“Aleki!”
“What? I’ve got to prepare you properly.”
“Handcuffs,” Caleb said. “And a spreader bar.”
She moved her hands to glare at him. Out of all of them, she thought he would be on her side. He grinned back at her. “What? You’re not the only one who wants toys.”
She groaned.
“Sip your drink, Genevieve, or I’ll have to make a note on your behavior chart,” Wolfe warned.
Turning, she aimed her glare at him. He raised an eyebrow and looked pointedly down at her drink. Huffing out a breath, she took a few more sips. Somehow, she thought Wolfe would be as analytical and precise in his discipline as everything else. Which might not bode well for her bottom.
She squirmed in her seat at the idea of going over his knee. It both intrigued and horrified her.
Urgh. This was madness.
“I’ll order all this when we’re home,” Wolfe told them.
She still didn’t like the idea of all that money spent on her.
“Remember, we’re a family,” Aleki told her. “What’s ours is yours. I know it can be tough to get your head around, but this is the way it works. We pool everything together.”
“I have nothing to offer, though.”
“Everything you have to offer is far more important than money,” Caleb told her. He leaned forward to take her hands in his. His hands were warm, calloused and she shivered at the idea of him running them over her body. He smiled as though he could sense her thoughts. “What you bring us is invaluable. It can’t be measured.”
“What’s that?”
“Happiness,” he told her. “And you can’t put a price on it, okay?”
“Well, some people can,” Wolfe said. “If a Ferrari makes you happy then you know the price of your happiness, yeah?”
“Yes, but this is a different sort of happiness,” Caleb said.
Wolfe seemed to think that over then he looked at her. “Hmm. Yes. More risk. More reward.”
“Exactly.” Caleb gave her a satisfied look. Like a King who’d battled and won.
And it finally sank in. She wasn’t leaving them. Ever again. Something settled. She’d fight to stay with them this time. And they’d fight to keep her.
Maybe. Just maybe she could get that happy-ever-after.
20
“Is this really necessary, Wolfe?” she said with exasperation.
“It’s sunny out.”
“Well, I figured since it’s the desert.”
“I don’t want you getting sunburned,” he explained.
“With the amount of sunscreen you’ve plastered on me, there’s no chance of that. But there’s every chance I’ll be mistaken for a giant marshmallow.”
“Yum, marshmallow.” Aleki watched her with wicked eyes. She shivered.
I can’t wait to taste you. To relearn every inch. When I can, I’m going to spread you out on my bed and eat you for hours.
Lord. Help her.
Wolfe finally finished plastering sunscreen on her. “There, that’s good.”
She looked down at her skin. Only she couldn’t see her skin. Because she was covered in greasy, white sunscreen.
Jeez Louise.
She started to push herself out of the seat. “Where are you going?” Wolfe asked.
“To wash my hands before we land.”
“We’re getting close to the descent. You need to belt up.”
She sighed then jolted as she heard something smash in the kitchen.
Aleki glanced over. “I’ll go find out what that was.”
Wolfe belted her in and sat beside her. When Aleki returned, he shrugged. “Marilyn is in a state over something. She’s muttering about a missing bowl. But when I offered to help her, she snapped at me.”
She couldn’t drudge up a lot of sympathy for the other woman. She’d always hated take-off and landing. She wished she could hug Piggles, but she’d had Aleki put him away earlier.
“You okay, jelly bean?” Caleb asked, setting his laptop aside.
She smiled tightly and nodded.
“Feeling scared?” Aleki asked. “You used to bend my hand in half when we flew together.”
Considering the size of his paws, that was an exaggeration.
“Wolfe, hold her hand.”
Wolfe froze and looked from Caleb, who had issued the order, to her. She doubted Wolfe had ever held anyone’s hand. Maybe as a child. But then, it was hard to imagine Wolfe as a child.
“It’s okay,” she said quietly, not wanting him to feel pressured. “I’m fine.”
She really wasn’t.
“Wolfe, swap places with me,” Aleki suggested. “You want me to grab Piggles, baby?”
“No. No, really, I’m fine. We’re nearly down.” And she was trembling. She hated being a coward. “I’m a big girl, I don’t need anyone to hold my hand or a soft toy to hug.”
“You’re our baby. And whatever you need, you’ll get. Doesn’t matter what it is, understand?” Caleb said in a low voice as he dug something out of his pocket. “Wolfe, swap with Aleki. I can see her trembling from here.”
They switched places and instantly, Aleki had his arm around her, his other hand was holding hers. He leaned in and sang her several silly songs until she found herself giggling.
Wolfe watched them intently. She hoped he didn’t feel bad that he couldn’t help her. Wolfe wasn’t a touchy-feely guy. He showed his affection in other ways. She accepted that about him.
Caleb tore open a packet of black jelly beans and handed her one. She smiled at him in thanks.
“Why don’t you want Piggles?”
She shrugged at Aleki’s question.
“A shrug isn’t an answer, baby girl,” Aleki said in a low voice. “Tell me. Are you embarrassed to hold him in front of us?”
Surprisingly not.
“Not in front of you.”
He looked around to where Marilyn sat. “She say something to you?”
She glanced down and he reached for her chin, tilting her face up. “Vivi?”
“It was just a look she gave me. It’s not normal, right? To sleep with a soft toy. To carry one around.”
“Who gets to say what’s normal,” Caleb said with a frown. “And you’d be surprised by how many adults have soft toys or comfort items. There’s nothing to be ashamed of.”
It was easy to say, but she still felt kind of bad about her needs.
The plane landed without even a bump and she finally felt her tummy settle. Aleki undid both of their belts while Wolfe and Caleb got up and started packing their stuff then Aleki lifted her into his arms cradling her.
She both loved and hated being carried everywhere. Loved it because she got to be so close to them. But hated it because she felt like a burden.
Wolfe placed a large hat on her head. She sighed, knowing it was senseless to protest.
“Tell me the truth,” she said to Aleki. “Do I really look like a giant marshmallow?”
He glanced down at her, his eyes dancing. “Nope, you’re not nearly squishy enough to be a marshmallow. You’re more like a candy cane with all the color sucked off. Yum.”