Page 140 of Tempt Her

Stacey pulls her cute white sundress on, but her hair is a sexy, fucking mess, and I could almost laugh. But it ain’t funny because Luke’s mom responds coldly, “I understand plenty.”

I step in front of the men and the woman I love, like the colonel is about to fire bullets, not her damning judgment. “Take it out on me, Colonel. If you’re gonna unload on someone, I’m in charge. I started all this.”

“No, you didn’t,” Luke calls out from behind me, and I whip around, giving him a shut-the-fuck-up glare.

Luke leans over and grabs a throw pillow from the corner of the sofa to cover his junk in front of his mom while he keeps digging the hole deeper.

“Istarted it, Mom. I was attracted to Ford the moment I met him, and I swear, he resisted me for so long.” He shrugs at my eyes ordering him to shut up. Of course, the fucker doesn’t listen. “But I love him, andnotlike a dad. I never did. I’m into men. I fell in love with Mateo, too, when Ford introduced us, and I tried with my ex-girlfriend to just be with women, but it never felt right. Nothing felt right until the three of us found Stacey too.”

“Ms. Branson,”—Mateo’s voice lulls deep with respect—“we’re very sorry we deceived you. That was wrong.” His shorts are back on, but his hot body still glistens with sex. “You just gotta understand. It ain’t easy for men like us. We aren’t always safe being public about who we love.”

I watch her closely; her head won’t stop shaking as if the shock is still settling across her brain.

I’ve seen this woman direct dangerous missions like it’s a drive to the corner store and back.

But this?

Catching her son with me?

I know that’s the war inside her.

“Laura,” I finally use her first name, “I love Luke. And at first, I hated myself for it and fought it for so damn long. I knew I was betraying your trust. You wanted me to be the father he lost, but that’s not what we are, not from the moment we met. And I wish I could tell you I’m sorry I didn’t stop it, but that’s a fucking lie.”

I close the distance between us. Standing feet away from her in nothing but my jeans, I swear Laura can see my heart pounding in my chest. Sometimes it feels like it’ll explode, but it’s protecting the ones I love making it hammer so hard now.

Her eyes narrow.

Fuck, who do I fear more? A colonel I disobeyed? Or a mother I deceived?

Lightning answer—fear an angry mom above all.

“I don’t have much longer,” I confess to Laura. “Doctors say my heart may have a couple more years, so I can’t say I’m sorry because I’m not. Time is the enemy, and love is the victory, and I’ll never regret my life because, with the love I have with the three of them, I’ve won.”

I turn to see Stacey sitting beside Luke, holding his hand but sharing a warm smile with me. Mateo has his arm around her, but his loving eyes are locked on me, and I grin.

Yeah, I admit it, dickhead.

I’m so in love and so fucking happy it pisses me off.

“Alexander.”

The Colonel calls my name, and I snap my head back around like it’s ten years before, and I’m about to be told to get in line, nut-to-butt with the Ranger in front of me.

Her face is stoic… but shit… are her eyes laughing?

She huffs, “You got no impact, no idea.”

“Ma’am?”

I’mclueless as to why she just calledmeso fucking clueless.

“You men think you know everything in this world.” I swear she’s got me standing at attention. “But what a mother knows about her child would fill a goddamn galaxy. IknewLuke fell for you the minute I introduced you. It was a matter of time.”

“Mom, youknew?” The surprise in Luke’s voice matches the what-the-fuck knocking through my skull.

“Hell, yes, I knew,” she answered. “I’ve known aboutallthree of y’all this whole time. I’ve been surrounded by swinging balls my whole life. Like hell when I can’t sense when a few are rubbing together.”

Mateo starts laughing, but I can’t. I can’t fucking believe it.

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