The meeting didn’t go smoothly. That rollercoaster ride was bumpy, rough, and took more coaxing than we’d originally expected.
It took a week of ironing out details. I updated Brey and Vick, letting them know I was pregnant. Vick called and left a voicemail saying I needed to immediately call her back. She knew I wouldn’t. Brey’s call I answered. We didn’t talk long, and she probably heard the stress in my voice because she didn’t pry.
The big players were informed, but Ivan didn’t help at all. Thankfully, Maksim and Luka had pull. Others had signed the contracts and were already seeing the financial benefits of working with the Stonewoods and the Armanellis.
I knew we’d have those that rebelled. Bastian had already dealt with a unit within his family. He’d made an example out of them. And I’d been informed of two of my men plotting against my reign. Rome wanted to sneak into their homes in the middle of the night and torture them. His overprotective nature overpowered his sanity sometimes.
“We’re not doing that,” I told him. “I’ve got Maksim and Cade working together on it. Everything will be fine.”
“Damn, it’s weird to think of those two working together. For any of us to be working with the bratva is something. Remember, though, sometimes logical ways don’t work, woman,” Rome said, his hand sliding around my thigh as I put my hair up in front of the long mirror near my bed in the penthouse. He still sat there, rumpled from a night of fucking me into satiation.
That was a feat at this point. My drive to have him had increased daily, probably from being pregnant. Or having him near me all the time.
He did little things. Rubbing my feet while we talked on the couch. Bringing me water while I talked on the phone for hours on end about the details of this damn merging.
When he saw my fatigue, he took the phone away from me. I fought him for it, but he was a tattooed bear of a man.
He cared for me like only he could.
Which was why I was getting ready to go out. “I’m not going to worry about it. I’ve got shopping to do, right?”
He groaned, but he’d been the one to bring up the fact that we still hadn’t gone. “I guess I’ve got to get you something to wear to cover these, huh? We haven’t gone shopping yet.” He stood up and slid his hands under my shirt to grab my boobs.
“They’re getting out of control,” I mumbled, looking at him in the mirror, wrapped around me.
“My dick is out of control looking at them. You need baggier clothes. Or less cut-up tops.”
“Or maybe we just embrace that I’m going to be huge everywhere.”
“I’m okay embracing that. I want to see it.” I felt his length growing against my ass. “I’m counting the days ‘til it happens. I just don’t want anyone else seeing it. So let’s move your ass.”
He smacked it and walked away. I almost whimpered because I wanted to get lucky before we went anywhere. Or maybe we didn’t have to go at all. The idea of draping a big bag over my body because it was going to be ginormous left a bad taste in my mouth.
“Get your mind out of the gutter, Kate-Bait.” He glared back at me. “We’re getting you some damn maternity clothes.”
Fuck me. “Are you just going to wear what you wore last night?” I eyed his naked chest and abs. His clothes were balled up in the corner of my room, definitely wrinkled.
“I’ll go grab a shirt downstairs,” he mumbled, almost to himself, but I heard him, way too loud and clear.
“Downstairs? Like to your own place or…”
He immediately glanced everywhere but my face.
“Rome, are you fucking living under me?”
Instead of showing any remorse, he crossed his massive arms over his chest and stood there like a damn Adonis in his briefs. “Your security was shit.”
“How long?”
“How long what?” His jaw ticked because he knew exactly what I was asking.
“How long have you been a freaking stalker?”
“I’ve been stalking you since the day I met you, Katalina. It’s never going to stop. I have a sick fetish that I’m somewhat proud of at this point. And I’m never going to allow my queen and my baby to be at risk.”
“You’re fucking crazy.”
“As are you,” he shot back and I couldn’t even hide the smile. He stalked toward me and pulled me into him to devour my mouth.
God, would the zap I felt every time he connected with me ever dull?
He told me to meet him at the front of the building. I got ready quickly, and then we drove to a boutique that Rome claimed was perfect for security purposes. On the way there, I told him he had to get rid of his apartment.
“Does that mean I can move in with you?” He fluttered his long eyelashes at me in jest.
I rolled my eyes at his out-of-character playfulness. “It’s probably a little fast for—”
“I’ve known you since you were barely a teenager.”
“True, but—”
“You have our baby in your belly.”
“Okay, I know that but—”
“I’m going to fuck you every night for the rest of your life. No one else.”
“Rome, now that is—”
“The truth.” He gripped my thigh, pressed the button that raised the partition so his driver wouldn’t witness his hand sliding up to cup my pussy. I practically cried out when his fingers rubbed back and forth. “This here is mine. Forever and ever. ‘Til death do us part. Want a ring so I can move in?”
I’m sure my eyes bulged. “Are you seriously insane?”
“I’m efficient.” He leaned in and licked my neck, literally licked it like I was his favorite piece of candy. “I intend to get to that point anyway. We could skip to it.”
“No. I don’t even know if I like you being around, let alone living with me.”
“You will.” He chuckled into my collarbone, and then he grabbed me by the hips and pulled me into his lap.
“We have to go get this baby freaking clothes, Rome.”
“I have to make this baby’s momma happy before we do so that I can move in with her.” His hand slid up to my jeans button and I let him unsnap them. I wasn’t fooling anyone. I wanted his fingers on me. He slid my panties to the side and took my ball of nerves in between his thumb and middle finger. He pinched and rolled in an intoxicating rhythm as he sucked on my neck. “How wet do you have to be to say yes to moving in together?”
“This is fucking blackmail,” I moaned and rolled my hips into his hand.
“It’s just a reminder, baby. A reminder of who calls the shots between you and me.”
“Pretty sure that’s me,” I panted.
His stare grew dark, possessive, and controlling. Rome liked me pushing his boundaries, I knew from the way he smiled like I’d just handed him a prize. He stopped what he was doing and grabbed my hips to flip me onto my stomach. I was over his lap like a child. He shoved my panties and jeans down just enough that my ass cheeks were at his mercy.
He slapped them.
Hard. So hard that I wondered if the driver heard it and my yelp after.
“What the fuck, Rome?” I asked, but it came out as a purr.
“Who owns this?” His fingers went to my slit, so wet now, he would have been able to slide his fingers in without a problem.
I whimpered, my head in the seat.
It wasn’t the direct answer he wanted. He smacked my ass again, and I couldn’t hold back the moan. “You think you own it, or is this pussy mine?”
“Rome…” I breathed out, wiggling in his lap, trying to get his fingers to slide into me rather than back and forth over me.
I felt him shift, his hard length pressing into my stomach. Then suddenly, his teeth bit down on my ass cheek, most definitely leaving marks. His hand gripped my skin there, plumping it up so that he could take all the bites he wanted. “This ass, this pussy, this little virgin hole”—his thumb pushed where I knew I’d never let a man enter—“they’re all mine.”
I tried to push myself up to respond, but his arm bore down on me. “Rome—”
“Tell me they’re mine. And tell me we’re moving in together so I can reward you instead of punish you.”
His thumb was working my ass, and his fingers were sliding back and forth over me, just hovering at the entrance. I couldn’t hold out if I tried. “I’m yours, you wicked fucker. You can move in. Now, give me my reward.”
His fingers shifted, his thumb went deeper, and he held me down as I arched and rolled. I clawed at the car seat and hit a high faster than I was proud of.
I climbed on top of him and took what I wanted, or maybe he took what he wanted as he met me thrust for thrust.
After we rearranged our clothing and straightened our appearances, he mumbled to me, “Stonewoods might be coming.”
“As in Brey and Vick?” I glared at him. That meant acknowledging the ‘mommy club’ side of having a baby. I’d avoided it. I hadn’t seen them since the news of the baby, and even speaking to Brey on the phone had been a strain. Fortunately, like a good friend, she was quick to back off. Vick wouldn’t be able to do that, though.
I sighed and texted them to confirm they would be coming.
When we walked in, I was a little taken aback by the lux décor and the pastel colors of the clothing.
“You’re pregnant!” Vick squealed so loud that everyone in the boutique winced and the saleslady jumped. She barreled in through the glass doors ahead of Brey, Jax, and Jett.
Everyone exchanged hugs and handshakes as I mumbled for Vick to keep it down, but the woman was vibrating with so much excitement, I swear she looked like a high-maintenance chihuahua shaking over having its first treat.
No one was calming her down. Jett stood back with Jax and Rome, all of them in suits, not really wanting a part of our conversation for the next hour.
I wanted no part of it either, quite frankly.
“Neither of you had to come,” I mumbled as I picked at one of the pieces in the store. The clothing was made of silk, all pastels and bright shades, and the price tags were gold colored, no doubt representing how much each piece would cost.
“Of course we did,” Brey responded and nudged my shoulder. “The guys thought it would be good to start here. For security purposes, right?”
She caught me scrunching my nose and I didn’t even care. “Not for me, that’s for sure. You both wear these kinds of outfits, but I don’t.”
Brey side-eyed me and looked down at her attire. It was a flowy white top with black pants. She wore green earrings that made her eyes pop, but that was it. “I’m going to go with no comment.”
We both glanced at Vick who was energetically throwing clothes over her arm. “We can try on all these outfits! We’ll have to add some extra color, but the material is perfect. You’re going to—”
“I’ll fit in them for two weeks. I’m shopping for maternity clothes.” I pointed at the pyramid of clothing draped over her shoulder. “Those will fit me for two days.”
“You’re tiny. I don’t think you’ll pop in the first trimester.” She turned to Brey, her eyes razor sharp with determination. “When did you start showing?”
“Probably five months.”
“How far along are you, Katie?” Vick was like an investigator for a top crime show.
“They think eleven weeks now,” I answered. “But I’m not here to shop for—”
“You’re the queen of the bratva now. Let us spend the money.”
“You’re married to Jett Stonewood, Vick. You’ve been spending money like it grows on trees for a while now.”
“Not true.” She turned to Jett. “We keep a tight budget, don’t we, babe?”
“Pix, you have every piece of clothing from every boutique in this city. I don’t know what budget you’re talking about.”
“Excuse me, you told me the sky’s the limit for some, but not us. That’s what you said.” She smirked at him.
He rolled his eyes. “That’s our company’s motto.”
“Well”—she shrugged and stared at us like an innocent, wide-eyed doe in her Tiffany blue designer dress—“shouldn’t we try to live by your company’s standards?”
The stars in his ocean blue eyes and the smirk that people rarely saw from the CEO had one of the salesladies sighing.
I rolled my eyes instead. “I’m not wearing anything over your shoulder.”
Rome ambled over to me, and his eyes trailed up and down my body. I felt the heat in his stare as he took in my attire. All black, cut at the sleeves, ripped dark jeans, and lettering across my chest that said “I’m not interested.”
“New store, Kate-Bait?”
“I don’t know why we’re here in the first place.”
“We needed to establish security. They’re in place up and down the streets now. And”—he turned to the saleslady—“she needs new stilettos with some support and comfort.”
“Not possible,” Brey, Vick, and I mumbled at the same time.
The saleslady wasn’t paying attention to anything he really said, though. Her gaze had focused on his mouth, his full lips, his straight teeth, and that dark stare that held most women hostage. “I’ll call the owner. We can get a custom shoe made. I’m happy to assist in any way I can.”
“She’s happy to assist, all right,” Vick mumbled, but she couldn’t have whispered even if she was in that movie where they had to be quiet the whole time in order to survive.
The saleslady returned only a few seconds later, and her walk was catlike, trying to lure every one of our men in the store to look at her. If it hadn’t been for me, she’d have sunk her claws into Rome the second he walked in. She placed her hand on his forearm when she got close enough to him, like I wasn’t there.
Or like I was trash.
She thought that because I wore clothes that were beneath her boutique and didn’t perk up at the silk on her hangers, I could be ignored. She thought that because I checked the price tags, I didn’t have the money to spare on them.
She leaned in close to Rome, and I saw his jaw tick as he crossed his arms. “Could I have your number, please? The owner will call you with the designer on the line to see exactly what’s—”
I held up my hand to stop him from responding. He wanted her attention about as much as I wanted her giving it. But I got to handle this confrontation; I wanted it. “I need the shoes. Would you like my number?”
“Your number?” she squeaked, like she’d forgotten all about me. “Oh, I think it’s better if the owner talks to the one who’s buying.”
I narrowed my eyes. “You think I’m not buying my own shit?”
Rome draped his arm around my shoulder. “Don’t disrespect my woman. Call the owner and give me the phone.”
She glanced around, her hand now a little shaky, but she dialed the number. “Yes, hi. A customer would like to speak with you.” She nodded and then handed over the phone.
Rome turned with me toward the door and exchanged smirks with the Stonewoods. We still had anonymity. They didn’t. They knew what was about to happen, though.
“It’s Rome.” His voice rumbled into the phone. “I didn’t think it was necessary to let you know I was coming in.”
He paused. “Next time I will. My girl needs shoes and she only wears stilettos and combat boots.”
“I wear flats sometimes.” I never really did. Not anymore. It was either combat boots or stilettos now. Probably boots for the rest of my pregnancy.
“What size?” Rome asked me.
“Size 7.”
“She likes red bottoms. I have a few more requests, so tell your designer to call me.”
He waited again, and I figured the owner was telling him to go to hell. No one was getting that designer on the phone. We all knew who he was.
“Of course I know who he is. Tell him who I am and have him call me. She needs boots too, ones that go up her leg to hide the ratty socks she wears underneath.”
I smiled at his ridiculous request. When he hung up, he handed the phone to the woman whose eyes were now wide with fear. “Thank you for your customer service today.”
Vick glared at her. “We will never be back.”
Brey sighed and hooked her arm into Jax’s as we left the store.
Walking down the busy avenue suddenly felt different. People moved out of my way like they knew I carried a dangerous weapon. They leaned in to each other and whispered when they saw us. But it wasn’t the Stonewood men attracting the attention this time. It wasn’t the Stonewoods a girl turned and snapped a photo of.
It was me.
“Does everyone know something I don’t?”
“The shop assistant probably alerted social media that the Stonewoods were out. And that we were too.”
“No one knows who I am…”
“They’re starting to, Katalina. Chicago’s starting to realize you’re their queen. You’re about to feel their fear, their love, and their respect for you all at the same time. This city is intelligent, and it’s alive with the determination to amount to something more. They’ll kneel for you as long as you feed that determination.”
I rubbed my hand over my belly, a habit I was quickly adopting. “I have to do that for them and for who I’m growing inside me.”
“And you’ll do it like a ruler should. Remember, you’re Cleopatra, huh?” His finger brushed at the side chain of my necklace.
I took a deep breath in. “You believe in me more than I believe in myself. More than the bratva and more than the Armanelli Family. You might want to take that as a sign that you’re not thinking straight.”
“I take it as a sign that I’m still the best at my job. I know what people are about to do before they even do it. It’s what keeps us safe.”
I stopped on the sidewalk and let the Stonewoods keep walking on ahead of us. I turned Rome to face me, and people fanned out around us as they passed. Looking into his dark eyes, I saw a love deep enough to kill sound and movement around me. The world melted away, faded into the darkness, was muted out by the man in front of me. He didn’t expect me to be in fancy clothes or hold me in the light where he thought I belonged. He just accepted that I would rule the darkness and do it well. He didn’t question whether I could handle being a mother and a leader; he assumed I would because his trust in me was more than I had in myself.
Would he know what I was about to do in this moment?
Would he be able to keep himself safe before I acted?
I stepped forward and wrapped my arms around his neck. He frowned, but before he could stop me, my lips were on his. I was wrapping my legs around his torso and he was gripping my ass to get me even closer.
I kissed him in broad daylight for the bratva and the Stonewoods and the Armanellis to see.
I kissed him like I had the confidence to, the right to, the power to.
Because I did.
