'Home, sweet home,' Veronica thought, as she stood outside her apartment door about to push her key into the lock. She had to conceal a smile. It felt incredible coming back to her own place. A piece of sanctuary that no one could kick her out of. Her own little slice of heaven, no matter how small or old it was.
Through some connections at work, she was able to find a roommate and move out of Paul's. Her roommate, Stephanie, was this really cool Korean chick, who rarely stayed at the apartment. She was always on the go with her job or her friends. Which suited Veronica just fine. She felt like she really DID have a place of her own. She had painted her room a light lavender color and designed it how she wanted, with butterflies all over the place. She had cried a few tears of joy over that simple freedom.
To decorate her own room. She never had one living with her folks. They could never afford anything more than a one bedroom, so she was designated to the couch for y
Nic had decided tonight was the night. He had to have Veronica back. He hadn't been the same since she'd left him, and he wanted to finally show her what her life could be like as his girlfriend. Nic sat in his black Escalade watching Calamity's from afar. He watched through the windows as Veronica gracefully rushed around the crowded restaurant in her skimpy outfit. Her WAY too skimpy outfit. He knew exactly what every straight male in that place was thinking, because it's what he was thinking too. Shit.He looked at her as she smiled at each customer and wrote down their orders. Her ass swayed from side to side in a natural feminine walk, causing his dick to harden. He knew her body from every angle. Front to back, top to bottom. There wasn't an opening on her body he hadn't been inside of and in some strange, possessive way, he felt that it meant she belonged to him. He was even jealous of some girl who had given Veronica a hug before the girl walked out of the restaurant.
Veronica stepped away from the door and into the living room. Her heart was racing and her stomach was flip-flopping just from hearing his voice. She was crazy. She walked over to the couch and sat down. She knew there was no way in hell she could go back to sleep now. She sat there a moment tapping her feet, before she realized she should probably be doing something more productive. She went into her bedroom and grabbed her laundry. It wasn't necessarily the safest thing to do at one in the morning, in a dark basement, but she had too much nervous energy. It was either this, or clean the already spotless kitchen again.She slipped on a pair of light blue fuzzy bedroom shoes, picked up her basket and headed out the door. As soon as she closed the door behind her, she froze. Standing less than three feet from her was Nic. Her heart began racing once more. He was leaning up against the wall with his head down, as if he were asleep...or thinking. Then he slowly lifted his head a
"Okay," she whispered.Nic realized he had been holding his breath. He quietly breathed out. He followed her out of the laundry room and back upstairs to her apartment. She wiggled the key in the lock, trying to open the door, but it wouldn't unlock. Nic leaned around her and grasped her soft hands, pulling the key from her. He pushed it harder into the lock and turned. She was completely still in front of him, while his body was pressed against her back.When they entered the apartment, Nic looked around. Everything was very neat but very small. The kitchen/living area was pretty much just one room. The hallway was short and narrow, and he assumed it led to two bedrooms and a bathroom. He turned to look at Veronica as she glanced around the room."It's not much, but I like it," she quietly admitted."Could I have a glass of water?" Nic asked. Suddenly his mouth was dry at the thought of what he was about to do.After Nic drained the glass he walke
He swiveled his tongue up and down and in and out of her sweet love nest. "Nic...oh," he heard her whisper, as her legs began to tremble and breathing became erratic. She started coming and twisting in the sheets as he continued to enjoy her.When she was done trembling, Nic released her legs and removed his coat and shirt. He slowly unfastened his belt as he watched her wipe the remainder of her tears from her eyes. Her face was soft and void of any makeup and her nose had a slight red tint to it. She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth and in that moment she took his breath away. He pushed down his pants and boxers as he moved between her legs. He leaned down and kissed her as he entered her. They both moaned simultaneously at the familiar reunion of their bodies.Nic rolled them over so that Veronica was on top, straddling him. She stared down at him as she slowly rocked her hips back and forth, riding his dick. Her eyes were still glassy, but she began picking
Over the next few days, Nic and Veronica fell into somewhat of a normal routine that normal couples did. But his purchases didn't stop at the bed. He insisted on buying her a car. She didn't want something too flashy and pricey, so she settled on a regular two door, black Jetta. Of course it was the latest model, but she figured she could handle that. And not having to ride public transportation anymore wasn't something she'd miss.Nic was also adamant about her having a cell phone. She had never really wanted one, because she felt they were a hassle and an unnecessary bill, but Nic got her one anyway. She asked to pay for the bill, but he just looked at her like she was crazy. But thinking about bills, she thought about her parents and their bills. She tried to not let it bother her, but it did. She wondered if Mr. Parker had finally kicked them out or if Nic's visit months ago had scared him into giving her folks a little extra time on paying the rent each month.And
Yes, Bali really was heaven, Veronica was sure of it. The warm water felt so good sliding down her body, as she quickly took a shower. She and Nic had spent the whole day touring the island. At the beginning of the tour, he was on his cell phone. At first it bothered her, because he was missing all of the sights, but then she thought about it. He probably did stuff like this all the time. His wife—ex-wife seemed like she had expensive tastes, so this was probably nothing to him. She had sighed and leaned her head against the window as their driver zipped them around the most picturesque locations on the island.They drove by the native people while in their everyday activities. Working hard...much like she did back home. She wondered if they still enjoyed the beauty of their own home, or if that was only something foreigners could see. Everything seemed more abundant and unrestrained. Just so full of life. They were passing a waterfall when she felt Nic's strong arms gr
Veronica put on the peach colored string bikini, one of the many outfits Nic had snuck and bought her. It was definitely not something she was used to wearing, so she put on a short white ruffled skirt to feel a little more clothed. She pulled her thick curls into a messy ponytail and walked out of the door. She was meeting Nic at an outdoor bar by the beach. He had left early that morning for a run. She wished she could have gone with him, but her body just wouldn't get up. When he had left her, he was shirtless, with just a pair of shorts and shoes on. He had tucked his shirt behind him in his shorts, for later. He had looked so damn fine, that she wanted to pull him back in the bed. But he had kissed her and took off out of the door.Veronica reached the bar and sat down on a stool. She glanced around and noticed the other tourists, along with the locals. Everyone looked so happy and carefree. She knew the feeling. She ordered a pretty pink margarita and wait
She threw the covers from her body and walked over to him. She wrapped her arms around him. She usually wasn't so comfortable with her nudity, but he was rubbing off on her. "What's wrong?" she asked. "Nothing. I just can't sleep." "You wanna talk about it?" "No. Not really," Nic said. "Come on, you can tell me anything. I want to know." "I'm just used to bad things following the good." "What do you mean?" Nic turned around. "Nothing. Don't worry about it. I think it's time for another inspection?" he asked, looking her up and down. "Well, that depends. Are you a harsh critic?" "Absolutely," Nic said, before twirling her around and smacking her ass. Veronica belted out a yelp. "Perfect," Nic whispered, admiring her body more, while pulling her towards the bed. Their last night in Bali, Nic took Veronica to an upscale restaurant. Veronica freaked when there were no prices listed on
"I think he needs a brother," Nic whispered to her, pulling her away from the crib. "Let's get started on that."Veronica laughed, as the two of them entered their bedroom. Nic went to take a shower, but Veronica didn't feel like budging. She was so tired, and instead opted to plop down face first on the bed, and stayed like that until she heard the shower cut off.She finally crawled underneath the covers, when she remembered something. "Oh, hey Nic," Veronica yelled from the bed."What?" she heard him say."Some woman from that party we went to months ago invited us to her party. I forgot to tell you. It's a garden party, or key party...something like that. But she seemed nice, so I wanted to let you know."Ve
His hands were shaking, and he needed to slow down his breathing. Even though he knew it wasn't there, he still felt there was blood on his hands. He quickly wiped his palms across his jeans-covered thighs. Fuck, this was spinning way out of control.He could bullshit and charm his way out of almost every situation. It was a gift he had. One that his father never fully appreciated. His old man wanted him to be more like him, old school. Or like that fucker, Nic. But that wasn't Sonny.And until tonight, he had never taken another human being's life. Until tonight, he thought over in his head again. Fuck!Sonny knew he shouldn't have gotten involved with the Russians. He had never played at that level before. That was more Nic's territory, because where Sonny liked to bullshit, charm and make an idle threat every now
Veronica wasn't sure how long she lovingly admired her two boys, but she couldn't take her eyes away from them. Nic's eyes were closed and his chest was slowly rising up and down. And Sebastian's little face was turned to the side resting on his father's chest. His tiny little pink lips made an 'o' shape as he yawned, never once opening his eyes.After what seemed like forever, Veronica quietly backed out of the living room and went back into Nic's study to open up her last timed quiz. She glanced at the photo by his computer. It was a picture Isabelle had taken of her that first day in the hospital, with Sebastian in her hands. She personally hated the picture because she had just woken up, and with all the pushing, sweating and lack of makeup ...she swore she looked hideous. But Nic wouldn't let her change it. He said it was his favorite picture.Before the t
She stood up from the couch and walked him around.Nic leaned back observing his wife. He watched her cute full hips sway back and forth, as she lightly bounced Sebastian. He couldn't think of a more beautiful sight.How the hell did life bring him here? A little less than two years ago, he looked at people differently. In one glance at Veronica, he thought he knew exactly who she was. Someone who would never matter to him, and who was weak. Someone he could prey on. But Veronica sliced and diced that version of Nic Andretti to shreds, and amazingly she didn't do it by force. She didn't do it by being more cunning, or by any other sneaky methods. She accomplished a feat no other had, and she did it with love. Selfless, generous, unwavering love.He remembered thinking that he had planned to teach her a lesson the fi
"And by the way," Jimmy said, in afterthought, "Detective Marsh's car was blown up, and he was beat up and mugged. Crazy world we live in.""When did this happen?" Nic asked."Oh, it hasn't happened yet. I'm psychic, didn't you know?" he smiled over at Nic.Nic nodded. Karma was certainly a bitch.Nic's palms started sweating the closer and closer they got to Jimmy's house. He had asked everyone not to tell Veronica that he had been released. He wanted to surprise her.But at the moment, he could hardly swallow or keep a single coherent thought in his head. He would be seeing his son, Sebastian, for the first time. And he had to laugh at the fact that he didn't want to disappoint him. Although Sebastian was less than three da
"Well Nic, looks like you really fucked up yesterday. Threatening to kill a detective just doing his duty? Why, what did I ever do to deserve that," Marsh taunted, leaning against his cell. And as always, Reuben was there with Nic."I don't know what you're talking about," Nic answered."Sure. Several guards heard you yell that you wanted to kill me.""No they didn't."Marsh stared at Nic skeptically. "I never took you for a lying man. Cold-hearted killer, but not a liar. They heard you, asshole.""Yeah, they heard me threaten to kill someone, and it was my attorney. He's been falling down on the job, haven't you noticed," Nic dead-panned."Yep, and Nic already apologized to me fo
Nic's heart started beating rapidly. That asshole had to be lying. He slowly got up and walked over to pick up the photos. He flipped through them. His hands started to shake when he saw a picture of her being put in the backseat of Antonio's car and pictures of them arriving at the hospital and his mom escorting Veronica inside. Nic suddenly couldn't breathe. He dropped the photos to the ground as if they electrocuted him.Nic staggered backwards until his calves touched his cot, and then he slowly sat down. He had missed his son being born. He hadn't been away from him more than a few hours since he was conceived...and on the most important day, because of his past lifestyle and FUCKING MARSH, he had missed it.Nic considered himself a sane and rational man. And under any other circumstances, he would have found a cool place in his mind...some place he could
The next morning, Veronica was awakened by Marianna bringing her in a large plate of food. "Good morning, cara mia. You are eating today. Every bite," she demanded, as she sat at the edge of the bed, watching Veronica like a hawk. Veronica didn't feel like eating, but she started stuffing the food in her mouth just to please Marianna. "How are you able to stay so calm?" Veronica asked, pausing in between bites. Marianna thought about it for a moment. "Because I can't help my son right now. All I can do is pray for him, but there's nothing I can help Reuben or Jimmy with. What I can do for him is watch over you and his baby growing inside you. Those are the things I can do, and I'm going to do them, because I love him, I love you and my grandson. Now eat."
Marsh stepped into the interrogation room holding a cloth to his nose. He threw a few files down onto the table and stared at Nic."Nicolas Andretti...I finally got you, you fucker. And don't worry, I fucking own this precinct. There are no cameras rolling behind those mirrors. Just you and me. Together at last."Nic's wrists were raw from the tight handcuffs, but he refused to complain about it. First, it wouldn't do any good, and second, he wouldn't give that asshole the satisfaction. He stared back at Marsh with a bored expression."So Nic, this is how we're going to do this. Believe it or not, I have an amazing proposition for you. How about you walk out of here today--no questions asked. You leave, go see your wife and fly back to California. How does that sound?"N