His gun at my back and the gun in my hand at his, I got up on my tiptoes and kissed the hell out of him. “Buckle up, monster. We’ve got a rollercoaster from hell to ride through.”
19
Katie
The meeting didn’t go smoothly. That rollercoaster ride was bumpy, rough, and took more coaxing than we’d originally expected.
It took a week of ironing out details. I updated Brey and Vick, letting them know I was pregnant. Vick called and left a voicemail saying I needed to immediately call her back. She knew I wouldn’t. Brey’s call I answered. We didn’t talk long, and she probably heard the stress in my voice because she didn’t pry.
The big players were informed, but Ivan didn’t help at all. Thankfully, Maksim and Luka had pull. Others had signed the contracts and were already seeing the financial benefits of working with the Stonewoods and the Armanellis.
I knew we’d have those that rebelled. Bastian had already dealt with a unit within his family. He’d made an example out of them. And I’d been informed of two of my men plotting against my reign. Rome wanted to sneak into their homes in the middle of the night and torture them. His overprotective nature overpowered his sanity sometimes.
“We’re not doing that,” I told him. “I’ve got Maksim and Cade working together on it. Everything will be fine.”
“Damn, it’s weird to think of those two working together. For any of us to be working with the bratva is something. Remember, though, sometimes logical ways don’t work, woman,” Rome said, his hand sliding around my thigh as I put my hair up in front of the long mirror near my bed in the penthouse. He still sat there, rumpled from a night of fucking me into satiation.
That was a feat at this point. My drive to have him had increased daily, probably from being pregnant. Or having him near me all the time.
He did little things. Rubbing my feet while we talked on the couch. Bringing me water while I talked on the phone for hours on end about the details of this damn merging.
When he saw my fatigue, he took the phone away from me. I fought him for it, but he was a tattooed bear of a man.
He cared for me like only he could.
Which was why I was getting ready to go out. “I’m not going to worry about it. I’ve got shopping to do, right?”
He groaned, but he’d been the one to bring up the fact that we still hadn’t gone. “I guess I’ve got to get you something to wear to cover these, huh? We haven’t gone shopping yet.” He stood up and slid his hands under my shirt to grab my boobs.
“They’re getting out of control,” I mumbled, looking at him in the mirror, wrapped around me.
“My dick is out of control looking at them. You need baggier clothes. Or less cut-up tops.”
“Or maybe we just embrace that I’m going to be huge everywhere.”
“I’m okay embracing that. I want to see it.” I felt his length growing against my ass. “I’m counting the days ‘til it happens. I just don’t want anyone else seeing it. So let’s move your ass.”
He smacked it and walked away. I almost whimpered because I wanted to get lucky before we went anywhere. Or maybe we didn’t have to go at all. The idea of draping a big bag over my body because it was going to be ginormous left a bad taste in my mouth.
“Get your mind out of the gutter, Kate-Bait.” He glared back at me. “We’re getting you some damn maternity clothes.”
Fuck me.“Are you just going to wear what you wore last night?” I eyed his naked chest and abs. His clothes were balled up in the corner of my room, definitely wrinkled.
“I’ll go grab a shirt downstairs,” he mumbled, almost to himself, but I heard him, way too loud and clear.
“Downstairs? Like to your own place or…”
He immediately glanced everywhere but my face.
“Rome, are you fucking living under me?”
Instead of showing any remorse, he crossed his massive arms over his chest and stood there like a damn Adonis in his briefs. “Your security was shit.”
“How long?”
“How long what?” His jaw ticked because he knew exactly what I was asking.
“How long have you been a freaking stalker?”