Page 8 of Forever Your Touch (Manwhore #4)

A ghost of a smile crossed Viktor’s face. “If is right. The old man lives for the military.”

“Mama never wanted to come to the U.S. It’s not her home. She’s always lived in Russia. What if she hates it here?”

“She’ll change her mind once she meets all her grandchildren.”

That, she might. She always complained that they never came to visit, but it was hard to travel with infants. Mason hoped she loved it here, because if something happened to his papa, they were not letting her go back to Russia. She would need her sons as much as they would need her.

“When are you and Sara leaving?”

“We’re not leaving, Mason. I already told Sara. There is no way I’ll be able to sleep tonight, and like I said earlier, you’re in no shape to babysit. You and Jo stay the night, though. Maybe help out with the kids a little?”

“We can do that.”

“We decided to not tell Delia anything right now, at least not until we have to. Think you can pull it together for her?”

“Peach doesn’t need to know her dedushka is sick,” Mason agreed.

“I’ll do everything I can to make sure she doesn’t know anything is wrong.

” Mason picked up his abandoned liquor and downed it in one shot.

The liquid fire chased some of the numbness away.

He had to hold it together for Delia, he reminded himself.

“Come on. Sara’s ordering pizza for dinner.” Viktor hauled him up and gave him another tight hug. “We’re gonna get through this.”

“I know.” Mason hugged his brother so hard he might have cut off Viktor’s oxygen supply, but he never complained.

When they walked back into the living room, his eyes sought out Jo. She was on the floor, feeding one of the twins. A small smile tilted his lips. She looked so peaceful and happy making silly faces at the baby.

Little fingers slipped into his, and he looked down to see Delia smiling shyly up at him. The kid was pretty as a peach, hence her nickname. “How you doing, Peach?”

She tugged his hand, and he let her lead him to the end of the coffee table where she had her makeup and other shit already set out. He laughed, and it eased some of the pain in his chest.

“Please, Uncle Mason?”

“Do your worst, kid.” He plopped down, and she squealed in happiness.

“First, the curlers.” She picked up some kind of sponge roller things he eyeballed suspiciously.

“What are those?”

“They make your hair curly, duh.” She rolled her eyes like he should have already known this. “Mommy says they give you Shirley Temple curls.”

“Who the hell is Shirley Temple?”

“Do you want me to wring your ear again?” Sara asked, exasperated.

“Keep those evil fingers to yourself woman.” Mason winked at Delia and winced when she tugged a little too hard on his hair.

Jo watched him closely. Something was off. He might be smiling and joking, but he seemed subdued. His eyes caught hers, and he shook his head slightly, a clear sign he didn’t want to talk about it. At least not in front of his niece.

“So, Jo, Mason says you’re Keith’s sister?”

Viktor’s question pulled her attention from Mason. He and Mason looked enough alike it was obvious they were brothers, but not twin-ish. Her older sisters looked so much alike it was hard to tell them apart sometimes.

“Yeah. I’m the youngest of us all.” The baby smacked at the bottle in her hand, and she smiled down at Riley. He was such a sweetheart.

“How many siblings do you have?” Sara asked, her eyes going round.

Curious, Jo turned her head to see Delia struggling to twist the curlers in Mason’s hair. She was chuckling to herself, and Mason couldn’t stop cringing with every pull of his hair.

It was the most adorable thing she’d ever seen. Here was a grown man sitting down and letting his niece doll him up. Even Keith wouldn’t let his nieces do this to him. Mason was an incredibly sweet man.

“Jo?”

“Huh?” She dragged her eyes away from them at Sara’s prompting.

“How many brothers and sisters do you have?”

“Oh…uh, three older sisters and Keith.”

Sara grinned, a knowing expression in her eyes when Jo kept glancing back at Mason and Delia.

“So, a big family, then?” Viktor asked, taking Ronin from Sara. He cuddled the baby close, kissing him softly on the forehead.

“Yeah, it was always noisy in our house growing up because of all the friends who came over. I actually miss the noise.”

“And your boyfriend, does he have a big family?” Sara started picking up toys and putting them in a small toy chest tucked in a corner beside the fireplace.

“No. He has one sister who lives in Michigan. Caroline has a little boy and a little girl. Aside from his parents, that’s the only family he has.”

“No cousins?” Sara frowned at a stain on her white rug.

“No, his parents didn’t have any brothers and sisters. Both sets of grandparents have passed.”

“Well, at least he has you now.” Sara wasn’t watching Jo when she said that, but Mason.

Jo followed her gaze to see Mason’s jaw clenched.

She wasn’t sure if it was from Delia pulling his hair out by the roots or from what Sara said.

Butterflies fluttered in her stomach, thinking it might be from what Sara said.

No, Jo, you are not going there. You love Ray.

“He does.” Jo put the bottle down and shifted the baby over her shoulder so she could burp him.

The doorbell rang, and Sara waved her husband back down. “It’s the pizza. I’ll get it. Why don’t you and Jo put the boys in the Pack ‘n Play while we eat?”

Viktor nodded and walked over to the Pack ‘n Play set up beside the fireplace. They were using it as a makeshift bassinet at the moment. When the twins got older, it would turn into a playpen. Once she got Riley to burp, she laid him down beside his brother. They were identical. If Sara hadn’t dressed them in different outfits, she’d never know which one was which.

“ Malyshka , you’ll have to do Mason’s makeup after we eat.” Viktor chuckled when Mason shot him a grateful look.

“Pepperoni?” the little girl asked, her eyes skating over to Jo and then quickly away.

“Maybe.” Viktor reached out his hand, and his daughter latched on, allowing her father to lead her into the kitchen.

“Sooo…” Jo grinned at Mason, who sat on the floor with a pinched, resigned expression. “You play makeover a lot, I take it.”

“Every time I’m here.” He took her outstretched hand and let her pull him up. “It makes her happy.”

“She adores you.”

“She’s my girl.” Mason hooked his arm through hers, and they started walking toward the kitchen where they could hear Delia telling her parents she wanted chocolate milk.

“Is everything okay?” She looked up at him. He was so much taller than she was. “You seem sad.”

In that second, her foot decided to tangle with the floor in an odd movement, and she pitched forward, bringing Mason with her. He landed on top of her. She closed her eyes, mortified. Dammit. Why was she such a klutz?

“You’re becoming hazardous to my health now, Josephine.” Mason pushed himself up, but not off her.

“Sorry,” she muttered and tried to push him off, but he didn’t move. “Uh, Mase. You need to move so we can get up.”

“But what if I like it here?”

She ignored the blatant flirtation. “Too damn bad. Now move your ass before Delia comes running to see what’s keeping you.”

“She’d ask a thousand questions.”

Still, he didn’t move, and Jo finally forced herself to look up.

Despite his teasing tone, his expression was so far from that, she sucked in a breath.

His face was a hair’s breadth from hers.

His lips were within kissing distance, and when his tongue darted out to wet his lips, she fought back the urge to lean up and kiss him.

“Then don’t you think we should get up?” Jo cringed. She sounded breathy, the way she’d sound if she was in that wishful, lustful, please-kiss-me state. Which she wasn’t.

“I guess.” He leaned forward and kissed her forehead. “You are a distraction, Josephine. Thank you.”

“What?” That made no sense.

“I’ll tell you why I’m sad and why I needed the distraction after Delia goes to bed. We don’t want her to know anything’s wrong.”

“Okay.” She hoped nothing was really wrong, but at least he was going to tell her.

Holding things inside was never good for anyone.

She knew it from experience. After helping her up, she and Mason found his family in the dining room already passing out plates.

They sat at the table and spent the next hour laughing and listening to Delia tell them some crazy story she’d made up. It was a nice evening.