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KNOX I don’t know why I can’t bring myself to talk to Aria about my mother. Maybe it’s because she was there through my childhood and knows how many times I protected my mom from my dad, only for her to turn her back on me when she found a new man. One that treated her well but didn’t want a murderer as a stepson. I know she would never judge me, but I went through a dark time after that and made horrible choices for almost two years. It’s how I met Merrick and Jory and how I made most of my money to start my business. Again, I know Aria wouldn’t judge that part of my life either, but I’m ashamed of what I did. When I say that I had good reasons for not contacting her, it’s because I didn’t want her getting messed up in the drug and prostitution world as I had. Regardless of how her life was, it was still better than how mine had turned out. Granted, I was doing it all with her in mind, but that doesn’t excuse the fact that I went criminal to make a better life for our futu
I step under the shower spray, and my husband follows. I grab his body wash first, but he shakes his head, taking the bottle from my hands and placing it back on the shelf. Instead, he grabs my body wash and loofah. It's been a while since we have been able to have alone time like this, and it feels so good. "Let me pamper you, baby. You're the one that deserves it." He says as he squirts some soap on the loofah. I pout, "What if I wanted to pamper you?" Grinning mischievously, "I'll let you pamper me later." He winks and begins to lather me up. He starts with my back first and massages my shoulders and back simultaneously. If anybody was walking by our bathroom, they would think that we were having sex because of the moans that are coming out of my mouth. Knox chuckles until he finally turns me around and starts on my front. He's gentle as he goes over my breasts, washing in circular motions over my nipples as he watches my face. He smirks when he realizes I'm turn
He looks nervous as he tries to figure out how to start, so I place my hand over his, "It's just me, Knox...Aria. Your best friend and now wife. You can tell me anything, and I will be here for you through it all with no judgment whatsoever." Staring at my hand covering his, he picks it up and presses his lips to it, "I know, baby. It's just that," he sighs, "It's hard telling you of my past after leaving you because I'm not proud of it." I dip my head to look into his downcast eyes, "Did it define you, Knox? Are you still that person from that time?" "No! I promise you, I'm not." He's quick to say, and I smile. "Then what is there to be worried about?" I squeeze his hand, "Have you forgotten that I auctioned off my virginity? Do you honestly believe that I'm proud of that?" He chuckles, "No, but is it insensitive for me to say I'm happy you did?" I give him a beaming smile, "No, and I may not be proud of doing it, but I can't regret it either because it brought
MERRICK Having that much-needed talk with Knox last night helped both him and me out. He needs to realize that Aria isn't like other women; she's one of a kind and has a huge heart for someone who has had a rough life so far. He's known her the longest, yet he's worried about telling her about his past. The talk with him has also given me some perspective on my life. I wasn't kidding when I told Knox we must come clean and inform Aria of everything. I know now that she isn't going to judge me on my fighting in the underground rings, and I have to tell her about it soon. Aria and Knox needed some alone time, so I suggested he take her out today. Hopefully, he will tell her everything. I also wanted to take this time to talk with Jory. We've needed to discuss something, but I keep putting it off. It's time that I man up and figure out what I want and expect with this situation between him and me. "Have fun and be a naughty girl for your Daddy, so I can punish you when yo
JORY “Oh? Do I get a say in this?” I tease Merk. He rolls over me and playfully glares, “I will not share you with anybody else but Aria, so get that through your head right now.” Merrick coming to me and finally opening up has me feeling things I’m unsure how to handle. Merk’s my best friend, and I’ve always crushed on him, but I never thought I would ever get this chance I was given today. He has finally worked through his demons, and I’m happy that I could be the one to help, not that I did much. I’ve always respected his wishes. Yes, I may have pressed a little, knowing that there was more to what he was willing to give, and I knew it stemmed from his past, but I never wanted to ruin our friendship by pushing too far. His being here, like this, is huge. I have no need to be with anybody else if I have Aria and Merrick. Of course, if Knox wanted to join in, I would definitely make room, but I know that Knox is happy as he is, and I respect that, even if I do like
“What?” I ask as all three guys stare at me as if I’ve grown another head. “Baby, we can’t just off the woman?” Knox snickers. “Damn, sweetness, you’re getting me hard all over again!” Jory chuckles as he looks down at his cock. “Jory!” Knox lectures, “We need to have this conversation now. Aria doesn’t have much time before the babies arrive, and I prefer to have it handled by then.” “Well, let’s take our girl’s advice and drive the bitch to the nearest hog incinerator. I’m sure we can find one on a few sites just outside the city.” Jory smirks and then winks at me. “I wasn’t really meaning it, Jory,” I giggle, “It was a private thought that happened to pop out of my mouth,” I explain as I turn to my back and grab his hand because the babies are moving around. Jory loves experiencing his kids moving, so I make sure he feels them every chance I get. He lays his head on my chest, and his hand flattens on my belly. Being on the other side of me, Merrick also place
I may have been a little too excited when I burst back into Jory's room, flipping the light switch and flooding the room with brightness, "Oh, my God, wake up!" I stop short as Jory sits straight up, and looks around frantically, his faux hawk sticking out every which way. Knox, realizing he's cuddling with Merrick, practically falls off the edge of the bed, trying to move away, while Merrick just blinks his lids a few times, trying to focus his eyes. "What is it... what's wrong?" Jory asks, now jumping from the bed, "Are you okay? Is it the babies?" His hand goes to my tummy in his frantic state. "I'm okay, everything is okay, but something just happened, and I had to tell you." I laugh, and they all just stare at me as though I've lost my mind. "Baby, you can't burst into a room in the middle of the night like you did just to tell us something!" Knox has his hand over his heart. "Oops, I'm sorry. I was just so anxious after seeing what I saw that I didn't think,
KNOX I'm the only one at the office today since Jory has been working from home this last month of Aria's pregnancy, and Merrick has meetings all day. Melody has now taken over Aria's position as head receptionist, and let me tell you, Aria was the best one when she started working for us, but my mother-in-law? Let's just say that I refuse to let her go. Melody is so on task; she's doing work that I haven't even told her I needed yet, and as soon as I bring up that I need this report or that report, she's already handing it to me. She already knows the ins and outs of the job and gets along with everybody; she's like a mother hen, even to those older than her. My mother-in-law is in her mid-forties, and she's still a beautiful woman, so she gets flirted with all the time, but she never pays any mind to it, at least not on the job. She is definitely our right-hand woman. Telling Aria that she didn't have a job to return to never hurt her feelings because she wanted to stay h