Chapter 11 #2
“As tempting as you look in this dress, you’re done with it and anything remotely close until you deliver our son.
From now on, I must approve your formalwear.
” My lips grazed her shoulder before planting a soft kiss.
Nari didn’t object. She only stepped out of her dress, turning with it in her hands before she placed the silk beaded material in mine.
“I’ll start the shower while you undress.”
With a nod, she walked away, and I watched her thick, curvy frame, cheeks spilling out of the bottoms of the black lace panties she wore, until she entered the bathroom.
I moved toward the closet, undressing down to my briefs, laying our clothes from the evening across the massive marble-topped island that separated the space.
I would deal with our things in the morning.
Right now, I was about to soothe Nari’s body and put her to bed.
When I reached the bathroom, she was already in the glass enclosure. The waterfall showerhead was on, as well as the ten jets lining the wall on the other side. I approached Nari, pulled her to me, and immediately enclosed her in my arms. She already smelled of coconut and lime from her body wash.
“You started without me.” I allowed my mouth to explore her skin, moving down her neck and across her shoulder.
“I told you I was tired.” I could hear the smile in her voice, which turned to a soft moan when my fingers reached her left breast and I rolled her nipple between two of them.
“That feels good.”
“You feel good. At least you can rest tomorrow.”
“I wish. I have to finish the paperwork Nathan sent me to trademark my business name and logo and the documents to open the business account. I still have to find a building and . . .” She paused, enjoying the feel of my exploration of her body before chirping, “Oh, and I’ve been invited to join the cult. ”
My head lifted, tilting slightly to the side. “The cult?”
She nodded softly. “One of the committees. Some of the ladies insisted I join and host the next meeting here. Mostly Cynthia.” Nari exhaled a short breath, likely because my fingers found her clit.
“Oh yeah, and what did you say?” I was curious.
Nari was reluctant to connect with these women.
Mya was a big part of that. They weren’t all bad, or like her, and she was the only one I had a sexual history with.
Some were pretty nice, but most were entitled and not welcoming.
And with a few, she had a position they wanted but would never qualify for .
. . as my wife. They also weren’t partial to Alisha because she was considered an outsider.
Nari would be placed in the same category, but their eagerness to kiss my ass and please me would give my wife more leeway and acceptance.
I owned the ability to control their husbands’ positions with the syndicate, which forced them to be kind to Nari.
“I said I would have to speak to you first.” I frowned at the thought. I didn’t want her to feel like she had to clear every move with me or that she needed permission to connect with them. I trusted and valued Nari’s opinions about what was best for her and us.
“Why is that?”
“This is our home. I wasn’t sure how you would feel about having them here.”
I relaxed at the reasoning behind her decision.
“They were here tonight, sweetheart.”
“Yeah, but that was different. Me hosting a meeting would be more intimate. They were mostly outside, you know, with everyone else. I’m not sure if I like the idea of having them here. This is our space.”
I grinned and kissed her shoulder. “It’s your decision. I’m okay with whatever you decide. Just let me know so I can plan accordingly. It’s a good thing. It represents acceptance. Don’t overthink about their intent.”
“Acceptance?” I could hear the accusation in her tone paired with how her body stiffened.
“Not for me, Nari. I don’t give a shit if they accept you. You’re mine, you’re here, and you’re not going anywhere. I meant acceptance in the sense that you’re finding your footing with the things I’m involved in. That’s all.” She relaxed again.
“I’ll think about it.”
“Again, sweetheart, it’s your decision. I’m okay with whatever you decide. Now, enough about that. Let me help you relax a little more so you’ll sleep well tonight.”
Firmly grabbing ahold of myself, I guided my length between her legs, easing into her slowly.
She was ready and welcoming, causing my eyes to close briefly while I released a slow growl.
Once I had my bearings, I lowered one arm around her waist to steady Nari while the other lifted her leg, holding it out to the side, resting across my arm.
“Is this comfortable?”
“Hmm?” Her voice was barely audible, but enough confirmation for me to process.
I slowly made love to my wife until we both came together, then I washed her body, and mine, before we got out, dressed for bed, and climbed in.
Nari was out in a matter of minutes, and after checking a few emails on my phone, I wasn’t far behind.
Some hours later, in a hazy state, I reached for my ringing phone, too exhausted to check the name before answering.
“Kincaid,” I mumbled, my face tight from being awakened from a peaceful sleep. Nari shifted next to me but didn’t get far when she attempted to inch away. I had her locked against me, but she didn’t seem to mind because she quickly settled against my side.
“I . . . I . . . need you.” The voice on my line was female. It sounded as if she was crying, which sent an alarm bolting through me. My mind was still attempting to awaken, which had me sitting up to shake the haze I was under.
“Who is this?”
“Val. Kincaid, I need you!” she screeched, sounding like she was in pain.
My eyes immediately lowered to Nari while my jaw tensed. “Have you lost your damn mind? Do you know what time it is? Don’t call again,” I hissed before ending the connection. My body radiated with anger and Nari shifted again. When my phone rang once more, she sat up immediately afterward.
“Answer it.”
“No,” I stated firmly. Her heated gaze on me was stern when she pointed to the phone, which was still in my hand. Our room was dark, so Val’s name was evident as the call illuminated the space around us.
“You want me to trust you, then don’t give me reasons not to. Answer the damn phone, Kincaid.”
I wasn’t in the mood for this shit. I hadn’t spoken to Val since she’d reached out to Nari with that bullshit accusation that caused Nari to believe I was foolish enough to cheat.
I called and issued a warning I assumed she understood, but apparently not if she was calling me in the middle of the night.
With little option but to comply so I wouldn’t feed into her insecurities, I did as Nari demanded.
“What the fuck do you want?” I growled when I answered this time, tossing my legs over the side of the bed, bending at the waist, giving Nari my back. I felt her move behind me, and she rounded the bed seconds later, her arms folded across her chest, her eyes blazing.
“I need you.”
“Val, I don’t have time for this shit. I thought I made myself clear—”
“I was attacked. It’s your fault. I need you. I get it. You love your wife, but don’t I mean enough that you’ll at least make sure I’m okay? I need you, please.”
“Where are you?”
“Our hotel. Our suite. Are you coming?” Her voice perked up, which let me know this was bullshit.
“No, but someone will, just not me.”
“Kincaid, please—”
I ended the call and immediately dialed Cast. He answered on the second ring, his voice lively, meaning he was still awake.
“Yeah, boss?”
“I need a favor. I’m going to send you an address. Val’s there. She said she was attacked. If it’s true, take her to the hospital and get her checked out. Stay with her. No cops.”
“Attacked by who?”
“She didn’t say, but I also didn’t give her a chance. She said it was because of me.” I brushed my hand down my face before lifting my eyes to Nari, whose stare was still heated. She was pissed, but that was understandable. This looked bad.
“You think it is?”
“Not sure; it could be a setup. Let me know what you find out.”
“Got it.”
I didn’t need to tell him to be careful. This was his thing. It was what he was trained to handle. After I ended the call and reached for Nari, she pushed my hand away.
“Shouldn’t you be the one going?”
“No. She’s not my concern.”
“But she said she was attacked.” Nari didn’t want me to go and was pissed that the call happened, but she was a good person. Val insinuated that she was hurt.
“Still not my fucking problem.” I was already irritated but understood she also had the right to be.
“Not even if it’s true and it was about you?” She did a fairly decent job of camouflaging her emotions, but the way she chewed the corner of her lip told me she was unsure of what to believe. I couldn’t blame her.
“No, not even then. Cast can handle it. If she’s in danger, he’ll get her somewhere safe. That’s the most I’ll offer, and even that’s too much. She’s no longer my concern. Now, are we going to fight about this or go back to bed?”
This moment would be pivotal in proving whether Nari truly trusted me like she promised. I never lied; I wasn’t now, but this was yet another situation that would allow her to doubt me.
She remained still and quiet momentarily as our eyes warred with each other before she eventually gave in and retreated to her side of the bed. She did, however, leave space, which I wasn’t having, and when I pulled her close, she didn’t object.
“That call was Val’s reaction to me cutting her off. I haven’t seen or talked to her since I made clear that she was to stay the fuck away from both of us.”
“Okay,” was all I got, but I felt the tension in her body dissipate.
“Nari . . .”
“I promised to trust you. This is me trusting you. Just don’t make me regret it.” She spoke softly and I placed a kiss on the back of her neck.
“You won’t.”
She fidgeted beside me briefly but eventually drifted back to sleep.
I remained up, unable to allow my mind to settle.
If Val truly had been assaulted because of me, I would make sure it was handled and ensure she was safe, but I would keep my distance.
Val had proven she wasn’t emotionally stable enough to separate me doing the right thing from her weird obsession, which led her to believe she could make me fall in love with her.
Either way, I knew how this needed to be handled, and that wouldn’t be by way of me disrespecting my wife.
The next morning, I was up early after only sleeping for a few hours and not peacefully.
While Nari slept, I worked in the study.
It was Saturday morning, and I planned on spending the day at home, which meant shutting out the rest of the world.
So I was grateful when Cast eventually called to fill me in on Val so it wouldn’t come up later.
I answered, looking across the room at Nari, still sleeping peacefully.
I decided to take the call on the balcony, unsure of what he was about to tell me.
“Morning, boss.”
“Morning. What do you have for me?”
“You’re not gonna believe this shit. . . or maybe you will.” He laughed lightly before continuing. “The doctors think the bruises are self-inflicted. They’re pretty bad too. If that’s the case, she really did a number on herself. She’s crazy, Caid.”
“So this wasn’t about me?”
“No, it was definitely about you, just not as she implied. The woman is fucking loony.”
I felt Nari’s presence before she reached me. Her arms encircled my waist and her face pressed against my bare back while Cast continued.
“But that’s not the worst of it. She’s pregnant.
Kept yelling at me to call you since they took her phone.
She was acting so erratically they almost sedated her.
No one could calm her down until they promised to do a pregnancy test so I would call and tell you.
She made them do the ultrasound and everything so you could have a picture of your baby.
” He chuckled, but I wasn’t sure why the hell he thought this shit was funny.
“It’s not mine.”
“Oh, trust me, I know. She’s barely six weeks. Timelines don’t add up unless you’ve been lying.”
“That’s not my kid.”
Nari’s head popped up, and I lowered my hand, placing it on hers to hold it in place.
“What do you want me to do?”
“Call Chandler. See who he knows in the psych ward and tell him I need a favor. Maybe if she spends a little time there, she’ll stop with all this bullshit. Hell, sounds like she really needs to be there.”
“You have no idea. This chick is out of her fucking mind. I’ll handle it.”
“’Preciate it.”
“You owe me again,” he made clear.
“I pay you well.”
“Yeah, but this shit is extra.”
I chuckled and nodded even though he couldn’t see me. “I always cover my debts.”
Once I ended the call, I turned, leaning my back on the railing and pulling Nari into my chest.
“She’s pregnant?”
“Six weeks and it’s not mine. I’ve never cheated on you. She’s also lied about being attacked. The doctors feel like the bruises were self-inflicted.”
I stared intently at Nari, watching her process what I was saying. I could see her thinking hard and prayed this wouldn’t be an issue.
“And just like that, you can keep her locked away in a psych ward?”
I can do much more, but I won’t. That baby she’s carrying saves her, even though it’s not mine.
“Me personally, no. I do, however, know people who have the authority to do so, and based on what I just learned, she’s not only a danger to herself but also to the child she’s carrying.
It seems necessary, and hopefully they can manage to do what I haven’t and convince her she needs to move the fuck on with her life. ”
We remained in a silent standoff for a long moment before Nari spoke again.
“I’m hungry. I’m going to find something for breakfast.”
“Nari?”
“I’m fine. We’re fine. You said it’s not yours, and I believe you, but if that bitch calls you again in the middle of the night, you both better do some heavy praying because I’m not about to keep playing nice with this thirsty lunatic.
” Her warning was firm. I offered a nod and kissed her forehead.
“I’ll be down in a minute.”
“Okay.” She turned and walked away and I blocked Val’s number. Part of my promise to love my wife was ensuring she remained untouched. That meant emotionally as well as physically. Val was a threat to her happiness and I refused to fuck that up . . . again.