“Don’t let that happen again.” Hard, low, Mark’s command caused goosebumps to wash down my entire body at the sharp threat that edged it. Clenching my jaw, I could only nod as guilt clawed at the back of my throat. Downright glaring at me, he slowly shuffled towards the door before finally dropping my gaze.
Releasing a breath I didn’t realize I was holding, I inhaled harshly and reached to rub my neck and sternum as a disgusting taste coated my tongue.
Chapter 27
Hailey
“?L- is for the way you look at me… O- is you’re the only one I see… ?” Giggling as Antonya waved her tight, pudgy fists in the air, I worked on changing her diaper with easy fingers. “?V- is you’re very, very extraordinary… and E- is even more than anyone that you adore can—?”
“Babe, did you move th—” Cutting off my song only for Anthony to do the same, I twisted with both my hands on our daughter. His lips thinned, jaw ticking, and narrowed, hungry eyes scanned me from top to bottom to linger on my ass. “Why are you naked changing a diaper?”
“… Because Antonya needed a diaper change, and I couldn’t do it with my towel on? Why? Does it turn you on?” A sly smirk stretched my lips, and I wagged my ass to the tune of Anthony’s low growl. Striding fully into Antonya’s nursery, he gripped my hips firmly to grind against me, and a gasp flew from my throat. Leaning back on my heels automatically, my knees weakened, and my core ached with need as the bulge in his jeans grew and firmed.
“Yes, it does… but you’re not wearing a bra, and you need to get to work in an hour. Don’t worry—I’ll make it up to you when you get home.” Kissing hotly down my spine, Anthony dug his fingernails into my flesh as I shivered. On the changing table, Antonya stared up at me, and I smiled at her as her fingers grappled for my hair. “My new contraption is arriving today.”
“Oh my God—” Thrill pushed my heart into my throat, and I arched sharply into Anthony’s mouth as he tongued my vertebra. “I totally forgot about tha-a-ah-h…”
Moaning softly when Anthony grabbed at the back of my neck to squeeze, my eyelids fluttered shut for the briefest moment. Memories bombarded my mind’s eye, and I clenched my ass cheeks together while he continued his torturous movements. Nearly two weeks ago, now, we’d gone online together to look for something new and exciting to use during sex.
And we found it in the form of a plain, wooden block large enough for my body with leg straps and wrist restraints. From the pictures, the leather bindings would encase my leg from knee to ankle, and there were a variety of accessories that came with it.
“Hurry up and get ready for work. I’ll finish changing Antonya.” Whispering in my ear, Anthony’s demand rang in my skull, and I let out a yelp when his warm, dry palm cracked over my ass. His wasn’t a hard smack, but it tightened my nipples until beads of milk seeped from them, and I frowned deeply as he shuffled his way between our daughter and I.
“You did that on purpose! Now I have to use an extra set of pads. Those are expensive, you know.” Anthony’s laugh bounced around the room, and Antonya let out a happy squeal as I picked up my towel from the floor.
“Believe it or not, but I love that I can get you to do that, Hailey.” Heat suffused my cheeks, and I covered my chest to make my way across the hall and to my own bedroom. Anthony’s soft cooing eased into my ears, and a sigh soft floated up from my depths as I stood in front of my dresser.
Antonya was almost three months old now, and I let my towel fall once again to stare at myself in the full-body mirror leaning against the long dresser. Even without a scale, I could see how much weight I’d put on since my 6 week OBGYN visit, and I ran my hands down my sides absently. I had never realized how much stress I’d been under; relying on Kelly to take care of Antonya and Tommy all by herself had subconsciously eaten away at me. Thinking of how far I’d come—how far Anthony had come—pulled at the corners of my mouth.
Pulling open my underwear drawer, I picked out a plain, cotton bra and pair of panties to wordlessly slip into them. I’d always been fit, but the faint definition of my abs stared back at me as I adjusted the wireless scrap of fabric under my breasts. Snatching two pads off the top of the dresser, I nibbled my lips in concentration before Anthony’s familiar, heavy gaze landed on me once again.
“By the way, did you move the bottles, or am I just not looking hard enough?”
“I got new ones—they’re in the big pot on the stove. I sterilized them overnight.” Answering smoothly as I shuffled to the closet, I scrunched up my face as I picked through a mix of my and Anthony’s clothes. “You need your own closet. Mine is packed.”
“Well, you don’t have another closet, so…” Trailing off, Anthony’s tone left an atmosphere of anxiety hanging heavily in the air, and I twisted with a skirt-suit laden hanger in my hand. His expression tightened, arm wrapped around Antonya securely so they both face me, and I arched a brow in silent urging.
“… Let’s get a house.”
I choked on air as surprise clogged my airway, and Anthony’s eyes narrowed as they caught mine to hold tight. Opening my mouth only to close it, my chest tightened, and tension thrummed under my shoulder blades.
“A… a house… like… a house… that we’d share? In the suburbs?” Haltingly forcing out the questions, I tightened my grip on my clothes hanger when Anthony nodded without a fraction of a second’s hesitation. “Uh, can… can we talk about it a little more? I don’t think, I mean, we shouldn’t make a decision like that hastily… especially with your dad looming over us, and my job is in jeopardy, and—”
“Relax, Hailey. We’ll talk about it.” The intense relief that surged through me weakened my knees, and I exhaled a harsh sigh. Anthony didn’t seem at all put out by my reaction, and his gaze sparkled with expectation—as if he knew what I’d think about this. “I just thought I’d bring it up, so we could think about it.”
“Yeah, okay. That sounds good.” Nodding furiously, I raked my free hand through my hair before making my way to my bed to set down my burden. Pulling on my clothes with practiced ease, I took deep, steadying breaths as the tight knots in my abdomen slowly began to loosen. “You almost gave me a heart attack…”
My grumble earned me a deep, sensual chuckle, and Anthony crossed the room to kiss my cheek firmly. Buttoning up my shirt, I picked at the fabric absently before heading back to my dresser to open my jewelry box. The blood pounding in my eardrums lessened, and I rubbed my fingertips together to get them to stop tingling.
“I didn’t know how else to put it. Sorry, babe.” My ears twitched at the heaviness that dragged down Anthony’s tone, and I caught his gaze in the mirror sitting above the dresser as he frowned. “I got a call from the hotel last night—they said I got some mail, and I needed to come pick it up.”
“You’re still paying for the hotel room?” Surprise laced my tongue thickly, and I watched Anthony jerk his head in a nod as I worked a bracelet onto my wrist.
“Yeah. It’s from my father’s lawyers… so, that’ll be fun. I think it’s just to take back control of his companies. He can’t sue me or anything for disappearing on him.” My brows shot up at that, and Anthony shrugged absently before adjusting Antonya in his arms. “I expected it. I’m not too concerned, you know? He did this to himself, and I don’t want to ruin this by worrying about what’ll happen to him.”
Maybe it was because Antonya was in his arms; maybe it was because he’d finally gotten the better of his father; maybe it was because he realized that this crappy situation affected more people than just him—I wasn’t sure, but, for the first time, Anthony didn’t look murderously angry at the mention of his father.
Smiling broadly, I wandered the short distance between us to kiss his lips firmly, and pride bubbled up to stick to my ribs.