Raid (Unfinished Hero #3)(90)
My eyes went half-mast and I bit my lip.
Then I stroked.
Raid whirled.
Oh God.
“You going to talk?” I breathed as I lifted my h*ps to get more of his fingers.
He whirled again, which made me stroke again at the same time press up, feeling his h*ps push into my hand.
“Change of plans,” he announced.
“No talking?” I asked hopefully.
“No. No retirement at forty.”
I blinked and asked, “Sorry?”
He didn’t repeat himself. He stated, “And at least one daughter.”
“Raid—”
His face got close. His fingers whirled, my hand tensed on his c**k and he declared, “Leavin’ you has always sucked. Every time, it got harder and harder. Leavin’ you when you had my boy growin’ in you, torture. Leavin’ you and our boy, it kills. Two more years then it’s done.”
I stroked, I stared and my heart did a happy bump.
“And I want a girl,” he finished.
Oh my God!
Could you die of happiness?
I certainly hoped not.
“Honey—”
His lips came to mine. “We’ll get started on our daughter later. I’ll get started on makin’ sure I can take care of my family after I quit the job now. Agreed?”
Did he think I’d say no?
“Affirmative.”
I felt his mouth smile against mine, then I saw, up close, his eyes start burning at the same time I felt his fingers move then plunge.
I gasped.
“Done talkin’,” he announced, his voice rough and commanding.
I was down with that and that was good, seeing as his head slanted and his mouth took mine in a searing kiss so I had no choice but to be.
* * * * *
Raid
Early afternoon the next day…
Raid was in his Jeep heading to meet Clay and Hanna for lunch at his sister’s café when his cell went.
He didn’t know the number on his display and almost didn’t take the call.
When he did, he was glad, but only because if he didn’t, they would have called his wife.
“Miller,” he answered.
“Raid?” a woman asked.
“Yeah,” he replied.
“Hi, uh, this is Judy from the visiting nurse’s program. Uh…”
She went silent and said no more.
Raid felt his gut instinctively get tight and he concentrated on driving.
When she didn’t speak, he asked, “Judy, you got something to say?”
A hesitation, then in a quiet voice, “I’m so sorry. We talked about it and thought it best to try to phone you first. I hate having to be the one to tell you, but when Fran went in to get Miss Mildred ready for the day, she found that Miss Mildred had passed away in her sleep last night.”
Raid moved the Jeep to the side of the road, put it in neutral and engaged the parking break.
“Repeat that,” he ordered.
“I’m really, really sorry, Raid. We didn’t want to call Hanna. We thought it would be better coming from you. But Miss Mildred passed last night.”
He closed his eyes, leaned forward and rested his forehead against the steering wheel.
“Are you okay?” she called in his ear.
He was not.
He lifted his head and lied, “Yeah.”
“Uh… there are things that—”
Raid cut her off, “You communicate with me, not Hanna. I’ll be there or my mother will be there. Yeah?”
“Right, okay.”
“Wait for our call. Someone will be in touch soon to deal with whatever we gotta deal with,” he went on.
“Okay, Raid.”
He pulled in a sharp breath through his nose and lied again, “Thank you for your call.”
“I’m so, so sorry.”
He was too.
Judy went on, “Please give our condolences to Hanna. ‘Bye Raid.”
He disconnected with no good-bye, went to his contacts and found the number to his sister’s café.
“Rachelle’s Café, Grand Goddess of Cuisine and All Things Gastronomical, Rachelle speaking. How can I help you?” his sister answered.
Normally this would make him laugh or at least smile.
He did neither.
“Rache, Hanna there yet?” he asked.
“And hello and how are you, too?” she answered.
“Rache. Is. Hanna. There. Yet?” he repeated.
She was silent then, with zero attitude, “Yeah.”
He put the car in gear, checked his mirrors then moved back onto the road, ordering, “Call Mom. Get her down there. After you do that, go to Hanna and find a way to get Clay from her. I’ll be there in ten.”
“What’s wrong?”
“I wanna tell my wife first. Call Mom and get my son.”
Another silence then, “Okay, Raid.”
“Thanks, Rache.”
He disconnected and did as promised, parking in the lot at the end of town, jogging across the street and down the block. He was there in ten.
Rachelle had done as asked, not that he questioned she would. She was sitting with Hanna at a table by the window, cuddling Clay close, bent over her nephew, cooing.