Page 103 of Ruthless Beasts

"Very bad men?" Ace laughed. "Sweetheart, that's the best you could come up with?"

"It's true, is it not?" Her beautiful eyes locked on his, and for a moment, I swear he was mesmerized and trapped in her pull.

"It's true," I confessed. "But I prefer vicious, brutal, ferocious... as opposed to very bad."

"One and the same." She picked up a loofah and lathered it with soap before she ran it over Mercer's body. Fuck, it was impossible to not have my dick as hard as steel if this was going to be my view every day for the rest of my life.

I wrapped an arm around her waist and smacked the perfect globe of her ass. "I'll show you one and the same."

Then we spent the next hour showing her just how vicious, brutal, and ferocious men like us could really be.

It was late morning when we made it to Mimi's donut shop. Belle was practically bouncing on her heels with excitement that she got to come, and I knew she didn't mean to, but it made me feel awful. We kept her so closed up in that house, but fuck, all I wanted was her safety. Without her safe, without her in my life, I doubt I'd be able to survive again.

The bell on the door jingled as we entered. The elder lady instantly looked up, joy taking over her face. "My boys."

"Hi Mimi." I raised a hand, doing a half wave before placing it back in the pocket of my slacks.

"I can't believe you boys kept her away this long." She narrowed her gaze at me. "Especially you, Adam."

"Good to see you, too." I laughed at the old woman's wrath.

She pushed past a swinging door, heading straight for Belle, her arms wide until she reached Belle's side, then pulled her in for a hug, nearly smashing my tiny little wife against Mimi's larger body. "Look at you. You're even more beautiful in person."

"Careful, Mimi." Mercer scowled, though there was no anger behind it. "I don't want you to squish our daughter."

Mimi's eyes instantly filled with tears. "A girl. Bless your heart. You all are in for trouble."

Belle, who until now seemed to be in a state of shock, shook out of it and placed her hand on her stomach. "I think these guys need some trouble."

Mimi laughed. "They don't know what they are in for."

"If she's anything like her mother, I think we've got an idea," I confirmed.

"I'm so happy my boys have found you," she gushed, and I should have known Mimi wouldn't have judged our situation. She'd wanted nothing but happiness for us. That had never been a secret. When Elizabeth died, she felt her loss like we did, deep and to her core, and she mourned along with us in her own way. Mimi leaned into Belle, whispering, though I heard every word. "They were so lost."

I hated that she saw that, that she knew the truth about us. But she was right. We were lost, and we were just being found. For the first time in years, I was looking to the future, and I was looking forward to it. It no longer brought me dread or panic; only curiosity and warmth filled me over the prospect.

Without hesitation, Belle leaned into Mimi and whispered her own words back. "They saved me too."

Saved.

Is that what she had done to us? Maybe I'd never thought of it that way, but now I knew it to be true. Belle saved our lives. She brought us the joy we'd missed, encouraged us to live again.We were disconnected, even from each other, and now? Now we were an unbreakable unit, flowing and functioning as one.

"I've been asking Mercer to bring you, and he hasn't for so long I thought I'd never meet you." Mimi shot him a glare, made to shame him, though Mercer never had shame. He offered the old woman a wink instead.

"Mimi," Mercer sighed, then rolled his eyes. "She's pregnant. We can't just take her anywhere we please."

"Looks like you can now," she pointed out.

"It's complicated, Mimi," Ace offered.

"And you." She leaned in, pinching Ace's cheek, causing Belle to giggle. "You think you can get away with making excuses for him?"

Ace held his hand up in surrender. "No ma'am. He's a selfish being for keeping her to himself."

"Exactly," Mimi agreed, and Belle, she was loving this, loving us being accountable to someone other than ourselves.

"Why am I being drilled, anyway?" Mercer whined. “She wears Adam's ring.”

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