Chapter 17

Amelia

I've never been a leader, never had a thing for fairy tales. I'm not really a believer in happy endings. I thought I was doomed and destined to live a life of pain and injustice until I fled. I didn't expect Cronos and I to end up here. I gave up hope on second chances after being with Colson again.

"It doesn't matter how that baby came to be, she is here now and a fucking testament to the strength her mother possesses. Never forget that, angel." A lump begins to form in my throat at his words.

"I thought you would be mad after seeing her today."

He reels back. "Why the fuck would you think that?"

"Cronos, she shares his DNA not yours. I don't expect you to care for my daughter or be happy about it?—"

"Shut the fuck up, Amelia!" I snap my mouth closed instantly and stiffen. "If you think for a second I wouldn't fall in love with that little girl because she has another's eyes, someone else's smile, then you clearly don't know me as well as I thought. She is part you and that means, I love her already. Which is why I am asking you to be sure you want this with me, because if shit goes south with us now, I'll walk away but five years from now, if you decide I'm not the man for you, then be ready to fight, baby, because I will go to fucking war with your entire family for that little girl."

My jaw unhinges. Love for this man surges hot inside me, that he is here and willing to raise another man's child and love her like she is his own, means more than he could ever imagine. I can't let myself get sidetracked by his words so I push on.

"Cronos, he will come for me."

"Let the cunt try and see what the fuck I do to him." His conviction sends a shiver down my spine.

"He wants to ruin my father for ruining him. He has a tech company and a security firm that he operates under different names so my dad won't know he is back in the States. I was just a tool for him to use to get to my father. I proved useless to him, which sparked his anger because I had left my family behind. He won't stop until he has ruined my dad."

He scoffs and shakes his head. "This little fuck has no idea who he is messing with. Your father is untouchable, Meelz. He is the underboss to the biggest mafia family in the entire fucking world. You have a better chance of getting a meeting with the King of England than you do with your dad."

I shake my head and drop my gaze to my untouched plate as shame washes over me. "I let some things slip, I didn't mean to and I thought I could trust him."

"What details, Amelia?" The hard edge to his tone has me slowly lifting my head and meeting his gaze. "What. Details?"

"Meeting times, stash houses, shipments that rotate from each port."

"Fuck!" Panic enters his eyes and now I am worried. Cronos isn't the type of guy who gets ruffled easily.

"You need to call him, they could be going into an ambush!"

"You said it was easier to see the King than it was my father."

"That was before I knew that the cunt had any idea about their shipments. Your father and uncles handle those drops on their own, their men don't do the pickups."

My eyes widen and fear grips me. "Cronos, I didn't know?—"

"It doesn't matter, you need to call him and warn him, now." He pushes away from the counter and moves toward the living room where a calendar is tacked onto the wall. "Fuck! Call him now, the shipment comes in tonight." I shakily pull the phone Nos gave me out of my pocket and scroll the contacts, only to realize I don't have my dad's number. I flick my gaze back to him.

"I don't have his number." I admit. He sighs and pulls his phone from his back pocket and tosses it to me. "What's the passcode?"

"263542." I input the numbers and then freeze as I snap my head back to him in shock.

"263542 is your passcode?"

He grits his teeth. "Yes."

"My name is your passcode?"

He rolls his eyes. "Yes, now call your fucking father, Amelia!" I shake my head and push all those warm fuzzy feelings away as I scroll for my dad's number. Nerves thrum through me as I press dial and bring the phone to my ear. I can feel Cronos's gaze boring into the side of my head as I wait with bated breath for my dad to answer.

"What do you want, Cronos?" The sound of my father's voice reduces me to a puddle of shame. I open my mouth to answer but no words come out. "Cronos?" he bites out. I dart my gaze to my dark angel who nods encouragingly, I find my strength in his eyes.

"Dad?" I rasp out.

He stays silent for a long moment and I have to check to make sure he didn't end the call. "Meelz?" My name sounds like a prayer, almost like he is hoping that he isn't imagining this moment.

"It's me."

"Are… are you okay?" I hate that he sounds scared to even speak to me in case I lose my shit at him again. I deserve for him to hate after everything I have put him through.

"Dad, I screwed up," I admit.

"It's okay, baby. Just tell me where you are and I'll come to you… if you want." After everything I have put him through, he is still willing to come rescue me. I close my eyes so the tears don't fall.

"You can't go to the pickup." I force the words out before I lose my nerves.

"Why?" I can hear the hard edge in his tone.

"It's a trap, please don't go, Dad," I beg.

"Bishop, turn the fuck around it's a trap!" he shouts.

"What?" I hear Uncle B yell in the background.

"Turn the fuck back, it's a trap," Dad snaps, then I hear the sound of tires squealing. "Amelia, what's going on?" I dart my gaze to Cronos, pleading with him to help me. He steps forward and takes the phone from me and wraps his arm around my shoulder as he places the call on speakerphone.

"King?"

"Cronos?"

"Yeah, it's me."

"What the fuck is going on and why the fuck are you with my daughter?"

Nos doesn't falter in his response. "We'll explain everything when we get there. We'll be on the next flight out to New York in the morning."

"I want to know what the fuck my daughter?—"

"She will explain everything to you when we get there and you better listen or I will take her from you and I promise you that you will never see her again." The threat in his tone is clear. The fact he is willing to go against my family for me shows me he means what he says, he really does love me.

"Threaten me again, kid, and I'll slit your fucking throat."

"It's not a threat, it's a promise." Nos ends the call and then smashes his phone on the counter. I scream in fright. "Sorry, I can't risk them tracing my cell here. This is my slice of paradise and I don't want anything from that life touching this place." I swoon, reach out and wrap my arms around his waist and rest my cheek against his chest.

"Thank you for letting me invade your paradise."

He returns my embrace and places a kiss on the top of my head. "You are my paradise but I want this place to be our home, angel. I want to raise our little girl here, away from that life and everything it entails."

I pull back and stare up at him, shocked to see the conviction in his eyes. "You really want to do this with me?"

He cups my cheeks in his large hands and nods. "I'm always gonna want you, Meelz, the real question is, do you want me to do it with you? I meant what I said, if you say yes and then change your mind, I won't turn my back on that little girl, blood or not she will be raised as mine and I will protect her with my life."

Gripping the front of his shirt, I pull him down until I can capture his lips with my own, he tries to push his tongue inside my mouth but I pull back, earning a growl that has a smile tugging at the edges of my mouth. "I love you too much to not do this with you." His eyes blaze with heat, and before I have a second to comprehend what is happening, he lifts me from my chair. I squeal in surprise.

"I want you to scream how much you love me as you come all over my cock, angel." Heat surges inside me at his promise. Rather than using words, I show him. I mesh my lips to his as he walks us down the small hallway to his bedroom, his fingers digging into my ass and I moan at the feeling. I love when he gets rough like this but Cronos never pushes me to do more than I am comfortable with. I thought I would never heal after the abuse I suffered at the hands of Colson, but I was wrong. Cronos knew without me saying a word that something had happened and never once did he treat me like I was made of glass and could break at a moment's notice. Instead, he silently offered me his strength and showed me that there is more than fear in this world and you can trust a man, but he has to be the right one.

He gently lays me down on the bed, then breaks the kiss as he pulls back. I press up onto my elbows and watch him remove his shirt, the sight of his inked skin has butterflies erupting inside me but it's the sight of my name etched into his flawless skin that steals my breath. I'm pulled from my thoughts when he pops the button on his jeans, my mouth beginning to water when he peels the zipper down. The cocky bastard knows exactly what he is doing to me with this little show. He winks, then pushes his pants down, exposing his hard length. I dart my tongue out to moisten my lips, sit up and grip his cock in my hand. A strangled groan escapes him.

"Tease me and you will be punished, angel."

I peer up at him through my lashes as I dart my tongue out and lick along his shaft, loving the dazed look that enters his eyes. I hold his gaze as I wrap my lips around him and suck him in as far as I can.

"Fuck, that mouth of yours is perfect, baby," he growls as he tangles his fingers in my hair. He doesn't stop me or change my tempo when I begin to bob up and down on his dick. The taste of him hits the back of my throat, pulling a muffled moan from me. His fingers tighten in my hair a second before he thrusts forward, forcing me to gag. A dark chuckle escapes him at the sound, he loves knowing I can't take him all the way. I grip the base of his shaft with my free hand, stroking him while I suck as much of him as I can. "Fuck, baby, you're coming straight to hell with me."

I release him with a wet pop, his eyes narrowing in contempt. I bat his hand out of my hair and grip his waist as I stand and reverse our positions so I'm now standing between his legs.

"Hands by your sides, Grizz, it's my turn." He leans backward and rests on his elbows, his cock resting proudly against his abs. I don't let the sight of it deter me from my mission. I grip the hem of my shirt and slowly lift it over me, exposing the black lacy bra I chose to wear today. Next to go is my skirt, leaving me in a pair of lacy boy shorts and my bra. His eyes burn with hunger as they roam my body, the way he looks at me with such love and longing makes me feel stunning, like I am the center of his orbit.

"Show me my pussy, baby, I'm done playing." I quirk a brow at his heavy-handed comment and ignore him as I reach back and unclasp my bra. I slowly let it fall down my arms, drawing this moment out. He swallows loudly at the sight of them, they've grown a lot and I know it's all thanks to pregnancy. I slowly push my panties down my legs and step out of them. I collect them off the floor and toss them to him with a wink.

"They're soaked." My tone is husky to my own ears. He balls them up in his hand and brings them to his nose, inhaling deeply and groans.

Time to show him who is the boss!