Chapter Fifteen

Claire

We fell into a similar rhythm like we had back in Navesink Bank.

The only difference was that Aurelio didn't have meetings that took him out of the house. He did occasionally have a phone call to take, going outside to do so, leaving me wondering what they were discussing, if it had to do with Warren, how things were going on that front.

But I didn't feel like I could really ask for details, considering this involved his whole family, a criminal empire that likely didn't appreciate non-Family members being too in-the-know.

I did imagine that, considering we were still in the sweet little safe house, that Warren was still, you know, alive.

I couldn't imagine how Denny had managed to keep control over Warren enough to not start directly attacking the Grassis in an attempt to get to me.

I guess I could just be happy that he'd managed to do so.

I couldn't live with the guilt of more of Aurelio's loved ones getting hurt because of this.

There had been updates from Lettie about the guard, though. And he did manage to pull through, but it sounded like there would be some lifelong impacts for the poor guy.

"Don't worry about him," Aurelio had said, wrapping an arm around me, and pulling me against him. "We take care of our own. Even if he can't work, he and his mom will be provided for."

That didn't lessen my guilt, though, as I imagined a young, healthy man suddenly debilitated from his injuries because he'd tried to save me and my son.

My only hope was that Luca and the rest of Aurelio's family would be able to somehow handle this situation before Warren attacked again. Maybe they'd catch him off-guard and handle the whole thing without any injuries.

That, at least, was the hope.

We were pretty secluded up at the safe house, with only the rotation of guards around.

Despite the situation, though, it was like a little oasis to me. And, hopefully, to Aurelio as well.

I knew, objectively, it was maybe not great how we were playing house, were acting like a little family.

Especially if, when this was over, it turned out that Judah and I would need to… start over on our own.

To be fair, Aurelio wasn't putting out any signs that he was sick of me, or us.

If anything, he was even more affectionate with me. And not just in bed. Or in the kitchen. Or in the bathroom, the laundry room, the living room, or any of the other places we'd had sex in the house when Judah was napping or sleeping.

He was always just finding a reason to touch me, to kiss me, to pull me close to him, or in for a hug.

There was no reason for me to be worried he wasn't interested in this thing between us continuing.

I just couldn't shake the worries. Or the insecurities. Some part of me wondering if he was only into me because I was there, because I was convenient, or because the sex was good.

Great.

Mind-freaking-blowing.

I'd been half-worried that my sex drive had gone away because of Warren or, even, because of pregnancy and motherhood. I didn't know how the hormones worked, but I'd had no drive until Aurelio.

Now that I had him, though, I could barely resist climbing him all day long. I swear the only thing that held me back was the presence of my son.

"One… two… three… seven…" Judah counted as I ran through the house in my socks, looking for a hiding space that I hadn't already used.

I yanked open the unused bedroom closet, to find Aurelio already sitting there on the floor.

"Oops," I said, starting to close it, but he reached for me, grabbing my wrist, and yanking me inside, then closing the door with a silent click. "What are you doing?" I whispered, even though Judah was still murdering his countdown, making me aware that we needed to work a little more on numbers.

Aurelio was grabbing me, pulling me onto his lap, my back against his chest.

I was wearing just one of his shirts that I'd grabbed to put on when I'd climbed out of bed a few hours before, and I hadn't bothered to dress yet, loving the feel of his big shirt on me, the smell of him still clinging to it.

"His terrible hiding skills are only eclipsed by his bad seeking skills," Aurelio said as his fingers slid up my thigh, then into my panties where I was already getting wet for him. "We have a little time."

"We can't," I insisted as I felt his hard cock against me while his fingers toyed with my clit.

"Yes, we can," he countered, moving up onto his knees as he pushed me onto all fours, then drew my panties down my thighs, his hand going to my ass, giving it a squeeze.

"Maybe we can," I agreed as he freed his cock, then slid it against me, making me arch back and stifle a whimper.

"Are you sure?" he teased as his cock rocked against my clit. "Maybe we should wait," he added as his hands grabbed my breasts, squeezing, then twisting my nipples, making white-hot pain-pleasure course through me.

"Oh, my God. Just shut up and fuck me," I begged, too far gone to feel any shame for pleading for his cock.

There was no use.

We both knew how desperate I always was for him.

Aurelio's cock slid back, then surged inside of me, the feel of him nearly making me come right then and there.

"Oh, fuck," he groaned, his fingers tensing on my hips.

We hadn't always been careful the past few days, despite having a giant pack of condoms in the bedroom.

I knew I should probably be freaking out about that.

But I'd been the one to grab him in the shower once and guide him inside of me without protection, too far gone with my need to think about consequences.

Sure, we might have had a talk about tests and whatnot, but I definitely wasn't on any sort of birth control.

Each time he was inside of me without protection, we were both fully aware we were risking a positive test, and life changing forever.

Maybe, on my part, I wasn't freaking out because as each day passed, I couldn't imagine a future that didn't involve waking up on Aurelio's chest, sharing morning coffee with him, watching him play with Judah, or making dinner together, or talking while we had a glass of wine after Judah went to bed at night.

If I had his baby, I would be over the moon.

But that didn't mean that I knew he would be.

Which was something I should have been thinking of there in that closet.

But all I could focus on was how good he felt inside of me, filling me.

His hand moved up my back, pressing between my shoulder blades, and pushing my upper half down as he started to fuck me.

Fast.

There was no time for soft or sweet, not when we were short on time as Judah declared he was done counting.

"God, you feel so fucking good," Aurelio groaned as his hands went to my hips, yanking me against him each time he thrust forward, making me take him completely as the angle let his cock glide against my G-spot, driving me up impossibly fast. "That's it," he said, voice breathless as my walls tightened around him. "Let me feel you come around my cock."

Just like that, I did, biting my lip to keep from crying out as he fucked me through it, dragging it out, then slipping out of me, and groaning as he came on my ass.

We both jumped into recovery mode as we heard little feet down the hallway.

Aurelio yanked my panties into place, and I felt a wicked little thrill at feeling his release on me still as I got onto my knees.

Aurelio tucked himself away and shot me a devilish little smirk when we were both presentable enough as Judah came into the bedroom.

"Mama? Relo?" Judah called, coming closer, then struggling to reach the doorknob.

Aurelio gave him a little help from the inside, and the door slid open to reveal a triumphant Judah.

"Found you."

"You sure did, little man," Aurelio agreed, getting to his feet. "Why don't we go get a little snack?" he asked, shooting me a wink as I crawled out of the closet, then made my way into the primary bathroom to clean up.

I finally got myself dressed for the day, then found myself staring at my reflection in the mirror.

The bruises were almost completely gone, just a bit of a yellow tint when the light hit my skin just the right way. And I had to admit there was a bit of a light in my eyes that hadn't been there in, well, maybe ever. And a brightness to my complexion. Then, not to mention, a bit more fullness in my cheeks and collarbones, evidence of the good food Aurelio was constantly cooking.

I was almost afraid to admit this feeling that was inside me.

Not just happiness.

Though, obviously, that had been there, and had been expanding over and over again.

It was something bigger than that.

Something that I wasn't sure I'd actually ever felt for someone outside of the platonic, familial sort.

Love.

Sure, I thought at some point that I'd loved Warren. Looking back, though, it was just the desire to be loved by someone else. Mingled with a little infatuation because he was so different from what I'd been used to.

Now, though, I knew for sure that what I felt for him hadn't ever even hinted at love.

Not if what I was feeling for Aurelio was what love truly felt like.

It wasn't the juvenile butterflies in the belly, the skittering of nerves.

It was something deeper, more comfortable. Something I could bury down into. Something that gave me peace, not anxiety.

I longed for him the way love was always talked about. The urge to be close to him, to feel him, smell him, and hear him was overpowering at times, leaving me following the urge to move toward him until he was touching me again.

I desired him in a way that I'd never experienced before. Like I was always ready to have him inside me.

And I just… enjoyed him. As a man. As a person. The way he talked about his mother with so much respect for having to raise five kids on her own when her husband passed. How he talked lovingly about his siblings, even when he was telling funny stories about them. And, yes, how he talked about his dreams for his future. With complete certainty about having a wife, having a house full of kids, growing old with someone, spending time with his grandchildren.

The difference between Aurelio's desire for a family and Warren's desire for an heir was simple. There was no ownership in the way Aurelio talked about future children. He wanted children because he loved kids, because he wanted his life to be full of them. Not because he wanted to shape and mold them into his exact image, to force them to carry on some family tradition.

I could see Aurelio with Judah. Teaching him to ride a bike, to throw a baseball, to cook. Then, as he got older, how to treat girls and women, how to be a good man.

If Judah just so happened to grow up to be a lot like Aurelio, I would be a happy mom.

But I was getting way ahead of myself.

It was easy to get caught up in the sensations, in this budding relationship. Since there was nothing else going on at the moment.

The fact of the matter was, though, that we hadn't even talked about what was going on with us, what either of our intentions or hopes were, if this was even anything more than something physical.

It was foolish to keep getting so far ahead of myself.

"You alright in there?" Aurelio asked, tapping his knuckles on the partially open door before pushing it all the way open. "That's a heavy look," he said, brows pinching. "You okay?"

I nodded, but ducked my head, knowing he would see the lie if I didn't.

"Where's Judah?" I asked.

"He wanted to go in his bed. He's worn out," he said.

"I should go read him some books—" I said, trying to rush past Aurelio.

"Hey," he said, gently grabbing my arm, not enough to stop me, but just to get my attention.

I stopped a foot or so ahead of him, glad for the second where he didn't see my face as I tried to bank down the exposed, raw look that I knew must have been on my face.

"He'll let us know if he needs us," Aurelio said, fingers massaging a bit. "What's going on? Is something wrong?"

"No," I insisted. And that was technically true. At this moment we were in, things were good. I was screwing things up by harping on the unknown future.

"Angel, come on," he said, not pulling me back, and instead stepping in front of me, releasing my arm to gently grab my chin, lifting it. "Talk to me."

"It's nothing," I insisted, forcing my gaze to lift to his.

Aurelio glanced away, then back, trying to figure out what to say. "You can say that you don't want to talk about it," he said. "But don't lie and say it's nothing, okay? That's not good for either of us."

God, he was so much more well-adjusted than I was. So sure of himself. So comfortable with his emotions.

I wondered if, over time, some of that would rub off on me.

"Us?" I heard myself ask, not having been aware of getting ready to say it until the word was out of my lips.

Aurelio's head tipped to the side, watching me.

"Yeah, us. Is that what this is about?" he asked, eyes softening.

"I'm being stupid," I declared, wanting to brush it off, uncomfortable with the way his gaze was penetrating into me.

"You're not being stupid," he countered. "I think I just assumed that things were more obvious than they have been," he said. "So, let me be clear here. There's an us. This," he said, waving between our chests, "is something that is more than just sex. Though, I'm enjoying the fuck out of that too," he added, trying to bring some levity into a serious conversation I was clearly uncomfortable with.

It worked.

A little airless laugh escaped me.

"Listen, Claire. I wouldn't fuck around with you if I wasn't serious. Not when Judah is involved. I wouldn't have started anything, let alone let it continue like it has, if I didn't think this was going somewhere."

"Honestly, I was worried you might think I was just feeding you lines if I said any of this too early."

"I'm pretty sure you wouldn't need to feed a woman lines to get her into bed," I said, shaking my head.

"Angel, I'd feed ‘em to you on a silver spoon to get you into bed," he admitted, his eyes bright. "But I want to be clear before we end up there again that I'm not in this for that. I'm in it for you. And Judah.

"I think we have something good going here. Granted, this—" he said, waving around at the house in general, "isn't what our real life is going to be like. But I think things were pretty good before we came here too. You know, minus the threats and the inability to leave the house."

"Well, I was kind of used to not being able to leave the house," I said, shrugging. "Besides, who would want to leave a house like that?"

"I think to give this a real shot, we need to live like normal people. Not like a prisoner and her warden. Wanna get you your own independence when we get back. Get you back on your bank accounts. Find you a car. Shit to let you live your life a little. Figure out if this is what you want."

I didn't mean for the laugh to escape me, but it had his brows raising.

"That's funny?"

"It's funny that you think that having a car would change anything," I said. "All it would do would make me eager to get back home to you."

"Yeah?" he asked, eyes all gooey as he looked at me, and I felt a little surge of hope that he was feeling what I was.

Not just interest.

Not just attraction.

But love.

Or, at least, the start of it.

The trip before the fall, at least.

"Yeah," I said, running my hands up his chest to wrap around his neck, and sealing my lips to his.

After that, well, there wasn't much talking as we explored each other while Judah slept.

And, somehow, the sex was even more intense that afternoon, then evening, secure in the knowledge that we were both on the same page, that we were heading somewhere.

Maybe even toward forever.

As we both drifted off to sleep, though, we had no idea just how short forever could be…