“That’s also what you said last night, so I dunno how valuable that statement is.”
I smacked the back of his head, laughing. He grinned up at me, big brown eyes twinkling and dimples popping with that little-boy mischief. It was hard not to jump him right then and there, but I’d just forced him to change out of his basketball shorts and jersey into pants and a button-down. My mother wasn’t trying to have Thanksgiving dinner with some boy looking like he just came from the park.
“You really think she won’t hate me?”
“You’re fine, Bravo. Stop being insecure.”
He pushed himself up with a grunt. The shirt had managed to stay impeccably unwrinkled, but I noticed he was still barefoot.
“Did you make the rest of this shit too?” he asked, sweeping a hand at the covered platters on the counter. “It just appeared suddenly.”
“I ordered the cranberry sauce and dressing from a restaurant.”
“Dressing?” he wrinkled his nose. “You fucking with some Ranch?”
“No, dumbass. What you call stuffing, I call dressing.” He flipped me off, and I laughed before continuing. “My mom is gonna cook some other stuff when she gets here because that’s how she is.”
“Okay, but who else is coming? There’s a million plates on that table.”
“Dude, there are eight plates. Me, you, my mama, Yaritza, Marcus, his girlfriend, Gavin, and his boyfriend.”
Adrián outright cringed. A mote of guilt caught into my excitement of having all my favorite people, minus my auntie Ashley who hadn’t been able to make the trip across the country, together. I hadn’t warned him about the others, but I hadn’t thought I needed to. Everyone coming knew about our relationship, but it was true that only Yaritza really knew him.
“I’m gonna go call my parents,” he said abruptly. “I’ll be down by the time everyone is here.”
“Why are you being nervous?”
“I’m not nervous.”
I snagged his hand before he could rush from the room and pushed him up against the doorway. It’d been established early on that Adrián was aggressive and dominant in bed, but there were times when I liked the reversal. Catching him off guard and dragging him into a sloppy kiss until he was vibrating with the need to be inside me.
As tempting as it was to do that now, and wipe his mind of worries, we only had about ten minutes before the car arrived with my mother. I kissed the corner of his mouth, then his dimples, finishing off the worship with a nip at his lower lip. He smiled, unable to help it or the way his eyes lighting up and crinkling at the sides spelled out the extent of his adoration of me.
“Hey,” I said gruffly. “You’re sweet and funny, and you’re clearly pretty infatuated with me. They’ll like you.”
“But—”
“No buts, Bravo. Not until everyone leaves, and you spend a few hours playing with mine.”
Adrián’s nostrils flared. He dragged his teeth over his lower lip, eyelids growing heavy, and dick swelling as I pressed against it.
“I can dig you out real quick. Right now.”
“Nah.”
He reversed our positions, competitive spirit flaring with a feral smile, and backed me up against the wall. “Come on. Let me hit it before your fam arrives and sends me running.”
I snorted and bucked my hips against his. “You being a baby about this ain’t really stirring my arousal.”
“I bet this big dick is, though.”
Laughter boomed out of me before I could help it, but Adrián was a good sport. He just kept grinning and rubbing all up on me, trying to woo me away from my self-control because he knew what a thirstbucket I was for his pipe game.
“You nasty little bastard.”
“Little?”
I laughed harder and shoved my way past him. He made a mournful puppy sound and pressed himself to my back, squeezing and burying his face in my neck with a deep inhale. Resisting him was futile. Or it seemed that way until my security system went off, indicating someone at the gate.
Adrián scowled. “I’m really gonna go call my parents this time.”
“Uh-huh. You better not stay up there.”
“I won’t.”
He didn’t sound convincing, but he’d been too worried about meeting my mother to bail out on her. I hoped, anyway.
After watching his cute ass for a few seconds, I buzzed the gate and met my mother at the door. Her face broke into a huge smile when she saw me, and I grabbed her up in a huge bear hug.
“Simeon, do not pick me up, child.”
“Sorry, Mama.”
I set her down, still smiling so hard my face hurt. She was stunning as always. Black hair in a shorter, sharper style than I remembered, and wearing a black and silver dress, heels, and a huge furry scarf over her leather jacket. Thank Lord I’d convinced Adrián to change.
“You look great.”
“Thank you, honey,” she said, walking inside while carefully unwrapping her scarf. “Where’s that boy of yours?”