Chapter 32
The urge to pee rouses me from my sleep. Sitting up in the bed, I notice Blaze is the only one in here with me. I gently get up, leaving Blaze softly snoring and asleep. I yank a shirt out of the drawer, tossing it over my head and rush to the bathroom. After handling business, I brush my teeth and step back into the hallway.
Wide awake, I make my way toward the kitchen to the sound of a crash. “Shit.”
I hear hissed, causing me to step up my pace. I round the corner to find Aaron picking up a pan with a pained look on his face.
I watch him for a few seconds, resting my hips against the wall and folding my arms across my chest. Aaron grabs a box of pancake mix, then more ingredients out of the fridge. He reaches down pulling a pack of bacon out of one of the drawers and as he comes back up, hits his head on the fridge.
“Son of a bitch.”
He groans.
I wince. He is not having a good morning. “Everything okay in here?”
I push off the wall, making my way toward Aaron. He looks up at me, a startled expression on his face. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.” I giggle.
“I’m good. Just wanted to make breakfast for everyone.”
He sets the bacon on the counter, turning to give me his full attention. I take his face in my hands, lowering his head so I can press a kiss to where he hit it.
“You’re such a sweetheart when you want to be.”
I smirk. “Here let me help.” Rubbing his cheek with my thumb, I release him then search the cabinets for a mixing bowl.
“Last cabinet to the left.”
Bingo. I pull out the bowl and set it down on the counter. I begin measuring the ingredients and pouring them in as Aaron comes up behind me. His arms trap me between him and the counter, his spicy cologne infiltrating my senses and sending chills down my body.
“You know how to cook?”
“I love to cook actually.”
He lets out a heartfelt chuckle, his hand coming to my side, moving up in down in a tender gesture. “How did we get so lucky?”
He asks, bringing his head down and placing a kiss on my neck.
“I’m not sure. When you find out, let me know. I must be losing my mind” I joke.
“Hey, excuse me!”
He takes his finger into the pancake mix, scooping some up and swiping it across my nose. “Take that back!”
I let out a squeal, bringing the whisk out of the mixture and shaking it off on Aaron. “Never!”
I break out of his hold and see Aaron is about to pounce. I take off running, but his hand snags me by the shirt before I can even get a foot.
He spins me around in his arms, walking me until I am once again stuck between him and the counter, both of his arms wrapped around me. I can feel some of the pancake mix beginning to slide down my cheek as I get lost in Aarons eyes. There’s a twinkle to them this morning, something I haven’t seen with him before.
“You’ve got something here.”
Aaron dives in with his tongue, licking the mixture off of my cheek working his way to the top of my nose. “There. All clean.”
“We’re not animals!” I laugh.
“I might be an animal. But not you. No. You’re just beautiful.”
My heart squeezes in my chest. My stupid emotions making my eyes water. I wrap my arms around him, stepping on my tip toes. “Kiss me.”
And he does.
I wake to the smell of bacon wafting through the air, the blackout curtains making it so I can’t tell how early it is. I stretch my arm across the bed, reaching for bodies that aren’t there. I fell asleep last night, Cea cuddled between me and Aaron, all our legs entwined with each other. I raise up from the bed, wiping the sleep from my eyes.
Tugging on a pair of sweatpants, I head out of the bedroom. Music is playing, the lyrics from “My Girl”
by The Temptations are lingering across the house, Aaron’s melodic voice behind them. I follow the sound, leading me straight to the kitchen stopping in my tracks. I’m awe struck. Cea stands at the stove cooking breakfast while Aaron has one arm wrapped around her, swaying her hips with his as he holds a whisk in the other hand, using it as a fake microphone.
The chorus comes up and Aaron belts it into the crook of Cea’s neck, her laughter fills the room. I want this every damn day. Complete happiness. A smile tugs at my lips, before I clear my throat with a cough to get their attention. Both of their heads snap up, looking at me.
“Good Morning sunshine, we hope you’re hungry,”
Aaron says, beaming.
“It smells great…that’s what woke me up,”
I confirm, making my way to them.
I press a kiss to Aaron's lips, then plant one on Cea’s.
“Good morning beautiful,”
I mumble into her mouth.
She nibbles my lip before releasing me. “Good morning.”
The words leave her lips on a seductive whisper.
I place one more kiss on her forehead, then go to make my coffee. As soon as I go to take a sip, my phone starts ringing, the wicked witch theme song letting me know it’s Elijah.
I look back at Cea and Aaron to see they aren’t paying me a lick of attention and take my coffee to the back porch. I step out of the sliding glass doors, click answer on my phone.
“Elijah,” I grouse.
“Mr. Valentino,”
Elijah says all too happily.
I hear noises coming from the background.
“Elijah, please,”
the feminine voice says.
“No and that’s final,”
Elijah growls. I guess he’s not too happy anymore.
“I’m sorry about that. Where were we?”
Elijah asks once he’s returned his attention back to us.
“You were about to tell me why you called,”
I say, rolling my eyes. Too bad the bastard can’t see me through the phone. I’d love to get under his skin.
“Ahh, yes. I have one last job for you and you’ll be finished. The money will be wired to your account as soon as it’s completed.”
“What about Cea? Will she be done too?”
I ask, my nerves beginning to get worked up. I’m not even sure why or how she’s involved in this, but I do know I want her out.
“Cea can be done if she chooses to be. That’s between me and her Mr. Valentino,”
Elijah grumbles, irritation in his voice. Too bad for him, I give not one single fuck.
“If it concerns her, it concerns me. Let’s get that real fucking clear right now.”
Elijah laughs and I want to reach through and strangle him.
“I have a location. I don’t want any person leaving there alive. It’s Richard St. Clair's residence.”
An incoming text comes through with a picture of Richard, I assume.
“He’s the one that has apparently been running the show. They’ll have guards surrounding the place, so you’ll have to take extra precautions. You and Cea both. I have it on good authority they’ll be hosting a party tonight, it should make it a tiny bit easier for you both to go unnoticed. It’s a masquerade, I’ll have what you need delivered by five p.m. today.”
What the fuck is up with these people and masks.
“I’ll take care of it…wait, how the fuck are you delivering stuff to us? I never gave you my location.”
Elijah lets out a deep chuckle. “I have my ways Mr. Valentino. I know everything. Enjoy your night. Tomorrow, it’s time for business.”
With that he hangs up.
Finishing my coffee, I go back into the house. Aaron and Cea are seated at the table enjoying their bacon and pancakes stopping mid-conversation when I enter the room, giving me their full attention.
“Who was that?”
Cea asks, a knowing glint in her eye.
“Just business,”
I say, shrugging her words off.
“Shit. Don’t tell me you have to go into work today,”
Aaron complains.
I let out a chuckle, coming up behind him, massaging his shoulders and he leans his head to rest on my abs.
“No A, tomorrow. You both have the whole night with me.”
“Hell yeah,”
Aaron fist bumps into the air as Cea smiles, shaking her head at him.
I take the third seat at the table, next to Aaron and across from Cea.
“There’s something I want us to do tonight.”
I check for each of their reactions, but neither say anything, waiting for me to carry on.
“We’re all going on a date tonight.”
Cea spits out the juice she was sipping, choking on the rest as it tries to make its way down her throat.
“You okay, Princess? If you wanted to choke on something, all you had to do was ask,”
Aaron teases.
Cea flips him the bird before looking at me.
“A date? The three of us? Out together? Like a legit date?”
Cea asks, eyeing me suspiciously.
“Yes Mama, a date. We dress up, take you to a nice dinner. Have you screaming our names before the nights over.”
“Why? We could just hang out here,”
she suggests.
Aaron looks over to me, shrugging his shoulders. No help at all, the bastard.
“You’re both mine, Mi Cielo. I want to wine and dine you, while also showing you off. Is that a problem?” I growl.
“No problems here. I’m going to go grab a shower,”
Aaron says, getting up from his chair, giving Cea and I a quick kiss before disappearing down the hall.
“What’s the problem?”
I ask, my stare burning into her.
She swallows a lump in her throat, before opening her mouth to speak.
“It’s just…I’ve never been on a date,”
she says quietly.
I scoff incredulously, “Never been on a date?”
“No.”
She shakes her head.
My mind is blown that no one has ever treated this beautiful woman like she so much deserves.
“Well, that changes tonight.”
I get up and walk to her, taking her hands, forcing her to stand up and face me. Taking her jaw in my hand, I softly rub her cheek with my thumb.
“I told you what being mine would mean and I plan on driving that point home, Mi Cielo. Be ready by seven o’clock.”
Pressing a kiss to her soft lips, I let her go and leave.
Tonight, she’s going to know how it feels to be treated like the queen she is by not one, but two kings.