by Peyton Banks
“No. I hadn’t planned on it.” He didn’t even look up when he spoke. “I’ve been gone too long. It’s time for me to come home.”
Heat immediately filled her body, and not the good kind. “Presumptuous, aren’t you? You’re the one who fucked up, Nico. Not me. Don’t act as if I should be grateful you’ve decided to come back to the hoodrat who embarrasses you. The one you can’t take out anywhere unless she’ll make a scene.”
“What the fuck? Hoodrat? You need to relax.” His tone was clipped, warning her to stop. Too bad her mouth had gotten ahead of her brain.
“I always knew you’d turn your back on me. That’s what men like you do. You want a black woman who can put on the mask and be the perfect sex goddess in bed. As soon as something happens to shatter that illusion, we’re back to meaning nothing.”
Nico’s feet were planted firmly on the floor. Face red with anger, he watched her with stormy blue eyes as she laid into him.
“When I was by your side with my blade and 9mm at the ready, it was all good. When I fucked you every night until we both passed out, your world was perfect. The one time I’m hurt, when my body turned against me and our…our…ba—.” The words wouldn’t come. Her mouth was open, but she couldn’t get any sound to come out.
“How fucking dare you?” His roar filled the silence. His large form filled her vision as he stood in front of her. She wasn’t afraid. He’d never physically hurt her. “When have I ever given you a reason to mistrust me?” At her raised eyebrow, he motioned with his left hand, “You know what happened that night. I needed her to help me get to Diego. You knew this, Vini.” The tortured sound of his voice began to break through the fog of her anger.
“I just never thought it would happen like that. You’d never pushed me away. I was always by your side. That you cut me out, left me out there flailing…well, you’d just never done that before. I can’t move past it. The hurt is still there and it’s not going away.” She stood as well, going to the opposite side of the room.
His being so close to her was messing with her mind. He was wearing low-hanging workout pants, black with three white stripes on the side. His broad chest was covered only by a white tank undershirt. Since they’d been inside all day, he wore no shoes. He looked like he always did. He looked like the man she loved and desired above anyone else.
Angry blue eyes stared at her. Rubbing one hand roughly over his blond hair, he turned away briefly before again looking in her direction.
“I don’t want you in this life anymore. That’s why I didn’t want you involved.” The admission seemed to pain him.
“What? Nico, that makes no sense. I’m not some fragile chick who needs to be protected. I came up in this with you. By your side the whole time. Why shouldn’t I be involved? This is the life we built.” Vini was legitimately confused by his words. She’d never been the shy and retiring type. If business needed to be handled, she was always there by his side.
He was the demon standing on the left side of the devil.
She was the dark storm who brought chaos.
Together, they’d been unstoppable. Didn’t matter that her daily profession was focused on saving lives. Or that she spent most days bringing peace and comfort to those who needed it. She could handle both sides of her wicked nature.
Nico never understood how she could do it. Walk into a warehouse with him and Max, help them take care of a rival gang, guns blazing, knife at the ready, and not bat an eye. Then two hours later, be at the local hospital, helping a doctor bring a patient back from the brink of death.
It was just who she was.
The Angel of Mercy who craved the dark chaos of violence and death. If she couldn’t embrace the darkness, she’d never be able to control the need that coursed through her veins. That he wanted to take that away from her was not okay. He could take that bullshit idea back, because it wasn’t happening.
In her lengthy silence, he’d walked up to her. One large hand cupped her face, bringing her gaze to his. “Listen to me. I know what you want. What you think you need. But things are getting to a point where I need to protect you.”
“You don’t need to protect me,” she challenged.
Nodding his head, he gave her a stern look. “Yes, sweetheart, I do. For almost half my life, you have been by my side. First as my friend, then my lover,” he paused when she dipped her head down. He’d been her first, even though he’d been with girls before. “Then as my wife.” Leaning his head down, he placed a soft kiss on her lips, lingering there for a few extra seconds.
She spoke when they broke apart, “And you’re my husband. I’d never ask you to give up the life you want. What you need.”
Shaking his head, Nico closed his eyes briefly before looking at her again. “When you were shot—”
Vini attempted to pull away, “I don’t want to talk about it.”
“But we are,” he growled. “Every time I bring it up, you pull away. Shut me out. Enough with the hiding, Vini.”
Tears pricked her eyes as she looked away from him. Although she kept telling herself she’d dealt with the hurt and the pain of that incident, clearly it was still raw. “I’m not hiding. I just don’t think we need to talk about it.”
“But don’t you see? That’s the fucking problem. We lost our baby,” his voice broke as he finally said the words. “What if that bullet had gone in another direction? Huh? Did you think about that? I could have been standing over your dead body. Do you know what that did to me?”
Her eyes lifted to his face. Sucking in a gasp, she saw the pain and fear reflected in his eyes. “Nico.” Lifting a hand of her own, she cupped his jaw. He hadn’t shaved in couple of days, so the prickly hairs on his jaw rubbed against her hand. Stomach clenching in need and desire, she wanted to lean into him, rest her head on his chest. They hadn’t been this close in months, and she missed him. Missed her man’s strong body wrapped around hers at night. Missed the feel of his thick cock filling her body, giving her screaming orgasms. God, why did she have to love him so much? Need him so much?
“I refuse to lose you to some stupid shit. I won’t. I can’t. This life…Max and I know what we’re doing. What we’re getting into each day.”
“So do I. This world isn’t what caused the situation two years ago. It had nothing to do with us.”
Shaking his head before she’d finished, the muscle in his jaw ticked. “No. No more discussion about it. If that means you’re angry with me because I won’t let you be out there with us, so be it. I need to protect you. Keep you safe. If something happened to you, I’d burn this fucking city down, and everyone in it.” Placing his forehead against hers, he exhaled. Hands going to her waist, he pulled her body flush against his. “Do you understand me, Vini?”
“You don’t understand what you’re asking of me.” Thinking about how fast things could spiral for her, she didn’t know how to make him understand.
“I do. Baby, I know what drives you. Asking you to take a step back? Yeah, I know what it could mean.”
Vini’s heart pounded inside her chest. She felt on the verge of a panic attack. If she didn’t have an outlet for the anger, she’d get her fix another way. Nico knew this. Why couldn’t he just let her continue? Pulling away, she turned her back to him.
“If you truly knew, you’d never ask this. You know I can handle myself. You talk about what you need. What you want. Not once have you said anything about understanding what I need. What I want,” she paused, taking a deep breath. “No, if you truly knew what was best, you’d never ask this of me. This love you feel for me, that need to protect me that you speak of? How will you protect me from myself when you take away the only thing that’s kept me sane all these years? You may not understand my need for this or the reasons why, but not only did you take away my ability to stand by your side, show a united front, protect your back, whatever,” she waved a hand in the air, “you took away the power I have as your partner, your wife, your shield out there in this crazy
world. You did all that because of what you need. Did you even think about how it would make me feel?”
* * *
Vini came out of the memory only to realize she was standing outside their bedroom door. Even when he was here before, he’d only stayed in the master bedroom a few days. Surprisingly, he’d allowed her to move him into one of the guest rooms while he was recuperating. Guess he wasn’t giving her that option this time.
They had so much to deal with. Hell, she wasn’t even sure if they could get past everything. These past two years had done shit to her psyche she’d never expected. Her love for Nico was stronger than ever but forgiveness was hard to come by. Even his explanations had fallen on her deaf ears. Yet, she still wanted him. Even through the thick door, she could feel her body responding to the knowledge of him on the other side. Wet, naked, and just stepping out of the shower.
Her pussy clenched with need as her mind conjured up a vision of him walking around their bedroom with that “Big Dick Walk” he had. Smiling to herself, she knew it was well-deserved. She’d never been with another man, but she was pretty damn sure Nico had more than enough, and a little extra.
Shaking her head, she laughed at the hesitation flowing through her. If she walked into the bedroom, would they pick up where they left off? Or would he turn her away? Maybe she could convince him to give her enough to end her draught. Was it even possible to have a sex-only relationship with your husband? Shrugging her shoulders, she figured it was at least worth a shot.
“Come on, Vini. Stop being a pussy,” she laughed at that little joke. “Go in there and tell your husband, you want his dick.”
As she was speaking to herself, the bedroom door opened. Nico stood in front of her wearing black workout pants without a shirt this time. A shit-eating grin covered his face, as he looked her up and down. “I thought you’d never ask.”
8
Nico
Nico grabbed Vini’s hand, pulling her into their bedroom. “Were you coming to tell me something?”
When he’d shown up today, his mind had been on one thing only. Make Vini want him again. He could fight any battle, deal with any foe. But losing Vini wasn’t something he could handle. Not having her in his life, or at home waiting for him, that wasn’t something he was willing to deal with again.
Now his woman had come to him. She may still be angry with his high-handedness, but she’d come to him. They’d deal with everything else as it came their way. For now, he had a woman to seduce. Pulling her into his arms as they came within inches of their California King bed, he stopped. Gazing down at her, he marveled at her beauty. After all these years, she was still the most gorgeous woman in the world to him.
Her large brown eyes looked at him with love, and it humbled him. Hands reached up to caress his naked back, and his knees went weak. Soft lips placed kisses on his chest, right over his heart, where a tattoo of her name was placed, and his soul felt peace.
“Lavinia,” he whispered. Voice raw and ragged, he was at a loss for words. How to explain to this woman that she unmanned him? That no other woman ever called to him like she did. Her being here, with him, was the only thing that mattered. The rest of the world could burn around them, and he probably wouldn’t notice.
“Nicolas,” she whispered, a smile on her lips.
“I’ve missed you. Missed having you by my side at night. Smelling that damn coconut shampoo you use, and that sweet-smelling cocoa butter you rub on your skin every day.”
Laughing, she placed another kiss on his chest. “I thought you loved my lotion.”
Using his hands, he removed her T-shirt, baring her chest to his gaze. Those dark brown nipples called out to him. Begged him to take them into his warm, wet mouth. Leaning down, he pulled one nipple into his mouth. Sucking and pulling, he knew this felt good to Vini. Moans sounded above his head as she enjoyed his attention on her soft flesh. Moving to the next breast, he used his teeth to bite and tease her, as his other hand began pushing her shorts down her legs.
“I’ve missed you too,” she whimpered. “I was so lonely.”
Standing, he grabbed her by the nape, tilting her head up. His blue eyes stared into her brown ones. “I fucked up but now it’s time for me to make it up to you. For as long as it takes, I need to make this up to you. Get on the bed,” he growled.
Vini didn’t question his command. Any other time, he would have picked her up and placed her on the bed himself. With it being just over a month since he was wounded, he didn’t want to do anything that would aggravate his injury. Once she lay on the bed, he climbed on top of her and rested his body in between her legs.
“No matter how much we argue or fight, you will always be mine. You think you’re broken. You think our bond was broken after you were injured. It wasn’t. I love you more today than I did yesterday, a year ago, or even ten years ago. Nothing but death will keep me from you.”
He watched as tears filled her eyes, and his heart stopped beating. His Vini hardly ever cried, even when they were alone. He could count on one hand the number of times she’d allowed herself to be vulnerable around him. One was the first time they made love. Second was when her mom died—then again, that had been hard on all of them. Third was their wedding night. Fourth time was the night she came to the club. When she thought he’d betrayed her, and their marriage, for some saggy pussy.
“Baby, don’t cry.”
Wiping her face, she leaned up to him, and kissed him on the lips. “I just need you to love me, Nico. It’s all I’ve ever wanted.”
Her words unleashed something in him. Still careful of his wound, he deepened the kiss, his tongue pushing its way inside. Lips pressed together, moans loud in the room, bodies straining together as they expressed their desire for each other.
Breaking from her lips, he trailed kisses down her neck, shoulder, and breasts. He knew she thought he’d stop to lavish more attention on her breasts. There was another sweet spot he had in mind. Continuing on past her breasts, he placed open-mouth kisses on her stomach, paying special attention to the small scar that marred her skin.
Once he was at his destination, he looked up. Her eyes were on him, her nostrils flared, and her bottom lip was caught in the grip of her teeth. They both knew what was about to come. “Open wider,” he growled.
Vini whimpered but adjusted her legs as he demanded.
“Don’t ever keep my pussy away from me again.” Voice husky with need, he felt his mouth watering. Her taste was a like a sweet memory of his favorite meal that he pulled up whenever he wanted to be reminded of the good times. Her pink goodness surrounded by all that chocolate was his favorite treat. Chocolate covered cherry. Yum.
“Nico. Please.” The pleading in her voice made him smile.
“I’ve missed you.” Except this time, he wasn’t looking into his woman’s eyes.
No. This time he was focused on the entryway to his dreams, desires, needs, and wants. Everything he wanted in life began and ended with the woman lying naked in front of him.
Dipping his head, he took one long swipe of her slit with his tongue. The thick appendage caused her dewy, thick lips to spread for him. Brushing her clit with the tip, he felt her body jerk, and her breath hitch. A low keening sound met his ears. His baby loved this as much, if not more, than he did. From the first kiss, lick, touch, she was a writhing, moaning mess.
Oh yeah. This pussy belongs to me, he thought as he sucked her pearl between his lips.
Grabbing her around the thighs, he tightened his hands around the flesh of her soft thighs, restricting her ability to move away from him. His mouth latched on to her, his tongue and lips working in tandem to suck, lick, and pull at the soft flesh beneath him. Vini tried using her hands to pull at his hair but since he’d recently gotten a haircut, she grasped at nothing but air.
His lips pulled and manipulated, his teeth tugged and teased, all while his tongue stroked and tantalized. Vini’s lower body began rotating, pressing up and down as she strained to
capture the feeling through her body. Juices began flowing from her body as he used his tongue and lips to suck and slurp. Her taste was like the best fucking drug on the street. If he wasn’t a jealous fucker, liable to kill any man who even sniffed around her, he’d bottle this shit and sell it.
Pushing her legs up higher, he adjusted his body to get more leverage. Focusing on the hardened nub in front of him, he wrapped his wet lips around the sweet bundle of nerves. Sucking as if taking a drink through a straw, he felt his woman tense as her hips raised completely off the bed. Grabbing her ass with both hands, he took the pressure from her as he continued to suck her rock-hard clit.
His own cock was leaking pre-cum in anticipation of what was to come. But he could wait. He’d learned over the years to always make sure his woman was taken care of first. If that meant, he had to learn patience, then that’s what he’d damn well do.
Using his teeth, he nipped her clit with a little extra force. Not enough to hurt, but enough to let her know he wanted her to let go.
“Nico,” she yelled. Her body tensed. Her eyes widened in shock. Fingers clawed the blankets, pulling the thick material from the bed. One of her legs raised over his head, her toes curling as her orgasm rushed through her body with the power of a tsunami.
Sweet Ambrosia. It was the only word that came to mind as his woman’s body provided the inalienable proof that she was all his.
Nico felt Vini’s body shaking above him. Quickly releasing her, he crawled up to see what was wrong. “Baby, what’s wrong?”
“N-N-Nothing,” she wailed, turning her face away from his. Her body was about to follow when he stopped her.
Smiling softly down into her face, he placed both hands on side of her. “Why you are crying, Sweetness.”
“It-It just felt so good. Y-Y-You…”
Taking pity on her, he wiped the tears from her face as he spoke. “You’re mine, Vini. My heart. My soul. My wife. It will always be like this for us. Now open up and let Daddy come home.”
