Fox looked at Vale. “Do you want to meet my daughter?”
Vale stared at him with more suspicion in his eyes but gave a slight nod. Fox smiled, then walked back into the family room, heading to his suite. Fox didn’t need to look behind him to see if Vale was watching him, he could feel the captain’s eyes boring into his back.
Who hurt you, Vale? Tell me so I can kick their ass.
Chapter Six
Alistaire sat beside Rosemary at the Hannigans’ dining table, watching his grandmother gush over Genesis.
“She’s going to be a heartbreaker,” Rosemary smiled, rubbing the tip of her nose along Genesis’s cheek and brushing a hand over her silver-blonde hair.
Alistaire had to agree Genesis was adorable.
He looked away from Rosemary and the baby, turning his gaze to Crevan Hannigan. Since their interaction in the foyer, he was having difficulty calling the other man Fox, even in thought. Crevan was enjoying his lunch.
Barret had made a lemongrass ginger carrot soup with green salad and rolls. Alistaire, lost in thought, became ensnared watching Crevan’s mouth wrap around the spoon. He hummed, licking his lips in delight, brushing the tip of his tongue against the beauty mark on his upper lip.
Alistaire wanted to look away, but the man across from him was good-looking—with angelic features, platinum blond hair that was long on the top with a slight curl on the ends, and short on the sides, one blue and one green eye, and a smile that could make any man fall to their knees and worship him as their god.
Fuck, what the hell am I doing?Alistaire thought back to what happened in the foyer and felt a bit ashamed of his actions.Why did I ask him that question?
Alistaire wasn’t sure what kind of answer he was expecting to come from the man’s beautiful mouth, but there was something about Crevan Hannigan that intrigued and terrified him at the same time.
Since accidentally walking into the other man’s room, Alistaire had felt a bit confused. His emotions felt as if he was running on overdrive. He remembered the first time he saw his mate and how he’d felt—his body hummed with excitement and need, wanting to touch and be touched by his mate.
Being in Crevan Hannigan’s presence, he felt anger, need, fear, attraction, and desire. Other than the anger, he hadn’t felt those emotions in the years since his mate had died. Alistaire felt as if he couldn’t differentiate between the past and present, and it fed into his anger and suspicions when it came to Crevan Hannigan.
“I think that is a wonderful idea! Don’t you think so, Alistaire?” Rosemary asked, getting his attention.
“Uh...what’s a good idea?” He looked at his grandmother, who had a certain spark in her eyes he hadn’t seen before.
“Aria and I think it would be a great idea if we all have Thanksgiving at the mayor’s mansion.”
“Are you asking for my opinion or telling me that’s what’s going to happen?”
“You’re a part of the family. So yes, I’m asking for your opinion.”
Alistaire shrugged his shoulders. “If that’s what you want to do, I have no problem with it.”
Alistaire didn’t understand why there was a discussion in the first place. Alistaire glowered, looking at Rosemary and getting the strangest vibes coming off her. Before he could put more thought into things, his grandmother's next question surprised him.
“Do you mind holding this sweet little princess while I run to the lady’s room?”
He wasn’t given a chance to answer because Rosemary gently placed the baby in his arms then dashed out of the dining room. As if sensing she was handed off to someone new, Genesis opened her bright blue eyes, looking at him.
Alistaire was expecting her to close them and go back to sleep, but she kept them open and continued to stare at him, giving him the cutest smile. A pleasant feeling rushed through Alistaire, washing away some of his anger and irritation. Even though he’d held his nieces before and loved them dearly, he hadn’t felt an instant connection to them as he did with Genesis.
Must protect, was whispered in the back of his mind.
Alistaire felt a cold chill brush against the nape of his neck, and he looked up from Genesis to see if any of the windows were open. His brows knitted together when he noticed they were all closed.
What the fuck was that?
He looked away from the window when he heard a slight purring sound followed by a meow and his gaze connected with a black cat with bright blue eyes sitting comfortably in Crevan Hannigan’s lap—staring at him as if it was trying to see into his soul.
That’s kind of creepy even for Vale Valley.
“I think she likes you, Captain Vale,” Barret said.
