6. The Morning After pt I
six
The Morning After pt I
Romeo had a body like some kind of god. Every inch of him was sculpted muscle. Two dates were tattooed on his chest, over his heart, and she thought she spotted the lines of a couple of old scars lower on his torso. But her eyes got distracted as he pushed her back onto the bed, his massive cock coming to rest heavily over her belly when he leaned over her.
He bent his head and sucked a nipple into his mouth, teasing the nub with his tongue for a lingering second. Then he continued higher, resting his forearms on either side of her, his face directly over hers. “You’re so fucking beautiful,” he said on a heavy exhale. “You remember the rule?”
Grace drew a shaky breath and reached up, framing his jaw. “I don’t want to stop. Please.” If he stopped at this point, she might never forgive him.
He took her wrist and slid her palm over his mouth, pressing a chaste kiss there. “You say that now.” He flashed her a grin, then moved to his knees and dragged his hands down her body. He pushed her legs up, spreading her shamelessly. “Hold your legs like this for me.”
Grace did as he asked, her entire body thrumming with anticipation. She couldn’t look away as he took his cock in hand and teased the tip over her. He pressed it against her entrance and her breath caught in her throat. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she realized what she was doing. She realized how outrageous it was. But that part of her had been overruled, if only for this one night.
She needed this, and it had to be him.
“Don’t look away, angel,” Romeo said as he rolled his hips forward. He moved both hands to her hips as his cock sank into her, inch by glorious inch. “I want you to watch the way your greedy pussy sucks me in.”
Her mouth fell open as she gasped for breath, her gaze riveted exactly where he wanted. A long, low moan escaped her as he finally bottomed out, filling her almost too much. He leaned over her again, digging deeper. “R-Romeo…”
His eyes snapped to hers and he reached out, tangling a hand in her hair and hauling her halfway up in order to catch her lips in a harsh kiss. The position trapped her limbs between their bodies, leaving him entirely free to move and entirely in control. Their tongues clashed as she attempted to curl her legs around him anyway as he finally started pumping.
Like his kiss, he wasn’t gentle. He drove in and out of her in powerful thrusts, their hips smacking audibly together each time. He consumed every one of her senses. She was impossibly, borderline frighteningly, utterly and blissfully full of him.
Even when the kiss broke, both of them panting harshly, Grace couldn’t think beyond her need for the pleasure he was giving her.
Romeo pushed up to his knees again, altering the angle of his penetration, and he danced his fingers down her legs. “You’re so fucking perfect.” He moved a hand between them, fingers going straight to her clit. “Need you to come on my dick, angel.”
Her toes curled as fresh waves of pleasure rolled through her with the movements of his fingers. “N-not yet,” she gasped, pleading. She definitely could. He filled her like the missing piece of a puzzle, hitting spots she didn’t know she even had. But she didn’t want it to be over yet.
The hand not on her clit suddenly swatted against the raised curve of her butt. “Grace.”
She jolted, startled, and more startled at the thing that coiled inside her immediately after. Her gaze found his, but she didn’t quite know if she should ask what he wanted or if he could do that again, so she asked nothing.
He made a slow, deliberate twirl around her clit. “Come. Now.” He added a delicate pinch and her body responded promptly, crashing over the edge and undulating around him. He let out a low groan of appreciation, rocking with her through it. Then he eased her legs down, gave her hips a squeeze, and swiftly flipped her over.
She let out a graceless cry, thankfully muffled by the pillow suddenly below her face, confused for a single moment.
“Up,” Romeo said even as he physically lifted her to her knees so that her butt was facing him. He gave her legs a nudge. “Wider, angel. It’s my turn.”
She adjusted quickly, widening her stance and getting her arms under her somewhat for better bracing. She didn’t know if she could really go again, but he definitely deserved his release, and she was feeling just perverse enough to want it inside her. Even if it was only symbolic.
Romeo slammed into her again as if reading her mind, his hands gripping her butt cheeks. “ Fuck , angel, you feel so good. I could fuck you all goddamn night.” He leaned over her and took one of her boobs in hand, palming it roughly as he began to piston his cock in and out of her pussy.
Grace squirmed and panted, finding her body responding again as if he hadn’t already brought her two back-to-back orgasms. She should have been unable to move, not moaning wantonly and doing her best to grind against him.
He moved a hand around to the back of her neck, then trailed it down her spine. “I’m gonna fill you up tonight, and you’re gonna sleep with my cum nestled inside this tight cunt. Do you understand?”
She sucked in a sharp breath. “Yes.”
Both of his hands settled on her hips and he let out a deep-throated growl. “Good girl.” His hips snapped against hers again and she felt his cock twitch inside her, heard him hiss out a curse as he did exactly what he’d promised. And the way he bucked against her as he rode out his release was just enough to tip her over the edge for a third time into one more bone-melting orgasm of her own.
Romeo dragged himself from the warmth and comfort of his bed long before he was ready. He didn’t make a habit of late nights anymore, so he was tired, but more than that, he found he had no desire to separate himself from the mostly naked and half-unconscious woman tucked up against him. He’d let her reclaim the shirt she was borrowing while he had stepped back into a pair of pants, largely because sleeping naked felt like too much of a risk.
Having Grace in his arms—kissing her, touching her, tasting her, waking up with her—had been more deeply satisfying than he’d even expected. He knew he’d wanted her, had from the first day he’d laid eyes on her, but he hadn’t anticipated the intensity of his own response. It was unnerving.
It was something to think about later.
Romeo quietly moved through the room, grabbing some clean clothes for himself and opting to move her dirtied ones to the guest space so she wouldn’t have to even see them again when she woke. While he was in the guest space, he slipped into that adjoining bath and took a quick shower. Then he returned to his room and wrote out a quick note, placing it over the top of her charging phone to make sure she saw it. He couldn’t wait for her to wake and she more than deserved her rest, so for the time being, this would have to do. He pulled the comforter up to her shoulders, pressed a kiss to her temple, and slipped back out the door.
He was already behind schedule, and from the sounds he’d heard on the monitor before he’d clicked it off, he’d barely beat his princess downstairs. He was going to have to tell her something , especially if he could convince Grace to stay at least until the danger was past.
Romeo felt his brow furrow. Was he? Was that what he wanted? He made his way to the kitchen, where his coffee was waiting for him because he was, in fact, behind schedule.
“Breakfast’s almost done, sir,” his chef said as she lifted the eggs from the stove.
“Thank you, Irene.” Romeo took his coffee to the table, not wanting to appear more out of sorts than necessary. His fingers curled around the ceramic handle. Of course he wanted Grace to stay with him. His home was secure and his team was well vetted. He could keep her safe, whether it was the fucking Ink Blots who’d targeted her or some overzealous corporate jackass. Her apartment was obviously not secure, and no hotel in town would be safer.
He brought the coffee to his lips. But in all the years since Lucia’s mother had disappeared, he hadn’t brought another woman into the house. He’d never introduced her to a woman he was sleeping with, because none of the women whose beds he’d warmed had meant enough to him to put her through that. Yet, right in this moment, every single part of that was in the air and jumbled up.
Lucia had already met Grace.
Romeo had already brought Grace home, and into his bed.
He couldn’t deny, to himself, that Grace was different. That she had been for a while. He wanted something different from her than what he usually wanted from a partner—something more.
And he had no idea if she would want to pursue anything with him once she got her head on straight, or if she’d pull herself together and come to regret what they’d done.
“Breakfast smells yummy, Ms. Irene!” Lucia said brightly as she bounced into the room, dressed in bright colors like she thought it was springtime outside instead of early February.
“Thank you, Lucia,” Irene replied as she bustled up to the table and set out their plates.
Lucia dashed around table and threw her arms around Romeo’s waist. “Good morning, Daddy.”
Romeo curled his arm around her shoulders in a tight hug and bent to kiss the top of her head. “Morning, princess. Sleep well?”
She stepped back and bobbed her head at him with a toothy smile. “I dreamed you bought me a horse instead of a plane for my birthday, but then when I was riding the horse it sprouted wings and flew me all over the city!”
He bopped her on the nose and tipped his head in the direction of her chair. “Only the best for you. Now sit down and eat up, gotta feed that growing brain.”
She giggled and retraced her path back to her seat, settling in and diving straight into her meal.
Romeo allowed himself to do the same, trying to focus on the moment and not the woman probably still dead asleep in his bed. In his periphery, he noted Irene shuffling in the kitchen as she got Lucia’s lunch together. This was their routine. Irene would prepare Lucia’s portable lunch, clean up the kitchen, and take a few hours off for herself until it was time to get started on dinner. Romeo would usher his daughter to school, weather be damned, and ordinarily he’d haul himself off to work after that.
Yeah. The routine was a sham this morning, only not everyone knew it.
As if on cue, his phone chimed with a new text. Romeo dug it from his pocket and fought to keep the scowl from his lips as apprehension twisted something inside him at the words on the screen.
Dante: Meet at your place after you get Lucy to school.
Fuck me.
“Is something wrong, Daddy?” Lucia asked, her weird child radar apparently in full working order.
Romeo sent a quick acknowledgment and put the phone down. “Nothing’s wrong, Lucy.” Not yet.
They finished their breakfast and went through the motions as they always did, Lucia happily buttoned herself into the coat she’d wanted to wear the day before, and Romeo guided her out into the frigid morning. His frustration with the weather felt like a mild irritant in light of more recent events. Only once they were in the car and as alone as he could hope for, and with the last bit of time he had left, did Romeo force himself to push into the conversation he’d been avoiding.
“Lucy,” he said, turning enough to face her and watching as she swiveled her attention toward him with blinking eyes. “You remember Miss Grace, right? She helps Uncle Dante at work.”
Lucy tipped her head for a second and nodded. “Mhm. She bought me an apple juice.”
Romeo grinned briefly. “How would you feel if she stayed with us for a little while?”
Confusion pinched her brow. “Why? What’s wrong with her house?”
He tried not to feel unreasonably optimistic that those were her first questions. “She can’t stay at her place right now, so she needs somewhere safe.”
Lucy grabbed at her seatbelt, eyes widening with worry. “Is she okay? You have to help her, Daddy! Miss Grace is really nice, and she does a lot for Uncle Dante!”
Romeo reached out and settled his hand on her head, lightly ruffling her hair. “She’s okay, Lucy. Don’t worry. I’m just trying to keep her that way, because I agree.”
Lucy reached up and pulled on his arm, so he allowed her to tug it down and hold it between her smaller hands. She stared at him intently. “Daddy. I want Miss Grace to be okay. But I have a question.”
He smiled. “Better ask it quick, princess. You’re almost at school.”
She frowned a little and gripped tighter to his wrist. “Are you getting married, too?”
Romeo choked.
“Is Miss Grace going to be my mommy now?”
He turned his head and coughed into his fist to keep from cursing. Lucia had had a difficult time adjusting to two new women joining the family and suddenly occupying her favorite uncles’ attention at family gatherings. She was young, so he wasn’t surprised it’d been hard for her. But he really hadn’t been prepared for her to make that leap.
He was less prepared for the way his brain latched on to the suggestion and ran with it like it was the baton at a fucking relay race.
A vision of Grace in white, sparkling lace with a decorated veil trailing out behind her and a teary-eyed smile hit him straight in the chest. Goddamn…
“Daddy!” Lucia shook his arm, dragging out the word dramatically.
Romeo cleared his throat and looked back at her as the SUV pulled up at the curb. “No, Lucy,” he said. “I don’t have any plans on getting married right now.” He told himself it wasn’t a lie. It shouldn’t have been a lie, for damn sure.
Lucia scrutinized him for a long second, as if reading his mind. Then she released his arm and nodded. “Okay, I suppose. You can’t do that without telling me first, anyway.” She started fumbling with her seatbelt and mumbled, “I wouldn’t mind a mommy, though.”
Something sharp lanced through him, and Romeo pulled her from her seat as soon as she was free, hauling her into a tight hug. “I know, princess.” He kissed the top of her head. “You know I love you more than the whole world, right?”
Lucy curled her arms around his neck. “Of course I know, Daddy.” She held still for all of five seconds, then started squirming. “You’re gonna make me late!”
He sighed and popped open the door, stepping from the SUV before setting her on her feet. When he was sure she had her backpack and her lunch box, and that her coat was properly fastened, he tipped up her chin and said, “Have a good day at school and be nice to the teachers, okay? It’ll probably be Enrico who picks you up today, unless Grandma’s free.”
Lucy smiled wide. “I’ll see you after school! Bye Daddy, bye Uncle Mo!” She twisted and sprinted for the main building as if half the ground weren’t covered in ice.
Romeo leaned back against the car and watched, as he always did, until she was out of sight. A mommy, huh? Fuck. He supposed it made sense she’d start wanting a motherly influence eventually, especially with more women entering their lives. He only wished he’d been prepared for that gut-punch.
Or the visual he still hadn’t shaken from his head as he climbed back into the SUV. “Home, Mo.”
Mo glanced over his shoulder. “Home, sir?”
Romeo sighed and let his head fall back, eyes closing. “Gotta get my ass chewed.” If he was lucky, he’d catch a five-minute nap on the way. He wondered if Grace was awake yet, and briefly considered having Mo make a detour. But that was just a stalling tactic. He had better coffee supplies in his kitchen than half the cafés in the city, and at barely eight in the morning, the lines at even the worst one would be intolerable.
Memories from the night before drifted through his mind as silence filled the vehicle. The anger and fear he’d felt at the idea of Grace being in danger, the relief at her survival, and the passion that had consumed him when she’d surrendered to his touch. Fucking asked for it.
She was divine. Her softness, the sweet taste of her, the tightness of her pussy, the way her tits jiggled when he pounded into her—absolute perfection. He wanted to tie her up in silk ribbon and fuck her until she begged him to stop. Red was a classic, and she’d definitely look amazing in it, but he wanted her in black. It would be goddamn sinful .
Mo cleared his throat. “You, uh, gonna be okay, Rome?”
Romeo blew out a breath and pried open his eyes. Probably he should have made an effort to keep his thoughts elsewhere for the past few minutes. “Debatable,” he replied, his voice a little too rough. He reached for the clip on the seatbelt as Mo cut the engine. “I’ll live, at least. Go kick up your feet until I text you.”
“Sure thing.” Under most any circumstance, Mo wouldn’t even have wasted the breath in offering to step between Romeo and the atypical, grumpy-looking early morning visitor. As much because it was his job as because they were arguably just as close as brothers. But Mo was a smart man, with a respectable sense of self-preservation, and men with those kinds of instincts did not step into Dante’s path on purpose.
That forced Romeo to question some things about himself as he walked up to his eldest brother—his only older biological sibling. “Kinda thought you’d have Iris with you this morning.”
Dante tucked his phone away and met Romeo’s gaze. “Coffee’s one of those smells she still has trouble with.”
Romeo couldn’t stop himself from dropping his gaze to the store-bought beverage in Dante’s other hand before promptly letting them inside, out of the cold. He’d need something at least as strong as coffee for this conversation. “Are you two fighting?”
“Fuck you.” Dante shut the door behind them and even allowed Romeo to lead the way through his own home. “Our brewer’s been locked down all fucking winter, doesn’t mean I’m not drinking any when I know I have time to brush my teeth again after.”
Romeo turned at the opening to the kitchen dining area and narrowed his eyes at his sibling. “You’re my brother and I will never regret taking that bullet for you, but you’re not using my toothbrush.”
Dante rolled his eyes and shouldered past him to take a seat at the head of the table. “Wasn’t asking. I don’t even want to know where your mouth’s been.”
Romeo bit back a smirk and turned toward his coffee bar. If he didn’t have an easily nauseated pregnant woman to worry about, he was going for the acceptably hard morning drink and making himself a double-shot. He did generally try not to drink on weekdays, or ever before dinner.
“So,” Dante said, a false calm taking over his voice, “should we get it over with now or later?”
Stalling long enough to get the machine going, Romeo said, “Depends. How long do you want to wait for the actual conversation?”
Dante exhaled audibly. “Is she still here?”
Romeo faltered, his hands stilling as the possibility that the answer was ‘no’ actually dawned on him. He’d assumed she would still be asleep, that between her usual exhaustion, the interruption to her sleep schedule, the emotional trauma, and the physical exertion, she might not roll out of bed until closer to noon. What if he’d been wrong? What if she’d woken up and slipped out while he’d been away taking Lucy to school?
Romeo shoved his hand into his pocket and quickly swiped through his phone. He had nothing from her more recent than the call at two-twenty in the morning, discounting the picture he’d texted to himself of one of her assailants. But did that mean anything? He looked at the time at the top of the screen. It was barely half past eight. Surely, she was still sound asleep. He tucked his phone away and reached for his steaming cup. “She’s probably still asleep.”
“In your bed.”
This time he didn’t falter as he turned back toward the table, taking his usual one-removed seat from Dante’s right. “Technically everything on this property is mine, including the beds.” He blew on his espresso and met his brother’s stare. “But yes, if you want to make me spell it out for you, she’s probably sound asleep in the bed I also sleep in.”
Dante’s frown deepened and he drummed his fingers on the tabletop next to his drink. “We’ve talked about this, Romeo.”
Romeo groaned and leaned back in his chair. “You didn’t want her getting dragged in. That’s not my fucking fault. The only thing I did was keep her alive, and if you’re mad about that then you can get the hell out.” He took a too-big sip of his drink and set the cup down in an effort to let it cool. “What we should be talking about is what happened at her building last night, but if we’re starting with whether or not something changed between me and Grace yesterday, then let me ask you this.” He was about to earn himself a concussion, but he was sick of being the only one expected to suck it up. “When Iris called you in need of help, what did you do? When you decided that pretty redhead you didn’t even know was the one you were going to marry, how long did you wait? Because goddammit, Dante, I’ve waited. I’ve played by the fucking rules. It’s starting to sound like you think you own Grace, too, and I don’t think any of the women in your life would be okay with that.”
Dante’s expression didn’t so much as twitch until Romeo’s suicidal tirade was done. Then, slowly, he lifted his coffee and drained it, allowing the recycled cup to fall back to the table with an echoing pop. A smirk tipped the corners of his lips. “Did that feel good?”
Romeo slumped forward. “In the moment, yeah, but the moment’s over.”
“Does Grace know how you feel?”
Romeo looked away. “No. Not yet, anyway.”
“Then you need to figure out a way to rectify that.”
Romeo’s head snapped up. That was about the last thing he’d expected Dante to say.
Dante continued. “If you can’t win her over, and you’ve instead managed to cost DSI the best executive assistant it’s had since before my time, then I will beat the shit out of you. But if your instincts have matured as much as the rest of you has, then you have my blessing.”