Page 83 of Silent Desires

“All right, whoever gets the best laugh out of her before we get home gets out of all chores for a week,” I declare to everyone in the SUV.

“Oh, it’s on!” Max chuckles, rubbing his hands together in excitement.

“Are you playing too?” Ben asks, and I nod.

“I’m in.”

“Me too,” voices echo around the car.

“Now give me my Princess. I need a hug,” Ben says, opening his arms to her.

Jasper pushes Max’s shoulder, as he says, “all right, here you go.” Mina chuckles at his antics, making us all smile.

“Jasper’s the one to beat now,“ I tell them.

“All right, come here, Princess.” Ben pulls Mina into his lap gently. He peppers her face with kisses, making her giggle. Then, with a serious face, he says, “I ordered a chicken and an egg online. I’ll let you know which comes first.” Her eyebrows tilt down in confusion, but when she finally gets the joke, a huge smile breaks out on her face.

Hecontinues. “Where was King David’s temple located? Beside his ear. Why was Cinderella so bad at soccer? She kept running away from the ball.” That one pushes the laughter out of her, and she rests her head on his shoulder with a big smile on her face.

“Ben’s got the lead,” I announce to the car.

“Ah, shouldn’t we be going home now?” Ben asks.

“I thought we were waiting on the other two,” Max says.

“No, they came in their own car, and Tucker will bring your truck home for you.”

“Okay, I’ll get us home then.” Max starts the SUV and pulls out of the parking lot.

“I’ve waited long enough. Give me my Malishka now,” Atlas demands, opening his arms toward them. Mina turns toward him in the back seat and slowly climbs over, flashing us a bit of her panties on the way. I stifle a groan as I make eye contact with Ben, who smirks at me. Why isn’t she wearing tights or leggings? It’s too cold to go bare-legged.

I watch as Atlas looks her over for injuries. When he seems satisfied with what he sees, he kisses her forehead and holds her close. I raise an eyebrow at him as if to say,Your turn.

“Why does Santa Claus have such a big sack? He only comes once a year.” That gets the biggest laugh out of her yet, and Atlas smirks at me.

Max pipes up from the front. “How do you circumcise a hillbilly? Kick his sister in the jaw.” She keeps laughing as she clings to Atlas.

“Atlas is still in the lead,” I tell them.

“Hey, Angel?” Jasper says. She looks over at him as he pretends to push a pencil into his head, then pulls it out the other side. It’s like a magic trick for infants. When she just stares at him, he does it again, pretending to push it through his pouting lower lip, making her laugh.

“Hmm, I still think it’s Atlas,” I say. He smiles proudly as he kisses her temple and holds her close.

I smirk as an idea comes to me. I’m not sure if she’s ticklish or where, but I bet I can win if I find out. I lean over the seat and stroke her face with my fingers. I don’t want her to see it coming. Her feet are on the seat with her knees bent. I trail my fingers over her bare knees, then, as I reach behind them, I dig in and tickle her. She squeals so loud it makes me burst out laughing.

“All right,” Max chuckles from the front as he pulls into our driveway. “What did you do to get that winning laugh out of her?”

I smirk at her. She shakes her head, widening her eyes, and places her finger over my lips to keep me quiet. I smile and kiss her finger, making her blush.

“Ahh, that’s my secret,” I tell him as we all move to get out.

Atlas carries her in while she clings to his chest. My phone buzzes in my pocket. I pull it out and see it’s the chief.

“Chief,” I answer, hanging back while the others move to the house.

“Rossi. We got another body. Same MO. A seventeen-year-old girl named Rachel.”

“Shit. That’s less than a week. We’ve never seen it escalate that fast before.”

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