Dangerous Desires

19

Mark chuckled softly, his hand still resting on my belly. "Yeah, I can imagine," he said. "He's always been protective of you, but I bet he's taken it up a notch now that you're carrying his baby."

"You know when I joined the team when I was 16, he made me feel so loved and you guys did that too. You all brought me in when I was young and scared and I appreciate you all,".

The men's expressions softened as I spoke, touched by my heartfelt words of gratitude. "Of course, we welcomed you into the team when you were young and scared. You were like a little lost puppy, and we couldn't just leave you out there to fend for yourself," Mark said, his voice warm with affection.

The other men nodded in agreement, their eyes gleaming with fondness. "You were so tiny and timid when we first found you," one of them said. "We all knew instantly that we had to take you under our wing."

"And now look at you," Mark said, his hand giving my belly a gentle pat. "You've become such a strong and independent person, and now you're going to be a mother. We're all so proud of you, Indira."

I smiled at their words "Thank you... you are all like a great brother and uncle figures..."

The men smiled back, their eyes brimming with affection and pride. "You're welcome, sweetheart," Mark said, his arm around my shoulders tightening a little. "We love you like family, and we always will."

"And trust me, little one, these uncles are going to spoil you rotten once you're born," one of the other men spoke up, grinning broadly.

Upon hearing Arsenio's call, the men perked up and looked eager to get their hands on some food. "Guess that's our cue," Mark said, standing up and holding out a hand to help me up as well.

Mark helped me up and made sure I was steady on my feet, his hand still holding mine even after I was up. "Come on, let's go eat before these guys finish everything," he said, gesturing towards the men who were already making their way towards the kitchen.

The men laughed and joked amongst themselves as they headed towards the kitchen, their voices and energy filling the air. "Hurry up, you two, we're starving!" One of them called back to me and Mark.

Mark chuckled and shook his head, amused by their impatience. "We're coming, we're coming," he said, still holding onto my hand as he led me towards the kitchen. "No need to get pushy, you bunch of vultures."

Arsenio was just serving the food, looking up as I approached him and wrapped my arms around him. He smiled warmly, his expression softening as he looked into my eyes. "Hey, there you are," he said, setting the ladle down and turning to embrace me properly. "Hungry?"

"Starving," I replied nuzzling my face into his chest.

He chuckled softly, his arms encircling me in a warm and comforting embrace. "I knew this stir-fry would hit the spot," he said, his voice low and tender. "Let me finish dishing this up, and then you can sit down and dig in."

He gave me a gentle squeeze before reluctantly letting me go so he could finish preparing the food. The aroma of the stir-fry filled the air, making my stomach growl with anticipation.

The men had already taken their seats at the table, impatiently waiting for the food to be served. "Come on, boss, we're starving over here," one of them said, his tone playful but edged with impatience.

Arsenio laughed and shook his head, clearly amused by their eagerness. "Calm down, you bunch of animals," he said, ladling the stir-fry onto each plate and dishing up generous portions. "Food's coming, just hold your horses."

The men groaned and fidgeted in their seats, their eyes following Arsenio's every movement as he placed the plates of food in front of them. Some of them even started making exaggerated moaning noises at the sight and smell of the food.

"Oh, come on, you guys are acting like you've never seen food before," Arsenio said, rolling his eyes at their theatrics. "I swear, sometimes it's like you've been living on nothing but air for days."

"I don't blame them, I feel like I haven't eaten in days," I said as I sat down.

Arsenio chuckled sympathetically, understanding my hunger. "Yeah, I know. Pregnancy can really take a lot out of you," he said, setting a plate in front of me filled with the fragrant stir-fry. "But you need to make sure you're eating enough, for both you and the baby."

"I am!" I looked at the food and I thought that something was missing "Is there any maple syrup?" I asked.

Arsenio's eyes widened in confusion and surprise at my request. "Maple syrup... for the stir-fry?" he repeated, clearly taken aback. "That's... an interesting choice. But I think we might have some in the pantry."

He glanced towards the pantry, trying to recall if he had any maple syrup stashed away in there. "Let me check," he said, walking over to the pantry and opening the door. After rummaging around for a moment, he emerged holding a bottle of maple syrup. "Found some," he said, a slight look of bewilderment still on his face.

I got excited "Gimme,".

Arsenio couldn't help but chuckle at my enthusiasm as he walked over to me holding the bottle of maple syrup. "Alright, alright, here you go," he said, handing the syrup to me. "Honestly, I've never seen anyone put syrup on stir-fry before," he added, raising an eyebrow at me with curiosity.

"The baby wants it," I poured the syrup on before giving it a good mix.

Arsenio couldn't help but smile at my explanation. "The baby wants it, huh?" he said, his tone affectionate and amused. "Well, I guess I can't argue with that. As long as it makes you eat, I'm all for it."

The men, who had been silently watching the exchange, looked at me in shock and bewilderment. "Wait... you're putting syrup on your stir-fry?" One of them asked, dumbfounded.