“Oh, my… That’s freakinghot,” I whispered.
She settled in the chair her husband had sat in last night, resting Bree’s tiny weight against her chest.Bree went boneless in a way that told me she would soon be asleep.“I know!It’s almost too much…until I tell you he cansing.”
“Get out.”I gasped.“Like, well?”
She patted Bree’s tiny, diapered butt.“Dreamy.”
“That’s a lot of potency,” I murmured.
“Don’t let Stolly hear you say that.”
“He’s potent, too,” I said.
“They’re professional athletes.Goes with the territory.”She adjusted her position.“So, what did he tell you about why he’s so stressed?I’ve never seen him like this.”
I nibbled my lip.“He mentioned a woman bothering him about the dog he just rescued.”
Paloma raised an eyebrow.
“An Army veteran who worked with Belladonna, too.Not as her main handler.”
Paloma’s smile grew slowly.“So she’s young.”
“And she has pretty eyes when they’re not shooting fire at Cruz,” I added.
Paloma leaned back in her seat.“Interesting…” She waved the thought away.“We’ll deal with Cruz’s love life later.What do you want to do this afternoon?”
“Not worry about the baby or Luka or my father,” I said.
“I have just the thing,” Paloma said with a smile.“Are you into mysteries?I’ve been saving one to binge.”
“Sounds great,” I said as I tossed her the remote.
I’d been dozing on the couch sometime later, after I’d fed and changed Bree, when Paloma rose to answer a knock at the door.She whispered quietly with the person on the other side, who, though I craned my neck, I couldn’t see.She shot an apologetic look over her shoulder and stepped back.
A large man—a human version of a grizzly—stepped inside.His bulk might well be more than Cruz’s, and he had deep-set brown eyes under blond brows.The rest of his features were straight out of a Nordic catalogue—not Ikea.He was too upscale in his bespoke suit and silk tie.His blond hair was tamed back but curled over his collar.
“Hello,” I said, breaking the staring contest.
“Hello.Do you know who I am?”he asked.
“Gunnar Evaldson, the Wildcatters owner and Luka’s boss.”
His lips tipped up.“And you’re Millicent Jones, daughter of Chasten Jones and former fiancée of Trenton Cox.”
I swallowed and looked over at Paloma, who was texting on her phone.“Would you mind sitting down, please?”
Gunnar stalked a few steps to the chair and lowered himself to the edge.“I’m assuming you know that Trent and your father have shown an interest in buying a stake in the Wildcatters,” he said.His light brown eyes were direct.
“Yes,” I said.“Are you considering it?”
“I hadn’t intended to part with any portion of the Wildcatters organization.But I have to admit, the offer’s tempting because it revolves around adding to the team’s outreach efforts, which would do a lot to help people in the city.”
Outreach efforts?My father was truly shameless—and manipulative.He didn’t care about helping others; he wanted a way to control Luka and me.I balled my fists and swallowed the bitter acid on my tongue.
“But I’ve heard things about Trent,” Gunnar continued.“Things I don’t like—about his treatment of women, specifically.”
My jaw tensed, and it took everything in me to remain in my seat.“And you want me to clarify those for you.”
