I was sure I’d never seen anything as beautiful in my life. From the veins popping out on his wide neck, to his broad shoulders, to the ripped muscles on his chest. His biceps flexed as he held on to me, as if he planned on keeping me right here forever.

  When he began to come down from his own climax, his head dropped to the crook of my neck, and he inhaled deeply. His arms tightened their hold on me. “I fucking worship you.” His breath was hot against my skin. “Love isn’t a strong enough word. It never has been with you. I’m not a religious man, but being inside of you is a spiritual experience.” He lifted his head, and his eyes met mine. “Don’t fucking destroy me again. Please.” The urgency in his words broke me.

  Gage was a lot to take in. He was terrifying and thrilling, all at once.

  I placed a hand against his cheek, and he rubbed his face against my palm.

  “You scare me, terrify me even, excite me, and humble me, all within a few minutes. I imagine teenage me didn’t know how to deal with you. She wasn’t ready for all this … but I am.”

  His hand covered mine, and he closed his eyes as he inhaled sharply. “I need inside you again,” he said as he opened his eyes up.

  I smiled and slid my legs around his waist.

  Thirty-Four

  Shiloh

  Trinity handed me a sheet pan that she had pulled out of the oven. “Put those on that red tray over there. I’ve got to get the hot wings finished. Can you get the dips set out with the chips, veggies, and crackers from over there?” She pointed to the counter behind us.

  “On it,” I replied.

  We had been in the kitchen since before noon. Gage had tried three times to get me alone, but I wasn’t leaving Trinity in here to make all this food. It was my first ever Super Bowl party, and although I knew nothing about the NFL—or football for that matter—everyone seemed excited because Florida had a team in the big game. New voices kept arriving, but they were gathering in the living room. Very few had come into the kitchen.

  I was arranging the veggies when I felt Gage move in behind me. Smiling, I glanced back over my shoulder to look at him. This weekend had been nice. I liked it here. While Huck was large and intimidating, his fiancée was warm and friendly. Not that this meant I wanted to move in and become a Mafia girlfriend or whatever, but in the future, maybe this wouldn’t be so bad.

  “These leggings are fucking with me,” he whispered in my ear. “I want to bend you over and fuck you while I grab this ass.”

  “With a house full of people, that’s not the best idea,” I replied.

  He kissed the side of my neck. “We can go to my room. Take off these damn leggings, and I’ll lick that sweet pussy until you pass out.”

  I sucked in a breath, trying not to get turned on, although that was difficult when Gage was pressed against my back. His smell, the heat from his body, and the thick erection all made it hard to concentrate.

  “Get off her so she can help Trinity with the food,” Levi complained as he walked into the kitchen. “You can’t hump her in the kitchen.” He paused, then shrugged. “I take that back. If you want to, I could get on board with that.”

  Gage growled, “Fuck off.”

  Levi laughed and took a chip, then winked at me.

  “Okay, boys,” Trinity said, placing the hot wings on the counter. “Play nice.”

  I laughed, then bit my lip to stop myself.

  Gage’s arm, which was wrapped around me, flexed. “You think that’s funny?” he asked. I could hear the teasing in his tone.

  “A little,” I replied.

  “Bad girls get spanked,” he warned me, his gaze turning dark as he dropped his eyes to my mouth.

  “Please don’t spank her in the kitchen,” Trinity quipped, and I laughed again.

  “Who’s getting spanked?” a guy covered in tattoos with piercings in his face asked, walking into the kitchen from the living room. His eyes went to Gage, then me, and I saw them widen in recognition. “Fuck.”

  “Six, you remember Shiloh,” Levi said. “Shiloh doesn’t remember you though. Car accident, amnesia. Tread carefully because, well, you know.”

  Gage’s body was tense as he held me.

  “Nice to meet you, Six,” I said, trying to ease Gage and the situation.

  Six nodded slowly. “So, if she doesn’t remember … why are they …” He wagged his finger at the two of us.

  “Long story,” Levi replied.

  “No one’s business,” Gage said at the same time.

  Six pressed his lips together, then let out a loud sigh. “All right then. Fun fucking times ahead.”

  I heard the rumble in Gage’s chest and realized it was time to defuse the situation. I turned in his arms and wrapped my hands around his neck. “It’s a party,” I reminded him. “People are going to be curious.”

  He slammed his mouth against mine, taking me by surprise. His tongue slid between my lips, and I opened for him. The taste of mint and whiskey teased me. We had an audience, but at the moment, he was making me not care. His hands were full of my ass while he held me against his body.

  When he broke the kiss, we were both breathing hard. He slid me back down his body before slowly letting me go, and then he winked at me. The crooked smile made my chest feel warm.

  “So, you see,” Levi said, breaking the silence in the kitchen, “he’s still fucking obsessed with her.”

  Six chuckled, and thankfully, Gage’s body relaxed.

  “I need to finish getting the food ready,” I told him.

  He nodded, then tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “I’m going in the living room. If I stay in here, I won’t be able to keep my hands off you.”

  I liked that. Knowing he wanted to touch me. I nodded.

  “We are almost done,” Trinity said. “I’m ready to go curl up in Huck’s lap myself.”

  Gage turned and walked out of the kitchen, leaving me with a lovestruck smile on my face that I couldn’t wipe off. I managed to finish my job, then helped Trinity get the drinks set out.

  After that, she pulled the mini cheesecakes she’d made from the fridge and placed them on a cupcake stand. “We are done!” She beamed at me. “Thank you so much for all your help. I would have had to start before daylight if you hadn’t been here.”

  It made me feel like I had a place. I fit in with this very strange family.

  “I was happy to help,” I assured her.

  She nodded her head toward the living room. “Let’s go watch the pregame with our men.”

  I followed her into the living room. An attractive man with blond hair pulled back in a bun walked in, and cheers went up around the room.

  A few people shouted, “Boss,” which caught my attention.

  Then, a beautiful woman with pale blonde hair walked up beside him, and he put his arm around her shoulders. I watched as he pulled her close and pressed a kiss to her head. It was then I saw his wedding ring. My gaze dropped to her hand, and the diamond rock on hers was easy to locate. This was Blaise Hughes and his wife, Maddy.

  Her gaze found mine, and a soft smile touched her lips. She was the kind of beautiful that could be intimidating, but the expression on her face was friendly. That was a relief. I wasn’t sure what to expect from the woman who was brave enough to marry the next crime lord or whatever. She glanced up at her husband and said something. His head turned, and his eyes locked on me. The way his jaw flexed made me nervous. He nodded his head, and Maddy left him to make her way in our direction.

  “Maddy,” Trinity said, stepping forward and hugging her. “Where is Cree?” she asked, then glanced around.

  Maddy laughed softly. “Uh, well, the way these parties can go, I thought it best that he stay with Ms. Jimmie at the big house.”

  Trinity nodded. “Yeah, smart.” Then, she stepped back and turned to me. “Shiloh, this is Maddy Hughes, Blaise’s wife. Maddy, this is Shiloh Ellis, Gage’s girlfriend.”

  Maddy held out her hand. “I’ve heard about you. I will admit, hearing that there was a female alive who was Gage’s kryptonite—I’m quoting Blaise on that one—was hard to believe. I’m honored to meet you.” The sincerity in her words made me relax.

  I slipped my hand into hers. “It’s nice to meet you too. As for being his kryptonite, well, I was surprised too.”

  Maddy laughed, and her eyes twinkled with amusement.

  “Speaking of Gage,” Trinity said, “he’s getting unsettled. You might want to go ease that.”

  I turned to find him watching me. The intensity in his gaze made my body flush and the area between my legs tingle. “I’ll chat with you ladies later,” I told them and headed through the crowd, stepping over legs as I went to the corner of the sectional sofa he was sitting on.

  He patted his leg, and I moved my body between his knees before sinking down onto his lap.

  His arms circled me, and I felt his warm breath on my ear. “You smell like fucking cookies.”

  I grinned. “Because I made three dozen,” I replied.

  “At halftime, I’m fucking you. We can go to my room.”

  I shivered, then nodded.

  “How’s life been, Shiloh?”

  I turned to see a man looking at me who had to be of Italian descent.

  “That’s Mattia,” Gage said against my ear.

  “Oh, um, it’s been interesting,” I replied, which made him laugh.

  “Glad you’re back.”

  “And she’s not a bitch this time,” Levi added, walking over to sink down onto a chair to the right of us.

  “Levi.” Gage’s threat was clear in his voice.

  I leaned forward and sighed, looking at him. “Levi, don’t poke at him.”

  He smirked and took a drink from the beer in his hand.

  A man stood up, taking the blonde who had been with him at the other end of the sofa, and bowed his head at Blaise before going to find another seat. I realized he was giving up the seat to Blaise. He sat down, then took Maddy’s hand and pulled her down onto his lap.

  Gage slipped his hand under my shirt and began to make little circles on my stomach with his finger. I glanced at him, but his attention was on the television. They were talking about the Buccaneers. I knew enough from listening to them yesterday that this was Florida’s team and who they all wanted to win.

  I leaned back and relaxed against him. He talked about the players with Levi and Mattia. Huck came in and sat in a large leather chair on the other side of the room. Trinity curled up with him, and he held her like she was something precious and fragile. It had been odd, seeing him with her this weekend. I’d not been around the two of them much before, and seeing that massive man turn into someone else with Trinity was interesting.

  My attention was back on the television as the game started when a beer appeared beside me and Gage reached up to take it. I glanced up, and my body tensed. Destiny glared at me before walking over to hand Levi a beer, then wrapping her body around him. She was wearing an extremely short red dress that barely covered her boobs. It was so low-cut that I wasn’t sure how she kept them from escaping. I jerked my gaze off her as she began whispering in Levi’s ear, and Gage pulled me closer to him and pressed a kiss to the side of my face.

  Forcing myself to relax was difficult, but I tried. The fact that she’d brought Gage a beer pissed me off. I needed to work on my jealousy with her though because it seemed Levi liked her. Gage moved his hand further up my shirt and tugged the side of my bra down, then began cupping my bare breast. That was distracting. If he was attempting to get my mind off Destiny—or anything else really—it was working.

  “She’s not you,” he said against my ear.

  I wanted to tell him I was fine. It was fine. But then I’d be lying. Instead, I just nodded. He pinched my nipple and rolled it between his thumb and finger. My breathing started getting erratic. Gage slowly reached down and pulled my bra back up, then moved his hand back to my stomach, where he kept it.

  A large redheaded man shouted at the television, and others cursed at the refs. I had no idea what was happening. Gage didn’t shout or yell, which was a relief since my ear was so close to his mouth. I took in the room and watched as people got into what was happening on the television.

  Glancing down at Gage’s beer, I realized it was empty. I sure as heck didn’t want Destiny getting him a new one. Trinity stood up across the room and headed for the kitchen.

  I pressed a kiss to Gage’s cheek, then whispered, “I’m going to see if Trinity needs help. Want another beer?”

  He glanced at me and smirked. “Yeah, baby.”

  He was aware I didn’t like Destiny giving him the beer. I scowled at him, and he chuckled before I headed for the kitchen.

  A round of cheers went up in the living room, and someone shouted, “Touchdown.”

  Trinity was making a plate when I walked into the large, bright room, where it was quieter.

  She looked up at me and smiled. “Needed to get away for a moment?”

  “Yeah. I’m going to get Gage another beer. I wonder if he wants food.”

  Trinity laughed. “The answer to that is always yes. He loves to eat.”

  I hadn’t realized that. It bothered me that there was so much I didn’t know about him. He didn’t seem concerned with meals at my apartment. Was I not feeding him enough? Living here, Trinity knew more about him than I did. I chewed on my bottom lip, trying not to get too worked up about this. We’d just started this relationship thing. She’d been here awhile. Of course she’d know more.

  I took a plate and paused, trying to think about what he’d like. There were too many options, and I wanted to get it right.

  Trinity stepped up beside me. “The cheesesteak sliders, buffalo chicken meatballs, Big Mac crunch wrap, and the cookies you made,” she said.

  I glanced at her, and she gave me a reassuring smile. “You’ll know these things soon enough. I’ve been cooking for them since May.”

  I nodded. She was right. Next time, I’d know his favorites. I fixed his plate, got him a beer, then headed back into the room. His eyes locked on me and followed me until I reached him.

  The corner of his mouth curved up, and he patted his knee. I sat down, careful not to spill his food. He took the beer with one hand, then pulled me back further onto his lap with the other.

  “Looks like my hands are full.” He ran the tip of his nose against my ear as he said it. “You’ll have to feed me.”

  I liked that idea, especially since Destiny was beside us. I picked up the slider and held it to his mouth. He took a bite and licked his lips as he chewed. My gaze was on his mouth.

  When he swallowed, he leaned forward and pressed a kiss to my lips, then whispered, “You keep watching my mouth like that, and we’re gonna leave this game so I can fuck your mouth.”

  A rush of anticipation coursed through me. That wasn’t a real threat, but I stopped watching his mouth and tried not to watch him as he chewed. I was getting turned on by feeding him though. Especially when he’d take the last bite of what I was holding and lick my fingers.

  When he was done, I set the plate down on the floor beside us.

  “Thank fuck,” Levi said. “I was getting a hard-on, watching y’all.”

  Gage glared at him, and I grabbed his face and turned his attention back to me. “He’s teasing.”

  “No, he’s fucking serious,” Gage said through clenched teeth.

  I laughed then and kissed him gently before turning and settling back in his arms. It was strange how, when I was here, everything was fine with us. There was no inner battle that I had to deal with. No wondering if this was healthy or if I was making a mistake. No guilt over Wilder. It was a little world where I could have Gage and nothing else mattered.

  While we watched the game, I noticed a few things. The blonde by the man with red hair had taken off her top, and he was playing with her bare breasts in front of everyone. Then, the tattooed guy had a brunette sitting on the floor between his legs with her hand inside his pants, clearly stroking him while he petted her head like she was his pet. As I squirmed, my gaze unfortunately turned to Destiny and Levi. Her dress was pulled up to her waist, and her legs were spread open while she rubbed the outside of his pants, where his erection was obvious.

  Jerking my eyes off them and hoping Gage didn’t look over and see Destiny’s vagina on display, I saw Maddy stand up and Blaise follow behind her as they left the room. Was it because of the soft porn that was suddenly starting to break out around us?

  Gage rocked his hips under me, and I felt his hard length on my bottom. His hand slid back under my shirt, and I turned to look at him. Did he expect me to act like this in front of all these people? I felt slightly panicked.

  His hands grabbed my waist and stood me up so quickly that I gasped. Gage stood up behind me and guided me back through the room toward a hallway. We passed a woman who was straddling a guy, and I was almost positive they were having sex.

  “Where are we going?” I asked when we left the room.

  “My room,” he replied.

  He was walking a lot faster these days, but this was quicker than I had seen him do with the brace on. We made it up the stairs in record time, and he pushed me back toward his bedroom. Once we were inside, he shoved me back against the wall and covered my mouth with his. He groaned into my mouth and jerked my leggings and panties down to my knees, then slipped two fingers into my wet folds.

  “Couldn’t wait until halftime,” he said as he nibbled and licked his way from my mouth down to my cleavage. “I wanted to take my time. Taste you. But, fuck, I need inside you now.”

  I wiggled and maneuvered my leggings down the rest of the way and kicked them aside. Gage pulled my shirt off, then discarded my bra before filling his hands with my breasts and squeezing.