Page 74 of Amor Prohibido

“Are you okay?” she whispered.

I didn’t—couldn’t—say anything just yet, so I remained focused on the whirlpool in the mug.

“I’m so relieved he’s okay. Your mama’s phone call scared the shit out of me.”

I managed a slight nod of agreement but remained mute.

“Also, I’m sorry for the way I talked to your boss today. I don’t think I’ll ever be welcome back at your workplace.”

The memory of her storming across the workshop leaving a string of Spanish insults in her wake caused a chuckle to sneak out of me. She had my back, and that was sexy as hell.

I roughly cleared my throat. “Trust me, J, Dean will get over it. His bark is worse than his bite. Besides, that’s the least of my worries. I’m so fucking relieved Dad is going to be okay. I felt all the blood rush from my head the second you told me, and I thought I was going to faint.”

“Well, I’m glad you didn’t. There’s no way I could hold up your big-ass carcass.”

I turned in her arms to face her, loving when her hands linked at my lower back. She buried her face into my chest, and I gently held her in place. Kissing the top of her head helped settle some of my unease. I took a deep breath to prepare for what I needed to say, only for Jax’s confession to cut mine off at the roots.

“I’m really sorry for being such a bitch the last few days. I realise now that it was so stupid and petty. I had every right to be angry but didn’t need to take it as far as I did.”

“Christ, J. You have no idea how good it is to have you back in my arms. I fucked up by not telling you, and for that, I’m sorry too. I’ve missed you. All this stuff with Dad has put things into perspective, and I just want to make things right with you.”

“I’ve missed you too. And I trust you, Jace, just like I trust in what we have. I do have one question though.” She looked up at me with confusion swimming in her chocolate-brown irises. “I don’t understand why Dean didn’t believe me when I said I was your fiancée. Did you not tell him about me?”

The hurt in her expression made my heart spasm. “Of course I told him about you. Though I have a pretty good idea why he was sceptical.” And I didn’t like the thought one bit. In fact, it pissed me right off.

J squeezed my waist impatiently, and I sighed. “I told Dean around the time I moved in with you that we’d become engaged and were expecting a baby. But when Natalie, my ex, turned up, Dean saw her and assumedshewas my fiancée before I had a chance to tell her to fuck off. Being manipulative like she is, she wouldn’t have bothered to correct him.”

Jax reared back angrily. “What the actual fuck? That bitch had better not come back. If she does, her and I are going to have words.”

Unable to lock down a chuckle, I snickered and guided her face back into my chest. “I don’t doubt that for a second, sweetheart. Dean completely overlooked the part about her being a psycho bitch and went all gaga over her blonde hair and blue eyes before I could set the record straight. I ushered her out of the workshop before she could do more damage, and when I returned, I made sure he was fully aware that she wasnotmy fiancée. I wasn’t sure if he believed me, so judging by his reaction today, he hadn’t.”

J was silent for a long moment. Tension thrummed from her body into mine. As upset as she was, when I placed my forefinger under her chin, she didn’t resist me tilting her head up.

Her eyes met mine and locked. They reminded me that there were things in this world we couldn’t explain and loving the person we fell for was one of those inexplicable mysteries. This beauty standing before me held my heart in her hands.

“Hey, where’d you go just then?” she whispered.

“Deep,” I croaked. “I love you, J.”

“I love you too.”

I claimed her mouth, and her lips parted to welcome mine home. And just like that, all felt right in our world again.

TWENTY-FIVE

JACE

“¡Ay, Carajo!” Jax groaned, waking me from a deep sleep. She did a twenty-point turn to roll over and face me, then let out a ridiculously loud and confusingly erotic moan as she settled with her leg slung over my hip. “Oh my god, that feels amazing.”

“Peanut and Pebble are really smashing you up this morning, huh?” I mumbled sleepily while rubbing circles across her lower back.

“Stop calling them that. It’s gonna stick! And having my bladder, kidneys, and liver kicked to a pulp is not funny, so stop chortling. I can hear you!” J hissed.

As much as I hated her being in pain, a large part of me had gone all caveman and was proud as fuck knowing my spawn were alive and kicking like they intended to dominate life.

“They’re moving heaps this morning,” I murmured, pressing my palm to her large belly.

“I swear this back pain is enough to put me off sex for life.”

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