“I don’t like the sound of that.” I clasp her neck and drag her down to my mouth. “I need to know you’re okay.”
“And kissing me reassures you?”
“Rather have you straddling my dick, but since Dora’s coming, I’ll settle for your tongue down my throat.”
“You can have all the kisses you want after your arm is looked at and”— she peeps over my shoulder—"he is gone.”
Any further discussion on kissing is stalled when Dora arrives at the door with Paul. Paul takes one look at the mess in the corner and disappears. Dora ignores Lucas and bustles over to my side.
“Move away, Sera.”
I clasp her hand before she can escape. “Here’s fine. I need something to hold on to while Dora treats me.”
“You just fought a man with an iron andiron stuck in your forearm. You don't need me,” Sera replies.
“Wrong.” I bring her hand up to my mouth. “I always need you.”
Dora fusses for a bit and then shakes her head. “You’re going to need to be stitched up. Wound is very deep.”
“Bring a doc here then. We don’t need any reports to be filed.” Dora gives a nod of understanding and meets Paul at the door who has brought two other men along with him. She turns back. “Should we have someone look after him?”
“Sure. And, Paul, put him in the room on the second floor in the far back and get a lock. We’ll need to resolve this before we let him go.” After they haul Lucas away and Dora goes to contact a doctor, I explain my earlier errand. “We can’t pay her because she will want more money.”
“Let me talk to her,” Sera suggests.
“No. I don’t want you anywhere near her.”
“She did give birth to Asher, and so I have a sense of where she’s coming from. Maybe if we talk face to face, we can come to some kind of resolution.”
“Darling.” I stroke Sera’s face. “You and she don’t have anything in common. There’s no need to make nice to her. I’ll figure out something.”
“You can’t make her disappear,” Sera argues. I don’t say it out loud, but she’s wrong. I’ve got enough money to make nearly anyone short of the president gone. “Everyone wants something, and we just need to figure out what it is.”
“It’s money, darling. That’s all.” I push her head against my shoulder. “I’ll fix it. Trust me.”
20
SERA
“I don’t like this,” Jericho repeats for the twentieth time. I peek over my shoulder at him. As always, he looks as handsome as can be. His eyes rake over my body as I wiggle into a flowy dress.
“A picnic at the park will be fun.” He pushes off the door frame, making his way over to me.
“Let me.” He kisses my bare back before pulling the zipper of my dress up. “You know I’m not talking about the park.” He spins me around to face him. His hands go to my hips to grip me in a tight hold. I can see the worry etched in his expression.
“What can it hurt?” I ask. He drops his forehead to mine, his eyes closing as he takes a deep breath.
“I want to handle this for you. All of this makes me feel uneasy.”
“I think you’ve handled enough,” I tease. I understand his concern, but I also know that I need to do this myself. Honestly, I’m not really sure what became of Lucas, but I’m guessing he’s not going to be a problem anymore. I run my hands up Jericho’s chest, wanting to soothe him.
Jericho has gone into hyper protective mode since the Lucas incident a week ago. I’ve noticed a few men that have been lingering around the house. I’m guessing they are security. I don’t know why we need it. He hasn’t left my side since that day. Not that I mind. Seeing him so worked up over both Asher and me fills me with warmth. He really does love us both.
“I’ll just pay her and be done.” Wow, he’s gone from not wanting to give Asher’s birth mother anything to this. He really doesn’t want me near this woman.
“It’s about more than that.” He lifts his head, his hands coming to my face to cup my cheeks. I lean into his touch. It always soothes me and calms my nerves.
“If she so much as looks at you funny I’ll fucking—” I lift up on my toes, pressing my lips to his to silence his deadly threat. His hands slip to my hair, gripping it tightly as he deepens the kiss. I moan into his mouth, loving the way it feels on mine.
“Jericho.” I gasp when he lifts me, setting me on the island in my closet. His hand slips between us, pulling my panties to the side. I follow after him, going for his belt and freeing his cock. Within seconds, he’s deep inside of me.