Date = 25 DecemberPlace = San Francisco (Mel’s house) (Uncle John’s house)POV - Melaena“Mel!” Kiara’s voice cries through my dreams. Or rather nightmares. “Wake up.”My eyes flutter open and a beam of light blinds me for a second or two. Why did she draw the curtains? Bitch. When I say the word bitch I mean it in the most affectionate way possible, I swear.I groan and sit up slowly. The light from the mid-morning sun flows into the room. I wish the sun would get a pain up it’s happy ass.“Merry Christmas!” she shouts, grabbing me around my neck. Then she lets go rather quickly.“Phew,” she fumbles her nose into a twist. “You stink!” I lift my arm and take a whiff. There is a slight little odor. But I haven’t bathed for a day … maybe two … three … I can’t remember.“I don’t smell anything.” She stares at me — a long judgy look.“Well, you’re going to get out of this bed, take a shower, and get ready … we’re going in thirty.” She gets up and steps carefully between the pizza boxes, e
Date = 25 DecemberPlace = San Francisco (Uncle John’s house)POV – DamionMy brother smacks me on the back. “Go get her, man. I mean, look at you—what have you got to lose?”He’s right. Without her, I’ve got nothing left. When you’ve got nothing, you’ve got nothing left to lose.“I hope she listens.”“Yeah, good luck with that. It’s my bullheaded sister you’re talking about.” Jackson gives me encouragement. He’s right.She is stubborn, but I can be too. If she doesn’t listen, I’ll make her. Because she’s worth it.“She’s in there,” Enrique nods his head in the direction of the little bathroom beneath the stairs. I stand in front of the door and hear the water running, nervous as a cat in a dog-pound. The door opens and she slams straight into me.“Asshole!” she hisses, but her blue eyes scanning over me are not filled with hate. I can swear I see some lust in them. She looks nervous. “And you look like shit.” I smile faintly — has she looked in the mirror lately?“Well, Merry Christma
Date = 26 DecemberPlace = San Francisco (on the road)POV – DamionWARNING – sex scene!!!“Are you sure you don’t want to spend another day?” Uncle John is already busy making coffee and he hands me a cup with some cream. Great, just what I need.“I think we need a little time alone to talk everything out properly,” I explain, “And I’m leaving again tonight.”Mel jumps down the stairs and gives her uncle a peck on his cheek and then turns to do the same with me. How much difference a day can make — she’s already sprouting much more color in her cheeks. Her eyes burn with a girlish charm that makes my knees go weak.She grabs my coffee and takes a sip. But then she rams it back into my hands and runs for the dustbin.Something is bothering me about this bug she has, the symptoms are all there. I shake my head. No, I’m not going there. It’s just a bug and she said she’s on the pill. But a part of me can’t stop — nausea, tiredness …“So, I suppose my dickhead brothers are still passed ou
Date = 26 DecemberPlace = San Francisco (Mel’s house)POV - Damion“Mew!” A shadow of black jumps from the shelf and lands on my shoulder. Little nails dig into my skin.“Hell!” I grab the furry body and hold it up in the air.“Hi, little one,” Mel coos and taps the kitten on the nose. I stare into his green eyes and he stares back.The image of him cooking in a pot suddenly fills my mind and I gag down the upchuck in my throat while at the same time dropping him to the floor.“Maybe we should get some takeaways and binge-watch a few movies,” I say just to erase the horror from my brain. Anything but Fatal Attraction would do.“That sounds perfect. You order the food and don’t forget the ginger ale. Oh, and get some ice cream and pickles … I’ll get the bed ready.” My eyebrows move up and I get my fully mastered smirk on just as she realizes just how kinky that sounded. She shakes her head and leaves, my eyes on her ass until she disappears into her room. My phone is already dialing Hi
Date = 26 DecemberPlace = San Francisco (Mel’s house)POV - Melaena“You want some ice cream?” I jump on Kiara’s bed suddenly craving a delicious snack and needing some TLC from my best friend.“I’ll be with you in two secs!” she says.I scoop a large serving of ice cream into two bowls, take out the jar of pickles, and throw some on top of one, before covering it with peanut butter, jam, and chocolate sauce. This is weird, even for me, but something is making me want this nearly as bad as I crave sex.I take my phone and sit on the sofa eating my new favorite snack. Kiara slides over the back of the sofa and takes a huge bite of her plain ice cream, moaning softly.“Mm, this IS good!”Doom tries to steal some of my bowl of weirdness and I shoe him off by tapping on his nose with my finger.“What the frick are you eating?” Kiara stares at my bowl with a face that looks as if she’s going to puke.“Ice cream with pickles and peanut butter, jam, and chocolate sauce!!! It tastes much bett
Date = 8 JanuaryPlace = Rome (Damion’s penthouse)POV - Mel“I can get used to you being with me all the time,” he sighs while gently kneading a plump nipple between his fingers.“Me too.” This must be what heaven feels like … me lying between his legs in a huge bubble-filled bath, his hand cupping a grateful breast, giving it the attention it hungers for. I stare through the huge windows at the magnificent view of Rome’s skyline.“Don’t you regret not running away?” Not at all because I love you. I hear the words in my head. I love him … but it’s so much more … the intensity of what I feel for him is so much more.Unconditional all-consuming love.“I think it’s too late for that.” We’re going to have a baby. “You’re stuck with me, pall.” And the little one that will arrive in a few months.“You said D told you about my past … my baggage.” I can feel his muscles pulling tight. How heavy that baggage must be.“We will deal with those over time.” I mean it. And now that I got a glimpse
Date = 17 JanuaryPlace = San Francisco (Mel’s house) (Damion’s house)POV – DamionWARNING – sex scene!!!Food, sleep, beer, sex — that’s what I need right now, and not necessarily in that order. I earnestly can’t tell you what I want first cause all are fighting for the honor of the highest priority.I’m hungry. Frustrated. Dead-gone tired. Horny.I feel like a shaken bottle of soda that’s about to explode.I’ve never even thought about a girl for more than five seconds, what to say minutes, hours, days, weeks! And it’s driving me fucking insane.After she left Italy my head has been spinning faster than the bikes around the track.I know she’s hiding something. Or I’m pretty sure.It’s not something pertinent exactly … like she pushed me away or something … I claimed her on almost every piece of furniture in that penthouse and some. She even rode me on that fucking deckchair … banishing Chloe’s photo for good. So it’s not that.But I just can’t figure out what it can be. And trust m
Date = 21 JanuaryPlace = San Francisco (UCSF Mission Bay Medical)POV - MelaenaAt week 8, your baby is about the size of a kidney bean. Hands and feet are forming tiny fingers and toes, and those arms are able to flex at the elbows and wrists. At this point, eyes begin to develop pigment, and genitals are forming too, although it's still too soon to know whether you're expecting a boy or a girl.Is that what’s in my tummy, a little bean with Damion’s DNA in its system? The repercussions of … passion, love, forever? How did an intelligent girl like me walk into this situation? Can I blame ignorance, innocence, or maybe stupidity?Damion made it pretty clear that he doesn’t want a baby and isn’t ready to be a father. On more than one occasion.But I’m hoping he might come around. At least he said he loved me … that’s something. So maybe after the initial shock wears down, he will love the little bean too.Kiara puts her head on my shoulder, her voice against my ear while she reads on —