Chapter 19
Chapter Nineteen
Joaquin
I think we’re about to take a nap. Instead, Tre says the unexpected. Seems to be the rule of the day. I don’t know how many more surprises my nervous system can take when my pregnant girlfriend’s involved.
“Tristano, Rocco, Dante, and Edmondo are not who I want to think about right now.”
“I know, but they’ll find out who did this. I trust them to tell us the whole truth. I can’t say that for my uncles or even my dad.”
“Why would they be honest? They’d defy their fathers?”
“For me, yes.”
“Help me understand. Why would they?”
“Each of them owes me something big. I can’t divulge what, but I’m ready to cash in.”
“And Tristano?”
“I trust my brother the most, but he’s the least likely to agree. It’s not because I hold nothing over his head. I know more of his secrets than he realizes. He’s the least likely to trust you because I’m his little sister.”
“How will you convince your cousins to help you if your brother refuses?”
Tre hesitates. I’m already dreading talking to any Vizzini, so this makes it worse.
“Steven.”
My cousin-in-law.
Normally, my family doesn’t think in terms of in-laws, but I didn’t grow up with Steven.
I barely know him. We’d met before Tía Elle married into the family, but I’d never spoken to him.
We’d been guards at sit downs when our respective leaders met.
After Tía Elle became part of the family, I got to know him.
I like him, but I don’t love the idea of discussing my pregnant girlfriend’s safety with a guy she used to sleep with.
It’s irrational since I didn’t expect her to be a virgin, and they haven’t been together in a decade.
I know she’s had partners since him, but it’s primordial male territorial instinct.
“How’s he going to convince them?”
“He’s family too. I know it sounds absolutely horrible to say I dated my third cousin, but we’re as genetically linked as two strangers with similar backgrounds. We share less than one percent DNA overlap. It’s not inbreeding or incest.”
“Easy, chica. I know. Pablo’s a biologist and chemist. He’s always found genetics fascinating.
Since we’re cousins and look so much alike, he wanted to understand how all the Diaz genes seem to be dominant.
When we were in high school, he did a huge project on it.
I helped him sort through photos from both sides of his family and both sides of mine.
We went back to the early nineteen hundreds and the earliest photos of our families we could find.
Even though similar characteristics were passed down, not every Diaz looked the same.
It’s how I wound up understanding the various levels of cousins and how rare it is for so many generations of one family to pass along that many dominant traits.
The Kutsenkos, Mancinellis, and O’Rourkes must have similar genetics because of how much they all look alike within their families. ”
Her relief is clear. She didn’t want me to think the worst of her. She nods before continuing.
“Steven’s always been the calmest of the bunch.
His brothers haven’t been sucked into the family business the way he was.
Elle ensured that, but there was no way none of her sons would serve.
Their father’s a senior capo, so at least one had to carry on the family tradition.
Steven’s just far enough removed from Uncle Tommaso, Uncle Santi, and Dad that the pressure isn’t the same as it is for Tristano and my cousins.
Since the stakes aren’t the same, the demand for machismo and measuring dicks isn’t there.
He was a friend before he was my boyfriend, and he remained a friend even after we broke up.
He won’t be thrilled I’m with you, but he’ll be happy I found someone who makes me feel—whole. ”
She hesitates. I don’t know if she was looking for the right word or was embarrassed to admit her feelings.
“You make me feel the same way.”
“How is that possible, Joaco? We barely know each other.”
I know she’s still confused because a couple weeks as a real couple isn’t that long to get to know someone.
But we’ve been inseparable when I’ve been in town.
We’ve talked about everything under the sun.
Once we got past our misunderstandings, we realized we clicked just like we did the night we met.
“You know me better than anyone outside my family, Tre. Fate. Destiny. Cosmic forces. I?—”
“Wait. I thought those things at the brunch. That they were why I was in the same house as you, tormented that you were close yet so far away… I might have also blamed the devil.”
She grins as she looks up at me, clearly meaning me at the end. I’m the devil. I gaze into her eyes, and I don’t know or care what brought us together. I just know I should thank them.
“Why is anyone attracted to a particular person more than anyone else? I can’t explain how couples know they should be together rather than with other people. Instinct perhaps. I just know you’re my person, chiquita.”
“You’re my person too, Daddy.”
I never imagined that would be my thing.
I like my sex rough and kinky, but I’ve never been into age play.
That’s not what Tre and I have. I’m certain most people wouldn’t understand.
That they’d be repelled by the term of endearment, but I’m not interested in being her father.
Sure, I want to be the person who takes care of her, protects her, provides whatever she needs and wants.
I want to be her safe haven. She wants those things too.
She wants to let me see her vulnerability.
Let down her guard when she clings to it so tightly around everyone else.
I don’t want to scold her or teach her. That’s why it feels right for both of us.
“It’s late now. You need to sleep, chica. We can talk to them in the morning.”
“Will you stay beside me?”
“I didn’t plan to get up.”
She cups my jaw and strains to kiss me. We press our bodies together, and suddenly neither of us is sleepy.
She runs her palm over my cock, and I wish I’d kept those damn scrubs on.
She pulls my belt loose as my hand skims up the back of her uninjured thigh and cups her bare ass.
She unfastens my pants and pulls down the zipper.
Then her hand is cupping the base of my cock as her fingers slide over my balls.
My boxer briefs’ waistband traps her hand, and I pray she never pulls it out.
“Holy fuck, Tre.”
“Like that?”
“You know I do.”
My cock twitches as confirmation. She draws her nails along the underside of my dick before sweeping one fingertip around the head. I close my eyes, reveling in the moment.
Then she wraps her hand around it and strokes.
“Fuck, little one. You’re going to make me come already.”
“Good, Daddy.”
There’s a teasing lilt to her voice, making me look down at her upturned face. Desire fills her gaze, but she offers me a soft smile.
“God, you’re beautiful, Tre. I want to spend the rest of time staring at you. It’ll never be long enough.”
The words tumble out of my mouth, and I mean all of them. She hasn’t told me to leave, and she’s spoken of the future too. But I fear all this focus on the future will be too much for her after the danger we faced this morning. That she’ll come to her senses.
“Joaco, relax. I don’t know what you’re worrying about, but you just got super tense. Am I doing it wrong?”
“If you do it any more right, you’ll give me a heart attack. I’m trying not to come.”
“You’re trying not to worry about something. Just enjoy this, please. Let me do something for you.”
I don’t want to ruin the moment. I stroke her ass and hip as her hand works my cock. Kissing her clears my mind. She’s all I can think about, and it’s not out of panic.
It’s pure fucking bliss.
“I want to be inside you, Tre. I want to feel your pussy sucking me in.”
“I want to feel how full you make me. I want your cum trapped inside me. I want to know I made you come.”
“Only you, chica.”
“Only you, Daddy.”
If we weren’t in a hospital and the doctor hadn’t hinted we should abstain, we’d be fucking right now.
No, not fucking.
Making love.
What I want with her right now transcends physical pleasure. I want a melding of the minds and souls, not just our bodies.
My hips rock against her as I squeeze her ass once more before trailing my fingers over her belly and up to her tits. I brush my thumb over her puckered nipple until I can tweak it.
“Is it too tender?”
“No. It feels amazing.”
I knead the mound in my hand before pinching and lightly tugging her nipple. I go back and forth until her breath brushes against my throat with each moan. It causes me to shiver, and my cock pulses.
“I’m going to come.”
“I wish I could go down on you and swallow you.”
The image that conjures pushes me over the edge.
I pull her hospital gown above her waist, and she aims my cock at her belly.
My cum sprays across her middle. She pulls back enough to see the evidence that she got me off—way faster than I wanted.
I wanted to enjoy the pleasure longer, and I didn’t want to be a two-pump chump. But she got me way too worked up.
She trails her finger through the cum then licks it.
I watch her, and I’m ready to go again. But I see a wave of fatigue wash over her face, and I know she fights a yawn.
I wipe her belly with her gown before tucking myself back into my pants.
I’m certain a nurse will be in here soon to check her vitals.
I pull the covers up and try to get as comfortable as I can on the cramped bed.