Chapter 22
“How long are you gonna be mad at me for?” I ask when we make it through her front door. I’m relieved to find the place empty; it gives me a chance to start explaining myself.
“I haven’t decided yet.” Alicia waddles her way over to the couch and rests her hand under her huge belly to support it as she sits. “Here, let me help.” I rush over to her, but she swats me away.
“Why did you do it, Vike? What point did you have to prove? I’m not marrying him, I’m in love with you. Could that not just be enough?”
“Darlin’, Greaser was never gonna just accept it. We had to hash it out; it’s been a long time coming.” I sit beside her and turn my body into hers. She looks so pretty in the short white dress stretched over her belly; it’s just a shame she was wearing it for him and not me.
“And is everything hashed out now?” she asks sarcastically.
“That's up to Greaser.” I shrug, thinking about how close I actually came to killing that fucker today. “I’m gonna struggle to forgive him for what he did, but I’m happy to move on so long as he doesn’t try making any more trouble.”
“And what exactly did he do?” she questions me, proving that she has no fuckin’ idea how he’s been playing her.
“He made me think you’d been together in that motel.
Told me the two of you were getting married way before you agreed to it, and I’m pretty sure he’s the one who put Trinity up to lying about us sleeping together.
” It frustrates me that I didn’t see all this for myself.
And suprises me that Alicia’s gotten sucked in; she’s always been such a good judge of character.
“I thought he was looking out for us.” She uses her finger to draw a circle around her tummy, avoiding eye contact and looking hurt.
“Listen, I’m not gonna tell you what to feel, but what I saw was him trying to control you. I’m just disappointed in myself for allowing it to go so far.”
“I was heartbroken when you left.” She looks back up at me. “I wanted to have that conversation with you so bad. I wanted to tell you how I felt, but you allowed him to come between us.”
“I know, and I regret it, but I’m here to make all that up to you…
If you’ll let me.” Fuck, I wanna kiss her again so bad, and when she nods her head and offers me a slight smile, I see it as a green light and don’t hold back.
Tilting my head toward hers, I steal her lips, kissing her softly and much more gently than I did before.
The way this girl deserves to be kissed.
“Vike.” She eventually stops me. “Where do we go from here? What is this?” She almost looks too afraid to ask.
“Did you not hear me claim my undyin’ love for you in the bedroom?” I laugh at her, studying every inch of her face and appreciating the fact that she’s mine now. “This is the start of what's gonna be our future; you, me, and this baby girl.” I rest my hand over hers and smile.
“So we’re together?” I wonder why she still looks so confused.
“In everything we do. You're my old lady now, which means—”
“I need you to make nice with Greaser,” she cuts me off, looking serious and stern.
“Darlin’, I don’t thin–”
“He’s her family,” she reminds me, stroking her hand beneath mine.
“She’s already lost her uncle Saul and her daddy; I won’t let her lose anyone else.
The pair of you need to find a way to tolerate each other, and Greaser has to find a way to tolerate the fact we’re together now.
I can’t handle the stress of you two hating each other.
” Her bottom lip trembles like she’s about to cry, and I can’t have that.
“Okay, I’ll fix it,” I promise, having no idea how, but knowing I’ll find a way to figure it out.
“And no more running; from now on we communicate, we talk to each other, and be honest about our feelings.”
“Alicia, I’m never gonna run from you again. I’m all in.”
“You better be.” Her lips twitch into a seductive little smile, and when she tries to sit up, I get on my feet so I can help her.
“What are you doing?” Taking her arm, I help drag her to her feet.
“We are going to the bedroom so we can do more kissing,” she informs me, already waddling her way down the hall.
“We can do that right here.” I laugh at her as I follow.
“Not with that looking over us.” She turns around and looks up at the wall behind the TV, and when I see the huge, framed picture of Greaser, Griller, and their mom that’s been hung there since I left, I agree and let her lead the way.
I wake up with her sleeping beside me, still wearing that white dress she was supposed to get married in, but snuggled in my arms instead of his. I don’t know how long we spent kissing before we both fell asleep, but it’s dark outside now, and I’d happily stay like this for the rest of the evening.
“Are you watching me sleep?” She smiles with her eyes still closed.
“Maybe.” I tease little circles over her belly through the fabric of her dress with the tip of my finger. I’ve really missed feeling the baby move over these past few months. I let Greaser keep me away from her too, and I can’t believe how strong she’s gotten since I’ve been gone.
“I think she missed you. I haven’t felt her move so much in ages.” Alicia laughs, looking down at her stomach when something sticks out, and ripples across it.
“Is that—”
“Yep, she does that now.”
“Does it hurt?”
“It’s sure getting uncomfortable,” she laughs again, “but it lets me know she’s okay.”
“It’s kinda awesome; she’s getting strong in there, fighting fit for when she gets out and keeps us busy.” I slide higher up the bed and change the position of my hand, hoping to feel her again.
“Here.” Alicia lifts her dress up over her stomach, revealing her smooth and taut bare skin.
“Sometimes she sticks out her elbows, or maybe it's a foot, I can never be sure.” I love how happy she sounds as she explains, and when I rest my palm gently over her skin, she looks up at me with heat in her eyes.
“It feels nice having you touch me again. That night when we kissed, and you slept in here beside me, I was hoping it would be the start for us.” Her smile turns sad. I wanna ask her why she kissed Greaser in the yard the day after, but I refuse to ruin this moment with thoughts of him.
“Well, we took a little detour, but we’re here now.” I kiss her some more and, when my hand shifts a little lower, the way her body instantly stiffens scares me that I’ve gone too far.
“Shit, Alicia, I’m sorry. I’m not expectin’...I jus-” I quickly take my hand away.
“It’s not that.” She shakes her head. “I want to. I really want to…um.”
“Babe, you don’t have to explain yourself. I get it. I shouldn’t have let myself get so carried aw—”
“No…” She shakes her head. “It’s not you. …I’ve only ever done this once before, and I was so drunk, I can’t remember much about it,” she admits, looking embarrassed.
“You got knocked up, the first time you did it?” I can’t help but laugh.
“Hey, it’s not funny. Being with Griller wasn’t exactly how I envisioned my first experience, but it happened, and I have a lot to be grateful for,” she reminds me, rolling her palm over her swollen belly affectionately.
“Well, you just let me know when you're ready, darlin’.” I don’t want her to feel any pressure. This girl’s been through enough.
“I’m ready now,” she surprises me. “Hell, Vike, I was ready six years ago when Saul first brought you home,” she confesses, her cheeks turning red again.
“But are you sure you want to do this, especially when I’m looking like this?
I’m hardly in the sexiest of states right now.
” She looks down self-consciously at her body.
“I love this state,” I tell her, having no idea why she looks so paranoid. Alicia looks hot as fuck being pregnant.
“I don’t even know how we would manage it; you're certainly not gonna be able to get on top of me, and I’m likely to crush you.” She sighs heavily.
“Trust me, we’ll manage.” I sit up in front of her. “And I happen to find this state you're in very fuckin’ sexy.” Leaning down, I make a trail of kisses along her stretched skin.
“Vike,” she whispers my name, and when I look up at her, the smile she makes back at me is fuckin’ dangerous.
“Don’t keep me waiting any longer,” she pleads with me, and giving in to her demands, I hook my fingers into her panties, waiting for her to raise her ass from the mattress so I can slide them off her thighs.
Once I’ve got her bottom half stripped bare, I spread her thighs apart, and smile when I see her pussy already glistening for me.
“You just gonna look at it?” She tries to get smart with me, but quickly loses all her composure when I lean down and slide my tongue right through her centre.
“Ohhhhh,” she moans, gripping hold of my long hair and clawing at my scalp.
Taking her firm hold as an indication that she likes it, I continue to stroke my tongue against her pussy, tasting how sweet she is, as she soaks my tongue.
I don’t know if her thighs are trembling outta nerves or from pleasure, but I don’t stop.
I won’t stop until I’ve tasted this pussy come for me.
“Vike?” Her hips start to jerk against my face, and her grip on my hair gets tighter.
I don’t answer her, refusing to break my tongue away from her throbbing clit until she gives me what I want.
“Vike,” She says my name again, this time much more desperately as her body goes rigid.
“Shit, Vike! What the….ahhhhh.” She lets out that relieved cry of pleasure I’ve been waiting to hear, her clit pulsing against my tongue, as I lap her up, and when I’m satisfied she’s finished, I kiss my way slowly back up her body.
“I don’t remember that happening the last time,” she tells me, her eyes wide and shocked, while her chest heaves up and down.