15. Carmine
Carmine
Noa has been home for a week now, taking care of herself, the baby, and the kids. She’s settled into her life here at my home more smoothly than I ever imagined after hurting her with the ambulance debacle. I’ll make up for that for the rest of my life, even if she’s forgiven me.
Joey opens up more and more. Emma latches onto me the minute I enter a room, and Kylie, that girl, sweet as can be, but boy, has she turned into a little tyrant.
Bossing everyone around, assuring that her mom and siblings are taken care of.
Even going so far as to demand that I give Noa foot massages every night because she saw it in a movie.
Now, I’m not saying she’s wrong, or right for that matter, but I hadn’t expected to be living my life at the direction of a six-year-old. Joey snickers every time I give in too. The little shit just loves the way those girls get away with everything.
I have a tough time saying no to them, knowing the life they’ve had. Noa tells me I need to stop spoiling them so much. I beg to differ. Today, she’s gone shopping with Aura and Odette while the kids are in school, buying things for the baby’s nursery.
While they spend a small fortune, because that’s what I told my daughters to do, Jermaine and I meet Holy at the warehouse, while Malice keeps an eye on the girls.
After Vincent’s men showed up at my home, pointing a weapon at my woman, I’m leaving nothing to chance.
Not that those men lived to tell the tale.
I put a bullet in each of their heads before they could beg for their lives.
Holy unlocks the warehouse door where Vincent has spent the week tied to a chair. Offered one bottle of water a day and two pieces of buttered bread to stay alive. The man went too far, carving into my pregnant, soon-to-be wife.
“Vincent.” My booming voice startles him awake from his position in the middle of the building. “How are you?”
He sneers at me, spitting on the ground as I walk closer. “How do you think?”
Holding out a hand, I am passed a bottle of water from one of the men we had watching him.
“Everyone out.” No one needs to be here for this next part.
Dragging one of the chairs over, I sit a foot in front of Vincent.
My shirt sleeves already rolled up, and I twist the cap off the water, offering it to him.
He’s skeptical at first, but his need wins out, and he nods.
Pouring some into his mouth, I wait for him to swallow before asking, “Better?”
He grunts. “What the fuck do you want?”
“Do you think I don’t know what you did?” Blessedly, a plastic surgeon worked on the wound and is confident that, with time and healing, the scar will go unnoticed.
“What I did? What about what you did? Planting drugs in my car and home?” He chortles. “Too bad for you, I got a judge on my payroll.”
I file that tidbit away for later because that man is now on my shit list, too.
“That’s too bad for both of you,” I tsk, pulling out a pocketknife that my father gave me when I was eight. The blade is razor sharp, gleaming in the warehouse light. Gently drawing the tip along the top of his thighs to cut off his cheap dress pants, he bites back a whimper as I expose flesh.
Squinting down at his pale flesh, a booming laugh erupts. “Do you wax, Vincent?” He has less hair than a pre-pubescent boy.
Flushing red with embarrassment, Vincent turns away, muttering under his breath.
“I suppose it really doesn’t matter. You’ll bleed out with or without the hair.
” There’s no masking my amusement. “I bet you’ll squeal like a little pig, too.
” Before he can react, I dig the tip of the blade into his thigh, carving out his own initials into each limb.
He sweats, he cries, curses, and begs, but I have no remorse for anyone who targets a pregnant woman in an already vulnerable state.
“Why are you doing this?” Tears, drool, and blood from biting himself slide off his jaw and onto his stained white shirt when I finish.
“I thought I was clear when I warned you to stay away from Noa and her children. Apparently, I wasn’t, and now you’ll simply pay the price.
” Reaching forward, I rip open his shirt, buttons pop and fly across the room.
Vincent sucks in a sharp breath, and when he’s about to scream, I slap a hand across his mouth.
“One peep, and I’ll go after your child, your wife, and the cute little mistress in Jersey. We clear?”
He nods, and I release him. “You’re going to kill me for hurting your woman, but you're threatening my family? What a fucking joke.”
“The difference…” I glide the blade down his chest, bare as a baby's bottom again, and slice off a nipple. His piercing scream echoes around the warehouse. There’s something to be said about a blade as sharp as a scalpel.
“I’m threatening to get you to do as I please.
As long as they’re innocent, I won’t touch them. ”
Swiftly swinging my hand across his chest, I take the other nipple, and he wails again. This time, Jermaine enters the warehouse to check on the fun he’s missing.
“Feeling a little left out,” Jer says, crossing his arms behind Vincent, a pout on his lips.
Tossing him the knife, I retort, “I’m bored anyway. He cries too much.” Staring my friend in the eyes, I explain my wishes. “Finish him off and spread his body parts up and down the river.”
Vincent bawls, begging and pleading for us not to kill him.
His shrieks are ignored as I exit and accept the cleansing wipes from Holy as the door slams behind me. “Nice day,” he remarks, his eyes directed at the clear blue sky, sun shining bright.
“Indeed. Might take the kids to the park after school.” It’s something they did frequently before I barged into their lives.
“Kind of surprised you haven’t had one constructed in the backyard yet.” Holy chuckles as I walk to my vehicle.
“Don’t think I haven’t thought about it. Noa would be annoyed at me for spoiling them like that, though.” Those kids would love a treehouse, and Emma and Kylie would enjoy a spot for tea parties, too.
“You’ll do it anyway. You always do.” He’s not wrong.
“How’s Della?” I haven’t seen her in a minute, and I suspect it’s due to her depression over having trouble conceiving.
“She’s hanging on. Made plans to spend a weekend with CJ soon.” The two girls have been good friends most of their lives, so I’m never surprised to hear about them spending time together.
“Make sure this mess is cleaned up before you guys leave.”
Holy confirms that he will, and just as I sit in my car, my phone dings with a message from Noa, saying that she’s home and the girls have left.
Perfect.
I have a ring in my pocket that needs placement on her finger, and the best way to do that is to distract her with sex first.
* * *
A delivery truck leaves the estate as I pull up, and Becky stays in the doorway when she spots me. “Your girls can be quite the bullies.” She wags her finger at me with a huge grin on her face.
“How so?” I leave my SUV out front so we’re able to get the kids in an hour and rush up the front steps.
“Had that girl stressed out and in tears because they bought so damn much.” Becky doesn’t appear to mind too much.
Frowning, I’m confused. “That’s what I wanted.”
“Yes, well, our dear Noa has never had the opportunity to shop like that a day in her life. She needed the push, but she’s worried you’re going to be angry about the expense.”
“That won’t happen.”
“Your job to convince Noa of that,” Becky laughs while walking towards the kitchen. “Joey has requested burgers and curly fries for dinner. Any issue?”
I shake my head when she glances back while I shut the front door. The woman wouldn’t care, even if I had any.
Taking the stairs two at a time, I find Noa in the nursery—which is the room next to ours—staring in awe and horror.
There are boxes labeled crib, changing table, dresser, rocking chair, closet storage, and bags upon bags of baby stuff.
Then there’s the mountain of diapers in various sizes along one wall.
“Did you get everything we’ll need?” She jumps at my question, spinning with tears in her eyes. “Why are you crying, mama?” Approaching her like a skittish gazelle, she brings her hands up to cover her mouth. “Talk to me, Noa.”
“It’s just so much.” Her eyes lift to mine, tears shining bright on her long, thick lashes. “And it cost so much.”
“Was it what you wanted?” She nods slowly.
“Good. That’s what I instructed my girls.
” She narrows her eyes at me now. Cupping her shoulders, I cuddle her into my body, loving how her belly bumps my growing erection as our child rests safely inside her.
“I told the girls to get everything you wanted and what they thought we’d need.
Even if we only use it once. Don’t think this is the only child we’re having, mama.
Anything we don’t use now, I’m sure we’ll use later. ”
Her tears finally clear up at my proclamation. “You’re awfully cocky about that.”
Casually shrugging my shoulders, I reply, “I know what I want, Noa, and there’s no doubt that it’s you, this baby…more babies…and your kids.”
“You can’t know that,” she argues.
Growling in frustration, I scoop her up and carry her to our bedroom. “You really need to stop questioning me on what it is that I want.”
Dropping her on the bed, she bounces twice while giving me a pout. “I don’t know how to accept kindness like this.”
I press my fists into the soft mattress beside her hips and lean over her, forcing her to fall on her back.
“You keep forgetting this is my child, too, mama. I’m going to spoil him every bit as much as our other kids.
” She frowns. Slipping a knee between her legs, I posture myself over her body, arms resting on either side of her head, and meet her gaze.
“Mama, just as soon as you have my last name, I’m adopting those kids.
Until then, I’ll still spoil them like they’re mine. ”
Her eyes go wide with shock, her mouth gaping, and I can see her pulse racing in her throat while her heart pounds against my chest.
“This is so fast.” Reaching down, I fish the ring from my pocket and slip it on her finger. She’s confused at first until she looks down at the princess-cut diamond, the size of a small rock, set on a gold band that encircles her finger perfectly. “You didn’t ask,” she whispers.
“I don’t intend to. It’s happening. You choose the date, the details, big or small, anything you want, so long as it happens this year.”
Noa can’t stop staring at the ring, so I use the distraction to strip off her clothes and then mine.
“Oh!” she mewls. Fuck, she’s adorable, and shocked when I pick her up and sit her on my dick as I rest back against the headboard. “It’s deeper like this. How is that possible?” Her eyes glaze over, and her body does whatever it likes as she moves sensually on top of me. “Carmine, oh god, so good.”
I grin, pulling her in closer and wrapping my lips around a nipple while one hand snakes up her back and the other trails down her ass, pressing her body into each gyration as her walls ripple around my thick cock. Dragging the pleasure from me like a lifeline.
“You feel so fucking good, mama.”
Noa slinks her arms around my head, holding me to her chest as I treat each sensitive breast with love.
Sucking, licking, kissing, and biting her until she erupts, crying out while hauling me with her.
Pleasure shuttles up my spine and spills into her welcoming heat, setting us both ablaze as we fly high and come crashing down, out of breath and nearly ready to go again.
“You know I love you, right, mama?”
She hums and leans her head against my shoulder as I lie us down on our sides.
“I love you too, Carmine. More than I ever thought possible.”
Taking her lips in a sensual kiss, my dick begins to grow again, and she sighs, rolling over and pressing her ass against me.
I slip into her waiting heat, and we make love until it’s time to get the kids from school. It’s mundane and normal and the perfect way to start our lives together.