Page 13 of Their Virgins Secret

“Take me to your room. I want you both so much. ” She reached out to Cole. He hesitated only a moment before he took her hand. She smiled brightly at him. Their circle was complete.

CHAPTER THREE

Present Day – Virginia

Cole stared at the baby in his arms. The baby peered back with blue, blue eyes. God, he’d seen those eyes in the mirror thousands of times, but he couldn’t remember a time when they’d looked so wide and trusting.

Caleb. Their son. God, they had a son. Would that fact ever just sink in, or would it constantly spark at him like a live wire?

The baby reached out, arms and legs kicking in his puppy-print footie pajamas. A tuft of dark hair covered the kid’s head. He cooed, making all sorts of strange sounds that went straight to Cole’s heart, which had been doing weird flip-flops ever since Jessa had asked him if he’d like to hold the baby when they had stopped for gas.

A big box store loomed in the near distance. While gassing up, Jessa had used the restroom. Now Burke was inside the store, grabbing everything Caleb would need for the next few days. Cole didn’t like hanging out in the parking lot like a sitting duck, but he wouldn’t leave Jessa or their son unprotected.

Thankfully, Gavin James was already on his way to a small, private airfield just outside of D. C. They had lucked out when they’d called him. The oil executive was in New York. He’d dropped everything to meet with them and take them to Dallas, where they would leave Caleb behind and start this nasty game of Marco’s.

He only had a few hours with his son. The knowledge that he might never see the boy again carved a gaping hole in his chest.

“Da!” Caleb said with a grin on his face.

“Yeah, I bet you say that to all the guys,” Cole joked grimly. Caleb also seemed big on Ma, Ba, and Na.

At his feet, the cat meowed. At least he’d stopped making that strangled choking sound. Angus didn’t travel well, but with the car stopped, he’d decided to curl up on top of Cole’s feet and purr like an engine.

How in the hell had he been left babysitting a cantankerous cat?

“Da,” Caleb said with a forceful kick of his legs.

If anyone he knew could see him now, they’d laugh their ass off. Cole had to grin. And cuddle his son closer to his chest.

“He likes you,” Jessa said as she slid back into the car. She was wearing Cole’s coat, her small body swallowed by it, but he couldn’t have her cold. Despite the chill outside, the car was still warm and toasty, so she shrugged out of the coat as she got in.

Cole had to swallow before looking up into Jessa’s eyes. “I don’t know why. ”

Jessa frowned. “I don’t want to wait out here while Burke shops. I know what Caleb needs. ”

“We’ve already had this argument. You’ll draw attention since you’re wearing pajama bottoms and a tank top. Without a bra. And yes, I can tell. ” In fact, he could see the outline of her pert little nipples even through the near darkness, and it was driving him crazy. Cole squirmed, but he couldn’t let his dick do his thinking now.

She crossed her arms over her chest. As if that was going to stop him from looking. He snorted.

“I told Burke that if I’d gotten the ‘we’re going to try to kill you tonight’ memo, I would have dressed for the occasion. ”

That sharpened his focus. “I’m sorry you got tangled up in this. ”

Those words weren’t enough, but he couldn’t say or do anything more at the moment. Caleb settled his little head on Cole’s shoulder. The baby sighed, and Cole’s hand covered the baby’s back as he enjoyed the motion of Caleb breathing in and out, calming him, soothing him.

“What exactly am I tangled up in? Look, I figured out you weren’t really businessmen. I wasn’t ever sure if you were criminals or cops. ”

Something in between, perhaps. “Neither. If you thought we were criminals, why the hell did you get involved?”

Her eyes rolled, weariness plain in the green depth. The gas station neons illuminated her skin. “Stupid, I guess. I was a kid. I thought I was in love. ”

Well, he’d tried to tell her. She’d finally wised up, it seemed. She hadn’t called or texted when she’d had their baby. She’d just cut them out of her life. “We’re private investigators. We were on a case in New York when we met you. ”

“With all the lies you fed me, I figured there was something going on. Do you want me to take him?” Jessa asked, eyeing the baby.

No. This might be his only moment with Caleb. “He’s asleep. I don’t want to wake him. ”

“All right,” she replied with a deep sigh. “I think you owe me some explanations. What kind of case were you on? When did it end? And why did you show up at my house tonight?”

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