In the Crease (Assassins Book 11)

by Toni Aleo

  Wren watched her as she looked out of the kitchen toward the living room where Ant and Jensen were. “Okay?”

  She looked back to Wren. “Yeah, I was very upset with you, with how my Jensen didn’t find out until much later. I felt you lied to him, and I didn’t like that.”

  Laying the knife down, Wren leaned into the counter. “I completely understand, and you’re right. I did, and I’m so sorry for that. I didn’t mean to hurt him or you—”

  But Emma held her hands up, and Wren’s mouth slammed shut. “But I was wrong. And the reason I say that is because Jensen knows you best of all, and he told me you do things in your time. While I didn’t like that one bit, I have to say, it doesn’t matter that it took you so long to tell him, because you did, and my baby hasn’t ever looked happier, Wrenya. Ever. Even when he was with that awful girl before, I have never seen him look at someone the way he looks at you.” Breathless, Wren looked away as a smile tugged at her lips, her heart jumping up into her throat. “I always knew he cared for you, that he even loved you, but seeing it, seeing you two together… Goodness me, your love for him and his love for you, I swear it’s deeper than an ocean. I’m amazed, truly amazed.”

  Her love?

  His love, yeah. But hers?

  Had she been lying the whole time she had been there? No, she had been herself. But she didn’t love Jensen. She cared for him, a lot, and maybe she’d fall. But what was Emma talking about? She didn’t look at him like she loved him.

  Did she?

  Wait, did she love him?

  No.

  You don’t fall for someone in a month. That was dumb.

  Biting her lip, Wren looked up and smiled. “He’s amazing.”

  “Damn right, I am.”

  She looked over her shoulder as Jensen came into the room toward her, wrapping his arms around her waist and holding her belly in his hands. Before she knew it, she was leaning into him, and he kissed her beneath her ear. Then he said, “I’m sure you’re talking about me.”

  Wren scoffed as Emma shook her knife at her. “Mon chou, I tell her, you two are adorable together.”

  “Of course we are,” he said, kissing Wren’s jaw before he leaned his hip on the counter beside her.

  “Everyone has been telling me that,” Emma said.

  “They have?” Wren looked puzzled.

  “Yes, everyone in town says you two should never stop having babies.”

  Wren laughed as Jensen looked down at the ground, kicking it with his toe as he shook his head. “I don’t know, Mum. Wren doesn’t like being pregnant much.”

  She nodded. “I don’t.”

  “Why? It agrees with you,” Emma said, dumping the pigs’ feet in the pot, causing Wren to gag.

  When Emma turned to the sink, Wren looked at Jensen with wide eyes, and in a very low voice, said, “I’m not eating that.”

  His face lit up, the biggest grin coming across his mouth. “What? It’s the best part!”

  “I swear, I’m not.”

  “Fine, I’ll eat yours.”

  She made a face. “I’m not kissing you, then.”

  He laughed at that before taking her in his arms and nibbling on her jaw. “Like you’d deny me kisses,” he whispered in her ear before biting her lobe. “I’ll kiss you with my pigs’ feet breath.”

  She gagged, and he laughed as she pushed him away. “You’re disgusting.”

  He stuck his tongue out as his mother turned, shaking her head. “Jensen, don’t do that. It’s rude. She’s your chou.”

  He shot her a cheesy grin as Emma left the kitchen. “She keeps calling me that. What is that?”

  “My cabbage.”

  Her face wrinkled. “What! She’s calling me a cabbage?”

  He laughed. “It’s her favorite food.”

  Wren shook her head. “I don’t know how I feel about that.”

  “Feel good. She never called my ex-wife that. Ever.”

  Wren grinned at that. “So I guess that means she doesn’t hate me?”

  He shook his head. “She can’t.”

  “Yes, she can.”

  “Nope.”

  “Jensen!”

  “Really, she can’t.”

  “And why is that?” she asked, holding his gaze, and she loved the smile on his face. Being home opened him up. He was so much happier, so full of life, and it was beautiful to see.

  As he leaned toward her, his eyes sparkled as he said, “Because I love you, and she loves what I love ten times over.”

  Kissing her jaw, he left the kitchen, and all she could do was watch him in complete awe. In that instant, she was jealous. She wanted to feel that. To be so confident in them.

  She wanted it.

  She did, but she didn’t know how to get it.

  Inside, she wondered if she already had it, but she was too stubborn to see it.

  Why was being an adult so hard?

  The windows were open, the curtains drifting with the cool night breeze, and the moon was the only light in the room. Watching as the curtains floated, Wren held her stomach as her son moved around like he was trying to rip out of her. It was insane how much he had grown and how hard he could kick. She loved it.

  God, she loved him.

  Beside her, Jensen lay on his back, on his phone as she watched the night sky, the silence so peaceful and perfect. She loved sleeping there. It was still and serene. Letting out a sigh, she whispered, “It’s beautiful here.”

  Jensen chuckled beside her. “I used to hate it until I came to Colorado and it was loud as hell there. Now, I swear, I sleep the best when I’m home.”

  She smiled into her pillow, her hand moving up and down her belly. Her back was to him, but his body warmed her in more ways than one. “I bet.”

  “Are you enjoying yourself?”

  “I am,” she admitted. “It’s amazingly beautiful, and your parents are so hospitable.”

  His hand came to rest on her ass, his thumb moving along her skin, causing her to break out in gooseflesh, before he said, “Good.”

  Silence fell between them once more, and she felt calm. Even if in one second she felt her life was falling the fuck apart, being in that room, the window open with Jensen’s deep breath filling the air, his thumb moving along her, she felt tranquil. It was an insane feeling, something she didn’t feel a lot, but God, she welcomed it. She ached for it. She’d move here in a second, a nice little cabin, just her, Jensen, and kiddo.

  “I love it here.”

  “I can tell.”

  “Yeah?”

  “Yeah. You don’t think. You’re just enjoying. Except when I make you walk or when you’re trying to sneak those Kit Kats.”

  Shit, he saw that? Her laughter shook the bed. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  When she heard a wrapper opening, she glared. “Yeah, and this isn’t one of your Kit Kats either,” he said to her, and she laughed.

  “You’re a pain in my ass.”

  “You’re the epitome of a pain in my ass, Wrenya.”

  Her face broke into a grin as her eyes fell shut and the summer breeze kissed her face. “Are you going to start calling me that too?”

  “I think so. I like it.”

  Her smile didn’t falter as he squeezed her hip. “We should move here.”

  He chuckled beside her. “Considering we both have really great careers, that would be a waste.”

  She smiled. “True. Can we vacation here?”

  “If you want.”

  “I do.”

  He leaned over, kissing her shoulder. “I love the sound of that.”

  “Me too,” she answered as he rolled back over, her heart picking up in speed. Things were going really well. She loved the flirty and sweet side of them. Yeah, he had always been charming and polite, but she felt like maybe she was being the same. Well, in her own way, but it was meshing. They were meshing. Even if his mother’s earlier observation sort of freaked her out, she felt good.

&n
bsp; She couldn’t help but think maybe being in love with him wasn’t such a crazy thought.

  She rolled over slowly, and his phone went into his lap as he looked over at her, a smile on his face. “Can I ask you something?”

  “Of course,” he said, his eyes on hers.

  “Are you still mad at me?”

  His brows drew in. “About what?”

  “Our fight.”

  “Oh,” he said, thoughtfully. “I wasn’t ever mad, Wren. I was hurt. Big difference.”

  She looked away, moving her hair out of her eyes. “So, are you still hurt?”

  He chuckled. “I mean, not like I was a few days ago, but it still stings.”

  She nodded as she chewed on the inside of her lip. “I feel like things are still a bit tense between us.”

  “I don’t think so.”

  “I do,” she said, looking at him. “And that’s me and my many issues.”

  He shrugged. “I’m not tense. I promise. I think things are going great. We aired out what we felt, and we’re moving on. I just want this to work, and I know you’re trying. I do, and I feel it. It’s nice. We’re good.”

  Holding his gaze, she felt her lips started to tremble. “We are?”

  “We are,” he whispered before going up on his elbow and reaching out, taking her face in his. “The fight had to happen, you had to know how I was feeling. That I wasn’t fucking around with you. That, to me, this,” he said, running his thumb along her bottom lip, “is real. That we’re real, and I’m not giving up on it.”

  Leaning into his hand, she held his gaze as she bit down softly on his thumb, his eyes widening in surprise. Letting him go, she whispered, “I don’t want to, either.”

  “Then don’t,” he said, dropping his face to hers. “Don’t give up.”

  With her heart beating so hard her ears ached, she nodded. “I don’t want to.”

  “Then there is nothing else I can ask for.”

  But she was pretty sure there was more. Swallowing hard, she held his gaze. “Does it hurt when you tell me you love me and I don’t say it back?”

  Licking his lips, he shrugged. “I mean, it doesn’t feel good, but I wouldn’t say it hurts. It just sucks.”

  Her face turned serious. “I’m sorry.”

  “Sorry for what? Not loving me when you had no clue I’ve loved you for over fifteen years? That’s not your fault. I should have said something.”

  “Yeah, you should have,” she answered, holding his gaze. “Because then maybe I wouldn’t have gotten knocked up by some asshole because I would have been with you.”

  His lips quirked at that. “Because you would have wanted to be with me? Come on, Wren, don’t tease me.”

  But she shrugged. “I don’t know, maybe.”

  His smile dropped off as he held her gaze. “Everything happens for a reason.”

  “It does.”

  “And we’re here, in this moment, for a reason. For him,” he said, taking her belly in his hands, running his thumb along her belly button. “So yeah, maybe we didn’t get to do this earlier, but we have forever now, and I like that a lot better.”

  Her breath caught as she held his gaze. “So you still want forever?”

  He nodded. “With my whole soul.”

  Breathless, she leaned her nose into his, but before she could say anything, his lips were on hers in a heated, tantalizing way. Her fingers tangled in his hair, and his mouth moved with hers. His body pressed against her side, and shit, she could feel every inch of him as his leg hooked over hers. Her hands fell to his shoulders for a better grip as his hands held her tightly in place. He was so strong, so fucking sexy, and when his tongue swept into her mouth, she swore she came right then. Arching against his leg, she gasped into his mouth, and she could feel his body vibrating against hers.

  Was this about to happen?

  Holy shit.

  Pulling away, he closed his eyes, his nose pressing into hers as she gasped for breath. She held on to his shoulders, her body shaking with want. “I can’t handle you,” he muttered, trailing kisses down her jaw. “I can’t.”

  Speechless for a moment, she nodded. “I get that you want to wait, and yeah, cool, but those kisses are going to be the death of me.”

  His lips broke into a grin against hers. “You’re already the death of me, Wren. Completely, and it’s killing me. Honestly.”

  Her lips parted as she held his gaze. “I’m basically Little Caesars. Hot and ready, big boy. Take me.”

  His eyes lit up, and then he was laughing, hard. Soon, she couldn’t hold it in, she was laughing too. Falling off her, he cuddled her into him, and he was thick and hard against her, taking her breath entirely. Placing a kiss to her shoulder and then her neck, he inhaled deeply as his nose tucked against her ear. “Well, Caesars, I pride myself on my restraint.”

  She laughed out loud. “I’m mean, you could basically pass as a priest at this point.”

  He chuckled against her neck before placing a kiss against it softly, his hand sprawling over her belly. “Well, just so you know, I want you. Badly.”

  Her eyes fell shut as she leaned into him, her hand coming over his. Turning her head, she took his mouth with hers in a hot embrace that made her insides tremble. As their tongues played, her heart was pounding in her chest. She knew she shouldn’t, but she found herself guiding his hand down her belly to where she wanted him most. When his hand covered her right where she was throbbing, he hissed out a breath against her lips. “Wren.”

  Just her name. A simple word, but she swore it shattered her. “Jensen,” she whispered, her lips moving with his. “I’m right here.”

  Moving his nose along hers, he found her lips with his once more before his hand slowly slid her panties to the side, taking her whole pussy in his hands. She arched into him, her center throbbing as her body shook under his touch. When his finger ran up her swollen lips, she cried out against his mouth before she held her breath, unable to handle his touch. When his tongue entered her mouth, his finger entered her too, just one, slowly finding her bundle of nerves. She squeezed her eyes shut, unsure what was happening. Never in her life had she been that wet, had she wanted someone as much as she wanted him. She gasped against his mouth, and he moved only a little bit before she shattered against his hand.

  Pathetically.

  Crying out, she squeezed his wrist as her orgasm took over her whole being, her body clenching as he continued to kiss her. Pulling away so she could breathe, she sucked in a deep breath as she slowly shook her head, fully shocked at herself for coming apart so quickly. She had been waiting months for him to touch her, and she couldn’t even handle it.

  And she wanted to have full-on sex with this sexy guy?

  God help her.

  “Well,” she muttered as his teeth raked over her jaw. “Pretty sure you got the fastest time for making a girl come.”

  His lips quirked before he kissed the side of her mouth. “And you got the fastest time for a guy,” he answered back before kissing her again and getting out of the bed. Her brows rose as she sat up on her elbows, watching as he went to the bathroom.

  “Really?”

  He laughed as he shimmied out of his boxers. The moon kissed his sweet ass, his huge cock only a silhouette as he washed his hands. “Really.”

  She laughed. “You know that’s pathetic.”

  He nodded. “I’ve dreamed about touching you like that for years. And yeah, it was better than I thought.” Her face flushed as he pulled up another pair of boxers before coming back to the bed, crawling in, and cuddling up beside her. “I think the last time I came in my boxers, I was seventeen.”

  “I’ve never done that.”

  “Good to know.”

  She met his gaze with a grin as she shook her head. “I’m disappointed in us. I wanted hot, crazy, sexy times.”

  He shrugged. “Instead you got us coming for each other like teenagers.”

  When he met her look with a grin, she smiled
back. “Yeah. Might be better, though. The anticipation.”

  “Agreed. I think it’s a good addition to our little story.”

  Leaning into him, she kissed his jaw. “It is.”

  As he wrapped his arm around her neck the way she truly loved, his lips pressing into hers, she realized their story was a story she didn’t want to end.

  And she thought, maybe, just maybe, she could get a happily ever after.

  “Elli! What in the world are you doing here?”

  Elli Adler flashed a wide smile over at Wren as she reached out, hugging her tightly. “I wanted to come to all the boys’ days with the Cup, and let me tell you, I didn’t realize how much I’d be traveling,” she laughed, and Wren beamed back at her. “I’ll be in Sweden for the rest of the week until I come to Colorado for Johansson and then off to Chicago, New York, and then home for a week. The kids are pissed, but Shea is amazing. No one knows, but this is like a mini vacation for me.”

  Wren giggled as she nodded. “You’re probably one of the best owners in the league, Elli.”

  Elli shrugged. “I try.”

  “It shows.”

  Squeezing Wren’s arm, Elli looked out to where Jensen was in the middle of a huge street hockey match. “This is amazing.”

  “His dad did it all. He planned everything for this day, and then his mom planned the party for tonight.”

  Elli snapped her fingers. “I’ll miss the party, but seeing all the kids, Lord, look at them all,” she gushed, and Wren couldn’t stop grinning as she looked around at where the whole town had gathered for Jensen’s street party. The town was very small, only about nineteen hundred people, and Wren was sure they were all there. Which made closing the street even easier, she guessed.

  The Cup was set up to the side, with two big dudes guarding it, as the match happened in the middle of the street. The children looked at Jensen like he was a god. It was beautiful to watch him with all of them. He was having a blast, for sure. “This is awesome. Best party so far.”

  Wren scoffed. “Wait till you see what Vaughn has planned at his hockey rink. It’s going to be ridiculous.”

  “I’m sure, in true Vaughn form.”

  “Very true.”

  Elli looked back over at her. “You look great. Like, really.”