Chapter 16
“He’s beautiful, Camille,” Shandra gushed over her new godson. “Hi Dominic, it’s your TT Shandra. We’re all so glad you’re here.” Holding him in her arms, she couldn’t help but think about the day Amina was born. The fear she felt holding such a tiny human, and the absolute love she felt in her heart. It was a long, tough road to get to this point, but Shandra was so happy she’d made it. That he hadn’t given up.
“Hey, chick. You okay?” Camille asked. “If you start crying, then I’m gonna start crying, and you know Tristan hates it when I cry.” Two weeks after the night Andrea and Oscar were killed, Camille went into labor. Little Dominic was a week late. Because of that, the entire family had been on edge. When the call came through that it was finally happening, there had been a collective sigh of relief.
The hospital door opened, and Toni walked in with Amina in tow. “Someone wanted to see her new cousin.”
Amina strolled over to where her mother sat holding the tiny infant. “Oh, he’s so cute, Mommy. When can I play with him?”
“Not yet, honey. He’s still too small for that. We’ll have to give him a few months before he’ll be able to hangout with us. First, we need to let him, Auntie Camille, and Uncle Tristan get used to each other.”
Disappointment showed on the little girl’s face, then she looked at her mother. “Well, then I’m ready to go. I’ll come see him again when he can actually do something.” The women in the room laughed. They didn’t get upset at Amina’s comment because they knew Dominic held little interest for her right now. Once he got older, it would be a different story.
Shandra smiled at Toni. “Are the guys still outside?” Leo had taken Tristan to help him grab some coffee.
Toni nodded. “They are. Although, I think Tristan was about to come back inside when Amina asked to see Camille.” She nodded behind Shandra. They both turned to see the little girl rubbing her auntie’s arm.
“Feel better, Auntie Camille. Me and Mommy will come see you once Uncle Tristan gives you some breathing space.” At the other woman’s shocked laugh, Amina continued. “I heard Daddy tell Uncle Leo that he needed to stay up off you so that you could recover. What does that mean, Mommy?” she asked, glancing at Shandra.
Shandra tried not to laugh, but it was tough. She also noticed that Amina had become more comfortable calling Leo by his new name. Daddy. At first, she would switch back and forth until about a week ago when he was no longer Uncle Leo or Leo the Lion. When he’d first heard Amina call him Daddy, he froze. His eyes met Shandra’s over the dinner table, and she could tell he was moved. Their little girl never noticed a pause in the conversation and continued on with her story. She never noticed that her ‘dad’ was having an emotional breakdown. “Honey, I thought we talked about eavesdropping on other people’s conversations.”
“Yes, but there was nowhere to go. I was playing there first, and then Daddy and Uncle Leo came to sit down. I can’t help that I’m a good listener.”
Toni had turned away from them. Her shoulders were shaking as she tried, and failed, to not laugh. She had become even closer to the family and, more importantly, to their safety. She was still serving as Amina’s bodyguard and pseudo-nanny, but both Tristan and Leo would often ask for her opinion when they needed to do something dangerous. Or when needed a read on someone they weren’t familiar with. The woman was like a rare gem—dangerous, smart, and beautiful—and they were all glad she was on their team. She never shared too much about her past, but there were still moments when she would go silent and look off into space. One day, Shandra would ask her what that was all about, but now was not the time.
A few minutes later, Leo held her hand as they exited the hospital. It was time they left the family of three alone. There were men posted outside the private hospital room to ensure they were not bothered.
Toni and Amina would ride in a different vehicle for safety reasons. Leo felt it was important that they take extra precautions for the next few weeks until things died down with the Ricci family extinction event. Most of Oscar’s men had gone on bended knee and swore allegiance to the Lucarelli family. Those who refused were now the dearly departed. Old man Ricci was unearthed from the garden and given a regular burial and headstone befitting his stature. It wasn’t something that had to be done, but it was the right thing to do. Although he had his differences with the family, the man was fair, and there had to be such a thing as honor among thieves.
Glancing over at his woman, he reached an arm out and pulled her closer. He nuzzled her neck. “You’ve been quiet since we got in the car. Are you okay?” As he spoke, his hand was rubbing along her upper thigh, trying his best to get to the warmth awaiting him between her legs.
Her head leaned back against his arm on the backrest. Shandra turned to look into his face. “I want a baby, Leo. With you.” Just saying the words made her heart speed up. She had no idea how he would respond. Their relationship was still so new. It didn’t matter that she felt as if they had been together for years. There was still so much she didn’t know about him. She knew he would answer any question she had for him.
Not that she doubted they would last. She knew there was nothing she wouldn’t do to have him by her side forever. She loved him just that much. She spent so much of her adult life feeling empty. But after being loved by Leo, she knew no other man could give her what he had. There was no one else she could see herself loving for the rest of her life.
Leo stared into her eyes before grabbing her body and sitting her on his lap. “I want to have all my babies with you. However many you want, I’ll give them to you.” Lifting his hands, he cradled her face as he leaned in close. “I’m not the most sentimental man. I’ve killed people and will kill again. My nature is to be ruthless to those who cross me. But a year ago, when you walked into my life, you turned my world upside down. All the things I never expected to have, were what I craved. A woman. A child. A loving home. Someone I could finally be myself around and not apologize for it.” Leaning forward, he kissed her soft lips. His tongue explored her mouth as his hands roamed her curves. “You feel so good, baby. I want to fuck you right here. Right now. Get started on making baby number two.”
Shandra giggled, trying to break the kiss, but not doing a very good job. “Later tonight, when we’re locked away in our bedroom and can get as freaky as we want. I don’t want Toni to hear me screaming your name.”
“Yeah, well, she needs to close her fucking ears,” Leo groused, but didn’t let her go. They had fifteen minutes until they arrived home, and he was going to do everything he could to enjoy the sweet kisses of his woman until then.
When they finally reached the house, they wasted no time getting to the bedroom. The two of them could hardly control themselves or keep their hands off each other. Shandra felt Leo pull her panties down her hips and slip a finger inside her. She had been lying on the bed waiting for him. Once her panties were removed, she was fully bare to his gaze. Leo licked his lips as he stared down at her.
“Oh, Leo. Your fingers feel so good.”
“I’ve been thinking about being here with you like this all day. I miss holding you in my arms, feeling your body close to mine.”
They were finally alone in their bedroom, and she was ready for her man. She was so slick and wet; there was nothing more to be said. They’d been teasing each other all day since they returned from the hospital. She laid back, her head tilting and her eyes rolling back in her head as he hit a spot inside her slick channel. “Oh, yes. More.”
“Damn, I love being with you. Seeing you waiting for me in our bed. Coming home to you every night,” he whispered. “You make the hard days easier.”
Shandra lifted her leg and placed it around his thigh. She wanted him inside her now. “No more waiting. Give me what I need,” she implored. The smirk that came over his face told her he knew the effect he was having on her. Every night, she begged for more, and he held out until he couldn’t refuse her pleas for him. He needed her as much as she did him, but he loved torturing her.
His dick slid inside her, stretching her wide. It was as if her body had been made for him, and he would spend every day worshiping her.
“Oh, right there, Leo. Fuck. Yes. More.” Her walls tightened around his thick length as her orgasm rushed through her, taking over her body.
“That’s it. Don’t hold back,” he demanded before leaning down to kiss her neck. He slowly bit into her skin, applying enough pressure to make her feel both pleasure and pain. Tiny convulsions continued to course through her body as her nails dug into his skin. She frantically gripped his back, their sweat-slicked bodies pressed against each other. Choked cries released from her throat, punctuated by nonsensical murmurs and curse words.
He wanted to give her a moment to enjoy her peak before finding his, but he couldn’t. All the self-control he usually prided himself on had disappeared as soon as he felt her channel tighten and around him. Leo continued to slam his dick inside her, his climax tingling throughout his body before culminating in the most satisfying releases he had ever experienced. His vision momentarily went blank as he surged inside her.
Sweaty and gasping for air, they were both stunned for a moment at the intensity of their releases. They stared at each other momentarily before they broke out laughing. She leaned up and kissed him softly. Lovingly. “You’re amazing.”
“Well, shit. Clearly. I had been waiting for this all day. Don’t worry, baby. I have so much more for you.” Leo shifted his hips, letting her feel him still inside her body. Even soft, he could make her moan.
Shandra smiled up at him. “Oh, I know you do, and I’m ready for whatever you want to give. But I have a serious question for you. I know what I said earlier, but maybe that was just the new baby fever talking. Maybe we should wait before we think about having a baby. We’ve only been an official couple for a month. That’s not a very long time.”
Leo would not allow her to back out on him now. He stared into her eyes as he gathered his thoughts. Without realizing it, he knew the moment had come. There was no other way it could happen. It was important that she knew he was all in for her. For Amina. For their family. Leo needed her to say yes to him and their new life.
Because the truth was, life was short. Nothing was guaranteed. Both of them had waited too damn long to start truly living. They’d already wasted a year when they could have been living their lives together.
Leo had to be careful with what he said next, but there was no way in hell he wasn’t going to get some babies from this woman. As a matter of fact, it was time she took his last name.
“No, it hasn’t been long, but I don’t care about any of that bullshit or what other people might say. You’re worth it to me. The risk is nothing compared to the thought of not being with you.” He took a deep breath and forged ahead. “This. Us. Maybe it happened right on time. We both had things to work through. Especially me. Maybe mostly me. But we both had to be in a place where we could make this work without ruining things. I don’t doubt us. And I don’t want you to doubt my feelings for you. A month is too short for some. For us, it’s just right. It’s long enough for me to know I want to marry you.”
Shandra gasped. “What?”
“Babe, what did you think all this was leading up to? We’re already living together. The insurance money from your house is going into Amina’s trust fund. I want to have babies with you. Amina has already accepted me as her dad. This is not a game, sweetheart. This is our life. Marry me, Shandra.”
Maybe it wasn’t the best time to ask her to marry him while he was balls deep inside her, but why wait? The woman he had fallen for had given herself to him, wholly and fully. Without reservation. Without question. Shandra was his present and his future, and he would do anything and everything to make sure she knew he loved her. That he would always protect her.
Shandra was stunned speechless, but there was never any doubt about what her answer would be. “Yes. Yes, Leo. I’ll marry you.”
His eyes darkened. Those beautiful green eyes of his became intense. “Oh, fuck yes. You damn sure will. Now it’s time to give me what I want.”
“More pussy?” she teased as he hardened even more inside her.
“So much more than that. I want forever.”
Shandra grinned. “Now, that I can do.”
As their passion took over, Shandra couldn’t help feeling blessed. At one time, she thought her life was over. That she was unlovable, not only because of what happened to her but also because of who she became. The deception was over. Her mask had been removed. Shandra was finally happy.
It never occurred to her that she would find her perfect man in this dangerous, imperfect world. But now that she had, she would never let him go.
~ FIN ~