The Dealmaker (Sex & Bonds 1)

“As a baker, surely you’re looking for a studmuffin,” Keira corrects. “You’re not awkward. You’re just young.”

“And horny.” Greer’s eyes follow the guys as they swiftly row toward the shore. “I won’t tell y’all how long it’s been since I’ve gotten laid, but it’s been a minute. I’m almost tempted to ask for, like, instructions on how to seduce someone.”

I cut her a look. “Please don’t do that.”

“I make no promises. I hear Brooks has no trouble getting laid—”

There’s a shriek behind me, and I glance over my shoulder just in time to see Shelby barreling toward me, arms outstretched. “Nora! Oh my God hi! I have so much to fill you in on. Last night I finally had that conversation with Brixton we talked about—”

“And?” I wrap her in a tight hug before reaching for Ree’s hand.

“And I did it! I broke up with him!”

Ava scoots in for a side hug. “Thank God. Nora, you’re the only one who could talk some sense into my sister. I told you from the beginning, Shelby, Brixton was bad news!”

Ree beams at me. “How are you doing, sweetheart? Theo told me you unpacked your last box last night.”

I moved in with Theo about a month after we made our relationship public at work. It’s taken me much longer than I thought it would to unpack, but between all the time we’ve spent either in bed together or with his family, I shouldn’t be surprised. Life’s never been busier—fuller—and I couldn’t be happier.

“Yup. Theo helped me make some room in the master closet, so we should be all set.” I smile at Birdie. “Internship going okay?”

She grins. “It’s actually going really well. The team’s been super welcoming, and I’ve learned a lot so far.”

Together Birdie and I made a mood board for what her ideal summer internship would look like. It became clear she’s interested in marketing, design too, so we scoured the area for opportunities that might fit the bill. She ended up nabbing a (paid!) social media marketing position at a fun, female-led furniture start-up right here in South End. Theo and I couldn’t be prouder of her.

“What a great idea this was,” Ree says, surveying the table of goodies Theo and I set out earlier: fried chicken and fixings from our favorite local hole-in-the-wall restaurant, along with a batch of the peanut butter kiss cookies Ree and the girls taught me how to make. The townhouse still smelled like cookies baking in the oven when Theo and I left earlier today.

“We thought it’d be fun to get everyone outside for a bit,” I reply. “I also wanted to watch Theo row. I can’t believe I haven’t come to see him yet—he’s incredible!”

“He’s all right,” Ava teases, pressing the flat of her hand against her forehead as she looks out over the river. “I like him better since he started dating you.”

“I do too,” I reply with a wink.

The guys pull up to the bank just then, the five of them hopping out of the boat in all their sweaty, sunburned glory. The second the boat is secure, Theo makes a beeline for me. My heart skips a beat taking him in: the Wayfarers, the beads of sweat rolling down his stomach. The smile on his face as he leans in and plants a scruffy kiss on my mouth. I laugh; one of the guys whistles; Greer says, “Damn!”

Heat radiates from his body, making a shiver dart up my spine. He smells like sunscreen and river water, this earthy tang I find irresistible. Is this huge—and hugely adorable—man really all mine?

Is he really so into me that he’d be this hungry for a kiss, even though he was kissing me all over not an hour ago in the backseat of his car?

My heart is full to bursting.

“Hey, honey,” he says when he pulls back. My body ignites at the hint of a growl in his voice. Are we ever going to stop getting so damn horny for each other? I hope not.

I feel everyone’s eyes on us, but that only makes me smile harder. “Hi, Theo.”

“Enjoy the show?” Nicky asks from behind us, cracking open a beer. “I took my shirt off too, you know.”

“Oh, we know,” Keira says with a smirk.

Nicky smirks right back. “Should I put it back on?”

“Don’t you dare,” she replies.

“I loved it,” I say to Theo. “It’s amazing how fast y’all can go out there.”

George picks up a fried chicken breast and chuckles. “We’re fast when it counts. But we can go slow too. Really take our time, use our bodies to get a feel—”

“Can you not be gross around your sister?” Greer says. “Please?”

George spreads out his arms. “I am as God made me.”

“So you are gross, then,” Brooks says, but he’s smiling. He stands beside Greer, and I don’t miss the way she watches him lift his shirt to wipe his face, staring when his stomach and hips are bared.