Chapter Nineteen
TOMI
I’m furious right now as we walk into the kitchen. I don’t even know where to begin. Today has been nothing but freaking whiplash. Xander’s tense, like he understands he’s in hot water, as we round the corner out of Levi’s earshot.
I turn to face him, folding my arms in defiance. “What the hell was that?” I blurt out.
His eyes widen. “What’s going on right now, Tomi?”
I scoff. “We didn’t finish discussing me going into the new tattoo studio, and yet, here you are, telling Levi it’s a done deal. You can’t do shit like that with him, Xander.”
His brows furrow as he takes a step closer to me. “It is a done deal.”
I scoff, turning to walk away from him. “No, it isn’t. You think I’m going to waltz into a new place and just accept this handout from you? I don’t do that kind of shit, Xander. I work for what I get, I don’t get things handed to me like you.”
He shakes his head, stepping up to me again. “Tomi, you’re not getting it handed to you. We’re a team now. We’re going to be a family. I’m the man of this house, and so I need to provide for you, for all of you.”
I scoff and throw my hands in the air. “You think I can’t provide for us? Just because you’re some hotshot, wiz-bang business mogul that you’re the one going to be bringing in all the money?”
He slumps. “No. That’s not what I meant at all, Tomi. You’re twisting my words. You’re just as capable as me, and that’s why I want you to work. But I know with the mortgage on this house and with Levi’s school fees, you can’t afford all of this and the rent in the new shop…” He exhales. “I don’t expect you’ll let me help pay for the mortgage or Levi’s school. So, let me help our family, Tomi. Let me help by paying the rent on the shop so you can pay for what you need to. I want Levi to keep going to his school, or if you want to move him to a better one, we can do that, too. I’ll happily help to pay for something more if he needs it.” He reaches out to grab my hand as I soften toward him. “But if we’re going to be partners, Tomi, you’ve got to share the load. You hear what I’m saying?”
As angry as I was at him, the asshole is making sense. I want to provide for Levi, but the truth is that Xander outearns me at every turn. I need to bow out of this fight. I see he’s only doing this to help us, even if I don’t want to admit it.
“Damn you, Xander,” I spit out.
He smiles, pulling me in and wrapping his arms around my waist. My arms loop around his neck. I stare into his deep sapphire eyes. They’re just as brilliant as I remember as we stand here in each other’s arms with our eyes locked together.
He is stunning. His gorgeous lips slowly turn upward, causing his left cheek to dip in, the dimple making him even sexier, if that’s possible.
Yeah, damn him.
He leans in, slowly pressing his lips to mine. It never fails, that tingle is right there like it always is. Even when I’ve been mad as hell at him, he has the power to make me weak at the knees. I can’t explain it as I open my mouth to let his tongue dance with mine. His hand snakes up into the back of my hair. I spread my fingers through his brown locks at the nape of his neck. The slight five o’clock shadow he has going on tickles my face as we kiss slowly, but passionately, in my kitchen, in our kitchen.
“I want pizza for dinner,” Levi yells from the family room, making me laugh into Xander’s mouth as we break apart.
He glances down at my stomach and exhales. “Is pizza okay for our baby?”
I smile. “Certain ones are okay.”
He holds me tighter. “Then it looks like that’s our first meal as a family.” I lean in, kissing him briefly again before he pulls back so he’s closer to the edge of the kitchen. “Pizza it is, Levi.”
“Okay,” he calls back in his usual high-pitched way, making me smile at Xander as he comes back in to cuddle me.
“You’re going to spoil him, aren’t you?” I ask, raising my brow.
Xander leans in, his forehead against mine as he gazes deeply into my eyes. “I’m going to spoil all three of you.”
***
After having a nice family dinner and putting Levi to bed for the first time, I’m lying in bed while Xander takes off his clothes. I’ve missed admiring his amazing physique. Not only does he have the body of a god, but the tattoos he sports make me more excited, especially because I know they’re all inked by me.
Xander pulls back the sheets, sinking in as I smile up at him. He leans down, pressing his lips to mine briefly, then pulls back, his face shows me how content he is right now. “I honestly never thought this day would happen for us, but fuck am I glad we’re here now.”
I relax back onto the bed as he leans over me. “Me, too. We still have a little way to go, but this is going to work. Levi adores you. We have a way of talking things through now that we’re being honest with each other. I know we can do this.”
He slides over the top of me and moves downward, taking the sheets with him as he goes. I giggle, watching as he pushes himself between my legs. His head is between my thighs when he stops just above my stomach. He rubs my flat tummy as he stares down at my navel. “We sure can. We have to, for the sake of peanut in here.”
He leans down, placing his lips tenderly on my stomach, sending a river of goose bumps cascading all over my skin at his tender caress. I bite down on my bottom lip as he stares at my stomach as if he can see right inside. “I’m gonna give you the world, peanut. No matter what life throws at you, what hurdles we might face, I’m always going to be the best father I can be… for you. I promise because you might only be the size of a pea, but I love you… so, so much already.” Tears flood my eyes as my hands move down and into his hair. He glances up at me, the sincerest of expressions crossing his face. “And your mom, very much.”
I grab his hair, yanking him to me. He edges up over me as I pull his lips to mine, and we kiss as he tries not to lay his weight on top of me. So, I spin us. He falls to the bed on his back, and I straddle him feeling his cock harden against my pussy. I lean down kissing him, passionately. I haven’t felt his body against mine for so damn long, I need him right now. All of him.
My fingers grip his hair as I kiss him, our tongues intertwining ferociously like they’ve been apart for a century as I rock on top of him, the delightful friction causing my clit to throb in the most deliciously painful way.
His fingertips dig into my ass cheeks as he aids me in rocking on top of him, the tension building between us as I moan into his mouth. The feeling of our bodies, skin on skin, finally being together again is like all the atoms in the air are charging, like my aura is aligning finally, and everything feels like it is back on its right path.
He’s my home, and when I’m with him, everything is where it is meant to be.
One of his hands snakes up my back and into my hair, his fingers threading through my tendrils as he clamps down on my locks. He yanks my head back, breaking our kiss as our eyes stare at each other, panting for breath. “Sit back, Tomi, I want to observe you,” he demands.
I do as he says and sit atop him, straddling him on either side of his cock. It throbs beneath me, and all I want to do is move a little so he can slide inside me. First, he has something else in mind.
“God, you’re beautiful.” I smile at him as I place my hands on his stomach for balance as he shakes his head. “How beautiful your breasts are. Fondle them.”
My eyes widen.
Excitement rolls through me as I smirk, rolling my hips on him again. He flares his nostrils in obvious pleasure as I lick my bottom lip and run my hands slowly up my thighs, his eyes following my every movement, desire plainly written all over his features. My hands slide up my sides, over my tummy, as they make their way to my oversensitive breasts. Since pregnancy’s taken hold of me, my nipples are off-the-charts sensitive.
I draw my bottom lip in by my teeth, my eyes hooded as I stare right at Xander, his cock throbbing beneath me. My hands slide over my breasts, my back arching a little at the feeling of my fingers gliding over my nipples. I squeeze them, forcing a long breath to leave me as I start to rock on top of Xander, again needing some friction. His fingers dig into my hips as he helps me rock. My eyes don’t leave his while I tweak my nipples, all the while massaging my breasts. The sensation rolling over me is sending a river of pleasure through me. He knows what he’s doing as one of his hands slides over my hip and down between my legs.
Yes.
I moan as his finger presses down on my clit. I can’t keep this intense eye contact any longer as my head throws back at the shot of excitement running through me. I grind down on him as his breaths come in quicker. I know he’s turned on by this, as well as the pleasure that ripples inside of me.
His finger circles on my clit, as I continue to tweak my nipples, the powerful current flowing over me is making me pant out heavy breaths as I try to keep my voice down.
I want to scream—I wish I could be vocal and let Xander know just how good he’s making me feel, but I know I can’t. The energy and passion in the room is reaching a critical level as his finger pushes harder on my clit. Heat swarms my body, making me pant even harder. Sweat beads on my skin like little droplets of salty water as the pressure builds inside me.
I rock my hips faster as I clamp down on my nipples, sending a shudder through my very core at the same time he circles on my clit. The indescribable feeling washes over me like a torrent, smashing me like the blazing heat of a thousand suns. I gasp, my head falling back in the throes of passion, my back arching as I can’t help but moan softly. My body shudders, my muscles tensing as it hits me right in the abdomen so hard I hunch over, dropping my hands to his chest as he continues circling on my clit while I explode through my climax.
I moan, my eyes clenched so tight I see dancing lights behind my eyelids as I pant heavily, falling from my massive high. My body quivers as he leisurely brings me down while I slowly grind against his rock-hard cock beneath me.
“Fuck, Tomi, that was so hard to watch you come undone like that and at the same time try to control myself.”
My eyes slowly open as I pant. I glance at him through my lashes, my nails digging into his chest while I grin. “Don’t control yourself anymore,” I murmur, still out of breath.
He groans as his eyes light up, his hands move to my hips, lifting me slightly as his cock pops up below me, moving into place. I edge myself on top of him as the tip of his head slides against my slickened opening.
I need him, so fucking bad right now.
I’ve needed him for so long.
I was just too stubborn to see it.
Edging down on top of him, his thickness sliding inside of me makes us both groan at the welcoming feeling. My eyes instantly lock onto his as I slip all the way down. He fills me completely, and it’s like I’m finally back right where I’m meant to be. We still for a moment, just reveling in the fact we’re joined again after so long apart, panting for breath at the feeling as one of his hands moves up to caress my aching-for-him breast.
He rolls my nipple in his fingers, sending a tingle down my spine as I begin to move up and down on him at a slow and steady rhythm. Nothing but our rushed and frantic breathing. We know we have to be quiet, but it’s so damn hard. The fact we need to do this silently is kind of adding to the kink of it all.
It makes it all the more intoxicating.
His hand squeezes my sensitive breast hard, making a small whimper erupt from my mouth as I bite down on my bottom lip. I grind down on him as payback. We rock in unison, the pleasure building and rising to a place I know we’re both going to enjoy. My nails clamp into his skin. I want to leave my mark on him, and it instantly pushes a low groan from his throat. I love that noise—it’s so deep and husky that it almost makes me come on the spot.
He thrusts up inside of me, and my eyes meet his. It’s like we finally see, knowing that our time apart did nothing but cement how much we care about each other. Yes, there are things we need to work on, but being together and working on this is all that matters in the end. We have a family now, and as we rock together, the connection we share sends a wave of adrenaline through the room. It’s like all the stars align, and the foggy clouds disappear, letting only the beautiful rays of sun shine through.
I can see it, our bright future together.
It might be hard—nothing comes easy—but with work, determination, and a partnership from both of us, we can do anything we set our minds to.
We can do this.
He’s the right guy for me.
For my family.
He pushes up, and I push down, making him hit the right spot. I moan as he massages my breast, feeling the rush begin to take hold. My muscles start to tense, my back arches, pushing me onto him further. He tenses up as well. He’s close, so I try to keep my movements going to get him there. A cold sweat invades my body as I move up and down. I clench my eyes as his hands grip me tighter. My body shudders in utter pleasure that wracks through me.
One last thrust, and he sends me over the edge, fireworks exploding behind my eyes as my pussy clenches so firmly I might squeeze the life out of him. With a final gasp, I climax.
He stills, his cock pulsating as he groans, unloading his hot cum inside of me.
I exhale, feeling utterly spent as I lean down, pressing my lips to his languidly, kissing him through our afterglow. His hands slide up my naked back, holding me as we kiss like we have but a pittance of energy left to spare. His hands come up, smoothing the hair away from my face as I pull back, gazing into his eyes.
“I’ll never get used to that,” he murmurs.
I raise my brow. “What?”
“How you can make every time with you feel like the first. You take my breath away, Tomi.”
I lean down slowly, kissing him again. “Because we’re meant to be, Xander.”
His hand comes up, caressing me again. “Yeah… we are.”
I stare into his eyes for a second before slowly rolling off him. The pent-up energy inside of me required a release, and it’s nice to feel relaxed for a moment as I fall back to the bed.
He leans up on his elbow, glancing down at me, his fingers gently trailing up my stomach as he smiles, letting me catch my breath, then he leans down, pressing his lips to mine gently.
Xander pulls back, licking his lips. “I’ll move my stuff in on the weekend.”
The thought warms my heart. “I’d like that.”
He scrunches his face a little. “I don’t want my money to make you feel like you’re incapable, Tomi. Please don’t think about it like that.”
Shaking my head, I bring my hand to his cheek. “I’m sorry I took it that way and came down on your ass. But if we talk things through like we have, then we’ll be all right.”
He nuzzles into my hand. “Yeah… we’re going to be just fine.”