really nice."
Tessa looked confused. "Okay, is Reaper letting you date a barely-legal Four Corners native? Because that sounds like absolutely no one in the SDMC."
I grinned coyly at her. "It's Shadow."
Her mouth fell open, eyelashes fluttering rapidly. "Shadow?"
"Mm-hm."
"The big scarred, scary guy who always looks pissed off and doesn't talk to anyone?"
"He's never been scary to me," I said, feeling a little defensive with her assessment. "And he does talk when he feels comfortable enough to do so."
"Wow, guess I've been out of the loop." She climbed out of bed to tend to Vivi who had started to fuss in her bassinet. "How long's this been going on? I thought he hated women."
"Well, we first kissed last night after the governor's party. But before that we'd been slowly getting used to being in each other's company. For months, really."
Tessa settled back into bed to nurse the baby. "Well, he's got to be something special to make you look so doped up with happiness."
"He is." My dreamy smile returned. "He's so sweet in ways I never expected. And to see him come out of his shell, expressing himself and socializing with ease—it's amazing."
"If he's that perfect, then his dick is small," Tessa joked. "Or something else is wrong with him. With men, there's always something."
He definitely isn't small. I could recall our first time together with far less guilt now. As for what was 'wrong' with him, it didn't feel right to discuss any of his trauma or his coping mechanisms with her. Especially not as his medic, nor while he was actively trying to better himself every day.
"How are things going with Big G?" I asked. "Is he staying civil?"
"Yeah, now that he knows he's on thin ice with Reaper," Tessa scoffed. "He's damn near father of the year now. Picks up the boys right on time and drops them right off."
"Hopefully he keeps that up, and not just because he has to."
"Yeah." She shifted her grip on the hungry baby. "He still doesn't know anything about Andrea and me, so I'm worried about all his cooperation going out the window if he finds out."
"I understand that, but if you keep seeing each other, it'll have to come out eventually."
"I know that. Believe me, I do." Vivi unlatched and Tess brought her up to her shoulder, patting her back. "One thing at a time though. I'd like to just enjoy being happy for once."
"I don't blame you." I smiled at the sight of her with her daughter, a small twinge of envy running through me. One day. Not yet. "Once you've found what makes you happy, you have to hold on to it with everything you've got."
Seven
MARIPOSA
"What do these do?" I picked up one of the metallic contraptions on the table and turned it over in my hand.
"That's a fuel injector," Jandro told me with a smirk. "It injects fuel."
"Don't be a smart ass." I went to swat him but he dodged out of my reach.
Glaring at him across the work table, I set down the fuel injector and spread my feet, poised like a cat.
"Oh, you coming to get me?" He copied my stance, bending his knees and bringing his chest forward like a football player. "Come on, pretty medic."
I faked to one side, then darted around the table in the opposite direction, but he saw me coming. And Jandro knew I was no match for him. I tackled him with a roar and he just laughed, catching me under my thighs as he pressed kisses to my neck.
The feeling of his mouth was electric, as were his strong hands gripping so close to my ass without a second thought. Going slowly with Shadow was nice, but there was nothing like the confidence and ease from the men who were already mine.
I locked my ankles behind Jandro's back, squeezing my thighs around his waist as I found his luscious mouth.
"Mm, you can tackle me any time for this," he chuckled, fingers digging into the fabric of my jeans.
"Don't use this as a reason to be more of a smart ass with me." I pulled at his lips lightly with my teeth.
"No promises," he murmured, turning us and parking my ass on the table strewn with bike parts. "Fuck, I want you," he added, spreading my legs around him as he pressed flush to me. "I want you to myself."
"We're alone, aren't we?"
I released his lips to kiss my way to his earlobe, sucking on it until he moaned, then