She’s crazy. The other blonde in the kitchen doesn’t seem to care whose girlfriend I am; she’s in work-mode, and assigns me the job of filling all the water and wine glasses she put on the table.
It’s a long table, though not as cramped as it was over Easter. Tonight the chairs are spread out so everyone has a little more room, but as I fill wine glasses, I wonder which seat will be mine. There’s no point filling my wine glass since I won’t drink it. Considering it just makes me think about the craziness of this whole situation. Dining with mob bosses—not what I thought I would be doing over my summer vacation.
“We’re gonna have to get you a maid costume.”
The sound of Rafe’s voice sends a shiver down my spine. I straighten and turn to face him. Despite myself, I can’t help softening when I see him leaning against the arched entryway, arms crossed over his broad chest, a warm smile on his beautiful face. Maybe it’s because this is almost exactly where I was the first time I saw him, when the sight of him nearly stopped my heart, but he somehow looks even better in person than in my memory—again.
Now it’s not just the command he oozes leaning there, practically bursting out of his well-tailored suit. Flashes of his naked, powerful body moving over mine as he thrust inside me come to mind, along with more casually warm memories, like standing with him at the Grand Canyon, or the way he looked in the glow of the Vegas lights as we walked the strip and devoured strawberry shortcakes.
He can be scary and sexy and sweet.
Oh, and an asshole.
I try to remember that last one as I go back to filling wine glasses, as if unaffected. “You want me to wear a sexy maid costume in front of your whole family? Not sure I’m that kinky, sorry.”
“Nah, that’ll just be for me.” From my peripherals, I can see him push off the wall and head in my direction. “You can wear it when you make me dinner
once we go back to Vegas. I’ll let you make my bed, and I’ll enjoy the view when you bend over. Then I’ll toss you on top and we can fuck up the nice, neat bedding.”
His casual arrogance draws a helpless smile out of me. “I’m not going back there, Rafe. I’m only here right now because your cousin’s wife kidnapped me.”
Moving behind me, Rafe settles his hands on my hips like he did at the bookstore. Tension gathers in my shoulders, but I refuse to look back at him. “You seem to be cooperating pretty well for someone who’s being held captive, kitten.”
I offer a dry smile he can’t see, and wouldn’t understand even if he could. “Yes, apparently I excel at being held against my will. Maybe I should start charging a premium for my services.”
“There’s that Price business sense kicking in.” I feel his amusement as he leans in to kiss my neck. “I’ve missed you.”
I didn’t expect him to say that, and it makes my heart drop. Maybe because I’ve spent all my time missing someone else. In an attempt to redirect and get his tempting lips off me, I ask, “Why did you tell your family I’m pregnant? We haven’t even discussed this yet, and I’m pretty sure Mia is already dead-set on being a bridesmaid in our wedding.” I look at him over my shoulder. “She bought me a maternity wardrobe.”
Now he chuckles, even more warmth seeping into his tone. “That sounds right. Mia’s fiercely protective of her tribe; sounds like you’re getting a forceful invitation to be part of it. She probably assumes I’m making a mess and wants to do whatever she can to fix it.”
“You shouldn’t have told them until we talked about it, Rafe. Now if I don’t go through with it, there are even more people judging me.”
“No one is judging you,” he assures me. “Why do you say that?”
Saving me from having to answer, Mia comes in with two baskets full of bread. She brightens upon seeing Rafe, and he releases my hips to go greet her.
“You’re here,” she says, putting the bread down on the table and leaning in to hug him.
“I am,” he returns, drawing her close and kissing her on top of the head. His hand drifts to her slightly swollen abdomen and he gives it a rub. “How’s it going in there, little—” He pauses and looks at her face. “Do you know what it is yet?”
Beaming, she nods. “It’s a boy. We weren’t supposed to find out until the next appointment, but the doctor said he definitely saw a penis.”
Rafe shakes his head. “Waving his dick around already, huh?”
Mia swats his arm, looking down at her tummy and rubbing. “Tristan is going to be an angel, shut up.”
“Sure, with Mateo for his father, how could he not?” Rafe asks lightly.
I move on to the next wine glass. “Dom seems pretty sweet, so it’s clearly possible,” I remark.
“Dom got all his temperament from his mother, none from his father,” Rafe assures me.
“Here’s hoping,” Mia mutters. “After dinner, you should come play with the babies for a little bit. It made Laurel like you last time,” she adds, slyly.
I bite back a grin while Rafe insists he didn’t need her baby to help him, but before the debate can go very far, we hear the other men approaching from the hall. Mateo comes in first. Mia sheds Rafe’s attention and goes over to greet her husband like she doesn’t see him every single day. I can’t help watching them, seeing how deeply in love Mia is. Mateo is a lot harder to read. You can definitely see warmth in his brown eyes when he looks at her, in the possessive hand he rests on her hip as he settles her into his side and turns his attention to Rafe. It reminds me of Sin at dinner a few nights ago when Rafe came over, and that just makes my heart hurt. How did everything tumble downhill so damn fast?
Adrian and Alec come in, too, and I linger to see where they’re all sitting. Since this is a normal family dinner for everyone but me, there’s nothing at any of the place settings to indicate where anyone sits. I know Mateo sat at the head of the table with Mia to his left, but I wasn’t sure about everyone else. Mia and I obviously don’t need wine since we’re pregnant, but I wasn’t sure where I would be sitting, so I just filled every glass but hers.