Total pages in book: 55
Estimated words: 55769 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 279(@200wpm)___ 223(@250wpm)___ 186(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 55769 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 279(@200wpm)___ 223(@250wpm)___ 186(@300wpm)
“Anything I can do?” he offered.
Her face warmed and her voice went soft. “I don’t think so. But thanks.”
“Talked to Lee. He’s not going to give me any assignments that take me out of town throughout the pregnancy.”
Her face grew surprised. “That’s not necessary, Crowe.”
He put gentle pressure on her belly. “I’m not missing this, Jules. Not a second of it. I’m here, for you, for him. I’ll work, but I’ll be close. Lee didn’t blink when I asked. He’s happy for us. Told me whatever I need. It’s good.”
“Crowe—”
He dipped down so he was nose to nose with her and enunciated each word clearly. “Not. Missing. A. Second.”
She gave in a lot faster than he expected by lifting a hand and curling it around his head. “Love you, Vance Ouray Crowe.”
“Love you too, Princess.”
She didn’t have to do an ab curl to get her kiss that time.
He gave it to her.
But as he did, he didn’t take his hand from Max, growing and getting strong in the fierce protective womb of his warrior mother.
And for the next seven and a half months, his woman got used to getting it just like that.
Track 5
Rock Chick Revenge
Hanky-Panky
* * *
Luke
* * *
Luke wasn’t sure how he made it to the offices considering he was so furious he couldn’t see straight.
This was why, the minute he hit reception at Nightingale Investigations, Mace came out of the door that led to the back offices.
The men of NI weren’t a team.
They were brothers.
So they knew.
“Check it,” Mace said low after taking one look at Luke and planting himself between Luke and the door.
Luke halted and locked eyes with Mace.
The man was right. He needed to check it.
No.
What he needed to do was go out and run—hard—to burn off the emotion. He’d learned that dealing with his dad while growing up. There was only so much shouting you could do. Only so much shit you could eat. When you hit your limit, you had two choices, and both were physical, but only one would allow you to sleep at night.
He didn’t need to come face-to-face with the man Lee had told him was in the office and go the wrong way of physical.
He needed to check it.
He took in breath through his nose.
Mace watched him and didn’t move a muscle.
He took another breath. When he let it out, Mace relaxed.
The door behind Luke opened. He twisted and watched Vance walk in.
Luke knew Lee was there as well as Mace and Monty. If they needed to lock him down, they’d have a time of it, but those men could do it.
So Vance didn’t show for that.
Vance showed because he knew who was in Lee’s office.
And as he’d noted, these men were his brothers.
Luke dipped his chin to Vance then turned back to Mace.
Mace opened the door for him.
Luke felt Mace and Vance at his back as he walked into Lee’s office, but they didn’t go in.
He knew they’d stay close, though.
When Luke entered, Lee stood from sitting behind his desk, his eyes on Luke keen, alert.
Luke spared him a glance to let him know he had it under control.
Then he turned his attention to the man sitting in a chair in front of Lee’s desk.
And that control slipped.
He looked good. Tan. Healthy. Happy.
So much so, he appeared five, ten years younger than he really was.
A total turnaround from the man Luke knew fourteen years ago.
Looked like life was good for Adrian Barlow after he walked out on his family.
He watched Adrian slowly take his feet, his eyes widening as they moved up Luke from boots to face, then a broad smile spread on his face.
“Whoa. I mean, I knew you’d grow up to be something, but wow, son, just…wow,” Adrian said, still smiling. “You’re not something. You’re something else.”
It was clearly positive what that “something else” meant, but Luke had zero fucks to give a compliment from the man who’d left Ava a helpless kitten to fend for herself in a feral cat’s den.
“You wanna tell me why you’re here, Adrian?” he asked.
The man’s smile faltered, his gaze shot to Lee, back to Luke, and he explained, “I saw a picture of you in the paper. Or, at least, a man who I thought was you. It was grainy and you were in the background. So I came to check it out, and I was right. The caption didn’t have your name, but it said you were a member of the Nightingale Investigations team.” He put his hands out to his sides. “So here I am.”
Luke knew that picture. It had been printed after Ava was in a car that collided with a police barricade, and they got her out before the vehicle exploded.
The paper didn’t print the part about Ava, so Adrian didn’t know that bit.
“That explains why you thought I was here,” he noted. “Not why you are here.”