“Nah,” Gabriel continued to stare down at Brogue. “I kinda figured on fatherhood. Guessed I’d be able to claim namesakes across the five boroughs, slut that I am. Luckily, I had Hump cleaning up after me.”
Giselle shook her head, an amused look illuminating her face. “My apologies that you only have one to show for all your hard work.”
“No apologies needed. This one is incredible,” Gabriel put a kiss to his son’s cheek.
Giselle joined her men on the bed. “Even though he has my eyes,” she teased.
“Especially because he has your eyes,” Gabe’s tone was light, but he looked full of conviction. “I don’t think I’ll ever be able to look at him and not see you. Wanting this,” he said after another few moments, watching Brogue clutch his pinkie and tug mightily. “Never thought I’d want it-that it would be for me. Watching my dad try to keep us all in line over the years...it looked like a nightmare I never wanted to live.”
“Are you saying you don’t want a big family?” Giselle leaned close and pulled her hand through Gabriel’s dark hair.
His alluring features reflected deep consideration as he studied his son. “Big families can be great. Despite the horror show mine is, there were good times-lots of them. My brothers are a bunch of idiots who could always make me laugh.”
“You miss them,” Giselle noted.
“Yeah,” the admission had Gabriel squeezing his eyes shut as if to block the pressure of tears.
“I want you to have them back, Gabe.”
He frowned.
“I want to bring everybody together-hash it all out for a fresh start.”
Gabriel rolled his eyes to his wife’s suggestion. Next, he put an animated look in place and gently set his forehead to Brogue’s. “Let’s hope you didn’t inherit your mama’s stubbornness too, big guy.” Only the sound of Brogue’s babbling filled his parent’s bedroom for a time.
“Nothing I say will change your mind, will it?” He asked eventually.
“Hmm...no. Nothing.”
Gabriel shook his head once more and looked to Brogue. “Like I said, kid. Stubborn.” He leaned against the long pillow-lined headboard while Giselle took her turn cuddling and bouncing their son on her lap.
“So what’s your plan with this?” Gabriel asked.
“Your dad will make sure your mother and Vale are there,” Giselle began as though she’d taken a mental recap of the logistics many times.
“The only one to convince now, is Humphrey.”
“How?”
Giselle shrugged, resting back on the headboard as well. “I’ll just casually mention it when I drop by the office.”
“Mmm,” Gabriel hiked an inky black brow. “Because you often make a habit of dropping by the office, right?”
“Of course I do. It’s what a good wife does. Checks on her husband in the middle of the day, brings him lunch...”
“Oh no!” Gabriel chuckled. “Don’t drag me into your devious plans,” he said but didn’t object to her sweet kiss before she deposited Brogue to his lap. He held fast to her waist before she could move back. “I hope you won’t be disappointed,” he told her.
Giselle pressed her cheek to his. “Not this time,” she said.
~48~
“I didn’t come here for this, Mr. Tesano.”
“But you had to know it was a possibility, else you would’ve brought the guys with you.”
Imani sighed and tried to push her husband’s hands from the blouse he’d already unbuttoned halfway. “Candace and Miss Danielle insisted on keeping them,” she said.
Roman laughed, his surprise evident. “We’re talkin’ about the same guys, right? The wild men, Hill and Isak Tesano?”
Imani had to laugh as well. “They knew they’d have to take them to get Smoak.”
“Ah,” Roman ticked a finger in the air, “now it makes sense...” he let his words slip into silence as he nibbled his wife’s ear.
Imani was slipping into an erotic abyss but forced herself to resist its inevitible tug toward sensual oblivion. With great effort, she concentrated on the reason she’d visited her husband’s office. It was the proper tool to distance herself from the pleasure.
“You’ll think me a tease if I wait until after to tell you why I’m here.”
The words did little to cease Roman’s exploration. “You’re free to tease me anytime,” he said as a hand found its way beneath the flaring denim skirt she wore. He had put her on his desk barely five minutes after she’d arrived.
Imani was sinking into an even deeper abyss as Roman continued his path up her leg until the skirt bunched at her waist. Snug between her thighs now, his nibbles continued at her ear. He began to grind against the silky barrier of her panties and she moaned.
“Roman-”
“Later.”
“So this means you’ll come with me to the dinner Giselle is planning for the family?” Imani waited for Roman’s thrusts to lose their steam. She forced her eyes to remain on his when he drew back to look at her.
“No.”
