Javier (Alpha Heroes #12)

Chapter Forty-three

Javier

I sat on the stuffed chair by the window, watching Missy walking the gardens with Thena, their arms linked. I would’ve gladly strolled the grounds with my Angel, but she’d decreed I should be resting. I felt better, and yet I went along with Missy’s wishes because pleasing her was my definition of joy, my new notion of happiness.

For a banjaxed fool, I was feeling mighty whole. The nuns prayed for me so hard that their God had probably granted me a dispensation, but only to stop them from annoying the hell out of Him. Missy had retrieved my soul from hell, bandaged it together, and tended to it as if it was her own. In her care, I could be a good man and my soul had hopes other than damnation.

I smiled at the sight of the two Astor sisters against the lake’s background. They ambled slowly, their heads together, one blond, the other red-haired as they talked, smiled, and laughed at times. Two sisters, separated for years, were now together again.

For once, I was proud of myself. I’d brought Missy to Thena, to the home where they belonged. Nix would be happy about that. I’d also found myself a home. The itinerant nomad I’d been since I left the Raiders was no longer lost. Nor was I devoid of purpose or direction. I belonged to a team now, a solid one, and Missy was my home. Wherever life took her, that’s where I was gonna be, walking right next to her, come hell or high water.

A knock came at the door and Dagger’s sober face peeked from behind the door. “All clear?”

“All clear, boss.” I waved him over. “I’m confined to quarters.”

“I heard about that.” Leaning on his cane, he ambled into the room, powerful and impeccably groomed as always.

I felt like a slacker in my ratty sweats, but hey, Missy loved the look and I was technically on sick leave. Omega planted his cane as he lowered himself into the chair across from mine, never allowing for a wince. For a moment, his dark eyes shifted around the space as he considered Missy’s room. “I remember it was pink and purple. I just didn’t remember how pink and purple it was.”

I barked a laugh. “She was a kid back then. Doesn’t bother me in the least.”

“She’s a grown woman now.” Dash looked out the window with a touch of nostalgia in his eyes. His lips curved up when his gaze fell on the women strolling the garden, his lover and my lover.

“They look happy,” he rumbled.

“They are.”

“Even if they’re still in danger,” he said. “Even if it’s just for this moment in time.”

“A moment I intend to expand into the rest of Missy’s life.”

His deep-set eyes fell on me. “You’ve come a long way, Guzman.”

“You don’t gotta remind me, boss.” I lifted the side of my mouth and shrugged. “I’m as shocked as you are.”

“Nix would be so proud of you, of her,” Dagger murmured. “You did good by him, Guzman. You did great.”

I swallowed a salty gulp.

Omega straightened on his seat. “I have something to say to you.”

“Hold on, boss.” I lifted my good hand in the air. “If it’s about that prank I played on Bozeman, let me explain—”

His eyebrows clashed over his nose. “What prank?”

“Never mind.” The boss didn’t have to know everything, did he? “Was there something you wanted to talk about?”

“Yes.” He cleared his throat. “I wanna thank you for saving my life.”

Holy Fuck . It wasn’t every day that a common ape got thanks from a legend like Omega. I was almost at a loss for words.

I played it cool. “You would’ve done the same for any of us.”

“But it was you who acted,” he said evenly. “You who got bit in my stead. You who bore the brunt of the consequences. And for sparing me the pain, I must thank you.”

“I don’t know what to say.” I squirmed in my seat. “You’re welcome, I guess?”

“That’ll work. However…”

Ah, yes, here came Dagger’s “but,” thank the universe, because there was only so much praise a guy like me could take from him. Hearing these compliments from Omega was good for my self-esteem, but somehow, my ego didn’t have much of an ego anymore.

“If you ever do that shit again,” Dagger rumbled. “If you ever take a hit for me or endanger your life on my account, I’m gonna kick your ass.”

“There you are, boss.” I exhaled a sigh of relief. “I figured you couldn’t go too long without riding my ass. I get what you’re saying, but I guess I’m gonna strut around with a bruised ass. You’re my CO. My job is to protect you. I’m not gonna let you down.”

“Guzman—”

“Just saying.” I lifted my shoulders then dropped them. “Although, I’d be cool if you kept your distance from venomous snakes. The zoo is out of bounds. I don’t wanna have to see another one of those for the rest of my life.”

“I’m with you on that one.” He paused, and looking down on the women, murmured. “However, the mission is not complete yet.”

“I know, and I promised Missy we were gonna find Cece and Affie.”

“And that’s exactly what we’re gonna do,” he agreed.

An awkward pause ensued. We both trailed our women with our gazes as they stopped by the recently planted roses in the back of the garden, scrawny bushes without flowers yet. Thena had planted them in memory of their mother and now Missy was gonna be around to help her care for them.

“You and I,” Omega muttered. “We’re a pair of lucky bastards.”

“Aye, aye, sir.” I couldn’t argue with truth.

“Very well, that’s all for now.” Dagger pushed up from the chair and ambled across the room. He paused at the door and turned to me, his face pensive. “You went and proved it.”

I cocked my eyebrows. “Proved what?”

“That you love her.”

“How can I not?” I glanced out the window. “She’s the light to my darkness. The dream I never dared to dream. The solace I never had. The guardian of my nightmares. The owner of my heart and the only person in the world who knows my soul. Hell, the only person who believed I had a soul when I wasn’t sure, and the only woman who found it salvageable.”

Dagger lifted his eyebrows. “I never knew you were into poetry.”

“I’m not, but Missy, she makes me wanna say shit like that out loud.”

“She’s the center of your world indeed.” Dagger smiled painfully. “I know how you feel.”

“Then you understand how my life has changed… for the better.”

Our eyes drifted to find the women we loved one more time.

“Sisters.” Omega cleared his throat yet again. “I guess that makes us brothers.”

“You mean brothers in arms?”

“We are that, were that, since the moment you came to Tracker Team, even though it took you a while to accept it.”

He wasn’t wrong about that.

“But now, we’re brothers through sisters.” His powerful chest rose with a breath. “Kin by choice.”

“Brothers through sisters.” Holy shit. He was right. “Kin by choice.” The magnitude of what he’d just said had me pushing off the chair and standing at attention. “It’s an honor I don’t deserve, sir, but I’m committed to earning it.”

“Can the ‘sir.’” Omega actually smiled. “We’re civilians now. I never thought I’d say these words to you, Guzman, but with Nix gone, the duty falls to me.”

“What duty?”

“The duty to welcome you into the family.”

I blinked and the door closed with a quiet click.

Omega was gone.

I eased down on my chair and breathed, just breathed. It took me a while to accept Dagger’s words, to embrace the new privileges and responsibilities placed on me. The universe had given me a rare opportunity for redemption. I could never repay Nix for his sacrifice, but I could love his sister with all my heart and protect his family with all I had.

When Omega’s words finally sank into my veins and dissolved into my bloodstream, my soul didn’t feel heavy. It felt light and fresh, eager to tackle the challenge. I threw my head back and barked a laugh.

“Did you hear that, Nix?” I lifted my face to the sky. “We’re family now.”

There was, of course, no reply, and yet in my head, I saw my friend smiling against the background of a fiery horizon.

***

Missy

I opened the door and, balancing the tray that held a glass of milk and a plate of warm cookies, I stepped into my bedroom. If returning to the mansion had required me to make a major mental adjustment, the sight of Javier entrenched in my tower, surrounded by pink damask wallpaper and flowery rugs was an even bigger shock.

I couldn’t take my eyes off him.

He laid atop the silk duvet, stark naked, framed by the lace of the bed hangings that draped down from the ceiling. His chiseled body and his muscular construction contrasted in every way with the frilly pillows and the purple velvet headboard that had once presided over the room.

I used the past tense because my naked, sexy, gorgeous, magnificently endowed boyfriend had stolen the bed’s role as a focal point the moment he arrived. Right now, my splendor in the flesh and his dick dominated the space.

My face—my entire body—turned to flames. My eyes feasted on his erection. My nipples ached, my mouth began to salivate, and my pussy squeezed so hard I almost dropped the tray.

“As you can see, I look good in pinks and purples.” He crossed his arms behind his head and nudged his chin down toward his generous erection.

“I can see that quite clearly.” I laughed, admiring the proof of his statement, craving it inside me. “Modesty will never be a problem for you.”

“Come and get it,” he teased, rocking his hips a little.

“I brought you some cookies.”

“Later.” The intensity in his eyes ignited my wick. “The cookies are for dessert. You’re the main course.”

“You must be so hungry.” My pussy squeezed so hard that I had to set the tray down, but these days, I could tease him as well as he could tease me, so, feigning my best floozy, I tilted my head and batted my eyelashes. “Are you ravenous for little old me?”

“You got that right.” He flashed a wicked smirk and curled a finger at me. “Come here, you.”

“In a moment.” I was already boiling down there, but first, I needed to clarify a small matter. “Hmm.” I tapped my fingers on my mouth, and playing hard to get, I made a show of studying the circular bedroom. “We might have to redecorate our tower to be more reflective of our style.”

“ Our tower?” He gawked, and his dick jerked.

I queried him with my eyebrows. “Unless you have objections to us living together in our tower?”

“None whatsoever,” he rushed to say. “I was gonna ask you if you wanted to move upstairs with me, but I do love me a tower. They’re strong, strapping, and durable.”

“Like a certain part of you currently on display.” I sat down on the mattress next to him, leaned over, and planted a slow kiss on his lips, feeling the burn going from a boil to a sizzle. God, the things this man did to me.

He seized my mouth and kissed me back. “Pink or purple, tower or no tower, I’m gonna sleep wherever you sleep—that is, if we ever actually sleep.”

“I like the sound of that.” I chuckled against his mouth. “Can I ask, do you have something wicked in mind?”

“Very wicked.” He captured my lower lip and bit on it gently.

“Are you sure you’re ready for this?” I asked. “You’ve made remarkable progress, but the doctors said you should rest.”

“The only medicine I need is you.”

I ran a hand over his hard chest and traced the grid on his stomach. “You know just what to say to make me sizzle and melt.”

“You just have to exist to make me happy.” His next kiss was all passion, lips, and tongues, stoking my fire until my panties were wet. “So,” he murmured when he ended the kiss. “Enough days have passed since you got your birth control shot back at the hospital.”

“You’ve been keeping track.” Our eyes locked and the need we shared flared between us. “Are you on countdown mode?”

“Skin to skin,” he breathed. “Are you gonna make my dreams come true?”

“When you look at me like that,” I whispered between more kisses. “How can I not? Besides, I’ve missed you so much.”

His sexy smile sent thrill whispering an erotic melody throughout my body. “Help your one-handed worshipper get you naked, please.”

He worked his mouth over mine as he slowly stripped me, with my help, of course. My shirt came off first, then my skirt, followed by my bra. His eyes feasted on me as if I were his very own wonder. He nuzzled and licked my breasts as he lowered my panties, which I ended up throwing over my shoulder.

“I can’t have you missing me.” He nibbled on my earlobe. “That would be a crime, soulmate neglect. As long as you want me, you’re never gonna go without it—I mean, me.”

“Oh, I want you.” I flicked my tongue along the side of his neck and brushed my lips over his throat. “I want you so badly my pussy wants me to tell you all kinds of dirty, filthy things.”

“Do tell.” He wrapped his arms around me, and using his good hand, worked his skilled fingers all over me.

I whispered all kind of naughty endearments and watched in delight as his erection reacted to me. I sank into the world of his exquisite caresses. The room whirled around me as we reviewed some of those delicious lessons he’d given me. At some point, we ended up working our mouths and each other in what he called a succulent sixty-nine. When I couldn’t handle it any longer, I turned, straddled his lap, and looked down into his luminous eyes.

“Angel on top,” he announced with a straight face, and I discovered that every part of me could laugh and pulse with excruciating desire at the same time—my lips, my throat, my nipples, my pussy.

“I can’t wait,” I guided him into my drenched depths.

“Me neither.” In one thrust, he filled me up completely.

“Oh, God, yes,” I moaned. No latex separated our skins. It was a heady sensation that had me heaving in delight.

“Exquisite,” he murmured, his bright eyes fixed on my face as I ground my hips. “Missy Astor, you do know how much I love you, don’t you?”

“Oh, I know.” I leaned over him and murmured against his mouth. “Just as you should know that I adore you, and that you’re mine for life.”

“For life,” he agreed right before he kissed me and surged inside of me.

Pleasure was him. Joy meant having him inside of me. There was no safer place for me than in his arms, no freer space for my soul than sheltered inside his ginormous heart.

He made love to me, slowly at first, and fiercely many times after that. He taught me that I still had much to learn, and reminded me what an enjoyable act learning became when it involved our bodies. By the time we slowed down, the afternoon had run its course and the first stars popped out in the sky. I was sated and replete, with his seed, with his trust, with his love.

I reclined on his chest and watched sleep overtake his features. He looked younger when he slept, his ruggedly handsome face boyish and innocent in a way only I understood.

On the day I met Javier Guzman, my dreams had led me astray, for sure, but in the best possible way. We’d made it through disaster and come out alive on the other side, battered but not defeated, stronger and changed for the better.

I trusted myself, my dreams, and Javier. Whoever said dreams didn’t come true, didn’t know squat. I wasn’t afraid of dreaming anymore. Of living my dreams. Of being a dream walker, whatever my gift entailed.

I was free to be myself.

I closed my eyes and draped an arm over my lover, yielding to the world within. I dreamed of the future, of the challenges that lay ahead of us, and of the life I was going to build with the man of my dreams.