Life Begins (15 page)

              He held her face between the palms of her hand. “I am not ending life of ex-husband, even though he deserves it. I will not allow police to question my family. As far as the other thing, even God warred.”

              “You are not making your case better, Žarko. You are not anyway near God.”

              “No. But, like him, I am doing what is necessary to make sure that people know my name. It is not necessary to battle people constantly. I do not involve myself with drugs or with prostitution if you are worried. I do have standards.”

              At least that gave her some comfort. “I know that I need to accept this, but I have to tell you that I’m struggling. This is really hard for me to understand. I feel stupid, like I should have known that you weren’t as wonderful as I thought you were at first.”

              “I never said I was wonderful. You wanted to believe this.”

              She still believed that he was good. Beautiful, hard, and yet more understanding than any other person she’d ever met. He gave her everything that she ever wanted. Everything, without question and without trying to talk her out of it. She finally had to sigh. “You get on my last nerves. How am I supposed to stay mad at you when you do pseudo-charming things?”

              “That is because you desire to rip my clothing off.” He was lucky that she heard the baby crying.

              She released him, going back to what she was supposed to have done in the first place. “Your daughter is looking for you.”

              “Do not be jealous because kids love their
tata
. Especially since their
majka
also is loving their
tata
.”

              “Good-bye, Žarko.” He finally left the kitchen, but not before he’d thoroughly felt her up and left her wanting more than what she’d got. Something had to be wrong with her, wanting him as much as she did, regardless of what he did.

Chapter 15

              “My breasts hurt,” Josie complained to her mom while they were out shopping. Not that she’d wanted to be clothes shopping with her mother anyway. The woman had a knack of traveling the whole length of the mall, never finding anything worthwhile, but always somehow managing to find something to buy back in the original store they’d started. Josie didn’t expect this time to be any different.

              “I told you to pump your breasts before we left for the mall.”

              She had done so, but like always, her mother spent so much time shopping that she often forgot the time. Her poor baby was probably going crazy at home, since she spent more time now at the breast than feeding from a bottle. “I’ve got to get home.”

              “But I’m not finished shopping and you should be craving a break with all those children in the house. You should have taken my advice after having your daughter and just gotten your tubes tied. You have way too many.”

              “Mom, seriously. I love my children and I love being at home with all of them.” She only halfheartedly argued with her mother, because there was really nothing to talk about. “Besides, we’ve been at the mall for three hours now. Of course it’s time for me to go feed the baby.” She did not allow her mother’s pinched lips to sway her. “Let’s hurry up and make our purchases so that we can go.”

              “I obviously need to talk to that husband of yours. What’s the point in having someone if you aren’t going to take advantage of it?”

              “What am I supposed to take advantage of? I get to do everything that I want to do, with plenty of breaks in between.” If there were any limits to her movements, Žarko made sure that she understood why. And besides, who was her mother to talk, considering that she had just divorced her fourth husband. The woman didn’t know how to keep a man, so to try and counsel Josie about what she needed to do in her own marriage, it was hilarious.

              “Fine,” her mother said with a pout on her face. “let’s get your boring butt home before something happens to your precious family.”

              “It’s your family, too,” Josie couldn’t help but mutter on the way toward the Sears register. She herself didn’t plan on buying anything for herself. It was her children who needed clothing because Josif had a sudden growth spurt and so had baby Juljiana. Žarko had asked her not to purchase anything from this mall because he planned for them all to go clothing shopping as a family.

              All on the way back, she had to hear from her mother about how wrong it was to change her whole life just because she remarried. Josie rolled her eyes, but kept quiet about it. Her mother didn’t understand that Josie loved being married, and that she only found comfort in being a wife and a mother. Maybe it would have been different if it weren’t for the children, but after what she went through during and after her first divorce, she really felt that being single was overrated.

              It was fine if it was what a woman wanted, but for Josie, she enjoyed the life she lived being married.

              “We should go out to dinner and then see a show one night,” her mother said.

              For what? Why on earth would Josie ever want to go out with her mother? “Maybe one day when I’m not busy.” And when hell froze over.

              She quickly dropped her mother off at her house, before making her way home. She arrived just in time to hear her daughter screaming her head off as Žarko paced back and forth with her. As soon as she opened her arms, the baby was placed in her arms.

              “I am so sorry, baby. Your grandmother can’t keep time to save her life,” Josie said, even though she paid more attention to her husband. “Did she at least eat some baby food?”

              As soon as the noise stopped, both parents collapsed on the couch. Žarko leaned his head back, tired lines filling his face. “She ate little, but is not much she wanted because she is hungry for milk. She is thinking that mama’s comfort would be best.”

              Josie wiped the tears from her daughter’s eyes. “I see. Juljiana loves her momma only because she’s the milk factory. I bet once she’s weaned she won’t want anything more to do with me if given a choice.” Feeding sounds were her only reply.

              She saw her husband at the side of her eyes. “How are you doing? Did the kids wear you out?”

              He smiled briefly. “No. It is hard day at office. Babies are best part of day.” It had to be if he could easily ignore all the stomping going on above their heads. “Juljiana is growing teeth now, so it is normal that she will be upset.”

              “Yeah, I can feel something beginning to bite me. I guess she really is growing up right in front of our eyes.” Just the other day she had taken her first foray into the great big world of crawling. She couldn’t help her smile. “Life really is good,” she felt the need to say.

              “I know. Kids are happy. Wife is happy. Husband is happy as long as family and work is happy.”

              If only it could actually stay that way. “What is going on with the case? I know you told me not to worry, but I have to know what the lawyer has said.”

              “Case is meaningless. He gave away his children of his own will. He did not even sign certificate for daughter. So it is impossible for him to be father.”

              “But what about Josif?”

              “It will not go to court. And if it does, then it still will not matter. Children are mine and will have my name for rest of their life.”

              “Or until the girls get married.”

              He grunted. “Girls will never marry. They will always belong to their
tata
and never leave the house.” He nodded, as if it were a done deal. She would let him keep that opinion until the girls grew up enough to prove him wrong. It would be impossible to keep such beautiful girls from discovering boys.

              “It seems like a double standard to allow the boy to date, but not the girls.”

              “Life is not fair. The girls understand that they are not allowed boyfriends ever. Juljiana will also learn that she cannot date boys. This is why I have people to ensure that what I say goes.”

              Since her daughter seemed full, Josie passed her over to Žarko. “Well, if you can look at that face and stand strong, then you are a different parent from me. I, on the other hand, expect the girls to one day decide that they are going to date. At least for prom.”

              Juljiana pressed her mouth against his cheek in her baby version of a kiss. “
Tata
will be date and will make sure he protects virtue of his girls.”

              “But, apparently their mother does not receive that same care. How come
tata
is not interested in protecting mama’s virtue?”

              “Why are you needing virtue when I can give you something better?”

              “This is why your girls will never agree to not dating. You make what you do to me sound like a lot of fun. They are also going to want to participate in that.” She stretched her legs out in front of her. Man, was she tired as well. Even the sounds of feet storming down the stairs didn’t bring her to further attention. “Why are we stomping on the stairs?” she called out to the children

              “Sorry,
majka
,” Desa said. “
Tata
, can we watch a movie?”

              A movie sounded good. Movies were quiet, something that young kids did not know how to do unless they had something that kept their attention. She didn’t blame Žarko for agreeing right away. It allowed for the girls to participate in watching both the little kids while the parents slept, just for a little bit. That sounded like a great plan.

              Josie was starting to hate the sound of beeping at night, because it always seemed to end up with Žarko needing to leave. She tried to tighten her arms around his, hoping to keep him from rolling over, but there wasn’t much that she could do with someone so much stronger than her. She sighed, before turning over to watch him sit up to check his phone.

              “Do you have to go?”

              In the glow of the phone she saw him turn his head toward her. “
Ne
. I am only receiving update.” He set the phone back down on the nightstand and returned to lying beside her. Josie snuggled up close to her husband, her fingers naturally attracted to the cross he wore around his neck. “I am having someone watch ex-husband’s movements.”

              She tensed immediately, but his hand caressing her back kept her from tensing too much. “Do I want to know why you’re having him watched?”

              His shoulders moved slightly from the motion of his shrug. “I do not trust him to stay away from you.”

              Oh. Well, that was a good reason. She closed her eyes, allowing herself to calm from the sound of his steady heartbeat. She had no doubt that if her ex-husband came back around that Žarko would make him regret it. It surprisingly gave her some bit of comfort, something she never thought would happen.

              When she was almost asleep she heard her husband say, “You are not concerned that I will have something happen to ex-husband?”

              It was her turn to shrug. “I know that you will. You were so angry last time that I knew you would have killed him if given half a chance.”

              “But you fear my being caught.” It wasn’t a question.

              “Yes,” she answered anyway. “If you were caught, then you’d go to prison for the rest of your life and that would hurt me, greatly.” She rolled until she could see his face in the slight moonlight flowing through the window. “I never want a day to go by where you aren’t here.”

              He tightened his arm around her shoulder, pulling her in so that he could plant a kiss on her forehead. “It is good thing that I know my business. I do not plan on being away from wife or children.”

              He pulled her further on top of him, until she was able to straddle his waist. She didn’t fight it, immediately draping herself over his body. “It is a good thing because imagine if I weren’t around for you to do this?” she leaned forward to kiss him gently on the lips.

              She loved the fact that he seemed to have a permanent sneer, even when doing something as simple as kissing. He teased her with them, making her draw close him before darting his tongue out to taste her. It didn’t matter that she often held his face when they were in this position. They both knew who were in control of this.

              His large hands held tight to her hips, keeping her from moving against him. She hated when he did that, because it made her crave more of him. She could almost feel her body heating up with need of him, especially with his hard cock continuing to grow against her.

              “Do not be bad girl,” he whispered across her lips.

              “Let me go and I will not be bad.” She just managed to roll her hips against him, spreading her wetness through her panties and his pare cock. “I will be very good.”

              “Beg me nicely.”

              She groaned. “Please let me be a good girl.” She planted her hands beside his head so that she could fully see his face. “I want to show you how good I can be.” She was glad when his hands began sliding up her back, pressing her chest against him so that he could nibble on her neck. She practically melted as it didn’t take long to reach her sweet spot.

              She spread her knees wide so that she could rub herself tighter against him. She loved feeling him through the wetness of her underwear, but it also drove her crazy. She reached between them, moving the crotch to the side so that she could feel bare skin against her clit. “You are not being a good girl,” he told her.

              “I am being good. Good girls get wet for their husbands.” She kissed him so he couldn’t reprimand her, but it also didn’t surprise her when she felt the sharp sting of a smack against her bottom. She couldn’t help, but giggle. “I need you to be a good husband to me.”

              She felt his body tense beneath her and knew that it was only a matter of time before he took full control of the situation. His fingers hooked into the side of her panties and pulled. Like everything else in her life, the bands obeyed Žarko’s will and snapped. Her hips jerked because of the pain, but it allowed him to slip the fabric away from her, allowing bare skin to touch bare skin. Then, he was lifting her hips and filling her, slowly, so that she could feel all of him.

              Her nails dug into his skin and she gasped as she felt him bottom out against her cervix. It still amazed her that she could enjoy the bit of pain that only he gave her. So, much so, that she could already feel her inner muscles begin to spasm against him.

              “You are really feeling it today,” he told her. “You are lucky that I am very good husband.”

              She tried to speak, but could barely gain breath at the movement of her husband. She was soaked, had been before his first thrust, but looking down between them, she could see the nice sheen his cock had taken because of her. Then, there was the scent of them together, so tangy and unique to them. It furthered her senses, adding to the feel, sight and sound of their bodies coming together.