“Worms?” I ask, unable to camouflage my smile.
“Luke said she was terrified of them,” he says with a laugh. “He loved to pick on her ferociously from the first day she moved in next door.”
“That’s a nice story,” I say sarcastically, snuggling in a little closer.
Blake turns me around so that I’m tucked in the crook of his arm, my arm and leg thrown over his large body. He seems to relax instantly under my body, his breathing slowly starting to even out. “I’ve been dreaming of you every night. Every fucking night, Carly, for two long years. I go to bed with you on my mind and wake up hard as stone for you. Only you.” His words wash over me, bringing fresh tears to my eyes that I’m unable to stop. A few slip out, hitting him in the chest. Blake pulls me even closer, wrapping those strong arms around me tightly.
I don’t speak. Hell, I can’t speak. I just revel in the feel of his body underneath mine; his naked flesh against mine. My eyes close, lulled into sleep by his steady breathing and strong beating heart.
I don’t know what tomorrow will bring, but I do know that as long as Blake is beside me, I can handle anything.
Or so I hope.
Chapter Sixteen – Puzzle Pieces
Blake
“I have good news for you,” I tell my brother as he slides into the booth bench across from me.
Luke looks around at all the faces in the coffee shop before saying, “I have good news for you, too.”
“Me first,” I tell my brother, barely unable to contain my excitement. He nods his head, indicating for me to go. “You’re an uncle,” I say before taking a sip of my coffee. Unfortunately, my brother doesn’t fare so well, and the coffee he had just taken a swig of comes spewing out of his mouth and spraying all over the table.
“What the fuck?” he hisses, horror written all over his face as he uses a napkin to blot at the wetness. I can’t help but laugh.
“Well, you remember the night I spent with Carly?” I ask as he frantically shakes his head in confirmation. “She got pregnant.”
“You’re serious?” he asks.
“As a heart attack,” I tell him with a huge smile as I think about my daughter. “Her name is Natalia and I met her the night I went to Carly’s after we discovered that she’s Roman’s daughter.”
“Wow, dude. That’s heavy. And I take it by that shit-eating grin on your face that you’re happy about this?” he asks, concern etched on his handsome face.
“It’s fucking awesome. She’s the most perfect little girl in the world, Luke. She looks just like Carly with dark hair and her olive complexion, but with my eyes. She’s already wrapped around my finger. Shit, she’s wrapped around my entire hand,” I tell him before taking another drink of coffee.
“Shit, man. I thought you were going to tell me that you got some. Or maybe that you were ready for the bust,” he says, seemingly disappointed.
“That second part is coming soon. Mattias called a meeting for this weekend and wanted us all there. Rumor has it they have the mother of all jobs coming with all overseas shipments and it could happen anytime in the next few weeks. This could be the one to take them down, Luke. Tell me the Bureau is ready,” I prod.
“That’s the good news I wanted to share. We’re ready. We had a meeting early this week with the Special Agent in Charge and she approved the raid. All we need is your intel of when the big one is going down, and we’ll be there,” Luke says confidently.
“Good to hear,” I tell him, relieved as all get out. It looks like this damn job is coming to an end. I’ve been working this thing for just over two years, haven’t seen my parents in six months, so submerged in the life that it’s all starting to look gray, and now it might all be coming to an end. Of course, plenty could go wrong between now and then, but at least there’s a finish line in sight. The end is finally nearing. And as an added bonus, I have Carly and Natalia to consider a future with.
“Tell me about Carly and her father,” Luke probes quietly.
“She thought he was dead. Her mom shortened her name from Carlina to Carly when she was five years old. Changed her last name to Mathewson, Georgia’s maiden name. They hid in plain sight, but the thing that bothers me the most is how easy they did it.”
“You’re thinking inside job again, aren’t you?” he says, green eyes searching my own. Luke thinks like me so much, it’s scary at times.