“I’m not leaving.” I go to her bathroom and dispose of the condom, then wipe off. I go back to the bed and draw her across me, her head finding that spot that was made for her where my neck meets my shoulder.

“You were right,” she says over a giggle. She’s laughing in my arms. Since when did sex become funny? I lift my head to look down at her.

“What was I right about?”

“Your piercing is magical.” She laughs out loud, but she’s soft and warm and sated in my arms. And nothing ever felt so right.

“That was my dick,” I say, and I slap her bottom.

She pouts, her lower lip sticking out. “Ow.” She sits up and kisses me, looking into my eyes. “Just for that, I’m going to make you prove it to me later.”

“I’ll prove it to you right now,” I growl as I reach for a new condom and roll her over.

She squeals, laughs, and parts her thighs for me. God, I’m in love with everything about her.

Skylar

“Would you stop fidgeting?” Seth murmurs to me, rolling his eyes as he knocks on the door of Matt’s apartment.

I smooth my shirt. “Do I look all right?” I ask.

He rolls his eyes again and shoots me an exasperated grin. “The only complaint Matt might have is that you have too many clothes on.” He snorts.

“Seth!” I scold. He really shouldn’t talk about things like that.

“What?” he asks. He throws up his hands. “He’s used to you greeting him in your jammies at the door is all I meant. He might not know what to do with you in clothes.”

His face turns red when he realizes what he just said.

“Never mind,” he grunts. He knocks again. The door flies open, and one of Matt’s younger brothers motions us forward. The room is completely full of people, but I think most of them are Matt’s brothers.

“Which one are you?” Seth asks. That was a little rude, but I was curious, too.

“I’m Sam,” he says. “The pretty one.”

He clasps hands with Seth the way men do. Then he opens his arms to me. I don’t know what to do.

“Don’t touch my girl!” a voice yells from over by the TV. I look over and smile when I see Matt sitting on the floor in front of the sofa. He has a game controller in his hand, and he’s frantically working it.

“Too late,” Sam teases. “You’re way over there, and she’s way over here all alone.” He wraps me up in his arms and squeezes. It probably looks a lot tighter than it feels. I think he’s just doing it to get a rise out of Matt.

“Come take over for me, Seth,” Matt calls. He doesn’t stop the controller.

Seth arches my brow at me. “Go,” I say. He grins and goes to replace Matt on the floor. Matt passes him the controller, stopping for a second to watch him.

“He’s going to kill all my men,” Matt says as he lumbers to his feet.

He walks toward me, and my heart starts to thump. It’s Friday, and I haven’t seen him since he left my apartment yesterday when I had to go get the girls from school. He had to work late last night, but he’s off tonight. I couldn’t tell him no when he called and invited us over.

Joey tugs on my hand, and I look down at her. “What’s wrong?” I ask.

“I have to go potty,” she says.

Matt points toward the bathroom, and I go in that direction with her. Sorry, I mouth over my shoulder at Matt.

He grins and shrugs. “When you gotta go,” he says.

“I can do it,” Joey says when I try to go in the bathroom with her. She shuts the door in my face.

“Okay…” I say to myself.

I turn around and run directly into Matt’s chest. He grabs my elbows to steady me, and I find my nose against his shirt. And I like it there because he smells like Matt. And I like Matt. A lot. “You smell good,” I say quietly, my mouth against his chest.

He bends his head and nuzzles the side of my neck. “So do you,” he whispers. I tilt my head to give him better access.

Suddenly, there’s a loud cough directly behind us. Matt groans and lifts his head.

“Would you knock it off?” he says.

Paul just laughs and nods toward Mellie, who is still holding my hand. “There are kids in the room, numbnuts,” he says. He reaches down, and I see a tiny blonde standing beside him.

“Who is this?” I ask and point toward the little girl.

Matt motions her forward as he squats down. She perches herself on his knee. “I’m Hayley,” she says. She has blue eyes and blond hair just like all the Reeds, and she’s adorable.

“My daughter,” Paul says. He nods toward a door down the hallway. “Do you want to take the girls to play in your room?”

Hayley nods and smiles. They wait for Joey to come out of the bathroom, and then Hayley takes one of Joey’s hands and one of Mellie’s and drags them into her room. She closes the door behind them with a loud bang.

Paul scratches his head. “I guess I should get used to that. But I’m not sure I can,” he says. He shakes his head.

“Are they okay in there?” I ask Matt. I kind of want to go see where they’re playing.

“We’ll check on them in a second,” Matt says. His gaze darts around the room, and then he opens a door behind me and pushes me into a bedroom. He closes the door after us and flips me back against the wall with a gentle shove. “I missed you,” he whispers.

His hands bracket my face, and his knee slides between my legs, which is kind of good because my knees go wobbly when he grabs me. “Matt,” I warn. “The kids.”

“Are all taken care of,” he says. His lips touch mine, and he groans against my lips as his tongue sweeps inside my mouth. He takes my breath away with every touch. His tongue tangles with mine, mimicking the way he licked me all over in bed yesterday, and my heart starts to thump.

I clench my hands in his shirt and try to keep myself on my feet. He pulls back and looks into my face. “I’m glad you’re here,” he says quietly. He brushes my hair back from my forehead and then steps back.

“Whose room is this?” I ask. But I know immediately. From the books stacked on the nightstand to the overall neatness, I know it’s Matt’s.

He grins. “It’s mine. Who else’s room would I drag you into?” He snorts. “You wouldn’t want to see Paul’s room. There’s some kinky shit in there.”

“Seriously?” I ask.

He grins. “No. I’m kidding. But the look on your face is priceless.” He laughs, and I love the sound of it.

“Paul’s daughter is adorable,” I say. I run my finger across the photos taped to his dresser mirror. They’re all of him and his brothers and the girls in their lives—Reagan, Emily, and Friday. “Are the girlfriends coming tonight?” I ask. “Or am I the only one?”

“They’ll be here soon. Are you kidding? They would not miss a perfect opportunity to grill you.” He smiles. “So be ready.”

They’re going to grill me? I drop the bottle of cologne I picked up, but Matt catches it before it can hit the floor.

“Quit worrying,” he says. “They’re harmless.” He rocks his head back and forth like he’s thinking it over. “Well, I wouldn’t call Reagan harmless. She can drop kick the best of us. But with you, harmless.”

I don’t know what to say to that.

“Don’t worry,” he says again. “They like you. And they know that I love you, so they’ll be on their best behavior. I promise.”

My heart swells. I’m not used to Matt’s declarations yet.

“You still love me, right?” Matt asks.

I roll my eyes, trying to be nonchalant. “Nothing has changed since yesterday.” I looked up at him from beneath lowered lashes. “Anything changed for you?”

“Yeah,” he says. “I want you more than I did yesterday,” he says, his voice soft and harsh all at the same time.

A knock sounds on the door, and it opens a crack. “Are you decent?” a female voice asks.

“Open the door and find out.” Matt calls back.

The door opens slowly, and Emily pops her head in. “Oh, thank God,” she breaths.

Matt narrows his eyes at her. “What?”

“You’re both dressed. I thought that was going to be uncomfortable after I found both of you na**d or something.”

“Then you should have stayed outside,” Matt says, but he pulls her into his side and gives her a noogie. She grins and fends him off. “What did you want?” Matt asks.

“I’m making margaritas for Reagan,” she says. “You guys want one?” She looks from Matt to me and back. I don’t even know if Matt drinks; I’ve only seen him drink beer.

“Sky wants one,” he says. He nods toward me.

“I have the kids,” I protest.

“And they’re taken care of,” he says. He nods toward Emily. “Make her one.”

Emily leaves the room, leaving the door ajar. “I can’t get drunk,” I whisper. “I have to go home at the end of the night.”

He pulls me against him with his fingers hooked in the loops of my jeans. “I was hoping you might want to stay the night,” he says. “The girls can camp out with Hayley. Seth can take the couch. I’ll sleep with Sam. He has twin beds in there.”

He’ll sleep with Sam? “Why on earth would I stay over if you’re going to sleep with Sam?” I squeak. I shove his chest. “If I stay over, you’re sleeping with me.”

“I don’t want to set a bad example for Seth,” he says quietly.

“Is that why you didn’t come over after work last night?” I ask. I sound like I’m pouting, and I sort of am. And I hate it, but it is what it is.

“Mmm hmm,” he hums right next to my ear. The sound vibrates straight to the center of me.

“We could put Seth in with Sam, and you could start out on the couch,” I suggest. I bury my face in his chest to hide my embarrassment.

“Oh, there’s an idea,” he says. He pretends to mull it over. “I’ll think about it.”

“Or we could just go home at the end of the night. That’s easier.”

“Home?” he asks.

I nod. “Home,” I say again. “My home. Our home.” I look up into his face, and he smiles down at me. His eyes are clear and focused, and I have all of his attention.

“Home,” he says quietly. He nods.

I might as well lay my cards on the table, right? “All I can think about since yesterday is the way you feel when you’re inside me. It’s so…right.” I groan. “I sound stupid.”

He takes my hand and pulls it down his front until it’s pressed over his hardened length. “You sound f**king hot,” he says. His lips drag across my jaw toward my hairline. “Are you wet?” he asks, his words a breath by my ear.

“Yeah,” I whisper back. Matt unbuttons my jeans and slides the zipper down slowly. The tines click, click, click until it’s all the way down.

“Can I feel?” he asks.

I nod against his neck. “Yeah,” I whisper again. I take his earlobe between my teeth and give it a gentle nip. Just as I do, his fingers slide through my heat and go straight to my clit. I fall back against the wall. “Matt,” I whisper, reaching for his wrist. “We shouldn’t be doing this.”

“I know,” he says. “I’ll be quick. I just want to feel you come apart.”

I can’t breathe. “What about you?” I ask.

He chuckles. “This is for me.” His fingers slide through my wetness, pressing hard and insistently, and then he hooks two fingers inside me and strums my cl*twith his thumb. He doesn’t have a lot of room to work inside my jeans so his movements are quick and jerky. I arch my hips, helping him find a rhythm. I open my eyes and look into his blue ones, which are staring down at me. “Matt,” I protest. But it’s more pleading than protest.

“I’ll make you come, Sky,” he says quietly. “I promise.”

I nod and lay my head back, barely able to catch my breath. “Okay,” I whisper. And then the tremors start. Matt leans into me, pressing his body against mine to hold me up. I turn my head toward him and just as I come, I bite down on the tender skin of his neck. He flinches, but he growls and turns his head to cover my lips with his, drowning my cries of release with his tongue and his lips.

“Shh,” he says against my lips.

I’m whimpering, and I didn’t even realize it. My body shivers as I come and come and come, and I am nearly wrecked when he finally stops. He pulls his hand from my panties, zips my pants, and buttons me up. Then he chuckles and kisses me quickly.

“I need a minute by myself,” he says. His voice is thick and rough and so hot.

“You want me to go?” I ask. “Seriously?”

He kisses me, his mouth lingering. “Why don’t you go check on the kids?” he asks. “I’ll be behind you in a minute.” He turns me around, opens the door, and shoves me out into the hallway. I hear him fall against the door on the other side, and then he pounds it lightly with his fist. He laughs and growls out my name.

Oh crap. I’m still feeling all loose and languid, and he just shoved me into the hallway. Paul rounds the corner and stops suddenly. He puts his hand over his eyes. “I’m not looking,” he says. He walks down the hallway and doesn’t glance at me again. He opens a door, and I hear a bunch of little girl screams. That’s where the girls are, apparently. They were easy to find. I follow on wobbly knees, because really, what else am I going to do?