Free While We Waited (The Reed Brothers #8) by Tammy Falkner Page A

just didn’t realize how powerful. I pulled her against me, hoping just to help her calm down, to center herself. But it was me that went sideways when I held her in my arms.
    And now I’m naked in the bathroom getting hard again at the thought of holding her in my arms. We were in a public hallway. She’d just been stabbed by her mother. And I was hard as steel then, and hard as steel now.
    Finch is a tiny little thing. Her long dark hair was piled on top of her head in that awkward bun, and I know it hangs down over her shoulders when she sets it free. In my mind, I can still see it spread out over her pillow. I love dragging my fingers through her hair. But since it was pulled up in a bun when I held her, I let myself drag my fingertips up and down the ridges of her spine instead.
    I’d halfway expected her to slap me, but I’m not even sure she noticed how she affected me. I’m sure I was just something to do. An easy fuck. Right. I hope she didn’t notice the way she affected me. She’ll think I have bad intentions, and I don’t. I don’t have any intentions at all.
    Or at least I didn’t.
    Now my only intention is going to be to stay the heck away from Finch Vasquez. Because I feel a connection to her. And connections are scary and dangerous and they make you stupid. I can’t afford to be stupid. I have Benji to take care of, and I can’t let anything affect the fact that I currently have a roof over his head, some formula to put in his belly, and diapers to cover his behind, but…
    …I could lose everything if I’m not careful. And that means I have to be very careful with Finch.
    I push the thoughts of her to the side, because she belongs behind a door labeled Happiness, and that door has been firmly locked to me my whole life. I’ve never been given the key, and I doubt I ever will.

Finch
    There’s a quick rap on the front door and I jump up to go to my room, but just as quickly the lock turns and the door opens. Peck and Star walk into the room, and they’re carrying lots and lots of shopping bags. Peck has a carrier with her baby in it, and Wren immediately goes to get him out of it.
    “You t-take Sammy out and he’s going to w-wake up hungry,” Peck warns.
    I look around at all the junk. “Are you doing meals on wheels again?”
    Star shakes her head. “We went baby shopping.” She grins.
    “You’re barely pregnant,” I scold.
    “It’s not for me, dummy,” Star says. “It’s all for Tag and his baby.”
    I wave my hand over the piles and piles of stuff. “You bought all this for that little thing in there?” I jerk my thumb toward Tag’s room.
    “Well, Tag didn’t have anything with him. We thought he could use some stuff.” Star shrugs.
    “Wait a minute!” I cry. “Aren’t you supposed to be on your honeymoon? Why the fuck are you out shopping instead of screwing that amazingly sexy husband of yours?”
    She winces. “Oh my god,” she breathes. “My vagina is sore already. I couldn’t go one more time on that swing.” She grins. “Well, not until tonight, anyway.”
    “So the swing was a hit?” I ask.
    “Oh hell yeah! You can do some crazy shit with that thing. Upside down. Right side up. Backward. Forward. You name it.”
    Sammy starts to cry, and Peck holds out her arms to take him from Wren. “I w-warned you,” she says. Then she sits down and lifts her shirt. He makes a sweet little humming sound as he finds his breakfast. Wren rubs his head. “Be quick about it, dude,” she says. “Aunty Wren wants to play with you.” He pops off Peck’s boob long enough to grin at Wren. Then he turns his head and dives back in.
    A noise sounds from Tag’s room.
    “Oh, another baby! I’ll go get that one!” Wren cries.
    “There are entirely too many children in this apartment,” I grumble.
    Wren comes back carrying Benji, and she has the back of her hand pressed against his forehead. “Does he feel warm to you?” she asks. She lowers him like she wants me to