“That’s it, good girl.” He purrs the words, making goosebumps spring across my skin. Aden steps back, slowly twirling his tongue along his fingers as he stares down at me, a hunger in his eyes that reignites my desires.
“You are mine tonight, my love.” He says, helping me stand and pressing a kiss to my forehead. I can’t stop the giddy smile that curls my lips as Aden gathers clothes, helping me dress as he covers my skin in kisses. “Do you promise?” I taunt and he leans his back with a groan.
“How did I get so lucky?” He says, taking my hand in his as he leads me from the bedroom as the doorbell chimes through the house. I walk faster, even as my legs wobble and I have to lean against my husband more than once. Isabelle has become such a huge part in my life, and she’s one of the few who sees my value as a person over financial.
“Come in,” I say cheerfully as I swing the door open. Amelia runs through the open door, her dark curls bouncing as she bounds through. Alec nods to me, shaking Aden’s hand as Markus rushes past all of us and the men follow after the two year old.
Isabelle shuts the door behind her and wraps an arm around my shoulder as we lean our heads together.
“I’ve missed you.” I admit.
“Me too,” She says as we join our husbands on the couch. Isabelle sits between Markus and Alec. I’ll admit their relationship was a shock when I first met them, but now it feels so natural and all I can see is the love the brothers share for her.
I have to bite my cheek when I realize what Markus is wearing. Aden pinches the bridge of his nose as he leans back on the couch, draping his arm around my shoulders.
“Markus, what the fuck are you wearing?” Aden asks.
“Bad words,” Amelia giggles, holding her stuffed bunny by his ear as she dances around the room.
“Amelia got these for me, thank you very much.” Markus grins as we all stare down at his giant green froggy rain boots. “It’s pouring out there and I hate wet socks.” He huffs. Aden drops a kiss to the top of my head, “I’ll be home before you know it, love.” He promises as Markus whispers something in Isabelle’s ear that makes her blush as she smacks his chest. As the two leave, I raise a brow at Isabelle.
“Do I want to know?” I taunt.
“No,” Alec sighs, pulling his phone out and excusing himself from us. Isabelle jumps up to flop onto the couch next to me, a knowing smile on her face.
“What?”
“You look like sex,” My jaw falls open at her accusation as I quickly look over to make sure her daughter didn’t hear her loud whisper.
“Good for you, girl. You need a little stress relief. Have they been taking it easy on you since you’re back to working on all the tracking and stuff?” Her tone is serious and I appreciate the concern, but wave her off.
“Aden won’t let me touch the computer for more than an hour without hovering and telling me to put my feet up, drink water and whatever else he can think of. All of my work comes through him and I’m sure he’s telling his father and your husbands no to anything he worries will be too stressful.” I frown and Isabelle rolls her eyes.
“Tell him to stop hovering.”
“It’s not a bad thing, he just worries.” But part of me wants him to back off, let me prove to him that I can handle everything.
“We can’t just stop protecting you because you think there is no threat. The moment we let our guard down, something bad can, and will, happen.” Alec strolls back in with his hands in his pockets, glancing between Amelia and Isabelle with a look of worry. It’s the same look Aden gives Leo and I when he thinks I’m not paying attention. They really can’t help but to see everything as a threat, considering the way they were raised.
Alec drops a package on the table, “Aden said you missed one of your packages. Apparently Isabelle isn’t the only one who shops online too much.” He smirks. I roll my eyes as I take it to the kitchen to grab my scissors and cut open the paper bag. I peer inside and immediately roll the bag up and shove it under the sink. My heart starts to thunder and I grip the counter while forcing myself to suck in shaking breaths. A tiny whine comes from the baby monitor.
“Leo is fussing, dibs!” Isabelle yells, and I hear her feet thunder up the stairs. I force myself to calm the panic rising in my chest as I get drinks for everyone and walk back to the living room.
Chapter three
Aden
We check the GPS signal one last time, convincing ourselves we must be at the wrong place. The tracker continues to flash on the screen, marking the coffee shop we are parked in front of. Markus and I share a look of uncertainty as we give the signal to our team to stay where they were, in their vehicles. We tuck our guns into our waistbands before stepping up to the doors.
“Welcome,” A cheery barista smiles behind the counter as I glance around the room. Markus doesn’t hesitate, ordering the both of us a drink with a bright smile. The quiet pace is filled with various people, studying late, reading a book and just going about their day. Hairs on the back of my neck raise up as a bad feeling grips me.
Markus shoves a cup into my hands, but I notice he isn’t looking at me. His head is tilted as he stares at a woman seated near the windows with a book in her hands.
“I need to tell Isabelle there’s a book out there with her name on it, literally.” Markus smirks, nodding to the title on the book's cover, ‘Our Darling Isabelle’. I snort a laugh while we both try to look around without being too obvious.
“We need to get this over with. I miss my girls.” He grumbles at me as he drops into a small leather chair. I sit across from him as I take out my phone and frown when I see the tracker is moving around the building. I show the screen to Markus and he looks outside, and I can tell the moment he sees our target.
“Stop drop and roll, people.” He shouts, tackling the girl next to us to the ground. I dive next to them as the glass window shatters inward, raining around us. Bullets fly through the air as we hear our teams return fire, slowing the assault. Markus moves his arm from the girl's head, and her eyes widen in shock while he fixes her glasses.