“And you’re with my daughter?”
“Yes.”
“Is she happy?” he asks quietly, hopefully.
“Very,” I tell him.
His eyes search my face. “Take care of her,” he chokes out before hanging up the phone and standing. He leaves me sitting there in shock.
I still know nothing about who’s after Sophie, but I do know that her dad loves her, and now I have to figure out if I should tell Sophie about him.
“Fuck,” I grumble out before hanging up the phone and getting the fuck out of there.
*~*~*
Sophie
“Girl, you know I don’t do the whole ‘white meat’ thing, but that man of yours is seriously fine. I mean F-I-N-E,” Maggie says, throwing herself down on the bed next to me.
“I know.” I smile.
“I’ve never seen you this happy.”
“I’ve never been this happy before. He makes everything okay. With him, I feel safe, like I can explore or just be me and know he will watch over me.”
“Yeah, I saw that. He’s kinda scary,” Maggie says quietly.
“He told me he doesn’t have to be nice to anyone but me,” I tell her, watching her eyes widen.
“Wow.” Her head turns towards me, her lips parting slightly.
“You know, when I first met you, I wondered how the hell this little ol’ white girl was gonna make it in the world if she couldn’t even be around a group of people without freaking out. Then you surprised me by never giving up. Yes, you did freak the hell out every time, but you never quit trying. You’re one of the strongest people I know, Sophie. So yes, that man will probably kill anyone who ever tries to harm you, but your strength is internal,” she says, and I start to cry immediately.
“Don’t mind me. This baby has me all messed up,” I say before thinking. No one knows I’m pregnant. Well, no one except Kenton, Nico’s friend Leo, the EMTs, and a whole bunch of cops. Okay…so a lot of people know I’m pregnant.
“Did you just say what I think you said?” I squeeze my eyes closed and shake my head. “You did! You just said, and I quote, ‘Don’t mind me. This baby has me all messed up.’”
“Um…”
“Holy mother of God! Sophie Jean Grates, you’re pregnant!” Maggie yells as she climbs up to stand on the bed. “You’re pregnant and you weren’t going to tell me?” She starts to jump up and down, and just like that, my stomach flips, I stand up and run to the bathroom, and proceed to get rid of my breakfast and lunch. “Oh shit, I’m so sorry! I didn’t even think.”
I feel a cool, wet washcloth run across my forehead. “It’s fine. Just the whole jumping-on-the-bed thing was a little much,” I say, flushing the toilet before taking the washcloth out of her hand and bringing it to my mouth.
“Why the hell were you jumping on the bed?” I hear growled.
Maggie and I look at each other in shock before turning our heads to the open bathroom door.
“Seriously, babe. You have a hard-enough time keeping food down as it is, so tell me why the hell you would feel the need to jump on the bed,” Nico demands, walking into the bathroom.
He is so hot that I have to look at Maggie and see if it’s just me who is affected by him. Nope. The look on her face says that he does it for all women. Today, he has on jeans, boots, and a black Henley with the neck unbuttoned, showing off his tattoos. The area between my legs starts to tingle just from looking at him. I watch as he gets out my toothbrush before putting some toothpaste on it and setting it on the side of the sink. Then he walks over to where I’m still sitting on the floor, picks me up, and places my butt on the bathroom counter.
“You said you were only going to be gone a couple hours,” I complain right away. He has been gone for the last six hours. I try to avoid pouting out my bottom lip like a two-year-old who’s not getting her way.
“I know. I got held up. Now open,” he instructs, and I do before I realize what he’s doing.
“I can brush my own teeth,” I grumble, pulling the brush from his hand to clean my own teeth, and shake my head at him.
“No more jumping on the bed, okay?” he prompts. He looks really worried, and I don’t think it’s from seeing me sick.
“Are you okay?” I ask, searching his face.
“I hate seeing you sick.”
“She wasn’t jumping.” Maggie laughs, looking between us. “I… Well, she slipped up about the baby, and I was excited, so I started jumping on the bed.”
I watch as Nico’s eyes start to narrow, and I pull his face towards me. “Maggie is my friend. I don’t care what you say about not having to be nice to your friends, but you treat mine like you treat me. Got it?” I say, waving my toothbrush around, foam flying everywhere.
“I don’t like you getting sick.”
“Well, then you shouldn’t have gotten me pregnant.”
“I like you pregnant.” His eyes go soft before he runs his hand along my stomach like he often does. I smile then realize I probably look like an idiot with my mouth full of foam and a big cheesy smile on my face.
“You guys kinda make me want to vomit,” Maggie says, making me laugh.
*~*~*
I look across the room at Nico, who has his head tilted towards Devon. They’re both standing next to the bar wearing suits, and each has a glass of what looks like scotch in their hands. Whatever they’re talking about looks really serious.
“What’s that about?” Maggie asks, coming to stand next to me.
“No clue.” I shrug, not taking my eyes off the guys.
“Well, Nico has Devon’s seal of approval.”
“Really?” I ask, finally looking at Maggie, who looks beautiful in her wedding dress. The creamy color against her dark skin is stunning.
I look back at the guys, thinking how much the two men are alike. Devon is one of the hardest people to get along with. His childhood made him into an adult who doesn’t easily trust, yet he always sees the glass as half full. He is also very protective of those he cares about; he is a lot like Nico in that aspect. He is one of the first people who made me feel safe. I knew when we were in Job Corps together that Devon would hurt anyone who even thought about messing with Maggie or me.
“Really. I guess they have a mutual friend, and Devon said he heard about Nico Mayson a long time ago.”
“Seriously?” I whisper, this time in shock. Tennessee and Seattle are really far apart. Knowing that someone in Seattle heard about Nico makes me a lot more curious about his job.
“Yep. Seems your man has made a name for himself.”
“I knew he was good, but wow,” I breathe, my heart filling with pride.
I look over at Nico and Devon again, seeing that they both have their heads turned towards Maggie and me. Nico’s eyes travel from my head to my toes, and I can see the hunger in his eyes. I have the urge to pull him into the bathroom.
“So how does it feel to be married?” I ask, turning back to Maggie.
“No different, I guess.” She shrugs her bare shoulder. “You know, we’ve been living together so long we may as well have been husband and wife already. This is just a piece of paper that says we’re married.”
“I can’t wait to have that piece of paper,” I mumble under my breath.
Yes, I’m living with Nico, and yes, I’m pregnant with his child, but I want his last name. I want his ring on my finger, and I want mine on his. I really wanted it after the one night I was looking at all his tattoos and he told me why he didn’t have one on his left ring finger when he has them on all the others.
“When we get married, I’m gonna tattoo your name there,” he said, and I felt my heartbeat double-time at his words. I want my name on him. I love that idea, but I want him to wear a wedding band as well.
“Do you know the history of the wedding ring?” I asked him, tracing the empty space between his knuckles.
“No. Tell me.”
“In ancient times, the circle was the symbol of eternity, no beg
inning or end. The hole in the center of the ring also had significance. It wasn’t just considered a space, but rather a door leading to things and events for the couple. When an Egyptian man gave his woman a ring, it signified his never-ending love. Later, when the tradition was adopted by the Romans, the ring symbolized ownership. They also believed the ring should be worn on the left ring finger because they thought there was a vein in that finger, referred to as the ‘Vena Amoris,’ or the ‘Vein of Love,’ that was said to be directly connected to the heart.”
“How do you know that?” he whispered.
My eyes met his, which were warm and soft. “I read it somewhere.” I shrugged like it wasn’t a big deal. I had been fascinated by that little piece of gold on my mom’s finger since I was a little girl.
“Now tell me the truth about how you knew that,” he said, running his hand over my hair.
I sighed, loving and hating how he could read me so easily. “When I was little, I used to play with my mom’s wedding band on her finger. I remember always being curious about what it meant. I knew it meant forever. I just wanted to know why. So one day, my mom took me to the library, and we found this old book about the history of the wedding band. The first ones were made out of grass then later out of ivory or wood, depending on your wealth. But no matter what they were made from, the meaning was always the same.”
“Jesus,” he growled, flipping me onto my back, and before I had a second to think about what was going on, he was inside me.
“Sophie? Sophie?”
“Wh…what?” I ask, snapping out of the memory.
“Wow, that man must have it going on if you can stand in a room full of people and still be with him somewhere else.”
“It wasn’t that.” I blush, lowering my eyes.
“Uh-hummm. Whatever you say, girl, but I know that look anywhere. Hell, I plan on wearing that look later tonight.”
“What are you to talkin’ about?” Devon asks, walking up and putting his arm around Maggie’s waist as Nico does the same around mine.
“Girl talk, and you know we can’t tell you.”
“You and Sophie’s girl talks always mean trouble,” Devon says with a smirk. “Man, you gotta watch out for these two. They’ve always been nothing but trouble.”
“That’s a lie.” I laugh. “You were always trying to get us in trouble.”
“I’m a cop. I take offense to that.”
“Whatever.” I roll my eyes and shake my head.
Devon was always trying to talk us into doing things we weren’t supposed to. Job Corps was very strict; we weren’t allowed to leave the grounds unless you had earned it. We had a curfew and other rules as well, and he was always breaking them and dragging us along with him.
“Sophie loved the drama.” Maggie smiles.
“Anyways, are you excited to go to the Bahamas?” I ask, changing the subject.
“Yes! Two weeks of beautiful beaches and sun. I love Seattle, but I hate that it rains all the time. It will be nice to get out of town,” Maggie says, leaning deeper into Devon’s side, smiling up at him. It used to make me jealous watching them, but now I have that kind of love for myself.
‘That’s one thing I don’t miss. I love Tennessee,” I tell them, feeling Nico’s fingers flex on my hip.
“We’ll come visit after you have the baby,” Maggie states, and Devon looks at me, his eyes getting big. Crap.
“You pregnant, Sophie?”
“Yes,” I say quietly.
“How did this happen?”
“Well, you see, when a man and—” I start flippantly.
“Cut the crap. You gonna marry our girl?” Devon asks, glaring at Nico. Nico—being Nico—glares back at him, putting his arm around my shoulders.
“You really want to ask about that at your wedding?” Nico asks.
“Hell yes. Everyone in this room loves Sophie, and no one here will be happy to know she’s pregnant with no ring on her finger.”
“That so?” Nico asks, looking around at the people in the room, who have all started to watch us.
I can feel my cheeks heating up. I know Devon thinks of me as family, but this is crazy.
“Devon, please sto—” I start, but suddenly Nico gets down on one knee in front of me. “What are you doing?” I whisper, watching as he pulls a small, turquoise box from inside his suit jacket.
“I knew from the moment I saw you that I would do everything within in my power to make myself worthy of you. I was going through life one day at a time, and then you came along and gave me a reason to plan for tomorrow. Every second, every minute, and every day, I will prove to be a better man, a man worthy of you, a man who will love you the same way you love me—for who I am, not what others see me as. I promise to love and protect you until my last breath, Sophie Jean Grates. Will you marry me, baby?” he asks, pulling a diamond solitaire ring from the hinged case in his hand, dropping the box on the floor, and pulling my hand towards him.
Before I can even think or he can get the ring on my finger, I tackle him. “Yes.” I push him backwards, climbing on top of him and kissing him all over his face. “Yes,” I repeat, holding his face between my hands and looking into his eyes. “I love you, Nico Mayson.”
“I love you too, baby.” He slides his hands through my hair, pulling my face down to his. Loud applause fills the room, and I feel myself turning red as he kisses me again, only to pull away and whisper against my lips, “Let’s get off the floor, crazy girl.”
I nod and climb off of him, fixing my dress. As soon as were both up, he slides the ring on my finger, pulling it to his mouth and kissing it then kissing me.
“I love you, girl,” Maggie says, pulling me into a tight hug.
“I love you too. I can’t believe he asked me in front of everyone,” I say, still in shock.
“We knew yesterday,” she tells me then moves to Nico before I can ask her what she meant.
Devon holds his arms open to me; I automatically go to him, wrapping my arms around his waist.
“You did good,” he whispers before kissing the top of my head. I nod, feeling tears filling my eyes. “I know you understand what you got in our girl, man; just take care of her,” Devon says over the top of my head before turning me around and handing me off to Nico.
“You happy, baby?” Nico asks, bending down to kiss my forehead.
“Yes,” I tell him, tilting my head back to get a kiss.
When his mouth leaves mine, I hold my hand up to his chest, looking at my ring. This is what my mom had with my dad; even if she only had it for a short time, I know this is what she felt.
“I love this dress,” Nico says from behind me later that night as his fingers run across my bare shoulders, making me shiver, “but I really love what’s under this dress.” He kisses my neck.
I feel his fingers on my zipper as he begins to pull it down. My breathing picks up as my dress starts to fall from around me. His hands go to the back clasps of my bra and it falls to the floor.
“Put your hands around my neck,” he says against my neck as my hands go over my head and behind his neck. His hands run over my hips and up my stomach before cupping my breasts in his big hands. “I want to try something with you. Will you let me?” I nod. There is nothing I wouldn’t try with him. “Tell me.”
“Yes!” I cry out as he tugs on both of my nipples at the same time. Since becoming pregnant, my breasts have become extra sensitive, and I swear they are directly connected to my clit now.
“Lie on the bed on your back and close your eyes.”
I step out of his embrace and walk to the bed, where I climb on, wearing nothing but a pair of pale-yellow lacy boy shorts that match my bra and dress perfectly. I lie on my back, feeling the wetness between my legs with every movement. I get comfortable and close my eyes, but I can’t help but to peek at what he’s doing—not that I can see anything. His back is to me, and his shirt is now off.
“Close your eyes. You peek again and I won’t do
what I’ve got planned.”
I slam my eyes closed and feel my pulse start to race in excitement. I hear some clinking, the shuffle of feet on the carpet, and then the bed depresses next to me.
“Tell me you want this.” I nod, clenching my fists. “I need you to say the words out loud, Sophie,” he says, running a finger from the bottom of my foot to my inner thigh.
“I want this,” I tell him.
“Good. Lift your hands over your head.”
I take a second but do as he says, and then I feel something smooth wrap around my right wrist then my left. They’re drawn together and lifted higher, and I automatically tug my hands and feel that they’re tied to the headboard.
“Oh shit,” I moan. I know he’s joked about this, but I never thought it would really happen.
“Relax.” I feel his fingers run from where my arms are joined, down one, and then along my side and under each breast. “I have imagined this over and over again.”
I feel the bed depress. Then his hands travel from my ankles, spreading my legs wider as they travel up my knees, pulling my legs apart. His body comes over mine, his tongue licks over one nipple then the other, and then his hand at my side leaves and I hear clinking again.
Suddenly, the cold feel of an ice cube is circled around my right nipple then the left, causing my nipples to become even harder. I grit my teeth then cry out as the ice cube travels down my stomach, around my belly button, and then over the lace that is covering me.
“I need to cool you down, baby. You’re really hot down here,” he says, but then the ice is gone and I hear some kind of metal-on-metal sound.
I scream when my nipple is pinched, and not by fingers, causing my eyes to fly open as I look down.
“Eyes closed,” he growls, making me wetter.
I close my eyes and squeak when he treats my other nipple to the same treatment as the first. The image in my head is strangely beautiful. He’s attached small, golden clamps to my nipples. I can feel the pressure, but it’s odd, because at the same time, I can feel the connection from the clamp to my clit like a live wire.
“Perfect.” This time, his mouth comes down on mine, his teeth biting my lip, drawing my tongue out to play with his. His mouth travels down under my chin, between my breasts, and around my belly, and then I feel him sit away from me as his hands slide under my ass, pulling my panties down then off. His hands come under me again, lifting my ass of the bed.