.”
“Where do you want to go if we’re selling the house?”
“I don’t know. A little house on the beach maybe? The kids can play in the sand and watch the ocean.”
“All three or four of them.”
She chuckled. “Yes.”
He opened his eyes and met her gaze. “There’s something I’ve been thinking about over the last few days, and I want it pretty badly.”
“We already did that. Many times.”
He gave her a smirk. “Well, yes, that, but something else.”
“What?”
“Marry me.”
She smiled. “Like you even have to ask.”
“I do. Call it a technicality. But I wanted to make sure.”
“Guess that makes me the mob boss’s wife after all. And here I thought I’d escaped that when you saved me from Paolo.”
“Yeah, but now we’ll be running the family together. Our mob family and our own little family.” He put his hand to her stomach. “I’m so excited to meet this little baby. It seems like it’ll be forever until he’s here.”
“I know. And after all went through to protect him, I don’t think I’ll sleep until he’s here. Or her. Do you think it’s a boy or girl?”
“I’d love a little girl who looks just like you.” He leaned forward to kiss her nose. “But a little boy to run around after would be great, too.”
“We’ll just have to have a few of each, I guess.”
“The more the better.”
“We’ll have the perfect little family.”
“So long as I have you.”
Chapter 23
Pia walked into the office of the house they were renting to find Ryder. Her father’s house had sold much faster than they expected, and they hadn’t found a new place yet. This was slightly upsetting to Pia because it meant they wouldn’t have their house by the time the baby came.
Her image of bringing home her daughter and sitting in a pink nursery painted with flowers all over the walls was somewhat incomplete. The room that would be the nursery in this house was a boring tan with a few wall decorations on the wall. In the office sat the plans for what the nursery would look like when they found a new house. They had plans for many rooms, just no house to put them into action.
“Can you lo
ok at this?” Ryder said from behind his laptop.
“I think we need to go to the hospital.”
His head snapped up. “Really?”
She nodded, half bent over, her hand on her belly. She was due in two days, so it shouldn’t be much of a surprise, but so many people said the first baby usually came late that she’d started to count on that. She’d thought if they found a house fast enough, maybe they would at least be in the process of closing when the baby came. But now, this child would come home to some stupid rental that meant nothing to them.
