I stared down at my wife as she lay under me with her hair spread across the pillow and her lips bee-stung and swollen. Caging her in with my arms and filling the space between her legs, I thrust into her repeatedly until she moaned my name and dug her fingernails into my shoulders.

This wasn’t about controlling her or using any of my voodoo mind-magic, as she’d called it before. This was about her getting lost in us and forgetting everything else going on outside our bedroom.

“You like that, baby?” I asked. “You love my cock?”

“It’s all right,” she said and giggled softly.

That smartass comment was rewarded with a quick jab of my dick as deep as I could push it. Far enough that it stole her breath and her fingernails almost punctured the surface of my skin.

“I love your cock. I love your cock,” she cried out.

I leaned forward, nipping at her neck where it met her shoulder. The very place I knew caused her to shudder. “Good girl.”

She needed this as much as I wanted it. I was pounding into her, so close I could almost taste it, when the doorbell rang.

“Don’t stop.” She hooked her ankles around my ass, holding me closer to her body and not letting me escape.

I kept going, ignoring the door.

The third time they rang the doorbell, Izzy slammed her hands against the mattress and sighed. “Go get it before the asshole wakes the kids.”

She unhooked her ankles from around my body before I climbed off the bed and pulled on a pair of sweat pants. The entire walk down the stairs, I adjusted myself and prayed that my hard-on would go down enough that I wouldn’t scare the shit out of whoever was on the other side of the door.

“Who is it?” I asked before I made it to the landing.

“Bebé. It’s us.”

Fuck. It was my parents. What the hell they were doing here at nine o’clock on Sunday night? Hearing my mother’s voice was all my body needed to right itself and for every ounce of horniness to evaporate into thin air.

I opened the door to their smiling faces, holding suitcases. “Mama, what are you doing here?”

Her eyes wandered over my bare chest. “Did we wake you?”

“Of course not. It’s early.” I grabbed their suitcases from their hands and stepped aside so they could enter.

Looked like we had houseguests who were planning on staying more than a night, judging by the size of their bags. We’d had a separate wing added to the house with a small in-law suite for when my parents came to visit. We’d thought it would be more often, but it had so far been only occasionally, especially around holidays when they came to stay a few days before returning to the safety of Miami.

“Come in. Come in.”

“I hope we didn’t interrupt anything,” Papi said as he walked inside and took off his hat before smoothing out his hair.

“No. We were just relaxing,” I lied and caught a glimpse of Izzy walking slowly down the stairs.

“Hey,” she said in a cheerful tone like I hadn’t just been balls deep in her. She was good. She had been all worked up, but it didn’t show except for her lips being slightly swollen and redder than usual. “You came.” She smiled softly, padding across the hardwood floor to wrap my mother in an embrace.

My mother glanced at me over Izzy’s shoulder and winked. “James told us about your mother, and I thought I’d come spend a few days with you until I know you’re all right, hija.”

Izzy hugged her tighter, and I waited for her to turn around and smack me in the stomach. Instead, she whispered, “Thank you,” in my mother’s ear.

“Son.”

“Papi.” I motioned toward their suite with the suitcases still in my hands. “Let’s get you squared away while the girls talk.”

My father followed me down the hallway, stopping every few feet to take in the photos of the kids that Izzy had hung along the walls. “They’re getting so big.”

“They are. They’re going to be so excited to see you both.”

“Do they have school tomorrow?”

“No, it’s spring break, so they’re home all week.”

“Your mother will be happy.” My father smiled and tossed his hat on the bed before sitting down. “That drive is a pain in the ass.”

I placed the suitcases next to the dresser at the foot of their bed and turned to face him. “I know. Thank you for coming all this way for Izzy.”

“You know how much we love Isabella.”

They did too. When I texted my mother earlier this afternoon after Izzy told me about her mother, I’d never expected them to get in the car and head straight here. They must not have even hesitated since I sent my text a little over six hours ago, and even going at breakneck speed, it took over five and half hours without stopping from door-to-door.

“I know she appreciates it. I appreciate it.”

“We’ll spend time with the kids this week until you two are sick of us.”

I laughed, but usually after five days, I’d had my fill of my space being invaded and needed alone time with my wife. “Stay as long as you want. Do you want a drink?”

“Ahh,” he said before licking his lips. “I could go for a nightcap.”

“Let’s go out on the lanai and talk for a while.”

When we made our way back into the main part of the house, Izzy and my mother were already outside with two bottles of wine, the Jack Daniel’s, and Dad’s favorite brandy.

The sticky spring air blasted me in the face as soon as I opened the sliding door and stepped outside. My mother and Izzy glanced up before going back to their conversation as my father and I took the empty seats on the other side of the table.

Mama placed her hand over Izzy’s on the table. “Don’t be worried, dear Izzy. I remember when I had mine done. I thought the worst, but everything turned out okay. I’m sure it’ll be the same for your ma.”

Izzy smiled sweetly at my mother. “I’m so glad you’re here.”

“I’ll always be here for you. You’re every bit as much my daughter as he’s my son.”

They shared a moment, and my father and I sat silently, watching them in silence. Something my father rarely did because the man loved to talk.

“How long are you staying, Mom?” Izzy asked.

“As long as you’ll have us. We’re going to look at condos while we’re here.”

“I want you closer, and I know the kids do too.”

“What about James?” She turned to face me with one raised eyebrow and a small smile.

“Of course I want you around here. I hate that you’re so far away.”

“It’s settled, then. We’ll find someplace here so we can spend more time with our family.”

“Let’s drink to it,” Papi said, grabbing the bourbon and snifter that Izzy must’ve set out for him.

“Just one before we retire and you two get back to relaxing.” Mama smirked.

Whatever Izzy and I were doing before they’d arrived was over. But the plus side was that her mind was no longer dwelling in dark places. My mother wouldn’t allow Izzy any time to worry. My parents being here was the best thing that could’ve happened to us this week.

* * *

“It’s quiet without Flash, ya know?” Bear said, sitting down to our Monday morning meeting to go over the week’s assignment load.

“Don’t be an asshole. He’s not loud,” Morgan told Bear as he straightened the pile of files he had in front of him. “Not like you, at least. If you weren’t here, we’d probably finally enjoy some peace and quiet.”

Bear touched his moustache, running his fingers through the hair that was longer than usual as he stared at Morgan. “You’d miss my beautiful face.”

Morgan rolled his eyes. “Don’t push your luck.”

“Who’s your daddy?” Bear teased, elbowing him in the arm.

I cracked up. Morgan fucking hated when Bear reminded him about their unique relationship. But the one thing I did know was that Morgan respected Bear and had actually grown to love the man. Who couldn’t? He treated Fran like a queen and had turned out to be the best possible match for her.

Kind of like me and Izzy. The strong Gallo women needed someone who was stronger than them to keep them in check, or they’d end up halfway to crazy town. Out of the three ladies—Maria, Izzy, and Fran—I’d say Fran had to be the mouthiest, bossiest woman in the family. And that was saying something, knowing Izzy as well as I did.

Thomas sauntered into the conference room wearing a white dress shirt slightly unbuttoned at the top and a pair of perfectly pressed black dress pants.

“Hot date?” Frisco teased Thomas before he had a chance to sit.

“It’s my anniversary, and I’m taking my girl out to dinner after work today.”

“An expensive dinner,” Angel said from the doorway after she popped her head into the room to say good morning. “I’m only working a half day today, boys, so you’re going to be on your own this afternoon.”

“We got this,” Bear told her with a chin lift and a flirtatious wink.

“Does anyone need anything before I seal you inside?” she asked.

She made it seem so ominous, as if we were being sequestered like the papal conclave at the Vatican when electing a new pope. We were only closing the door so potential clients who arrived early for their appointments didn’t overhear us.

“We’re good, baby. Thanks,” Thomas said before he started to slide folders down the table for each of us to take.

Angel closed the door and headed back to the front of the office to man the phones and keep us organized. It wasn’t an easy task either. Keeping seven of us in check had to be a pain in the ass, but she always had a smile on her face and never hassled us for being the assholes that I knew we were.

“Let’s start with Matías. Where are we with him?” Thomas asked as we flipped through the extra-thick folders filled with assignments and details outlining the current status of the case and any headway that had been made.

Ret spoke first. “I have feelers out to all my community contacts. I expect to hear something today. We should be able to move soon.”

“Let us know as soon as you hear something,” I told him.

“I will, boss.” He smiled.

“Next order of business. What cases are we closing out this week?”

“I have a hell of one that I can finally say is over. Cheating husband and shit got ugly.”

Bear loved those cases. Anything that involved salacious acts, he’d call dibs on before anyone else could claim the cases. I didn’t know if it was the possibility he’d get a sneak peek into their bedroom antics or if it was catching someone red-handed that made him happier. Either way, he was up to his neck in cases like that, which left the best stuff for the rest of us.

I loved working here. I loved the people Thomas and I had surrounded ourselves with. There wasn’t a better crew around to help solve cases, and some of them didn’t mind stepping over the line of legality to make shit happen…especially Bear.

I was damn proud to call ALFA Private Investigations mine and the guys around this table my dysfunctional and slightly fucked-up family.

Before the meeting ended, Ret’s phone started vibrating nonstop and dancing across the table. “I have to take this,” he said, excusing himself from the room.

Ten minutes later, when everyone had gone back to their offices, Ret walked back into the conference room with a huge, shit-eating grin. “Found the fucker.”

I rubbed my hands together, ready to go get his ass right now. “Where is he?”

“He’s been frequenting a club in Jacksonville called Forbidden a few nights a week and has been there the last two weekends.”

Thomas tapped his pen against the tabletop, leaning back in his chair and swiveling from side-to-side. “I can’t believe he’s still in Florida.”

“He must not have heard about my trip to Taboo. When should we head out?”

“Let’s get our ladies and head up there Friday. We may have to be gone a few days until he shows up. Is that okay, Thomas?”

“Wait.” Thomas straightened, and his face grew serious. “You’re going to take Izzy again?”

I shrugged. “Yeah. We need the ladies with us to maintain our cover.”

He scrubbed his hand down his face, pinning me with his gaze. “I don’t like it.”

“Have I ever let anything happen to her?”

Fuck, I killed a man for her. Rebel deserved that bullet to the head for messing with my family and trying to hurt Izzy. I’d do it again in a heartbeat if it meant keeping her safe. His death should’ve weighed heavy on me. Taking a human life was supposed to be a life-altering thing, even if it wasn’t the first one I’d taken, but his death meant nothing to me. I felt no remorse or sadness when his light was extinguished.

“I trust you. Just be careful. If there’s any sign of trouble, get the fuck out.”

“I’ll be there with them, Thomas. Nothing will happen. I know the owner of the club, and we’ll be in good hands,” Ret stated, holding the back of the chair at the opposite end of the conference table, oozing with confidence.

But if I was being completely honest, a man like Matías should never be underestimated. I knew how quickly shit could go south, and the last thing I’d ever do was put my wife in a situation she couldn’t handle.