by Mia Ford
“I like that idea.” She agreed as I leaned in to suck one into my mouth. I slipped a hand into her leggings and found her wet for me, circling her clit as she dropped her legs open. I liked her this way and vowed that no other man would ever touch her. I watched as Soledad curled up to slip her pants off and togged the shirt off, so I could see all of her.
“So gorgeous,” I murmured as I sucked her into my mouth again, sliding a finger inside of her as I started to fuck her with my fingers. I made her come hard as she cried out softly, rocking against me. I slipped my fingers out of her pussy and sucked her juices from them as she watched. “Get on your knees, Sol.” I told her as she lifted her head to stare at me. She moved slowly and took her position as I slipped my pants off. I stroked the base of my hard cock before slipping inside of her with a deep thrust. She dropped her face into the pillow and I heard her low moans against the material.
“Fuck,” she moaned as I pulled back and drove myself back in her. Every time we got together like this, it felt like I was relieving some tension. The harder I fucked her, the better I felt in the moment. A woman had never provided this for me so completely and I memorized the feeling of her wrapped around me. I gripped her hips and moved again, fighting the urge to moan as she pushed back against me.
Chapter Thirteen
Soledad
I woke up and kissed Alexander goodbye as he left for work. Lindsay had already woken up and was curled up between us and he smiled down at her. “I’ll see you tonight.” He told me as I smiled.
“Let me know what Jim thinks?” I asked softly as he nodded. I dropped my head to the pillow once the bedroom was quiet again and looked towards the window. I wanted to be at work as happy as being here with Lindsay made me feel. I struggled heavily when Keith first left us, relying on Mom as I slept the days away. I was so scared to become a mom then and being here now made me feel like I was failing her.
I knew that wasn’t the case and this was temporary. Alex was being safe, but it was caused by Keith. Again. I closed my eyes and let myself sleep a bit more until the little girl beside me moved gently. “Mommy?”
“Yeah, baby?” I whispered groggily as I opened one eye to look at her.
“Can we get some breakfast?” Lindsay asked as I met her blue eyes.
“Sure. I need coffee anyway.” I rose and helped her into the bathroom before slipping on a robe to wear into the kitchen. Rosie was awake, sipping coffee and reading the paper as I greeted her. I poured some coffee and got her some juice before I reached for a box of cereal.
“Want me to cook?” Rosie asked as I smiled at her.
“You can make first lunch when she’s ready.” I told her as Rosie chuckled. She grazed several times throughout the day and since she slept in a couple of hours later than normal, I expected it to be a busy day. ‘Is anything on the agenda for today?”
“I was going to go to the farmers’ market in the park. Want to take her?” Rosie asked as she lowered her voice. I hadn’t heard anything about Keith in the last few days but sensed that Alex was stressed. He tried to hide it well but the way that he was keeping me home suggested that something was happening behind the scenes.
“I guess. We do have Daniel to tag along with us and she’d love it.” I didn’t want to hide from the city and sent Daniel a text about our plans in about an hour before I went to take a shower. I dressed in jeans and a loose gray sweater with boots, helping Lindsay choose a pair of cotton pants and a green sweatshirt. Alex told me to shop for her so much more than I needed to, but he loved spoiling her. I helped her into her shoes and we met with Rosie in the living room.
Rosie told me that we could walk there, and I glanced behind us to see Daniel a few feet away. He nodded at me and I turned forward, looking away from our designated bodyguard. He was a nice enough man from what I’d seen but this was weird. I wasn’t used to being treated this way, but I forced myself into the moment as we approached the vendors. Rosie put a lot of thought into her cooking and Alex offered her a generous budget. She poured over fresh vegetables and fruits, filling the cart that she’d brought along the way. I purchased a bag of kettle corn to eat at the park and we made our way to the play structure once we were set for another week. Lindsay ran over to start playing and I dropped to the bench with a smile. “Are you bored with staying home?” Rosie asked as I watched Lindsay.
“Not bored. I just feel like I’m not being productive for the team. I know Alex can survive without help for a bit, but my team is always busy.” I tried to think about how to describe it. “I love my job and worked hard to get it.”
“Of course. We all know that and I’m sure that you’ll be back soon. She’s loving spending time with you.” Rosie nodded at Lindsay as she waved at us.
“I enjoy that as well. It’s just hard to relax for me.” I admitted as she patted my hand.
“That little girl appreciates you and your hard work, Soledad. She isn’t seeing a woman that is just sitting at home letting someone take care of her. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but I am sure that some women seek a man like Alex out for his wealth.” I nodded slowly. He’d told me as much. “You deserve this so much.”
“I am enjoying being home with her. I think I just need to set something up where I work part time on a regular basis.” I wrapped an arm around her and smiled. “I am so blessed to have you in our lives.”
“I am lucky to have the both of you. She lights up my whole world.” Rosie grinned in Lindsay’s direction and I laughed.
“Mine, too.” We let her play for a while and I kept watching to see Daniel nearby, looking around. I couldn’t help but think about the car trying to hit me and my heart began pounding in my chest. I imagined it striking Lindsay and I breathed in deeply as Rosie looked at me.
“Are you okay?” She asked me as my phone rang in my purse. I reached for it to see that it was Alex and gazed at her.
“Please watch her.” I stood on trembling legs and walked away to answer it, knowing that he’d hear the stress in my voice. “Alex.”
“What’s wrong?” He asked immediately as I leaned against a tree.
“I think I’m having a panic attack,” I breathed into the phone as I stared at the ground. “It’s a gorgeous day and I’m with my family. I should be happy.”
“You’re safe, Soledad. Daniel is there and he’s watching everything, so you can enjoy yourself. I am on this every second of the day. You know that.” He assured me, and I tried to breathe.
“I can’t lose her, Alex.” I whispered as he sucked in his breath at the other end of the phone.
“You won’t.” He promised me as he told me how much he loved us. He mentioned that there was more work to do on the brewery campaign and asked if we’d like to have lunch with him. I knew that Lindsay would love seeing our office and agreed. He told me he’d send a car to pick us up to bring us to the building and that he’d order in. I ended the call feeling better and walked over to tell Rosie the plan.
“I love it. Are you feeling better now?” Rosie asked as I smiled shakily.
“I just get stressed out over this but he’s doing his best.” I told her as Lindsay came running over to us. ‘Hi, baby. Want to go have lunch at my office?” I asked her as she smiled. I got a text saying to look for a blue SUV and Alex sent a screen shot of the vehicle with the license plate. We walked over to the sidewalk where it was supposed to get us, and I looked around. I wondered if they were set up for kids and assumed as much since Alex picked it.
A bright blue vehicle pulled up and I saw a smiling brunette girl behind the wheel. I greeted her and got Lindsay into her designated spot before Rosie and I climbed in behind her. The car took off and I laughed as she turned right to head to the office. This was a comfortable driver. Lindsay asked about things she saw through the windows and I laughed at her ideas. I pointed out the office and she gasped as we parked in front of it.
“This is where you work?” She asked as I laughed and nodded. I missed this
place. We got out and I walked us across the parking lot to the glass door, opening it wide. We walked through the lobby and got on the elevator where I had Lindsay push the button for our floor. I held her hand as we left the car, hearing people greeting me as soon as they saw me. I didn’t miss the look of surprise on their faces as they took Lindsay in and the way they smiled after I introduced her to them. We made our way slowly to Alex’s office after I felt like I talked to everyone, but my smile was genuine when I poked my head into the team office. Rosie and Lindsay were already in with Alex and my colleagues jumped up to greet me when they saw me.
“Hey. When are you coming back?” Millie asked as she hugged me.
“Soon.” I told her as I pulled away and glanced out in the hallway. “We stopped by for lunch. Can you get away for a minute?”
“Sure.” Millie followed me out as everyone told me they were glad to see me. I led Millie down to his office and smiled as she opened the door. I walked in to find Lindsay on his lap and Rosie sitting on the couch beside them. I almost laughed as I remembered what happened on that couch in the past. I was happy we had a great cleaning staff.
“Hey, Lindsay. This is my friend Millie. We create together.” I smiled at the blonde as she sat down, smiling shyly at my daughter. There was no way she was going to get off Alex’s lap and I swore that my ovaries exploded a little as I watched them. I never considered having another baby before now since being a single mother of one was hard enough. Now that I had someone like Alex in my life, there was a possibility and I wanted it more than anything.
He told us that he ordered burgers and that they’d be here soon. I sat beside him and he slipped an arm around me before kissing my cheek. I could see the way that Millie was looking at us, almost in disbelief. This was a new side of Alex for everyone, including me.
I smiled widely in the picture that Rosie took of us to send to his family. I smiled again once we were finished with lunch and Lindsay hugged Millie goodbye. All curiosity was suppressed when Alex walked us out, carrying Lindsay on his shoulders. I was holding his hand and laughing at the two of them as I felt everyone staring at us. I knew that it was out there now, but I didn’t care. Alex kissed Lindsay goodbye before pecking my lips softly and I took her hand before we got back on the elevator. I knew that everyone was gawking as he walked back to his office.
Alex was calling us a car and I walked out to wait for it. Oddly enough, the original driver told us that she’d see us later. I glanced towards the old apartment, missing it in some ways. I wondered if they ever fixed the window or there were any other problems. Alex had been there and spoken to Carly, but he didn’t tell me anything about what they said. Our stuff had been brought over and there was no need to go back.
I got into the car and my mood dropped when I realized that she’d slept with Alex in the past. For the record, she was friendly to us and didn’t seem to hold any ill will towards us. I just had issues with his past still and when I was already tense, the timing was awful. I followed Rosie through the lobby with my hand clutching Lindsay’s as we got on the elevator. I was quiet, and Rosie gave me a curious look as the car moved to our floor.
Lindsay relaxed as she watched a show and Rosie pulled me to the kitchen. “Are you okay?” She asked as I gave her a long look.
“I get jealous sometimes when I come across his ex-flings. I know that’s all he’s had but it gets to me.” I admitted as she gave me a soft smile.
“He’s a handsome man with a past, Soledad. That’s common in these days but he loves you. Did you see him today?” She asked as I smiled.
“I wanted to have another baby immediately, but I shoved that aside. We’re just living together and there’s so much going on right now.” I laughed as she joined me.
“I am seeing a miracle with Alex. Don’t be surprised when it happens.” She winked and headed down the hall as I reached into the fridge for some water. I joined Lindsay to see her asleep against the cushions and sighed. She was going to be a bear tonight.
I took the time that she was sleeping to call the apartment, pretending to check if anything was left behind. I spoke to the manager on sight and she sighed. “Not that I know of. The apartment was ransacked shortly after the broken window and a lot of stuff was damaged. Luckily, your belongings had mostly been cleared out by that handsome man that took care of everything for you. I’d hoped that you were okay.” Her voice was concerned, and I nearly dropped the phone.
“I am. I just had some trouble finding a few small things from my bathroom, that’s all. I hope the damage wasn’t too extensive. I was sick and didn’t deal with the apartment at all.” I played the concerned card to hide the shock in my voice.
“It will be fixed up and rented out. Our insurance covered the damage, but it might take a while.” We ended the call and I sat down on the bedroom balcony, taking a deep breath. I was certain that Alex knew something about this, but he didn’t tell me. What else was he hiding? I noticed that Daniel was lurking closer to us these days.
Chapter Fourteen
Alexander
I fielded a lot of questions from the staff for the remainder of the day. The women gushed at how cute Lindsay was and how they didn’t know I had a daughter. I think their knees went weak when I told them that she was Soledad’s daughter. I didn’t feel that I needed to clear up the fact that she wasn’t mine.
I saw the way they looked at me and knew that I had every woman in the place wanting me to knock them up. No, thanks. I also explained that Soledad and I were happy together and getting quite serious. I knew that would lead to some stories, but I didn’t fucking care anymore. She was mine and that’s all that mattered.
I went home and headed inside of the apartment, seeing that Lindsay and Soledad were in the kitchen. She seemed to be teaching her how to cook noodles as I watched for a moment. I smiled as Soledad glanced at me and Lindsay turned to run towards me for a hug. Soledad didn’t smile, and I frowned as I wrapped my arms around the little girl.
I let her down and approached Soledad. “What’s wrong?” I asked her as she drained the noodles in the sink. “Where’s Rosie?”
“She went to dinner with a friend. Since we had lunch, I just went for something simple.” Her voice was flat, and I waited until she put the hot pot on the stove before turning her around to face me. She looked broken and I stroked her arms.
“What’s wrong?” I demanded as her eyes narrowed at me.
“I thought I lost something from the bathroom and called the apartment today. Did you know that it was ransacked after I left?” My heart froze as she spoke, knowing I hid that from her. I didn’t want her to worry and everything was already moved over.
“What did you think you lost?” I asked as anger flashed across her face.
“A facial brush that I loved. I wanted to do some girl stuff with Lind tonight. I ended up finding it, so everything was fine, but why didn’t you tell me?” She hissed at me as I glanced at Lindsay looking at something on the TV.
“You were already out and here. I know how secure this building is, Soledad. I knew that I had your safety covered and they were willing to take care of it.” I slipped my hands down to grip hers as she tried to pull away.
“Is there anything else I need to know?” Soledad asked as I let her go and stared out of the windows. “What are you trying to do, Alex?”
“I am trying to keep you from staying awake all night worrying. I want you to feel like you can come back to work like I know you want to do. I have everything taken care of, Sol.” I kept my voice down so Lindsay wouldn’t hear us, all too aware of the fact that she was just a few feet away from us. I hated hearing my parents argue when they were still together.
“I need to know what’s happening. I have that right because it’s my past haunting us. Yours isn’t as threatening, Alex. Please tell me what’s happening.” I watched tears fill her eyes and then move to the floor.
“How does she like her noodles?” I asked as Soledad’s shoulders
slumped.
“Butter and mozzarella. She’ll show you.” I called out to Lindsay and we fixed her bowl just like she wanted before going to the table. I suggested to Soledad that she take a bath and calm down, so we could talk once Lindsay was in bed for the night. I knew that we shouldn’t do this in front of her from personal experience. Soledad stalked down the hall and I heard water later as I sipped a beer at the table with Lindsay. So, this was parenting? Fuck.
I worried about Rosie, but she arrived home just as I was getting Lindsay ready for bed. It was later than planned since she confessed that she had a late nap after lunch, but I finally got her down. I went into my room to see Soledad curled up on our bed in leggings and a shirt, fast asleep.
I stared at her, unsure of what to do. I’d never fought with a woman with meaning before. That was when I usually left and found someone else. There was never any reason to stay but now I had several.
There was the little girl hopefully sleeping across the hall that I adored and this woman. I loved this woman and wanted to find a way to prove it to her. That was not going to happen by hiding the truth, but I hadn’t decided since talking to Keith that evening. He’d been keeping quiet as far as I knew, and I was thinking that it would just be best to pay him to leave us alone. With that came the chance that he could hurt someone else. Could I live with that guilt?
I lay next to Soledad in the dark, staring at the ceiling. I was beyond being angry or even wanting to avoid this topic. I needed Soledad’s input to handle this. I looked over at her as she shifted and whimpered in her sleep, sounding scared. I reached over and shook her gently, watching as she opened her eyes and sucked in her breath. “Are you okay?” I asked her as she calmed herself down.
“I had a nightmare. I think my mind is twisting all of this so much and making me crazy.” She pushed her hair from her face and I gazed down at her. “Is Lindsay okay?”
“She went down late but I’m pretty sure that she was tired. I guess she had a nap?” I asked as she nodded.
