Chapter 2
CHAPTER TWO
ALEX
Angel glances at me, and I nod in return. That cabrón deserved every ounce of torture we gave him. Nikki doesn’t need to know the details of how we got rid of him. The only thing she needs to know is that he’s gone. She’s safe.
She claims it doesn’t frighten her to be in our world, and I think she believes it. Mi hermosa is strong. She doesn’t break as easily as any of us thought. But in the pit of my stomach, I know something will come and shatter her armor. I can only hope the cause isn’t me.
“Alex?” Nikki says my name, watching me from where she sits. Her blue eyes glint with curiosity as she arches one eyebrow higher than the other.
“Si, mi amor?”
“Quit looking at me like that.” Her lips press together into a thin line as she huffs.
“Like what?” I honestly don’t know how I’m looking at her or what she is referring to.
That said, her eyes burn with determination while they lock with mine.
“Like I’m a delicate little flower planted in the middle of a viper pit.
” She steeples her hands, propping her elbows on her knees, and then blows out a long breath.
“I’m not going to fall apart, Alex. I know who you and those around you are, not to mention what you do, the good and the bad.
Kevin didn’t.” She pauses and looks thoughtful and runs a hand through her long hair before she continues, “Maybe he did. Who knows? Like I said earlier, I’m fine with what happened.
It doesn’t matter who pulled the trigger; he found out what happens when you mess with our family. ”
She jolts upward and is on her feet, pacing the floor like an animal who has been released from a cage. My gaze is on her, but my mind is stuck on two words.
Our family.
She’s mine, and I’m without question hers, but there’s always been a hard line of distinction drawn when she’s spoken about my family and her part in it before this.
She’s accepted us without fear a little too easily in my opinion.
Knowing who we are and what we do, most women would run away screaming, fearing for their lives.
Many have. We’ve all lost lovers and friends when they find out the truth.
Hell, gender doesn’t matter, either, because there have been a few men who raced to get away faster than any woman.
A smile pulls at the corner of my lips, and I lose myself in her beauty, thinking of the possibilities of what “our family” could mean.
Before meeting hermosa, I never entertained the idea of having a wife, much less a child to mix into the chaos.
Not only did I not want those things, I viewed them as things that made a person weak.
To have something or someone mean that much to you can be dangerous. Enemies can use them as leverage.
Things change, though.
While our love could still be used as a weapon against me, I will do everything in my power to protect her and what we are building together.
Her ability to see past the rage that burns inside me and love the man behind it in spite of it all, gives me strength.
She isn’t a liability; I know that now. And I can’t stop myself from thinking how gorgeous she would be carrying my child.
Her feet still, and she’s staring at me as if waiting for me to respond. I nod, not entirely sure if she’s said more or not.
She knows, and I want to laugh. Her lips purse, and she pops her hands on her hips. “Are you even listening to me?” she snaps, darting an annoyed glance at me.
“Si,” I agree in a half-truth, grinning sheepishly.
Angel bursts into a fit of laughter. “Hermano,” he says, pulling himself together. Nikki briefly holds her upper lip beneath her teeth, shaking her head before she smiles.
“Parjarito just asked if you want her to call you caca, and you agreed. You need to learn how to lie better if you plan to get away with it.” My brother quirks his eyebrow and gives me a knowing look.
“Just saying.” His tongue clicks off his teeth as he shrugs.
“Or, you know, we can all go back to calling you that. I’m not opposed and will wholeheartedly approve of this plan. ”
I glare at him, my nostrils flaring as I exhale. Abuelito isn’t here to pay him off, but he will stop calling me that. This ends now! My knuckles blanch as I curl my hands into fists.
Angel mostly keeps a straight face but doesn’t say another word.
I can see the laughter dancing merrily in his eyes, though.
Just as I shift my weight to lunge at him, he quickly turns around and bolts out the door.
He manages to get into the hallway before losing it, his laughter echoing off the walls.
Nikki chuckles and heat blooms in her cheeks.
“You know my name,” I growl in a deep voice, my eyes locked on her while I stalk toward her. She nods.
For every step I take toward her, she takes two steps backward. We continue this until her back is against the wall and I’m trapping her body with mine.
“Tell me, mi amor, are you going to call me caca again?”
My mouth is on her neck, and I grab her wrists, pinning her hands above her head with my own. A quiet noise, resembling a breathy moan escapes her lips, and then she clamps them together, shaking her head.
“Who am I?” I persist, nipping at her neckline.
“El lobo quien amo.”
“Si, parajarito.” I grin against her skin as she squirms when I rub my hardness against her, slipping my knee between her legs. “No more of this caca business. Understand me?”
“I make no promises.” She grinds herself against my leg, and her lips land on mine.