Leader Lion (Protection, Inc 5)

Rafa

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Rafa Flores was done with one-night stands.

But he was never, ever going to admit it. Ever. Especially not to his annoyingly happy mated friends who kept telling him to give up the flings and go find his own mate. As if it was that easy!

So Rafa plastered on a smug grin for his teammate Nick, who had just elbowed him in the ribs and said, “Hey, Rafa, your shirt’s unbuttoned. Did your stripper-of-the-night grab you by it on your way out the door?”

“One: model, not stripper,” Rafa replied. “And two: there were two of them. Blonde... gorgeous... twins. Identical.”

The entire team had gathered at Protection, Inc. after their boss Hal had called them in, along with the mates of everyone who had mates, so Hal and his mate could tell them some good news in person. He’d greeted them all in the lobby as he stood with his arm around Ellie, his sweet and brave paramedic mate.

Rafa had a pretty good idea of what the news would be, and from the excited way everyone had been watching Hal and Ellie, they all did too. But once Rafa had claimed that he’d left twin models in his bed, everybody turned to stare at him.

Hal and Ellie only glanced at him for a second before they went back to gazing lovingly at each other, with curvy little Ellie nestled against Hal’s huge side. They were clearly too wrapped up in each other and their big news to care if Rafa had just had sex with every single contestant on America’s Top Model. Simultaneously.

Nick looked reluctantly impressed. Then he folded his arms across his chest, making the sleeves of his black leather jacket ride up and expose more of his werewolf gang tattoos, and muttered, “Whatever, Rafa. Hope you left them identical fucking mugs of coffee.”

Nick’s dragon shifter mate, Raluca, raised her elegant silver eyebrows at Rafa in mild revulsion. She’d once been a princess, and Rafa could see her royal training in both how tacky she clearly found his announcement and how much better she was than Nick at dropping her initial expression and replacing it with one of cool unconcern.

Lucas, who had also once been royalty, and his free-spirited mate Journey gave Rafa a pair of “what the hell” glances, then returned their gazes to Hal and Ellie, whose upcoming news they clearly found much more interesting than anything Rafa could possibly get up to in bed.

Catalina, the newest member of the bodyguard team, grinned at Rafa. “Wow, twins. What an adventure! I hope you all had fun.”

Rafa made sure he sounded blissfully satisfied when he replied, “It was unforgettable for all three of us.”

But his teammates Fiona and Shane kept right on eyeing him with similar— no, identical— looks of suspicion in her clear green eyes and his icy blue ones. Obviously neither of them believed a word he’d said. But they wouldn’t contradict him; they had enough secrets of their own to know how to keep one.

His teammate Destiny’s shoulders shook with barely-suppressed laughter. As he watched, she ducked her head, sending her box braids flying around her face, and actually stuffed her knuckles against her mouth to stifle her snickers. She obviously didn’t buy his story either. Rafa was sure the only reason she wasn’t jumping all over him was because she didn’t want to step on Hal and Ellie’s moment, but intended to tease the hell out of him later.

In fact, Fiona, Destiny, and Shane were right. There were no models, twins or otherwise. The depressing truth was that Rafa had leaned over his cold and empty bed to take Hal’s call, guessed what the news would be, and had been so torn between happiness for his best friend and gloom at the thought that he’d never be able to make the same announcement himself that he’d forgotten to button his shirt.

Rafa hurriedly zipped his jacket over it.

Hal cleared his throat. In his rumbling voice, he began, “Guys...”

“And ladies,” Raluca put in.

“And ladies,” Hal echoed with a grin. “Ellie, take it away.”

If Rafa hadn’t guessed already, he would have then. Ellie had the proverbial glow all over her. Her soft curves were plumper than usual, her cheeks were pinker, her blue-green eyes were brighter, and even her sandy blonde hair seemed more curly, as if it had been infused with extra life.

“We’re pregnant!” Ellie announced. Then her cheeks went even pinker. “I mean, I’m pregnant. We’re going to have a baby!”

Hal’s deep tones cut through the chorus of congratulations that instantly arose. “Two babies. Ellie’s having twins!”

That part did surprise Rafa. “Congratulations! That’s fantastic!”

“Yeah, that’s great!” Destiny said to Ellie and Hal. Then she jabbed Rafa in the ribs, hitting the exact same spot Nick had already smacked. “Twins. What a coincidence.”

Rafa stifled a groan. Of all the times for him to invent imaginary twins! Now his teammates would never let him hear the end of it.

“They run in the family,” Ellie said. A brief shadow flickered across her face, dimming her happy smile. She was a twin herself, with a brother who was a Recon Marine. “Don’t be afraid to mention Ethan, guys. I know you’re all thinking about him. He’d be here if he could. But he’s on another hush-hush mission who knows where, the sort where you can’t get phone calls. He’ll have to get the good news when he comes back.”

Rafa felt an odd mixture of sympathy and nostalgia at her words. He and Hal had once been on the same Navy SEAL team, so he knew all about no-call secret missions and missing important family news for months.

“I hope he’ll be home in time for Christmas,” Rafa said, his voice pitched to only be heard by Ellie and Hal.

“Thanks,” said Hal.

Ellie gave Rafa a wistful smile, clearly appreciating his words but not thinking them very likely. “Yeah. Me too.”

Another flood of congratulations and questions rose up.

“Boys or girls or one of each?” Catalina asked.

“Fraternal or... ah... identical?” Raluca inquired, then shot Rafa a quick but cutting glare to make it clear that she did not appreciate him making her embarrassed to ask the obvious question.

“Or do you know?” Shane didn’t seem the slightest bit perturbed by the twin issue, to Rafa’s relief. But that had nothing to do with Rafa; Shane was imperturbable.

“We’re letting it be a surprise,” Hal replied. “On all counts.”

“Have you already selected possible names?” Lucas asked.

“When’s the baby shower?” Journey called out.

Catalina stifled her, whispering, “We’ll throw it.”

“Fucking awesome, man,” Nick said, his green eyes glittering with excitement. “Two at once—that’s a fucking great start on a pack. I mean family. Twins! Fuck yeah!”

For the millionth time, Rafa thought, How the hell did Nick find his mate when I’m still alone?

It wasn’t that he didn’t like Nick. He loved Nick like a brother, the same as he loved all his teammates. In fact, he loved Nick just like a brother—the sort of little brother who annoyed the living daylights out of you and needed to be thoroughly teased on a regular basis to keep him in line.

But seriously, Nick? The hot-tempered ex-gangster who couldn’t open his mouth without dropping eleven f-bombs? How had he found an elegant, intelligent, courageous, former princess dragon shifter mate when Rafa, who everyone said was quite a catch, had been left out in the cold?

Rafa didn’t begrudge Nick his happiness. All the same, to borrow Nick’s own words, life could be fucking unfair.

Rafa shook his head, sending his mane of black hair flying around his face and tossing the thought away with it. He was fine with being single. He had complete freedom. No howling babies to give him sleepless nights. If he wanted sex, all he had to do was stroll into a bar, find a pretty woman sitting alone, and smile at her.

Who needed mates, anyway?

We do, rumbled his lion. And we’re done with one-night stands. Remember?

Stop reminding me, he replied silently.

His lion was the worst at jarring him out of fantasies that his life really was as perfect as other people thought it was. Now it was impossible for him to forget that babysitting Ellie and Hal’s twins would be the closest he’d ever get to having children.

Just like watching his teammates find their mates was the closest he’d ever get to finding his own.