I just didn't get them.
Not from Thorn, who just laughed.
Not from Wilder, who just glared.
And not from Piper, who just blushed.
I let it be. Matt was quiet, and my friend was safe and finding her happy. I could live with that.
I jump when a warm hand lands on my shoulder, looking away from the mountains I had been staring out at while I got lost in my thoughts, to see Thorn standing behind me.
"She's here, baby."
I give him a huge smile, turn to look at the stunning view one more time, and then head into the house with him holding my hand. Jim winds himself around my feet while I walk, making me look down at him and laugh, that is, until I hear Dwight hissing and throwing his evil attitude around. Not surprising, since sitting next to him on the couch is someone who looks just like his favorite human slave that he loves to torture. I keep my eyes on my ginger beast, getting an absurd amount of satisfaction when he volleys his cat glare back and forth between London and me, not sure what he's seeing.
"I think we broke your cat." London laughs softly.
"He was defective anyway," Thorn grumbles, walking us into the room. Thorn drops down into the lush chair near where London's sitting and pulls me onto his lap, his hand instantly moving to my stomach. Even with no signs of our baby, he is always touching my stomach when he's near me.
"How are you feeling?" I ask London, placing my hand over his.
She shrugs. "Physically, better. It's still sore, but I'm not taking the pain meds anymore, so that's something."
"And mentally?"
"Dr. Hart is helping with that. Thank you for getting me in with him."
"Lon," I whisper, leaning forward. This talk has been two weeks in the making, but when she called last night and asked if she could stop by, she mentioned that she and Dr. Hart had talked about her fears that I blamed her. I knew it was time to bring it up. "You know I don't blame you, not now. You were a victim. I'm not holding that against you, and you shouldn't hold it against yourself."
"I was weak. I was in over my head before I even realized I was drowning. I kept thinking that I would find a way out, but I never did."
"Not anymore, London. Not ever again. You saved me. Over and over. Now it's our turn to save you."
She wipes away her tears. Shaking her head and not understanding.
"I know you said you don't want to stay here. Thorn's got property in the mountains. We want you to move in there, get out of that house you lived in with him, and feel safe while you heal. You won't be alone. There's a guest house where he'll have one of his security guys stay to be near. Just in case, you need the reminder that you're safe now. For seven years, you saved me. It's my turn now. For as long as it takes."
"Ari," she whispers, looking behind me at Thorn. "I can't accept that."
"You will," Thorn, my bossy man, interjects.
A flash of spitfire shines through when she glares at him. "You know, you're really bossy."
I bounce in his lap when he laughs.
"Really bossy."
He laughs harder, and I can't help but smile too.
"You don't owe me anything, Ari. You know that, right?"
I pat Thorn's hand, letting him know I want up. He grumbles under his breath but releases me. I take the two short steps to the couch and drop down next to my sister. I take her hands, hold them in my own, and look her in the eye.
"I thought I lost you forever. I thought you hated me. Even before everything happened, I thought I would never have my sister back. I had no clue you were distancing yourself because he had been harming you for a year. You were stuck with a monster, and the whole time, I thought the worst of you. You might not think I owe you anything, but London, I owe you everything. You sacrificed so much for me, and because of that, I found him." I point at Thorn. "I have him, and he gave me this." I move both our hands to my stomach. "I owe you everything."
We embrace, both of us crying.
"If you keep making my girl cry, though, we might have to rethink a few things."
"Oh, hush." I laugh, grabbing a pillow and tossing it at his head.
"Family takes care of family, London. There's nowhere else that we would want you to be. I know you don't know me. I need to tell you, though, before everything that happened, I said some shit things to you, and I'm sorry for that. Need you to know how sorry I am."
She waves him off. "You might have said things, but you were protecting my sister. You showed me in one phone call that she was with someone worthy of her. That's not something to be sorry for."
I watch his throat move as he swallows. I know he's struggled with that, knowing just how deep London had been trapped and just playing the role her puppet master tortured her to do had only made him feel worse about that call he made to her.
"Nevertheless, I'm sorry for what I said. I wish I would have done more."
"Apology accepted. I don't want to hear anything else about it. There wasn't more you could have done, but Thorn, it worked out. We never bring it back up. Deal?"
"You going to be a sassy headache just like your sister?"
She looks at me, my heart swelling with happiness at having her--the sister I grew up thick as thieves with--back in my life.
"Probably worse." She laughs.
When Thorn's deep laughter mixes with London's, mine picking up and joining, my whole world rights itself and the last missing piece settles into place.
My heart wide-awake, full and bursting.
My sister back, healing and growing stronger every day.
The man who I live for, smiling at me with his heart in his eyes, giving me every dream I had thought was lost forever.
Our baby, safe and strong, growing inside my belly.
My heart wasn't unconscious anymore.
No.
Now it was beating for everything.
Simple as that
"I look like a whale."
Piper laughs, then proceeds to stuff another chip in her mouth. In the middle of Trend. Completely breaking the no food on the floor rule.
It's not like I can enforce it anyway. I laugh to myself, then pick up the burrito I had been craving all morning off the glass case at the register and stuff it in my mouth, moaning as I chew.
"It's really disturbing when you get all orgasm face over food. How much longer until He-Man's baby comes?"
I wipe my mouth, swallowing my bite. "One more month."
She looks down at my belly, her head tilting to the side. "If your belly gets any bigger, you're going to pop."
"Oh, shut up!"
"You should have seen her this morning when she was in the back running inventory on some new arrivals. The pen she was using fell off the table, and she spent a good ten minutes trying to pick it up. The best part was, when she had enough of trying, she went to grab a new pen, only to drop that one too."
I jerk my head to my sister and narrow my eyes. "You aren't supposed to share that! It was a low moment for me."
"Literally." London giggles.
I pretend to be annoyed, but seeing her laughing like this, almost carefree, is a great feeling. It's been a long road for her, but she's coming along, and she's not alone. I think when she started working at Trend, things really turned around. At least, that's when I noticed a change in her sadness. She might not ever be back to the girl she used to be, but she won't ever be without the support she didn't have for too long.
She was still at Thorn's house in the mountains. Not far away, only a short drive, but far enough that it's allowed her to find herself again. Well, start to, at least. Thorn's guy was still there, living in the guest house. I can't help the nagging feeling that something's going on with him and my sister, but for now, I'm not going to ask questions. She's happy, and that's all I need.
When Piper and London start chatting, I ignore them so I can finish my burrito. My mind running away from me.
All the people I loved the most were working hard to change.
r />
I was still seeing Dr. Hart, but we were only meeting once a month, and it felt more like me reading my journal out loud than therapy now. He helped me come to a point of acceptance and not feel guilty over what London had experienced. I'll probably always feel some of it, but I'll channel that in to helping London heal.
Thorn started going for his own sessions shortly after Thomas's attack at my old house. Not only did he feel a lot of guilt over not protecting me, but he also felt it from not following through with his gut feeling to keep an eye on the people who had caused harm to those he cares about. I can't imagine those sessions are fun. Between Thorn's bad habit of not liking to let others in to his personal thoughts and feelings and Dr. Hart's stubborn will to help others heal? I almost wish I could place bets on which will win before every session and watch from the sidelines.
Whatever happens each time he walks into that office is helping, though.
The biggest thing he was working on was letting go of a lot of the pain he had collected and carried around for years, which was all I could ever ask for. He did tell me that they had spent the past six sessions talking about the brother he had lost--Phoenix. It was an easy decision when we found out we were having a boy, who he would be named after. I wanted his brother's memory to be celebrated when Thorn brought his son into the world, no longer keeping him hidden and buried in painful memories.
Even though there had been ten years between them, Thorn had loved Phoenix and just wanted to be near him. With little else to do, the brothers grew close, and I knew the loss of him would never fade. The pain wouldn't cripple him anymore, though. Our son would give him some healing, I just knew it.
Piper started seeing Dr. Hart a few months after the attack. She's still struggling, but mainly because she's fighting off the attraction to one man while still trying to get over what Matt did to her. To be honest, I'm not even sure what's happening with Matt anymore, not since Wilder appointed himself Piper's bodyguard. He came around, but Wilder made sure he didn't come back. The last time I know about him coming around was four months ago. She asked me to stop asking about it, and I have. She's happy, and until I think otherwise, I'll respect her wishes. If there's something going on I need to worry about, Wilder would have told Thorn, and Thorn would have told me.
"Are you going to eat the wrapper, too?" Piper laughs.
"You know what? I'm not going to stand around here and be food shamed. I'm just giving my baby what my baby wants."
"What your baby wants is to end up like his He-Man daddy, that's what!"
"Oh, come on, Ari!" London giggles. "We're just joking. Plus, you can't help it that you've turned into a human garbage disposal."
I squint my eyes and glare. "I should have eaten you in the womb."
"You've certainly proved that you have the appetite to handle just about anything. Even the fetus of your sister in utero."
I toss my lunch trash at Piper, nailing her right in the head, and stomp waddle to my office. It really takes the steam out of a good attitude stomp when you're waddling, though. My feet scream at me while I move, the stupid flats I've been forced to wear since my belly gained its own zip code are the most uncomfortable things I've ever felt. I was born to wear heels. Just this morning, Thorn had to threaten me with no sex if I wore another pair of heels. I enjoy my heels, but I love sex with him a whole lot more.
I snatch my purse off my desk, leave everything where it was when I left to go have lunch with the girls at the register, and sneak out the back door before the food police catch me.
When I pull into the garage and see Thorn's bike in its spot, my grumpy attitude from Trend lifts instantly.
He's home.
I knew he had his session with Dr. Hart today, but when I asked him before leaving for work, he wasn't sure if he was going to be coming home before heading to The Alibi later.
But, this, I could work with.
I was waddle running the second my car door shut. Dwight, sensing his favorite toy is near, is sitting at the doorway when I open it. Right in the middle, making it impossible for me to step up into the house from the garage stairs. Not with this belly at least.
"Move, beast."
Of course, he hisses. I get a tail swish, but that's it.
"You see this?" I taunt, waving my cell phone. "Watch this, demon cat. I'm calling the vet. Kiss those balls bye-bye."
He really works on the next hiss. Puts his whole body into it.
However, he does move.
Dwight loves torturing me, but he loves his balls more.
I drop my purse on the kitchen island and head in search of my other two boys. Jim's developed a naughty little habit of hiding and jumping out at us. We laugh that it's his prank mode. It's sometimes scary just how much alike they are to the characters they're named after. Luckily, that isn't the case today. I'm pretty sure I would fall if he jumped out at me today; I'm that tired.
I find them both in Thorn's office. He's got his glasses on; something I didn't know he wore until I saw him working on his laptop for the first time. Now, if there was ever a version of Thorn that could beat the others without fail--it was when, at my request, he wore those glasses while I used my mouth to take him there. It was so hot. God, just remembering how he had gone from zero to sixty in seconds, losing control and taking me so hard I tingled between my legs for days, makes my panties get wet.
"You keep looking at me like that, and I won't give a shit that you haven't kissed me yet because I'll be fucking you."
I lick my lips.
Thorn growls, and Jim looks up from the nap he had been taking on Thorn's shoulder--his favorite spot since the very first day he clawed his way up there.
I also don't move from where I'm standing in the doorway because I've decided getting what he's offering sounds like a great plan. Well, that, and my feet really hurt.
"Ari," he warns.
"You know, your desk works for me. I wouldn't have to stand on my toes, pushing off our bed, while you took me from behind. You could just stay right there, let me stand between your legs, and just guide me in and let me bounce."
"Fucking hell, Ari!" he bursts out, tossing his glasses off and pushing away from his desk. Jim goes running the second Thorn moves the chair, not interested in finding out why his master is going insane. "Tell me you aren't wearing panties."
I lift a shoulder. "Find out, honey."
He rumbles his excitement, grinning down at me. "Around the desk, palms to the wood."
I give a little jump, beyond turned on.
He steps up behind me, his hands roaming over my huge belly. He doesn't stop until he finds what he's waiting for. The baby kicks his palm, and I look over my shoulder to see him standing there with his eyes closed, smiling huge. He doesn't move again until our son stops kicking his greeting against his palm. When the kicks stop, his eyes open again, and I see his love for me all over his face.
My dress is flipped over my bottom next, and I tremble when I hear the sound that leaves Thorn's lips when he sees that I'm not, in fact, wearing panties. Look, they're hard to deal with, and I'm as big as a house.
"You wet for me, baby? Or do you need me to eat this sweet pussy?"
"I'm soaked, honey. I ache for you. Please, fill me up."
His hand moves, the tips of his fingers grazing over my folds. He hisses in a breath. "Fucking drenched."
I hear his chair move, the weight of his body sitting, and I fight the urge to try to reach my clit around my huge belly. Thorn's hands rub up and down my legs, and I feel him move, jumping when his mouth kisses me right at the top of my thigh. When his nose presses against my wetness, and I hear him suck in a breath, I sway.
"Fucking sweet. Shuffle back and let me guide, baby."
I do what he says, moving my feet back the tiniest inch, waiting until he starts to lower me with the guiding hold of his hands on my hips. I feel his dick against my entrance, so I stop waiting and drop down on him. Every inch sheathed inside me.
It's been a few days since we had sex last, and I'm absolutely ravenous for him. I take over, rolling my hips, thrusting my body off and on him. The stretch and burn of my body taking his weight consumes me. I'm aware of nothing else in the room.
My cries get louder; the wet sounds of him moving inside me hit my ears.
"You know what I want, don't you?" he grunts, his words heavy with the desire I'm giving him. "Fucking, baby, this greedy pussy. You know what I want from you."
"I can't," I whine.
"You can. You will. I know I'm hitting that spot inside you, baby. My cock stretching you wide, tapping against where you want me the most each time you slam yourself on me. I just need to know if you need my hand between your legs or if you're going to soak my cock with your come with just me inside you alone?"
He tweaks my nipples, the jolt of electricity that zaps through my body driving me higher. He grabs both hands full of my boobs, tweaking, massaging, driving me up and up.
"Give me what I want, Ari." His hips power up from his seat. We're wild now. I can't even tell where I end, and he begins.
"Thorn!" I yell, giving him exactly what he wanted, and I feel the gush of my orgasm leaving with the burst of fluid that does, in fact, sound like it soaks him. He cusses, lifts off the chair until I have to stand on my toes and brace my hands on the desk. His hands go to my hips, traveling down each arm until he's lacing our fingers together. Then he takes me hard.
When I feel the last rough thrust, we both cry out. His forehead between my shoulder blades, his hands now supporting my body with a gentle hold on my hips. I lift my hand and push my hair out of my face, the bun from earlier destroyed by his hands.
Only, I stop short when I'm painfully slapped in the face with something blunt. Something that definitely wasn't there moments before. I pull my hand away from my face and see the huge diamond ring on my left ring finger.
"What the heck?" I gape.
Thorn laughs, his length falling from me, and I'm so hypnotized by the rock on my hand, I don't even move when our combined wetness starts dripping out of my body.
"Thorn, what did you do?" I question, so confused. I didn't even feel him put this on my hand. It must have been when he was holding both of my hands. Understandable since that was the same time he starting giving it to me wild and raw, just how I love it.
"Pretty obvious, don't you think?"