Page 55 of Wild Card (Men of Action #4)

“Give her credit. She’s new to the clandestine lifestyle,” Harley says.

“It is a lot to take in. I remember that first drug bust and how Ford was…”

“Excuse me, but I’m right here. What am I missing?”

“Max doesn’t miss anything. He’s got rank and respect in the Marines. We don’t buy the slack excuse that Max can’t make the wedding.”

“You don’t think he’s tied up with work?”

“We’re scared he’s actually tied up.” Jewls crosses her wrists.

Understanding washes over me, and I reach for the counter to steady myself as my imagination goes berserk. “Oh my God, you think he’s in danger?”

They nod solemnly.

“Maybe you should have a seat.” Harley scoots a stool my way.

“Why would they lie to us?” My voice is borderline pitchy.

“They have no choice. It’s a security clearance thing, or some bullshit like that.” Jewls waves it off.

“It’s up to us to figure out how deep this goes and be prepared.”

“Prepared for what?”

“Anything,” they answer in unison.

My stomach dives to the floor. “Like, prepare for the worst?”

Harley jumps to her feet, taking my elbow and urging me to the stool. “Doll, you better sit down.”

“I don’t understand what’s happening here.”

“We need to be ready to care for the guys,” Rowan clarifies.

A bottle of water is placed in front of me.

Worry lines etch at the creases of their eyes as they take me in with caution.

These are the strongest women I know.

They aren’t freaking; they’re convening on how to support and react when and if the time comes.

I shake out of my stupor, straightening my spine.

There’s a man out there we all adore who is potentially in danger. A man who didn’t know me and still waded into the messy business of my sister.

He’s friend and family to this crew.

Which now includes me.

“We don’t have much time. Think you can give me a crash course in how this may go?”

They grin approvingly.

Then my schooling begins.

I sweep through the kitchen once more, making sure nothing is out of place. A rustling, followed by a canine snore, pulls my attention to the living room where Wolf and Mack are laid on each side of Wyatt, whose eyes are finally drooping.

I go to him, sitting at the end of the air mattress. “Hey, buddy.”

“Hey, Lolo.”

“Why aren’t you asleep?”

“Because I’m scared.”

My heart squeezes, and I grab his hand. “You want me to sleep with you?”

“No, I’m scared that if I fall asleep, the funnest day of my life will end.”

I grin at his term, knowing exactly how he feels. “That’s understandable.”

“It is?”

“Sure, you’ve had a great day. What was your favorite part?”

His green eyes are exhausted but bright with delight. “All of it.”

“How about winning the game?”

“That was cool.”

“The ice cream sundae?”

“It was good.”

I still haven’t hit the mark.

“Hmmm.” I scratch my chin and pretend to ponder. “How about when Talon surprised us with a pool party, cook-out, and double dose of s’mores?”

I know I’ve hit the mark, but there’s one more thing. “Or the fact Talon, Ford, Ace, Major, Finn, Robbie, and Declan built you this massive and highly engineered fort?”

And that’s it, his face lights up brighter than Christmas. “Isn’t it awesome?”

“It’s beyond any fort your dad and I made as kids.”

“That’s because Uncle Talon is a pro-fes-sion-al.”

I swallow my laugh at his emphasis. “Yes, he is.”

“I love him, Aunt Lolo.”

My chest constricts and nose stings at his declaration. “I do, too, buddy.”

“Daddy said you live here now.”

“Your dad is partly right.”

I still refuse to admit it completely. Call me stubborn, but it’s fun.

“Next time I stay over, we will be here?”

“For now. Talon and I are working on our own place.”

“Will you let us build forts and eat s’mores in the pool?”

“I don’t think we’ll have a pool, but you can eat s’mores, build forts, and play cornhole all you want.”

“I wasn’t good at cornhole, the other kids beat me.”

“That’s because they’ve had a lot more practice.”

“Finnley said she’d help me next time.”

Not surprised Robbie and Ember’s daughter is as sweet as her mom.

“Well, that’s proof we’ll have many more fun days like today.”

He takes his hand back and curls up on his side, fatigue winning out.

“Love you, Wyatt,” I whisper, rubbing his back until he’s snoring lightly.

The scent of cypress, pine, and mint fills our space and I turn to see Talon leaning against the wall. He’s shirtless, small pebbles of moisture clinging to his chest and shoulders, his hair wet from the shower.

My mouth goes dry and my body instantly reacts at the sight that will never get old.

“Hey, he was having trouble falling asleep.”

“I heard.”

“How long have you been there?”

“Heard you talking in the hall and stayed out of view.”

“Why?”

“Didn’t want to interrupt your time.”

“He loves you.”

“Feeling is mutual.”

Gah! Could I melt anymore for this man?

“Princess, you ready for bed?”

I glance back at my sleeping nephew, torn. Realistically, he’s passed out for at least ten hours and has Wolf in case he wakes up.

A pillow zips through the air, landing perfectly on the lounger. He comes to help me up, pressing me flush to his warmed body.

“We’ll sleep out here in case he wakes up.”

“You sure?”

“Baby, he’s hyped up on sugar and adrenaline. He’s crashed now, but who knows what the night will bring. He wakes up in a strange place, don’t want him scared out of his mind.”

“I could sleep out here. You don’t need to be cramped on the couch.”

Even in the dim light, I can see the storm brewing in his eyes. He maneuvers us around the air mattress, falling backward onto the sofa. The move is so smooth, I don’t flinch when landing on top of him. “Not fucking sleeping without you.”

“I want you to be comfortable.”

He rolls, tucking me to his side and propping up on an elbow to stare down at me. “Sleep on a bed of nails if you were in my arms.”

I scale my fingers through his wet hair, bringing them down to rub his jawline. “Thank you for today.”

“Why are you thanking me?”

“Because you took in my nephew and gave him the funnest day of his little life.”

He copies my move, cupping my cheek and running his thumb along the skin. “Wyatt’s a cool kid, but more so, he means the world to you. Which means he means something to me.”

“You’re great with kids.”

His gaze heats. “Saw you with Maverick today.”

“He’s an angel.”

“Levi, Koby, Dylan—all of them. You’re a fucking natural.”

“Snuggling babies isn’t a chore. Nothing like keeping eight active kids busy for hours.”

“I liked watching you with them.”

My heart skips a beat at the intensity piercing into me.

“What are you saying, honey?”

“How many kids do you want, Princess?”

“I haven’t thought about it.”

This is mostly the truth. Kids are in my life plan, but graduating and establishing my career were always my first priorities.

“Four.”

“Four what?”

“Never had a problem being an only child. But when I met Ace, Ford, and Major, knew what it felt to have brothers.”

“You want four kids?”

“You agree?”

“Four is a lot, baby.”

“Need to revisit the house plans and make sure our kids will have the room they need.”

“Honey, the house is massive. We could have five kids and still have room left over.”

“Okay, five it is.”

“Maybe we should start with one and see how it goes.”

“You want to stop at one, we’ll talk about it. But I want to give you a big family.”

My stomach dives and soars in sync. I’d give this man anything in the world.

“One condition.” My fingers glide to his eyes, lightly brushing across his lashes. “I want my children to have your eyes and lashes.”

“I’ll do my best.”

A quiet settles between us, a new intensity building.

“What brought this up tonight, baby?”

“Anything you want, I’ll give it to you. Just say the word.”

“You already give me everything.”

“You want a baby. I want to give that to you.”

I jerk so fast he has to stop me from toppling over. “I love them all, but I don’t have baby fever.”

“Then what the hell are you holding back?”

“W-w-what do you mean?”

“Noticed it last night. Thought maybe it was the kick-off to wedding week. You taking on the pressure of making everything perfect. That’s not it.”

Whatever you do, act normal. The girls’ number one piece of advice rings in my ears.

I thought I’d done a good job.

“There’s nothing?—”

“Careful, Princess, don’t lie to me.”

I flash him my most sincere smile.

He growls.

The smile dies and I blow out a breath. “Damn you and your hyper-senses.”

“Tell me what’s on your mind.”

“Is Max in trouble?” I blurt out and brace for his answer.

His expression darkens and a tremor runs down my spine. “Fucking women.”

I wait for what seems like an eternity for him to speak again. “I don’t know.”

“What do you mean?”

“The intel is unclear at this time.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means we’re on alert.”

His cryptic answers do nothing to keep my brain from running wild. “Talon, sweetie, I’m not fluent in badass Marine dialect.”

He drops his forehead to mine. “He’s on a mission outside of San Diego. The rest is mostly unknown.”

“Should we be worried?”

“No, this is exactly why the women shouldn’t worry.”

“But you said you’re on alert.”

“Alert means monitoring the situation. Robbie’s a fucking pro at discovery. With James and Finn at his back, we have the best resources.”

“Will you tell me if that changes?”

A heaviness settles on my chest when he doesn’t answer. I lean back to scan over his face, reading him clearly.

Apprehension, denial, and hesitation all bleed through. It’s more than protecting me; it’s shielding me from this part of his life.

Unknown possibilities.

Indefinite dangers.

Sharp pain pierces me like a knife, realizing I caused this with my initial rejection of ‘us’.

Tears prick my eyes and I press my lips to his in a quick kiss. “I love you with every fiber of my being, Talon. Loving you means knowing the kind of man you are. Don’t hide this from me. Whatever it is, I can handle it.”

He buries his head in my neck, wrapping me so tight, I struggle to breathe. “You’re my fucking world, Princess. Know that.”

It’s not exactly a reassurance, but I’ll take it.