Jariko's Desires [Soldiers of Passion 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage and More)

by Dace Everan

  Kyle chuckled. “Not ever happening. Don’t even think those thoughts,” he murmured.

  Alisha shook her head, trying to sit up. “Do you guys even want kids!” she uttered, because she sure as hell did. She had already planned out her life. School, college, service, and then in her late twenties she would work on the family thing. Shit, she was twenty-six, family time was approaching. With the team grouping how they did, Harley could do without her for a time. Shit, she could deal with behind the scenes issues.

  “Whoa, babe,” Jariko hummed. “You’re going to leave me out there to fight all by my lonesome? Alisha’s eyes widened and Jariko chuckled, kissing her lips hard. “Kidding, yes we’ve talked about kids. We’d prefer boys, but if they come out girls we suppose we could deal with that.” Alisha looked at him. What had his original plan been regarding children? Jariko read her thoughts. “Adoption,” he shared.

  Alisha nodded. “Not getting any younger here. I could talk to Harley.” Holy shit, was she seriously having this conversation? Was she ready to give up her gung-ho lifestyle to settle and raise little miniatures of Jariko, of Kyle? Of her! Oh shit, she was in for one hell of a war if there were little mini hers running around.

  Jariko smiled, shaking his head and glancing up at Kyle. “You might have to go get that day job you wanted.”

  Kyle snorted. “Are you kidding? This could work out well. I come home, baby crying I can take over and snuggle the little sweetie.”

  Alisha giggled, her insides all giddy. Her heart soared. She would love nothing more than to have a crying baby to be held in this man’s arms, both men.

  Kyle dipped, kissing her on the tip of her nose. “I really hope a girl with your eyes.” He loved her eyes. Deep blue that would turn that lavender, and oh fuck the twinkle in them made his heart race.

  Jariko chuckled. “Attitude,” he mumbled, hugging her legs back around his waist.

  Alisha giggled, rocking her hips against Jariko and pulling Kyle closer. “Boys,” she declared. She would have boys she just knew it.

  Chapter Ten

  Six months later

  Jariko glared as the bright sun pierced his eyes. The smell of pine filled his senses and he hurt everywhere. “What the fuck?” he grumbled.

  “Shh. Stay still, hon.”

  Alisha’s voice he knew that for sure. His brain went into overdrive. Canada. Mountains. Looking for Logan. “What happened?” he demanded, trying to raise to a sitting position.

  Alisha cringed, helping him to sit. “You decided to take a tumble down the mountainside. I really thought to video tape it, to show your future children one day. Then thought you might get a little ticked,” she teased, holding a canteen of water to his lips.

  Jariko took a gulp, his eyes scanning the area. “Seriously? I fucking fell off the mountain?”

  Alisha giggled. “Well let’s hope you did or I pushed you,” she replied coyly, her hands wandering over his body checking for wounds.

  “Come on, girl. Not the time or the place. What spooked me?” Something had to have spooked him to send him down the mountain.

  Alisha shook her head. “A rather tall man that resembled a hairless Sasquatch,” she shared, taking a damp wipe from her first aid kit to his forehead.

  He held back the cringe as his brow stung. “Really? I backed away from a fight?” He glanced around. Where the fuck was this beast of a man? He never backed away from a fight!

  Alisha giggled. “Actually, he was trying to talk to you and you didn’t want to hear anything about what he had to say.” She gently wiped at his brow. “He stopped you from sliding over this here cliff and plummeting to your fucking death.” She settled her hands in her lap. “Jariko.” Tears wanted to break free and flow from her eyes. The terror she had felt watching his body hurdle down the side of the mountain had been nothing like she’d ever experienced. “I don’t know if I can do this anymore,” she whispered. She knew the man was nearby. Knew he was watching them. Also knew he was friend and not foe. He could wait until she got out what she needed to say. She was sure if she didn’t say something now she wouldn’t and then regret it later.

  Jariko gritted his teeth. “Then maybe you shouldn’t have said yes when I asked you to be mine forever, hey.” He grumbled. How fucking appropriate was this shit! He falls down the fucking mountain now she’s going to kick him while he was down! What the hell was coming over her?

  Alisha inched back, looking at him confused. “What?” she uttered.

  Jariko grunted as he slowly eased to his feet, assessing his pain and hurts. “If you can’t do this you shouldn’t have said yes when I asked you to marry me!” he yelled.

  Alisha stared wide-eyed at him. Whoa, that accelerated quickly. “Argh you’re an idiot!” she yelled right back, stomping to him. She grabbed him by the shoulders and made him face her. “I love you! I love Kyle!” Fuck did she ever want to slap him. “Get your head on straight and out of your ass, dickhead! I don’t think I can work alongside you and watch you get hurt and not be distracted! The fucking way my heart leapt from my chest near scared me to death. Had that man not shoved me to the ground I would have tumbled down the fucking mountain with you and we would both be dead.” She paused to catch her breath, her face heated and her breath was short. “God, Jariko!” She pushed him away and paced in front of him. She had hoped to save this for when Kyle showed up on the weekend, but he needed to understand the importance of her decision to back out of taking any more jobs. “I had a medical before I came out.”

  Jariko nodded. They all had. Harley required they all keep up to date. Oh, fuck…He was sure Alisha said she was good. No problems. Healthy as a horse she had said. His fist clenched and his body tensed, readying for the bad news. And bad news it had to be from the worry creasing her brow. Her gaze met his and a tear rolled down her cheek. “Oh fuck,” he uttered under his breath, stomping to her, pulling her into his arms, and crushing her to his chest. “You tell me right now, Alisha! What are we facing here? No matter what you have Kyle and I are here. We are with you. You’re not alone in this!” he declared, his voice husky and full of emotion.

  Alisha giggled, hugging her arms around him. “You both had better be with me on this one.” She leaned back and looked at him. Waited until he was so focused and tense that she could feel his need to know. “Not sure who, not sure how.” She grinned. She had an idea how. “But one of you boys is going to have a little minion running around by next year.”

  Jariko’s heart near plummeted from his chest. His face drained of color and he stopped breathing. Just for a millisecond. Had he heard her right? Was she implying that a baby was growing in her belly! Possibly his? Possibly Kyle’s. Holy fuck, they were going to be dads!

  Alisha stared wide-eyed at the reaction. Whoa, shit. That wasn’t good. “Jariko?” His eyes blinked and he focused on her. “You’re pregnant?” he asked. He needed to hear the actually words. Not this beat around the bush shit.

  Alisha nodded. “I wanted to wait till Kyle showed up this weekend. But I can’t do this anymore, Jariko. Had I followed you down the mountainside I could have lost the baby, and I will not risk that!” Her heart fluttered rapidly in her chest and her stomach clenched at the thought of losing her baby. Their baby.

  Jariko just stared, his brain trying to process what she’d just said. She was quitting the team. She wasn’t going to be here by his side fighting. She would be at home. Safe and out of harm’s way and holy shit, holding his or Kyle’s baby in her arms loving it and raising it, and his lips lifted in the biggest grin of his life. He crushed her back in his arms and growled against her hair. “Fuck, woman!” He grabbed hold of her pony tail and pulled her head back so she could look up at him. “Fucking love you!” he declared in a raspy voice before his lips smashed against hers.

  Alisha pulled away, breathless, her eyes searching his for any remorse. Any inkling of disappointment. All she saw was pride and, she cocked her head to the side, was that contentment coming from her usually
discontented man? Her lips curled into a smile. “You’re happy,” she whispered.

  Jariko chuckled. “Fuck yeah I am!” He nipped her lips again with his and just stared at her in awe. “You’re making us a family, woman. I’m in fucking envy of you. I’m fucking envious of Kyle! He’ll get to watch our baby grow in you.”

  Alisha giggled. “We will record every little thing,” she promised.

  “You had better,” he threatened, leading her to a nearby rock. He needed to sit. Fuck, he needed a drink. Shit, he needed Kyle here to be a part of this. Alisha helped him sit. “Your beast man is hiding in the trees. He knows where Logan is,” she informed him as he settled on the rock. Now that she had that out of the way. She needed to return Jariko to reality of why they were here in the first place.

  Jariko grunted. “Is Logan safe?” he asked, getting her change in subject. They would celebrate later when Kyle was here with them.

  Alisha shrugged. “I don’t know. You scared the big guy. If you recall, one of Logan’s targets was that man,” she reminded him.

  Jariko nodded. “He surprised me.”

  Alisha nodded. “You’re okay here if I go and see what information he has?” Jariko narrowed his eyes. “I’m still on a job, Jar.” She held her hand to her tummy. “This doesn’t change that. But it does make me a little more cautious. You know I wouldn’t do anything stupid. He was talking to me, standing not ten feet away to make sure you were okay when I finally caught up to you two,” she shared, glancing toward the trees the man had retreated into.

  Jariko nodded. He’d have to trust her. “Go on,” he urged, watching as she made her way to the line of trees. She stopped and waited, her hands at her sides. “You can come out. He’s better now. Thank you for saving him,” she called into the trees.

  Jariko waited as she continued to stand and wait. Then he saw the movement. Whoa. That dude was big. Easy six foot seven and fucking thick. He wasn’t sure what the man had been eating but it sure was keeping him healthy.

  Chapter Eleven

  Jariko watched the man settle to his knees in front of him. “Are you designed to be this big?” he asked. The man smiled and it lit his face. He gave a nod. Jariko nodded. “You know where Logan is?” The man nodded. “He is safe.” Was all he looked like he was going to reveal? Jariko grunted. It was all Alisha could get out of the giant as well. “And where is he?” Jariko demanded.

  The man shook his head. “He will come out when he is ready. He asked that I find his friends.” He looked the two over. They fit the description Logan had given him. “He says you need to help Cal and Lania.” Ben wasn’t sure who these two, Cal and Lania, were but Logan had seen them and seen that they were in need. He himself would have helped, but his kind didn’t interfere with the humans. It had been that way a long time.

  Jariko furrowed his brow. “I need more than that. I need assurances that Logan is okay,” he demanded.

  Ben shook his head. “All he said was you need to take care of Cal and Lania. That he would resurface in due time and all was well in the world.”

  Jariko looked at Alisha. It was code. The “all is well in the world.” To hear that message from Logan was exactly what it was. He was good and he would contact them when he found an appropriate time. He looked over the giant of a man. They should at least take him to Harley. Let her know that he knew Logan’s whereabouts. He was supposed to be brought in anyway.

  Ben stood and towered over the two. “Logan requested that you let me leave and return to him,” he said, determination in his eyes. “I can see you’re a fighter and I have no problem hurting you. Nor feeling bad for it. I wasn’t built to feel guilt.”

  Jariko grunted. “Well neither was I,” he grumbled right back.

  Ben smiled. “No, you feel guilt. I will tell Logan you are good and healthy looking. He will want to hear his friends are good.”

  Jariko stood, ignoring the shots of pain that struck his body at the sudden movements. “No, we need to know he is fine! How the hell are we supposed to trust you?”

  Alisha placed a hand on Jariko’s shoulder. “Ease up, man. Had he meant us harm he would have done it already.” Jariko glared at her. Was she friggin’ serious? Was she just going to let him walk away with the knowledge of Logan’s whereabouts?

  Ben smiled and his eyes softened. “I was built with honesty implanted in me. Logan is safe. He is not ready to come out yet. He needs to figure things out.”

  Jariko furrowed his brow. What the hell did Logan need to figure out? What the hell was going on? Alisha gave a nod and let Ben retreat back into the woods. “I can’t believe you’re letting him go,” he grumbled.

  Alisha nodded. “I am. He gave us Logan’s words.” Her heart clenched. She sure hoped she was making the right decision here. It felt right in her gut, but watching her only means of contacting Logan walking away sent that feeling to a gut-wrenching twist. She inhaled a steady breath. Always go with your first instinct, she reminded herself. This giant of a man was trustworthy. She could just feel it. “Logan will come out when he is good and ready.”

  THE END

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  I am the proud mother of two wonderful children who are soon going to enter the tween years. AAHHH save me! I started dabbling in writing at a young age. My first story was a twisted story about bunny rabbits and a little girl in a mystical forest, an evil mother who wanted nothing more than rabbit stew. (I was eight.) My older sister introduced me to romance novels at the tender age of eleven and I've loved them since.

  I find being able to create a world of wonderful characters an amazing achievement. I had always figured historical romance was where my heart lay, but after reading a few BDSM and erotica e-books my mind was changed and I have never felt so comfortable in my life than in being able to create wonderful people and bring them together with a little spank and tickle.

  I love sci-fi and zombies! Horror flicks and nightmares are a normal for me. I once had a dream about rainbows and sunshine and unicorns and lovey dovey stuff and that scared the hell out of me. Happy dreams are not normal for me. I love music, anything from Neverending White Lights, to The White Stripes, to Lana Del Rey, maybe some Waylon Jennings. I am all over the place in the music.

  For all titles by Dace Everan, please visit

  www.bookstrand.com/dace-everan

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com