Page 65 of Fighting the Forbidden

The impulse to claim Molly in front of everyone tonight seizes me.

She leans back, resting her head on my chest, and peers up at me. “Look what I’ve got,” she teases, holding up the toy.

“Cute.” Our gazes connect and the urge to kiss her pulls me down.

The playfulness in her eyes shifts into surprise, then desire.

I curl my arm around her waist. Just for a minute. No one’s watching. Remy’s busy talking to Jigsaw, trying to secure him as our bouncer at a few upcoming fight nights at The Castle.

Atlas doesn’t seem bothered by my intrusion. The little guy’s the best of both of his parents—Juliet’s sweetness and smarts mixed with Vapor’s curiosity and fearlessness. He happily returns to passing his toys to Molly while charming her with lengthy descriptions of each item. Molly seems to understand his toddler chatter and converses with him easily.

My arm’s still around her waist. I like it there.

Someone slaps my back, jostling me forward.

Busted.

Twice in one day. What are the odds?

Pretty good if you keep groping Molly when literally everyone you know is within fifty feet of you.

My body tenses. Let’s do this. I’ll have it out with Remy here and now.

But as I glance over my shoulder, it’s Eraser’s big, bearded face—and he’s grinning like a devil—not Remy’s fist furiously flying at my jaw. “Hey, we’ve got a hornet’s nest Uncle Pax can’t get rid of out back.” Eraser points toward the shacks where I’d been with Molly earlier.

Confused, I frown and stare at him. “Yeah, so?”

The fucker taps a finger against his bushy beard. “I was thinking, maybe it would be easier on you to just stick your dick in the hornet’s nest?”

Vapor walks up behind his son and scoops him into his arms. Judging by the smirk on his face, he either planned this ambush with Eraser or caught the highlights of the conversation on his way over.

Molly snorts in disgust and wiggles out of my hold. “Is Juliet still on the track?” she asks Vapor.

“Yup.”

“I’ll take him to his mama,” Molly says, holding out her arms for Atlas. He eagerly goes to her, wrapping his arms around her neck. “Since it seems you three have important wasp maintenance to discuss.”

“Hornets!” Eraser corrects her.

She throws a quick smile at me, then takes off. Atlas waves at me over Molly’s shoulder. If toddlers were capable of sarcasm, I’m pretty sure the smirk on his face would say, Sucks to be you.

“Why are you like this?” I turn toward Eraser and pull a sad puppy face. “Who hurt you?”

Vapor chuckles.

Eraser curls one of his python-sized arms around my neck and hugs me to his side. He points toward one of the food shacks. “Seriously, there’s a hornet’s nest on the overhang of the first shack. I’ll get you a ladder. Drop your drawers and jam your dick in the hole. It’ll probably hurt less than what Remy’s going to do to you if he catches you mauling Molly.”

“I wasn’t mauling her.” I shove him away. “Shut your oversized cake hole.”

“The smarter move would be to, oh, I don’t know, man the fuck up.” Vapor’s shrug takes the sting out of his “advice.”

These two love fucking with me and now they have something extra juicy to needle me about, all because I couldn’t keep my hands to myself.

“Why don’t both of you mind your own damn business,” I grumble, not in the mood for their bullshit today. Not after my talk with Dex, which hadn’t been as reassuring as I’d hoped.

“It is my business,” Vapor says, “when Juliet squeals so loud it makes my ears bleed. She thought you finally pulled up your big boy boxers. Now I’m going to have to disappoint her with the truth that you’re still a coward.” He narrows his eyes at me. “You know I don’t like disappointing my wife.”

Who knew Juliet was so invested in my relationship status? “I’ll talk to Remy when I’m ready.” I grip Eraser’s wrist and unwind his arm from around my neck.

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