Chance narrowed his eyes on her face. “You two going to get hurt?”
Mati sighed. “Yeah, probably.”
“Think he’s worth it?”
“Definitely.”
For the first time since they’d begun the conversation, Chance smiled.
Chapter Nineteen
David pulled the first tray of lasagna from the oven and set it on the stovetop to cool. He’d been up since dawn, having slept well all night only to have it end with the nightmare-induced echo of a gunshot banging around in his brain.
He’d hoped he’d sleep better, given he’d played hockey and they’d hardly made it through the door before the three of them had been a tangle of hands and mouths, clothes flying everywhere. David had ended up fucking Mati over the back of the couch, fast and hard and loud enough that he was sure the neighbors were going to complain. Then Reese had dragged her down onto the cushions and done such a spectacular and filthy job of eating David’s come back out of her, that David had rewarded him by blowing him to kingdom come.
He’d crashed hard after that and gotten some solid rest for the first few hours, at least. Then…
He’d tried to be quiet as he slipped from the bed and grabbed some clothes, but Mati had caught him in the hallway and pulled him into a hug.
“Do you want me to beg you to come back to bed, or would you rather spend time in your kitchen?”
“The kitchen,” he answered honestly and clung to her tighter.
“Okay,” she murmured, her face smashed to his chest and her eyes closed.
He’d pressed a gentle kiss to the top of her head, grateful she didn’t push, and guided her back toward the bedroom. “I’ll be fine. I have a lot I want to do today.”
Mati had staggered away, not to be heard from again until a few hours later when she came to drag him back to bed for reasons having nothing to do with sleep.
David was still smiling to himself, hours later, when there was a loud knock on the door.
Mati and Reese jumped at the breakfast bar.
David frowned and grabbed his phone, rolling his eyes at the text message from Marcus.
Your guests are here. They flashed their badges, so I figured I could let them up.
Drying his hand on the towel tucked in his belt, David opened the door and grinned at his three friends. “You all came! Welcome.”
Patrick slung his arms around Brandon and Destiny. “We thought you might like to see the whole family.”
“Awesome,” David said, his eyes glued to the pink bundle of fleece in Brandon’s arms.
Baby Avery took one look at him and burst into tears.
“Oh geez,” Destiny, Avery’s mother, said, laughing. “She’s not big on strangers right now.”
“Or ever,” Brandon added with a shrug.
“Maybe she’s just a good judge of character,” Patrick said, eying David.
David rolled his eyes. “At one month old? And I’ll have you know, Uncle David is the bomb. She’ll love me before you know it,” he promised as he ushered them into the apartment and shooed them toward the couches.
Mati and Reese stood waiting. “Hi, I’m Mati. And this is Reese,” Mati said with a smile, pitching her voice to be heard over the furious baby cries.
Patrick grinned. “I’m Patrick, and this is my husband, Brandon, and my wife, Destiny. And that little monster is Avery.”
Mati and Reese didn’t fuckingblink.
