The Heartbreaker Series: Books 1-3 (30 page)

“Sì
,
I remember.” He squeezes my hand, and his lips curl up at the ends. “They said it should be forty minutes or so for dinner.”

“Great, thank you. How’s your mom?”

“She was still sleeping when I left, but Gaia was going to stay at the house. Mila had to work tonight. Come here, beautiful angel.”

Nico coos at the baby. She smiles and runs to him. He picks her up and tosses her in the air a few times while she squeals and shouts at him. I give them a moment and get us a bottle of water out of the fridge.

When I come back in, I hand him a bottle and watch father and daughter play on the floor. I never imagined Nico would be an on-the-floor-playing kind of dad. Every time I watch them, my heart melts.

He barks at Nicola like a dog, and she grabs his face in her chubby, little hands. I watch as our daughter bends down to give Nico one of her famous open-mouthed, drooly kisses. Then she proceeds to scream in his face.

“No screaming, baby girl.”

She looks up at me with the biggest pout and wobbly chin I have ever seen. My guess is she’s tried this with her
nonna
and aunties and got her way. I love that they want to spoil her, but I’ll have to remind them that I’m the one who has to deal with her once we’re home.

Just the thought of having to leave makes me nauseous. We have a little less than two weeks before we have to go home. Will Nico come with us? Will he stay until his mom is done with treatment? A thought occurs to me. What if he doesn’t come at all? What if he wants to be one of those long-distance dads? I’m not even sure that’s a thing, but what if? Will he hurt Nicola the way he hurt me? I know he has his reasons for doing what he did, but this isn’t just about me anymore. An innocent child is going to be affected by whatever happens between us or doesn’t happen.

I shake it off and find Nico staring at me. Great, he caught me staring off into space. “Are you okay?” he asks, his voice low and laced with concern.

“I’m fine. I just spaced out for a second. What are you guys doing?”

I slide off of the couch and onto the floor. I crawl to them and sit down next to Nico. He wraps his arm around my shoulders, and we watch our girl play.

“Tell me about her birth. Don’t sugarcoat anything for me,” he says as he watches our girl play.

“Well, after the accident, I was on bed rest for the rest of the pregnancy. My blood pressure started going up, and I was so swollen that they were worried about me getting sick. There was also the concern about me going into premature labor. I had just turned forty weeks, and I had been sick as hell. I couldn’t keep anything down and could barely stay awake. Gabe and Jasmine took me to the hospital. I had to have IV fluids and be monitored. I had been hooked up to the IV for a couple of hours before they came in, saying that I had been contracting every six minutes for the past hour. They checked me, and I was already dilated to a four. My parents got there late. My dad kissed me and then disappeared with Gabe. Jasmine and Mom were my coaches, and they were really great. I was only in labor for twelve hours before I had her, but I had to push for three hours. She just didn’t want to come out. I remember I cried so hard and told them to just cut her out of me, but I found the strength somewhere and was finally able to push her out.” I grab his thigh. “You should’ve seen her. She was beautiful. Even with the goop all over her, she was still the most beautiful baby I’ve ever seen.”

I take a deep breath and look at him. “It was the best and worst day of my life. It was obviously the best day because I became her momma, but it was the worst because, even though my family was there, you weren’t and…and I just had a hard time dealing with that.”

“There is nothing I can say to make up to you what I’ve done, but I hope someday you’ll forgive me.”

A knock on the door brings us out of the moment. Nico stands up and lets the staff bring our food in. They set it up at the table and then take their leave. All of a sudden, I am just not hungry.

I feed Nicola some pasta with sausage and some fruit. My girl sure has a healthy appetite. I look up and find Nico staring at his plate. I feel terrible, but he wanted to know the truth, and if we’re going to try to see what happens between us, then we need to be honest with each other.

I grab his hand and squeeze it. He looks up at me. I hate seeing my once confident man looking so sad and unsure of himself. One thing about Nico is that he always owns whatever room he’s in. He’s always been charismatic, but at this very moment, he looks like he wants the floor to open up and swallow him.

“Remember what you said just a bit ago? Look toward the future. We can’t do anything about the past.”

He nods his head and squeezes my hand back. I give him what I hope is a reassuring smile, and we both dig into our meals.

Chapter Nine

Nico

After dinner, I play with Nica on the floor some more while Jill goes through emails. A co-worker, Brian, has been helping with her cases so she can be here. I should send him something to thank him for helping her, but what if he’s helping because he wants her? I shake my head. It doesn’t matter. She’s here with my family and me now.

I watch my little girl grab her baby doll and bring it to me. “Pa, Pa,” she says before climbing into my lap. It does something to my insides when she does stuff like this. I cuddle her close and kiss the top of her head.

I’ve been so selfish and undeserving of Jill’s love, but I will change that. I will prove to her that taking a chance on me, on us, isn’t a mistake. I’m going to love them and do right by them.

My eyes drift to Jill. I watch her pound away on her laptop. Earbuds are sticking out of her ears. She’s listening to an audiobook, and I love how every now and then a small smile graces her lips or she’ll laugh softly.

I turn back to my baby girl, who is sitting in my lap and hugging her baby doll. This little girl has engrained herself so much in me that I think it would kill me if I lost her. She rests her head against my chest, her breathing starting to slow. With a kiss to her forehead, I rock her back and forth. The song I sang to her when she was still in her momma’s belly leaves my lips as I rock her.

When I finish, Nicola’s a limp noodle in my arms. I look up and find Jill watching us, a wide smile on her face. That smile right there is one of the first things that drew me to her. It can light up the darkest room. Hell, it lit up my darkened soul. I will no longer try to snuff out that light. It’s too precious.

“Do you want me to take her?” Jill asks as she climbs off of the bed.

“That’s okay. I’ve got her.” I carry her to her cot, change her nappy, and tuck her in. I rub circles around her back as she rolls to her side and settles in. She looks like an angel while she sleeps. I’m sure all parents say that, but in this case, it’s a true statement.

I sit next to Jill, who’s sitting on the sofa. She thanks me for keeping an eye on Nicola while she was working. Clearly, it’s not a hardship to spend time with both of my girls.

I turn toward her, my arm draped over the back of the sofa. I reach up and grab the end of Jill’s hair, letting the silken strands slide through my fingers. I’ve always loved playing with her hair. I remember how she would sit on the floor in front of me and I would sift my fingers through her hair. She would sigh and melt against the sofa. It usually ended with us making love right on the floor.

Semplicemente fantastico. Just great.
Now my cock is hard. Of course, it’s been this way since she first got here. Up until now, I figured I was dead downstairs. Except for the occasional morning erection, I haven’t had one since the day of the accident.

“Are you okay?” Jill’s voice pulls me from my thoughts. I grab her free hand and bring it to my lips.

“Si
.
I was just thinking. Did you get everything done that you needed to?” I wasn’t surprised when she became a social worker. She’s always wanted to help others, especially children.

Her cheeks turn an adorable shade of pink as I kiss the inside of her palm. She clears her throat before answering. “Um, yes. Brian’s been such a lifesaver. He’s keeping an eye on all of my cases while I’m here.”

I don’t like him already. He probably wants Jill because she is beautiful and has a beautiful soul. “Does this Brian want you?”

Hey eyes widen in evident surprise, and then she bursts out laughing. She covers her mouth, trying to stifle the noise.

“What’s so funny?”

“It’s funny that you think Brian wants me. He’s just a really good friend and co-worker. He has never been anything but friendly toward me.” She turns more so she’s facing me. “Do you want to see pictures of Gabriel Jr.? He’s two months old already.”

She grabs her phone. I love that Gabe has a child close to Nicola’s age. She already has a playmate. I’m sure they’ll be more like brother and sister. Gabe is my brother, and when I hurt Jill, I hurt him too, especially since I’m sure Jill has no idea that Gabe and I talk a lot and that I’ve been sending him money to put aside for Nicola.

With a smile, she holds up her phone and shows me pictures from a few weeks ago. The little guy is definitely his father’s son. I swipe through the pictures and stop when I get to one that makes me pause. It’s Gabe, his son, Jill, and our daughter. They’re sitting together on Gabe’s deck. Gabe looks like the happiest man I’ve ever seen and Jill? Well, Jill is breathtaking, and my little girl is smiling her little baby girl grin.

Gabe and Jill always had one of those relationships that I envied. After Ava and my dad, I pulled away from my immediate family. Maybe it was the embarrassment of what happened, or maybe it was just me retreating into myself so I could become an addict in peace.

After rehab, my sisters wouldn’t let me pull away from them again. Now we’re closer than ever. My mom was the only one who didn’t let me pull away from her, probably because we both suffered the same betrayal by the people who promised to love us forever.

I banish those thoughts from my mind. I don’t need them poisoning things any more than they have. “He’s a beautiful baby. He looks a lot like his papà. Gabe looks very happy, and Jasmine seems great.”

“Gabe is very happy. They actually make me jealous with the lovefest that they always have going on. Little Gabriel is such a sweet little baby. Jasmine is amazing and is my best friend. You know our story. We’ve been close since she was seventeen and I was a new social worker who wanted to make a difference.” She grabs my hand, studying my palm. She drags her finger across my skin with the lightest of touches.

My cock twitches in my pants, and I know if she looks down she’s going to notice my dick hardening. I hold her eyes so she won’t look down. I don’t know how she’d react. We still haven’t clarified what we are or what we are doing.

My eyes drift down, and I watch as she brings my palm to her mouth. With the softest and smoothest of lips, she kisses it. She’s always had the best lips. I should stop her. I swore if she gave me another chance, we’d take it slow, but damn if I don’t want to bury myself so far deep inside her that she never forgets who she belongs to.

Jill slides closer to me. That pull between us propels me to do the same until we’re touching.

“What are you doing, Jill?” I whisper.

She bites her lip and whispers back, “I don’t know.”

I lean forward, wrapping my hand behind her neck. I pull her until our breaths mingle. I flick my tongue out and rub it against her lips.

She sighs against my mouth as I start to kiss her deep and hard. She’s got the most kissable lips I’ve ever tasted. All it takes is one kiss, and I’m hooked. With quick movements, I grab and pull her onto my lap. Our lips meld together, and I suck her lower lip into my mouth, nipping it gently. It causes her to gasp, so I take the opportunity to thrust my tongue into her mouth.

My dick aches inside my pants, and I have every intention of it staying in them, but damn if my willpower isn’t being tested. Should I pull away from her? Of course I don’t, because she always makes me lose control of myself.

With my eyes on her, Jill resituates herself until she’s straddling me. I grip her hips as she rubs herself against me. If she doesn’t stop, I’m going to come in my pants. I halt her movements, but don’t break our kiss.

My tongue duels with hers. She tastes like the chocolate she munched on earlier. I move my hands until they’re inside of her panties. I grab both cheeks and squeeze them, loving the feel of her soft, smooth skin. Her ass is small but fleshy enough for me to have something to grab on to. She can definitely fill out a pair of jeans.

My hands travel up and out of her pants and up her back until I’m unclipping her bra. I cup her breasts. They’re bigger now and more sensitive. I barely touch both nipples, and she’s already whimpering against my lips.

“
Bella
, you are so beautiful,” I whisper as my lips travel up to her ear. I nip her earlobe and stand up with her wrapped around me.

We step into the bedroom and pass a sleeping Nicola. I take her to the bed and climb onto it. When her back hits the mattress, she grips my hair and pulls me down to her. She attacks my mouth with gusto. I love this aggressive side to her.

I reach down and grab her behind her knees, spreading her wide to fit myself between her thighs. I slide my hands under her shirt and slowly drag it up her body so I can savor her succulent nipples. I want to savor the view as more and more skin shows. At the first sight of her nipples, my lips immediately latch on to her right nipple.

As I push her shirt and bra up and off, I suck the hardened tip into my mouth. I draw on it and taste the sweetness of her skin. Jill grips my hair and writhes underneath me when I nip at the flesh and then move over to the other nipple, giving it the same treatment. I pull off her leggings and drag them, along with her panties, down her legs. Then I rip off my shirt and get back between her thighs.

Jill covers her lower stomach.

“What are you doing?” I ask.

“I have a couple of stretch marks.”

I grab her hands and pull them away from her stomach. “These right here are beautiful. They are a sign, a sign that you carried our daughter in your belly. Don’t ever hide them from me.”

I lean down and kiss each little silvery line and then move lower. I can smell her arousal and see that she’s soaked. She’s completely void of hair down there. I drag my finger through her wetness.

“Oh baby, is all of this for me?” I coo before I descend on her pussy.

I groan as her taste explodes on my tongue. I drag my tongue around her entrance before I move back up to her clit, sucking it into my mouth.

“Oh, Nico,” Jill moans as I push a finger back inside of her, her walls squeezing it. God, she’s tight.

I finger her a little more and then add another finger, stretching and preparing her to take my cock. Her clit is so swollen and hard on my tongue. She’s flooding my fingers, her moans muffled. When I look up, I see that one of her hands is over her mouth, and her other hand is gripping the sheet as she lifts her hips to my mouth.

I can feel her orgasm the moment it starts. She stiffens as her pussy tightens and tries to suck my fingers deeper. I turn my hand and tap my fingers against that special little spot that makes her lose control. I have to hold her down with an arm across her hips as she begins bucking and riding my fingers. When she comes again, I milk every drop out of her.

I get out of the bed long enough to shed myself of my pants and boxers. I grab a condom out of my wallet, climb back on the bed, and quickly roll the condom down my hard dick. I crawl up the bed until I’m on top of her again. I kiss her lips, letting her taste her own arousal. I pull back and look down at her.

For a second, I hesitate. I want this more than anything, but I don’t want her thinking that sex is all this is, because it’s not. I didn’t come here for this, but damn if I can’t wait.

“Pure beauty,” I whisper before I slowly sink inside of her.

***

Jill

Even after two phenomenal orgasms, I’m still so turned on. I hold on to him as he sinks bit by bit inside of me. His groan vibrates against my neck as he becomes buried to the hilt. The moonlight shining in the window illuminates his face. I can see the emotion flooding him. The same emotions are flooding me too.

I’m overcome by so many feelings when he begins to move inside of me. He pulls almost all of the way out and then sinks slowly back in. Nico moves like he has all of the time in the world. I grip his ass and try to get him to move faster, but he doesn’t. I push on his shoulders until I can get him to roll onto his back. I straddle him again.

With my hand around his cock, I hold it up and sink down on it. We both groan at the intense sensation and the feel of him so deep inside me. I begin to roll my hips and slowly lift them before dropping back down. For a split second, I let the image of him and that girl I found him with enter my mind. I can’t shake the image of her on top of him, like I am now, and I freeze.

“
Bella,
it’s just you and me. No one else gets to be here and steal our moment. Sí?”

He grabs my shoulders and pulls me down until we’re chest to chest. Then he plunders my mouth as he drives his dick inside me, pushing the image right back out. He doesn’t waste any time thrusting his tongue into my mouth. I flick my tongue against his as he deepens the kiss.

His hands are on my hips as he starts guiding my thrusts. I move swiftly toward an orgasm. I know he’s getting close too because he’s swelling inside of me. I reach between our slick bodies and start stroking my clit as his thrusts become more powerful and erratic.

“Oh, baby, I’m coming,” he groans against my lips. That’s just enough to push me over the edge. I come in a deep, smooth wave that I feel from the ends of my hair to the tips of my toes. We travel the wave together until I can’t take any more and drop deeper into his chest.