Bound by Lies Read online

  I know exactly what he means. “I need you too,” I reply.

  In one careful turn, he has me on my back and he’s resting between my legs. “Are you sure?” he asks, and I nod quickly. I’ve longed for his touch and my body reacts hastily.

  My breathing quickens as he laces his fingers through mine, then he places them next to my head as he presses himself against my center and gently pushes into me. I gasp at the intrusion, but quickly adjust to him.

  “You okay?”

  “Mmmhmm,” I moan as he begins to move slowly inside me.

  “God, Emilia,” he groans. “I’ve never met a more beautiful woman,” he says as he makes love to me. “I want to make love to you every night and every morning for the rest of my life.”

  “Ahh!” I gasp when he hits that spot deep within me.

  “You feel so good, baby,” he mumbles against my lips as he kisses me.

  I hitch my legs around his waist, pulling him deeper inside me.

  “You’re going to make me come,” he says, slowing his pace.

  I smile and loosen my grip on him. He lifts my tank top and pulls a nipple into his mouth, rolling his tongue around the hard bud. As he nips at it, I can feel my climax building. My hips match his pace, and he fucks me harder. “Alex,” I gasp, saying his name.

  “Just feel it, Em. Just let me love you.”

  “I’m so close,” I tell him.

  “Come for me, Em. Come all over me.” With a few more thrusts, I gasp as my body begins to let go. “That’s my girl,” he says as he slams into me.

  “Alex,” I say his name between breaths.

  “Yeah, baby.”

  “I love you,” I tell him just as his release comes.

  He explodes into me and falls on top of me, then he kisses that spot on my neck that he’s always loved. We’re one. One body, one soul, one being.

  “There’s nowhere in the world I’d rather be than with you,” I tell him as he looks in my eyes. “It’s you and me forever,” I whisper to him.

  “Forever,” he repeats, pressing his forehead to mine. “Marry me,” he asks, our lips so close they’re almost touching.

  “In time,” I whisper to him.

  WE’RE SETTLING INTO life in Oregon, and I couldn’t be happier. Life with Emilia is everything I ever dreamed it would be. I moved in with her, and I’ve even gotten a job. My accounting degree has actually paid off, and I’m working with a small accounting firm here in town. I’m basically just managing books, basic accounting, but it gives me something to do while also focusing on helping Emilia get the coffee shop ready. We don’t need the money, but it provides me a sense of worth. I’m showing Emilia I can take care of her and our family with money earned legally.

  Before I left Phoenix, Sam recommended I change my last name, something they request that everyone in witness protection do. It adds an element of safety but without completely changing your entire name. I thought about it, and felt that Cortez was appropriate. Cortez was what my mother’s maiden name was, my brother’s name, and every family member of mine that has forgiven me and welcomed me with open arms.

  So I am Alejandro Cortez—or just Alex to Em.

  Every day, I ask Emilia to marry me. She just laughs and brushes me off. I don’t know if it’s that she doesn’t want to get married, or if she’s afraid to commit to a person that has done what I did. We’ve talked about the past and agreed to move forward, but deep down, I fear she’ll always see the monster that I was, not the man I really am.

  “Alex, hurry,” she says. “We’re going to be late for the first day.” She hops on one foot, trying to get her shoe on.

  “Don’t do that!” I scold her. “You’re going to trip and fall, and hurt yourself or the baby.”

  “Stop worrying about us,” she grumbles, grabbing her purse off the coffee table. I reach out and grab her arm, stopping her. “What?” she asks, and I pull her into a hug.

  “For the rest of my life, I’ll worry about you and our baby.” I press a kiss to her forehead.

  “I know,” she says quietly. “I didn’t mean it like that. I meant stop being so protective.”

  “Never. It’s my job to protect you, Emilia. So get used to this.”

  Pulling away, she smiles at me and presses a soft kiss to my lips. “Can we please go now?”

  “Yes.” I chuckle. She’s been so antsy these past couple weeks, waiting to see her dreams realized, and I couldn’t be happier for her. “But tonight, I get you. All of you. Dinner, dessert….” I wag my eyebrows.

  She just laughs and swats my arm. “Fine. Let’s go.”

  THE GRAND OPENING was a huge success. Local businesses were extremely supportive, as well as the residents. Winter appears to be a good time to open a coffee shop in a town that has never had one. Emilia hired an assistant manager and six part-time employees to manage all the days and hours. She’s planning to hire more, but these next few months will be a good gauge to see how the business will operate and what its future needs will be. I’m so fucking proud of her, I can hardly contain myself.

  She works the room, meeting everyone and introducing herself. I stand back in the corner, letting her enjoy her moment while I enjoy how beautiful she looks. Her long hair is pulled into a messy bun, and her curvy body weaves from each side of the shop and back.

  Her belly has started to show, and she protectively rubs it without even knowing. She and the baby are my family, my life, and I take in my reality as I sip on a cinnamon coffee. Never did I believe I’d have this, or that I deserved it. But I’m thankful. Every fucking day.

  As Emilia approaches, soft arms wrap around my waist, and I rest my chin on top of her head. “So proud of you, Em.”

  “I wouldn’t have been able to do it without you,” she says sweetly.

  “Emilia.” I pull her over to one of the couches tucked under the large main window. “Sit down. I want to tell you something.”

  Snuggling into me, she turns and waits, a somewhat concerned look on her face. “Is everything okay?”

  “Yeah, yeah.” I shake my head a little bit. “It’s about the money I gave you.”

  “Okaaay.” Concerns flashes through her eyes.

  “I want you to know it was all legitimate money. Not money from my father’s business or anything I used to do.” I can tell she’s surprised, and I explain. “Sam and I each got money that went into a trust when my mother was murdered. I never touched mine, mostly because I didn’t need to, but it never felt right. I want you to know that everything I gave you was her money.” I sigh as I take a look around. “She would’ve loved this place, and I know this is exactly what she would’ve wanted me to do with her money. You’re reinvesting in a community, bringing people together.”

  She leans into me further and presses a kiss to my jaw. “I love you, Alex.”

  And because I can’t help myself, I ask again. “Marry me, Em. I’m serious. I want nothing more than the rest of my life with you.”

  She just giggles and kisses me. “I’ll think about it.”

  “Seriously, how many times am I going to have to ask you? You’re busting my balls here, you know that, right?” I joke with her, but I’m serious. I’d do damn near anything to hear her say “yes.”

  “I like your balls,” she says against my lips.

  “Em,” I warn her.

  She sighs. “I know you’re serious. And I will accept… when the time is right.”

  I frown. “What’s wrong with now?” I never have been known for my patience, but I still don’t understand why we should wait.

  She shrugs and kisses me again. “I’m just really happy right now,” she says contentedly. “I’ve got you, the coffee shop, a healthy baby I’m excited to meet… I just don’t want to upset the dynamics.”

  I sigh loudly, but I can’t fault her logic. I respect her thought process. “Let’s go home. I need you… now,” I tell her and kiss her back. Lust flashes through her eyes and she nods.

  “Give me
a few more minutes.” She pushes herself up from the couch, grabs a napkin and empty cup from a table, and disappears into the back room. Ten minutes later, Lisa, the assistant manager, is all but shoving Emilia out the door.

  I barely get through the front door of our house before I’m tearing off her clothes. I’ve never met a sexier woman in my life. “God, Em… what do you do to me,” I say as I push her up against the wall and unbutton her blouse. She giggles and bites her lip as the silk top slides off her shoulders, revealing a lacy bra. I saw her put it on this morning, but it’s somehow a hundred times sexier right now. She presses her lips to mine, swiping my lip with her tongue. “Jesus, Em,” I growl at her.

  “Need you,” she breathes through ragged breaths.

  She works the buttons on her pants and pushes them down as I impatiently unbutton my dress shirt and kick off my pants. Everything about her turns me on. From the swell of her breasts, to her puffy lips—I want all of her. I slide the edge of her panties to the side and feel her wet center. I slide a finger inside, and she moans as she rubs against my hand. My lips find her neck, my favorite part on her body, and I nip at the delicate skin.

  “You’re wet, baby,” I whisper.

  “Yeah,” she says breathlessly, barely registering.

  I chuckle darkly and pull my finger out, hooking the waistband of her panties in my fingers and dragging them down her long, lean legs. My fingers find her wet center again, and I move to roll her clit between my fingers, causing her to whimper. I hook one of her legs over my hip and guide myself into her—deep.

  “God,” she hisses as I slide in.

  She feels so fucking good.

  I hold her ass and her other leg wraps around me as I fuck her slowly against the wall. There will never be anything that feels as good as loving Emilia. Nothing.

  Our lovemaking is hungry and needy, but still sweet and loving. It’s the perfect combination of need and want. Still in the middle of it, I pull her away from the wall and walk to the couch, pulling her down on top of me. This has been her favorite position lately.

  With a gasp, she guides herself up and down, pulling me deeper into her. “Love,” she gasps again. “This.” She rides me for less than a minute when I feel her walls begin to tighten. “So close,” she breathes heavily as she presses a kiss to my lips.

  “Do it, baby,” I encourage her. “Let go.”

  And she does. Her cries are a combination of pleasure and pain. I pull one of her tight nipples in my mouth and suck hard as she climaxes, her entire body convulsing as she orgasms. I’m close as well, so I stand up and walk us to the bedroom, still inside her. She rests her forehead on my shoulder as she tries to control her breathing.

  Pulling out of her, I set her in the center of the bed and pull her clit into my mouth. She gasps and her legs instinctively try to close, but I hold them down while I lick her pussy and bring her to another climax.

  “Alex,” she cries as she grabs my hair.

  “One more, baby,” I tell her, and she rocks her hips against my mouth. With that as my permission, I slide back inside of her and use my finger to rub her clit as her orgasm builds again. I thrust myself in and out of her wet pussy and, just as she explodes, I join her.

  I pulse inside of her—claiming her. Then I fall forward, resting on her chest and she locks her ankles behind me, holding me inside of her.

  “I love you, Alex.”

  “I love you too,” I tell her.

  We lie wrapped around each other the rest of the evening, a tangle of arms and legs. Then we make love again. I could do this all night long with her. I’ll never have enough of her. As she lies on her side with her back pressed to my chest, her breathing becomes steadier, and I lean forward, pressing a kiss to her cheek.

  “Marry me, Emilia,” I whisper to her.

  I expect one of her usual brushoffs or excuses, but I’m stunned, left speechless when she replies, “Okay,” a soft smile pulling at her lips.

  “Wait, you will?” I ask, shocked.

  “Yes.” She giggles.

  Everything I ever wanted is right here, and I’m the happiest man in the world.

  “DRIVE CAREFULLY. DON’T speed. Hurry up!” she yells at me from the passenger seat. We’re still about twenty miles from the hospital.

  “Baby, just breathe,” I try to soothe her, squeezing her hand again. For the last five minutes, she’s been practically cutting off the circulation to my hand, but I’m happy to let her. “Remember what they taught you. Deep breath in, deep breath out.”

  “What do you think I’m doing!” she screams at me as her right hand grips the car door.

  “You’re yelling at me,” I try to point out gently, but her panic is drawing me in. “When you’re yelling at me, you’re not breathing!”

  Her face is the angriest I’ve ever seen it. “Do you really think now is the time to be a smartass, Alex? Just drive. Faster!”

  Yes, ma’am. I grip the steering wheel and stomp my foot on the accelerator. Seventeen miles. I can get us there in ten minutes if I really push it. The roads are nearly empty since it’s two thirty in the morning. Emilia woke up having contractions about midnight, thought they were nothing because she’s not due for another two weeks, but by two, they were coming faster.

  “Slow down, you’re going to kill us,” she barks at me.

  Fuck. My nerves are rattled. Slow down. Hurry up. Nothing I do is right, and I just want to take her pain away.

  “Ugh,” she moans as she leans back.

  “Did that contraction pass?” I ask her, and she nods, refocusing on breathing. “Good. Deep breaths, baby. We’re almost there.”

  I keep track of how close the contractions are coming while I break about ten different traffic laws. Twelve minutes later, I’m pulling into the carport of the hospital in Salem. A man with a wheelchair greets us, and Emilia visibly relaxes.

  “We made it,” she says with tears in her eyes.

  Relief settles in and I take a deep breath. “I was not about to let you have my baby on the side of a road,” I tease her, but she shoots me a “don’t fuck with me look” and I just go silent.

  I give the man wheeling her in a brief run down on the timing of her contractions, and he immediately steers her away after telling me where to park and meet them.

  By the time I make it up to the floor where maternity is located, they’ve already got Em in a room, changed, and hooked up to all kinds of machines. A nurse is jotting down her vitals while another nurse straps a large elastic belt to her stomach.

  “You dad?” she asks.

  “I am.” I nod, feeling stressed but also beaming with pride. I can’t believe we’re here. It’s surreal.

  “Congratulations. It’ll be soon.” She smiles at me.

  Em flashes her a dirty look, and I choke back my laugh.

  The same nurse props up Em’s legs and begins to explain that they’re going to check her cervix. I stand next to Emilia and hold her hand.

  “You’re about four and half, maybe five centimeters dilated,” she says. “And you said the contractions are about five to six minutes apart?”

  “Yes,” Em says and finds my hand again. I let her have it, even though I’m just getting the feeling back.

  “Looks like you’re progressing. My guess is that, by later this morning, your baby will be here. Did you and your doctor discuss pain management?”

  “Yes,” Em interrupts her. “I want an epidural.”

  The nurse smiles and laughs. “Most do. I’ll call down and request the anesthesiologist. It might be a while, so practice your breathing through the contractions.”

  Emilia turns her head to look at me; her face is full of conflict.

  “You okay?” I ask, pressing a kiss to her sweaty forehead.

  She nods. “This is the last time it’s just the two of us,” she says quietly as her voice breaks.

  “Yes,” I tell her soothingly. “But this is what we wanted, Em, a family. A real family.”


  “I know. I’m just scared. What if I screw this up? What if I’m like my mother?” she asks, panic in her eyes.

  “You’re not,” I stop her. “And you have me to lean on.” I give her my sternest face without risking being kicked in the balls. “Is this going to be easy? No. It’ll probably be the hardest thing we’ll ever do. But as long as we have each other, we’ll be just fine.” I lean down and press another kiss to her forehead. “I love you, Emilia, and I can’t wait to meet our baby.”

  “Love you too,” she says quietly.

  As we wait for the anesthesiologist to arrive, Em begins to doze off between contractions. I shut the large overhead lights off, leaving just the small lights above the bed on. Reaching out, I rub Em’s belly, when I feel a little kick. I can’t help but smile and think that, in a few hours, I’ll be holding our baby.

  I lean on the edge of the bed and get as close as I can. “Hey there, little one,” I whisper as not to wake Em. “It’s your daddy.” My fingers trail small circles over the spot where he or she last kicked. “I can’t wait to meet you. I promise to always take care of you and love you and your mommy. There’s nothing in the world that means more to me than you two.”

  A lump forms in my throat as I talk to our baby. “I will always protect you. Always.” I kiss Em’s belly and realize that our lives are about to change in ways we never expected… in ways I never thought possible. But I’m more ready than I’ve ever been.

  “GIVE ME ONE more big push,” the doctor tells Emilia. She’s been pushing for almost two hours, and I fear she’s on the brink of exhaustion.

  “You’ve got this, Em. You’re the strongest person I know,” I whisper to her, brushing her hair off her cheeks.

  She’s flushed and sweating, and squeezing my hand harder than I ever imagined she could. Taking a deep breath, she gives everything she has.

  “That’s it,” I hear the doctor encouraging her. “Keep pushing!”

  Tears fall from Em’s eyes, and her head falls back against her pillow. “I can’t do this,” she cries and gasps for breath.

  “You can, Em. One more. Let’s do this,” I try to push her on. She sits up a little taller and looks at me. “Big push,” I tell her.