Never.
But now I’ve mether. Rosanna. And I have a feeling I’m in trouble, because I could have resisted my instinct to take her and kept her at arm’s length with some harmless flirting.
Oh, yes. All was going well until her head popped up with that ridiculous paper clip stuck to it and her beauty hit me in the cock.
Until I feathered a kiss over her hair and massaged her forehead, breathing in the scent of vanilla and orange from her shampoo.
Until I saw just how right she looked wearing something that belonged to me.
Until she weakened my defenses and tugged at my heart with herthank you, Daddy.
A muscle twitches above my eye. Until I saw those bruises left bySilas.
Now, I want to fix all of her problems for her. Want to bring her home with me and take care of her. Want to make hermineand lay her out on my big bed. Breed her and keep her pregnant so she can never leave me. I had to force myself to travel back home instead of staying in town and following her to see where she lives, and it was a battle I almost didn’t win.
But I can’t fight who I am forever.
It’s in my blood, and there’s no running from it.
“Connor!Whatawonderfulsurprise!” Mercy, my brother’s wife, looks a bit frazzled as she blocks the gap in the door with one leg, but you’d never tell it from her tone. “No Toto?”
“No, Bagg—Bagheera’s keeping him company. Are you trying to keep me out or keep someone in?”Someonebeing my three-year-old niece, Leilani. Leila for short. Or Holy Terror.
“Who knew that toddlers could be such gremlins? Amos and I played outside with her today, and she found a mud puddle when we weren’t looking and jumped in. You would not believe how much dirt and mud she got in her hair! And up her nose.” She pinches her eyebrows. “And all in her ears. Such a mess. And then she cried because it was cold outside and the mud made everything colder. Oh, God, and then getting her inside without getting mud everywhere was a chore in itself.”
“You weren’t looking, eh? The both of you had your eyes off of her at the same time? What terrible timing.” Mercy blushes but keeps her head high. I have a hunch they were sneaking in a kiss or two and that’s how the little munchkin slipped their attention.
“No. We weren’t looking,” she states primly around her smothered grin. “And that’s all I have to say about that. Come on in, but be careful. Amos gave her a bath, and now she’s on the loose and running around.”
It’s not easy, but I manage to squeeze my bulk in before closing the door. Suddenly, a giggling, wet blur comes from out of nowhere and latches onto my leg.
“Unka Conna!”
Looking down, I immediately regret it and throw my gaze to the ceiling as a muffled curse leaves me through clenched teeth. “Shi—Mercy, grab your naked child and get her off of my leg!”
Great. Nowbothof them are cracking up.
“Leilani Shay, come here, you little troublemaker.” Amos’s heavy footsteps down the hallway precede his appearance with a towel. “Got to dry you off and get some clothes on you. You can’t be running around like this, silly goose.” Wet spots and soap bubbles decorate his shirt and pants.
“Who took a bath? You or the kid?”
Aiming a middle finger my way, Amos steadily moves forward as Mercy quietly creeps behind me and whispers, “Hold her there so we can get her, would you?”
Using my legs to hide behind, Leila weaves in and out with a death grip on me. She’d sound downright evil with that maniacal laughter if she weren’t so adorable.
“God, Amos,” I groan while trying to keep a straight face and carefully place a hand on her shoulders. “If she were my kid, I wouldn’t mind, but please—get this child covered up!”
“I’m trying, I’m trying. Hold your horses, Connie.”
Connie.My big brother certainly has a flair for creative nicknames. And Connie is one of the better ones. There’s also Convict, Conman, and Conway.
Constance.
Depends on his mood. And that’s just with my first name. “Come on, sometime today, please.”
“One...second... Aha! Gotcha, little girl. No escaping this time.” Amos swoops in with the towel and bundles her tightly. Turning to Mercy, he deposits a squirming Leila into her arms, pausing to kiss his wife’s cheek. “Your turn, kitten.”
Leila scrunches her nose and pouts. “No coze.”
