Chapter 20
CHAPTER TWENTY
BELLAMY
“You’re not in my bed.”
I startled awake at the sound of Adam’s voice as he stood over me.
I didn’t fear his presence, though maybe I should have. Instead, all I could concentrate on was the fog of sleep that tried to pull me under again. I closed my eyes, drifting when a hand touched my bare thigh. The warmth had me leaning into it, my body yearning for the comfort it could bring.
“Belle.” I squeezed my eyes, not wanting to wake. “Belle.”
The hand on my thigh gently shook me, forcing me awake even though I’d rather stay in the haze. When my eyes opened, Adam was kneeling at the side of my bed. I blinked a few times before bringing my hand up and rubbing away the sleep. I pulled my hand away and Adam’s hand caught mine, lacing our fingers. “You’re not in my bed.”
I looked around, confused for a moment, before I remembered he had mentioned wanting me in his bed. But that was after he discovered me in the shower, after he…
“Look at that pretty shade of crimson your skin is turning. Flush with the memory, little Belle?”
Why must men always want an ego boost? Yes, I was fucking flush with the memory. I’d never cum so hard in my life, and it was all thanks to him. I wasn’t sure how to process that fact. I would have never asked for his help, but after an orgasm like that, I fear he might have ruined me. Would I ever be able to cum solo again?
“You didn’t eat the food Mercer brought.” He nodded toward the plate that had some crackers and fruit. Nothing major, but enough to tide me over until our next meal. Always trying to take care of me.
Maybe a little too much if their lunch time proposition was any indication.
“I wasn’t hungry,” I mumbled, my voice rough with sleep.
“You’re stubborn, you know that?” His free hand brushed the hair out of my face. “You need to eat for our child.”
Our child.
I understood the words that came out of his mouth, but I was in a constant state of disbelief. Why would he want a child linked to his enemies?
“ We weren’t hungry.” I smirked as his eyebrows arched.
“He needs his nutrients.” He stood up, pulling on my arm, forcing me to sit up. “And so do you.”
“He?”
“Isn’t it obviously a boy? It’s what we mafia men produce.” He stood in front of me, arms crossed, as he waited for me to get up.
I raised my arms, stretching my limbs. “The flaw to that statement is that I’m the daughter of a mafia boss, and I’m female.”
“ Were the daughter,” he corrected. “Now you’re our queen, and your past life doesn’t matter.”
Our .
My stomach tightened, remembering the earlier proposition that was made. I wasn’t sure why I reacted the way I did. I liked them all well enough for people I didn’t know shit about. But after having his mouth on my body so intimately, I was feeling sensitive and shy. That they discussed me like an object to be passed around didn’t sit well.
Did I want all three?
I wasn’t convinced I wanted one , let alone all three. My body screamed yes please, while my mind battled with the logic that I was being set up for a hell of a lot of complications. Still, none of them mistreated me, and that had to mean something, right? And this Adam, the suddenly sweet one who checked up on me and seemed disappointed I wasn’t in his space. Well, I could get used to him.
“You know, Ace thinks it’s a girl.”
He frowned. “Ace just wants to spoil it.”
“So you wouldn’t want her if she was a girl?” I swallowed hard, nervous about his answer.
“Belle, I’d be excited either way, don’t doubt that. He or she has found her place here with us, with no regrets.”
With no regrets, except for the sadness in his eyes that he hoped I didn’t see. Did he wish this child didn’t exist? Or was it something more than that?
“You're sad,” I observed.
“Sad memories don’t mean there is no place for new, happier ones.” He reached his hand out. “Come on, we’ve got a surprise.”
I blinked a few times. They had a surprise for me? What had I done to earn a surprise? I took his hand, letting him pull me up. He didn’t release my hand, only folded our fingers together as he led me out of the room and down the hall. He didn’t speak until we reached the stairs.
“Be careful. I don’t want you to fall.”
“I think I can handle stairs,” I laughed, because sometimes these men were irrational.
“I’m just being cautious.” At the landing, we turned left. “We have this whole upstairs we hardly use. But if it’s okay, I’m thinking of moving our suites up here. There is a room that connects to another. It would work perfectly for your personal sitting room. Especially when the baby is up in the middle of the night.”
While I liked the idea, my room was adequate. I didn’t want to put them through trouble when I was okay where I was at. “My room is fine.”
“Belle.” His voice was hard, though it held no threat. “I was serious when I said I wanted you in my bed. If it helps, I can move the others up here too. Maybe give Max and Drew the rooms downstairs, since they are always here, anyway.” Move the others upstairs, too? My stomach tightened at the implication. I’d need them upstairs if they were sharing me. Without realizing it, I squeezed his hand and his head turned to look at me. “Regardless of what you pick.”
What I picked? How the hell am I supposed to pick when there is so much pressure with the decision? Would I hurt someone’s feelings in the process? Sure, I’ve read it in books, but I never thought I’d live it as a reality. Could I handle a reality like that? Each of them is so manly, large, looming and yeah, right now I was rarely in a room with them all at once. But a three-way relationship with them could change that. How would it feel then?
Maybe I should embrace it. My life is already a complicated mess. What’s one more complication?
Adam gripped a doorknob, stopping to look at me. “I think you’re thinking too hard about it. We’re moving up here, Belle. You and me. Focus on that and the rest will come naturally. Or it won’t. It’s that simple.”
“You’re one to talk,” I said, then swallowed hard, because I didn’t mean to say that out loud.
He wasn’t mad; instead his eyes sparkled with amusement, which softened the rough lines of his scarred cheek. “You’re right. Maybe I should take my own advice. Come on, close your eyes and no peeking.”
I reluctantly closed my eyes, nervous about what lay on the other side of that door. But I trusted him enough to know it wouldn’t hurt me. He didn’t let go of my hand as he pushed open the door. The hinges made the faintest of squeaks before he stepped forward, taking me with him. He walked me forward, probably ten steps into the room before he stopped.
“We’ve been working on this for some time. Ever since we learned you enjoyed reading. Open your eyes.” His voice held a note of excitement, and the feeling was contagious, tickling my nerves and making my eyes spring open.
A gasp escaped my lips as I took the room in, not missing the faces of the men who probably spent hours working on it. I turned slowly, taking in the old books, mixed with new. Floor to ceiling, there were shelves everywhere. Some were only accessible by a moving ladder. I looked up, taking in the high ceilings, amazed that they pulled this off.
“It’s…“ I had no words. I was literally speechless. Finally, after a long pause, I got out, “The greatest thing I’ve ever seen.”
“You like it? Really?” Adam stood next to me, looking the closest thing to nervous that a billionaire mob boss could. “We’ve always had this place, mostly filled with books that wouldn’t interest you. We moved them up toward the ceiling, so you shouldn’t have to use the ladder. Unless you want to, of course, just make sure we’re around. Okay?”
“Okay.”
“We had tons of books delivered for you.” Mercer was beaming. He reached forward, grabbing my hand and pulling me toward the shelf. “Just what you like.”
Just what I liked was right. There were shelves full of romance books. Dark, romcom, mystery; they had every romance book covering an array of popular authors. “You sure did.”
Mercer picked up a book and thrust it forward. “I look better naked than him.” He shrugged. “In case you were wondering.”
“I wasn’t.”
“Oh.” Silence stretched for an awkward moment before he spoke again. “Well, if there is anything else you want, just let us, or Adam’s secretary, know. She picked these all out.”
“Are these the boxes that have been arriving for days?” I finally asked as I tilted my head back, itching to reach up and run my fingers over the spines. I glanced at my husband, feeling something I couldn’t quite figure out. It wasn’t love. I didn’t know him enough to love him. Affection maybe? Without a word, he nodded his answer. “I love it.”
“It’s yours. Everything in it, every book, every inch of this room. It’s yours now.”
“We bought a reading chair,” Ace added in, feeling left out from where he stood off to the side, away from us. “If you don’t like it, we’ll get something else. We- we didn’t know what you’d like.”
My eyes fell on the plush grey chair and love seat situated with a side table between them off to the corner. On the side table, there was a reading light, and folded up on the love seat was the softest looking throw I’ve ever seen.
“It’s perfect,” I whispered. “All of it.”
This place.
These books.
Them.
“Everything is absolutely perfect,” I repeated. “Perfect.”