Выбрать главу

She turned to him. “I love you too, and I can’t believe you did all of this. What if I didn’t want to live in New York? What if I wouldn’t have wanted to go into business Seri?”

“I knew you would be ecstatic to work with Seri.”

“I am.”

“And I knew you would live in China if it were with me.”

“I would. You’ve still got a hard on,” she teased, grinder into him.

“That’s because it’s waiting for you to get naked.”

“Take a shower with me.”

“If I take a shower with you, I am going to stick my dick in you.”

“Hmmm, Okay,” Quill beckoned.

Julius ran his fingers over his name on the small of her back, letting his fingers trace each letter, and then the quill. Quill turned her wet naked body to his and kissed her. Quill moved her hand down, stroking him as he kissed and sucked on her neck and then her breasts. She moaned, he moaned, and backed her against the shower wall. He lifted her legs around his waist and she guided him into her. He held her up with his hands and the wall, moving slowly in and out of her until they were both right there, Quill releasing first. Julius pulled out of her and they both looked down as he spewed on her stomach between them.

“I really need to get on the pill or something,” Quill decided, kissing him.

“You don’t like it when I do that?” he asked, kissing her back.

“Oh, I love it. I just don’t want you planting any seeds in there.”

<><><>

Quill spent her last 15 days of being a minor with her mother. She really spent 15 days being her daughter and became closer to her than she had allowed herself since she had come there. She even spent an afternoon with Connor, picking out a ring, hoping her mother said yes and would allow herself to be happy. She deserved to be happy. Quill was happy, Seri was happy and Liz deserved the same.

She talked to Seri every day, discussing the new studio. Quill couldn’t believe that Julius and Seri were turning people away or putting them on a waiting list. They were even going to be training the NYPD. Quill couldn’t believe that they were doing that, then again, they were all pretty aware of what Sarah Strokes was capable of.

Liz cried the entire day they packed up Quill’s room. She wasn’t ready to let her go. She lost too many years.

“Mom, will you stop? I’m not going to be that far away. I’ll see you all the time, and you can call me every day,” Quill tried, as her mom folded shirts, placing them in a box.

Liz only smiled. She knew she wasn’t too far away and she would see her, but it still wasn’t the same. Why couldn’t she have come home before she was so close to being 18?

Reese was sad too; she had gotten used to her being there. Who would help her with her homework? Liz assured her between Connor and herself, she would have plenty of help. It still wasn’t going to be the same. Quill made it fun.

“Liz, you’re going to see her for the grand opening on Saturday,” Julius argued, pulling her arms from around Quill.

“You let anything happen to her, and I will hunt you down myself,” Liz warned.

“Nothing is going to happen to her. I will take good care of her,” Julius promised, opening her car door and ushering her in before Liz hugged her again.

Quill waved out the back glass while her mom, Reese, and Connor all waved back.

“Is this real, Julius? Are we really doing this?” Quill asked, turning to him.

Julius smiled, took her hand and kissed her knuckles. “We are, baby.”

“Are you going to marry me?”

Julius laughed. “Someday.”

Epilogue

Aquilla loved living in the city. She loved their new apartment only two blocks from the studio. She loved being in business with Seri and never imagined she would ever be this happy. She smiled up at their neon pink sign every time they locked up Seri & Quill’s. The name was perfect, and after only two years of being in business, they were a hit. A big hit. They taught women how to stand up for themselves, kids how to escape a kidnapper and even the NYPD.

The cocky police officers were their favorite. There was always one, one that was pissed because he was being made to take the class being taught by two little girls; one that always thought he was going to put the girls in their place and, of course, one that always looked like an ass in front of his peers because he couldn’t. They would look at each other and smile when one of them would throw the arrogant ass to the red mats, flat on his back, usually accompanied by a painful moan.

“You sure you’re feeling okay? You haven’t been on the mats all week,” Seri accused, knowing Aquilla loved being in the center of the mat.

“I’m fine, and I have to. I’ve just been leaving the slamming to you.”

“Why?” Seri asked suspicious.

“Because, I hurt my shoulder a little.”

“You’re a liar. Something’s up, I can tell, Quill.”

“Nothing’s up. Go home.”

“What are you doing tonight? Your dad is cooking chicken on the grill. Do you want to come over?” Seri asked as Quill locked the front door.

“No, and you are such a traitor. I can’t believe you are eating that stuff. No feet… Remember our rule? We don’t eat anything with feet,” Quill reminded her.

“Chickens don’t really have feet.”

“They do too. What do you call them if you don’t call them chicken feet?” Aquilla argued.

“In China, they’re called Zhao.”

“We’re not in China, and you’re still a traitor. I’ll see you later,” Quill said as she turned to walk the two blocks to her apartment and Seri flagged her cab.

<><><>

“Hi,” Quill said, unlocking the door to their apartment, seeing Julius at the table with a slew of papers, folders and his laptop strung about the table. “What are you doing?” she asked, kissing him on the cheek.

Julius pushed the laptop to the side and pulled her in front of him. She tousled his hair and kissed his forehead. “I am keeping you and your sidekick’s books straight,” he answered. “You guys used eighty dollars more in electric last month.”

Quill laughed. “Does it matter? It’s probably from the two new juicers.”

“I was just telling you in case you cared about where your profits were going.”

“I don’t care about that stuff. That’s why I keep you around.”

“How was work? You look tired.”

“I am a little tired. I think I will go soak in the hot tub for a bit.”

“What are we doing this weekend?” Julius asked, slipping her socks off and rubbing the balls of her feet.

“Hmm, that feels amazing. I am having lunch with Whisper tomorrow and then I thought maybe we would go look at a house,” Quill announced, waiting for the reaction.

“What house? Why do you want to look at a house? You mean to move to?”

“Yes. It’s about a mile from my dad and Seri’s on two acres. It’s got a pool, a custom built playground, four bedrooms, three baths, and an amazing garage for you,” she added.

Julius looked up at her confused. He dropped her foot and stood between her legs.

Shit. She didn’t want him to stop doing that. He hadn’t touched the other foot yet.

“You want to move from our apartment? I thought you liked it here.”

“I love it here.”

“You’re not making any sense. Were you smoking that shit with Seri again?”

Quill laughed. “No. I just don’t think I want to raise a baby in the city.”

“You want to raise a baby?” Julius asked, still not getting it.

“I don’t think it’s a matter of wanting to raise a baby. We are GOING to raise a baby.”