“Lucky for you, I’m pretty steady.”
“I’m failing chemistry,” I blurt. “I’m probably not even going to get into nursing school.”
He pulls me into his arms, and his mouth hovers over mine. “If I need a nurse, I’ll go to the hospital.” He smiles against my lips. “I want all of you. A relationship, not a fling. I want your promises and your smiles and your vulnerable moments—not perfection.”
“I want to give you all that,” I whisper.
“No takebacks,” he says.
I slide my hands into his hair and finally let myself kiss him.EpilogueKaceTwo months later“Kace,” Abbi says, leaning into my arm, “I’m so glad you bought this place. I swear I want to live at your pool. I love it, and I love you, brother.”
I blink down at my sister, taking in her expression in the moonlight. “Are you drunk?”
“Totally drunk,” she says, nodding. “But you said I can crash in your guest room anytime, so it’s fine.”
I look to Dean with my best Can you fucking believe this? face—because I don’t think I’ve ever seen my sister drunk—but he’s so busy grinning at said drunk girl that he doesn’t even notice me.
Then my gaze snags on Stella, and I’m struck dumb by the sight of her in a black dress and heels that could qualify as deadly weapons. Her hair’s down around her shoulders and her lips are painted bright red, and my brain jumps to the memory of them wrapped around my cock last night and the sounds she made when she took me deep. Yeah, that’s never gonna get old.
I swallow and take my time looking her over again. She sips a White Claw and watches me with that sexy little smirk on her face. The one that says, I think about you when I touch myself. Okay, maybe a smirk can’t say that, but that’s sure as fuck what I’d like to think is going through her head.
“Would you two get a room?” Smithy says, his gaze bouncing back and forth between me and my beautiful girlfriend. “The eye-fucking is out of control.”
“Jealous, Smithy?” Stella calls.
“Damn straight I am. It’s not fair that you get that fine ass in bed with you every night, Stella.”
Stella laughs, all lightness and smiles tonight.
Smithy points at Dean and then Abbi. “Those two are just as bad.”
“What?” Abbi squeaks.
Jesus. Is that why Dean’s been acting so weird? It’s been like when he was seeing Amy all over again. Is he messing around with Abbi? And what a fucking hypocrite am I that if he is, my first instinct would be to tell him to back the fuck off?
Taking a deep breath, I dig deep for a rational reaction. But I know Dean. He’s not about the long-term stuff. Well, with the exception of Amy, who wasn’t interested in giving it to him. He’s not a dick, but he’s not exactly boyfriend material, either. “Are you two . . . ?” I wave a finger back and forth between them. “Seriously?”
Abbi’s eyes go wide. “No! Why would you—”
Dean steps close to her and wraps his arm around her waist before dipping his head to whisper something in her ear. When he pulls back, he searches her face with a gaze more serious than I’ve seen on him in a long time.
Abbi swallows, but she doesn’t take her gaze off Dean when she says, “There’s nothing happening here.”
“The lady doth protest too much,” Smithy says. He offers his knuckles to Dean, who arches a brow and leaves him hanging.
“Weirdos,” I mutter, letting my gaze slide back to the woman of the evening. Stella just got home from her first day back as lead receptionist at The Orchid, so naturally we had to gather and celebrate. Brinley practically kissed Stella’s feet when Stell asked for her job back. Then offered her a raise and begged her to never leave her post again. Apparently, my girl is fucking fabulous at her job. This doesn’t surprise me at all.
Stella watches me with that boozy, relaxed half-smile on her face, and it suddenly occurs to me that if my drunk sister needs a place to sleep, we won’t get the house to ourselves tonight. At least Stella will still be in my bed—unlike the five other nights a week, when she insists on sleeping in her new apartment—but sometimes a guy needs to hear his woman moan.
As Abbi and Dean turn the tables on Smithy, asking him about his love life, and Marston and Brinley snuggle together in a chaise, I walk across the patio and slide my hand through Stella’s. “Proud of you.”