That shit meant she was in deeper than expected. She just hoped she could handle what he was bringing to the table.
“Baby, what do you really know about this man?”
Hyacinth and her mom, Beverly, were out on the deck of Rhys’s place. Her father and Rhys were inside talking with some of his men about what they’d found. Knowing this moment may not come again, she pulled her mother outside to talk.
“I know who he is.”
With a side-eye, her mom sucked her teeth. “Do you really, Hyacinth? Because that man in there,” she motioned with her hand back toward the house, “is not one to trifle with. His family name alone is enough for us to steer clear of him. You do know that your dad isn’t too comfortable with this, right?”
“Daddy doesn’t have anything to worry about. Rhys may be connected to his family’sotherbusiness, but he knows how to keep the balance.”
“Honey, you’ve known him for what… a month? Two months, maybe?”
Hackles immediately up, Hyacinth turned to face her mother. “Don’t do that.”
“Don’t do what? Remind you of that sorry ass man who you thought you loved? I’m just asking. How do you know this Rhys guy is the right one?”
Great question and one Hyacinth didn’t have a full answer for. What about him made her think this would work? Yeah, the dick was good, but sex was just one part. If she thought about it, everything about Rhys made her believe he was the one. When she was out of his presence, she couldn’t stop thinking about him. When he walked into the room, her entire body lit up with awareness, and that was before they had sex. Those rare times he smiled were like little bursts of sunshine. And when he told her she belonged to him, it felt right.
When Kenny tried to claim her or get all ‘Me, Man. You, Woman’, it only, pissed her off. In fact, she’d never felt that all-encompassing need to be around him or got all giddy when he touched her bare skin.
His cheating hadn’t surprised her, but it had made her question if she had actually pushed him into doing something. Could he have known that she wasn’t all in? It wasn’t so much that he’d broken her, but that he’d been able to fool her for so long. She’d become good at reading people and knowing when they were hiding things. That’s one reason she knew Rhys had been holding something back. At the time, she was clueless about what secrets he was keeping, but her spidey-senses had tingled enough to let her know there was more.
Glancing at her mother, Hyacinth smiled. “Mom, I know because he’s the only man I’ve let get close to me in the past two years. The way he looks at me, kisses me, touches me…” she smiled as her mother rolled her eyes.
“TMI, Hyacinth. I know you’re grown, but please spare your mother.”
She laughed. “I’m just saying. I don’t feel the need to be on edge every moment I’m with him. Our attraction was there from the first moment. Even as I tried to deny it, nothing could stop the path we were on. He reminds me of Daddy.”
A soft smile came over her mother’s lips. “Honey, there is no man like your father. From the moment I saw him, I knew he was the one for me. A hustler with a slick tongue. There were all these girls running up after him the whole time he was running after me. It was a hard road being with your father. There were things we had to do for ourselves and our family that I never wanted you to deal with. We wanted a different life for you.”
“But you and Daddy made it. It may have been hard when I was young, but the two of you live a good life now. The business is making money. You’re still married and in love. Those women aren’t coming after him no more,” that last statement said with a bit of snark.
Hyacinth had seen women try to catch her dad’s attention when they were out in public, not realizing his wife was a whole damn killer. Of course, Hyacinth wasn’t supposed to know that either.
“Honey, they’ve learned that his wife has the patience of a damn gnat. All those damn floozies coming after my man. Don’t they know I would ki… well, I would do anything for him?”
Hyacinth nodded. “And that’s how I feel about Rhys. I know it hasn’t been a long time that Rhys and I have been together, Momma. But the way you feel about Daddy is how I feel about that man in the other room. I haven’t had to do the things you have. Not yet anyway. But for him, I know what needs to be done. Plus, I had the best teachers in the game. You and Daddy taught me well. He’s my one, Momma.”
Her mom looked out over the view and took a few deep breaths. “Okay. If he’s the one you want, then you go for it with both hands. Finding your one is hard, but I know you’re a smart young woman. I’ll make sure your father doesn’t give him too much shit. Now, that doesn’t mean we aren’t watching. We don’t give a fuck who his family is or who they’re connected to.”
Laughing, Hyacinth nodded. “Momma, I love you.” And she did. Her parents were her biggest cheerleaders and her OG protectors. “I would expect nothing less from you and Daddy.” Yeah, her mom and dad weren’t scared of much, even a well-known crime family connected to the Providence Lucarelli’s. If anything, they’d better watch out for the Moore’s from the west side of Las Vegas.
Chapter 18
Rhys was on edge. A few days had passed since the break-in at Hyacinth’s apartment. The police had no leads on who had gotten into her place or how. His men were running down some potential options, but he didn’t want to mention anything to Hyacinth until they had something concrete.
He was at the restaurant for a few hours, trying to get some work done. Hyacinth had taken a few days off work from both her marketing job and Mannetti’s. Well, more like Rhys had forced her to take the time. A smile came over his face as he thought about the method of persuasion he used.
Just thinking about how he ate her pussy for hours until she was a blabbering mess made him want to do it again. The taste of her essence was his new favorite treat. By the time he finished, Hyacinth was willing to give him anything he wanted by the time he was done. When he’d finally stopped making her cum with his mouth, he thrust his rock-solid dick inside her body.
He held off from kissing her as he fucked her into the mattress. That was, until she reared up, capturing his lips with hers. Her essence had covered his face and Hyacinth moaned as she tasted herself on his lips. By the time they finished, she was too tired to do anything but lie in bed and look up at the ceiling.
That escapade managed to get him a week of her not going into work while staying at his home, where he felt she would be safest. Her parents were still in town, which he was okay with. After getting to know her father, Rhys understood why he still had so many friends and connections, even though he had officially left his past behind to be a better husband and father.
Isaac, Hyacinth’s father, was silent, observant, but when he needed to speak up, he did. With the right connections, he could have risen to the top ranks of any family smart enough to bring him inside. That he had no desire for that was not overlooked by Rhys.
Nevertheless, the man’s steely eyed gaze never missed the opportunity to size up Rhys or any other man in their vicinity. On his side, he wore a Glock 9mm, which he never touched. It was as if the weapon was simply a part of his body. Yeah, that level of comfort only came from years and years of practice.