This Isn't You, Baby (War & Peace Book 4) Page 10

  A flare of jealousy flickers inside me. “I loved her.”

  His eyes narrow and he challenges me with his stare. “I loved her too.”

  Vee’s laughter can be heard over the waves and it breaks the tense moment.

  “Is she safe with him?” I ask, my voice low.

  His lips quirk into a half smile. “Duvan won’t let a soul touch her. He’ll do anything to protect her. I know my brother. It’s what he does.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “He took care of my friend Luciano when my brother Esteban hurt her. Claimed her as his own property, which meant she was untouchable. That’s just how our family is. When you stake claim on something, our family respects that claim. Brie was Papá’s decision but once my brother made his claim, she became safe from anyone, including Papá.”

  “What happened to Luciano?”

  A flash of anger washes over him and he grunts. “Esteban was fucking her mother. Luciano’s father works for Papá. He’s very trusted and high up in command. When Luciano and I walked in on them, he turned into a monster. He strutted over to us completely naked after swiping his knife from his pants. Luciano’s scream was horrifying. We weren’t anymore than maybe eleven years old. She thought he was hurting her mother. Esteban kept telling her to shut the fuck up. When she didn’t…”

  He grips his board and growls.

  “What?”

  “He cut out her tongue, man.”

  I choke down the bile rising in my throat at that image. “Are you fucking kidding me?”

  “He told both her mother and I that if we said anything to Carlos or Papá that he’d cut our tongues out too. The story he told them later was that he’d rescued her and I from some gang in the heart of the city but he was too late to keep them from hurting her. Carlos and Papá slaughtered six men who they thought were responsible. Esteban got away with it.”

  “But you just told me,” I mutter.

  “I also told Duvan. He watched over Luciano and when she turned sixteen, he hired her as his help. She lives in the apartment over his garage. She washes his laundry, cleans the house, and cooks for him. I still remember the murderous look on Esteban’s face when Duvan smugly told him Luciano was his and under his protection.”

  A wave crashes behind me nearly knocking me off my board. “He’ll protect Brie from him?” I may hate the dude but I met him. He was a scary motherfucker. If anyone can protect her from tongue stealing psychos, it would be him.

  “He’d die before he let anything happen to either one of them. She’s safe, Ren.”

  “Put these on.”

  Duvan hands me a pair of big rubber boots that are three times the size of my feet. He’s still wearing the smug smirk that has kept my insides in constant turmoil since our exertions in the bedroom earlier. Afterward, he took me into the shower and washed me. It was intimate and I felt cherished.

  “These are big,” I tell him as I kick off my flip-flops.

  “I ordered some in your size. They’ll be here in a few days,” he assures me with a wink.

  My core throbs and I clench my thighs together. He’s driving me crazy with how he can work me up with just a look. When we step outside, he grabs hold of my hand and we walk down to the barn. The chickens all strut around pecking and clucking.

  “They’re cute,” I tell him.

  He laughs and it scares a couple of them away. “They’re dinner.”

  I gape at him in horror. “What? Why?”

  “I’m kidding. Luciano uses the eggs but we don’t slaughter them. They’re like pets,” he tells me with a grin and kisses me.

  Relief floods through me. “Thank God.”

  He drags me through the barn showing me incubators for the eggs, a couple of horses, and where they keep the extra feed for the chickens. Duvan goes into great detail about what’s involved in caring for the animals. I find myself focused on his smiling mouth as he gushes about the animals. He loves them. He’s at peace here in his home.

  “Why do those hens not have any feathers on their back?” I ask as I point to one.

  He pulls me in front of him so that my back is against his chest. My heart rate quickens when he fists my hair and jerks my head back. I let out a needy moan that has his cock twitching against me.

  “Because that’s why.”

  “Huh?”

  “The rooster pecks at the hen as he fucks her.”

  “Chickens fuck?!”

  He laughs and the hot breath in my ear makes me crazy with need. “The rooster pulls at her feathers like I pull on your hair. Kinky bastards.”

  His palm slides to my pussy and he rubs me through my lounge pants.

  “I can’t get enough of your cunt, tigress. How am I supposed to work and help run a business when all I want to do is bury my dick in you at every turn?”

  I let out a whimper. His fingers massage me expertly, and my panties grow wet from his touch.

  “I threw out your pills.”

  Panic darts through me. “The white ones or the yellow ones?”

  His laugh rumbles from behind me. “Not those, mi amor. Your birth control pills. I want to put a child in you. We’re a family now. I want us to have children.”

  My mind races with his statement, but I let go of it for a moment to feel my orgasm consume me. Afterward, when I’ve practically turned into jelly in his arms, I twist to look at him.

  “That seems fast, Duvan.”

  I haven’t been around many babies in my lifetime. I wouldn’t know what to do with one, much less having one rely on me. Not to mention, I barely know Duvan. The idea of carrying his child worries me.

  “I’ll convince you.” His smile is dashing and boyish. It sends warm ripples of joy like arrows straight to my heart.

  A smile tugs at my lips, despite my hesitancy. “You think so, huh?”

  All I get in response is a knowing smirk and a wink. “Come on, I have something I want to show you.”

  I’d imagined he’d wanted to show me his tongue or something. Instead, he dragged me back into the house and took me to a locked basement.

  “Are you going to lock me in your dungeon until I say yes to having your little tiger cubs?” I question.

  He chuckles as he guides me down the dim stairway. “I’m going to show you my man cave.” His fingers thread with mine, and I take comfort in his touch. A week ago, I’d have been terrified to willingly go into a dark basement with Duvan Rojas. Now, I’m wondering if there’ll be a bed for him to fuck me on. “Besides,” he says in a smug tone. “You won’t have to say yes. It’ll just happen.”

  I roll my eyes at his sure tone but don’t hate the idea of having a child with him. It’s progress I suppose. I just didn’t expect it so soon.

  Once we reach the bottom, he turns on another light. The smell of chlorine stings the inside of my nose and curiosity has me looking past him to find where it’s coming from. On the far wall are three large, solid metal safes. They are surrounded by glass and a door fitted with a keypad.

  “King Duvan is 007?” I say with a laugh and skim my fingers along the steaming water of the hot tub that bubbles in the center of the room. The left wall is a gigantic sectional sofa and on the right wall are cabinets, a refrigerator, and a sink. “This isn’t a man cave, it’s a bat cave!”

  He shakes his head. “Have a seat.”

  I plop down on the comfortable sofa. He enters in a code that he doesn’t try to hide from me and I watch as he opens the safe on the left. Inside is filled with blocks of powder. His product. And many prescription pill bottles. He gathers armfuls of stuff and then comes back into the room.

  “What’s all that? Are you trying to kill me?”

  His eyes turn black and he shakes his head. “I would never hurt you. Nobody will ever touch you.”

  The earnest tone with which he says these words has me swallowing down my unease. “Okay.”

  He relaxes and holds a baggie to me. “This is our premium coke. Our cash cow, if you will.
We make a fuck ton of money off the production and sale of this shit.” His finger dips into the bag and then he tastes it. “You can tell the quality of cocaine just by tasting it.”

  His finger is once again coated with the dust but this time, he holds it to me. I narrow my eyes at him in question, but he simply nods for me to mimic him. Flicking my tongue out, I taste the bitter powder.

  “Yuck.”

  He laughs. “You weren’t complaining about it last night.”

  “That was different.”

  “Want a bump?”

  The rush from last night is still fresh in my mind. I give him a small nod, and he hands me the little baggie. Like yesterday, I use my fingernail to scoop a bit of the powder up. Our eyes meet, and he watches me with intensity as I snort the powder. His smirk sets my nerves on fire and he takes the bag from me.

  “These are roofies. They sell for a fuck ton on the street. Don’t take those,” he says with a stern look. “These are your pills that help you relax. Vicodin and Xanax. They’re addictive so only take them when you need them. There are other pills similar to these in the safe.”

  I eye the pills and my heart feels like it’s dancing inside of me. “Can I count them?”

  He pins me with a smoldering know-it-all stare. “That bump of coke is working its magic, I see.”

  As soon as he hands me the two bottles, I dump them out into two piles. I count them three times to be sure. Forty-seven Vicodin and twenty-three Xanax. “What happens when you run out?”

  He points to his safes. “I have plenty, and I can get more. Don’t you worry about that.”

  “What are those?”

  “Oxy,” he holds up a bottle. “Probably too much on your little body so stay away from those.” Then he shows me a bag of some crystals. “Crystal meth. I have a few friends I keep this around for. It’ll fuck you up and make you claw your skin off. Don’t ever fucking take it.”

  I nod in agreement.

  He lifts another bottle. “This is the Ex. They’re easy to find. Little yellow pills with smiley faces on them. You can have as many of those as you want, mi amor.”

  My heart flutters at his words.

  “Can I have one now?”

  His face breaks out into a smile. “They’re yours. All of this is yours. If you make friends, you can sell it to them. If you want to use it, you can. It’s your empire too. This is all for recreational use and has nothing to do with the business side. We have entire warehouses for that shit.”

  “Is that where you went this morning?”

  He nods. “I’ll take you there one day maybe.”

  His answer satisfies me. I continue my education of his drugs. “What’s that?”

  “That’s heroin. It’ll bliss you the fuck out. Pretty addictive. Years ago, I had a habit that got me sent to rehab.” His eyebrows knit together as if he remembers the rough time. Oscar had mentioned it in passing and I can see it wasn’t a pleasant part of Duvan’s past. “You better stick to the small stuff, tigress.”

  I eyeball the heroin with a curled lip of disgust. “I don’t do drugs.”

  “Sure, you don’t.” He snorts with laughter and plucks a yellow pill from the bottle. My lips part and I accept his offering without hesitation. Okay, so maybe I do do drugs. The pill is acrid on my tongue, and I’m thankful when he gets up to grab me a water bottle from the fridge. I swallow the pill and look at him in question.

  “I’m showing you all this now because I want you to have fun while you can. Once I put a baby inside you, you have to stay clean. We’ll lock this shit up for nine months and live a boring life,” he says with a wicked gleam in his eyes.

  My skin starts to tingle and I have the urge to take off my clothes. “I want to get in the hot tub.”

  While he gathers his drugs up to put back in the safe, I strip out of my clothes until I’m naked. I clumsily climb up the ladder and fall into the hot water. The bubbles seem to assault me in a way that’s almost dizzying when accompanied with the Ex. I become fixated on one of the jets. The hot, powerful spray hits my thighs and I know exactly where I want it. I lift up so I can feel it on my clit. The moment it hits my super sensitive nerves, I cry out in pleasure. Soon, strong arms are wrapped around me from behind, pulling me against a hard chest away from the blissful bubbles.

  “No,” I complain.

  But then his mouth is suckling on my neck and his fingers are applying more pressure between my legs than the water ever could. My eyes roll back in my head. I shudder with the need to come again.

  “This feels good. I need more…”

  “More what, baby?”

  I’m frustrated until he sinks his teeth into my neck. A million explosions of pleasure detonate inside me.

  “T-That. I need more of that.”

  He bites me again while pinching my clit roughly. It makes me squirm in his arms. I want it but I don’t. Oh, God but I do.

  “More…”

  He twists me around in his arms. The moment my legs hook at his waist, he impales me with his sizeable cock. I moan when his hand goes to my throat. “I want to squeeze you here.” His thumb and finger bite into my flesh, which sends more pleasure shocks through me.

  “Do it, please,” I beg.

  His grip is powerful and strong. I’m completely at his mercy but don’t fear anything. He makes me soar. He makes me feel safe and cared for.

  “So fucking perfect,” he snarls, his hands squeezing me to the point I can’t breathe.

  I fall limp in his arms and he thrusts his hips into me over and over again. My hands find his hair so I can grip onto him. His touch completes me. I want him to squeeze me until I break.

  “More,” I hiss out, blackness eating at my vision.

  He reaches between us and pinches my clit so hard I sob. But as soon as the pain hits me, my orgasm obliterates my entire existence. I black out completely and ride off on this dark wave.

  Something stings my cheek and I drag my eyes open.

  “Jesus, fuck!” he rasps out. “I thought I killed you.” His dick is still inside me and still hard.

  “Did you come?”

  He shakes his head and we become feral again. Our mouths attack each other as he climbs out of the hot tub with me in his arms. He lowers me down onto the sofa, our wet bodies soaking the fabric below.

  “I want to own every piece of you,” he mutters, his cock driving into me powerfully. “Every hole. Your entire soul.”

  “You’re a romantic,” I tell him with a giggle.

  He growls as he hooks my legs over his shoulders. When he thrusts this time, I can feel him deep in my stomach. “How can I make you happy?”

  I stare into his dilated eyes and bite my lip. “Duvan, I think I am happy.”

  His mouth crushes mine, and we kiss until the darkness steals me away.

  Each day gets easier than the last. Duvan spoils me with presents and food and pleasure. I’ve spoken to Oscar and Vee regularly. And the hole in my heart lessens with each passing moment. I am happy right now.

  Luciano and I have figured out how to communicate. She has a phone so we text. The girl is actually quite funny. I was shocked when she confessed she always had a crush on Duvan. She’d been prepared to hate me but then said I was too nice to hate.

  I’m definitely happy.

  What Duvan doesn’t know is I dug my birth control pills out of the trash. He’s been super eager to get me pregnant while I, however, am not so keen on the idea. I keep the pills hidden underneath all of my bras in my drawer. It’s not him, it’s me. The idea of getting pregnant so fast scares me. What if Duvan grows bored of me after a few months? I’d hate to think how messy that would be if I were pregnant with his child.

  He’s been at the warehouse all day. Even though I asked to see it, I think he’s avoiding taking me there. I’m beginning to go stir-crazy being cooped up in the house. If I didn’t think Duvan would have an aneurism, I’d take a walk through the city. But he warned me of the dangers. Of enemies l
urking about. So, instead, I pine for him all day while he’s gone and try not to drive Luciano crazy with my questions about the family. The only things she won’t tell me are anything about Esteban or why she’s mute.

  When my phone rings, I nearly fall out of my chair scrambling to answer it.

  “Hello?”

  “Tigress,” Duvan growls, and I’m instantly overcome with desire for him.

  “When will you be home?”

  He lets out a sigh. “I have some business to take care of tonight. Some associates are coming over. Esteban too.”

  I cringe at the mention of his brother. “You didn’t say he was coming back.”

  “Esteban cut his American trip short. He flew in this morning. We had some theft issues that we had to deal with,” he explains. “I need you to listen to me.”

  His tone grows icy, and it makes me freeze. “Sure.”

  “Remember what I said about enemies?”

  I swallow. “They can’t know your feelings?”

  “You’re my wife on paper. Nothing more than a business transaction,” he bites out harshly. “Someone to sink my cock into at night when I’m tired of the whores.”

  Tears well in my eyes and I blink them back. “W-What?”

  “That is how I will have to talk to you,” he says softly, a twinge of regret in his voice.

  Understanding washes over me. I’ve been living in my happy bubble for enough time now that I completely forgot the fact that I’m married to a dangerous man. Another reason to keep taking my birth control.

  “So you’ll treat me differently in front of them.”

  “Remember how you used to hate me?”

  My heart aches at the Duvan I once knew making a reappearance. “I didn’t like him.”

  “Tonight you will hate him.”

  A shiver washes through me. “Are you going to hurt me?”

  “What? Jesus, fuck, no,” he grumbles. “I just can’t let them see what you mean to me. They’ll expect you there for dinner, but then I want you to feign a headache or something. Go upstairs to bed and keep the door locked. Do you understand, tigress? This is so fucking important.”