Page 7 of Creole Kingpin
Aurora Mount is the princess of this castle. When she sees me, she lets out an earsplitting screech, her chubby arms waving in the air. Her hair, a deep auburn, sticks out in every direction, curling at the ends.
Keira scoops her up and rises to greet me. “Clearly, we’re happy to see you.” A bright smile lights up her green eyes as she laughs.
“And I’m always so damn happy to see you both.” My words come out sounding normal, thank God.
I close the distance between us, reaching out to squeeze them in a hug. Then I steal the little miss, who clings to my neck with sticky fingers, making the transition from her mom to me like a monkey.
I welcome the distraction from my thoughts as I bounce her on my hip, blocking out thoughts of the man I just saw. “What have you been doing, Rory? Keeping your mama and daddy busy?”
Aurora offers a long-winded reply, but I only understand about ten percent of her baby talk.
Keira translates. “She’s having snacks and they’re the best ever, and if you want some, you’re more than welcome to share them with her.”
With Aurora’s solid body in my arms, I glance at a small plate of kiddie treats on the table and back to the baby’s chubby cheeks. “Thank you for the offer, princess. But they’re all yours.”
She smiles at me, and some of the bad juju following me through the halls of Mount’s kingdom falls away. But not quickly enough, because Keira’s green gaze sharpens on me with a laser focus.
“Something wrong? What did Lachlan want?”
It’s still weird to hear her call the man I just met withLachlan.It makes him sound almost human, and I’m not convinced he is.
“Nothing’s wrong. He was just passing along some information.” I give her a wink.
She should know better than to ask me to divulge anything Mount has said. If he wants her to know, he’ll tell her.
I continue, changing the subject. “Damn, it’s good to see you, though.Shit. Wait. Goddamn it, Keira, how do you not curse in front of this adorable freaking baby?”
Her lips press together as she studies me, which tells me I did a crap job of covering up what I was feeling by the time I walked into the courtyard. “It’s a work in progress. You sure you’re okay?”
Her questioning tone confirms my thought. Keira may be my best friend, but we’ve always lived in two very different worlds. Hiding the truth from her is second nature to me. Short of that, I sugarcoat the shit out of most everything I tell her.
“How could I be anything but perfect with this angel in my arms?”
Keira’s face changes completely as she smiles at her daughter with pure adoration. “She is pretty freaking magical. Until she starts screaming, and then only her daddy can make her stop.”
I’ve only seen Mount with Aurora once, but that’s all I needed to know without a doubt that the ruthless king of New Orleans is utterly and completely wrapped around his baby girl’s finger. It almost made my black heart skip a beat, and that’s saying something.
“I still don’t know why you don’t hate me, Ke-ke.” I don’t mean to say it, but it’s something I think about a lot. Plus, my emotions are raw as hell with all that’s happened in the last hour. Being dealt the Devil card. Meeting with the ruthless king. Catching sight of a ghost from my past.
Keira’s smile changes, but it doesn’t fade. “How could I? Without you, I wouldn’t have everything I love most in my life.”
Something burns behind my eyes, but there’s no way it’s tears. I don’t cry. So I swallow the stupid returning lump and shrug a shoulder. “I’m happy for you, Ke-ke. I really am.”
I peel Aurora off my neck and Keira takes her from me, raining kisses on her face before snuggling the baby against her body.
“Now if only we could seeyouthis happy, Mags.”
Fucking hell.I keep trying to turn this conversation in the direction of safe ground, but shit like this just makes me think ofhim.
My heart thumps hard as the vision of those greenish-gold eyes set in that golden-tanned face flashes through my brain once more.
Why the fuck is he here? After all this time?
The man best not think he’s getting anywhere near me, because I don’t want a damn thing to do with him.
“Mags?”
I press my lips together before forcing them into a smile. “Some of us just aren’t built for that kind of happy. I’ll settle for being gorgeous, rich, and in total control of my whole life.”
