Unconscious Hearts

  He cleans between my legs with a tissue, then smooths down my dress and pulls me into his lap. One arm behind me, the other holding my left hand and moving the ring around with his thumb.

  "I think you forgot something," I whisper, looking at his face.

  He glances up and frowns.

  "Did you forget to ask me to marry you?"

  He tosses his head back, laughing loud and deep. The pain he used to hold himself back with nonexistent between us. He keeps laughing, and I just narrow my eyes and wait for him to stop.

  "This isn't funny. You're supposed to get on your knee and ask!"

  "Babe."

  I know that babe. That's the babe that says he didn't ask for a reason. A cocky reason.

  "You didn't ask because you knew I'd say yes?" I guess, knowing I'm right, but he confirms it when his smile just grows.

  "You love me?"

  "You woke me up and gave me my dreams. Of course, I love you."

  "You know I love you?"

  "Your heart beats for me."

  "Simple as that then, don't you think?"

  I smile.

  Then I push my face into his neck and burst out into tears.

  "Fucking hell, I should have known you'd start crying."

  "Shut up. You can't make me feel this much love for you that I leak when that hole inside me that your love filled gets too full and then laugh at me."

  "Babe, that makes no sense."

  "It makes all the sense! You fill me up! You did it when I was broken. You just found that empty hole and made sure it was patched up, then filled it up every day with your love. And you've continued to fill it up even though there's no more room."

  "Fuck," he breathes heavily.

  "You're going to be my husband." I gasp, lifting from his neck and smiling at him through my tears.

  "You're going to be my wife," he returns, the biggest grin I have ever seen on him rendering me momentarily speechless.

  "Thank you for waking me up, honey. Thank you for loving me the way only you can. I can't wait to be your wife. Even though you didn't ask, yes, I will marry you."

  He mumbles under his breath, and I watch his eyes get wet. "You're my everything, babe."

  "I beat for you, Thorn."

  "And I beat right back, baby. I'll never stop."

  He pulls me close, and just like every single time I'm in his arms with my ear pressed against his chest, I feel his heart pounding louder and louder, calling out for the heart that was made just for it. The answering thumps grabbing on and answering each one of those beats with one of its own.

  Beating for each other.

  The two unconscious hearts that woke up to their everything.

  The End.

  The Hearts of Vegas series will continue with Blind Hearts: Piper and Wilder's story.

  Ask me why he's in time-out

  "I thought you were heading out early today?"

  I look over at my office doorway and smile at my best friend, Piper. She doesn't return the gesture, though. In fact, she doesn't even seem to act like she really wanted an answer anyway. She's headed over to the corner of my office with one thing on her mind.

  Or, I should say, one person.

  "There you are, handsome little mini He-Man."

  I roll my eyes at her, but my smile stays in place when I hear my son cooing and babbling at her in response.

  "You know, you could at least pretend that you care about me?"

  She looks away from Nix long enough to roll her eyes at me, then returns to him and gives him a loud raspberry on his neck. My son, never one to shy away from affection, lets a squeal out before the most infectious giggles comes from his chubby little body. Just like his father, when my son laughs, he does it with every single fiber of his being.

  God, I love that sound.

  "So? What gives?" Piper asks a moment later, tucking Nix against her body, not caring that he immediately wraps his little fist around her necklace, pulling the expensive jewelry into his mouth.

  "What gives about what?"

  "You. You and Little He-Man being here when I know you planned on going home early today."

  I lean back in my chair and let out a low chuckle. "Ah, that. Well, Nix and I decided that Daddy can wait a little while for us."

  Piper sniggers.

  "What now?"

  "I bet he makes you call him Daddy, doesn't he?"

  "You really have no shame, do you?"

  Piper opens her mouth to, I'm sure, tell me something sarcastic and throw in a joke about my sex life, but when Nix gives a mighty yank, showing more strength than any six-month-old should have, she stops.

  "You're no longer allowed to tell me I can't call him little He-Man, Ari. I swear, he almost just beheaded me with that yank."

  I cock my head to the side and just look at her. What does she expect? She calls him Little He-Man because he's a huge baby, just like his father who she's been calling He-Man for over a year. At six-foot-four with muscles on his muscles, Thorn is nothing to sneeze at. Even if I wasn't over a foot shorter and of small stature, he would still be a giant to me. No one was shocked when Nix, following his giant father's footsteps, came out well over ten pounds.

  "Anyway," she says, after getting Nix to give up his prize and settle with one of his favorite teething toys. "Tell me why you and my favorite little guy are still here."

  "Because I own Trend, and I should be here?"

  "Ha! Yeah, right. You know the girls and I could run this place without you ever coming in. You told me yesterday that you were cutting out for an early start to your weekend."

  "Fine." I sigh with a grin. "If you must know, I'm here because I know Thorn expects me home. He doesn't know it yet, but he's in trouble and he's in time-out."

  "We're talking about the same Thorn Evans here, right? Your fiance? The same massive beast of a man who can make you fall to your knees with just one deep, rumbled 'babe'? That guy?"

  "Those 'babes' make even you pause, Pipe." I laugh.

  "The point, Ari."

  "The point is, my handsome husband thinks he can play God."

  Nix fusses, and I reach out for him. Piper, though she loves my boy, won't ever argue about handing him over when he's fussy.

  "Close the door, will you?"

  She gets up, and I wait for the door to close completely before pulling my silk blouse up and lowering the cup of my bra to settle Nix on my breast. He doesn't hesitate, relaxing in my arms and blinking his emerald eyes up at me while he nurses. My heart swells, and I run my fingers soothingly down his cheek. It's hard to remember when I wasn't so full of love and happiness, even if it was such a short time ago, but when I've got my son in my arms, it's impossible to think of anything but just that. Even without the blessing of him, Thorn would have done that all on his own, but my heavens, am I glad he blew into my life and changed it with a thirty second bet.

  "He wants another baby," I tell Piper.

  "Another baby! You just had a baby!"

  I laugh softly, looking away from my son when his eyes start to close, still nursing. I know from experience he won't let go of his meal until he's completely passed out.

  "Which is why he's in time-out."

  "I take it he didn't agree when you told him you didn't want another baby yet?"

  "I didn't say I didn't want another baby."

  Piper's face is nothing short of comical while she gawks at me. Her wide eyes going from me to my chubby baby, then back to me. "Look, I get how it might be easy to forget Little He-Man literally was just born months ago with him being the giant's spawn and all, but aren't you supposed to, I don't know, wait a year or so before growing another human?"

  "Look at him, Pipe. How can I not want more babies with the man I love? Two years ago, I never thought I would have this--have Thorn and our son, and be so loved I wake up every morning thinking I'm dreaming."

  "Uh, then what's the problem?" She frowns.

  "The problem, my friend, is Thorn."
r />   "Could you be any more confusing?"

  "We aren't even married yet, for one. I would actually like to share a last name with my man and our boy."

  "So get married. This is Vegas, Ari. You can be married in an hour if you want. That's a bullshit excuse, and you know it. What's the real issue?"

  "Nix."

  "What about Nix?"

  "He's just a baby, Pipe. He's still nursing." I take a deep breath, the movement rocking Nix enough that he lets go and settles against my naked breast in his sleep. I maneuver him to pull my bra back up, standing from my desk to place him in his portable crib. After tucking my shirt back into my pencil skirt, I turn to Piper and shrug. "It hasn't been that long. I remember what it's like to feel like I was alone. I guess it's just new for me, feeling this full. What if I don't have enough love for another baby, and they both suffer because of it?"

  Piper stands from her seat and walks over to me, placing her hands on my biceps and smiling. I feel like the weight of the world--my world--is resting on her telling me what I need to hear to ease my fears. She's right; everything I have been telling myself for the past three months since Thorn brought up another baby has been just masking the real issue--if I have enough love to give two children equally. Fears that have nothing to do with my sneaky husband, the fact that we aren't married yet, or our chats about another baby, and everything to do with the insecurities my heart still holds from the pain I lived before it started beating again from Thorn's love.

  "You have so much love in you, Ari. You could have a hundred He-Man babies, and you would still have so much to give. If that's what this is really all about, stop thinking that and let Thorn give you more of that beautiful life. That man loves you and Nix so much, I'm not shocked he wants more, but I know he would be okay with just the one you have if you didn't want more. Don't forget that."

  I sniff and wipe a tear away. It takes me about ten seconds of feeling the warmth of her words before I remember why this conversation started. I start laughing so hard she has to drop her hands. I hold my hand up, shaking my head and moving away from Nix over to the couch and drop down.

  "Uh, you okay?"

  "Ask me why he's in time-out, Pipe." I laugh, wiping a whole different kind of tears away this time.

  "Right. Urm. Why is your forty-two-year-old man in time-out?"

  "That, Pipe, would be because he started tossing my birth control three months ago. Two months before he even brought up the fact he wanted another baby, I might add."

  "Stop it!" She gasps.

  I let a few more chuckles out, shaking my head with a smile. "At first, I thought I was losing my mind. I was so forgetful right after I had Nix, it wouldn't have been a stretch. It was during my sugar pill week, so I just refilled the script the next day and moved on. When I went to start those, they were gone too. Luckily, I had another pack that I was able to take when I realized what was going on. It's been two months' worth of me placing a decoy pack down and just not mentioning it when I would find it gone later."

  "Wow."

  "Yeah, that's a good summary."

  "So you're hiding out here, why?"

  "I'm not hiding out. I'm just making him sweat a little. I called him at lunch and told him when he got home we needed to talk. I've been ignoring his texts and calls since then. I may have purposely waited until I knew he would be tied up at The Alibi, too," I add, smiling when I think about him being stuck at work--at the strip club he owns.

  "I'm surprised that even stopped him."

  "Oh, it didn't. At first. Then I sent him a text that basically said if I saw him before I got home, he wouldn't be happy."

  "Empty threat," she deadpans, smiling and rolling her eyes.

  "Completely. He doesn't know that, though. So he's at home, and I'll deal with him when I get there."

  "That should be interesting." She laughs.

  I just smile. Interesting? That's putting it lightly. By the end of tonight, it's not just going to be his world that's rocked.

  "Enough about me. I've got about an hour to kill before I head home. How about you tell me what's going on between you and a certain man you've been spending more time with?"

  Her smile drops when she snaps her mouth shut, and she narrows her eyes. It's the blush that hits her cheeks--a blush I haven't seen on her face since middle school--at the mention of who I know she's been spending more time with, that tells me everything she isn't.

  "You know what else is interesting?"

  Her eyes go to slits, but I know she's not embarrassed.

  "Watching you two? Now that's getting interesting."

  When she gets up and leaves my office without responding, her blush even deeper, I can't help but laugh so hard my belly hurts. Piper isn't ever at a loss for words, but one man sure does it for her.

  Interesting indeed.

  Just like every night

  My phone rings from across the kitchen. I glance up at the clock and frown when I see the time. Ari was supposed to be home at four--two hours ago.

  Fuck.

  I've been sitting here with my goddamn thumb up my ass for the past three hours waiting. I haven't waited for Ari since the very beginning of our relationship when she slipped away from my bed the first time I had her. However, I knew she needed that space then, just like I know she needed it today. And just like back then, I have no fucking clue why she needed that space I was giving her.

  "What?" I snap, the phone against my ear.

  "What's got you pissed? You just spent the whole day watching girls get naked."

  I feel the vibration in my throat before the growl leaves my lips.

  "Or was it dick in your face and not pussy?"

  "Shut the fuck up, Wilder."

  "It was dicks, wasn't it?"

  "No," I grunt.

  "And you're pissed after a day of watching women get naked because?"

  "Not one of them was Ari, Wil. I think you get what I mean."

  His laughter comes over the line. "I thought Ari didn't get pissed about you seeing naked chicks all day?"

  "She doesn't get pissed."

  "So you've said, yet every time you open the doors to audition for new dancers, you're in a shit mood for a week."

  I walk over to the medicine cabinet and pull some Advil down.

  "She thinks it's fucking hilarious. Ari doesn't have a jealous bone in her body. She doesn't get pissed ... I do."

  This time, Wilder laughs so loudly, I have to pull the phone away from my ear. I drop it on the counter long enough to toss two pills in my mouth and swallow them with a long drink of water. By the time I pick the phone back up, he's still laughing.

  "Not fucking funny, Wilder."

  "You own a strip club, and you get pissed about chicks dancing for you?"

  "Keep that shit up."

  "Or what, Thorn?" he taunts.

  "How's your lady problems?"

  Wilder stops laughing.

  "You done?"

  "Well played, Thorn. Well played."

  "She wants to talk. I was stuck at The Alibi all day with appointments for new talent. I know she fucking planned the 'I want to talk' text because she knew I couldn't get out of that shit. I swear to fucking God, Wil, if she pushes the wedding back again, I don't care what she fucking says, Elvis is marrying us."

  "Who says it's a bad talk, man?"

  "The follow-up text that came after I kept trying to call her. I had some young chick shaking her ass on the stage trying real fucking hard to get my attention, but all I saw was her telling me I wouldn't be fucking happy if I didn't wait for her to get home."

  "I take it the chick didn't get one of the open spots?"

  "What the fuck do you think?"

  "Did you even fill any of the spots?"

  "The Alibi is the best goddamn strip club in Vegas. You think I didn't fill those spots even with my girl twisting my fucking head up? My pockets are fucking loaded because I can spot talent without seeing the naked body. If she's got to be desperate
for my attention, she isn't The Alibi material anyway."

  "Cocky bastard."

  "Didn't hurt that I had Ari's list of favorites, so I didn't even need to watch a quarter of them anyway."

  His laughter booms through again. "Ari's picking the dancers now?"

  "Got a good eye, Wil. I wouldn't hire them without seeing it for myself, but she called each fucking one that I would have picked up anyway just from their submission videos."

  "It's fucking weird that you guys bond over strippers."

  "Female, Wil. Female strippers. Ari might not be jealous, but I sure as fuck am."

  "Whatever, Thorn. Go enjoy your night and stop acting like you have a vagina. Maybe she just wants to tell you she's moving the date up and not back."

  "Unless it's tomorrow, it won't be soon enough."

  I move over to the range at the same time I hear her car pulling into the garage under the kitchen.

  About fucking time.

  I finish stirring the sauce, then place the spoon down on the stupid little mini-plate Ari bought for spoons next to the range.

  "Ari's home."

  I disconnect the call without another word and lean against the counter, watching the door that leads up from the garage. I normally wouldn't let her open her door without being down there to help her with Nix, but fuck, she made it clear she wanted me to wait for her. Which I'll do, but the second she steps in this house, I'm done waiting.

  A few minutes later, the door opens, and I hear my boy babbling my name softly. His sweet voice saying da da humbles me to the core every single time I've heard it since the first time he gave me that gift. My eyes hit Ari's when she steps into the room, but I glance away when Nix lets out a scream.

  "Da! Dadadada. DA!"

  "Babe," I say, looking away from Nix when Ari doesn't move to step closer--giving me what I need.

  "Da!" Nix continues, getting louder than before.

  I raise a brow. Rolling her eyes, she steps forward, dropping her keys and purse on the island before stepping around it and moving closer. Nix keeps going, getting more impatient by the second that he's not in my arms yet.

  I feel you, Nix. I feel the same way when your mama doesn't greet me right, too.

  "One of these days, I'm going to give you one of those babes and wait for you to come to me, Thorn Evans."

  "No, you fucking won't. You're too hungry for me."

  "God, you're cocky."

  "So I've heard." She doesn't move, standing just out of my reach with Nix going nuts to be in my arms. "Babe. Last time you made me wait for it, I threw your teasing shit right back in your face when I didn't let you come for an hour."