“I guess you’re right. It just feels different,” she says quietly, dropping her eyes from mine.

  Giving her jaw a squeeze, I wait until she looks at me once more before I speak. “The only difference is you’re mine now, and everyone knows it. Nothing else has changed. Everyone is still going to be loud and inappropriate. My mom will probably ask about what our plans are, and my aunts will probably hem and haw about planning another wedding. But it will be all good.”

  “Wedding?” Her eyes widen, and she visibly swallows.

  I laugh. “You know July, June, and Ash, babe. So you know exactly what happens when the women in my family get together. They all start plotting.”

  “Maybe I shouldn’t go.”

  “Oh no, you’re coming. Even if I have to carry you over my shoulder. I have plans for your ass tonight when we get back.”

  “You have plans for my ass when we get back?” she repeats, blinking up at me. “I’m not sleeping here tonight. I have to work tomorrow at the shop.”

  “Fine, then I’m staying at yours. Or we’ll pick up some clothes from your place after dinner and come back here.”

  “You know you are seriously bossy, right?” she prompts, rolling her eyes. “You never say ‘Hey, what do you think about this?’ or ‘How do you feel about that?’ It’s always ‘I’m paying’ or ‘We’re doing blah, blah, blah,’” she mimics in a deep voice, shaking her head, and I fight back a smile. “It’s really annoying.”

  “So you didn’t enjoy sleeping in my bed?” I raise a brow.

  She frowns. “I didn’t say that.”

  “I’m guessing you also hated going out on the lake this morning.”

  “Don’t be a jerk,” she snaps, glaring at me.

  “I’m not. I’m proving a point. You’re telling me it’s annoying when I’m bossy, yet you sure as fuck have been enjoying yourself.”

  “Don’t cuss at me.”

  “Jesus,” I growl, running my hand over the top of my head in frustration. “Are we seriously going to start fucking arguing about this shit right now?”

  “No. Yes. I don’t know!” she cries, throwing her arms in the air.

  I know what she needs. Hell, I know what we both need, and I plan on giving it to both of us as soon as we get home from this fucking dinner tonight.

  “I’m freaking out, and then there’s you.” She waves her hand out at me. “You look all hot and muscular, and I can’t stop thinking about what happened this morning, which is making me want to jump you. And I know that wouldn’t be good, because then we would be late, and everyone would know exactly why we were late. And then I would be embarrassed. So please, cut me some slack.” She ends with her chest heaving and her eyes on mine.

  “Come here.”

  “What?” She frowns, and I hold out my hand toward her.

  “Come here.”

  “Why?”

  “Trust me,” I urge, and she places her hand in mine. Leading her to the kitchen, I turn her to face me then slowly slide my hands up her hips, bunching up the soft sweater as I go.

  “What are you doing?” she pants, but I don’t answer.

  As soon as I have her dress up around her hips, I skim my hands down over her hips, feeling for her panties. Coming across the smooth material, I wrap them around my fingers and pull them down, lowering to my knees and muttering “step out” when they reach her ankles. Holding onto my shoulders, she does as I asked, and I lean in, placing a kiss to her stomach above her pubic bone. Hearing her pant and smelling her arousal causes my already hard cock to twitch and my hands to tighten into fists. I shove her panties into my pocket and wrap my hands back around her hips, lifting her to the counter and hearing her gasp as her ass hits the cool top.

  “Lean back and spread your legs for me,” I growl, fighting myself to stay calm. This will be a test of self-control if I’ve ever had one. The idea of eating her turns me on, and I know I’ll want to fuck her. I know the second the taste of her hits my tongue I’m going to want to fuck her until neither of us can walk. Only I can’t do that—not now anyway. But I can get her off and help her relax a little so she’s not so on edge.

  “I don’t think….” she whispers, tightening her knees together, and I shake my head.

  “Don’t think, just do. Lean back and spread your legs for me,” I demand, and her eyes widen and the tip of her pink tongue comes out to touch the edge of her lip.

  Seeing that, I lose what little bit of self-control I was holding onto. Forcing her back to the counter, I grab her knees and spread them open. Dropping my eyes to her already glistening pussy, my hands fucking shake and my mouth waters. I trail one shaky finger up her inner thigh and move my eyes from the skin below my finger to her face, wanting to see her reaction to my touch. The moment my fingers slide through her folds and over her clit, her eyes slide shut and her head tips back, exposing the elegant slope of her throat as her back arches.

  So fucking beautiful. So fucking perfect. All fucking mine.

  “Sage,” she breathes, her thighs visibly shaking as I take her in.

  Hearing my name leave her mouth and seeing her reaction to my touch, I dive at her pussy, licking and sucking every inch of her. Using my shoulders, I keep her thighs spread wide and focus on her clit while plunging two fingers inside of her. Her moans and whimpers make my cock leak as I flick her with my tongue.

  Feeling her pussy tighten around my fingers, I know she’s close, and as much as I wish I could prolong her orgasm, I can’t. If I keep going, I know this will no longer be about me getting her off. “Give it to me.” My growled words against her clit send her over, and her body starts to shake as she comes on my tongue. I keep my fingers planted inside her as I stroke over her G-spot while she comes down from the orgasm, only pulling them away when her glazed eyes open on me. “You feeling better?” I ask.

  Her eyes slide shut, and her head falls back as she lets out a puff of air and a laugh before covering her face. “I’m not sure I’m better, but after that orgasm, I think I’ll be okay,” she says, pulling her hands from her face and smiling at me.

  Helping her sit up, I take hold of her face and kiss her until her nails are digging into my skin through my shirt. “You sleeping here?” I ask as soon as I pull my mouth from hers.

  Her eyes flutter open. “Yes.”

  “Good.” I drag her ass from the counter and help her right her dress then wash my face and hands.

  “I need my panties.”

  “No you don’t.”

  “Yes I do,” she argues.

  “You don’t,” I deny, moving her toward the front door.

  “I’m not having dinner with your family wearing nothing but my dress.”

  “No one will know but you and me.”

  “Yeah, and then something freakish will happen and my ass will come out and everyone will see e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g.”

  “Nothing will happen, and sure as fuck no one will ever see your ass but me,” I growl. Just the thought of someone, anyone, seeing her the way I have makes the uncomfortable feeling of jealousy roll through me. “Now come on or we’re gonna be late.” I hold open the door, and she huffs a little but moves past me, grabbing her coat and bag as she goes.

  Shutting and locking the door behind us, I hit the key fob to set the alarm and move toward my Caddy, where Kim is already climbing into the passenger seat. I get in behind the wheel and start the engine as she pulls down the visor and starts applying a coat of red lipstick to her lips, making them look even fuller than they already are.

  Fuck me, it’s going to be a long fucking night.

  Chapter 10

  Kim

  WALKING INTO THE restaurant hand-in-hand with Sage, we stop at the podium and wait for the hostess, who just walked off with a customer, to come back. “You okay?” he questions, and I look up at him, feeling my eyes get squinty. I asked him in the car if I could have my panties back, but he refused. So now my ass is out—not really, but it feels that way. Like, at any moment, someone is going to be all ‘Oh my God, look at her ass. She isn’t even wearing underwear!’

  “I would feel better if I had….” My words taper off when the hostess appears in front of us smiling, and I squeeze Sage’s hand, digging my nails into his skin as I do.

  “Table for two?” she asks, and Sage shakes his head.

  “Mayson party,” he replies, rubbing his thumb over my pulse.

  “Awesome. God, there are a lot of you,” she chirps happily. “Follow me.” Looking up at Sage, I widen my eyes at him as the girl skips in front of us and winds us in and out of tables as she leads us to the back of the restaurant into a private room. “Here you go. Enjoy your dinner.” She grins before disappearing out of sight.

  Pulling my eyes from her retreating back, I turn to face the room and feel every inch of me freeze. Everyone is looking at us. Everyone. And I swear they all know I don’t have on any flipping underwear under my damn dress.

  “You’re here!” Sophie squeaks, breaking into the silence and pushing back her chair. Coming toward us, she greets me with a hug, then Sage. After her, Nico hugs me but pats Sage’s shoulder. Then it’s pandemonium. Everyone is out of their seats and coming over to say hello or to offer their condolences.

  By the time I have hugged every last person in the room, I feel spent, like I need a drink—a drink I can’t have. Settling into my seat with Sage next to me, I’m thankful he’s kept his hand in mine. I need it; I need his strength. The loss of Kelly is getting easier to deal with, but times like these, when everyone’s attention is on me, I’m reminded of what happened and I feel uncomfortable. Honestly, I feel like I shouldn’t be getting their ‘I’m sorry for your loss’ statements. Yes, Kelly is gone, but I lost her a long time ago. Really, I don’t think I ever actually had her at all. Listening to everyone talk about what’s happening in the family, work, or mundane things, I’m thankful when I hear Hope call to me from my other side.

  “Kimmy, will you help me color my picture?” she asks, and I look down at her and smile. She looks adorable wearing the poufy blue dress I got her from the Disney Store that is the exact replica of Cinderella’s from the movie.

  “Of course I will,” I agree quietly, letting go of Sage’s hand as she climbs into my lap. Pulling her coloring book and crayons over, I rest my chin on her shoulder, and for a few minutes, I get lost in coloring a picture of a butterfly flying through a garden of flowers. I didn’t even know how much the thoughtless action would help loosen me up, but by the time we’re ready to order dinner, I’m relaxed and feeling much better.

  “So Ellie was telling us that you girls are meeting with a banker to see if they approved you for your loan,” Lilly says, and I swallow the bite of food I have in my mouth and take a sip of water before I answer her.

  “We are. The bank has already completed the basic approval forms, and that all came out okay. So hopefully we will have some good news to share,” I reply, looking at Ellie, who is grinning from ear-to-ear.

  “I know it’s in the bag.” She shrugs, and I laugh.

  “Have you girls thought of a name yet?” Sophie asks.

  I look at her and shake my head while Ellie answers. “We’re still looking for a name. We want something fun and original, but I think we’re waiting to see what happens so we don’t jinx ourselves.”

  “That’s smart,” November says, and then she mutters, “What about Mayson’s Hair Salon?”

  I don’t frown even though I want to.

  “Except Kim’s not a Mayson,” April says helpfully.

  “Yet. She’s not a Mayson yet,” Sophie whispers.

  “Here, here.” November clinks her glass to Sophie’s then Lilly’s and Liz’s.

  My face gets hot, and I feel Sage’s hand squeeze my knee. He wasn’t lying. One minute, things are normal, and the next minute, not so much.

  “I think you women need to slow down on the drinking,” December says, rolling her eyes at her mom.

  “Well, I know none of my girls are going to get married anytime soon, so I need to get in on the wedding planning somewhere. I was pretty good at it.” November’s eyes widen and sparkle. “Maybe I’ll open my own business. November Weddings,” she muses, and I wonder how much exactly she’s had to drink.

  “Babe, you’re not doing that, and stop trying to marry off my girls,” Asher grouches, and the men at the table chuckle while his wife glares at him.

  “If I marry Kim, I’m just letting everyone here know that I’m taking her to the courthouse or to Vegas,” Sage says.

  I frown at him. “Pardon?”

  “I’m not suffering through a wedding or wearing a tux.”

  “First of all, we have a long way to go before any of that happens. But when I get married, I will have a wedding. Whatever man I marry will wear a tux, and I’ll be wearing a dress and holding flowers.”

  “You’re not fucking marrying anyone else,” he growls, squeezing my thigh. “And there will be no wedding. The dress and flowers are cool. You can have both those things in Vegas.”

  “I’m not getting married in Vegas,” I snap, and then I look at Ash. “No offense.”

  “None taken. I don’t even remember my wedding.” She grins, and I return the expression, shaking my head.

  “Vegas or the courthouse. Those are your options.”

  “Lord, he’s as bad as you are,” I hear Sophie say, and I look at the end of the table, where she is sitting next to Nico. He’s smiling at Sage with what can only be described as a proud fatherly smile on his face.

  “This argument is pointless,” I mumble, ducking my head hoping if we stop talking about it now, my stomach that has filled with stupid butterflies at the idea of marrying Sage will calm the hell down.

  Thank God, after that, the subject of mine and Sage’s imaginary wedding is dropped and everyone starts talking about Talon and Bax. Both Sage’s brothers have been living between Montana and Alaska for work, but in the next few months, they are moving home, so they’re looking for land. While everyone is talking about that, I continue coloring with my favorite girl until dinner is over and it’s time to leave the restaurant.

  Getting in Sage’s car an hour later, I’m more exhausted than I realized. So exhausted that I fall asleep with my head on Sage’s shoulder and don’t even remember him taking me home to my apartment, stripping me out of my clothes, or putting me into my bed before joining me there.

  Hearing a buzzing sound, my eyes open and I see nothing but the hard male chest my cheek is pressed against. I blink, moving my hand that is lying across Sage’s abs, and tip my head back to look at his sleeping face then frown when the buzzing that woke me up starts again. Debating how to get out of bed without waking him, I study him then let out a breath when his leg that is between mine cocks at the knee and his thigh moves deeper between mine.

  Looking down at myself, my eyes widen. I’m naked, completely naked. I’ve always been a light sleeper, so the fact I’m naked and don’t remember getting this way means I was out of it last night when he brought me home. Studying his skin pressed against mine, the tingle that has been a constant friend comes back to life full force.

  “Dammit,” he sighs when the buzzing starts back up, and I wonder if I should pretend to be asleep but I’m too slow. Before I can close my eyes, he’s up on his elbow and looking down at me as he reaches over my chest and grabs his cell from my bedside table. “What?” he barks into the phone, making me jump from the sudden boom of sound. “Fuck.” His eyes close briefly as he shakes his head. “Yeah, I’ll be there. Give me an hour,” he says before dropping the cell to the bed near my hip.

  “Is everything okay?” I question softly, reaching down for the sheet to cover myself from his gaze that is traveling over every inch of my exposed skin. And there is a lot of it to see, since I’m still very much naked.

  “I gotta go, which means I’m leaving you naked in bed. Pretty fucking sure that’s the definition of not okay.”

  “Oh,” I whisper, and he smiles, touching his mouth to mine before leaning back to look at me once more.

  “What time are you meeting with the banker?”

  “Two.” I tip my head back to look at the clock and see it’s not even eight. “Ellie and I both have clients before then, so we’ll probably just walk over to the bank from the shop,” I explain.

  He nods, brushing a piece of hair from my forehead before tucking it behind my ear. “I’ll be late tonight, so when you get done doing what you’re doing, just head to my place.”

  “Sage.”

  “Please,” he says quietly, and hearing the soft plea in his voice warms my heart.

  “Fine,” I agree, “but I might be late, too. I need to check in with Elizabeth to see if she wants me to watch the boys. She’s been cool about it, but I feel like I’m taking advantage of her by not pitching in as much as I was.”

  “I’m sure she understands.”

  “She does, but still, it makes me uncomfortable. I don’t like handouts.”

  “Baby, she’s not giving you a fucking handout. She’s your friend who cares about you. You need to stop thinking that people taking care of you makes you weak,” he says, and my muscles get tight. I still haven’t told him about my illness, and now I don’t know how to tell him. Now I’m really fucking scared that the minute I do, he’s going to run for the hills. “Stop overthinking.” He taps my forehead, having no idea my stomach is suddenly a complete mess.

  “I’ll try,” I agree, giving him what I hope is a convincing smile before asking, “What are you doing today?” I need to think about something, anything else.

  “I’ll be in Nashville. A client hired us to look into his wife a few months back, and he called Jax this morning, telling him she was going out today. So we need to follow her.”

  “Really? Is she… is she cheating on him?” I ask, and he shakes his head.

  “She’s a mom of four kids all under the age of six. We’ve followed her a few times in the past, and she normally grabs a coffee and takes it to the park, where she sits, doing nothing but staring off into the distance like a zombie.”