Unforgettable (Family Justice Book 5)

by Suzanne Halliday

  “You mean the Alpha Balls?”

  “The minute he works out the kinks, we’re getting a set. You need a reminder who’s boss around here Mrs. St. John. I’m thinking a little orgasm denial will teach you not to play with me in public.”

  “Promises, promises,” she smirked playfully.

  The blazing look he gave her turned her insides to mush. Calder better hurry the fuck up with his sex toy—they all pretty much agreed it was something none of them could wait to experience because seriously, there was nothing more thrilling than an alpha proving a sexy point.

  13

  “Oh, Meghan. You look so pretty,” Bella gushed.

  She was coming down the main staircase with her hair styled exactly like movie Belle’s and wearing a loose version of the movie character’s iconic yellow dress. Alex waited at the bottom, his face reflecting love and pride. He was wearing a movie Beast T-shirt and had even brushed his back into the tiniest of ponytails wound in a blue ribbon.

  Her beast. Swoon.

  “Isn’t she pretty Major? She can be your Belle.”

  Her husband grinned. “Ah Bella Mia, you’re the only Belle around here, sweetie.” The child lit up like a Christmas tree. “But between us? You’re right. Meghan is the beauty to my beast.”

  When she reached the bottom stair, her husband gallantly extended his hand. She laid her smaller one in his and felt her heart expand with love.

  Bella’s excitement was infectious. As she clapped her hands and begged them to dance, Alex made a courtly bow and then swept her into a twirling waltz all around the foyer as he hummed the theme song from the movie.

  When they stopped and remembered they weren’t in a world by themselves they found Bella beaming with joy next to a teary eyed Carmen who had a half asleep Daniel perched on her shoulder.

  “Where’s Dylan?” her husband asked quietly. He learned quickly not to boom like a commanding officer when the babies were around.

  “He’s napping in the Pack ‘n’ Play.” Carmen’s smile looked wistful as she studied them. “Your happiness is wonderful to see.”

  Bella, who was acting as Carmen’s helper for the evening, reached up and stroked Daniel’s leg. “He ate my banana,” she said drily.

  “Well, he is a monkey,” Alex teased to the child’s delight.

  The Major and the lil’ captain as he sometimes called Bella had a sweet relationship. It was easy for her to see why. In a lot of ways her husband and the young child had the same qualities. She’d believed for a long time that Alex’s authoritative instincts were something he came by naturally. Those traits were in his DNA and no life circumstance or single event could change that. Brody’s daughter was cut from similar cloth. The further she got from her traumatic early life, the stronger she became and a lot of the characteristics Meghan associated with Alex’s personality—things like curiosity, command and compassion—informed the child’s developing character.

  “What’s daddy wearing tonight, honey?” Meghan asked. “I don’t want to miss him.”

  “I’m not s’posed to tell that he’s a pirate. And my Heather is a wrench.”

  “A what?”

  The little girl shrugged. “Daddy called her a wrench but I didn’t see any tools.”

  Alex cleared his throat over a snicker and whispered in an aside, “I think she means wench. Pirate and wench, get it?”

  “And Toto is a superhero.”

  “Toto?”

  This time she did the clarifying, whispering that she meant Victoria. Dylan called her Toe and somehow that became Toto. The nickname was sticking so far.

  “Can I take your picture? My Heather’s mommy likes when I send her pictures.”

  “Sure, sweetie,” Alex said. Handing off his phone he started to show her how to use it but Bella was having none of his shit. She smacked his hand away. “I know how Major Alex.”

  He stood up straight and looked at her with wide eyes that said, ‘Did you see that?’

  Waving him to her side, Meghan struck a pose and laughed while Bella took several shots. “She’s her father’s daughter after all. And when has Brody ever asked for help?”

  The way her big bad husband grumped was just so damn adorable. Being chastised by a five-year old, a female five-year old, unleashed all sorts of alpha confusion inside him.

  “So much for being master of all,” he growled through an Alex smile when Carmen deftly handled the snoozing baby and his cell phone after pushing Bella toward them.

  “Smile!” It was an instruction not a request. Carmen was good that way.

  Pictures taken, goodbyes said and a quick check-in with the capable housekeeper so he’d be reassured everything at the house was under control; they left the house arm in arm. Determined to lighten her surly beast’s mood, Meghan teased him for being so cranky with a bit of humor and flirtation.

  As she lowered into the passenger seat of the Mercedes Alex preferred when he did the driving, she laughed giddily. She also trailed her fingers down his spectacularly solid chest, over the belt buckle straight to his lovely, lovely bulge.

  “Best five dollars spent, ever!” she crowed in a silly eye wagging voice.

  He growled, told her to behave and went about buckling her in since being pregnant somehow translated into her inability to do anything except grow a baby.

  She held in the snicker and let him do his protective ritual, even smoothing her hand over his carefully styled hair as he bent over her. Giving him shit for the absent-minded professor way that he went about doing things like grooming and dressing himself without the aid of a color-coded Garanimals wardrobe was part of their couple’s shtick. The effort he made for tonight’s costumed bacchanal melted her heart.

  Yanking the blue ribbon securing a teeny tiny ponytail from his hair, she ruffled the normally messy mane and grabbed his face to initiate a passionate kiss that surprised them both. Breaking apart with a frustrated grunt she pushed him away and said, “Hurry up. Get in.”

  Carefully closing her door and rapping on the window for her to lock, she let the snicker out when he tested the door handle for the reassurance he needed that she was safe. God, he was amazing.

  When he rounded the front of the car there was no reason to quell the swoon that she felt whenever she got a chance to sit back and watch how he moved. He was so damn big and solid and held himself with such confidence —just what she liked and had always needed.

  Damn baby hormones, she groaned to herself when a fluttery tingle of sexual arousal made her squirm in the soft leather seat. Good thing she was belted in because the way he looked, with his cute Beast T-shirt and a pair of jeans that she had a hard time not slobbering on, made Meghan all kinds of twitchy.

  Buckling in he growled, “What the hell did you mean, best five dollars you ever spent?”

  His manner was too deliciously funny not to giggle. When he didn’t react right away she thought maybe he hadn’t heard her. This was much better and tons of fun.

  The car pulled away from the house and started down the long drive out to the main road. It wasn’t late but the changing seasons meant it was already dark. She loved the feeling of it being just the two of them, quietly alone in the luxury car, moving through the pitch black with nothing but the stars sparkling overhead.

  “I meant oh lord and master…” She paused to let her teasing sink in. “That there’s a benefit, to me,” she simpered naughtily as her hand swept across the bulge in his lap, “when beast gets riled up.”

  The Major’s immediate snort of laughter was timed perfectly to him pressing her fingers more firmly against his rather conspicuous erection.

  “Are you fucking kidding?”

  “No, I am not,” she giggled. “Works every time by the way. Poke the beast in his lair and what happens?” The cheeky grin, how she licked her lips and the lecherous wink she gave him was all the punctuation her statement needed.

  “Slipped Bella a Lincoln to do the riling. She’s good, that one. The lil’ capta
in knows which Big Daddy Alpha buttons to push. I thought her smacking your hand was priceless. May have to rethink her fee.”

  Illuminated by the glow from the instruments panel, his handsome profile in the dark car sent her heart fluttering. When he turned to look at her, she quietly gasped at the fire in his gaze.

  “All you have to do to wake up my inner barbarian is walk in the room. I swear to God Meghan, happens every damn time. Soon as I see you my first thought is ‘mine.’ Followed immediately by,” he sniggered, “fuck her.”

  “Fuck her?” she said with a belly laugh. “My goodness Señor Marquez, such a gallant way of putting it.” She freakin’ loved when he was blunt. Something about all those yummy Marquez manners coming at her in a crude and very filthy way was an instant blow torch on her already sizzling lady parts.

  The car started to slow. Up ahead she saw the light of the new guardhouse—a reminder that life was not all peaches and cream.

  Stopping at the checkpoint, he put the car into park and rolled his window down. One of the security staff was right there, a serious expression on his face. He peered at them quickly then snapped to attention and said, “Good evening Major. Ma’am,” he said politely. “Out for the evening?”

  “Pay attention, wife,” her alpha beast comically growled. “This is how it’s done.”

  “At ease Stephens. Yes, we’re out for the evening. Everything quiet here?”

  “Oh, yes sir,” the guard was quick to assure him. “There’s some activity at the Camp Justice complex. Nothing out of the ordinary. I can forward the security log to you if you’d like, Major.”

  Now see? A little deference thrown in his direction wasn’t that hard, was it? Alex really didn’t think he was asking for much. Sheesh. The shit he had to put up with these days.

  “That’s fine, Stephens. It can wait till morning. Mrs. Delgado is in control while we’re out. She’s got the children for the night. Make sure you double the patrols.”

  “No worries, sir.” The guard leaned down enough for Meghan to see him. “Chief Winston has regular contact with Carm, uh, Mrs. Delgado. He’s all over making sure the property is secure.”

  His wife tittered charmingly and smiled at the guard. They gave each other the thumbs up. Seriously? Did everyone fucking know about Duke and Carmen except him? Goddammit.

  Finished taking care of security, they drove along in silence. He could feel Meghan’s knowing eyes watching him so he steeled his expression to remain neutral.

  He was losing control of everything, or at least that’s the way things felt. One day he really was king of the fucking world and the next he was a face in the crowd. These feelings caused mini-outbursts fueled by some low level anxiety that he just couldn’t shake.

  Him and the boys hanging out in his ancestral desert kingdom playing white hats and bad guys had been the norm for the longest time. So had his word being absolute. Laying down the law was something he excelled at. It’s what he did. Who he was.

  And then bit-by-bit things changed. Lives were transformed by the unexpected arrival of a blonde ponytail, a sarcastic whistle-blower, a former beauty queen and a curve-a-licious Irish bombshell who fit him like a glove.

  Over time, some people left, a thought that reminded him how much he missed shooting the shit with Gus.

  Other people came and stayed. His uncle and sister for starters, and then there was Brody who finally got off the stick and chose which of his two lives he wanted. That decision led to Heather joining the club and the irrepressible Bella who he was sure would one day lead the world because of the sheer ballsiness the girl showed. Little Captain, indeed.

  A little over a year ago he was a sad, lonely recluse of a nerd. The only thing that gave him a sense of identity was his authority. Control became everything.

  Today? He had a wife, in-laws, a growing extended family and a baby on the way. He was still Major Marquez and the acknowledged Don Valleja-Marquez but the titles were little more than words at this point.

  He felt like a child for whining about a perceived lack of control. Truth was, nobody took a shit without his permission in some way or another. It was the things he couldn’t have authority over that chipped away at his nerves.

  Stupid things like the Justice grapevine because there were usually some grains of truth in every whispered story. Only thing was, by not being in the tattling loop he generally ended up being the last to know.

  And not-so-stupid things like the situation with Cam that spiraled out of control. It irked the shit out of Alex that anyone, the government included, could just show up on his ancestral land, unannounced, and cause all sorts of mayhem.

  Half-stupid things also got him going. Came as something of a shock to learn that Angie was up to her eyeballs helping Parker’s parents spruce up their grandparents’ old ranch style home in Sedona in preparation for the pending retirement and relocation of his parents.

  How come he wasn’t consulted or drawn into any of this stuff?

  And then there was the biggest out-of-control issue of all time. Protecting Meghan with his life was one thing. Knowing what the fuck to do about a baby that existed in terms rather than reality was another.

  If anything happened to her or their kid it would kill him.

  So much rested on his shoulders. Things he was new at. Like being an expectant dad, a husband and yeah, a dominant.

  He glanced at his wife. She had her head on the rest and was quietly staring at him as he drove.

  This right here, he realized with calm assurance, is the whole dominant and submissive thing played out in real life. She counted on him to be strong, to guide and protect her. Inside this unguarded moment he could see and feel how the whole of her was focused on him. Her desire to take care of him touched him in a spot deep inside.

  “I love you,” the love of his life whispered.

  Overcome with a surge of emotion, Alex felt exposed and vulnerable in a way he never had before.

  “I love you too,” he muttered hoarsely.

  She reached over to touch his hair and the side of his face. “Please don’t worry so much.”

  It wasn’t a surprise that she all but read his thoughts. He and Meghan had a connection. A bond that went deep and transcended this lifetime. Something everlasting. Might sound like hippie bullshit, but she was inside him in ways he was still discovering.

  She trusted and believed in him. With her life. With the life of their baby.

  He wanted to tell her that he didn’t know what the hell he was doing. That he wasn’t sure about much of anything right now. But he didn’t. She had enough to focus on without adding him being a pussy.

  “I need something from you,” she murmured softly.

  Really? She needed something? Wanted something? Had to have something? Relief swamped him. This was great. In the absence of control, he happily snapped up every opportunity to do something. Anything.

  “I’m yours to command.”

  She snickered at his choice of words.

  His whole life he’d heard stuff about women being unpredictable. The narrative was built into the culture, and he’d certainly seen it played out numerous times in his parent’s marriage. His wife however took unpredictable, stitched on some shock and awe, and tied it with a knot of sexy promise.

  She either was the smartest person to ever live or was unbelievably lucky at saying the right thing at the perfect moment.

  “You’ve been negligent, husband.”

  Say what?

  “How?”

  “There was nothing in the baby-on-board instructions that said or even implied that instant moderation was necessary or that the locks on beast’s cage be fortified for the duration.”

  My goodness. What a mouthful. “How long have you been practicing that little speech?”

  She made her mouth do the pouty thing that never failed to make his cock hard as stone. “Since you started behaving as though you think I’ll break.”

  Okay. He had not seen this comin
g.

  “You’re pregnant, Meghan.”

  “What’s your point? That you did your part and now I’m just supposed to sit here quietly?”

  “You don’t know what you’re saying.” The words slipped out before he could shut them down.

  “And you don’t know how this feels.”

  He pulled over and stopped the car.

  “I’m sorry,” she hastily exclaimed. Grabbing his forearm, she forced him to look at her. “I wanted to lighten things up. Not cause a scene. Ignore me. Please. It’s nothing.”

  Her wan, shaky smile tore at his heart.

  “My emotions are all over the place,” she tried, jesting with more of the same anemic smile. “I’m sorry.”

  Aw, shit. He was so not okay with her being sorry for any reason. He remembered being peeved before the wedding when Meghan insisted on giving a pre-bridal confession to Father Ed. The way he saw it, she had nothing to confess. Or to be sorry for. Nobody’s heart was bigger. It was rare to hear an unkind word from her. She thought of everyone else before herself. Even him.

  Alex unbuckled their belts, turned on the hazard lights and swiveled toward her. Taking both of her cold hands between his, he squeezed and then turned each hand palm up so he could kiss them as a lover would. Placing them on the center console, he kept control of their clasped hands and waited quietly for her to join him.

  He saw the struggle it took for her to find a place of calm but when she did, he admired the way she set her shoulders, took a deep breath and bravely raised her eyes to his.

  The words weren’t necessary. His warm smile was as understood as him saying ‘good girl’.

  “Now tell me what this is all about. Negligence is a serious complaint.”

  “Fair warning, Major,” she told him in an unsteady voice. “If you laugh I will probably cry.”

  Bitches like romance, the beast whispered.

  “Before you say anything can I jump in first and just tell you how gorgeous you look tonight. I know a ball gown isn’t exactly Whiskey Pete’s attire but baby, you make that shit look good.”