“God, yes,” Shelby replies. “I’m starving.”
“Me too,” Rachel echoes. “Tess? You in?”
I glance away from the water at the faces of the three women smiling at me, waiting for me, including me. They want me here. I’m wanted. I’m loved. I’m home.
There is no room for doubt.
“Yeah,” I say, trying to keep the emotion from my voice. “Yeah, brunch sounds good.”
68
The sun shines in through the sliding doors of the back patio. I threw them open wide, letting the smell of the sea fill my lungs. It’s a perfect February day, cool and dry, not a cloud in the sky. Beyond the whitewashed deck, a little boardwalk leads out over the dune and down to the beach.
I glance around the empty space, letting my eye linger on the open kitchen. The cabinets are white, the style modern, with sleek stainless-steel appliances. I like the hardwood floors. They’re a light oak color, giving it a beach house vibe.
Knock, knock.
“Hello?” Tess calls, her voice echoing around the empty space. She sounds hesitant. Of course, she is. I just got back from the airport and wouldn’t let her come pick me up. Instead, I told her to meet me at this random address. “Ryan…are you in here?”
I spin around with a smile, walking a few paces to the left so she can see me from the entryway. ‘Hey, babe,” I call.
She steps into the empty living room, and I swear my heart fucking stops. She looks gorgeous in a cropped T-shirt and flowy floral skirt with a slit halfway up her thigh. Her hair is up in a messy bun, big gold hoop earrings almost touching her shoulders.
She flicks her aviators off, tucking them on top of her head as she looks around. “Where are we? Why did you tell me to meet you here?”
She’s asking questions, but I can’t make sentences right now. I can’t talk anymore about Cincinnati or her encounter with the dragon-in-law. I haven’t seen my girl in forty-eight hours, and I’m feeling desperate. I rush over to her, wrapping her in my arms. She thinks I’m going in for a kiss, but I surprise her when I pick her up, hauling her over my shoulder.
“Ryan,” she squeals, her arms flailing as her purse slips off her shoulder and hits the floor.
I give her ass a playful swat as I hurry over to the kitchen and drop her right on the island. Stepping in between her legs, I cup her face and kiss her.
She moans against my lips, her body melting against me, her arms around my neck.
“Baby, I missed you,” I say, peppering her lips with kisses.
She laughs against my mouth, her hands smoothing over my shoulders. “I missed you too. Fuck, I love you.”
“I love you so fucking much.” My hands drop down to her thighs. I smooth them up and down, feeling the way she shifts to the edge of the counter. At the first touch of her bare thigh, I know there’s no stopping us.
I had a plan, a whole damn speech, but it flew right out the windows, sailing away on the open ocean. Tess is in my arms, and I can’t not have her. “I want you,” I say, my hand slipping under the slit of her skirt, grazing up her thigh.
“I want you too,” she pants, hiking up the skirt.
I help her, the two of us fevered as we pull at our clothes. I jerk her panties down, dropping them to her ankles. She unbuttons my jeans. It’s the work of moments before I’ve got my hard cock in hand, lining myself up at her entrance.
“Please, baby,” she whimpers, nodding as she bites her bottom lip, both of us looking down at where we’re about to be joined.
I angle the tip of my dick where I want it and look up, holding her gaze as I sink in inch by inch. Her lips part in a breathless moan as she takes me, her long eyelashes fluttering.
“That’s it,” I soothe, my hand gripping her hip as I make a few short thrusts, working my dick all the way in. “That’s my girl. Fuck, you feel so good.” She’s so warm and tight.
Her hands go to my shoulders as she angles her hips back, opening her channel, easing my thrusts in deeper. We both moan, chests heaving as I rock against her sharp and fast, my bare hips slapping her thighs.
“Oh god, don’t stop,” she begs, her pussy fluttering around me. “Ryan, please—”
“I had a whole plan,” I pant. “Tess—god—I had a whole fucking speech. One look at you, and it all went outta my head. I can’t think—can’t fucking breathe ‘til I come inside you—”
“Give me the CliffsNotes version,” she says, her lips against mine.