Chapter 23
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
ADAM
“How much property have we gained?” I asked Ace as I leaned back in my chair in my home office.
“We’ve two more properties left before we fully own a few miles of docks.”
“What’s the holdup?”
“They won’t sell,” he admitted, “but we’re working on it.”
I looked toward Mercer. “If they won’t sell, make them.”
I’d been playing the long game long before Belle entered my life. I had just never thought my long game would come in handy. I bought every property that came up along the docks, made deals to acquire ones that weren’t for sale, trying to get the upper hand on real estate. My patience had paid off. Now, except for those two pieces of property, Accardo would have to get through my territory to get any shipments to his warehouses. A lot of accidents could happen in those few miles of trespassing.
“I heard there were some electrical shortages in Accardo’s restaurants. The city shut down all locations.” Ace smirked.
“All at once?” I acted shocked.
“He’s furious.” Ace stood and stretched. “I’m sure he knows why it happened and that he can’t do a damn thing to bypass city orders.”
I followed his lead, standing and pushing my chair under my desk. “I bet he’s losing a shit ton of cash by the hour.”
“He had it to spare.” Mercer was unsympathetic. “Small fish. It will add up, though. And when it does, expect it to come back to us.”
I knew this and still, I instantly felt the worry consume me. Not for myself or my men. We could take care of ourselves. But for Belle. “We should cancel the gala.”
“He’s not dumb enough to retaliate so publicly. Go enjoy the night,” Ace insisted. “Bellamy is coming, after all.”
“That’s why I want to cancel,” I admitted.
“We’ve got her. We always do.” Mercer patted me on the back as he stepped past me. He pulled open the door and froze. “Bellamy.”
My stomach sank. “What are you doing here?” Her eyes were hurt at my tone. “You’re not allowed in the west wing of the house.”
“I just…“ She looked around, her gaze falling to the wall of family photos, all my life before her. “I wanted to watch a movie, but it can wait.”
She turned, her hair flipping with the motion. Before she could move more than a foot, Mercer's hand reached out, grabbing the ponytail that was flopping about and pulling her back to his chest. Her breath hitched, but I knew it had nothing to do with pain and everything to do with the action. Did our little Belle like the roughness? Enjoy the bite of pain the pulling of her hair caused?
With her back to his chest, he leaned into her, his hand still fisting her hair. His voice was gravelly as he spoke into her ear, “Were you going to run from us?”
“I-“ Her head shook from side to side, furiously denying it. “No. I wasn’t.”
“You were.” He called her out. “Are your feelings hurt because you were warned not to come here, and you disobeyed? Or are you sensitive because we have pasts that didn’t include you?”
“Let go of my hair, Mercer,” she ordered him.
“Both then.” He laughed, and I knew I should step in, but her chest was rising and falling, her nipples were budded, and I couldn’t take my eyes away from them. “Give me a reason to let it go?”
“Please.”
“Not good enough. I’ve tortured men with more convincing begs than that. Try again.” He waited for her to speak, but she didn’t. Instead, her eyes fell to his lips and back to his burning gaze. He leaned into her ear, his voice softer when he spoke. “Adam and Ace are gentlemen, but I’m not, little girl. I’ll test you, push you to your limits, make you scream my name as you beg me to stop. Adam may let you break rules and let it slide because he’s got a soft spot for you. But me, I’ll spank that perfect ass of yours until you're dripping, sobbing for me to make you cum. Then I’ll go to bed perfectly content that the smell of your pussy coats my palm. We aren’t the same. Don’t play games, and don’t fucking lie. Do you understand?”
“Merc,” Ace warned.
“She can handle the truth, Ace,” Mercer insisted. “In fact, I think she likes it.” He reached his hand down, snaking it into her leggings, touching her intimately, and I should feel jealous, but I didn’t. I couldn’t take my eyes off them as I stood frozen, wondering how far he’d take it. He groaned against her hair, “You’re so fucking wet for me.”
She whimpered, and he pulled his hand out, bringing his fingers to his lips and sucking them clean. “I’m tired of games, little girl. You’re in or out. You don’t get to walk through these halls and get jealous of our pasts when you’re barely here in the present. Make your decision and let us know, because I hear there is a little blond with great tits moving in, and I’d hate to miss an opportunity because I was waiting and hoping for something that wasn’t mine.” He nudged her forward. “Go make the popcorn. We’ll be there in a few minutes.”
He placed her just outside the office door, then shut the door before she could turn. He rested his forehead against the wood and cursed. I knew it was hard for him because it was fucking hard for all of us to watch. To see her face, the hurt, jealousy, lust… and then to push her away was criminal to my heart.
When her footfalls faded, Ace broke the silence. “What the fuck is your problem?”
Without removing his forehead from the door, Mercer's head turned, meeting our eyes. “My problem is she can’t have everything.”
“Why the fuck not?” Ace looked genuinely confused.
“She can’t have the attention of the men in this house and get jealous because of our ghosts. We would give her anything, even if she doesn’t ask. The least she could do was let us know where we all fucking stand. She’s had time. It’s been weeks. Weeks since she moved in, weeks since her father died, fucking weeks since I watched her unravel under the stream in that shower, and I’ve wanted her. Thought about her. Hung on to any scrap she gave me, but it’s fucking time. How the hell does she expect him to commit and shake his past if she’s not willing to leap with him?”
I hated that he was right, but I couldn’t deny he had a point. I’d been sleeping next to her for too long now not to know where I belonged in her heart. Why was it so complicated for her when, for us, it was as clear as could be? We wanted a family, and we’d build it.
“He’s right, Ace.” I sighed. “All or nothing is how we’ve always done it, and I think we deserve to know where we stand.”
“She’s going to be pissed when we go out there,” Ace pointed out.
“Let her.” Mercer straightened and grabbed the knob. “She can’t be mad forever.”
And she wouldn’t be. She’d be annoyed tonight, and I sure as fuck would stay clear of whatever attitude I knew she’d throw. But at some point, she’d come to a conclusion.
I followed behind Mercer as he led the way to the kitchen. We entered just as she slammed the microwave closed with more force than necessary. I ignored the shaded glance she gave and walked up to her, reaching above her head to take out a bowl for the popcorn. She didn’t even glance in my direction as she dumped the bag into the bowl. Picking it up, she turned and stomped out of the kitchen toward the living room.
I exchanged glances with my best friends, then grabbed some drinks out of the fridge as Mercer grabbed other snacks. A few minutes later, we met her in our theater room, where she conveniently picked a single chair instead of the reclining loveseat. I pulled out a table, dragging it to sit in front of us both, then arranged the snacks so that her favorite was closest to her.
She stubbornly stared at the screen the whole time, waiting for a movie to start, as she wrapped herself in a fluffy blanket. Ace picked up the remote, hitting play on the movie she had already pre-picked before turning off the lights.
Not a single glance the whole movie. Granted, half of it she was asleep, but still. She hadn’t even attempted to have snacks. When it was over and Ace had the lights back on, we all stood around her, watching our sleeping beauty.
“The movie would have been better if I hadn’t felt the heat of her rage pulsing through the room,” Ace mused.
“Rage? I like to think it’s the suppressed sexual tension.” Mercer reached forward, pushing a lock of hair out of her eyes.
After another minute of watching her, Ace turned away. “I’m going to bed. Let’s hope for a morning better than this evening.”
I couldn’t agree more. I leaned down, scooping my wife up and adjusting her against my chest, loving the way she automatically snuggled into my skin, a luxury she’d never allow if she was awake. A rumble of contentment left me involuntarily, the sound causing her eyes to flutter open. They held mine for a moment, neither of us daring to breathe, until she reached her arm up and linked it around my neck, closing her eyes again.
Mercer smirked before leaving us, proud as fuck, like he did something here when this didn’t mean a thing. It was a single action, not a commitment.
I carried her gently through the halls, thankful that the upstairs renovations weren’t ready yet. She wasn’t heavy, but the jostling of the stairs would have surely woken her up. I used my foot to kick open the door and then carried her to the bed. Careful not to wake her, I pulled the sheet back. Right as I leaned over and placed her down, ready to release her, her fingers tightened, holding me close.
“Adam?”
The soft voice was startling when she had been so silent all night. Without thinking, I answered, “Yes, baby?”
The term of endearment was new. But it didn’t feel wrong to say.
“Stay.”
Her request was simple, but so hard to honor. “I have?—“
She shook her head no and cut me off. “Please come to bed.”
Her lids were already closing, drifting off to sleep, and I thought maybe I’d lay here for a while until I was sure she was out, then head back to my office to work, like I did so many other nights. She’d never know. I’d stay long enough, then shower, then finish what I started earlier this evening before she called us to a movie. So I kicked off my shoes, removed my pants and shirt, and crawled into bed next to her, unprepared for her body to curl toward me in sleep. I closed my eyes, savoring the touch I’d missed for so long, never intending to sleep.
Sun was filtering in streams of yellow through the window when I opened my eyes the next morning. It took me a moment to realize that the weight that lay heavy against me was my wife, who normally went to great lengths to keep to her side of the bed. Yet this morning, her arm and leg were flung over my body, pinning me in place.
I didn’t hate the feeling of her skin against mine. In fact, judging by the way my dick stood at attention, I suspect this was a feeling I could more than get used to. I let my eyes roam over her sleeping form as I tried not to move. I must not have tried hard enough because a few moments later, her eyes fluttered open. Her body suddenly stiffened, but before she could pull away, I tightened my arm against her back, pinning her in place.
“Stay.”
She didn’t respond, and I thought maybe she would get up and leave, but she finally spoke, her voice so soft that if I wasn’t so close to her, I would have missed it. “I’m sorry.”
“For what?” I squeezed her arm, letting her know I wasn’t sorry that she was here with me.
“Mercer was right. It’s unfair. I broke the rules, and I can’t be jealous of what I find because of that.”
“He could have gone about it differently.” I sighed, bringing my hand up to stroke the soft strands of hair. “But I think, breaking the rules aside, he’s right. You need to decide what you want and make it clear. It’s not fair to you or them to remain in limbo.”
Her hand came up, her tiny little fingers stroking against the skin of my bare stomach and I froze, afraid to breathe for fear that she might stop the innocent touch I’d missed for so long. I held my breath, keeping as still as possible, as her fingers moved slightly, dancing over the scars.
“Does that hurt?”
God no. If anything, it was more sensitive than the rest of my skin. “You could never hurt me.”
“Will you tell me what happened?”
I didn’t want to. I didn’t want to talk about my dead wife while in bed with my new one. But I didn’t want to lie to her or withhold information. She wanted to know about my past and she deserved to know.
“It wasn’t supposed to end like that,” I began. “There was an opening ceremony for the renovated downtown theatre. I’d been a big donor to the project. Elizabeth and I took a car. Ace was going to follow on his motorcycle.” I took a deep breath now, struggling with the memory. But maybe it would be good to get it out, to tell the story that haunted my dreams. “We were a few miles from here when the first car pulled up behind us. I thought nothing of it until the next car neared. I recognized them, of course, Joseph’s Accardo’s men. I’d had trouble with them in the past, but I’d never expected to see them this close to home. I was younger then, thought I was invincible, I guess. I know better now.”
She snuggled closer, and the action gave me some form of comfort as I continued. “I tried to maneuver away from their cars, but there was nowhere to go. Before I could react, the back window broke, and fire had torn through the back seat.” Belle gasped, her hand going to her mouth, but I reached for her hand, entwining our fingers before I rested it on my chest again. “Between the fire and the cars that rammed into me, I lost control, and we hit a tree. The cars sped away, assuming we’d both died. Clearly, I hadn’t. The doctors would later tell me they were dead on impact, but at that moment, I hadn’t wanted to accept it. It was a struggle to unbuckle her. The fire tore at my skin, burning me, but I felt nothing. It wasn’t until I had her out of the car that I felt anything at all. There was so much blood. Hers. Mine. And I knew there was no way my child would have lived through that, but I still had hope, you know. Ace pulled up on the scene. And God, I’ll never forget his devastation. It was a mirror of my own. He almost lost me too that day; maybe in some ways, he did. I think the only thing that kept me alive was my determination to get revenge. My son would have started kindergarten this year, had he lived. It’s crazy when you put time into perspective by milestones like that. But I think about that sometimes.”
Her hand that I wasn’t holding in place went to her stomach, like she was realizing the child she carried was linked to the monster who took it all from me. Before she could even finish forming a single thought, I added, “I’d never use our child for revenge if that’s what you’re thinking. I’ve claimed him as mine, so as far as I’m concerned, he has no link to that family.”
“Her.” She corrected me as she always did, and the playful tone in her voice was needed to lighten the mood after I laid the heaviness of my past on her.
“Oh? You think so.” I rolled so her body was below mine, and I was hovering over her, staring down into her eyes. “We’ll find out tomorrow, you know, and you’ll see I’m right.”
She spread her legs to allow room for my body to nestle close. “Or… hear me out…” She smirked. “We’ll find out that I am right.”
“I don’t know. I don’t think we can handle another girl around here. You already have all these mean men out here doing all your bidding. What would another girl to order them around do?”
Her teeth toyed with her lip and her eyes grew serious as she admitted, “I don’t know what I’m supposed to do.”
I used every ounce of energy to hold myself over her and not let my lower body sink into her warmth. “What do you mean?”
I caved, lowering my head to kiss her neck, offering that sweet spot the quickest of pecks before I brought my gaze back to hers. She shifted under me, and I knew she could feel the thickness of my cock against her thigh with the movement, but she said nothing about it. Instead, she licked her lips, a temptation in itself before she spoke. “I don’t know how to do relationships. Not with one, not with three. I don’t know how to do…“
She stopped, her face turning scarlet. When she didn’t continue, I prompted, “You don’t know how to do what?”
She looked away, refusing to meet my eyes as she spoke. “I don’t know how to do sex.”
I fought not to burst out laughing. “Do sex.”
“You know what I mean. The only experience I had, I can’t remember. And now there are three of you, and I don’t know what to do.”
I rested my weight on an elbow and buried my fingers into the hair at the back of her head, cradling her. “You’re afraid of us.”
“I’m afraid of disappointing you, all of you. You have a world of experience and all I have is?—“
I cut her off with a kiss before pulling back. “Well, first, to do sex… you’ve got to trust your partner. Do you trust me?”
She glared at me. “You know I do. Are you mocking me?”
“I’d never, sweet Belle.” My eyes left hers to glance at her lips before returning. “Second thing when you do the sex, there is kissing. Lots of kissing.”
“You're not funn—“ My mouth crashed into hers before she could finish, cutting her off. At first, she was stiff against my lips, but all it took was a little coaxing before her lips gave way, working tentatively in a dance with my own. The kiss was slow and sensual as I learned her mouth and savored the noises she made against my lips. I didn’t dare pull away until she was wiggling under me, rubbing herself against my hard length, seeking some relief.
“Third in doing sex—“ I panted.
“Who would have thought you could be funny too?”
“Shhh.” I put my finger up to her lips. “We are learning how to do sex.”
“I hate you.”
I smirked, then flexed my hips, loving the way her head tilted back as she gasped. “The third thing…” I danced my fingers down her body, slipping them into the waist of her shorts, past her underwear, until my fingers met the moisture pooling between her thighs. I closed my eyes, willing myself not to lose the control I was holding onto. “Third… is to have you ready. Are you okay if I touch you, Belle?”
She pushed her hips forward, pushing against my hand as she nodded. But I wouldn’t move unless she told me to. “Fuck. Yes. Please, touch me.”
And maybe I was teasing her before, but all jokes disappeared when my finger dipped into the wetness and sunk into her body, feeling just how much need kissing me created. I pumped my finger slowly into her, working gently as I kissed her lips, her neck, her chest. Anywhere I could reach with my mouth got lavished with attention. I knew I should be gentle, but I couldn’t stop myself from placing rough bites against her skin and soothing them with my tongue. I couldn’t stop my hands from moving faster, or my fingers from stretching her enough to slide another digit in. And when my thumb joined, dancing along her clit until she lost all control, squeezing my fingers as she pulled them into her body, I couldn’t stop myself from capturing her lips to swallow all her moans.
Our chests heaved together as she rode my hand to completion, and when her body stopped spasming against my hand, I pulled it out and brought my fingers to my lips. Not taking my eyes off her, I sucked her cum off my skin, moaning around just how fucking good she tasted. She was sweet, like the best type of dessert, and one day I planned on consuming her whole, so many times she’ll forget there was anyone in this world but me.
I shimmied off her shorts and underwear that had worked their way down her thighs at some point and tossed them to the floor. “God, you’re so fucking beautiful. Look at you glistening so fucking pretty for me.”
I cooed my praise as I knelt next to her and took her in. Her sweet cunt was soaked. She pushed herself up, so we were facing each other, her hands going to the waist of my boxer briefs, as she pushed them down. “Step number four?”
I swallowed. “Step number four is… fuck.” Her fingers wrapped around the iron of my shaft, stealing my words. “Belle, do whatever the fuck you want to me. I can’t concentrate on words when you’re touching my cock.”
Her fingers moved up and down until her palm was coated in precum, and her movements were slick against my skin. “Can I… taste you?”
Jesus Christ, the innocence in her question, the uncertainty in her eyes, made my balls tighten and my spine tingle. I was surprised I could speak at all. “Baby, you’re in charge of step four, not me.”
I wouldn’t tell her no, though I probably should. Call me selfish, but it had been a long fucking time since I’d had lips wrapped around my cock, and the temptation of that pleasure was too much to deny myself. She bent over, her long hair tickling my thigh as her tongue darted out and brushed against my tip. I saw stars, my hands instantly shaking as I reached out and touched the headboard, steadying myself so I didn’t pass out.
My other hand went to her hair, burying my fingers in the strands as I moaned her name. “Fuck Bellamy. That feels so good, you're doing such a good job with my cock.”
Her mouth opened wide at my praise, and my dick disappeared between her lips, not stopping until I hit the back of her throat. I lost my damn mind to the delirium her mouth caused, not even knowing the words I was speaking or the praises I was dropping. All I knew was it had been a long damn time since I’d felt something, anything at all, this good, and I was torn between a battle of wanting her to stop and wishing she’d suck me until I’d spilt my load so far down her throat that all she tasted for the next twenty-four hours was the saltiness of my cum.
I pulled her hair, forcing her mouth off me, then I nudged her upward, making her rise on her knees before I grabbed her hips and fell backwards, letting her fall on top of my body. I adjusted her legs, allowing her to straddle my hips as my cock nestled against her ass. “You can tell me no, Belle. I’ll understand.”
Instead of answering, she leaned forward and kissed me, adjusting her hips as she did so that when she lowered herself down, her cunt cradled my cock between its lips. She rubbed against me, teasing me with her warmth until she tilted her body and sank down slowly. I thought I had died with the pleasure her body brought, but her fingernails digging into my chest reminded me I was still very much alive.
My palms went to her hips, holding her steady as she adjusted to my size. God, even her whimpers as she sunk to the hilt were so fucking sexy. I wanted to hear more of it. Record it. Use it as my ringtone, so every damn day I could be reminded of this moment. When she was adjusted to the size, she moved again, sliding up and slamming back down, creating a friction that had my heart pounding out of my chest and muscles tight with restraint.
“You’re really big,” she whispered as she bounced with the movements.
I gave into the weakness and let my palms come up, cupping her breasts. They were heavy, fuller than they were even a few weeks prior. “You’re taking me like your body was made for mine, Belle.” I squeezed her nipple, and she cried out, her core clenching against my cock. “You like that, baby?”
I did it again, and her body's reaction proved that I may be a breast man when it came to her, but her breasts were made for my attention. I fondled her, rocking my hips in thrusts up, meeting her body, creating the perfect dance until I couldn’t stand it any longer. I was barely holding on, hardly able to think about anything else but the pulsing in my balls and the tingle in my spine that threatened to overtake me at any movement.
I reached between her thighs, finding the slick, swollen bud of her clit, and pressed down, rubbing it in circles until Belle, my beautiful fucking wife, broke into pieces around my cock, squeezing my dick so hard that I couldn’t control it any longer, and I spilled my seed inside of her, groaning her name as she collapsed against me.