25. Eli

Chapter 25

Eli

N atasha had told me that company was coming for dinner soon, which meant it was time to wake my little angel from her nap. Security footage showed me that the house was settled and quiet, with Maxim and Pike out shopping and Reed still napping.

Slipping into Veronica’s bedroom, I locked the door and made my way over to her bedside. She’d pulled the comforter over herself, and I peeled it off gingerly, my nerve endings tingling as I saw she was in her bra and panties. She made a little moue, but didn’t wake with the draft. Good. I cut her panties off, careful not to cut her.

Quickly I shed my clothes and settled on the edge of the bed, bending my face against her bare pussy and giving it a slow, steady lick. Veronica shifted her legs, widening them enough so I could position them and settle there. Already, her nipples peaked under her bra, and moisture coated my tongue. I pumped my tongue into her, fucking her with it. God, she was drenched already. Was my greedy girl dreaming naughty things? I eased my tongue around her clit, rimming it, sucking it into my mouth until it plumped.

Then I slowly positioned my cock at her entrance and slid in the tip, rubbing her folds gently. She lay still, her face working in her dreams, her one leg kicking a little, but her cunt was sopping wet as I worked, so I knew she liked it. Moving another inch in, I settled and stilled, letting the heat soak over me. I worked back and forth just those few inches, not allowing myself anymore.

There would never be another woman for me besides Veronica. She was my home. I pulled the cups of her bra down gently and bent over, and sucked in one of her nipples, drawing each one into a little peak, flexing my hips slowly. Easing another bit of my cock inside of her, I continued my process, rubbing her clit slowly as I pumped ever so gently back and forth, letting her juices coat my hand. Raising my fingers to her mouth, I painted her lips with them .

“What a good girl,” I whispered, settling in deeper. I was almost fully seated now, and my dirty angel was still sound asleep. I wondered if I could come in her without her knowing.

“You’re dreaming such naughty dreams,” I groaned to her as I spread her thighs, my balls throbbing. They were so full, and I was ready to blow. Just a few more minutes, and I thought as I worked myself inside her wet heat.

“My little fuck doll. I’m going to fill you with my cum.” I was barely whispering, guttural and low.

Pushing in all the way now, I could hear how wet she was. My balls slapped against her ass as I slowly eased in and out. Fucking hell, was I sick that I loved this? I came hard, jetting into her, letting her sheath milk me as I pumped into her. The desire to slump over her was strong, but instead, I pulled out and crouched between her thighs to look at her pretty cunt, pink and swollen, with my cum spilling out between her folds onto the sheets.

Scooping it up, I spread it back onto my dick and stroked myself, collapsing beside her for a minute. The lubrication and the fact that she still lay there, restless and aroused, made me hard within minutes. I wanted her all over again. Her eyes had started to flutter restlessly.

Placing my fingers in her cunt I pumped them into her lazily, grinding my palm against her clit. Bending to tongue one of the nipples, I licked around the pink bud and its pink areola, biting it lightly. She came awake in a blaze, her hips canting up as she came, her eyes glowing, her chest flushed rosy.

“What were you dreaming about?” I asked her, licking my fingers. “Were you being a bad girl?” She looked confused for a minute and then nodded eagerly, looking over at my cock and the way it glistened.

“Very bad,” she agreed.

“Roll over on that pillow.” She did as I asked, pushing her ass towards me until I ran my hand over one cheek. I spanked her experimentally; a red mark rose in response, and she startled a little.

“Eyes front.”

“Did you do the thing while I was sleeping?” She wiggled a little bit on the pillow, earning her another smack on the opposite cheek, making my cock jump.

“I sure did. Does that turn you on? I fucked you, and you didn’t even wake up. I came in that glorious cunt of yours.” She shook her head vigorously. “You’ve been very bad. ”

I notched myself at her entrance and dragged myself through the wetness there. Fuck, yeah. Just how I liked her — gushing. Pushing back and forth, I ignored her protests as I played, letting the head of my cock engage and disengage, then push against her cheeks close enough to her tiny rosebud for her to get nervous.

“One day, I will get you a little plug and put it right here.” I dragged a well-lubed finger around her tiny hole. “You’ll like it.”

“I won’t.” She earned another smack for that, right on top of one of the other ones making her wiggle against my cock.

“Yes, you will, little liar. You’ll be wet as a fucking dream. My cock will feel nice and tight, and you’ll cum so hard you’ll see stars,” I promised, teasing the tiny hole as I thrust my cock into her. “Rub your clit baby.”

I fucked her hard, the sight of the marks making me more turned on than I expected. Inserting the edge of my thumb against her, I pounded until she cried out, and I felt her pulse around me. God, I could lose myself here and be happy. The second orgasm swept over me, making it hard for me not to put my weight on her as I came.

Flopping onto my back, I pulled her next to me. “You know what? ”

“What?”

“You’re mine. I’m never giving you back.”

I closed my eyes, breathing heavily, laying a hand over her pussy and the mess we’d made. Every time I took her, I wanted to mark her all over again.

“I’m glad, Eli,” she said softly. “I want to be yours.”

T he kitchen was somehow packed with people, louder than ever, and the anxiety that I typically felt in social situations was at a dull roar, all because Veronica was tucked at my side, chatting easily with her friends and odd-ass relatives. I nodded at the appropriate times and tried to keep up with the conversation, but everything seemed dulled by her and my feelings that had crept so far up my throat that I’d say I was choking …

However, choking implied drowning, which implied bad things and bad memories. Veronica was all good things. I leaned over and kissed the top of her head, nuzzling for a second into the scent she carried: flowers and goodness. She twined her fingers around mine, and I hummed contentedly, ignoring the looks that her cousins were sending my way.

“Eli, how do you like our little town?” Helena asked. She was right around Veronica’s age, and they’d been chatting about all kinds of things up until then that I had no idea about since Helena had come over here.

I glanced over at her. Helena, Maddox’s newly pregnant wife, was a character, that was for sure. She was around Veronica’s age, maybe a couple of years older, and they’d been talking about people and topics that I had no clue about. She wore a shirt that said ‘Don’t Eat Watermelon Seeds’ and had matching watermelon earrings.

“Charming as far as towns go,” I said, keeping my tone light. “I appreciate the sights.” Veronica giggled softly beside me, her fingers squeezing mine. She knew exactly what I meant.

Helena smiled, apparently missing the subtext. “Maddox says he’s excited to work for you.”

“Excited?” I raised an eyebrow. “That’s not a word I’d ever use with your husband.”

Helena twisted one of her watermelon earrings with a pinky finger. The nail painted like the outside of a watermelon. “He’s not always grumpy, you know. He’s just got... layers. ”

“Like an onion,” I deadpanned.

“More like a durian,” Pike added from across the table, leaning back in his chair with a grin. “Looks normal on the outside, but once you get close enough, it smells like death.”

Everyone laughed, including Veronica, who shot me a quick glance. I caught the edge of her smile and couldn’t help but return it. For a guy like Maddox, "excited" was just code for "won't openly complain."

“Heard you’re keeping him busy,” I said to Helena, nodding toward her stomach. “Think that’ll settle him down some?”

She shrugged, a mischievous gleam in her eye. “We’ll see. I’ve got a few surprises up my sleeve.”

“God help us all,” Pike muttered under his breath, earning another round of laughter. I caught Maxim’s eye across the table, and he just gave me a small shake of his head as if to say, ‘Don’t engage.’

As the banter continued around us, I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. I pulled it out, checking the notification. It was the security feed from the house. Instinctively, I opened it, scanning the cameras. Everything was clear, with no signs of anything suspicious, but I couldn’t shake the habit of checking now and then. Veronica’s safety was the priority, and with everything going on with this Doug guy, I wasn’t taking any chances.

While I had my phone out, I texted her, even though she was sitting beside me.

Me: How are you holding up, angel girl?

Veronica: Amused. You?

Me: Trying to avoid stabbing your cousins with forks.

Veronica: You’re doing great. Proud of you for not resorting to violence yet ;)

Me: Yet. Keyword.

She giggled again, nudging me with her shoulder, and I tucked my phone away, content with her laughter.

“Olive, sweetie, be careful with the juice!” Hollis’ voice cut through the noise, followed by the sound of something spilling. Little Olive, Hollis’ daughter, looked horrified as a stream of orange juice spilled across the table onto the table and then to the wood floor.

“I’m sorry!” she squeaked, her wide eyes darting between everyone at the table. “I didn’t mean to! ”

Maxim was the first to react, quickly grabbing a napkin and mopping up the spill with a grin. “Hey, it’s all good, kid. Happens to the best of us.”

Olive’s face softened, and she gave Maxim a shy smile. “Thanks, Uncle Max.”

“Anytime, squirt,” he said, ruffling her hair.

Moments like this reminded me of how much had changed in such a short time. Being surrounded by people I would have never imagined myself sitting with, laughing, and teasing like this was surreal. Yet, Veronica’s presence grounded me and made it all feel normal as if this could be my life now.

As the conversation swirled around us, I caught Maxim’s eye again. He inclined his head toward the hallway, and I knew he wanted to talk. I gave Veronica a quick squeeze, excusing myself, and followed Maxim out into the hall.

“We need to discuss Veronica’s friend,” he said quietly, his tone all business as he looked back toward the busy table. Reed sat smiling with the other women. She looked better now that she’d had a chance to rest. The shadows under her eyes had receded. Better yet, Veronica spoke to her animatedly, using her hands and laughing hard enough to make herself cry .

I nodded. “What about her?”

Maxim crossed his arms, leaning against the wall. “This Doug character that you mentioned. He doesn’t appear to be a serious threat, but we should neutralize him before he becomes a problem.”

“I’ll handle it,” I said evenly. “I’m having Veronica pull the information for me. Once I know where he is. I’ll get rid of him.”

Maxim studied me for a moment, then nodded. “Good. And what about Reed?”

I paused, watching him, trying to figure out the meaning behind the words. Surely he wasn’t suggesting I knock off one of Veronica’s best friends? “What do you mean? What about her?” I replied. “Veronica’s keeping her in the loop.”

“Take it easy. That wasn’t what I meant. I was just wondering how Reed was handling it. I don’t typically run around and kill innocent women like some dick.”

I shrugged noncommittally. The guy was in the Bratva, and I knew fuck all about how that operated, but I knew that was like the mafia or some shit. I had an idea that it meant people died. No balloons were being burst, and Christmas wasn’t being ruined. The curtains had been pulled from my eyes long ago. People died, people were betrayed, and everyone had some bad in them. That was the world. Maxim couldn’t tell me that he wouldn’t kill an innocent if it kept Veronica from being harmed. I knew that would be a flat-out lie.

“I don’t. It’s one of my rules.” His jaw clenched.

I held up my hands. “Okay. I believe you.” I wondered if I should ask him where the bone marrow match came from because I knew where it didn’t come from. Her sister hadn’t been a match. It had been in her medical file. I kept my mouth shut because I would have done the same thing. Everyone else could go hang when it came to Veronica. My moral compass was fucked when it came to her.

Maxim didn’t respond immediately, just giving me a slight nod before pushing off the wall. “Good. Keep me updated.”

With that, he turned and headed back toward the kitchen, leaving me standing there for a moment. I let out a slow breath, the tension easing from my shoulders. I could handle Doug. I’d handled worse.