Wild Billionaire Romance - Chapter 93: Chapter 93

“Well, not exactly,” Destiny answered my question a few seconds later, after smiling and nodding her head at a few of her guests.
“There are people from the publishing house I don’t really know here. And some of the scary-looking men in suits are business acquaintances of Marat’s. And some are new neighbors.”
“Ah. Well, then maybe your husband has a point,” I hedged, not wanting to start anything.
But I could see why her husband would not want people wandering unsupervised through their new homes. Especially not when they had their baby there.
“Oh, that is so cute! You and Josef have the same attitude about safety!”
“Well, I don’t know if it’s cute. But, um, I was raised to respect proper security. Someone broke into my childhood home when I was in high school and they broke my things, took some jewelry that had been my mother’s, and they wrote nasty slurs on the wall,” I explained.
“Oh no! That must have been horrible,” she said, her big blue eyes filling with tears.
“I was fine. Please, don’t cry⁠—”
She opened the door to a private room, and I was stunned at how beautiful it was. I’d never seen a breastfeeding suite, but this was amazing. There was every convenience a mother could want.
A couple of cushiony rocking chairs lined one wall with matching ottomans. A pair of changing stations. A mini fridge. A play area with toddler appropriate toys. A flat screen television. An en suite bathroom. Bassinets decorated in soft blues and whites. And even a sofa.
A stunning woman in cropped silver pants topped with a black silk blouse turned around. Her smile was warm and friendly, and she was holding a precious bundle in her arms.
I never met her, but she looked vaguely familiar.
“Hi! I’m Sofia, you must be Meredith! I am so excited to meet you. I’m Adrik’s wife,” she said while handing the little girl to Destiny.
“Oh my God,” I exclaimed as recognition hit. “You’re Z. Wolff. I read all your books!”
Excitement short-circuited my brain, and I was two seconds from full on fangirling.
“You do? Thank you,” she said, laughing.
“And you’re her narrator! D. Wolff?! Holy shit! I love you guys!”
“Hear that Lucy, Mama’s got a fan,” Destiny cooed while she snuggled her baby to her breast and began feeding her.
“I really am a fan,” I said, clapping my hands awkwardly. “Sorry, I am making this weird.”
“Not at all. And thank you so much. Josef didn’t tell Adrik you were a reader,” Sofia said, gesturing to one of the seats beside Destiny.
I thought it might be awkward for her to have us sitting there while she nursed her baby, but she didn’t seem bothered. She had a soft-looking blanket draped over her chest, and a serene smile on her face as she rocked the chair back and forth.
“Oh, well, um, Josef didn’t tell me you were an author, and you a narrator,” I said, and shrugged.
I couldn’t help the momentary panic that filled me.
Why hadn’t Josef mentioned me? Was he ashamed? Embarrassed? Was our past too fraught for explanations?
“Hey, don’t look like that,” Sofia said, her tone gentle. “I’ve been married to Adrik for three years now. I know he considers Josef a brother, but that man is probably the most close-guarded human being I’ve ever met.”
“Josef? But we talk all the time,” I replied, frowning.
Slowly, I started to see her point. The more I thought about it, the more I realized I was the one who talked all the time.
“Um, how did you two meet? I’m dying to know,” Destiny asked, her tone hushed so as not to disturb little Lucy.
“Oh, well, we met years ago. My stepfather hired him as a bodyguard when I was a senior in high school.”
“Wow! I know you don’t know us yet, but I promise you can trust me and Destiny to keep your secrets, Mer.”
“Mare? Like a horse?” I asked, confused.
“No, she means, Mer, like your name. M-E-R. Don’t mind her. Sof is all about the nicknames,” Destiny replied with a teasing eye roll.
“What are you talking about? This is kismet! I’m Sof. You’re Des. And she is Mer! It works,” Sofia replied with a pout.
“It’s fine, I mean, at least it’s my name. Josef just calls me Little Red for obvious reasons,” I confessed, and waved my hand towards my hair.
“Oooh, I sense a forbidden romance,” Sofia said, her eyes bright with humor.
“It’s funny cause a few weeks ago thinking about Josef and our past would have made me sad and angry, but you’re right. I guess it was a forbidden romance.”
“You don’t have to, but if you want to share, we are all ears,” Des said quietly.
“And I promise not to use anything you say as book fodder,” Sof added.
I laughed. For some reason, I felt comfortable with these women. It had been such a long time since I had a real friend, if I ever did.
So, I told them everything.
All of it.
My tumultuous past with Josef. Everything that had happened with my stepfather. Running away to Europe. Coming back to the states. Working for the shelter.
And the more I told them, the better I felt.
Less alone. Supported. Comforted.
I should’ve probably realized from my experience and all the time I spent counseling women and children who’d left abusive situations that I could benefit from a little therapy myself. I mean, I tried counseling years ago, and I thought it worked.
But I never considered maybe it was something I should have continued.
“I know it might seem like what he did was cruel, like the way he backed you into a corner. But I think maybe Josef needed you and didn’t know how to deal with that. His ultimatum solved that problem,” Destiny whispered.
Lucy was asleep, so I understood why she was being quiet.
But it felt like maybe this conversation was too precarious for loud words.
I thought about what she said for a moment and felt hope rising inside me like an unstoppable tide.
Could it be true? Did Josef maybe care about me like I cared about him?
The sound of voices outside the nursing suite brought our attention to the door. A soft knocking sounded, and Sofia stood to answer it.
“Yes? Oh! Sure, she’s here. I’ll tell her,” Sofia whispered, coming back with a wide grin on her face.
“What is it?” I asked, curious.
“Your husband is outside waiting for you, and he looks fit to be tied,” Sofia remarked, highly amused if her expression was anything to go by.
I frowned and stood up, turning back towards both women.
“Oh, um. Thank you for letting me talk and for welcoming me.”
I was a little embarrassed that I was moved to tears by something as simple as the ready friendship these women offered. But I was.
Things like that didn’t happen every day. The women I worked with were healing and guarded. As was their right. But now and then, I wondered if their situations couldn’t have been avoided. If maybe they couldn't have gotten help sooner. If only they had a friend.
But that was what abusers did. They separated you from your people so they could dominate you. So they could exact control.
Josef did the complete opposite. He brought me here, introduced me to these women, creating a place for me to thrive and feel good about myself. He was giving me a support system that didn’t just revolve around him.
He thought he was a bad man. But he was the best man I knew.
God, I love him.
“Hey, we’re bound by womanhood and our husbands. The wives of wolves need to stick together!” Destiny said, and I wondered at her turn of phrase.
Wives of wolves?
Sof grabbed me in a short, tight hug, then eased back with a genuine smile on her face. Her eyes twinkled with mischief.
“I’ll call you this week for lunch, okay? I want to talk more about your job and what we can do to help.”
“That sounds great,” I told her, and I meant it.
A feeling of rightness settled over me as I bade both women goodbye. I never had close friends, but maybe I did now. It felt good.
Curious about what Josef could be so upset about, I walked into the hall and was shocked when the big man grabbed my hand and tugged me to him.
“Damn it, Little Red. I didn’t know where you were,” he growled, wrapping me in his arms.
Startled by his reaction to my absence, I hugged him back, kissing his neck and cheek, whispering soothing words.
“Where’s your phone?”
“Um, I don’t know, I must have left it in my bag when I checked it at the door,” I said, shrugging.
“Were you worried?” I asked, biting my lip.
“Yes, I was worried. I walked away for a minute and then you were gone!”
He looked angry. Pissed even. But the worry lines around his eyes told another story.
He’d been scared. Scared I’d left him.
“Hey, I’m yours and you’re mine, remember? I’m never leaving you,” I said, looking into those whiskey colored eyes I loved so much.
My heart was pounding so hard. His hands tightened on my shoulders as he pulled back and just stared at me. That was okay. I was doing some staring of my own.
I studied my handsome husband, noting the slight flare of his nostrils before he moved.
He was so damn fast.
Josef blurred to me, closing the space between us. Spicy cologne and male musk filled my nostrils.
His big, muscular body crushed my softer one in his frenzied embrace, but it felt so fucking good.
Were it not for his arm around me, I would have tipped over. But Josef wouldn’t allow that. He would always keep me safe.
Trust and delight bloomed inside me.
And desire—always desire when it came to this man.
At first, I thought maybe I’d said the wrong thing.
But I didn’t have to worry. It was the absolute right thing to say because my sexy as fuck husband was crushing my mouth with his.
His hand cupped the back of my head, so it didn’t connect with the unforgiving wall as he ravaged my mouth.
“Um, are you coming back to the party?” an amused voice said from behind us.
Josef slowed us down, breaking our connection only to come back for several more plucking kisses. He pressed his forehead to mine, not turning around or releasing me.
“We’ll be right there.”
“Alright, I look forward to meeting you formally, Mrs. Aziz,” the masculine voice replied.
I couldn’t reply.
I was still trying to catch my breath.