Start Me Up (Man of the Month 4)

And when he came, she hooked her legs around him and used her strength to pull him in deeper, closer to her core. Closer to her heart.

When he was spent, he stretched out beside her, his finger tracing her collar bone. "You're incredible," he said. "And I bet we just had the most fun of anybody at this wedding.

Chapter Eleven

"Thinking about jumping in?" Nolan asked, coming to stand at the end of the dock beside Amanda.

She turned her head and smiled at him. "I haven't swum in Lake Austin since we were kids." She sat down, hanging her bare feet over the edge. "And most of the time you threw me in, you jerk. I rarely had the chance to jump."

He dropped down beside her, his own flip-flops now abandoned on the wooden dock. "That's what big brothers are for."

She looked at him sideways. "Is that what they're for? I never could figure that out."

"Cute."

She nudged his shoulder. "What are Mom and Dad up to?"

Technically, they were his Mom and her Dad, but their parents had married when they were both so young that neither he nor Amanda thought of themselves as stepsiblings. Except when the topic of his asshole father came up. Then Nolan felt about as far removed from the Franklin family as was humanly possible.

"When I walked down," he told her, "Dad was watching a documentary on bees, and Mom was cleaning up after lunch."

"Dammit," Amanda said, "I told her I'd do that when I got back."

"Yeah, right. Like that would happen."

She grinned. "That was my trick as a kid. But as a responsible adult, I really did intend to clean up. Only seemed fair since she put out the Sunday spread. Exactly what about bees?"

"No idea. But Mom doesn't mind. Says it keeps him out of trouble."

A retired petroleum engineer, for the last five years, Huey Franklin had become inexplicably addicted to nature documentaries.

"Speaking of trouble," Amanda began with a wicked little grin, "I guess you got it all worked out?"

"Color me confused."

"The girl," she said. "Trying to get some girl. Not getting the girl. Much musical and comedic angst on the radio. And then no angst, so I'm assuming you and the girl worked it out. Oh, and the spot you did for The Fix was great. Jenna said they really appreciate it." She paused, then laughed. "Don't look at me like that. What? You thought I didn't listen to your show?"

"I didn't think about it at all, actually." He pulled an exaggerated frown. "And you can tell Jenna I've got more in mind. Maybe interview some of the calendar guys. Tyree, too, if he's willing. And I thought about live streaming some of the contest if they're cool with that."

"Love the idea."

"As for you listening to my show, I'm not sure if I'm flattered that you're interested or mortified that my sister hears all my X-rated bullshit."

"Oh, please. Like you ever censor yourself around me. And I think it's more PG-13. Maybe NC-17. But only when you manage to slip something past Connor."

He laughed. "You make a good point."

"I always do," she countered. "And you're changing the subject."

Amanda always was too clever by half. But considering all the help she gave him over the years, he'd never razzed her on her brainiac ways. "You're right. The girl has been gotten."

"Nice. So who is she? And don't just say she's a girl. I got that part already."

"She's definitely not just a girl."

"Oh, really?" She ran her toes through the water and flicked her foot up, sprinkling both of them with droplets. "I want a name."

"But you're not getting one. We're not public yet." They'd talked about it briefly while they were on the floor of the bathroom in the Four Seasons. The fact that they both wanted more of each other. And the fact that there were complications.