Kept (Castile Family 2)

If I could sprint to the bed I would but I try and play it cool, not wanting him to know how badly I want him. He wraps an arm around me, pulling me close as we walk toward my building.

“Shit,” he mutters when two women stand up from the bench outside my place.

“Cullen Castile,” the older woman says. As I get closer to them I see how much they look alike. They are clearly mother and daughter. It only takes me a second to put together who they are. I just don’t know why Cullen’s mom and sister are here.

“Hey, Mom,” Cullen drawls. I think he’s going to drop his hold from me but he doesn’t. “Meet my woman, MJ.”

“Your woman?” His mom’s eyebrows perk up. “You’re calling her your woman?” I’m not sure if she’s excited or mad about this.

I step forward, putting my hand out to greet Mrs. Castile. “I’m MJ, Luna’s sister and a friend of your son’s. He’s staying with me until the construction is finished on his place. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

She glances over at Cullen, giving him a look that I can’t read. “Call me Caitlyn.” Her hand clasps mine. She brings her other hand up to wrap around them both. It’s soft and intimate, showing me that she’s not mad. She’s happy. Crap. She’s a Luna. I can see her planning a wedding in her head already. “It’s so nice to finally meet you.”

“Finally?” Cullen chuckles. His sister mouths an I’m sorry from behind their mom’s back with a small shrug.

“I have two sons and neither of them have introduced me to the women in their lives.” Her soft gaze flicks from me over to Cullen, where she narrows her gaze.

“I was going to at the wedding.”

“Yours or your brother’s?” she fires back.

“Oh shit,” his sister whisper-laughs.

“We’re not getting married,” I rush to correct her.

“Sure you’re not, sweetheart.” She gives my hand a squeeze before dropping it. “I heard you can cook?” She shifts her gaze back to me. “I’m hungry.”

“We have plans, Mom,” Cullen supplies. We did. They involved us eating each other but I wasn’t going to tell his mom that and I have a feeling she is going to ask what our plans are.

I smack Cullen’s chest. He lets out a grunt that I know is bullshit. “I’d love to make you something.”

Cullen reaches for the door, opening it for all of us. He still doesn’t let go of his hold on me.

“I’m Savannah.” His sister reaches out and shakes my hand this time. “Welcome to the family.”

I’m not sure if she means because my sister is marrying her brother or because they all for some crazy reason think I’m getting married to Cullen. I don’t know what to do with that so I do the one thing I do know; I cook.

Chapter 12

Cullen

They love her. My mom glows with happiness and Savannah keeps sneaking me the thumbs-up when she thinks MJ is not looking. Spoiler: MJ is looking and I think she might be a little weirded out.

I silently tell Savannah to settle down. She sticks out her tongue at me.

“You’d think once adulthood hit these two in the face that they would stop with their childish antics,” Mom laments. “I can’t take them anywhere.”

The sides of MJ’s mouth twitch but she remains silent, focusing on making the sauce for her curry chicken.

“I’m the oldest so Sav needs to settle down and start listening to me.”

“I’d listen to a mouse before you,” Sav retorts like the true brat she is. “MJ, please tell me that you’re going to straighten Cullen out for the rest of our family. He likes to boss us around because he’s the oldest, but he’s definitely not the smartest.”

“I am the smartest. I’m sitting here in the Mad Chef’s kitchen watching her make her world famous red curry with all the women I love in the world.”

MJ’s knife skitters across the cutting board. I dip my head down to hide a smirk. She wasn’t ready for the L word, but it has a nice effect. I make a mental note to start using it more.

“When did you say the wedding is?”, my mom asks with a deceptive air of innocence.

MJ has recovered, though, and blithely asks, “My sister’s wedding? On Saturday.”

“That seems like such a long way away. I wonder what took Maddox so long,” Mom sighs.

This is too much for MJ. She drops her knife and gapes at Mom. “So long? They just met and they’re getting married in three days.”

“Just met?” Mom’s confused. “I thought they’d been seeing each other for weeks. Isn’t it weeks, Cullen?”

It’s been a little over two since MJ’s sister, Luna, started stalking Maddox, so technically whatever story Madd cooked up for our mother wasn’t wrong. “Yeah, weeks.” I’ll explain Madd’s way of thinking to MJ later. No need for Mom to know all those little details.