“No,” she said quietly. “I didn’t have a choice when it comes to you. But you didn’t condition me to love you. You earned my love. You protected me. You cherished me and brought me joy when my life should have been nothing but misery. I was ripped from my family, my grandmother and Andrés, when Cristian sold me to your father to pay his debts. If you hadn’t been there, I would have been alone with Vicente and Hugo. You always kept me safe, even from yourself.”
My fist tightened in her hair again. “Nothing will save you from me now,” I warned. “You gave yourself to me. There’s no going back. I can’t let you go.”
She rested her hand on my cheek. “I’m not going anywhere. I want to be with you, in every way.”
I thought of how even now, my cum filled her deep inside. I trailed my fingers across her stomach. “You mean…” I choked on my words.
She pressed her palm against the back of my hand, firming my touch on her belly. “I want to share my life with you,” she swore.
“Are you on birth control?” I asked, my heart thrumming against my ribcage. The thought of Valentina carrying our child made something click into place in my soul.
“No,” she replied. “Hugo was never able to get me pregnant, but the doctor assured me that I’m healthy. We can have children, Adrián. We can have our family.”
The rage at the mention of Hugo paled in comparison to the joy that suffused my chest. “This is what you want?” I asked, hardly daring to believe what she was offering me. A family. A future.
“Well, I’d also like to go to school,” she said. “But I want to make a life with you here in L.A.”
“You want to go to college?” I asked, surprised. I wouldn’t deny her anything, even though I wanted to get her pregnant as soon as possible. Now that the possibility was opening up before me, I could hardly contain my need to bury myself inside her once again and mark her with my seed.
“I think so,” she replied. “I want to make a home with you, but I’d also like to experience a real education. I’ve never had a normal life. I’d like to try something normal, for once. I want to do something just because it interests me.” She peered into my eyes, searching for something. “Do you understand that?”
“Of course I understand.” I’d never had a normal life, either. I’d never been free to make my own choices. If going to school would make Valentina happy, I’d make it happen tomorrow. “What do you want to study?”
She beamed at me, her dazzling smile hitting me square in the chest. “Everything.”
I chuckled, tracing the line of her lower lip with my thumb. “I think you’ll eventually have to pick a major, but you can take whatever classes interest you. One of my associates, Caesar Hernández, has a daughter. Sofia is a junior at UCLA. I’m sure she’d be happy to show you around campus and tell you about her experiences at the university.”
Valentina turned her face into my hand, kissing my palm. “Thank you. I love you, Adrián.”
“I love you, too.”
I gripped her hips, guiding her to straddle me. She lowered herself down onto my stiff cock, her moan mingling with my hungry growl. Valentina could have whatever she wanted, as long as I could have her.I felt the distance from Valentina like a tug on my soul. She was only just across the house, watching her telenovelas in the media room. But I hated not having her close enough to touch. After years of separation, I craved her nearness, her softness.
I tried to ignore my longing, focusing on taking care of my unpleasant business.
Caesar Hernández sat on the cream-colored couch across from my armchair. He settled back against it, throwing his arm along the top as though it was his throne. His deep green eyes glittered, the sharp lines of his face drawn in a smug expression. He needlessly smoothed his slicked-back, steel gray hair, practically preening in my home.
The fucker thought he had the upper hand. He thought I was weakened after my long absence while I’d been on the run from my father’s retribution.
Maybe my business with him today wouldn’t be so unpleasant, after all. I looked forward to knocking him back down into his place. I’d ruthlessly outmaneuvered and outmanned him nearly a decade ago, wrestling control from him. America was mine now. He served me, not the other way around.
“Your business with Pedro Ronaldo is over,” I informed him bluntly. “We’re backing Stefano Duarte from now on.”
Caesar’s smug expression instantly dropped, and his ruddy cheeks turned purple with rage. “No,” he said tightly, clearly exerting effort to restrain himself. “I’ve worked for years to secure this alliance with Ronaldo. I’ve promised my daughter, Sofia, to him to ensure our continued friendship. Fuck Duarte. Ronaldo will kill him soon, anyway. He’ll take Duarte’s territory, and then we’ll be able to move more product through Mexico.”