Page 55 of Blood Money

Cassie canted her head to look up at her husband, and in that moment Alex glimpsed the depth of the love between them. It was in the way they looked at each other, and the way Mike touched his wife. God, but if she’d only received half of the love she sensed here in this room when she’d been pregnant with Nicky…

“Am I interrupting something?” Gray stood on the landing, looking down at all of them.

Raven bounded down the stairs to circle Mike’s legs, insinuating her sleek black head into his hand. He obliged by scratching the dog’s ears until she sat obediently beside him.

“No, we were all just getting acquainted.” Cassie beamed a smile at her husband. “Weren’t we, sweetie?”

“Yes, ma’am.” Mike kissed the top of Cassie’s head. To Alex, he said, “You’ll have to excuse me. I need to go buy pickles and ice cream before my wife’s craving gets out of control. It was a pleasure to meet you.”

“You as well.” Alex smiled.

“Gray, good to see you.” The two men embraced in a manly bear hug, clapping each other on the back.

“Mike does love me.” Cassie rolled her eyes. “But sometimes I think these guys love each other more.”

“Not a chance.” Mike lowered his mouth to give Cassie a deep kiss. “Your brother’s too ugly, and he doesn’t know how to kiss for shit.”

Gray feigned indignation. “You promised you wouldn’t spread that around.”

“I lied.”

A moment later Mike was out the door, leaving Raven whining at his departure.

“That dog.” Cassie parked her hands on her hips. “She fell in love with Mike long before I did. She can’t stand it when he’s away.”

Gray made a contemptuous snort. “I thought she hated all men.”

“Not all men, bro.” Cassie shot him a mischievous look. “She tolerates you and Dom.”

“Very funny, sis.”

As Alex watched and listened to the back and forth between Gray and Cassie, she was filled with an overwhelming sense of envy. She’d been an only child and never experienced that kind of love.

“Alex, why don’t you check on Nicky while Gray fills me in on things?” Cassie’s smile was so warm and welcoming it could light up a room. She was also the consummate diplomat, keeping the peace and giving Alex the out she needed to have some private time with her son and take a breath.

“Thank you. I’ll do that.” Alex headed up the stairs, relieved to see Nicky was again napping peacefully, nestled beneath a blue bedspread decorated with New York Yankees emblems.

She prayed her son’s need for sleep was due to all the excitement, but still worried that it was the precursor to a relapse in his medical condition. After dropping Nicky’s backpack onto a wood dresser, she eased onto the bed and sat beside him. She wound a lock of his hair around her finger and watched him for a few minutes. Unfortunately, she would have to wake him before she left, but for now she was content to watch him sleep.

“I love you,” she whispered, dropping a light kiss on his forehead. “More than anything else in the world.”

She rose and sat on the antique rocking chair near the window. Raven padded quietly into the room and approached the bed. Alex was halfway out of the chair, prepared to launch herself at Raven if the dog threatened her baby. But when Raven delicately sniffed Nicky’s hand peeking out from under the covers and gave it a gentle lick, she relaxed and sat back down. There was something inherently maternal about the animal’s gesture.

A moment later, Raven sat directly in front of Alex. The dog watched her from intelligent, chocolate-brown eyes. With her tall, sharp ears, long nose, and sleek, black coat, she was a ringer for a slimmed-down version of a furry black German shepherd.

When Raven rested her head in Alex’s lap, she rewarded the dog by stroking its silky head, loving how soft the fur was. She’d always wanted a dog when she was a child, but her father was allergic so that never happened. Nicky had inherited Alex’s love for dogs and hounded her at least twice a month to get him one.

Soothed by Raven’s unexpected comfort, some of the tension began to ebb, leaving her with a temporary sense of peace and a clearer mind.

It was amazing that Cassie and Mike survived the Pyramid’s assassin, and even more amazing that they believed she wasn’t working for the Pyramid. Maybe having the kind of love they shared made it easier to forgive.

Alex closed her eyes and rested her head in her hand. The way her life was going, she might never be on the receiving end of such intense emotion. The kind that made a woman crave a man day and night. The kind that made her choke up when an unexpected kindness was bestowed on her son.

As much as she’d once dreamed it possible, she would never have Gray’s love.

She jerked upright in the chair. Did I really just think that?

She did, and with it came the overwhelmingly pathetic realization. Despite every reason not to, she was falling in love with Gray.