His to Take (Wicked Lovers #9)(61)
Author: Shayla Black

“Oh, I gotta have a picture of this.” Logan jumped closer, camera in hand.

Before Thorpe could protest, Sean shoved the doll beside his friend, working it right against Thorpe’s body. Logan snapped a photo, howling at the image in his viewer.

Thorpe muttered a good-natured threat Sean’s way. Callie stepped between them, and they both put their arms around her. He dropped a kiss on her lips. “You’re in so much trouble, sweet brat.”

“But I’m your sweet brat,” she quipped.

“That you are. You’re lucky I love you so much. Otherwise you wouldn’t sit for a month. As it is, I’m not sure you’ve recovered from last night, but I don’t mind adding a little more soreness to that backside so you don’t forget me on Saturday.”

“I never could forget you, Sir.” She turned, suddenly serious. “Ever. I know I never will. Your second gift?”

“Ah, yes.” He nodded. “What have you cooked up now?”

“We,” she corrected. “All three of us.”

Joaquin stared, a thought prodding him.

Thorpe froze, looking as if he had the same suspicion, as Callie handed him a box. “Open it.”

The man didn’t move a muscle for a moment, just stared at the outpouring of love from her blue eyes, then flipped his gaze to Sean, who nodded, clearly holding his joy in.

Tearing into the gift, Thorpe tossed the bow and paper aside, then ripped the box open. Inside lay a tiny little garment in pristine white with black lettering inside a big red heart.

“I love Daddy,” he muttered, everything except shock sliding off his face. Then he jerked an urgent, searching stare to Callie. “You’re pregnant?”

She took his hand and led it to her flat stomach with a soft nod. “Seven weeks. I think when the three of us slipped away to the beach . . .” She looked really uncertain now, her eyes tearing up. “I hope this makes you happy. All I’ve ever wanted was to fill your heart and—”

Thorpe crushed her against his chest, halting her speech. He cupped her face, his stare searching. “In forty years, I’ve never been this happy. You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me.” He reached out to clap Sean’s shoulder. “Both of you. Thank you. A baby is the best gift you could have given me.”

As he kissed Callie passionately, Joaquin wondered whose baby she carried. Did she even know? Even if she didn’t, none of them looked as if they cared. They were just happy to be together and soon to be a family.

A glance at Bailey proved that she’d welled up, happy tears that wished them joy—while quietly revealing how desperately she wanted a family of her own. A thought blindsided Joaquin: What if he planted life inside her? He blew out a breath. Hell of a thought . . . but for some reason, he wasn’t rejecting it outright.

Hunter sidled up to him, staring as Thorpe and Sean shook hands while cradling Callie between them. “That even tugs at me a little.”

Joaquin refused to admit the scene had affected him, too. “Maybe you can find something at the drugstore to take for that.”

“You want to be an asshole? Fine. My concern is my wife. She’s about to have a baby and she wants to be closer to her family. She wants our son to have an uncle besides Logan.” Hunter looked at his younger brother, who poked his finger into the gaping mouth hole of Thorpe’s blow-up doll with a howl, and shook his head. “Right now, I understand why. Jeez, he’s acting like an idiot.”

Hard to disagree with that. “What’s your point?”

“I understand missions and being out of pocket and feeling somewhere between detached and on edge. But that’s not a real life. Yeah, national security is important, but you need a personal stake, too, or none of this shit really means anything. Kata wants you around, but I won’t let you continue to hurt her. If you want to visit when you’re available and be a stand-up brother, I’m all for it. That would make my wife happy. And your mom would sure love to hear from you. Since she’s my stepmom now, I feel more than a little protective. But if you want to continue isolating yourself and being a prick, go the fuck away. And stay there this time.”

Chapter Ten

AN hour later, Bailey hovered in a corner of the dungeon and watched everything around her with wide eyes.

London looked far too pregnant to breathe, much less engage in any sort of dungeon play, so her husbands had simply curled up with her on a sofa across the room. Xander massaged her shoulders while Javier rubbed her feet and slightly swollen ankles. They punctuated the pampering with kisses. Unfortunately, Morgan had been exhausted after a busy week with a kicking fetus and a toddler, not to mention a little queasy, so Jack had taken her home. Thorpe had already bestowed forty of the sexiest possible swipes of his hand across Callie’s backside and fed her cake from his fork. After some very passionate kisses and Sean sneaking a hand up her skirt, the three of them had disappeared, supposedly to work on replenishing the snacks. Right . . .