“I love you,” she whispers, her eyes closing. I know she’s half asleep and probably won’t remember saying it, but I will. I feel the same. I knew from the moment I saw her that she’s it—my boom.

I slide out of her, hating to lose that connection. My head falls forward when I realize I didn’t wear a condom. “Shit.”

“What’s wrong?” she asks, running a hand through my hair, down the back of my neck.

“Nothing, baby. Stay here; I’ll be right back.” I slide down the bed, kissing her stomach before going into the bathroom.

I turn on the hot water in the sink, grabbing a couple of washcloths and cleaning myself up quickly before walking back into the room. I take a second to appreciate her—her hair spread out across my pillow, her body glistening with sweat, her legs still slightly parted, showing off her pussy.

I walk to the side of the bed, trying to figure out exactly what I want to say to her. I f**ked up. She was a virgin, and chances are she’s not on the pill, but I can’t bring myself to be disappointed if she got pregnant. I want that. I know I’m clean; I get tested every couple of months. I got checked right after I met her.

Her eyes slightly open as I bend, placing the warm cloth between her legs.

“How you feeling?”

“Fine. Sleepy,” she replies with a small smile, her eyes heavy with sleep.

“You want a shirt?” I ask, knowing that she always sleeps in something. Someday, I will get her used to sleeping na**d, but not now.

“Yes, please.” She sits up, watching as I grab a shirt from the dresser for her, and a pair of boxers for myself, pulling them up on the way to the bed.

“I really hate covering you up,” I tell her, helping her into the shirt.

She laughs, flopping back onto the bed. “I’m so tired.” She yawns through her words.

“Well, sneaking out of the bed this morning before spending the day hiding from your man will do that to you.”

“I’m really sorry about that,” she says, her voice quiet and her eyes soft. “I hate that you were worried. I just didn’t know what to do. I feel like ever since I met you, I have wanted something I’ve never wanted before, and that scares me. I don’t know what I’m doing, and my head is all messed up. I just want to make sure I’m good enough for you.”

I know I’m looking at her like she’s crazy. Sophie’s not being good enough for me is laughable, but I can tell by the look on her face that she’s serious. I sit down on the side of the bed before pulling her around into my lap.

“You’re crazy, you know that?” I push the hair out of her face.

“Stop calling me that,” she snaps, slapping my arm.

“No, baby. If you think for one second that what you just said isn’t completely whacked, then you’re crazy.”

“I’m not. It’s true.”

“No, first of all, you’re way too good for someone like me, but I’m way too f**king selfish to let you go.”

“I’m not too good for you.” She shakes her head. “You’re too good for me. You make me feel safe, and that makes me worry. I don’t want to use you as a crutch.”

“Baby, when you’re in a relationship, it’s give and take. It’s only right that I make you feel safe, because you make me feel whole.”

“This seems like it’s moving really fast,” she whispers, laying her head on my shoulder.

“You have no idea what fast is. We have been together for a few months, and I’ve been going slow, wanting you to be comfortable. But like I told you yesterday, I’m done. I will make sure you’re happy, but I won’t let you continue to put things on hold just because you’re afraid.” I run my hand down her back and kiss the top of her head. “I need to tell you something.”

“Oh God.” She buries her face into my chest. “The last time you said that you needed to tell me something, you told me you had my background ran.”

“Are you on birth control?” I ask, ignoring her last remark.

“No,” she says quietly.

“I forgot the condom. I’m clean. I got checked right after we met.”

“I could still get pregnant,” she whispers.

“You could.” I pull her tighter against me. “I wouldn’t mind that.”

“I’m starting to think you’re the crazy one.” She looks up at me, shaking her head.

“I know what I want. I keep telling you this, baby, but you’re just not getting it. You are it for me.” I lean forward, kissing her forehead.

“How is it possible that you can scare me and make me feel safe at the same time?” she asks, looking up at me, her finger running across my bottom lip.

“I don’t know, Sophie, but I do know that what we have is good. No more running.” I run a finger down the center of her face.

“I won’t run again.” She yawns, cuddling closer to me. I bite back a smile, wondering how one chick can make me crazy happy then make me just plain crazy.

“All right. Let’s go to sleep.”

I settle her back on the bed before letting Daisy into the room. I climb in next to her, and Sophie shifts, her head going to my chest, her arm around my waist, and her leg over mine. I hear her light snore a few minutes after she relaxes. Daisy jumps up on the bed, pushing her way under the covers before settling in. I close my eyes and smile as an image of Sophie, round with my child, flashes through my head.

I know what I want. I always get what I want. And that’s the last thought in my head before I fall asleep.

Chapter 7

Sophie

I wake up when I hear a loud ringing. I’m so comfortable that I don’t want to open my eyes. I pull my leg higher over Nico’s hip, trying to let sleep take me away again. I can feel the slight ache between my thighs, and last night comes back to me, making me smile.

“What’s up, bro?” I hear Nico say right before I feel his lips at the top of my head and he slides out from under me. “Yeah, I was up late,” he tells the person on the phone. My eyes open, and I see that he’s leaving the room.

“Nico?”

“Just a second, baby. My brother’s on the phone,” he says, walking out of the room.

I get up and swing my legs over the side of the bed. “I’m going to get some water if that’s okay?” I say when I see him standing in the hall when I open the door.

“I’ll get you some. Go lay back down, baby. I’ll be right there,” he says, pulling my chin up and kissing me softly on the mouth before turning me back towards the bedroom. After a few minutes, he comes back in the room smiling at me. “Soon. She’s just starting to accept that she’s mine.” He laughs, handing me a glass of water.

“Maybe,” I say, smiling into the cup.

“You are. Do you need me to prove it again?” he asks.

I feel my face heat up, but between my legs starts to throb.

“Sure, man. I’ll call you soon,” he says into the phone before hanging up and tossing it on the nightstand. “Do we need to have another talk?” he asks, crawling across the bed to where I’m lying.

“No. No more talking.” I rub my legs together; the look on his face has my whole body primed.

I can’t believe I hadn’t had sex before. Sex is awesome, something I definitely want to do a lot more of. Then I remember his piercing and how it felt when he was inside me. I want to get a good look at it. I have never even seen anything like that before; it is strangely beautiful on his cock, and it fits him perfectly.

“You’re right. We don’t need to talk to have this conversation,” he states, his body coming over mine, caging me in.

His mouth takes mine in a deep kiss, and before I know it, my shirt is off and his mouth is on my breast, tugging at one of my nipples. I arch into him, dragging my nails down his back.

“Are you sore?” he asks, looking at me, his eyes dark.

“No.” I tell him a half-truth. I am a little tender, but nothing will stop me from wanting him again.

“Who does this beautiful body belong to, Sophie?” he asks, clamping down on my other nipple.

“Me,” I say with a smile.

“Wrong,” he growls, biting down on my nipple, causing me to cry out. “This is all mine.” His hand runs from my neck, down between by breasts, over the roundness of my stomach, to between my legs, cupping me there. “You see this?” His fingers wiggle between my legs then up and around my clit. “This is all mine.” His mouth opens on my neck before kissing up to my ear. “You’re mine, sweet Sophie.”

Two fingers plunge into me, causing my head to bend back and my h*ps to lift up. I don’t argue with him; it’s pointless. I’m his, just like he says I am. I love this man. As crazy as it is, I’m in love with him.

“That’s it. Come for me,” he says, his fingers moving more rapidly.

I do as he says and come with a cry, clinging to him as his h*ps move to between my legs, and with one thrust, he is inside me, making me yell out.

“Fuck, yes. This is mine,” he groans, pulling out before sinking back in.

My legs wrap around him, his mouth comes back down on mine, his tongue sweeps into my mouth, and then his teeth bite my bottom then top lip. It’s all too much. My body is overwhelmed by the feelings he’s causing. His h*ps roll again, his hands going under my ass and lifting it higher.

“I’m going to come,” I breathe into his mouth.

His breaths mix with mine as I feel myself clamp down around him. This time, the feelings consume me before we roll and I’m on top, looking down at him. His hands go to my hips, rocking me back and forth. I sit up, my hands going to his chest and our eyes locking.

“Fuck,” he groans. His head falls back as my h*ps roll and lift, hitting my g-spot every time I slide down.

I have no idea what I’m doing, but judging by the look on his face, I don’t think I’m doing it wrong. I sit back, my hands going to my breasts, trying to recreate the feeling he gives me when he sucks on my nipples. My eyes close, and I bite my lip, tugging hard.

“Jesus, baby.” My eyes open at the sound of his rough voice; I look down to see his eyes darken, his bottom lip between his teeth, and his muscles flexing. His h*ps start lifting up to meet mine. “Shit.” His thumb goes to my clit, sending me over the edge. I fall forward, my breathing erratic. I can feel him pulsing inside me, and I remember that we didn’t use a condom again.

“We didn’t use a condom,” I say, panting.

“Good,” he says, running his hand down my back.

“You can’t be serious,” I groan, rubbing my face against his chest.

“Deadly.” He holds me tighter. “You’re stuck with me.” I lift my head to look into his eyes. “I’m going to get you pregnant within the next couple of months. Hell, you could be pregnant right now.”

“You can’t just plan that. And I’m not pregnant.” I roll my eyes.

“Just did, and you never know. You could be carrying my son right now,” he mumbles against my mouth before kissing me again.

I know this isn’t normal, but it feels right. The image of a sweet baby boy goes through my head, and I can imagine Nico and his hard exterior being so gentle and sweet with a tiny baby. Knowing how he is with Daisy only makes me want to see the vision come to life. I pull my mouth away from his and lay my head against his chest. I must’ve fallen asleep, because the next thing I know, the doorbell is going off, causing me to jump.

“Someone’s at the door,” I mumble sleepily.

“I know. Let me up, baby,” Nico says, rolling us to the side.

I feel him slide out and can’t believe I slept with him inside me. Pulling the covers up over my shoulder, I watch as he goes to the dresser, pulls out a pair of sweats, and puts them on before leaving the room. Daisy makes her way out of the covers, scaring me half to death before she jumps off the bed to follow Nico. I roll to my back and lie there for a second. Then I remember that Nico left the room without a shirt and wonder if it’s Deb stopping by. Since I’ve been seeing Nico, that woman has stopped by at least three times under the ruse of needing something. I know that Nico isn’t interested in her, but for me, I can’t help but feel a little territorial where he’s concerned.

I get out of bed, find a shirt for him, and pull another one on over my head. It’s so long that it hits me just above my knees, so I figure I’m covered enough. I walk into the living room and see Nico in the kitchen with his hip against the counter and a cup of coffee in his hand. Another guy is there with him; his back is to me, but he’s big—even a little bigger than Nico. I pause where the hardwood floors start when Nico’s head turns my way and our eyes lock. I feel nervous seeing this other guy in the kitchen, and not knowing who he is makes my hands begin to sweat and the need to run take over.

“Come here, Sophie,” Nico says, his eyes watching me closely.

I swallow hard, trying to fight my own fears, trusting Nico to take care of me. The guy in the kitchen has turned his head and is now watching me, and I tug at the bottom of Nico’s shirt I put on.

“Sophie,” Nico repeats, and I look at him and see that he has stepped away from the counter. “This is my cousin, Kenton. Remember you saw him with me when the guy was trying to break into your house?”

His cousin. This guy is part of his family. I take a breath then let it out. “Yeah, hi. Nice to meet you,” I say, smiling shyly at him as I wipe my sweaty palms off on the shirt.