JADE

“I swear I’d love nothing better than to cut your dick off,” I snap at my husband who is trying hard not to smile. The poor man has been through hell with me these past three months, and it’s not getting any easier for either of us. After my father’s death, the Morettis magically made him disappear, and his holdings were divided between Jacey and me. She’s taken over running the company, and I’ve been content to put my part in a bank account and try to forget that the money was probably as dirty as my father. Lee proposed to me the very next day after Dad’s death. I said yes immediately but didn’t want or need a traditional wedding. He arranged a pastor to perform the ceremony at our home with only Pete and his family and Luc, Lia, and Lara in attendance. I invited Jacey, but she declined, saying she simply couldn’t handle it, but she wished us well. I completely understood, and we were married two days later. Then less than a month later, I found out I was pregnant. So much for those birth control pills. Thus, bringing us to our familiar morning routine of me being bent over the toilet puking my guts out while Lee stands behind me, holding my hair and rubbing my back. Oh, and the loving way I toss out threats to his manhood between bouts of heaving. After he’d gotten over the initial shock of having me spew such violent rants, I think he quite enjoyed them. He’s even recorded a few and played them back for me later so I can hear what I sound like. He only made that mistake twice before I tossed his phone across the room and shattered it on the marble flooring. Yes, I think I’ve really got this pregnancy glow down.

“Is there anything left in you?” he asks with a note of concern in his voice. For as much as I amuse him with my profanity, he always hovers like a mother hen. I’m not sure who this pregnancy has been harder on: him or me. I’ll wake up sometimes at night to find him staring at me. Once, I’m almost certain he was checking to make sure I was breathing. The man is seriously overprotective, and I love it. I’ve never felt so cared for, pampered, or cherished as I do now. It’s as if once we said, “I do,” what remained of his walls simply crumbled. He opened his heart to me, and I never doubt that I am his world just as he is mine.

He tenderly washes my face, and I brush my teeth before he helps me back into the bed for what is one of my favorite parts of the day. When the puking subsides and we cherish those last few moments before we rise. We argued about it, but I’m still working at Falco part time. Kara has kindly agreed to check on Denise, my job-share partner, after the baby is born and we decide on when and if I’ll be returning to work. Denise, a fifty-year-old detail-oriented ninja, has been an awesome second assistant to Lee. And he likes her, which is certainly a bonus. Possibly because she doesn’t put up with his shit and keeps him in line. That’s my theory anyway. “I’m sorry for being mean to your pecker again.” I giggle as he pinches my butt playfully.

“Might I remind you how fond you are of that particular part of my body, Mrs. Jacks? I feel certain you’d be very sad if it were no longer there for you to use as often as you like. Which we both know is frequently. I fucking love these crazy hormones you have now,” he declares reverently.

“I can see that,” I whisper throatily as I push my hand inside his boxer briefs and encircle his hard length. This is also part of our daily routine. I go from being sick to horny in the blink of an eye. Lee had been stunned the first few times, but he’s come to REALLY look forward to morning time as well. I begin sliding his underwear down, intent on taking him in my mouth, but he has other plans.

In a move that has me blinking rapidly, I’m hovering over his cock as he controls my downward descent with his hands on my hips. I moan loudly as he begins to fill me. I’ve become more comfortable with my body since being with Lee. Just seeing the adoration in Lee’s eyes every time he looks at me has resolved my inhibitions. And with that, I’ve turned into some kind of wanton, sexual being who demands satisfaction from her man—and Lee always knows how to bring that and more. My body is finely tuned to his every touch as if it recognizes its master and performs only for him. “So good,” I pant as he sucks a sensitive nipple into his mouth while pinching the other one.

“Fuck, you’re so damn beautiful,” he groans, raising his hips from the bed as he brings me down to meet them. “Love you, cuero mio. Always.” He never fails to say those words several times when our bodies are joined, which usually sends me spiraling toward my climax. And today is no exception. I tighten around him as he continues to murmur praise and words of love into my ear. All too soon, I’m screaming his name as we come together. Each time I think it can’t possibly get any better, it does. I’m gasoline, and he’s the match. Put us together and we burn brighter and hotter. Our fire will never be extinguished, just as our love will never fade. Two pieces of a puzzle that should have never fit together, yet somehow ended up being a perfect match.

LEE

I sit at a large table in Leo’s restaurant surrounded by our family and friends. My wife is seated next to me with our son, Victor, asleep on her shoulder. His hair is dark against his pale skin, a fact that I’ve teased her about countless times. Just like his namesake, little Victor is his own man. Simply because his parents both have blond hair doesn’t mean he wants to. His features, though, are the perfect mix of us. He has my eyes and Jade’s mouth. She swears he has my temperament when he’s pitching a fit. I then remind her that I’m more of a silent brooder than a verbal drama queen. But considering these tantrums earn him a trip to his mother’s breast, she may have a small point there.

I’ve also seen a psychologist who helped me understand that I don’t have OCD. After reading more about it with Jade, I am so relieved. It is a crippling disorder where an anxious thought can lead to recurring, obsessive behavior. Knowing that has freed me somewhat. The psychologist taught me strategies to use when I struggle with clutter or mess, so I no longer feel so choked or distressed. But at forty-six, my learned behaviors are hard to change, so I’m a work in progress. It’s still not easy, but I can walk away from clutter and not completely lose my mind until it’s cleaned up. When Victor was born, the constant disarray, coupled with the lack of sleep, had driven me a little crazy. But Jade had been there for me, always understanding and supportive. And together, we took it one step at a time. There were victories and setbacks, but I’ve come to accept that the world will not end if there is a mess, and that nothing is so important that it can’t be put aside to spend time with my wife and son. I know I’ll never be fully cured of the phobia that has been so deeply ingrained in me since childhood, but I can and will be better—always for them.

Tony laughs at something Luc says, but his eyes rarely stray from my sister-in-law, Jacey. True to his word, he made the disappearance of Hunter Wrenn a non-issue. The Morettis are the most powerful family in the city, so I doubt it was difficult. Wrenn wasn’t a well-liked man. I’m sure most considered whatever happened to him poetic justice. Jacey has downsized their assets considerably, selling off parts of the company that were operating in questionable areas. She is brilliant in business, but she is beyond fucked up personally. Even now, as she carries on a conversation with my daughter and Kara as if she’s completely normal, her eyes are haunted. A lot of people don’t notice that, but for those of us with our own demons, she may as well be holding a flashing sign. I have no idea what has happened with her and Tony, nor do I ask regardless of how much my wife prompts me. They’re adults, and it’s their business.

Lia glances my way and flashes me an affectionate grin as she raises her wineglass in my direction. I smile in return, loving the amazing woman she has become. She’s a phenomenal wife, mother, and a hell of a businesswoman. She’s taken the company I bought her and turned it into a profitable entity. She adamantly protested, but I signed it over entirely to her a few months ago. I wasn’t there when she needed me the most, but if I have anything to say about it, I’ll never miss another important moment in her and her family’s lives. Luc, who is chatting with Pete, absently drops a kiss on the side of her head, always needing a connection when his wife is near. He’s proven himself again and again.

The table erupts into laughter when my granddaughter, Lara, climbs up into Aidan’s lap and puts her spaghetti-covered hands on his white shirt. Kara makes a halfhearted attempt to dab at the mess with a napkin, but the damage is done. I see Pete and Charlotte shoot each other a look, and I know what they’re thinking. Their daughter has finally set a wedding date, and they’re already looking ahead to some grandkids of their own to spoil. Lord knows their son, Kyle, isn’t in a hurry to settle down. My nephew hasn’t put down his cell phone since he arrived. Even now, his fingers fly over the keyboard as he texts God knows who. His generation has no fucking manners.

My wife’s hand lands on my leg, and I automatically cover it with my own. We’ve been married for over a year, and I never thought it possible to know the kind of peace I do now. We’re sleep deprived because our son has his days and nights mixed up, and even when we can nap, we often choose to enjoy each other instead. Luckily, with the arrival of Victor, Jade’s morning sickness stopped, but our love of that quality time didn’t. She’s always been a beautiful, desirable woman to me, and the fact that she was completely unaware of it just made her more attractive. But now—there is a confident glow about her that a woman gets when she’s loved and desired. She’s stopped the insanity of trying to lose weight because she finally believes me when I say that she’s perfect just as she is. Her curves and softness drive me wild. Smacking that round ass of hers is one of my favorite things. Hell, I can’t keep my hands off it. As always, her proximity has a stimulating effect on my cock, and the devilish grin she flashes me says she damn well knows it. I move her hand over slightly, letting her feel what she’s doing to me. “You have something to take care of,” I murmur near her ear.

She curls her fingers around my length, rubbing the tip teasingly. So much for leaving anytime soon. I laugh wryly, knowing once again she’s turned the tables on me. Little minx. At this point if I stand, everyone is going to be aware of my predicament. “I’ll be more than happy to do it when we get home,” she purrs before licking her lips. Fuck. “Oh, and by the way”—I raise a brow, waiting for her to finish her sentence— “I’m not wearing any panties.” Double fuck!

“You’ll pay for that.” I shake my head as I attempt to get my body under control. Luckily, she’s distracted from her evil intentions by something her sister is saying. I glance around the group gathered, and it hits me with the force of a punch to the gut—a good one. I have a family. Not the dysfunctional kind I grew up with, but people who love and support each other through good times and bad. None of us are perfect, but we’re there for each other.

My daughter distracts me from my moment of introspection as she gets to her feet excitedly, waving her phone in the air. “Rose and Max got married in Hawaii! They finally did it.”

Applause fills the air before Aidan sighs and tosses some money to Luc. “Guess I lost the bet,” he grumbles. “I was sure they secretly hitched ages ago.”

Luc winks at Lia before saying, “Never bet against a man whose wife is the best friend of the party involved. You know girls tell each other everything. At least those two do, which is downright disturbing.”

Everyone laughs as the interrupted conversations resume. I take my sleeping son from Jade and cradle him in my arms. I was given a second chance to be a father from the beginning, and I don’t want to miss a single moment of it. I’ve been spit-up on, pissed on, and damn near shit on, but it’s all a part of this crazy, beautiful life that I have with this amazing woman by my side. I have no idea what the future holds, but whatever it is, we’ll face it together.

I lean my hip against the second-floor balcony and glare at the dark-haired woman below. “What in the fuck is she doing?” I snap to my club manager, Jax Hudson.

Jax shrugs his shoulders indifferently. “Don’t know for sure, boss. Seems like a weird place to hold a job interview, but that’s what it looks like. She’s got people filling out paperwork, and hell, there’s even a pen stuck in her hair. She’s hot, though, so maybe I should go apply for whatever this position is. I’ve always had a thing for the nerdy accountant look. Shit, look, she’s wearing glasses with those granny neck straps.” He licks his lips in a way that makes me want to punch his face. “That’s smoking.”

Rolling my eyes, I shake my head in resignation. If I’ve learned nothing else in my time as owner of one of the hottest clubs in town, it’s that people are basically nuts. I’m not surprised anymore, but seeing the woman below in a pale silk blouse collecting papers from the group of men who surround her table is a first. Even from a distance, something about her is vaguely familiar. Her slim build and the curve of her neck stir something in my conscience, but I can’t place what it is. Even my body is reacting to her, which is downright insane. I’m surrounded by scantily dressed women every night—most of whom throw themselves at me regularly. So why in the fuck would I look twice at some uptight broad who’s obviously picked a bad place to conduct whatever business she has. “Go down and see what’s going on. Her little enterprise is blocking the entrance to the bar.”

Jax straightens away from the banister saying, “You got it, boss,” before leaving to do my bidding.

I remain where I am out of curiosity as he reaches the bottom floor and approaches the table in question. He weaves his through the group of men and leans down to speak in the woman’s ear. She nods a few times, then looks up. Her eyes search the area before locking on mine, and I hiss in shock. Holy fucking shit.

Jacey. The hair is different, but I know the face. It’s haunted my dreams for months.