Page 51 of Kidnapping Their Third

“I still think—”

“No you don’t, why start now?” Cora asked, making him sputter and Kimble and Pike laugh.

“Who’s there with you?” he demanded. “Is it that guy Cooper met at your house?”

“Yes, Pike is here, and another guy named Kimble,” Cora confirmed. She might as well get Kimble’s name out there before Sunday’s BBQ. She’d be fine by then, and if she didn’t show up, her family would invade her home.

She knew all too well that she couldn’t avoid them forever, unfortunately.

“Two men are there?” Daniel asked, as if he was making sure he’d heard correctly.

“Yes, two men. They’re both mine, and I don’t want to hear another word about it. We’re all coming over on Sunday. If you visit here before then or send anyone by, I swear to God I’ll move out of state,” she warned him.

“First you drop the bombshell that you’ve got two guys and then you threaten me,” her dad said. “These guys must be special.”

“They are so don’t test me,” Cora said.

“Then I guess Sunday will have to do,” he grumbled. “What did you say their full names were again?”

“I didn’t,” she answered, then hung up without saying goodbye. It was the price he paid for thinking he could run background checks on them.

Kimble plucked the phone from her hand and tossed it next to them on the couch. “Tense again,” he grumbled.

“My family does that to me,” she admitted. She felt weirdly awake but fatigued. Her body was tired, but her brain was whirling with thoughts and plans. “I hope you don’t mind meeting my family, Kimble.”

Kimble made a dismissive sound. “Don’t care.” Then he eased a hand under the fuzzy blanket and palmed her breast. “Want a happy ending?”

All thoughts of her irritating father and annoying brothers vanished. “Hell yes!”

Chapter 20

Pike

Pike’s large size meant he had to hunch over to the point of almost resting his head on his knees if he tried to fit in Cora’s small car. She wrinkled her nose at his Caddy but agreed to drive to the monthly BBQ in that instead, making Pike breathe out a sigh of relief.

She’d already called her dad to warn him they’d be late. Once the sun was down, they’d all gotten into Pike’s rust spotted car. At least it wasn’t hot because the car’s air conditioner probably hadn’t worked since 1982. It wasn’t the car’s only failing, but in the San Diego heat, it was a big one.

“I guess you can’t argue with the room in here,” Cora commented as they drove. The front seat couldn’t accommodate all three of them, so Kimble had climbed in the back with Cora. Pike felt a little like a chauffeur. Or maybe the Wish version of an Uber.

“The room and price were the major selling points,” Pike agreed.

“Did you bargain the guy down to a dollar or did you have to pay full price?” Cora teased.

“Hey, don’t talk about the Caddy like that,” Pike admonished with a chuckle. “To tell the truth, I didn’t pay anything for it. I traded. It’d been sitting in his driveway for years. He lives in my parents’ neighborhood and needed two trees cut down. I was able to do it in a weekend and he gave me the car.”

“We’ll have to see about getting you a better vehicle,” Cora said. “Something you’re comfortable in but that still has working shocks. I think my spine broke on that last pothole.”

“And doesn’t leak when it rains,” Pike said wistfully, but then guilt hit him hard. “But I don’t see that happening. I owe you so much money for all the blood you bought, and the coffee table Kimble destroyed. Finding your mate is supposed to be amazing, not destructive.”

“Don’t be silly,” Cora responded, reaching forward to muss his hair. “You’re not paying me back shit. Besides, we have an agreement, remember? You cook and clean, and I bring home the paycheck. We’re in this together until Kimble’s all better.”

Pike hated it when she said things like that, as if the three of them were temporary. He knew she did it as a type of defense mechanism, but that didn’t make it any less painful.

“I provide,” Kimble announced, far louder than necessary in the confines of the car. He was probably feeling guilty too. “Not yet, but soon. Provide for my flock forever.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Cora said. “I’ve got you. I’m not going to be buying Jaguars or mansions, but I can keep you two comfortable. I’ll look around for something used that will fit all three of us comfortably and is in the budget.”

Kimble grumbled but otherwise didn’t argue with her. A glance in the rearview mirror showed the vampire cuddling up to the human. It didn’t look sexual. It looked more like an apology.

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