Chapter 10
Stone
I woke up before Indie, like always.
But this morning wasn’t like the others, because Indie was still in my arms. I’d held her all night after we got out the shower, and she hadn’t moved. Hadn’t tried to pull away or put distance between us like I thought she might.
She was sleeping peacefully, her breathing slow and even, her body warm and soft against mine.
I stared down at her face, taking in every detail.
Her long lashes resting against her cheeks.
The way her full lips were slightly parted.
The way her curly hair was spread across the pillow, wild and untamed.
She looked content. Like she belonged exactly where she was. And that’s when it hit me.
She did belong here.
With me.
I’d been fighting this shit for weeks now, trying to convince myself that what I was feeling was just lust. Just an obsession with good pussy that would fade once I got it out my system.
But that was a lie, and I knew it.
Indie had gotten under my skin in a way no woman ever had. She’d wormed her way into my head, into my chest, into places I didn’t even know existed.
I couldn’t get enough of her.
The way she talked shit even when she knew I could kill her. The way she looked at me without fear. The way her body responded to mine like we were made for each other.
I wanted her in my bed every night. I wanted to wake up to her face every morning. I wanted her to be mine in every sense of the word.
If she thought I wasn’t gonna let her leave before, she was dead wrong about what was coming next. Because now that I’d accepted this shit, accepted that she meant something to me, I really wasn’t letting her go. Ever.
She belonged to me now.
Completely.
But I couldn’t keep her at the crash pad forever.
That shit wasn’t sustainable, and it damn sure wasn’t safe.
Word had already gotten around within my organization that I’d been playing house with some woman.
Niggas talked, and in my line of work, information spread fast. Which meant Indie now had a target on her back.
My enemies would see her as a weakness. A way to get to me. I couldn’t have that. I needed her somewhere secure. Somewhere fortified. Somewhere no one could touch her.
My estate.
It was a fucking fortress. Ten thousand square feet sitting on five acres of land, surrounded by a twelve-foot wall with security cameras on every corner. Full staff. Armed guards patrolling 24/7. State-of-the-art alarm system. No one got in or out without my say-so.
That’s where she needed to be. Not here at this crash pad in the middle of nowhere with just a couple guards outside.
I made the decision right then and there. I was moving her to the estate.
Tomorrow.
Shit, her little brother could come too. I had more than enough space and keeping them together would make Indie more compliant. She’d be less likely to try some stupid shit if Ish was there with her.
Plus, it would keep the kid out of trouble. My men had been watching him, and so far he’d been staying clean. But teenage boys were unpredictable, and I didn’t need him doing something dumb that would force my hand. This way, I could keep an eye on both of them.
I didn’t know how Indie would feel about it. But it didn’t matter. She was going whether she wanted to or not. And she would learn to be happy with it.
Because I could see it in her eyes. I wasn’t the only one feeling this intense connection between us. She wanted to belong to me just as much as I wanted to own her.
Why else would she have been so upset that I’d tried to fuck another bitch?
She was mine.
She just didn’t know it yet.
I was still lying there, my mind going a thousand miles a minute, when Indie started to stir.
Her eyes slowly opened, blinking a few times as she adjusted to the morning light filtering through the curtains. Then her gaze locked onto mine.
We stared at each other in silence. Neither of us said anything, but the air between us was thick with unspoken words. With the weight of what had happened in that shower last night.
Something had shifted, and we both felt it. But neither of us knew how to put it into words.
Her warm brown eyes were searching mine, like she was trying to figure out what the fuck was going through my head.
Good luck with that, I thought. I didn’t even know what the fuck was going through my head half the time. Especially when it came to her.
Finally, I broke the silence.
“Get your shit packed,” I said, my voice low and rough from sleep. “We’re leaving here tomorrow.”
Indie’s eyebrows rose, and I saw a flicker of hope cross her face.
“Leaving?” she asked. “To where? You’re letting me go home?”
I frowned, irritation flaring in my chest. Why the fuck was she asking about going home?
“No,” I said flatly. “You ain’t going home. Not to your condo.”
The hope in her eyes died instantly, replaced by confusion and anger.
She sat up in the bed, the sheet falling away from her body, leaving her completely naked. I let my eyes roam over her for a moment before meeting her glare.
“So where the fuck are you taking me?” she demanded.
I sat up too, my muscles flexing as I moved, and reached out to grip her jaw, forcing her to look directly into my eyes.
“You’re coming to my estate,” I said. “Where I live.”
Her eyes ping-ponged back and forth, searching mine like she was looking for something I wasn’t saying.
“For how long, Stone?” she asked, her voice rising. “What about my brother? I can’t just leave Ish! He’s only sixteen! He needs me!”
I took a deep breath, considering my next words carefully. Then I said, “Ish can come with us. I got space for him, too.”
Indie shook her head, and my hand fell from her face.
She got out of bed, pacing back and forth across the room, her naked body moving with agitation.
“Why are you doing this?” she said, her voice getting louder. “You’re moving us in with you? What about my job? What about my condo? What about my fuckin’ life, Stone?”
I watched her silently while she spiraled, my expression blank. She was beautiful when she was angry. All fire and fury and raw emotion.
Indie stopped pacing and stood there with her hands on her hips, naked and defiant.
“Say something, nigga!” she yelled.
I got out of bed slowly, my tattooed body on full display, my dick already half-hard from watching her. I walked over to her and stood directly in front of her, towering over her smaller frame.
“You belong to me now, Indie. So I want you in my home, in my bed. You don’t have a job at Velvet anymore. You’re fired. And you won’t need the condo since you and Ish will be living with me.”
She stared at me like I was insane.
“This is crazy,” she said, her voice shaking with anger. “You’re crazy! You think you can just control my life? Like I’m just gon’ do whatever you say?”
I nodded.
“I can,” I said. “And you will. You ain’t got a choice.”
Indie laughed, but I could tell it wasn’t because she found anything funny. It was the kind of laugh that came from disbelief. From realizing just how fucked her situation was.
I spoke again, my voice cold and final.
“My men will have Ish pack his shit today, and they’ll bring him here tonight. Tomorrow, we’re all leaving to my estate.”
Indie didn’t respond.
She just stared at me for a long moment, her chest rising and falling with heavy breaths. Then she turned and walked out of the room without another word.
A few moments later, I heard the slamming of cabinets in the kitchen.
I smirked.
She was pissed. Good. I liked her pissed.
I went into the bathroom and took care of my morning hygiene. Brushed my teeth, washed my face, took a quick shower.
Then I threw on one of the outfits I kept at the crash pad: dark jeans, a cream hoodie, and my Timbs. I put on my chains and my watch, then headed downstairs.
I found Indie in the kitchen, angrily making breakfast. She was still naked, clearly too mad to care about getting dressed.
She was muttering to herself, talking shit under her breath, and I caught a few words here and there.
“Crazy ass nigga... think he own me... got me fucked up...”
I leaned against the doorway, watching her with a smirk on my face. She was something else.
After a moment, I spoke.
“I gotta go handle business,” I said. “Pack your shit like I told you. We leaving tomorrow.”
Indie looked at me, her eyes blazing with anger. “Fuck you, nigga,” she said.
Then she went back to fixing her food, ignoring me completely.
I chuckled and shook my head.
This woman was gonna be the death of me. But I wouldn’t have it any other way.
I grabbed my keys and walked out the front door, nodding at the guards posted outside.
Time to handle business.
***
I pulled up to one of my legit businesses. A car wash on the east side that I used to clean money.
Kenzo was already there, leaning against his Escalade with his arms crossed, waiting for me.
I parked my Mercedes and got out, dapping him up when I reached him.
“What’s good?” I said.
“You tell me,” Kenzo said, raising an eyebrow. “You good, bro? You been kinda off lately.”
I looked at him, debating how much to say. Then I decided fuck it. Kenzo was my right hand. He’d know soon enough anyway.
“I’m gon’ be ducked off for a few days,” I said. “I need you to handle shit while I’m gone.”
Kenzo frowned. “Ducked off? Where you going?”
I took a breath.
“I’m moving Indie and her brother into my estate.”
Kenzo’s eyes widened, and for a moment, he just stared at me like I’d grown a second head.
“Nigga, what?” he said.
“You heard me.”
“Bro...” Kenzo shook his head, looking at me like he didn’t recognize me. “What the fuck is you doing? You said you was just fucking her, and now you moving her and that lil’ nigga into your crib like ya’ll ‘bout to be a family or some shit? The fuck?”
“Indie belongs to me,” I said. “And she needs to be at the main spot, not the crash pad. Word’s getting around about her. That shit gon’ put a target on her back. My spot secure. She gon’ be safe over there.”
“Mannnn. I know you ain’t gon’ listen to me no way, but I don’t know ‘bout this one, Stone. Plus, what about you?” Kenzo asked. “You safe?
“Of course, I’m safe,” I answered.
Kenzo continued. “I’m just saying, man. I can’t tell you what to do my nigga but this ain’t no small move. Shit is risky as fuck. You way past catching feelings, bro.”
I stared at him, my expression cold. “It is what it is, I’ll deal with it. There ain’t no other option,” I said.
Kenzo studied my face for a long moment, then finally nodded.
“Aight, bro. You grown,” he said. “If that’s what you want, I got your back. I’ll hold shit down while you gone.”
“Appreciate it.”
Kenzo shook his head again, a small smile playing on his lips.
“I never thought I’d see the day Stone Wright moved a woman into his house. She must got some magical pussy or something.”
I didn’t respond. Because he wasn’t wrong. Indie’s pussy was elite. But it was more than that. It was her. Everything about her.
“Just keep everything running smooth while I’m gone.”
“I got you,” Kenzo said.
I dapped him up one more time, then got back in my Mercedes.
As I drove away, I thought about what Kenzo had said. He was right. I was moving different. But it didn’t matter what Zo or anybody else thought.
Indie was mine, and I was gon’ do whatever it took to keep her. Even if it meant losing myself in the process.