Surrendering Series Box Set

“Not really. What did you bring me?” She was worse than Gracie and Fiona, but I thought I’d found the source of her constant pop-ins. Sloane was lonely and she missed me. I couldn’t fault her for that.

I missed having her around too, even though I loved living with Lucah. There was something about living with your best girlfriend that was completely different than living with your boyfriend. I still wanted to impress him, and keep him under the illusion that I never do things like fart, or clip my toenails. I didn’t have to do that with Sloane.

“Well, we stopped and got some candy for the girls, so we brought you some mango jellybeans and some fancy chocolate that is up to your exacting standards.” She took the bag and skipped a little.

“You are the bestest friend ever!” She squealed and I got a strangling hug. It was kind of like Gracie and Fiona when I’d given them candy. But without the crying.

“Okay, okay,” I said and she let go. “So what’s up? How’s the world of fashion?”

Lucah took the burgers and fries and put them in the fridge, and then went to go take a shower to give us some privacy. Because he was the prefect boyfriend.

She was still having problems with her lingerie line, but she seemed more optimistic about it, which was great. She still needed an assistant.

“I’ve got a bunch of college students I could shove your way,” I said. Lilia would probably be fabulous at it, since she already had excellent fashion sense. But I didn’t want to lose my newfound coding genius. I was going to hold onto her with all my might.

I was stuffed from the burgers and I could feel a food coma setting in when I remembered what I had to do tomorrow at dinner with my parents. Crap, I should probably call them and inform them that Lucah would be joining us.

“Listen, I have to call my parents,” I said, hoping she would take the hint. She did, taking her candy and waving good-bye.

Lucah was still in the shower, so I seized my moment and called my mother.

“Rory, what a pleasant surprise. Aren’t you going out tonight?” Normally I would, but I was too wiped from the day.

“No, just having a quiet night in. We went and visited Lucah’s family today and I met his nieces.”

“How lovely. Did it go well?”

“I think so, at the end. He and his brother are really different, but I really like him, and his wife and the girls were absolutely adorable.” Beyond adorable. I told her the story about them sliding around in my shoes and that made her laugh.

“Speaking of Lucah, that’s why I’m calling. Would it be okay if he came with me for dinner tomorrow?” I wasn’t going to tell her why so she didn’t alarm Dad.

“That would be good, I think. I barely got to talk to him at the ball. You’re living together and I don’t even know him, except from what you and your father have told me.” Uh oh. She was still a little hurt that Fin and I weren’t going to live happily ever after. Even though she’d seen him with Marisol at the Ball, some dreams took a while to die.

I cleared my throat to hopefully dispel some of the tension. “Okay, great. Well, that was all I had to ask so I’ll see you tomorrow. Love you.”

“Can’t wait. Love you too.”

Lucah came into the living room wearing just a towel, his freckled chest glistening with water, and his hair dripping in his eyes. He was a god. I had a god living in my apartment.

I hadn’t gotten to have my way with him yet today, and after all the stress and chaos of meeting his family, I needed another release, only this time I was going to give him one.

“Do you want some coffee?” He knew I didn’t mean coffee. I stopped right in front of him and slowly got down on my knees.

“Maybe. Do you do sex?” He said dropping the towel.

“Yes, yes I do.”

I did sex. I did it until his hand clenched in my hair and he came in my mouth, grunting my name.

~*~*~

We took Bluebird to my parents’ house. I knew Dad was going to go nuts over it, as men do when a car is involved. I also thought it would help soften the blow that we were going to deliver.

“So how should we do this? Before dinner, after? Not at all?” I said as I gave Lucah directions to the house.

“You were the one who was insistent that we had to tell him. Why the change?”

“Because I’m afraid he’s going to freak out, like me, and have a heart attack. His blood pressure has never been good and he’s been on the verge of it for so long. I don’t want to push him. I could never live with myself if that happened.” I didn’t even want to think about it for fear that it would jinx something or fuck something up in the cosmos.