by Jory Strong
"You'll get better too. If the four of us are going to hang out together, we might as well hone our hackey-sack skills."
Jacob's smile made Ella's eyes sting. Yesterday she'd assumed that he'd always lived with Josiah. Now she didn't believe it, and couldn't help but think that wherever he'd lived, he'd been kept from playing with other children.
Because his mother was afraid of being found?
Not wanting to think about the woman who still had a claim on Josiah's heart, Ella concentrated on trying to memorize the path through the maze. And when they exited it, thought she was a little bit closer to being able to find her way out.
At the marketplace, Blaine asked, "What's the plan?"
Ella wiped a damp palm against the beautiful dress Josiah had bought for her. Did she truly dare to do this?
She took a deep breath. Yes, she dared. "We're here to get Jacob a pet."
He threw himself against her, hugging her tightly. "Really, Mama?"
She hugged him back. "Really."
Blaine said, "I've got just the place to start."
He led them to a stall selling knives and throwing stars. The bearded, bearlike stall keeper glanced at Jacob. "I've got a small set of wooden practice blades that'll work for the boy."
Blaine laughed. "The warlord will decide when it's time to start that training. We're here because your hobby might be of interest to Jacob."
The stall keeper smiled big. "Come on around then."
Beneath the counter were shelves that hadn't been visible from the other side. Each shelf had four or five large glass jars made into aquariums housing beautifully colored fish.
"What kind are they?" Jacob asked.
"Rainbow fish is what most people call them, but before the war they were known as guppies."
Jacob moved closer for a better look at two fish in a single jar. Both were green but one was plain while the other had a colorful yellow-and-black tail fin and a body that was spotted black.
The stall keeper said, "The prettier one is the male."
Blane grinned. "Always the case."
Nessa plowed the back of her fisted hand into his chest.
"Hey! I was just saying."
"Say less or pay."
"I'll keep that in mind."
Jacob moved to the next jar. The sole occupant was a single red fish with a beautiful black-streaked tail.
He gave it his full attention then gave the fish in the next jar his attention, and the next, looking hard at each of the fish on display before returning to Ella and taking her hand.
"What you think?" Blaine asked.
"They're all really pretty but I want to look at other pets before I decide."
The bearlike knife seller smiled. "I can understand a boy wanting to check out all his options."
Ella thanked the stall keeper and as they walked away, Jacob asked, "Can we go see the birds?"
"Of course."
They returned to the shop they'd been at earlier. The old dog slept peacefully on his blanket.
"Mama says I can have a pet," Jacob told the stall owner after he'd stood and greeted them.
They stopped in front of the finches.
The stall keeper said, "Probably too small and too wild to make good pets."
They moved to the conures. Jacob asked, "Can I hold one?"
"Sure." The stall keeper removed one of the green birds with a cherry-red mask from the cage, showing Jacob how to hold it properly.
The bird leaned forward and bit Jacob's wrist. He jerked and Ella only barely grasped the bird before Jacob flung it off his hand.
"I think maybe a conure isn't a good fit right now," she told him, hating the way his eyes were sheened with tears.
If she'd known about Jacob, she would have visited Tomas before leaving the city. She would have taken him up on his offer of a terrier pup and brought it with her into the warrens.
She wasn't quite brave enough to suggest they look for a puppy. But…
"Do you know of anyone who might have kittens?"
The stall keeper took the conure from her and put it back in the cage. "I heard that the barkeep down at Astrid's caught some kittens. Don't know if he still has any of them. They're solid black. Plenty of people won't be interested because they're worried about bad luck. But plenty of others think black cats make the best mousers."
Jacob jumped up and down. "Can we go find out?"
Ella glanced at Blaine and Nessa. "Is Astrid's close by?"
"Six blocks," Blaine said.
They left the marketplace.
They'd walked three blocks when they heard a dog yelp in pain. Then yelp again, and again, the sound coming from an alleyway.
Jacob took off running.
Ella ran after him with Nessa and Blaine trailing.
A group of boys was in the alley, blocking either end with a scrawny, grayish-brown dog trapped between them.
Before Ella could say anything, a redheaded boy with his back to her swung his arm to the side and forward, firing a stone.
It hit the dog on its side and it yelped.
Jacob yelled, "Leave my dog alone!"
The redheaded boy turned, revealing a freckled face and a black eye. "Liar. He's not your dog. He's a worthless stray."
A thin blond boy next to him threw a stone that only barely missed Ella. It sailed out of the alleyway as Nessa stepped into view, then Blaine.
The rock thrower slid to his knees, whimpered, "I didn't know who they were. I'm sorry."
The redheaded boy paled and his companions at the opposite end of the alley started edging backward, preparing to flee.
"Stop," Nessa said.
They froze.
Sensing his chance, the dog darted forward.
Ella grabbed him, nearly gagged at how badly he stank. The dog struggled, coating her in filth.
Jacob flung his arms around the dog. "It's okay now, boy. You're my dog now."
The dog stopped fighting to escape but trembled in their arms. Blaine said, "The warlord doesn't tolerate this kind of cruelty." He glanced at Nessa. "One of us needs to escort these boys to the stronghold and hand them off to Ciro."
"We won't do anything like this again," a smaller version of the redheaded boy said from the other end of the alley, his voice shaky with fear.
"Once is one time too many," Nessa said. "I'll take them to the stronghold."
Ella stood with the dog in her arms. Blaine shook his head. "Josiah will have my ass for making you carry that dog home."
He fished out leather strips probably used for securing prisoners, fashioned a slip-lead, looping the collar end over the dog's head and handing the other end to Jacob.
Ella set the dog on its feet, grasped the leash long enough to determine that the dog wasn't going to bolt, then let go so Jacob could walk his new pet home.
Nessa gathered the boys and marched them toward the stronghold.
"What will happen to them?" Ella asked.
"Ciro will occupy their time with training and tasks."
"So they'll be rewarded?"
"If being covered in bruises and having muscles so sore that it hurts to breathe is a reward, then yes. Don't get me wrong, I don't approve of what they were doing, but at least one of them exhibited great hand-eye coordination. In the warrens, we don't waste talent. Better to develop it in service to the warlord, and at the same time, instill a code of conduct."
She couldn't argue, felt a swell of pride that her husband's warren wasn't devoid of honor and justice and wisdom. At her side, Jacob clutched the leash, wearing a huge smile that didn't disappear until they were facing the Victorian.
"Can I really keep him?" Jacob asked, and her heart ached at realizing that he hadn't suggested a name for the dog on their way home, was afraid to get his hopes up about being allowed a pet.
Fear crept in, that she'd set him up for hurt. She beat that fear back and crouched in front of Jacob. For him she would go to war.
"I suspect that we're going to h
ave to negotiate with Rosa about where your dog can and can't go in the house."
The dog licked her cheek. She added, "And we're both going to have to make sure he doesn't destroy things and that he gets outside to go to the bathroom."
Jacob glanced at the Victorian. "What if Rosa still says she doesn't want me to keep him? Mrs. Wells wouldn't let me have a pet."
"Who is Mrs. Wells?"
"She took care of me after Joanna got married and her husband said I couldn't live with her anymore, because he didn't want trouble if Krish found out I was Geneva's son."
He looked down at his feet and though Ella desperately wanted answers, she wouldn't hurt him by asking why other people were taking care of him and not his mother.
Standing, she said, "Time to go talk to Rosa."
He nodded and she took his hand. They were halfway to the house when he said, "Sometimes she came to visit."
"Joanna?"
"No. Geneva. She didn't let me call her mama."
* * * * *
Chapter 16
She didn't let me call her mama.
Ella's heart lodged in her throat at Jacob's stark admission—only to drop back into her chest when Josiah emerged from the house.
All it took was the merest quirk upward of masculine lips, the smallest lift of his eyebrows and her heart rolled over like a carnival dog doing tricks.
Leaving the porch, his gaze flicked to the dog, then back to her as he approached. "What mischief have you been up to, mami?"
She squared her shoulders and lifted her chin despite the teasing quality of his voice. "Your— Our son should be allowed a pet."
"And this is the pet you've chosen?"
Josiah's nose crinkled at the stink but the amusement in his dark eyes made her want to twirl in place, or better yet, throw herself against that broad, powerful chest and wrap her arms around his neck.
Jacob pulled his hand from hers and went to his knees. His small arms hugged the dog. "I picked him. Nobody else wants him. And he was being hurt."
A lift of eyebrows and Blaine said, "Taken care of. Ciro has new charges."
Josiah crouched in front of Jacob and the dog. "I remember what it was like to be a boy who wanted a dog for a companion. This undertaking comes with rules and responsibilities. You understand?"
"Si, Papa. Mama already told me that."
"Well, the first responsibility is a bath. Rosa will go after us all with one of her wooden spoons if we take your new companion into the house smelling as he does. Have you given him a name?"
"Not yet. Did you have a dog as a boy, Papa?"
"For a short time."
"Why only a short time?"
"He was a stray, like this dog of yours. I had only just begun taking care of him when he was killed."
"How?"
"I was attacked and he tried to defend me."
"What was his name?"
"Enzo."
"Would it be okay if I called my dog that, Papa? In honor of your Enzo?"
The tenderness in Josiah eyes blocked Ella's throat. He tousled Jacob's hair. "It would be okay, mijo."
Blaine said, "You want me to stick?"
Josiah stood. "No. You're free to go. Get word to Nessa that she's free of guard duty for the rest of the day."
Blaine entered the maze.
Ella and Jacob followed Josiah around to the back of the house. He led them to where a hose that was attached to a huge water storage tank ended near a garden row of hot peppers and tomatoes.
Rosa emerged through the back door as if she'd been watching events unfold from inside. She brought a towel and a bar of soap. "He'll need to pass the sniff test before he's allowed inside."
Her tone was uncompromising but her expression held the same softening of approval it had the night before in the family room. She set the towel in a wheelbarrow, handed the soap to Ella and after taking Josiah's holstered guns from him, retreated to the house.
Jacob picked up the hose, still holding onto Enzo's leash.
Josiah walked the short distance to a valve and twisted.
A spray of water hit Ella in the center of her chest. A shocked screech escaped before she could stop it.
The hose dipped. Jacob's eyes teared and, seeing it, she laughed and said, "I'm going to get even for that!"
She grabbed the hose, turned the water on him, hitting him in the chest.
He squealed, released Enzo and darted away, heading for Josiah. The water chased after him, and when he hid behind his father, she didn't alter her aim.
Water hit the front of Josiah's jeans and heat pumped into her face. She couldn't believe she'd been so bold, and yet she wasn't sorry. Not at all.
"You're playing with fire now," he said, sending her heart fluttering and making her nipples tighten.
He closed the distance between them, jerked the hose from her hands and turned the water on her.
She shrieked and ran out of range.
"Coward!" he shouted, but there was laughter in his voice as his son became his target.
Jacob giggled and ran in circles, Enzo chasing after him and joining in the fun.
"You can't get me, Papa! I'm too fast!"
Josiah proved him wrong, drawing Ella back to the battle in defense of her new son.
She tried wrestling the hose away from Josiah but only got wetter for her troubles. Not that he succeeded in staying dry.
They all got soaked. Were out of breath from running and laughing and baiting each other when Josiah said, "Perhaps we should turn our attention to the dog now, though I'm keeping possession of the hose since I can't trust the two of you not to attack."
"Can I be the one to use the bar of soap, Mama?"
Ella handed it to him.
Each time they soaped and rinsed and let Enzo go, he shook, sending water everywhere and causing shrieks and giggles and laughter.
It took four rounds to rid him of his stink.
They used the towel Rosa had left them to dry the dog.
"What about us?" Jacob asked.
As if on cue, Rosa came out, bringing only one additional towel. "I'll tend to Jacob and help him take care of his pet. The dog needs to be fed and shown where to do its business."
Josiah took Ella's hand. "Time to get out of these wet clothes, mami."
Heat shivered through her, hot enough that she was surprised steam didn't rise from the wet dress.
She trembled but not from cold. Her mouth went dry and her heart hammered away, trying to knock down any walls that she might try to erect against falling more deeply in love with her husband.
My husband.
It seemed more like a dream, one she was afraid she'd wake from and find herself alone in her room, or standing behind the counter of the marketplace stall and wearing the old brown dress.
He led her into the house. If Rosa worried about water being tracked through, it didn't show. There were no towels waiting for them in the mudroom.
Josiah didn't release her hand until they were in the master bedroom. He paused, locked the door to prevent Jacob from barreling in then guided her into the bathroom.
She turned to face him, heat pulsing between her legs and arousal adding wetness to already soaked panties.
His dark eyes held the same desire she'd caught glimpses of in her father's workshop. Want shimmered through her.
"Careful, mami, about how you look at me. I'm trying to go slow, to keep my promise to make this good for you."
"It can't be bad if I'm with you," she whispered.
He gave a husky laugh, touched his lips to her forehead. "Stroking my ego as a precursor to stroking other things?"
Her face flamed though she'd seen plenty of naked men in medical textbooks, and a few as patients. She tried to think of a clever response. Failed.
He freed her hair so it spread across her back. "I should order you to always wear it this way. But then I'd end up sentencing my men to hard labor."
They'd kicked off their shoes while playing in
the water with Jacob. Her toes curled against the cool tile floor at the thought that he might find her beautiful enough to tempt his men.
She searched his face, looking for a lie. His dark eyes held only sensuous heat.
Her pulse throbbed more heavily just beneath her jaw. She wet her lips.
"You've been warned," he said, his voice a dark promise.
He grasped the hair he'd just freed. Slammed his mouth down on hers.
His tongue plunged through parted lips, found hers and stroked with hard thrusts that left no doubt he was thinking about being on top of her, inside her.
She clamped her legs together, capturing the heat in her sex, savoring it, unashamed of it. She'd wanted this, had even dared to fantasize about it on the other side of the wall, where respectable unmarried women were supposed to pretend they didn't experience desire.
He'd had a whiskey before emerging from the house when she and Jacob and Blaine returned with Enzo. She took the taste of it from his tongue, though his kiss was enough to make her drunk, to free her from inhibitions.
She moaned and his arm went around her waist. He pulled her against the front of his body and another moan escaped at the press of his rigid cock to her stomach and mound.
Her lashes drifted downward. Her hands swept over the firm muscles of his shoulders and back to his waistband.
She grasped his wet shirt, tugged it out of equally wet jeans. Pressed her palms to hot skin.
Her nipples ached with want. Her breasts felt fuller.
He ended the kiss. Dark eyes caught and held hers as his hands came around to the front of her dress.
He undid the top button.
The second button.
The third. Fourth. Fifth. Sixth.
She shivered.
He pushed the dress off her shoulders and it dropped to the floor, leaving her standing in the feminine garments that were the only vanity she'd allowed herself while living in New San Jose.
They were light green, the panties with small pink roses at the hips, the bra with a matching rose in the middle.
His lips kicked upward in a wicked smile. He traced a bra strap downward with his fingertip and her back arched. "You didn't need to wear Jax's colors to gain my interest or goad me into claiming what's mine."
Her nipples were hard points pressed to lacy material. His fingertip reached the bra cup, slid along the top to the rose in the center. "Do we need to go shopping again?"