“Yeah? You think that’s funny? I could throw you like a football, I bet.”
And after a second, he stopped.
I laughed, looking down at him. He blinked back at me with these blue eyes, just like my own.
“You like when I talk to you?” I asked. “You like to hear my voice? Shit, maybe you are my son.”
He just blinked at me.
“What do you do, anyway? Aside from screaming, crying, pooping, and eating?”
Then he smiled at me.
I felt something weird in that moment. I had felt it before, but it was a little stronger, a little more intense this time. Alex smiled at me, and I couldn’t help but smile back.
“Oh. That’s cute as fuck,” I said.
“Don’t curse at him.”
I turned and saw Kaley. “How long were you standing there?”
She was smiling at me. “Not long. He likes you.”
I looked back down at him, and he smiled up at me, squirming around.
“He moves a lot,” I said stupidly.
“Yeah. He’s a baby.”
She sat down on the couch, sighing.
“How long was he crying?”
“Too long,” she grumbled.
I kept walking around the room, bouncing him in my arms. He seemed to like it, so I just kept doing it.
I was playing with a fucking baby, not an hour after setting up a deal with a Chinese arms dealer.
What a weird fucking morning.
Kaley was watching me with this strange look on her face. I didn’t exactly understand it. It wasn’t anger, which was what I was used to. It was more like curiosity mixed with amusement.
“What?” I asked her.
“Nothing. You just look like a natural, holding him.”
“Don’t get used to it,” I said. “I had a moment of weakness.”
She smiled. “Yeah. Your baby can do that to you.”
I looked down at Alexei, and he laughed up at me again.
“Are you my baby?” I said softly.
And then my phone started buzzing.I walked quickly over to Kaley and handed him off, opening the phone.
“Yeah?” I asked.
“It’s me,” Rafa said. “I think I got a lead on some cash.”
“That was fast. How much?”
“About half of what we need. The Latinos are looking for some smack, and we happen to have a surplus.”
I nodded. “Set it up.”
“Will do.”
I hung the phone up. Kaley smiled at me.
“Work?” she asked.
“Work.” I looked at her for a second. “Call Sonya and give her the brat. Let’s go back to that jungle room and finish what we started.”
Kaley laughed. “No, thanks.”
“You sure? I’ve been thinking about slipping my thick cock deep inside you all fucking day.”
She blushed. “I’m sure.”
“Your loss.” I gave her another long look, her holding that damn brat. That warm, squirming little brat.
I walked to her door, opened it, and quickly left.
15
Kaley
I shouldn’t have been so surprised that Vince was able to calm Alexei down like that, but I was anyway. Vince was Alexei’s father, so it made sense that they would have some special connection like that. But it was still such an interesting surprise to see this tattooed badass mobster holding and talking to a little baby.
Then he had to go and ruin it with his dirty talk, of course. Not that I particularly minded it, but I was trying to keep my distance from him. It made it hard to stay away when he kept talking about doing to me exactly what I wanted him to do.
I wanted him to touch me, to run his coarse fingers down my soft skin. I wanted him to slip himself between my legs, press his cock deep inside me, make me beg for it, make me say his name. I wanted him to want me, to take me, to make me feel amazing again.
But our families were at war, and besides, I had Alexei to think about.
There was a knock at my door. “Come in,” I said, assuming it was Vince, back to tease me some more.
But it was Sonya. “Hi, Kaley,” she said. “And hello, little Alexei.”
“Hi, Sonya. I don’t need you today. I’m going to watch him.”
She smiled at me. “Actually, I was sent here by someone.”
I raised an eyebrow. “If it was Vince, forget it.”
“It wasn’t Vince.”
I cocked my head. “Can you tell me?”
“Actually, I’m not supposed to.” She was smiling hugely.
I sighed. “Are there always this many secrets in this place?” I asked her.
“Of course there are, sweetheart.” She walked over, and I handed Alexei over to her. “But you’re from a mob family, so you should be used to it.”
I laughed, shrugging. “You’d think.”