* * *

No one spoke of it on the plane ride back but we were all thinking about what the hell the headlines were going to say tomorrow.

The women and children were long in bed by the time we made it back to the island but we were too pumped to sleep. We finally had a place to start in our search for Khalil.

“So he’s in Doha.” Mancini passed around bottles of water as we took up our usual spots in his private room.

“At least it’s a smaller search area than some of his other hideouts, but I wonder what he’s doing there. That’s not on his list.”

“It’s only an hour and a half from there to Saudi Arabia. Is he about to make some sorta move?”

“If you’re talking about him going after the old king Quinn I doubt it. There aren’t many who’d risk it and I don’t think your guy is that stupid.”

“What the fuck are you people talking about? The desert?”

“Yes Lyon the desert.”

“We’re gonna need someone on the ground…” Lo started speaking but Mancini interrupted him.

“I’ll cover that. If this guy’s as good as you say he has your faces taped up somewhere believe me.”

“We can’t ask you to do that Hank, that shit’s too dangerous.” No one missed the smile that crossed Mancini’s face as he assured Logan and the rest of us that he could handle it.

Sheer exhaustion drove us to our beds a few hours later and I snuck in quietly so as not to wake her. I heard the faint sound as soon as I laid on the couch.

I strained my ears until I heard it again and was on my feet and at the bedroom door before my next breath.

I should’ve looked in on her when I came in but told myself to avoid the temptation. I pushed the door open gently.

There was a swath of moonlight across her face, the covers were down around her ankles and she tossed and turned as she moaned in her sleep.

I moved across the room and stood at the side of the bed looking down at her not quite sure what I should do. I couldn’t believe I was afraid to get into bed with her to offer comfort.

When she made another one of those frightened noises the decision was made. I got in behind her and pulled her into my arms.

“Shh, it’s okay I’m here.”

“Devon?”

“Yeah baby it’s me go back to sleep.” She rooted around on my chest until she found a place for her head.

I stayed stiff for the first five minutes, literally, until I grew too tired and my body just relaxed into the mattress; it took my cock a little longer to figure out he wasn’t getting any play and give me a fucking break.

* * *

The sun on my face woke me hours later. I felt her weight on my chest before my eyes came fully open. I came wide-awake when I remembered where I was and got a surprise.

She had her hands folded under her chin and was staring up at me. I didn’t think, just wrapped my hand in her unruly hair and pulled her up my chest.

I wasn’t expecting the jolt to the system when my lips covered hers. Or the way she melted into me. I rolled, putting her beneath me and deepened the kiss.

I damn near ate her face off. The one time I needed to go easy I couldn’t. Her taste was electrifying. And the way she clutched at me with her little hands and pressed herself against me had me pushing her harder into the bed.

I eased her legs open with my hand and settled between her thighs, rubbing my morning wood into her soft flesh until I felt my cock start to leak pre-cum.

Before I knew it I was dry humping her and the only thing keeping her safe were my sweats and her panties.

I pulled my tongue out of her mouth and tried easing away but she let me know she wasn’t done with me by pulling my mouth back down to hers.

She made the cutest little sounds as she rubbed herself against me and when she dug her nails into my shoulders and ground herself against me I realized I’d taken her too far.

I came fully awake just when I was about to cum in my damn pants and looked down at her in amazement.

I jumped away from her so fast I almost fell on my ass. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t have done that.” The look on her face was one of shock and…hurt?

When she flew off the bed and ran into the bathroom I didn’t go after her. I needed time to calm down before I went anywhere near her again.

She was in there for a long time but I didn’t think anything of it, but guessing that I’d embarrassed her I grabbed some clothes and headed up to the main house to grab a quick shower and get my shit together.

I should’ve known something was up from the freeze out I received when I joined the others for breakfast later.

“Where’s Ariel?” I think I heard a mumbled ‘like you care’ from Dani before there was a general exodus of women from the table.

“Dude what the fuck did you do?” I looked at Ty like he was stupid. “What, I just got here.”

“Yeah but the women are pissed.”

A little shadow appeared at my side and I looked down at Catalina who was tugging at my arm. “You made Ariel cry and now she’s sad because she’s not an aunty and you don’t like her.”

“What?” I looked at her father for an interpretation. Sixteen grown men were all ears. My mind was still stuck on Ariel and cry.

“Mengele come here.” She practically danced over to her dad. She’d be the cutest little thing if not for that gleam in her eye; the shit was almost scary.

“Were you snooping again?” She looked around sharply and her little body got stiff. “What daddy where? Oh you mean now. No daddy I was just listening they weren’t trying to be secret or anything so it wasn’t snooping.”

“And what did you hear?” Again everyone was all ears. She played with the buttons on his shirt and looked at her nails, everything but answer him, and when she did it was a question straight out of left field.

“Daddy don’t you like me?”

“What, what kinda question is that? Who told you I don’t love you? You’re my kid of course I love you.” Picture Lyon in a panic.

“But you always call me Mengele.”

“Yeah and?”

“He wasn’t a very nice person daddy. How would you like it if I called you Hitler? You do act a bit like him you know.”

“What the fuck?” He studied her like you would a snake about to strike.

“You playing me?”

“Daddy you said the bad word again.” She held out her palm. “Nice try Mengele start talking.” She did some fidgeting from leg to leg, tugged at the bottom of her shorts and swung her little body from side to side all before peeping around at all of us.

“Welllllll. Ariel came running, mommy asked her what’s wrong?” She twirled her eyes up like she was thinking really hard.

“Uncle Devon doesn’t like her. Aunty Gaby’s gonna kill uncle Devon annnndd aunty Cierra and aunty Kelly have a plan.”

“You get anything outta that Dev?” Lyon dismissed her and she went scurrying into the house probably to eavesdrop on the women.

“Yeah, I get it.”

“So what did you do and you better have a way to fix it because I’m not too jazzed about my woman giving me the cold shoulder because of one of you fuck-ups.”

“Suck it Ty.” I put down the coffee cup and rested my head in my hands. I wanted to go find her and explain but what was I going to say?

That I’m afraid, that I don’t know how long I’ll have her once the threat was eliminated and her father decided he wanted her back?

“What’s the problem Devon?”

“There’s no problem Cord.” I gave him the shut the hell up look. No way am I having this discussion in front of everyone.

“You might as well tell us bro the women are gonna gab anyway.”

“Fine, I kissed her okay.” I ran my hands down my face and removed them when there was nothing but silence coming from around the table.

“And?” Quinn shrugged his shoulders.

“And what? I shouldn’t have.”

“Oh shit you didn’t tell her that did you?”

“No, I said… I told her I was sorry. Can we drop this now? I need to go see her, make sure she’s okay.”

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you. Give the women time to work their magic and let her calm down.”

“No Zak I have to talk to her.” I got up and left the table before anyone else tried to talk me out of it.

I heard music coming from the exercise room and was surprised to find the door locked. I knocked hard until Dani opened the door.

“What the hell Dani, what’s that look for?”

“Nothing, what do you want?”

“Ariel, I need to see her.”

“Not now we’re exercising.” She slammed the door in my face.

I walked back outside where the others were still sitting. “Well?”

“Con your woman slammed the door in my face.”

“Told you. Look, just give them some time to rake you over the coals a bit and then you can try again.”

Since when is Zak a damn authority on women? He bosses Vanessa around like a damn drill sergeant and sure as fuck he wouldn’t let her hide herself away from him because she was mad.

I said as much to the table at large because they were all guilty of the same shit. “Yeah, but they’re our women, we have that right.”

“What the fuck does that mean Cord she’s… what the fuck are you, women?” I stormed off not knowing what the fuck.

It was killing me that I couldn’t see her. That she thought I was trying to hurt her and I wasn’t allowed to reassure her. I gave serious thought to breaking down the damn door and hauling her out.

“Dev wait up.”

“Not now Quinn.” I kept heading down to the beach with him hot on my heels.

“What’s going on with you?”

“Nothing, I shouldn’t have kissed her, her life’s already fucked as it is.”

“Devon do you like this girl yes or no?”

“Of course I like her, what’s not to like? But I’m not for her. I can never have something that sweet and soft. I’ll only end up destroying her life more than that asshole already has.”

“How do you know that? And better yet answer me this. If not her, who? I’ve seen the way you look at her and she looks at you. Can you give her up to someone else?”

“What if I don’t have a choice? What about after we take care of Khalil and her father decides he’s going to take her back?”

“So what if he wants that, she’s an adult, this is America. If you want the girl Dev for fuck sake take her. I know you, if you let her go this is never going to happen for you again, think about that.”

“Think about her with someone… whoa-whoa-whoa, take it easy brother.” He stepped back when I rounded on him.

“Don’t say that.”

“See, that’s what I’m talking about. You can’t even bring yourself to imagine it. What do you think is going to happen if you let her go?”

“I can’t Quinn, she’s too good for me.” I jogged away before he could say anything else.