No one says anything, and then they all start talking at once.
I wait for them to shut up rather than trying to talk over them. I might as well save my breath.
Mara leans against my shoulder and I meet her amused gaze. My eyes drop to her lips and all the noise disappears. All I can hear is the blood rushing through my ears and all I can see is the beautiful girl in my arms. I capture her lips and nothing else matters. Her mouth opens for more so slipping my tongue inside, I stroke against hers. Until we hear a throat being cleared, which is when I realize the noise has stopped.
Separating, we grin at each other before facing everyone.
“At least I can think now. I told Mara that I’d be willing to stay in the city if that is what she wanted. In fact, I told her I’d go anywhere she wanted. But as it happens she wants to come back here.” I caress Mara’s face as she looks up at me with love in her eyes before continuing, “I’m more than happy to stay here with Mara. The house is great for us and much better than the apartments in the city. You guys know how much I love to draw, and I’ve always wanted to do something with that.” This is harder than I thought. “So now I’m finally going to do something about it. The only problem I see is Deception. I don’t want to leave you guys, but I’m not sure what else we can do.” There it’s all out in the open.
Reece and Phoenix grin at me as their wives start laughing.
Mara looks to me, but I’ve no clue as to what’s going on. I expected frowns not grins.
“What’s the joke?” I finally ask.
“We were trying to work out a way of telling you that we planned on moving back here once the girls finished college next month. We just hadn’t gotten around to it.”
“Chickened out, more like,” Thalia smirks.
“Whatever. It’s a damn relief knowing we’re all going to be back here,” Reece comments.
Phoenix kisses his girl and adds, “It sure is.”
I drop my face into Mara’s neck with a sigh of relief.
Chapter Thirty-One
Mara
I’m feeling much better now that we’ve spent two days at the beach. Not only has being away cheered me up, but it feels amazing being part of a group. The guys I’ve known since I could walk but the girls are great as well. For the first time in my life I feel like I’m part of something. I know I’m part of a large family, but this is different. My mom treats Donovan like a son, and has done so since he lost his parents and my sisters have accepted him as my boyfriend. Even Sarah has been on her best behavior and visited me at Donovan’s house.
Speaking of Donovan, he is frustrating the hell out of me. After our afternoon on the lounger, he hasn’t touched me in a sexual way. I know he wants me because I go to sleep with his swollen dick resting against my bottom, and when I wake up he’s just as hard.
Well, if he thinks I’m going to go one more night as a virgin he can think again. Which is why I’m standing in the bathroom checking out my tan line of all things against the lemon colored lacy panties I’m wearing. And apart from them, I’m in matching fuck-me shoes and nothing else. My ankle isn’t as strong as it was, but I think I can manage from here to the bed. I will even it kills me. I didn’t have the contraception injection to not have sex. Now all I have to do is work up the courage to go out there because for some reason I’m a bag of nerves. Being nervous because I’m about to seduce the man I love is pissing me off. It’s not as though I’m totally innocent with the dirty things we’ve done but I’ve never had to seduce him before. So, yeah, I’m nervous.
Inhaling, I slowly exhale as I open the bathroom door. I slowly start to walk toward the bed where Donovan is lounging, but leaning over the side table fiddling with his iPhone charger.
Finishing up, he turns to face me and I’m delighted to watch his eyes bulge with shock. “What…what…um,” he laughs, “I give up. Speech is highly overrated.”
Meeting me at the end of the bed, he doesn’t yet touch me. He gazes into my eyes and lets me see all the love he has for me in his. I only hope he can see everything I feel for him in mine.
Taking that last step into him, my nipples rub against his already naked chest sending a ripple of pleasure down my spine. He gives me a wry smile as I ask, “Please will you make love to me? It’s time I felt the slide of your penis inside me.” I grin, watching the intense look that crosses his face as he’s trying to rein in his control.
“Say something.”
He takes my hand and places it over the hard bulge in his shorts. “I want you so much that I’m frightened I’m not going to be able to make it good for you before I release.” He removes my hand.
“We have all night.”
I kneel on the bed and crawl—the best I can with one arm in plaster—up to the top. Hearing a growl, I know Donovan’s watching my bottom.
Staying on my hands and knees, I turn my head and, yeah, he’s eyeing my butt. Giving it a wiggle, I ask, “You planning on joining me anytime soon?”
He doesn’t need telling twice and drops his shorts to the floor. I grin at the sight; he’s sporting an enormous erection. Will he fit? Runs through my mind and not for the first time. He twitches and jerks.
“Mara,” he bites out, “will you stop looking at me there?”
“You’re big,” I blurt out.