“What? Why do you say that?”
He nuzzled the hollow of her throat and kissed her there. “Because it’s taking me out of bed, when I want to do nothing but lie here all day with you.”
She caught his face in her hands, cupping it, staring into his eyes. “Love you, mate.”
That won her another smile, and a kiss. “Love you, too, baby girl.”
Chapter Seven
Joaquin played with Malyah’s hair, where strands had escaped from the satin scarf she’d worn wrapped around it to sleep in last night. Playing with her hair, or tracing her fingers with his, was one of his favorite pastimes that didn’t involve sex.
Although, if he had his way, doing so frequently led to them having sex. “How long until Nami is bugging you about when we’re going to start having babies?”
Malyah currently lay snuggled against Joaquin in their bed, with her head resting in the crook of his shoulder and one leg draped over his. They’d awakened at dawn and made love. Now he was ready to fall asleep again, except there were things to do today, including Nami’s surprise baby shower and the New Year’s Eve party that night.
“I don’t know,” she said. “She’s got Da’von and Brianna to divide her time between. And Carl and Mateo, since they’re now officially family, too. Don’t forget Dewi. You know she’s gonna mother thehellout of that girl. Poor Ken will probably need Nami’s help.”
Joaquin chuckled, feeling only slightly evil about his amusement. “Yeah.”
Malyah playfully poked him in the chest. “Don’t be likethat.”
“Like what?” He laughed. “Dewi will want to return to work as quickly as possible, and I don’t fault or blame her for that. That means Ken will need all the help he can get.”
“That wasn’t all you were laughin’ about.”
He snorted. “I just think it’s amusing the Goddess made Beck, a man who, foryearswanted to skin me, my brother-in-law. Just turned out it wasn’t because of his sister.”
“Does it make me horrible that I don’t want to have kids right now?” she softly asked.
“No!” He rolled onto his side, propped on his elbow. “Love, I told you, that decision’s yours.”
“But you want kids.”
“I want you to behappy. You are right that there’s a lot going on in our lives at this moment. Later would be better. Should you change your mind, I’ll still be happy.” His smile faded. “Honestly? I’m nervous about becoming a dad. I think I’ll need more time to wrap my head around that. What I saw in Mexico…” He shuddered.
He’d never be able to erase that horrible mental image, of finding the body of Felicia Escobar. She’d been only fifteen when Raul Segura kidnapped, raped, and murdered her.
Then the additional horror of having to return her to her family and breaking the news to them.
Joaquin taking revenge on Raul had been the event that led to Joaquin running to escape the drug cartel’s pursuit, and him returning to the US, where he met Malyah.
If at any time one thing had happened differently, he wouldn’t have this perfection in his life now.
Okay, yes, he’d readily trade his happiness for Felicia Escobar being alive and well and happy with her family. He wasn’t a heartless bastard.
And it would mean he wouldn’t have the indelible image of her ravaged body burned into his memory.
But he was an Enforcer. While more used to taking lives—lives of those who deserved taking—sometimes settling justice for packmates was part of his job.
At least he wasn’t in Mexico any longer. He was now permanently back in the States and working out of Tampa. He could see his parents more often now, too. They now lived up in Vancouver, Canada, where they ran a small chain of coffeeshops.
Being sent to work in Mexico had sort of been a punishment for him being an asshole to Dewi and hitting on her. Which, yes, in retrospect had been a juvenile thing to do, because she’d been dating Beck, at the time.
And she was his boss.
And Beck’s younger sister was Joaquin’s ex.
Which was why he’d deliberately poked at Beck and Dewi.
