What aliarI was.
He moved carefully, like I might bolt if he got too close too fast, his hand hovering just short of my hair. I could feel the heat of his body now, and the quiet steadiness in the way he waited, giving me every chance to protest.
I didn’t.
My breath caught as the space between us disappeared, my body going still in a way that had nothing to do with fear and everything to do with him.
Just as his hand brushed my hair, Taco came in with a fussing Alanna.
“Yo, Boss. She doesn’t like me anymore.” His wide gray eyes were full of stress.
The moment Alanna saw me, her fussing turned to full-on crying.
Riggs closed his eyes with a fatalistic sigh as he sat back on his heels, then started chuckling darkly. I gave my potentially going-insane mate a wide berth as I reached for Alanna, and Taco looked more than happy to hand her over. I settled her into my arms, bouncing her gently until she calmed, then raised an eyebrow at him.
“You know babies cry, Taco. It’s their only mode of communication.”
He dragged a hand through his messy dark hair. “I tried! I fed her, burped her, changed her. I even sang to her, like I caught Alpha doing the other night!”
Riggs’ head snapped toward him, a scowl forming, but Taco only laughed. “It was sweet, Alpha. That’s all I’m saying!” He held up his hands as if to ward off a beating. “I had no idea you had such a soft side.”
“Taco?”
“Yes?” he asked, grinning unabashedly.
“Go pull weeds.”
Taco’s face fell. “Pull weeds? Where, though?” His voice slipped into a full whine.
Riggs’ eyes went flinty. “In the forest.”
I snorted, appreciating the creativity, and when Taco stared at him in outright horror, I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing.
“In the forest?”
Riggs nodded.
“But—but?—”
Riggs held his gaze, his expression uncompromising. Taco’s shoulders sagged. “Yes, Alpha. For how long?”
“Until I tell you you’re done.”
I was fully biting my lip now as Taco looked completely crestfallen.
“Yes, Alpha.” He dragged himself toward the door in slow motion, like he had concrete blocks strapped to his feet.
The moment it shut, I burst out laughing, which only made my mate smile. “I cannot believe you did that,” I teased. “Poor Taco. He’s not a teenager, you know. What’s next, threatening to take away his keys?”
Riggs stood and held out his arms for Alanna. She immediately reached for him, and I handed her over. In his arms, she quieted at once, gazing up at him with her fist in her mouth.
Were both of us doomed to be fascinated by him?
“I’ve actually taken his keys before,” he said mildly. “And Tacoisa teenager.”
I scoffed. “He’s gotta be… what? Thirties?”
He shook his head, that small smile still in place. “Some people are perpetual teenagers. He’s one of them.”
