Chapter 36 Karina
Karina
It’s been a week since I told Vulcan I’m pregnant—a week of him spoiling me more than before.
Today, the pampering has been replaced by pure chaos.
The blaring of sirens cuts through our living room as Vulcan’s phone rings for the third time in an hour.
His face darkens as he listens, those strong shoulders tensing beneath his FDNY T-shirt.
“I have to go,” he says, already grabbing his keys. “Five-alarm fire at the Westside warehouse district. Multiple buildings involved.”
My heart slams against my ribs. “But you’re off duty today.”
“All hands on deck.” He crosses the room in two strides, cupping my face between his palms, and kisses me. “I’ll be safe, and I’ll call when I can.”
Before I can argue, he’s gone, the door slamming behind him.
I pace our apartment and practice some meditative breathing I read about in a pregnancy book.
The local news broadcast is showing massive plumes of black smoke billowing against the city skyline.
Reporters use words like “catastrophic” and “unprecedented.” And all the while, my phone buzzes with concerned texts from friends.
Three hours pass. Four. The baby and I need food, so I force myself to make a sandwich, though my stomach churns with anxiety.
When my phone finally rings, it’s not Vulcan but my mother—correction, my stepmother. She’s been calling me from unknown numbers since I blocked her.
I have to remind myself not to dwell on her relentless attempts to drag me back into her manipulative orbit.
Now that I know the truth, it’s clear she only wants me back in her life to use me.
For my money. My husband’s money. I turn my phone over, pressing it face down against the sofa.
I don’t have the mental capacity to deal with her.
My phone rings again and I pick it up, thinking it’s Vulcan, but it’s my aunt Maria. She has never called me before. I hope nothing happened to Nana Gia. That could be the only reason she would call. “Hello, Auntie Maria? Is everything okay? Is Nana okay?”
“I see you’re answering everyone but me and your brothers,” Gabriella hisses.
“I told you already: I’m through with you.” I let out a sigh of annoyance.
“Is that any way to speak to your mother?”
“You are not my mother.”
The line goes silent for a moment.
“Always so dramatic. But we both know you’ll come around. Family is family, after all.”
I tighten my grip on the phone, nails digging into the plastic casing. “Not this time, Gabriella. You said all you had to say that day. There is nothing else for us to talk about.”
“There is plenty for us to talk about. Let’s not forget I raised you.”
“And I paid you back tenfold. Even though I wouldn’t call what you did raising me. Yes, my father kept a roof over my head and food in my stomach. You, on the other hand, didn’t give two shits about me once the twins were born.”
“Yes, well, that may be. But we’re still a family. We need to stick together.”
“No, you need me to stick around because I’m your golden ticket,” I retort.
“I’m a respected doctor now. I’m a wife.
I’m not that little girl who couldn’t see through your facade.
I don’t need you anymore. Hell, I don’t think I ever needed you once Pa passed away.
I wanted a mother’s love, but news flash, I never got that from you. And I’m not looking for it now.”
“You always did have your father’s stubborn streak,” she says. “But mark my words, Karina, one day you’ll see that you need me.”
“I won’t—”
“And you’ve blocked your brothers’ numbers. Do you think it’s fair to them that you—”
“As long as you have your claws in them, I don’t want anything to do with them either. I’m protecting my peace, Gabriella. And you can let Aunt Maria know her number will be added to the block list thanks to you—”
“I should have gotten rid of you when I had the chance. You are so fucking ungrateful,” she snaps.
“This conversation is over. Don’t ever reach out to me again. Consider me as good as dead.” I try not to raise my voice, but she is getting under my skin. I still want to respect her because she is the only mother I know, even if she doesn’t see me as her daughter.
“You’ll regret this.”
“But if you call me again, I will make sure Vulcan sues you for breach of contract.” She probably didn’t know I knew about that clause.
“You wouldn’t dare.”
“Contact me again, and you’ll leave me no choice. Have a good life, Gabriella.”
The line goes dead, and my hands shake slightly from the adrenaline rush. The next time I pick up my phone, it’s Vulcan.
“Hey, babe,” Vulcan greets. “Everything’s fine over here, the fire’s under control. Are you okay? You sound strange.”
“Just dealing with some stuff.” I try to steady my voice, exhaling slowly. His voice shouldn’t be able to reach me the way a hug can, but it does.
“Do you want to talk about it?” he asks. “I heard from my wife that I’m a great listener.”
“Really? Then in that case. Yes, I think I do.” I pause, needing to know he’s really okay. “Are you hurt? The news said it was pretty bad. It looked bad.”
“Just a few scrapes and bruises. Nothing serious,” he assures me. “The building collapse wasn’t as bad as it looked from the outside. We got everyone out.”
The tension in my body releases all at once, leaving me weak with relief. “Thank God.” I clutch my phone like it’s a lifeline.
“Now, what’s going on with you?” he presses gently.
I slump onto the couch, tucking my feet beneath me, and close my eyes. “We can talk when you get home.”
“Oh, this must be serious. Should I stop and get you a gallon of chocolate milk?” Vulcan’s teasing draws a reluctant smile from me.
“Make it two.” I laugh, feeling some of the heaviness lift from my chest.
“Sounds like a plan.”
Vulcan makes it home with two gallons of chocolate milk, smelling like a barbecue. I rise from the couch to meet him at the door, taking the grocery bag from his hands. There’s a bandage on his forearm that makes my heart clench.
“You said just scrapes,” I say, gesturing to it.
“This? It’s nothing.” He shrugs, following me into the kitchen. “So, what’s this ‘stuff’ you’re dealing with?”
“Shower first, and then we can talk.” I put the milk into the fridge.
“How about you tell me while I take a shower?”
“Vulcan, we—”
“Come on.”
I sigh, knowing he won’t let this go. “Fine,” I concede, following him to the bathroom.
Vulcan strips off his shirt, wincing slightly as the fabric brushes against a purple bruise blooming across his ribs.
I perch on the closed toilet lid, watching steam fill the bathroom. “Gabriella called me.”
“Okay, go on.” He steps into the shower, leaving the door open. I watch as water cascades down the drain, turning slightly gray from the soot washing off his body.
“She still thinks I’m being dramatic. As if me feeling this way is some kind of phase,” I say, watching him suds up his body.
Vulcan turns to face me, soap suds sliding down his chest. I’m fighting with myself to not let my eyes drift down to his penis. “I can sue her if you want.” He tilts his head to the side.
I don’t answer, suddenly too distracted. Despite my best efforts, my eyes drift downward, taking in the full sight of him. Water trails down the defined muscles of his abdomen, following the dark line of hair that leads to his—
“You keep looking at me like that, you’re going to get dragged in here.”
“I’m allowed to look. Wife’s privileges,” I counter, forcing my gaze back to his face.
“You’re allowed to do a lot more than look.” He smirks, then his expression turns serious again. “So, what exactly do you want done. All she’s going to do is add on stress you don’t need.”
“I know.” I sigh, tipping my head back to look at the ceiling. “I just… I don’t know.”
“Strip and join me, for starters. Let me help you get some clarification.”
I hesitate, then stand and step out of my clothes. I sidle up next to him in the shower, my skin prickling at the sudden warmth. Vulcan’s eyes darken as he takes me in, his hands instantly finding my waist.
“There’s my girl,” he says, pulling me closer. Water streams between us as his lips find mine. I press against him, feeling the solid wall of his chest against my breasts, his growing arousal against my stomach.
“I thought you were going to give me clarification,” I whisper against his mouth.
“I am.” His hands slide down to cup my ass. “Clarity comes in many forms.”
When he kisses me again, I forget about Gabriella, about her demands and manipulation. I forget about everything except the feel of Vulcan’s hands on my skin, the taste of him on my tongue. His fingers trace the curve of my spine, making me shiver despite the hot water cascading over us.
“I love you and will protect you.” His palm spreads protectively over my stomach. “Both of you.”
I meet his gaze. “I just want her to leave us alone.”
Vulcan nods, his forehead resting against mine.
“Then that’s what we’ll do. I’ll have Minji send her a formal cease and desist. If she contacts you again with anything other than an apology, we escalate.
Just trust me with this, okay? I will make sure Gabriella will never bother you again unless you want her to. ”
“I trust you.” And I do. I trust him with my life. “I don’t want anything to do with her. I want to only focus on us and our family.”
“And what you want, I will always make happen.”
He spins me around, my back slamming into his chest, his hard cock pressing against the curve of my ass. I can feel every inch of him and I’m already so fucking wet. His hands slide down to the backs of my thighs, hoisting me up. My legs spread wide, and I drop my head back on his shoulder.
“Why do you always want to try the wildest positions when you’re in pain?”
“Because you are the medicine I need to make it all go away. And I won’t drop you.”
He slides his cock inside me, stretching me. I gasp, my body clenching around him as he fills me completely.
“Fuck,” he groans against my ear. “You feel so good.”
Water streams down our bodies as he holds me suspended, my back against his chest.
“You’re mine,” he rasps into my ear, his breath hot and ragged.
He begins to move, using his powerful arms to lift me up and down on his dick.
The sensation is overwhelming. The fullness, the angle, the water beating down on my hardened, sensitive nipples, and his hot breath against my neck.
My body tightens around him as he fucks me harder, and he knows exactly how to get me to the brink and keep me there.
My full breasts bounce with the force of his movements, and I reach a hand between my legs to circle my clit, desperate to find release.
I’m gasping for air, but it’s more than that—I’m gasping for him. “That’s it,” Vulcan moans, watching me over my shoulder. “I love when you touch yourself while I fuck you.” His voice alone could make me come. It’s a deep, rough rumble that vibrates through my back, sending goose bumps everywhere.
My nerves are on fire, every touch electric.
I work my fingers faster, matching his rhythm, feeling the buildup gather in a tight, desperate coil in my belly.
My breath comes in short, ragged bursts.
I can hear myself moaning louder with each thrust. Vulcan’s grip on my thighs tightens, and I lose myself in the sensation.
The heat, the water, his dick filling me over and over.
“My wife is strong, intelligent, so fucking sexy,” he growls, his pace becoming erratic as my inner walls begin to pulse around him.
“You are a force of nature. You are stronger than anyone I know. You are going to make a phenomenal mother, just like you are a phenomenal wife. Now repeat. Repeat every last word.”
“I am…” I gasp as he hits a spot so deep inside me that stars explode behind my eyelids.
“Strong… intelligent… sexy…” Fuck. “I am a force of nature,” I continue, my voice growing stronger even as my body trembles on the edge of release.
“Stronger than anyone… I’ll be a phenomenal mother… phenomenal wife…”
The last word barely leaves my lips before I’m coming undone, my body convulsing around him in waves so powerful I cry out. Vulcan groans, his forehead pressing against my shoulder as he follows me over the edge, pulsing inside me as the water continues to cascade over us both.
“And don’t you forget it. Don’t ever forget the woman you are. When others try to make you feel less than, you remember those words and you remember that I see you. I see all of you.” He finally puts me down and I quickly turn around in his arms.
I reach up to touch his face, my thumb tracing the strong line of his jaw. Water streams down his features, making him look wild and primordial, like some ancient god of fire who’s chosen to take human form. His eyes are so intense, so focused on me, that I almost have to look away. Almost.
“I love you,” I whisper. “I love you so fucking much.”
“I love you, too,” he murmurs against my hair.
We stay like that for a while, just holding each other under the shower spray until the water begins to cool. With reluctance, Vulcan reaches behind me to turn off the faucet.
“Now let me remind you again just how amazing you are.” He grabs a towel from the rack and wraps it around me before taking one for himself, then he takes my hand and guides me to our bed.
God, I really do believe everyone needs a Vulcan.