Chapter Three
Cemetery
W hen he got there, it didn’t take him long to find Samson Fleur’s grave. His girlfriend had talked about it before, and he’d made a mental note of the details for just such an occasion.
Riley knew that this place was special to her. It was a place where the rest of her family was placed when they each passed away. Delilah, like him, was alone in the world.
Until now.
She had him.
He had her.
Since they might be pregnant, Riley wanted to do this the right way. The way that would reach Delilah’s heart and show her that he was the one.
He loved her so much he’d do this.
While he’d told her that his last relationship lasted four years, and he’d proposed, he’d never gone out of his way to make it like this.
He liked his last girlfriend.
He even could say he loved her, but he didn’t have an iota of feelings like he did with Delilah.
She was the one.
He was sure of it.
So, it was time to do it right. It was time to make that commitment to the one woman he loved. It was time to make that commitment BEFORE they found out if they were having a baby.
Riley wanted this prior to finding out about being a father.
He wanted it all.
With Delilah, he wanted the whole kit and caboodle, and nothing less than that.
Marriage.
Fatherhood.
Her.
Walking up to the mausoleum, he pulled out his phone. While he wasn’t trying to make it showy, he needed Delilah to be part of this. He wanted her to hear what she meant to him. It was going to be the first part of how he convinced her to be his. With her, she was a thinker.
She might hesitate, and he didn’t want that.
Hitting record, he began.
It didn’t take long.
Riley poured his heart out as he pleaded his case to a dead man and her family.
NOTHING was left unsaid.
Everything he spoke was the absolute truth.
He knew that he would never be accused of not speaking from his heart. This was how he felt, and he couldn’t wait for Delilah to watch this video.
It excited him.
Riley was giving her his heart and soul.
When he’d finished asking her family for her hand in marriage, he turned off the recording.
His job there was done.
Everything else was finished.
Roses.
Ring.
Family.
Now, he needed to finish prepping for his big evening with her. It was time to blow Delilah Fleur away with his love.
She deserved it.
Delilah was the love of his life.
Riley took a deep breath and headed back to his truck. It was time to make her dinner, set the scene, and get ready. If she said yes, he’d be the happiest man in the world.
If she said no…
Riley wasn’t kidding.
He was tossing her over his shoulder.
Delilah was going to be his wife.
* * * G R E Y S O N C R O F T * * *
Airport
Las Vegas
The plane touched down, and Ethan sent Greyson Croft a text message to alert him of his arrival. It didn’t take long for him to reply that they were on their way back to Sky Villa and that they’d meet him there.
They were expecting the special delivery. It looked like he was no longer Eagle One, his security code name, but Stork One, and it fit.
This was a far better delivery than the shit he normally had to deal with in Vegas.
So, he woke the little girl and tried to explain what was going to happen from here on out.
Using the app, he entered some information, so she wouldn’t be scared.
She listened.
“We’re going to meet some people,” it translated.
She looked petrified.
He smiled at her and continued typing.
“They are your new family. Your brother will be there, and so will your sister. I promise you will be safe. No one will ever hurt you again. They will make sure you have everything you need.”
She still looked scared.
Ethan wished he could make this easier for her.
Only, he couldn’t.
Once she got past this, she would be fine. He knew she would be.
The pilot opened the door and the little girl actually jumped in her seat.
He soothed her by holding her hand.
She clung to him.
“Director, there’s an agent on the tarmac waiting for you,” he said.
“Yes, I need what he has.”
The pilot opened the door, and it wasn’t a he. It was a she.
The woman entered the plane carrying two big bags of things. He’d seen her before. Ethan was pretty sure she worked out of DC when he was an agent all those years ago.
She was a seasoned agent, working out of Vegas now. He struggled to remember her name.
Angela?
Amy?
Adrianna…?
“Director, DC called, and they forwarded a list of things you’d need for the child. I believe it was your wife. She was specific with what I was to bring here.”
Thank God for his wife.
“I appreciate it, Agent. Honestly, she’s skittish. Not my wife, but the little girl.”
She laughed.
“I’ve worked with Elizabeth on cases. I’m well aware who you meant.”
He grinned.
Most people did.
“She’s not good with people, but can you stay. She needs to get changed.”
“Sir, I can do that.”
Ethan began typing.
He hit play.
“We have some pretty things for you. Want to take a look inside the bags?”
She stared at him.
“Presents?” she asked.
Great!
She knew that English word too.
“Yes, presents,” he said.
She slowly nodded.
Ethan took the bags from the agent and began pulling things out of them. Inside, Elizabeth had picked out pretty things that would make any girl feel better. They were bright, sunny, and spoke of her new life here in Vegas.
Or so he hoped.
She watched him.
The little girl pointed at a sundress in pretty hues of blue and green. It was kind of the same colors of her eyes, and it would be perfect.
“This one?” he asked.
She stared at him as he held it out.
The little girl nodded.
Then he reached into the bag and pulled out a puppy. It had floppy ears and big button eyes.
She smiled and held out her hands.
“Do you want him?” he asked.
She nodded.
Okay, they were getting through the language barrier. Ethan handed the toy to her, and she held the puppy like it was going to be taken from her.
He picked up his phone and began typing.
“Can you get dressed?” he asked.
It read her the words.
She nodded.
“Director, I have some hair ties in my pocket,” the agent stated. “I can fix her hair.”
He pulled a brush out of his briefcase. Natives always traveled with a brush. When you had longer hair, like Callen did, you needed to detangle every so often.
It was a fact of life.
The little girl watched them, and then she pointed.
“Brush?” Ethan asked.
She nodded.
He handed it to her.
She brushed the dog.
Ethan wasn’t surprised. This little one reminded him of Cat.
“How old is she, sir?” the agent asked, handing him the two hair ties.
“The official report said twelve-ish, but I don’t think she’s even close to that. I think more like eight-ish.”
Ethan typed.
“Can I brush your hair?”
She nodded.
She turned around but held the dog. He was accustomed to brushing little girl hair. He did Cat and Charlie’s all the time. Before them, he couldn’t braid for his life.
Gently, he brushed her hair and parted it down the middle. Then he made ponytails.
It didn’t take long, and she sat still like a trooper. Honestly, she was a sweet little kid.
“All done.”
Ethan stood.
She grabbed his hand. He typed with one hand, so he didn’t have to let go of her.
“I’m going to turn around, so you can get dressed in privacy. The agent will help you. She won’t hurt you. I promise.”
She listened and let his hand go.
Then, he stood.
He stayed nearby and waited, but true to his word, he gave her privacy.
“That’s right, honey,” the agent said, pulling out a pair of shoes and then another, and another.
“Director, can you tell her to try them on and pick which ones fit?”
He typed and hit play.
She listened.
Then she sat on the seat and tried them on. Finally, a pair of black ones fit.
“She’s dressed,” she said.
He turned.
“I have my go bag in the car, sir. Don’t make her take her things to her new home in plastic bags. That’s horrifying.”
“Yes, please,” Ethan stated. Then he thanked her as the agent hurried out of the plane.
“You look pretty.”
She said something.
He hit the record button, and then it translated for her.
“They won’t hurt me?” the app asked.
He smiled and shook his head.
“No.”
The agent came back carrying a bag, and then she knelt and began folding the girl’s things and placing them into it. When she was finished, she zipped it up and handed it to her.
The entire time, Ethan watched, admiring the way the woman had been so cautious of this child’s few possessions.
That spoke a lot about her.
“Can you tell her I hope she has a beautiful life from here on out?” she asked.
That touched Ethan even more.
This woman didn’t know the half of what was going on, but here she was, trying to be kind.
Blackhawk appreciated that in an agent.
“I’m sorry, Agent, but what’s your name? I recall you, but not enough to have total name recall.”
“It’s Aria Goodwin, sir.”
“You’ve been a Fed a while, haven’t you?”
Oh, she had.
“Long enough, sir, to know that someone hurt this child, and they should be shot for being scumbags,” she stated. Then added, “Twelve years, sir. Like I mentioned, I went through training with your wife. She kicked my ass once. Literally.”
That made him laugh.
“Welcome to my world. She kicks mine on a daily basis,” he offered.
The little girl tugged on his hand.
“Yes?”
She said something in Romanian. Before he could hit the app, she pointed at the door.
He typed in a message and waited for her to listen.
“Ready to go?” he asked, holding out his hand.
She nodded.
The child took it.
Aria Goodwin helped her into the backpack and gave her a kiss on the forehead.
“Be safe, little one.”
And then she was gone.
From the window of the jet, she watched as the deputy director helped the little girl into the limo and out of that place.
“I hope you find your way,” Aria Goodwin stated to no one in particular.
There were too many lost souls.
Vegas was full of them.
She knew because she was one of them.
* * * G R E Y S O N C R O F T * * *
Sky Villa
When Greyson and Chris arrived back at the penthouse, they notified the guards that Ethan Blackhawk would be arriving with a child and to let them through security.
Greyson took the time to also inform them she was Dimitri’s new child, and not to touch her.
They didn’t like that.
He insisted.
Still, they tried to remind him of the policy, and when he pulled out cash, they got it.
“She’s been abused. If you touch her, she’s going to freak out. Let me have this one. She’s little. Trust me when I say she’s not dangerous. Okay?”
They took the money and agreed.
No one wanted a screaming kid. Sky Villa had enough drama since the Crofts had moved back in. They had tenants moving out.
In droves.
“Thank you for understanding,” Greyson stated, as he and Chris headed for the elevator.
Upstairs at the penthouse, they headed in and found Emma sitting there with Dimitri and Sam. They were watching movies, and Sam was in swim trunks.
“Well, I missed the fun,” Chris stated.
“Yeah, me too,” Greyson added, noticing his best friend looked much better. Dimitri didn’t relax often, and it was good to see him calm.
Emma laughed.
“Yes, yes, you did. Since I was here by myself, they were kind enough to let me hang out with them.”
“Emma let me have cake,” Sam said proudly. “It was all frosting and chocolate.”
Greyson gave his wife a kiss on the lips.
“You’re lucky. How come I didn’t get cake?” he asked. “I had to suffer with a salad.”
She stared at him.
“What?” Croft asked.
“Really, Greyson?” she asked, calling his bluff.
He looked confused.
“What?”
“Fries? Burgers? Shakes?”
He tried to look innocent. It wasn’t easy since Chris was laughing behind him. This was why Dimitri was his wingman. He didn’t give him up.
Chris was a traitor to the male species. His allegiance lied with Emma.
Damn him.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said, moving back from her so she couldn’t keep sniffing him. His wife had a better nose than a freaking bloodhound.
“I smell fries. I just kissed you and tasted chocolate and salt. You are full of crap with that salad.”
“Emma.”
“You had fries, yes?”
He sighed.
The jig was up.
“Yes, I had fries.”
“You have NEVER ordered just fries. So, I know there was a burger with it.”
He rolled his eyes.
“And you are a glutton. You had to take it over the top and add a shake since I wasn’t there.”
Chris found all of this amusing. Why the man even tried, it was beyond him.
He gave Emma a kiss on the lips.
“You had mint gum.”
“Yep, because I’m not an idiot. I know you, and you’d think he would too. Sucker.”
Greyson punched him.
“Traitor.”
Emma laughed.
“What happened with your meeting? Care to share with your wife?”
Oh, he could do that.
Greyson dropped onto the couch and cuddled his wife. He stared at Sam as he weighed his options.
The boy saw it coming.
“You’re going to send me out, aren’t you?” he asked before Greyson could even say it.
Dimitri hugged the boy.
“That’s up to your dad. Dimitri?” he asked.
“No, you can stay. You’re going to run my business one day. You’re my son. The only thing is what happens in a meeting stays in a meeting, okay?”
Sam grinned at the huge gift his dad was giving him. He’d had the best time with him, and it wasn’t going to end.
“I promise!”
Greyson knew there wasn’t anything that Sam hadn’t seen in a movie or his life, so he continued.
“Well, Abby McCoy was scared shitless, so it took us a half an hour to calm her down.”
“He gave her a job,” Chris stated.
No one there was shocked.
“And?”
“It seems her sister was afraid of her husband. Raye scared her too. She also said that there was a good chance he was abusing her. She had bruises on her body in places that ladies get them,” he said, trying to keep it PG for Sam’s sake.
Immediately, the boy went there.
“Ladies get bruises?” Sam asked. “How?”
Greyson smiled at his best friend. The best part of their relationship was how they tried to embarrass the hell out of each other.
“Yeah, how, Dad?” he asked Dimitri.
Oh, he wasn’t going to freak out.
There was a simple answer that Sam, at his age, would accept.
“It happens during sex. Do you want to know how?” he asked, already knowing what an eight-year-old boy thinks about sex.
He’d been there.
“Oh,” Sam said. “I don’t think I want to know. That’s gross!”
Dimitri smiled right back at Greyson.
“Wait until your son comes to Uncle Dimitri and asks me things. I’m going to have some fun.”
Greyson laughed.
He didn’t doubt it.
“Anyway?” Emma prompted.
“Libby was heading out to meet her girlfriends for brunch on a Sunday. Her husband wasn’t home, so she went out. Unfortunately, she never got there.”
Emma grabbed the tablet that the Blackhawks had left them. She sent the woman’s name to the screen, and it pulled up her picture.
“She was pretty,” Sam said. “She’s dead, isn’t she?” he asked.
“Yes, son. Most likely.”
“That’s too bad. Vegas is shitty,” Sam offered. He’d seen a lot while he was in foster care. He wasn’t shocked.
“Language,” Dimitri stated.
Sam grinned.
He said it in Russian.
Emma laughed when Dimitri sighed.
“We have the names of the three women she was supposed to meet for her Sunday brunch.”
Emma waited.
“Who?”
Greyson pulled out his phone and began reading the names off to her, so she could punch them in and see what came up.
“Her best friend is Marcella Lamb. Another friend is Jeanette Weis. The last of their party was a work associate. She worked at the same financial company as Libby. Her name is Emily Bauer.”
Emma put them all into the system. She was so damn grateful that the Blackhawks had never had the access revoked. They were going to use it for as long as they could.
Their pictures came up on the screen.
“Tomorrow, we start there,” Greyson stated. “They were the last three people who were supposed to see her. They might be able to give us something on her husband.”
They were good with that.
Before anyone could continue, Heath entered the room and cleared his voice.
“Mr. C,” Heath said, coming to a stop behind the couch. “Mr. B is on his way up, and he’s got the girl. Do you want me to meet him?”
“Yes, Heath. Bring him in.”
“She’s here?” Sam asked.
“Yes, son.”
He smiled.
“How old is she? She’s not ancient like you, is she?” he asked, pointing at his dad.
“How about I ground you until you’re this old?” Dimitri stated, pointing at Greyson.
The man laughed.
“Some of us didn’t lie about our ages. I know how old I am. Can you confirm your age?” he teased.
He grinned.
Dimitri liked it like that. Big Brother was always watching.
Before he could comment, they heard voices. It didn’t take long for Ethan to walk in with a small child beside him.
Emma spoke first.
“She’s so little. She can’t be that old. There’s no way she’s twelve. She’s Sam’s age—if that.”
Dimitri’s mind began working.
If that were true, the timeline was way off, but he’d worry about that much later. This was about assimilating her into their clan.
Hopefully, they could.
Ethan shook hands with Greyson and Dimitri, and all the while, the little girl hid behind him. She was peeking out at them with those aqua eyes.
Dimitri’s eyes.
They’d never seen that color before, and it was pretty much a definite that she carried the Marchenko bloodline.
“Welcome back to Vegas,” Greyson stated.
“Yeah, I’m back again. I should have a house here,” he teased since this had been his place.
Well, Callen’s.
“How was your flight?” Greyson asked.
He knew he wasn’t talking about turbulence.
“It was rough at first. She’s afraid. She understands a few words in English. I think it’s because she was with some tourists,” he said, hoping they got it. He didn’t want to say it outright in front of Sam.
‘With’ equaled sex.
“I hate people,” Emma stated.
Dimitri got down on his knees and kept a little distance between them. Softly, he spoke in a language they didn’t understand. It wasn’t as smooth as the app.
She nodded when he finished, as she peeked around Ethan’s trousers.
He touched his chest.
“Dimitri.”
She nodded again.
He pointed at her.
“Petra.”
She stared at him like she was trying to understand. He repeated both actions.
“Dimitri.”
She watched him.
“Petra.”
Greyson went to the bag he and Chris brought in with them, and he pulled out a big fluffy cat and handed it to Dimitri. It matched the fluffy dog.
Now she’d have two stuffed animals.
“Cat,” she stated.
He nodded.
“Cat.” He pointed at the cat. “Dimitri.” He pointed at himself. “Petra.” He pointed at her.
She immediately got it.
He said something in Romanian. Then he pointed at his son. “Sam.”
Sam came forward, and he pulled a shiny bauble out of his pocket.
“Here.”
He held it out.
She didn’t hesitate to reach for it. It was clear she was kid friendly. There was no fear there. She was more scared of men than anyone, and that they got.
She said something back.
“Petra said thank you,” Dimitri stated. “I don’t speak much Romanian, but I do know some words. Anastasia was Romanian, so I was trying to learn.”
They all knew who that was—his first wife, who he’d killed.
Dimitri got up and stood by Greyson.
He spoke and then said his name a few times. Finally, she repeated it.
He smiled.
Then with Emma and Chris.
After introductions were made, and Petra seemed calm, Dimitri asked Heath to call Kat. She needed to meet their sister. The whole family needed to be there.
As they waited, she played with Sam and the two stuffed animals. The boy was trying to help her.
It was so sweet to watch.
When Katerina came in with Curtis, Petra grabbed her stuffed animals from where she’d been playing and ran to hide behind Ethan again.
Immediately, she tried to disappear.
Sam, like a champ, headed her way to protect his ‘sister’. He took her hand, and she moved to stand behind him.
It was sweet to watch him guarding her. Without hesitating, Petra wrapped her arms around his waist and peeked over his shoulder.
Kat came toward her, and she got down on her knees. She remembered Natasha being this child. She knew how to do this. It was so long ago, but yet so recent. It was hard to forget those moments.
“Katerina,” she said, pointing at herself.
“Petra,” she said, using her new name the first time.
Ethan patted Greyson on the back.
His work there was done. Petra was clinging to Sam, and he was free to go.
“You guys have this. If you need anything, let me know. Elizabeth got her a few things.”
Dimitri stood.
“Thank you for bringing her here. I’m sure it wasn’t easy getting her out of Romania.”
He pulled a packet of papers out of his pocket.
“We bought her.”
Dimitri was still angry over that. It was like the people in his bloodline didn’t get that you DIDN’T sell kids.
Ever.
“What is her name going to be?”
“Petra Natasha Gideon,” he said. “My sister will carry part of our sister that she never got to meet.”
Well, this child. Dimitri didn’t believe she was his sister. He suspected otherwise, but he wouldn’t discuss it in front of the Fed.
Ethan patted him on the back.
“I’ll have a passport and social security card sent to her. I know you can do it but let me work it out as our gift to her new life.”
He appreciated that.
“Thank you.”
Ethan headed out.
Curtis was holding his daughter, and he moved closer to the little girl. He got down and showed her the baby.
“Sadie.”
She looked at her from behind Sam. She pointed at the bow clipped into Sadie’s hair.
“Do you want it?” Kat asked, removing it from her daughter’s hair. When Kat reached for Petra, the girl moved out of her reach.
Instead, Sam held out his hand.
“I’ll do it.”
Kat gave him a kiss on the cheek. For the first week or so, they’d have to exaggerate everything. It was how they learned words. Dimitri had been patient, and they’d used him as their protector. It was clear that Petra had picked Sam.
Together, as a family, they’d teach her.
She’d be fine.
Sam turned around and pointed at her hair and then at the bow.
“Head?”
She nodded.
He clipped it into her hair. Immediately, she was back against his body where she clearly felt the safest.
“Dad, can I take her down and show Petra her room?” he asked. “She’s nervous around all the people. I won’t lose her.”
Dimitri knew how important it would be for Petra to find that one person she trusted. It would be the keystone to getting her to meld into the family.
One brick at a time.
It looked like Sam would be that person.
Dimitri handed him the key to their new condo, the one that had been Kat and Curtis’s. They were done moving their things, thanks to the help from their security.
“Yes, you can.”
“I’ll go,” Heath stated. “I like kids. I’ll sit there and keep an eye on them.”
Petra stayed hidden behind Sam.
“Can I have a piggyback ride?” Sam asked.
He turned and got down. Sam moved toward his back but waited. He didn’t want to leave Petra behind if she was too scared.
Sam knew that fear. He’d been dumped in foster homes with a trash bag and nothing else.
He’d help her.
“Home?” he asked Petra.
She looked confused.
Dimitri talked to her in Romanian, explaining that they had a nice bedroom for her.
She hesitantly went to Sam and Heath. When Sam jumped up on his back, he motioned for Petra to join him. He held out his hand.
She took it, and she climbed onto his back. When Heath got up and pretended to gallop like a pony, she and Sam both laughed as he headed out.
Her laughter was a welcomed sight.
“She’ll be okay,” Dimitri stated. “Children are resilient. She reminds me of Natasha. Although, she was a lot worse.”
Kat agreed.
“You had me a couple months before you found her,” she said. “She was so scared. Petra is tough. I love her name.”
Who could blame her?
Emma headed toward Dimitri and gave him a huge hug. What this man was doing was a beautiful thing. He was broken, battered, and bruised himself, but he kept trying to give others peace as he balanced the scale of justice.
“You’re a saint, Mr. Gideon. I’ve never respected a man more,” she said.
He dropped his good arm over her shoulder. As he did, both Chris and Greyson cleared their throats.
She pointed at Greyson.
“You lied. You said salad.”
He laughed.
“What did I do?” Chris asked. “I didn’t lie.”
“You were making me workout hard today, and you let him eat crap. You’re an enabler.”
Chris grinned.
She had a point.
“While the kids play, should we do some background searches on the women who were with Libby Raye last?” Greyson asked.
That worked for them.
The family settled down.
It was time to get down to work.
* * * G R E Y S O N C R O F T * * *
It was easy to get into her home. She lived in a shitty apartment building on the second floor. There was a fire escape there, and he would use it.
He was willing to bet she was a stupid cow, like her mother. She was likely no smarter than the woman who sired her.
So, she likely left the window open.
Sneaking around the back, he found the window and lightly touched it with his gloved fingers.
It slid open.
Yeah, exactly.
He’d have to teach her to be smarter. When she was his, she wouldn’t be allowed to be so careless. He’d beat some sense into her.
Oh, and he’d love it.
She’d learn to love it too.
That was what he’d told her mother all those years ago. Only, she didn’t have faith in him.
She didn’t understand that he was the way to set herself free.
Well, now she did.
She was dead.
Her beloved daughter, the one who looked just like her, would be the next on his list.
If he couldn’t have the original, then he might as well have this one.
Slipping into her apartment, no one was around to see him. It appeared everyone was off working, slaving away to the man.
Well, he had better things to do.
He wanted to get his long-sought prize.
She wasn’t dead.
She wasn’t out of his reach.
His beauty was alive, and he was about to claim her as his own.
AGAIN.
* * * G R E Y S O N C R O F T * * *
Archer Home
Paris had a few meetings with some doctors at the hospital earlier that morning, and he’d been out before his wife had been awake.
Now that he was home, he was hoping she was around, so they could have a late lunch together.
He was hungry.
And not only for food.
He was thinking about her, and on his way home he picked her up a gift. She wasn’t a big jewelry person, but he still felt compelled to give her something.
She was carrying two babies and deserved to be shown how much he loved her.
So, when he rolled into their condo, he got ready to surprise her.
“Tessie!”
“I’m in the kitchen.”
He rolled in smiling at her. She was making something in a blender.
“I hope that’s lunch,” he said, staring at the green swirls spinning around. “Then again…maybe I hope it’s not lunch.”
She laughed.
“Well, technically, it is. Want to try it?”
He grinned.
“Absolutely,” he said, as she dipped a spoon into it. It was green and creamy, and he’d lick a public toilet if it meant making his wife happy. He loved her that damn much.
Now he hoped the concoction tasted better than it looked.
“Here,” she said, feeding it to him. “What do you think?” Tessa asked.
He mulled it over and was pleasantly surprised that it didn’t taste like shit.
“Uh, it tastes like pureed green beans.”
“That’s exactly what it is.”
He was confused.
“I’m in a chair, Tessa, not a nursing home.”
Tessa found her husband amusing. The look on his face was priceless.
“Well, I’m sorry to say but this isn’t for you. I’m making baby food. I want to make my own when the babies are born. This is a test run.”
For some reason, that hit him right in the feels. That was the most beautiful thing he’d ever heard. His wife was making baby food for their little ones.
“I have never loved you more.”
Tessa could say the same about Paris. While they couldn’t have babies, and technically, she was carrying someone else’s children, Paris never flinched. He loved them already. She could tell.
He was a good, decent man.
She was a lucky girl.
“It’s the apron, isn’t it?” she teased, mock curtseying for him.
Well, that had a whole hell of a lot to do with it.
“And the sexy mom stuff. You’re hot, playing Susie Homemaker.” Then he remembered what was in his pocket. “I bought you something.”
“What?” she asked.
He pulled a rubber ducky out of his blazer pocket.
“Am I taking a bath?” she teased. “Will you be joining me?”
Well, that had merit.
Paris already began picturing that bubble bath, and he was down with it.
But first…
“Look inside the duck.”
She flipped it over and there was a cut in the bottom of the duck. Tessa stuck her finger into it and pulled out some tissue paper. Gently, she unwrapped it.
There was a pretty bracelet with four hearts on it.
“What’s this?” she asked.
“A mother’s bracelet. That’s my birthstone right there. Then there’s yours, and our babies are due around Christmas. So that’s theirs.”
Her eyes filled with tears.
It was such a sweet, beautiful sentiment from a simply amazing man.
“Oh, Paris. There are days when I think you couldn’t catch me off guard, and you do. This is so beautiful.”
“Want to put it on?”
She nodded and held it out to him.
Gently, he placed it on her wrist.
“It looks gorgeous there, Mom,” he said, trying out the title for his wife. It fit her.
Tessa was going to be an amazing mother.
She gave him a kiss.
“I love you.”
He touched her cheek with so much love and affection that her heart skipped in her chest.
“Oh, Tessie, I love you more.”
“Hungry?” she asked.
“Yes. Want to sit on the couch and eat pureed green beans with your husband? Have crackers? It’ll be like soup.”
She laughed.
“I have something better for you. Go sit. I’ll bring it in for you.”
Well, that worked for him. The best part of being his own boss was he could pick and choose his cases. Plus, being part of the Croft family helped. They owned their home, they owned their cars, and they didn’t have bills. They were going to be able to enjoy every second of their children’s lives.
He couldn’t wait.
While Tessa prepared their lunch, Paris rolled away and climbed onto the couch.
“Do you want to watch a movie while we eat? Then you can take a nap. You are growing babies. You should get some rest, so you stay strong,” he called into her, even though he was thinking about a bubble bath and that rubber ducky.
“I have a better idea,” Tessa replied, as she entered the room.
When he looked over, his wife was standing there in just the apron. When she turned around, there was the peek of breast and then cheeks.
Glorious.
Ass.
Cheeks.
Paris, immediately, got hard.
“Jesus. I’m buying you presents more often,” he said, watching her move his way.
“I actually had these heels in there for a reason,” she teased. “I know my husband. He likes a naked wife in heels.”
Paris laughed like a lunatic.
He had news for her. He liked a naked wife in sneakers, barefoot, and in pretty much any scenario.
“You have no idea.”
“Are you in the mood for some wife with a side of more wife?” she asked.
Then it hit him.
This all looked familiar. Paris had déjà vu. They’d definitely done this once before. His wife was replaying one of his sexiest fantasies.
Hallelujah.
“You were ready for me! That’s the apron you wore when we did this in our old place.”
She grinned.
“Oh, yeah, it is. If it’s not broke…”
He finished for her.
“Please never fix this. I like you just like this, Tessa. Jesus, just like this.”
It was said with such need and lust that Tessa felt it to her toes. This man genuinely loved her.
It was a beautiful thing.
“I wasn’t planning on fixing it,” she admitted.
He was glad.
Paris couldn’t help but stare. Here was his wife, and she was hot—the killer heels, the sexy cat eyes, and the fact that she was carrying his children.
He was the luckiest man in the whole world. How he got so lucky was beyond him. His wife was a gift, and he was going to treasure it.
And his children.
“Come to the doctor, Betty Crocker.”
She snorted.
“You’re a nut.”
It was true.
Tessa loved him in all his geeky glory. He wouldn't trade his life for anything. Yes, he lost his legs—for the most part—but he was with her. Paris had won the girl and battled through the demons.
That was a win.
It made them unbreakable.
Standing in front of him, she knew exactly what he was looking at, and it wasn’t the apron.
“Hungry?”
“Ravenous.”
Tessa straddled his legs and sat on his lap.
“For what, Paris?” she asked, pulling his mouth to hers. The kiss was so hot they both melted.
“Oh, Tessie,” he murmured as she began undoing his tie to get him out of his clothes.
“Want to know something?” she whispered.
“Hell, yes!”
“There’s something really hot knowing that you’re going to be a father. I can see you holding our kids, some gray in your hair, and you giving them rides on your lap.”
She ran her fingers down his chest.
Paris couldn’t look away.
“It’s no hotter than watching you carry our babies. We fought so hard to get here, Tessie. I couldn’t imagine my life without you.”
She took his tie off and placed it over her head.
“Thank you, Jesus,” he muttered.
“I can’t wait to watch you be a dad on Christmas mornings, and birthdays,” she added. “That’s sexy in a man. Fatherhood is hot.”
Oh, he was aware.
Motherhood was too.
They were making little people who would be theirs forever. It was beautiful.
It was life.
Paris leaned back, letting her fingers undo his shirt. If his girl wanted to fantasize about him being a father, who was he to complain?
“Tessa, show me.”
That’s all she needed to hear. When his shirt was open, Tessa slid down his body and to her knees.
“God,” he muttered when she unbuckled his pants. She was licking her lips and trying to tease him.
It was working.
Sex since the accident took more time, and she was glad. She had to spend time worshipping his body. When you took a quickie out of the equation, you had to focus more on your partner’s needs.
“Let me get you hard,” she whispered before she swallowed him.
Paris watched, his whole body waking up. This was the hottest thing ever.
Wife.
Knees.
Heels.
Now, after being hurt, he was more visual. This one picture was definitely getting him hard.
When she stopped, Tessa picked up his hand and slid it into her hair. “How deep do you want me?”
He laughed like a lunatic.
There was only one answer to that. Every man was going to say the same thing if asked.
“As deep as you can go.”
When she went back to work, getting him rock-hard, he didn’t look away. Paris could see his saliva, slick dick, sliding in and out of her mouth, and his body was alive.
He could feel everything.
That was the beauty of his disability. He wasn’t as sensitive as he used to be, so he could last a long time. They’d both get off, and Tessa a few times.
“Baby,” he whispered, as her hand joined in.
It was enough to make him breathe heavier. While she worked his erection in and out of her mouth, her free hand slid up his chest to his nipple and she teased him.
He moaned.
His upper body was REALLY sensitive to touch, and it made him wild.
When he popped free from her mouth, he was watching her with so much need in his eyes.
That got her wet.
“What do you want?” she asked.
“I want you riding me. I’m not turning down this opportunity for an almost naked wife in heels riding my dick.”
She grinned wickedly as she climbed up his body. As Tessa positioned herself over him, she waited.
“Help me.”
He ran his finger over her clit and the wetness. She was definitely ready for him.
“Pull me down.”
Paris was ready. Taking his erection in his hand, he slid it through her wetness to tease his wife. When she moaned, he knew he was going to enjoy every second of this.
Paris used his other hand to tug her down until he was fully buried in her.
He moaned more at the visual than the feeling. The picture unfolding in his lap was pretty damn hot.
“Ride me. I need to watch my wife using my body, so I can use hers,” he whispered. “I want to watch you fall.”
He braced his arms on the back of the couch as she braced her hands on his chest.
She began moving.
When her breasts bounced, he couldn't help himself. He watched like some sex-starved pervert.
God!
He loved her breasts.
They were getting bigger from pregnancy, and it was so damn hot—especially how they were visible behind the lacy apron.
“Oh, Paris,” she whispered.
As she rode him, it was that look on his face that turned her on the most. He was watching everything.
He was taking it in.
“Fall, Tessie. I want you to cum,” he said, as his fingers found that tight little bud.
She didn't last long.
Her body swallowed his as she bounced in his lap. The pleasure was out of control.
“Touch me,” she whispered.
Oh, he could do that.
As Paris pulled her down, harder and harder, she ground her body against his.
“Come on, Tessie. Come for me.”
It didn’t take long.
She exploded.
Her head rested on his shoulder as the pleasure swamped her. Tessa could feel his hands on her ass.
Touching.
Stroking.
Exploring.
Tessa lifted her head, and immediately, her husband rolled, placing her beneath him on the couch. She was pinned, his erection still buried in her body.
“I love this position,” he said, as he slowly began moving in and out of her body.
Paris pulled the apron down, so he could see all of her breasts as he drove himself in and out of her body.
Months ago, he wouldn’t have been able to do this long. Now…he was stronger.
Paris stared down as his erection slid into her body. He was wet and slick, and he loved it.
“Perfect,” he muttered, as he kept up the pace.
Tessa was moaning as he kept driving himself into her and that one spot.
“Tell me if I hurt you,” he said, still focused on his dick. He needed to watch. He needed his brain to make the connection between the visual and the sensation.
His body began tingling.
Tessa moved her one leg and dropped her ankle onto his shoulder.
He moaned.
“You undo me,” he muttered, as he looked up and watched himself in the mirror over the buffet not far from where they were.
He could watch himself fucking Tessa.
That was why it was there.
“Take me, Paris,” she muttered.
And he did.
He drove into her, his shirt open, and his tie around her neck—between her breasts.
“I want you,” he muttered, watching himself pumping his hips as his wife took him to the base of his erection.
He felt so amazing.
“Jesus! You’re wet,” he muttered, as the heat picked up and a tingle began moving down his spine and right to his balls.
“Harder,” she begged, moaning loudly.
Her husband began driving into her rougher.
Wilder.
Tessa loved every second of it.
As she stared up at him, she was swept away with love, adoration, and happiness.
Here was her husband. This man saved her life and in so many ways.
Then he placed her other ankle on his other shoulder and held onto her thighs to balance himself.
The visual…it was making him crazy.
“Oh God, Tessa! This is amazing,” he said, refusing to slow down. His body was coming alive.
She came again.
He didn’t stop.
She begged.
She whimpered through the orgasm, and still, he didn’t stop.
Paris drove into her until she was gasping with that next orgasm. She was sensitive, and he was just about there.
His fingers found her clit.
She gasped as he gave her a pinch.
“Oh God!” she begged. “I’m going to cum, Paris. I can’t hold on,” she warned him.
“Tessa, honey,” he muttered, perspiration beading on his brow. He couldn't either.
His dick was throbbing.
His balls ached.
He could feel it all.
“Tess! Cum!” he ordered.
And she did.
They fell together.
Tessa dropped her legs, and Paris fell forward onto her body. His mouth found hers as she held him against her.
Slowly, they kissed their way back to the surface from the pleasure.
“That was pretty hot, Mrs. Archer.”
She didn't have words.
That was…spectacular.
“Mmmmm, Mr. Archer, you rocked my world.”
He laughed.
“It was the pureed green beans.”
She snorted.
“How about I make you a real lunch, and we head up to meet the new little one who has joined the family?” Tessa asked. “I have a present for her.”
“Green beans?”
She pinched him on the ass.
He laughed.
“I didn’t feel that. Nice try.”
She bit him on the neck.
“And I liked that.”
They cuddled.
“I love you, Tessie.”
She loved him too.
And always would.