Chapter 31
Audrey
I t feels like a dream.
It’s quiet and surreal, but it is happening. For the first time in what feels like forever, I am no longer haunted by demons from my past.
My father caved in to Jason’s demands. What other choice did he have? I’m in the clear. My brothers and father will spend the next few days back in the hospital to continue their recovery, during which time their lieutenants will start sending memos across the whole of New York and Chicago.
I am not to be touched.
That is the first decree, and it seems like the Abramovic Bratva has already accepted that condition for a ceasefire. They will be pissed when they eventually find out that the Fedorovs have purchased properties in Chicago, but they won’t be able to do anything about it. Jason made sure to inform the Feds about the deal as well. That way, neither the Abramovic nor the Fedorov clans will be able to do anything dirty on said properties unless they wish to unleash some apocalypse-grade RICO operation that would ultimately end them both.
I’ll give my man credit; he played his cards well and then some.
We’re back in Chicago, back at Jason’s penthouse. Rita has also been given the green light to return. She and Lily will be joining us by Friday. We have the place all to ourselves until then, and there’s a lot of catching up to do on so many levels.
A long, hot shower later, I find myself sitting comfortably at the dinner table before a delicious array of Italian food that Jason had delivered from one of his favorite restaurants. The TV is on in the den, the news chiming about recent developments in the investigation concerning the Abramovic Bratva. We’re both watching with renewed interest as they confirm that the rifle used to kill Arkady has yet to be found.
“I’m sorry you had to do that,” I tell him. “I know I’ve said it before, but—”
“It’s okay, Audrey. I’ll live with it. It may sound callous as hell, but I will sleep soundly, knowing that Arkady can’t hurt you anymore,” he replies, twirling pasta onto his fork. “I will also enjoy this food, finish this bottle of wine, and welcome every day that comes after with a smile on my face and a kick in my heels because we’re together, and nobody will ever trouble us again.”
“Are you sure?” I ask, doubt finding a way to mess with me as usual. “I mean, how confident are we that my father will stick to the terms of your deal and that he won’t find a way to screw me over?”
“Vitaly and Anton are both watching him like hawks,” he says. “The old man has been relegated to family functions and auxiliary votes for non-urgent situations only. He’s got an army of bodyguards that will keep him indoors if he insists on being a dick about it. Gardening and reading are all he’s good for. They even took his phone away.”
“You’re kidding,” I gasp, my eyes widening with surprise.
“I am not,” he chuckles dryly. “Something changed at that restaurant, Audrey. As bad as it sounds, I think that getting shot is the best thing that could’ve happened to Anton and Vitaly. It’s as if they both snapped out of it and realized that it was time to force things into a different and better direction, with or without the old man’s consent. They came into their own power the moment they almost lost their lives. And it makes sense. To me, anyway.”
I shake my head slowly. “I still can’t believe it, though. I am actually free, aren’t I?”
“It’s weird, isn’t it?”
“A little, yeah. I’m used to constantly looking over my shoulder.” I let out a sigh. “It’s kind of sad, giving up The Emerald apartment, to be honest. But I would rather eat coal than live anywhere owned by my father.”
“It’s one of the reasons why I accepted his request to take The Emerald. In his mind, I think he figured he’d still retain some form of control over you.”
“That’s foolish. He, of all people, should know I’d sell in a heartbeat under those conditions.”
“It doesn’t stop him from trying. The man is desperate for control, even when he’s not thinking clearly. But it no longer matters,” Jason replies, adding more ravioli to my plate. “You need to eat more, baby. There’s a bun in that beautiful oven of yours.”
My cheeks burn hot, a smile curling my lips. “Always taking care of me.”
“And I always will,” he says, his brow slightly furrowed. “Good God, woman, you’re the love of my life. You’re my soulmate. I went to hell and back for you. And right now, you’re carrying our child. There’s nothing I won’t do… hold on, have some of this, too,” he pauses to transfer several slices of fresh mozzarella cheese next to my pasta.
I can’t stop myself from giggling. “You’re trying to fatten me up. Stuff me like a Thanksgiving turkey, huh?”
“Honestly, you’re a goddess at any size as far as I’m concerned, but I have to say, I can’t wait to see that baby bump on you,” he admits, reaching across the table to lovingly caress my face. “You look beautiful, by the way.”
“Thank you.”
“Relief looks good on you.”
I am relieved. I can breathe. For the first time since I came to Chicago, I can actually take a deep breath and let it all out without fear. It’s a peculiar sensation, but it’s one that I will gladly get used to.
As the evening falls over Chicago’s red skyline, I take in the glimmering city lights against the crimson sunset, a dash of gold stretching along the distant horizon. Just above, stars twinkle timidly as the moon rises lazily from the east.
Below, rivers of taillights pour through the city, people making their way up and down the roads, rushing to get home, to unwind and pop open a bottle of wine, to forget about the day they’ve had, and to welcome the night’s soothing embrace.
The agitation of the past few days withers away, and I feel soft, almost limp, as I come out of the bathroom. The promise of a luxurious bed and the arms of my lover puts a smile on my lips, and as I walk into the bedroom, I find Jason standing by the window, buck naked in the semi-darkness of the night, gazing out in silence.
“I’m a tad overdressed, I see,” I mumble, hidden beneath a pink satin robe.
Slowly, he turns around, the view of his chiseled buttocks replaced by a ravenous glower of one hell of an erection. My man is hard, waiting for me. I can only lick my lips as I approach him, closing the distance between us and losing my robe along the way.
“Fucking hell, Audrey, you look exquisite in this light,” Jason says, his voice low and sexy, his lips parting slowly as I reach him.
My nipples tingle under his attention, but it’s my mouth he goes for first.
He’s hungry, and so am I.
“I’ve missed you,” I whisper in between kisses before his tongue slips past and steals my words altogether. I love the taste of him. His dominant scent fills me to the brim and toys with my senses. The room is suddenly hot, my skin too tight, and my core ignited as Jason cups my breasts and squeezes, kneading them while his thumbs flick over my nipples.
He trails kisses down the side of my neck. “I’m never letting you out of my sight again,” he groans softly, then playfully bites into my shoulder.
My hands wander, fingertips recording every inch of him. His sculpted pecs, the ropes of ab muscles, the inward dip of his hips. His cock, a magnificent sight in need of both my hands together to fully grasp it.
Instinctively, I get down on my knees and look up at him. Desire burns brightly in his eyes while a droplet of precum glistens on the tip of his erection. I lick it, welcoming the taste of him on my tongue. He twitches in my hands, and I suck him off—slowly, at first—just to get reacquainted with his girth.
But then I loosen my jaw and relax the back of my throat, letting him slide down and deep.
“Get up,” he commands me, and I’m giddy with excitement. “You’re up to no good tonight, Audrey. I’m not going to go easy on you just because we almost died again.”
“Oh, no, baby, if anything, I need you to go hard on me. The hardest you’ve ever gone,” I reply.
Jason turns me around and hugs me from behind, his lips tickling my ear while his heart thuds against mine. “Are you sure, my love?” he asks.
“I’m aching for you. Yes, please, a thousand times, yes.” I moan and touch my breasts, fully aware of how much it turns him on.
“Fucking hell, woman,” he gasps and pushes me closer to the bed. “Bend over, then.”
Smiling like the devil, I do as I’m told. With my legs apart, I bend forward and hold on to the edge of the bed, feeling Jason’s undivided attention scanning my body. His fingers explore my curves, tracing the lines of my spine and my hips.
I yelp when he smacks my ass. The delicious sting spreads through my buttock and sends heatwaves across my senses, setting my very soul on fire.
“Harder?” Jason asks.
“Yes, sir.”
Again, he slaps my right cheek, and I damn near come in response, my pussy clenching as I struggle to stay on my feet. But then his tongue slides through my dripping wet folds, and a ragged moan escapes my throat. Damn, I won’t last long at this pace. Energy gathers inside my core, balling into a veritable bomb. He won’t need much to blow me apart.
He licks my pussy mercilessly. His lips close around my clit, and for the longest minute, he suckles on it, harder and harder as he listens to my panting and threaded moans, as his fingers dig into my flesh, spreading my buttocks so he can go to town.
“Don’t stop, baby, I beg you…” I manage as his tongue is pressed against my clit.
I feel the climax quickly arriving. I fall over the edge of the world as he eats my pussy into a frenzy. I come hard, crying out in scattered syllables, my body rippling outward like an exploding sun. Everything turns white, and I can’t see a thing. But I feel everything as Jason gets up and positions himself at my entrance.
His rock-hard cock tests me, and the tip glazed in my coursing arousal. He thrusts in, and I hold my breath, once again astonished by his gigantic size. I feel the veins along his shaft twitching inside me, my pussy instantly reacting as I wrap myself around him.
“I could do this and only this, forever,” he whispers, then slowly pulls back.
“Don’t leave me,” I moan.
He rams into me. Hard. Swift. Decisive. Unyielding. I welcome the sweet sting of his invasion, a rhythm building up between us. “I can’t leave you,” Jason growls. “But I want to feel you, all of you. Touch yourself. Make yourself come.”
“All over you?”
“All over me, darling.”
The tension builds.
Sweat drips down our naked bodies. The sound of skin slapping skin with every movement. Jason’s animalistic grunts as he grows bigger and harder inside me, as he claims me once again, and as he consumes me. I’m reduced to splinters of what I once was, surrendering completely, abandoning myself into his decadent feast.
He slaps my ass hard and fucks me like there’s no tomorrow. It hurts so good as I apply more pressure to my swollen, tender nub. My breasts bounce joyfully as I come undone, screaming in sheer ecstasy while he shoots his seed deep inside of me. I hold him tight in my core, feeling him exploding, pulsating, melting within me.
Our bodies become one.
Our souls are forever bound.
It’s our first night together since the nightmare ended. Jason kisses my cheek, breathing heavily as he holds me close. I come down from the clouds and open my eyes, realizing that it’s not just our first night together since the nightmare ended. It’s the first night of what is surely to be the rest of our lives.
This is what I’ve always dreamed of. Intense and passionate lovemaking. My best friend and protector is holding me close. My lover is bringing out the woman in me, over and over, until I can’t even get out of bed anymore. My man runs his fingers through my hair as we plan for our future together.
“You’re not just carrying my child in here,” Jason says, his hand gently caressing my belly. We haven’t moved from this position. I can feel him getting hard again while still inside of me. Moaning softly, I clench my pussy again just to get him riled up, and it works quickly, wonderfully. Before long, he’s gliding in and out of me again, simply picking up where we left off. “You’re carrying our future here, our lives. You’re carrying love, Audrey. Our love.”
“Our love …” I repeat after him.
I am carrying our love. This child is proof that we belong together. That this was meant to be. And as the night unfolds and wraps itself around us, as Jason takes me away from reality, and we delve deep into the dark, hot recesses of our simmering romance, I welcome everything that the future holds.