by Marie Force
He laughed at her reply. He loved her saucy mouth. “Baby, I’ve only begun to celebrate our engagement. I plan to celebrate it as much and as often as I can for the rest of our lives.” With his fingers under her chin, he urged her to look at him. “Are we good?”
“We’re great.”
“Then will you please take me to the Summer House and have your wicked way with me?”
“Since you asked so nicely, yes, I will.”
“Excellent.”
Chapter 21
Adam had forgotten the hideous pain of getting a tattoo. The first time, he’d had an image of Gansett inked onto his bicep and had nearly cried like a baby from the pain. Like then, Abby sat in the next chair looking blissed out as her favorite tattoo guy, Jeff, inked their engagement date onto her inner wrist while Duke did the same to him.
“You’re looking a little pasty, dude,” Duke said. “You’re not gonna puke or anything, are you?”
“No,” Adam said through gritted teeth, “I’m not going to puke.”
“Are you okay?” Abby asked him.
“I’m fine.” He’d be even better when Duke finished torturing him and he could get the fuck out of there. And then it occurred to him that he’d already agreed to undergo this torture again when they added their wedding date to the other arm. Ugh.
Forty-five minutes later, they emerged into twilight as the horn of a departing ferry pierced the peaceful evening.
“I love Sunday nights when all the weekend people are gone,” Abby said, “and things calm down for a brief moment before it all starts up again tomorrow.”
He took hold of her hand as they walked along the sidewalk, and he tried to ignore the throbbing pain coming from his left wrist. “My dad has always loved Sundays at the marina for that same reason. People leave on Sunday, the place clears out, and he gets it back for a short time before another influx arrives.”
“Thanks for doing that just now,” she said with a sweet smile that made all the pain worthwhile. “I know you don’t enjoy it as much as I do, so I appreciate it.”
“I enjoy watching you get all blissed out. Reminds me of when you—”
Her face turned beet red, which he loved. “Don’t say it. Not out here where anyone can hear.”
He dropped her hand and put his arm around her. Leaning in close to her, he pressed his lips to her ear and said, “It’s just like when you come.”
“Adam… Stop it.”
“Why? We’re engaged now. I should be able to speak freely about these things.”
“What does being engaged have to do with it? You’ve always spoken freely about ‘these things.’”
“Don’t pretend you don’t love it when I talk dirty to you.”
“I don’t love it when we’re in public.”
“So you do love it in private. Good to know.”
Abby elbowed him in the ribs, making him grunt and then laugh. His girl was such a lady most of the time, but he particularly loved when she let loose with a four-letter word or got bossy with him in bed. He knew he was provoking her, but that usually led to good things with Abby.
His phone buzzed with a text from his mother. Please come by tomorrow around ten. Your father and I would like to speak to you all about something—nothing bad, so don’t worry. Please come by yourselves, if you don’t mind. See you then!
Adam shared the text with Abby. “What do you suppose that’s about?”
“I have no idea, but I’m glad she said it was nothing bad.”
“Me, too.”
“I guess you’ll find out in the morning.”
They arrived home a short time later at the house they rented from his sister. Predictably, Abby tugged a house key from her bra, also known as her storage bin. How she managed to fit anything else in there around her perfectly awesome breasts was beyond him, but he’d learned not to ask questions where the bra was concerned.
She turned to say something to him, and he pounced. He’d been dying to touch her and kiss her since the second she said yes to his proposal. He’d sat through the torture of the tattoo, all the while biding his time until he could get her alone. With his hands on her hips and his mouth devouring hers, he walked her backward to their bedroom. When the backs of her legs connected with the mattress, he gave her a nudge, propelling her onto the bed. He came down on top of her without missing a beat in the kiss.
Her arms wrapped around his neck, and her legs parted to make room for him. Both these things happened so organically, so naturally that he knew a moment of pure contentment at having found the woman he was meant to be with. He only broke the kiss when he needed to breathe. “Are you really going to marry me?”
“I really am. Are you really going to marry me?”
“You bet your life I am. Who else would have me?”
“That is true…” Her smile lit up her eyes, and a surge of love left him breathless. She reached up with both hands to touch his face, and he turned his lips to kiss her left palm, just above her new tattoo. “What’re you thinking?”
“That I can’t believe how lucky I was to end up on the ferry with you when you were ranting about how sick of men you were.”
“Don’t mention that. It still embarrasses me to think about how out of control I was that day.”
“How can I not mention it when you being out of control brought us together? Besides,” he said, kissing her again, “I love you best when you’re out of control.”
“You’re a very bad influence on me.”
“Now that is just not true.” With dexterity that she often teased him about, he divested her of the dress she’d worn to the party, quickly followed by her bra.
“You must’ve had a lot of practice to be so good at that,” she said as she always did.
“Shut up and kiss me.”
She did as he requested, her sweetness and enthusiasm sending his need into the red zone after about thirty seconds of slick lips sliding over his while her tongue teased and tempted. “Adam?” she asked after long moments of silence.
“Hmm?” He was now focused on her neck.
“I want to get married soon. I don’t want a long engagement.”
He raised his head to look into her eyes. “That’s fine. Whatever you want.” He was on his way back to her neck when her fingers on his chin stopped him.
“I want something else, too.”
“What do you want, honey? I’d give you anything. You know that.”
“A baby,” she said softly. “I want so badly to be a mother.”
“Then we’ll have a baby,” he said as if it wasn’t the biggest thing he’d ever committed to in his life. Committing to having a child with her didn’t feel like the overwhelming notion it might’ve been with anyone else.
“Really? You mean it?”
“Yes, I mean it. I want kids, too. You know I do.”
“But do you want them now?”
“I want what you want. Now, later… Doesn’t matter to me, as long as you’re happy.” When her eyes filled with tears, he leaned in to kiss her tears away. “Why the tears?”
“I’m so happy. This is what I’ve wanted all along, and as hard as I tried, I just couldn’t seem to find this.”
“That’s because you weren’t looking for it with me.”
“Please tell me you’re not going to suddenly go crazy and lose your mind and tell me this isn’t what you want after all. Because I don’t think I’d ever get over it if that happened with you.”
“I’m not going to do that, Abs. How could I when I can’t possibly live without you?” As he spoke, he began to press against her, letting her know what he wanted so badly he burned with it. Thankfully, she got the message and began tugging on his button and zipper.
Sliding her hands into the back of his pants, she pushed them down and over his hips, her obvious haste fueling his desire. He loved how much she always wanted him and how she responded to him the way she never had to anyone else.
Adam left her only l
ong enough to shed his clothes and remove the tiny scrap of fabric she called panties. He absolutely adored her sexy-underwear fetish and encouraged it with frequent gift certificates to Tiffany’s shop that she put to good use. But he liked her best in nothing at all, like now when she was spread out before him like an erotic buffet.
With her, he’d found a partner who understood him better than anyone ever had. In turn, he’d helped to unlock the secrets to her sensuality, and he reaped the benefits of that effort every day.
“Adam… I want you. Right now.”
They’d come a long way from the days when she’d required a lot of foreplay to get to the finish line. As much as he loved every second of that foreplay, he was in just as much of a rush tonight. Since he was dying to be inside her, he took what she offered so freely, sliding into her in one deep thrust that nearly finished him right off. He was still for a moment, trying to regain control as she tightened around him and her breasts brushed against his chest.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, unaccustomed to his unusual restraint.
“Nothing.” He trembled from the effort to hold back the orgasm that wanted out right now.
“Adam…” She put her arms around him and brought him down into her embrace, her legs encircling his hips at the same time. Completely surrounded by her softness, her alluring scent and the tight heat of her wrapped around his cock, he gave up the fight and let go, feeling like a teenager who was getting laid for the first time.
“Sorry,” he muttered.
“For what?”
“That was over fast. You didn’t get there.”
“So what? I owe you about five hundred orgasms.”
He laughed. “I didn’t know we were keeping score.”
“We’re not. That’s why it doesn’t matter.”
“Yes, it does matter. You went without for too long. There’s no way you’re leaving this bed until you’ve had at least two.”
“That’s really not necessary, Adam. This was more than enough for me.”
“It wasn’t enough for me. I’m left unfulfilled by your unfulfillment.”
“That isn’t a word.”
“It is now.” He withdrew from her and began to kiss his way down the front of her, hitting all the places that made her crazy. “Now be quiet and let me have my fun.”
“If you insist,” she said with a sigh of pleasure.
“I do. I most definitely insist.”
After receiving the cryptic message from his mother, Mac had slept like shit. He’d known something was up since the day before, when that woman showed up at the docks and said something that left his father upset. Between his dad disappearing from the marina right after the woman left and the engagement party for Dan and Kara, Mac hadn’t had a chance to corner his dad for answers.
He’d driven Maddie crazy speculating as to what was going on and why his parents wanted to speak with him and his siblings without their partners present.
“They said it was nothing bad,” Maddie had said between yawns as midnight became one a.m. “You should try to relax and not worry.”
Right. Relax and not worry. Too bad he wasn’t wired that way, which his wife knew all too well. In the last couple of years, his dad had suffered a terrible head injury, Maddie had delivered their daughter at home during a tropical storm, he and two of his brothers had nearly been killed in a boating accident, and then came the latest disaster with Janey’s near-fatal delivery of P.J. And Maddie wondered why he was on edge?
He felt like he was constantly waiting for the next shoe to drop and send his life spinning out of control again. And now this… His mother had said it was nothing to worry about, but he couldn’t recall the last time she’d summoned all five of them—by themselves—to talk about something.
The next morning, Janey pulled up to the house as he got out of his truck, so he waited for her.
“Hey, brat.”
“What’s this all about?”
“Your guess is as good as mine.”
“Are you worried about whatever it is?”
“Hell yes. They don’t just summon us like this unless it’s something big.”
“She said it was nothing to worry about.”
“I worried anyway.”
“Yeah,” Janey said, “me, too. I’m kind of afraid to go in there. Part of me doesn’t want to hear whatever it is.”
“I agree.” He unlatched the gate and held it for his sister as she went ahead of him. The scent of his mother’s roses filled the air as he followed Janey into the house, where they were greeted by the smell of coffee and something cooking.
“She’s making food,” Janey said. “This is a big deal.”
“Why do you say that?”
“She always cooks when she’s worked up about something.”
“You don’t think they’re splitting up, do you?” Mac asked.
“That would count as something bad, and they said it wasn’t bad.” She gave him a little shove to move him toward the kitchen.
“Hey, guys,” Linda said when she saw them coming. “Coffee?”
“I’ll have some,” Mac said.
“None for me,” Janey said. “I’m avoiding caffeine while I’m breastfeeding.”
“Don’t say breastfeeding around me,” Mac said. “I can’t take it.”
“I have extra-big breasts right now,” Janey said, “and I use them to feed the baby I had after lots and lots of sex with your best friend.”
“I hate you.”
“You do not.”
“No, I actually do hate you.”
“Why does Mac hate Janey now?” Grant asked as he came in with Evan.
“She’s talking about her big breasts,” Linda said.
“And all the sex she had with my best friend before she got pregnant,” Mac added.
“I hate her, too,” Grant said.
“Me three,” Evan said.
Janey beamed with pleasure. “I’ve got them all hating me before noon. It’s just like old times, Mom.”
“Are we hating on Janey?” Adam asked as he came in and went straight for the coffee. “What’s the occasion?”
“She’s talking about her breasts and her sex life,” Grant informed his brother.
“Count me in on the hate,” Adam said, guzzling black coffee.
“Rough night?” Evan asked him.
“Great night. Abby and I got engaged.”
“That’s fantastic news,” Mac said. “Congrats.”
Janey kissed Adam’s cheek. “I love when my brothers marry my best friends. Thank you for that.”
“Anything for you, brat,” Adam said.
“Cuz it’s all about Janey,” the four brothers said as one.
“Awww, you guys…” Janey dabbed at her eyes dramatically. “I’m just feeling the love today.”
“When’s the big day?” Grant asked between bites of the banana bread Linda had set out for them.
She stood over a pan full of scrambled eggs and another with fried potatoes. Mac’s grumbling stomach reminded him he’d been too wound up to eat earlier.
“And don’t say Labor Day,” Grant added, “because I’m getting married then.”
“You guys set a date?” Janey asked. “Finally!”
“Yes, we set a date, and don’t make a thing over how long it took. Steph was dealing with some crap from her childhood. We talked it out and set a date.”
“I’m glad for you,” Evan said. “I know you were wondering what was up with her not wanting to talk about the wedding.”
“Speaking of weddings,” Mac said, “Maddie and I want to throw a surprise wedding for Ned and Francine.”
“A surprise wedding?” Linda asked. “How exactly does that work?”
Mac outlined his plan to help their dear friend Ned and Maddie’s mother get their happy ending.
“That’s an amazing idea,” Janey said. “I love it.”
“They will, too,” Linda said with a smile for her oldest child. “Fr
ancine said something to me recently about dreading all the planning that comes with a wedding. When are you thinking about doing it?”
“Maybe the weekend after Laura’s wedding? I wanted to check with all of you to make sure you’re available. Ned would want us there.”
“That works for me,” Janey said.
The others agreed.
“Great, I’ll keep you posted,” Mac said.
“And let us know how we can help,” Linda said.
“We will.”
Footsteps on the stairs preceded their father into the kitchen. “Good,” Big Mac said. “You’re all here.”
“Now maybe you can tell us what this is about,” Adam said. “You said it was nothing to worry about, but I worried anyway.”
“Me, too,” Mac said.
“You worry about everything,” Evan said teasingly.
“The burden of being the oldest is a heavy one,” Mac said in an intentionally grave tone. “You wouldn’t get it.”
“Oh shut up,” Grant said with a groan. “Do you ever get tired of listening to yourself?”
“No,” Mac said. “Not really.”
“So listen up,” Big Mac said. His serious tone put Mac immediately on edge. “I have something I want to tell you, and I want you to listen to the whole thing before you say anything.”
“You’re not sick, are you, Dad?” Janey asked in a small voice, airing Mac’s greatest fear.
“No, sweetheart, nothing like that. I promise. Mac and Grant, you were at the marina yesterday when a woman came to see me.”
“What woman came to see you?” Adam asked.
Big Mac looked at Linda, who seemed to nod in encouragement. “It turns out the woman who came to see me is my daughter, Mallory.”
His words were met by stunned silence as a thousand thoughts cycled through Mac’s mind in the span of a few seconds.
“Your daughter?” Evan asked. “You have another daughter? Where’s she been all this time?”
“In Providence with her mother, who recently passed away and finally told her who her father is. Mallory came here to meet me with no intention of disrupting my life. If you know me at all, and the five of you know me as well as anyone does, you’ll understand there was no way I was going to let her walk away like I’d never met her.”
