Ask Me If I Care (SWAT Generation 2.0 4)

The girl looked somewhat appeased and continued to pass out hot sauce.

Sammy paid extra special attention to the girl and even turned his head when she leaned slightly to reach the other side of the table.

The girl blushed all over again.

“Hi, Rowen!”

Rowen looked over at Asa, who’d come away from his mother to get his drink off the table.

Booth and Bourne were standing up talking to them in low tones.

“Hello, Mr. Asa.” Rowen held out her hand and he high-fived it. “How are you today?”

“I’m well, thank you,” Asa said. “Did you know that I’ll be learning addition next week?”

Rowen looked at him with wide eyes. “That’s so cool. Aren’t you a little young for that, though?”

Asa puffed up his little chest, looking exactly like his dad in that moment.

“I most certainly am not!” he assured Rowen.

Just then Nico walked in the door, and Rowen was all but forgotten.

Asa ran to his grandfather.

Nico caught the kid mid-jump, bringing him up to his face and smothering the kid in kisses.

Asa giggled and laughed, only tolerating kisses from three people—at least from what I’d been able to tell—his grandfather, his uncle and his dad.

“Hi, my name is Annie and I’ll be taking your order tonight. Can I start everyone off with some drinks?”

We all turned away from the cuteness overload—seeing one of our big bad KPD instructors smothered in kisses from his adorable grandson—and toward the waitress and gave our drink orders.

Rowen finally sat down and placed her order, as did Booth and Bourne who were all but forgotten thanks to Nico.

The two women who’d come in for Asa waited by the door for the kid to be done. But both of them had small smiles on their faces.

“And you, sir?” Waitress Annie asked.

I looked down at my menu, really wanting a beer.

Sadly, beer made my nightmares worse, so I chose sweet tea instead.

She moved on, and I reached for a chip from the bowl that was now in the middle of the table.

“How can you eat that without a drink?” Ares asked curiously.

I popped the chip saturated in hot sauce into my mouth before answering.

“Just like that,” I teased.

She rolled her eyes and pinched me lightly on the thigh, and just that small touch was enough to have my dick going half hard again.

“Hey, Rowen,” Ares said once she was finished, oblivious of my plight. “Where did you get that jacket? I love it. It looks so soft, too.”

“I got it at Sam’s today,” she said. “It was on sale for fifteen dollars. And it is soft, feel.”

Rowen extended her arm for Ares and Ares ran her fingers lightly over the fabric. “It’s like being hugged by a cloud.”

“Want to feel?” Rowen asked, holding her hand out to me.

I shook my head. “Not really sure that your man would be as accommodating if I felt you up as he is with Ares.”

I looked down the table to see Dax more than aware of where his wife was and what she was doing.

Rowen snickered and dropped her arm back down.

And the rest of the night went off smoothly. Everybody brought Ares into the fold as if she’d always been there. And, for some of them, she had.

Dinner was eaten. Shop was talked. The girls consumed dessert.

And then it was time to go.

The drive to Ares’ apartment was silent.

Mostly because the moment that she got into my truck, she’d fallen asleep.

I didn’t know whether to be flabbergasted or find it adorable.

I chose to find it adorable.

When I reached out at a red light and gently moved her hair out of her face, she curled into my hand.

And I chose to leave it there, even though it was incredibly awkward, until we arrived at her apartment complex.

Leaving the truck running since I knew that I wouldn’t be spending very much time at her place, I got out, pocketed my key fob and rounded the truck.

When I opened her door, she didn’t wake.

“Ares, baby,” I said, unbuckling the seatbelt. “You’re here.”

She flicked open one of her eyes and immediately closed it.

And instead of going back into the position that she was in, she leaned into me and buried her face into my neck.

I laughed softly and gathered her into my arms.

As much as I’d like to walk her all the way into the apartment like that, I didn’t think that I could.

So, reluctantly, I pulled her out of the truck and helped her stand.

She moaned into my neck and wrapped her arms around my shoulders.

“Whhhhy?” she moaned.

Laughing, I helped guide her to her door.

By the time we reached it, she was more awake, but only just barely.

Reaching for the keys that were in her hand, I unlocked the door and opened it up for her, then went ahead and guided her to her bed.

She stopped halfway there and shook her head. “I have to brush my teeth.”