Be My Hero (Forbidden Men #3)(68)

So I let him rip off a sliver of pickle from my fingers. When a wet drop fell from his lip and landed on Skylar's forehead, I laughed. "Oops."

I grabbed a napkin and reached out to wipe her clean, but Pick was already lifting her to his mouth. He lapped up the splatter with his tongue.

My mouth fell open. "Did you just lick my daughter?"

Oh, crap. The mention of licking made me think of everything the guys had said earlier. When my face instantly heated, Pick winked. "Only because I'm not allowed to lick you."

I sucked in a breath, unable to believe he would actually say that.

Ten groaned. "Jesus, guys. Get a room already. There are kids present. And I'm trying to eat over here."

Pick and I exchanged a look before he tipped his head Ten's way. "What's his problem?"

I shrugged. "I think he's jealous. I let you hold Skylar."

Ten snorted. "Like I want to hold your damn kid."

"Hey!" I spun to deliver him a nasty glare. "Watch your mouth around my daughter, f*ck face."

Ten gaped at me a second before he leaned past me to send Pick an incredulous glance as if he expected Pick to rein me in. "She's got a f*cking mouth on her."

Pick grinned. "Isn't it great?"

While Ten snorted in disagreement, Pick bumped his knee into mine. I looked up at him, and he leaned closer. "Good one, Tink."

Across the way, I overheard Reese say to Caroline, "So Aspen said you graduate from high school next Sunday."

I lifted my eyebrows and nudged Ten with my elbow. "Oh, she's still in high school, huh. The plot thickens."

"Shut. Up," he muttered and nudged me back. Hard. Right in the stomach, way too close to my C-section incision.

Instantly dropping my plate full of food, splattering potato salad, pickles, and hamburger everywhere, I sucked in a breath and doubled over, clutching my belly. White-hot flames of pain licked up my abdomen.

"Oh, shit." Ten popped to his feet, clutching my elbow. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"Tink?" Pick was there half a second later. For a breath, he was the only thing I could focus on. I leaned into him and clutched his shirt, burying my face in his neck as he swooped me up and tucked one arm under my knees with the other around my back.

When my ears stopped ringing, the first thing I heard was Mason's angry shout. "What the hell is your problem, Ten? She just gave birth three weeks ago and her gut is held together by staples."

"Not to mention that's where her * baby daddy hit her, sending her into premature labor," Noel added, his tone just as sharp and angry.

Pick pressed his cheek to my temple. "Eva? Talk to me. Say something, baby."

My knuckles were still white from holding onto his shirt so hard. But I managed to gasp, "I'm okay."

"Is she okay?" Reese asked, her voice coming closer.

I held my thumb up with my free hand but couldn't unclench my eyelids. "Where's Skylar?"

"Quinn's holding her," Pick said.

"Wasn't he sitting all the way across the driveway?"

"Yep. Kid moves fast when he needs to." Lifting his face away from mine, he asked, "Where's her room? I'm going to lay her down."

"It's this way. Follow me," Reese instructed just as someone else asked, "Should we take her to the hospital?"

Pick took charge as he carried me inside. "Let's see if she broke anything open first."

Though my stomach felt as if it had been cut apart without anesthesia, I was glad to be back in his arms and inhaling his intoxicating coconut scent. He was laying me down on my mattress way too soon for my liking. Without him right there against me, I curled into a ball and tucked my knees up toward my chest as I cradled my inflamed stomach.

I heard enough voices to realize just about everyone at the picnic was cramming into my room, trying to get a peek at me.

"Is she okay?" Ten asked, right before Pick growled. "Get the f*ck out of here."

"Okay, that's enough," Aspen instructed, her voice brooking no room for argument. "Why doesn't every guy get out? We need to make sure she didn't re-open her incision."

"Wait," I gasped at the last second, reaching out my hand blindly. "Pick."

He was there immediately, kneeling next to me. "I'm here, Tink."

I pulled him closer and he came without any kind of resistance, his brown eyes swirling with anger and concern. The anger was what worried me.

"Promise me you won't kill Ten. It's my fault he—"

"It was not your f*cking fault."

"I was egging him on and elbowed him first."

"Well, he should've used his damn brain. And even if you were perfectly healthy, no way in hell should he have elbowed back that hard. Fucking idiot."

I grasped his chin in my hand. "Patrick."

He growled out his irritation but gave a terse nod. "Fine." Then he leaned in and pressed his lips to my forehead for a long twenty seconds. Just before he moved away, he brushed his tongue out and tasted my skin. Then he smoothed my hair with his fingers. "You better be okay."

"I'll be fine." The pain was already subsiding. Everyone had made a much bigger deal about my injury than they'd needed to.