His body was tense, his jaw clenched tight, but his expression morphed into one of reassurance and tenderness as he looked down at her. “He’ll find out. There aren’t many people who don’t owe Sam a favor. Important people. I’ll protect our boy, whatever it takes.”
Our boy.
If Kara hadn’t been so uptight, she would have smiled at Simon’s slip of the tongue. Judging by the look on his face, Timmy was already his to protect, and he was taking it damn seriously.
She knew from experience that once Simon claimed someone, his protectiveness and affections never wavered.
Stroking her hand over his tight jaw, she answered softly, “I know you will.”
Sam got all of the information he needed, and the men all filed out the door, their faces stony and determined.
Kara closed the door behind them and sighed heavily, hoping they could make things right. She didn’t want Timmy to be afraid again, worried that he’d be taken away by somebody he didn’t know, even if that person was distant family.
“Love is thicker than blood,” Maddie called over her shoulder at Kara as all of the ladies and the kids gathered together in the living room. “And can you really doubt that anybody could stand up to all of our men?”
“No,” Kara admitted with a weak smile. “One of them is fearsome. Together, they’re completely terrifying.”
She busied herself with getting something to drink for all of the ladies, a confident smile finally appearing on her face.
Simon had never, ever let her down, and she knew he wasn’t about to start now.
Our boy.
She passed by a joyful Timmy on her way to the kitchen, who was happily carrying Ginny with him toward the living room so they could play with Noah and Brianna. Asha’s baby did very little except sleep since he was a newborn, not even a month old, but Kara knew Timmy would keep the twins and Ginny busy.
Our boy.
Kara was mollified by Simon’s words, knowing that Timmy really did belong with them, and her husband would never let him go without a fight.
Fortunately, he wasn’t afraid of conflict, and he’d never lost a battle since she’d known him.
He’s too damn stubborn to lose.
Kara was comforted by that thought the rest of the day.
“What happened?” Kara murmured softly from their massive bed, watching her husband as he started to shed his button-down shirt.
Simon had called earlier and asked Kara to arrange for all the women and their children to be sent home amidst tight security since the men were going to be tied up. She’d agreed, and hadn’t gotten any word from him since, except for his texts that all was going well.
It was late, but Kara hadn’t been able to sleep. She’d waited up for him, every moment seeming like an eternity, slumber eluding her because of her overactive brain.
The bedside lamp was lit, and she could see her husband’s enormous grin. “Mission accomplished. We took an attorney with us to draw up the papers for this asshole to sign off any rights to Tim. He lived in a shithole in Georgia, a drunk just like Tim’s mother. He was so fucked up that he was barely coherent. We had to sober him up just to get him to sign.”
She shuddered at the thought of Timmy being in almost the same situation again. Kara’s eyes narrowed. “Did you pay him off, or beat him up?”
“Neither,” Simon answered neutrally as he shrugged out of his shirt and tossed it onto a chair. He started working on his jeans before he answered, “Let’s just say we confronted him with a little bit of dirt about his criminal activities we found on him, and he decided he didn’t want to fight against us. He didn’t really want Tim when he found out he had health issues and he’d need special care. I guess he thought he could take the check he got for fostering him and get some slave labor out of him. Bastard. Tim is only seven years old.” He stepped out of his boxers and jeans, leaving him completely nude.
Kara sighed as she surveyed Simon’s gloriously naked body. He was strong, so muscular and incredibly beautiful. “You’re so handsome,” she murmured softly, her eyes roaming over his six-pack abs and muscular chest. He bore the scars of his childhood, but they made him even stronger, more powerful, and completely irresistible.
Simon crawled onto his hands and knees on the bed, stalking her. “Woman, if I didn’t love to hear you say that so much, I’d swear that you’re blind.” He tossed back the comforter and the sheets. “Holy hell, you’re naked,” he croaked.
She smiled at him seductively. “I was waiting for you.” After she’d had Ginny, she’d starting wearing a nightgown because she had to get out of bed so many times every night. But she’d missed the intimacy of being skin-to-skin with him.
“Fuck. If I’d known I was going to get this kind of welcome, I would have tortured the bastard to get things done sooner,” he said gruffly, his gaze caressing his wife lovingly.
“My hero,” Kara whispered as she wrapped her arms around his neck. “Kiss me, handsome.”
Simon wasted no time. He flipped her onto her back and pinned her wrists over her head. “Mine, dammit. Mine,” he growled as his mouth came down over hers.
Kara reveled in his embrace as Simon’s tongue swept into her mouth demandingly, an act of total possession that sent heat shooting straight between her thighs. Their tongues tangled with urgent need, Kara giving way to Simon’s dominant insistence.
This is how I like him. Demanding and greedy.
When he broke off the kiss, she was panting, desperate to get him inside her. “Fuck me, Simon. Please.”
“Mine,” he rasped, kissing and nibbling at the skin on her neck. “Mine.” His lips trailed down to her breasts, taking one of the tight peaks into his mouth and worshipping it before he switched to the other. “Mine,” he repeated, biting gently on her nipple before soothing it with his tongue.
Kara whimpered and managed to yank one of her wrists free, and she put her hand between their bodies and grasped his cock. “Does that mean this is mine?” she asked breathlessly.
“Baby, my dick has been yours to command since the moment I saw you, and that’s never changed. It’ll never change. All I have to do is think about you and I’m fucking hard.” He let go of her other wrist and slid down her body, forcing her to release his cock.
Kara’s breath hitched as he pushed her legs apart with a palm to the inside of each of her thighs. Her heart thundered as she felt his hot breath on her core, her body trembling with need. “Simon. Please,” she begged. “I need you.”