This Isn't You, Baby (War & Peace Book 4)

by K. Webster

When I go to protest, he grabs my hips and hauls me to him. His mouth crashes to mine in a fervent, needy kiss. Duvan is quickly filling a void I didn’t realize existed. He takes his time kissing me while his hand roams up and down my body. I let out a whimper when his palm slips under my shirt. He groans when his hand cups my bare breast.

  “No bra,” he murmurs and pinches my nipple. “I like you this way.”

  I laugh and lean into his touch. My entire body is thrumming with the need to be consumed by him. He must read my body language because he begins kissing down my chin, along my jaw, and down my throat.

  “Take your shirt off, tigress. I want to see your pretty tits,” he instructs as his fingers dig into my lounge pants. He drags them off my body, along with my panties, while I tug off my shirt. Once I’m completely naked, I feel too exposed. My thighs rub together in an effort to hide and I place my palms over my breasts.

  He sits up and works through the buttons of his dress shirt. I can’t help but stare as he sheds both it and his white undershirt. His sculpted chest ripples like some fancy moving artwork as he undoes his slacks. The jingle of his belt reminds me of how Heath whipped me and has me shuddering. Thankfully, he pushes them down and I’m soon distracted by his massive cock.

  I start to throb with pain just looking at it. I’m still sore from last night and I worry it’ll hurt today.

  “Look at me, mi amor.”

  Mi amor.

  My heart does a flop.

  His black eyes are nearly purple as they shine with adoration. He takes my right hand with his left and threads our fingers together. Then, he does the same for the other. My heart thunders in my chest when he leans forward, pressing our conjoined hands against the mattress on either side of my head.

  “Spread your legs,” he urges, his mouth teasing mine.

  I swallow down the fear of pain before opening myself up to him. He doesn’t enter me at first but instead rubs his veiny cock against my clit.

  “Are you happy?” His murmured words cause my skin to erupt into a thousand goose bumps.

  “I am right now.”

  He hisses with pleasure with each stroke against me. I squirm with need. I’m no longer worried about the pain. I just want him inside me. Filling me. Completing me.

  “Duvan, please,” I beg.

  The tip of his cock stops at my opening and he pokes me there. “You want this?”

  I try to free my hands so I can grip his hair to pull him in for a kiss, but his hands tighten around mine. “I want this,” I say with a whine of frustration.

  His chuckle warms me to my soul. I’m dripping with desire for him. If he keeps rubbing against me, I’ll come simply from that. But I want to come with him deep inside.

  “Get ready, tigress.”

  That’s his only warning before he slams his hips forward, shoving his thick cock all the way into me. The burn from last night is awoken, and I cry out in pain.

  “Too much!”

  But then his mouth is on mine, and he’s kissing me like I’m the only person he’ll ever do this with again. Like I belong to him and he belongs to me. The sensation throbbing from my heart is foreign, but I like the high that surges through me.

  “Not enough,” he argues, his hot breath tickling my lips.

  He kisses me deeply as he thrusts into me over and over again. Each time he rubs against my clit as he slides into me, I get closer to the edge of bliss. I’m at his mercy and can’t move my hands, but I feel safe. He’s giving me what I want.

  “Come for me, baby. Come all over this fat cock that was made just for you.”

  His words ignite flames that race through my veins. I’m high. I’m high off the feelings my husband evokes within me.

  “Oh, God!” I shudder with pleasure and my thighs squeeze against his powerful hips.

  He lets out an animalistic groan before his heat gushes into me. My sore pussy stings when his cock seems to throb even larger than before with his release. But soon it softens and I’m given relief. His fingers release mine and he cups my face.

  “My Brie.”

  I give him a lazy smile. “Duvan.”

  Toni slaps me in the face, and I jerk awake. Her wide brown eyes twinkle with mischief.

  “Teev. Nanna,” she coos.

  I hug her to me and kiss her soft curls. “You want a banana, Toto?”

  Calder, Mom, and I have all taken to calling her Toto. She’s so fucking cute but she’s most attached to me. Mom is efficient with caring for her but she doesn’t just hold her to hold her. I think she’s afraid of getting attached. Thankfully, Dad came home yesterday. Toni was nervous around him but when he took her down to the beach before it got dark, she came back glued to him and remained that way for the rest of the night.

  I was happy to get a break.

  After the hell I went through with Brie, I haven’t been in the mood for anything. I’ve dragged through the last couple of days as if I’m a damn zombie. I’d even resorted to trying to get Vee to talk to her. I met another one of the infamous Rojas brothers and much to my dismay I actually liked the guy. I’d wanted to hate their family because they took my girl from me.

  But she’s not my girl.

  She made it very clear after we made love for the second time that she saw me as a lying monster. The pure look of devastation in her eyes was one I wish I could erase indefinitely from my mind.

  “Teev, nose.” Toni pokes at my nose and giggles. Her sweet laughter helps soften the ache in my chest.

  “Toto, nose,” I say back and tap hers.

  My bedroom door opens and Mom waddles in. “Hey, kiddo. Did Toni sleep in here again?”

  I nod, yawning. “She was crying in her bed, and I felt sorry for her.”

  Toni scrunches her face and her lip starts to quiver. “Dadda bye-bye.”

  Hugging her to me, I stroke her silky hair. “He’ll be back,” I lie. I have no idea if he will or not. He’s not called since he dropped her off on our doorstep. Last night, Dad came clean to Mom about how he’d still been in contact with Gabe. About how he’d still been keeping tabs on Gabriella. Everything. She’d reacted better than I expected. Only a few tears.

  “I made omelets, guys,” Dad says, poking his head in the door. His eyes peruse Mom’s pregnant belly and he grins before walking over to her.

  She flashes him a smile back before stepping into his hug. “I’m so glad you’re back home.”

  My parents are affectionate. A little too affectionate, if you ask me, considering Mom’s knocked up again.

  “Did somebody say food?” Calder questions as he saunters in past our parents and steals Toni from my lap. This kid is spoiled at our house.

  “Yeah and it’s going to get cold,” Dad states. He kisses Mom on the head before leaving to finish up breakfast.

  “Did you tell Mom about your broken heart?” Calder asks and then nuzzles his nose against Toni’s cheek. She squeals and grabs his hair. He spends the next minute trying to pry her tiny fists from his head. Eventually, he peels her from him and holds her out like she’s a bomb about to detonate.

  “Who broke your heart?” Mom questions.

  I flip Calder off, and he chuckles as he leaves the room carrying his little baby bomb with him.

  I run my fingers through my messy bedhead and groan. “It’s too complicated.”

  She sits down on the bed beside me and grabs my hand. “Apparently, I know complicated. I’m babysitting my death-evading rapist’s baby who also happens to be my granddaughter. If that’s not complicated, I don’t know what is.”

  Mom has always comforted me. It’s like she knows I’ve always been on my best behavior to take the load off of her since Hannah was such a handful. She’s always had a special place in her heart for me because of it. Unspoken words and knowing smiles always told me she’d appreciated that I was a good kid.

  Unfortunately, I’m not her good kid anymore.

  “I fell in love with Gabe’s daughter.”

  She pats
my hand. “I think we all have. Toni is a sweet little thing. She reminds me of Hannah at this age.”

  I let out a sigh and turn to regard my mom. She’s always been pretty. One of my good friends Kyler used to crush so bad on her. I told him he was sick because she’s my mother. “Not her. Gabriella.”

  She stiffens and frowns at me. “The one your dad was keeping an eye on?”

  “Yeah, I mowed the lawn where she lived. It was me keeping an actual eye on her.”

  Mason rolls in her stomach, and she pulls her hand away from mine to rub her belly. “Oh, Ren,” she murmurs, tears welling in her eyes. “Why?”

  I swallow down the emotion and shrug. “I didn’t want to. I hated who she was at first. I hated that Dad asked me to do it. But then…”

  “She’s beautiful?”

  “Yes.” I remember how captivated I was when I first saw her. How all the irritation and resentment melted off of me like ice cream from a cone on a hot day. “I wanted to know the sad girl. Mom, she was so sad.”

  Guilt flickers in her eyes and she nods. “Your sister has ruined a lot of lives. She needs help. Hannah was getting the help she needed until he broke her out of there.” She makes a sour face. I remember clearly when the detectives showed up at our door telling us about how an unknown man slipped in, slaughtered most of the night staff, and stole away my sister. Our entire family was sickened at the news.

  “I spoke to her one day and from that moment on, I needed to know her. One day when she was swimming with her adopted sister in the backyard, I found the courage to ask her if she wanted to come hang out with Calder and I. It started out friendly. The four of us would go see movies or go to the beach. She was sweet and funny and brave.”

  Mom smiles. “I’m glad she’s found some happiness. I’m sure it couldn’t be easy for her to lose both parents. And then she had you.”

  A spike of guilt shoots through me. “I lied to her. If she knew I was Hannah’s brother, I knew she wouldn’t want to have anything to do with me. I told her my name was Ren Loveland. We never spoke about our families. Brie is guarded when it comes to her past. But even though she held back her emotions, I could see how she hurt from it. I hated Hannah for doing that to her, and that I had to lie to Brie.”

  “Oh, Ren,” Mom says sadly. “I’m sorry you’ve been dealing with this. Did your dad know?”

  I shake my head. “I told him what he needed to know but never that I was falling in love with her.”

  She leans her head against my shoulder. “Love is strange.”

  Letting out a sigh, I nod in agreement. “As I fell deeper for her, I hated the secret that hung in the air between us. I’d threatened Calder not to say anything. One day I was going to find a way to tell her.” I pinch the bridge of my nose and squint my eyes. The pain in my chest is a dull throb. “Her adopted dad is someone vile. A criminal. He had arranged for her to marry into some Colombian drug family when she turned eighteen.”

  “What?” she snaps and looks up at me, concern washing over her features.

  “He’d found out she and I had sex for the first time and he whipped her, Mom. He whipped her like she was some child, not practically a legal woman. I wanted to save her from it all. She’s too innocent to get wrapped up in all that. Brie just wanted to go to college and have a normal life.” I choke down the emotion threatening to make me cry. I’ve only cried once and it was when grandpa Land died about ten years ago.

  “Does Gabe know all this?” she asks, astonishment in her voice. “He’s not the type to let someone hurt what belongs to him.”

  I shake my head. “He doesn’t know. Hell, I didn’t know what was happening until a few days ago. I mean, I knew Heath was an asshole, but I never realized what was going on. She agreed to let me help her and wanted to be with me. I took her out for her birthday. Everything was perfect until…”

  “Until it wasn’t. She found out your secret,” Mom whispers.

  “She was fucking devastated. I broke her heart into a million pieces. And then she left. She ran off and married some punk named Duvan, flew off to Colombia, and hates me with every ounce of her being.”

  Mom sniffles and I’m shocked to see tears rolling down her cheeks. “Come here, baby.” She hugs me to her and strokes my hair. “If you two had something, she’ll come around. She’s angry and upset. She feels betrayed by one of the closest people to her. I understand how it feels when you are victimized by someone else’s lies and actions. It hurts deep. A cut that takes forever to stop bleeding. But even the deepest cuts do heal.”

  Toni comes running into the room with banana smeared all over her face. She has a mischievous grin that reminds me of my sister. Mom stands and scoops the messy toddler into her arms.

  “Are you mad I betrayed you too?” I question, my voice hoarse.

  Mom’s blonde brows furrow together. “How could I ever be mad at you, son?”

  “I fell in love with Gabe’s daughter.”

  She sighs and kisses Toni on the head. “So did I, Ren. So did I.”

  “Are we going to get our asses kicked?” Calder questions as he eyes Heath’s gigantic mansion from the passenger seat.

  “Vee said he’s with Camilo at the shipyard and will be for most of the day. Come on,” I order as I climb out of the truck.

  We both saunter up to the front door. When I go to knock, Vee answers the door. Her bright red hair has been curled into tight, spiral curls and her makeup is a little on the heavy side. The dress she is wearing looks like she bought it from a hooker.

  “Ummm….” I can’t help but gawk at her unusual appearance. “Are you okay?”

  She frowns and her bottom lip juts out in a pout. Calder stiffens beside me. “I’m fine. Come in.”

  I turn to see Calder glaring after her. The lime green skintight dress she’s wearing barely covers her small ass. He growls at me. “What the fuck is she wearing?”

  Shrugging, I follow after her. She guides us up to her bedroom. When we enter, the kid Oscar from yesterday mumbles a “what’s up” before turning his attention back to his phone. Calder folds his arms across his chest and gives Oscar the stink eye. I guess he’s still bitter about Vee choosing the Colombian kid over him.

  “You think you can get her to talk to me?”

  Vee fingers one of her curls and scrunches her nose up. “Ozzy and I talked to her earlier. She was really broken up about what happened. I think we might be able to trick her into talking to you.”

  I groan and shake my head. “No. She’s still too angry. Let her cool off and then maybe I can accidentally be here one day when you call her. I don’t want to make things worse than they are.”

  Oscar sits up and grins. “Smart. You know our girl better than I thought. Brie can’t stay mad forever. Trust me, I know. I’ve pissed her off thousands of times and she still loves me.” He waggles his eyebrows at me. I should be irritated that he’s close to her and his brother married her but I’m not. It only gives me relief that she’s capable of forgiveness.

  When I glance at Vee, her lips are in a pout as she stares at Oscar. Calder is tense as fuck and I’m afraid if we don’t get out of here, he’s going to beat this kid’s ass over Vee.

  “Calder and I were going to hit a sub shop and then hit the waves. You surf?” I ask Oscar.

  “He sucks,” Vee offers with a giggle but then starts digging through a drawer that holds bathing suits.

  “I don’t suck,” Oscar groans.

  “Well Ren’s pretty awesome at it,” she tells him, holding up two different bathing suits. “Turquoise or black?”

  “Black,” both Oscar and Calder say at once.

  Her eyes light up and she beams. “I’ll be right back. Try not to miss me too much.” She gives a pointed look at Oscar and then shoots the same one to Calder before bouncing out of the room. Both guys stare after her. When Oscar looks over at Calder, I see it. A look of awareness. Two minutes ago, he couldn’t give two shits about the girl that was practically begging hi
m to look at her, yet now he’s got a competitive gleam in his eye.

  Calder fists his hands and stalks out of the room. “I’m waiting in the car.”

  “You’re pretty badass at this shit,” Oscar says after spitting out a mouthful of saltwater.

  Calder and Vee are sitting side by side on the beach in deep conversation. His hand is in the sand behind her and she’s leaning slightly toward him.

  “My dad taught me how to surf,” I tell him. What I don’t tell him is that Dad would only do it super early in the morning before any beachgoers were present. The uninterrupted sound of the crashing waves seemed to soothe some of his OCD ways. It was definitely a coping mechanism for all the shit he’d been through. I’d eventually learned the basics from him. It was a time we could spend together alone without Mom or my siblings. Those quiet moments were ours. “Been doing it since I was a kid.”

  “The only thing Papá ever taught me was how to get a woman into my bed. He said,” he tells me and lowers his voice to sound like his father. “You have to romance them, Ozzy. Wine and dine them. Tell them what they want to hear. Your mother always liked to be told she was a great cook. Most days, the food tasted like salted cardboard but I praised her cooking until the day she died. Women just want to be complimented and adored.”

  I laugh. “Your dad sounds funny.”

  His hand skims through the water beside him. “Papá is cool sometimes. Most times he’s an arrogant prick. I’m used to him, though.”

  “Is he nice to Brie?”

  He lets out a sigh. “He sees her as a tool. Both him and my oldest brother Esteban. I thought Duvan was that way too. But then…”

  I wince at the idea of her being married to that criminal. “Then what?”

  “He proved me wrong. Duvan sees her like I do. As a person. Funny and gorgeous and full of secrets that you can’t help but want to uncover. She was my friend. I liked her too, you know.” His eyebrows pinch together in pain. I hadn’t realized it before, but he’s apparently disappointed she’s married to his brother. “I thought it would be me that my father chose. I hoped it would’ve been me anyway.”