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  “Hmm. And why didn’t you come home last night after dropping her off?”

  Shit. I was hoping he wouldn’t realize I was gone all night. He was still asleep this morning when I crept through the door, careful not to make too much noise.

  “I stayed on her couch to make sure she was going to be okay.” Not a lie. I wanted to help her in case she needed it. Pax doesn’t need to know I stayed for my own selfish reasons.

  “Sure. Whatever you say. But, just so you know, you better get rid of that ‘I just had sex’ grin before you see Myles again because he will point that out in a heartbeat.”

  Fucking Paxton. Why does he have to know everything? I run a hand down my face and pull out a chair from the table, flopping into the seat before cradling my head in my hands.

  “What am I going to do?”

  He pushes the pizza box my way and I grab a slice, eager to put something else in my mouth besides my foot.

  “Was it a one-time deal?”

  I shake my head while chewing. “No. Lizzie’s not that kind of girl. And I wouldn’t do that to her.” Paxton waits for me to continue. “She wants to keep this casual though, no feelings involved, especially since we’re only here for a couple months.”

  The room is quiet as Paxton taps his chin in contemplation. “Does she know you’ve been pining after her for years?”

  “Sort of. We talked a little bit about that night, but nothing in detail. She knows my feelings are reciprocated, just not the extent.” I blow out a breath and lean back into the chair. “I really like her, Pax. What if I screw this up?”

  The chair creeks slightly as he leans forward, resting his elbows on the table. “That’s easy. Don’t. But you need to decide if you can handle a casual relationship with her and Myles’ scrutiny.”

  “That’s the other thing,” I start. “She wants to keep this under wraps.”

  “She does know you’re terrible at keeping secrets, right?” He raises a brow to accentuate his point. Then he waves a finger between us. “Case in point.”

  I try my best not to flip him off. “You don’t count. Besides, I need an ally in this.”

  “Oh no,” he says, raising his hands up in defense. “Do not drag me into your shit show. I will not be held accountable for you when Myles decides to pummel your ass for touching his sister.”

  “I’m not asking for help. Just don’t tell him.”

  “So you want me to be an accessory? You know that still makes me guilty of the crime.”

  I grab another piece of pizza and shove a bite into my mouth. “You’re acting like I’m going away for life.”

  He shrugs. “Tell me you’re not. Tell me you don’t think of Lizzie as the girl of your dreams and the future Mrs. Lavery.”

  I can’t say that. Not with a clear conscience. There’s nothing more I want in life than to make her my wife and start a family with her. Seeing her belly swollen with my child creates an ache in my heart. I look to what Kade and Adrienne have and I’m instantly consumed with jealousy. I want that, more than I ever thought I did.

  My silence is enough of an answer for him. Tossing the crust back in the box, he stands and brushes crumbs off his hands. “Look, I can see you’re into her. I’ve known about it for years. All I’m asking is that you’re careful. I won’t say anything to Myles, but don’t put me in a position to lie to him either.”

  I nod. “Deal.” We shake on our agreement. The tension in my shoulders eases since we started this conversation. I knew it’d happen at some point.

  Pax nods to the living room. “Wanna play Xbox?”

  I grin and toss my crust into the box next to his. “You’re on.”

  The next morning, Pax and I arrive at Kade’s studio with our coffee in hand. Myles sits in one of the plush chairs in the corner while Kade is talking with the tech guy behind the soundboard.

  “Morning,” I say to no one in particular.

  Myles gives a nod. “’Sup. Did my sister puke in your car Saturday night?”

  I shake my head and grab one of the office chairs, twirling it around so I can sit. “Nah, she passed out right away.”

  He laughs. “Yeah, Tay did as well. Pretty sure Gabe had the same results with Quinn. They really tied it on good.”

  Pax sits in the chair opposite of Myles. “Did you see the tower of shot glasses they had on that table? It was impressive.”

  “For girls,” Myles says. “And there were three of them drinking. It wasn’t overkill by any means.”

  Kade turns and nods. “We’ve done worse.”

  Wanting to change the subject, I look to Kade. “Any news on the baby front yet?”

  He shakes his head. “She has an appointment today, so we’ll find out more then, I guess. She stopped telling me about her contractions since I keep threatening to take her to the hospital.”

  “You know she’ll tell you when she’s ready, right?” Pax says, tossing his empty cup in the garbage.

  Kade shrugs. “I’d rather be safe than sorry.”

  Valid point. Not sure I’d be any different if I were in his shoes.

  Myles stands and clears his throat. “Just to let you guys know, my mom is insisting on throwing a reception for me and Tatum. No was not an option.”

  Pax laughs. “That doesn’t shock me. I’m surprised she didn’t fly to L.A. right after you told her you eloped to kick your ass.”

  “Yeah, me too,” he replies. “Anyway, I convinced her to have it the weekend we go back, so this is your two months’ notice. Any and all questions can be deferred to Tatum, Lizzie, or my mom.”

  “And what are you going to do to prep for this?” I ask.

  Myles smirks. “Drink at the bar.”

  Yeah, I’m sure that’ll go over real well with his wife and mom.

  After a brief meeting with the tech guys, we file into the soundproof room and begin our sets. Everything is flowing smoothly. We’re able to crank everything out with few errors or hold-ups.

  Until the phone in the booth rings.

  There’s only one phone that calls that number. Kade bolts through the door, practically pushing the sound guy off his stool to grab the phone from his hands. Myles and I holster our guitars in the off-chance we’re going to be making an emergency trip to the hospital.

  We wait as Kade continues talking on the phone with his back to us. It’s hard to tell what’s going on when he’s not facing our direction, but the moment he turns to look at us, we know.

  It’s time.

  “Okay, guys. This is it. Her contractions are about eight minutes apart, so they want us to come in.”

  “Are you sure this time?” Myles asks, boredom lacing his words.

  Kade nods. “She’s been timing them for the last few hours. Even did the walk around thing to see if they’d stop. They’re consistent.”

  Everyone goes into motion at once. Kade’s haphazardly shoving things aside while turning in circles. Man, he’s a mess.

  “Dude, we’ve got this. Go to the house and get Adrienne. We’ll meet you at the hospital,” I say, grabbing him by the shoulders to calm down.

  He takes a few even breaths and rubs the heels of his hands into his eyes. “I thought I’d be ready for this, but I’m so scared, man.”

  Pulling him into a hug, I slap his back. “You’ve got this.” He returns the slap and pulls away.

  “Thanks. I’ll give you guys a call when it gets closer so you don’t have to spend the entire day at the hospital.”

  Kade makes a beeline for the door and leaves the three of us in his wake, all smiling and secretly excited to meet the newest member of the band.

  Taking a glance at his watch, Myles claps his hands. “Well, it looks like it’s beer-thirty to me. Who wants to join in?”

  Yeah, a beer is exactly what I need right now.

  My phone chimes beside me as I sit on the couch, flipping through some magazine I found on the floor. Thank God it was one of Paxton’s and not Myles’. I smile as I look at the picture of
the smiling angel lighting up my phone.

  Lizzie: When are you going to the hospital?

  Me: When Kade calls.

  Lizzie: Want to hang out until then?

  Like I’m going to pass up an opportunity to see her beautiful face.

  Me: Sure. My place or yours?

  Lizzie: Is yours safe?

  Me: Depends. What’d you have in mind?

  Lizzie: *devil emoji*

  I fly off the couch faster than my legs can carry me, almost taking a nose dive onto the table as my feet get tangled with each other. My devilish angel wants to play. I can’t guarantee my place is safe. Pax won’t mind or say anything, but who’s to say that Myles won’t drop by. There’s a higher probability that he’ll come here than to Lizzie’s house.

  Leaving my truck in the driveway, I jog the two blocks to her place. I don’t want it obvious I’m there, considering I really don’t have any reason to, not yet. Maybe once her surprise arrives, it’ll be easier, though I won’t be the one to do the installing this time. I’m leaving that to the professionals. However, someone should be home when it’s happening, and that someone will be me.

  In no time, I find myself on her front step, knocking once before the door flies open, leaving my fist idle in mid-air.

  Lizzie greets me with a smile while wrapping her arms around my neck and pulling me into a kiss. God, I will never get tired of tasting her mouth. So soft and sweet, like licking honey. The way her lips mold to mine always amazes me.

  I push us inside before kicking the door shut, needing to move us from the public eye. We bump into the wall and I use it to my advantage, pressing my hips into hers while she grinds against me. Running my hands along her jaw, I cup the back of her head and tilt it up, giving me full access to her neck. I savor her sweet skin, pressing my nose into the crook of her neck to inhale her scent. Lizzie tugs at my hair while wrapping a leg around my waist.

  “I missed you today,” she said. Desire lies deep in her words, all husky with a sexy rasp. When she nibbles at my ear, I damn near rip her clothes off right there.

  “Missed you too.” I can barely get the words out of my mouth because that would mean I’d have to tear it away from her body. I want to cover every inch of her skin with my lips, marking her as mine.

  But I can’t. We have to meet everyone in a little bit and if we both show up with love marks, it’ll be obvious what we’ve been doing.

  If she wants this to stay quiet, we need to stop now.

  Pulling back slightly, I run a finger along her jawline and kiss the tip of her nose. “Now that’s the way I like to be greeted at the door.” I allow myself the moment to peruse her body, letting my gaze slide up and down, taking extra time to focus on her perfect breasts. “Though I think I’d rather see you with nothing on.”

  A flush tints her cheeks a delicate shade of pink as I focus my attention to her tongue as it darts out to wet her lips.

  Fuck, that little motion is almost enough to stir something to life.

  “As would I, but we can’t always get what we want.”

  “No, we can’t.” I release her and back away, letting her follow me to the kitchen. “Kade said he’d call us when it was getting closer to the time.”

  Lizzie nods. “Yeah, Quinn told me the same thing. I can only imagine the power struggle that’s happening right now. Who do you think is actually in there with Adrienne?”

  A valid question. Quinn is still protective of Adrienne, so I’m sure she’s refusing to be left out of the room.

  “I’d imagine both of them, but it’s a matter of who will walk out alive after Adrienne threatens to kill them both for their bickering.”

  She laughs and pulls a beer from her fridge, offering it to me. I twist the cap and toss it in the garbage. “Good point.” She takes one for herself and we take a seat at her small dining table.

  “How was work?” I ask, genuinely interested in her day.

  Exhaustion suddenly takes over and she looks like she’s aged about ten years. “Horrible. We had several kids in with the flu, three nosebleeds, and about a million shots.”

  “A million?” I ask with a raised brow.

  She sighs. “Okay, fine. Not quite that many, but it felt like it. I hate holding little kids down to cause them pain. It’s not my favorite part of the day.”

  I can imagine her almost crying with her patients as she sticks them with the needle. She has the biggest heart I’ve ever seen and wears it on her sleeve. I remember her crying whenever someone stepped on a bug because she didn’t want it to die.

  “I bet not. I’m surprised you got over your fear of needles.”

  Lizzie takes a sip of her beer. “Clinicals helped with that. The first couple times I almost passed out. Then I convinced myself to get over it and boom, problem solved.”

  “Just like that?” Somehow I doubt it.

  She sighs and bites her lower lip. “Okay, fine. I went to a hypnotist and had them block the fear.”

  I laugh. “You know that’s all crap, right? They don’t really work.”

  “Do so,” she says with a squeak. “I haven’t had one issue since.”

  “Or,” I say, leaning closer. “You just decided to grow a pair and get over it.”

  Lizzie shrugs. “Whatever.” Draining the rest of her beer, she reaches out for my empty bottle. “Want another?”

  “Probably shouldn’t show up to the hospital under the influence.” Not that two beers will run me that risk, but we don’t know when we’re getting the call and I’d rather not take the chance.

  “True.” She tosses the bottles into the recycling and leans against the counter.

  Damn, she’s beautiful. Those jean shorts make her legs look a mile long while her shirt accentuates all of her features without being obvious about it. She looks so comfortable and casual.

  Pushing the chair back, I predatorily creep into the kitchen, eyeing my prey as I cage her in with my arms. “Want to get sweaty?” I ask, low and seductive.

  I watch her throat as she swallows hard. “Yes,” she breathes against my cheek.

  Moving my hands to her hips, I allow myself the time to explore her body, feeling the curves against my fingertips. “We’ll probably get a little dirty too. That okay?” She nods. I press my lips to her pulse along her neck, feeling it quicken under my touch. Lizzie is just as affected by my close proximity as I am to her.

  I move to cup her cheek, running my thumb along her jawline. “Good. Follow me.” Taking her hand, I tug her away from the counter and lead her down the hall. But not the way she was thinking. Lizzie slows her steps until I’m practically dragging her to the garage.

  “Wha-what are we doing?”

  It takes everything I have not to laugh at her confused expression. “I told you, getting sweaty and dirty.” I point to the couch. “We need to put your living room back together.”

  Ow!

  Lizzie smacks my shoulder several times. I can’t hold back anymore and let the laugh bubble to the surface.

  “You ass. You got me all hot and bothered and then nothing. You’re going to pay for that,” she says.

  I wrap an arm around her waist, pulling her tight into my side. “I’ll gladly take your punishment whenever you want to dish it out.”

  Her pretend frown is comical. “It’s not a punishment if you enjoy it.”

  “Then I guess you’re screwed.” Her scowl deepens, and I kiss the little lines between her brows. “You’re lucky you’re cute.”

  Lizzie pushes me away with a huff. “Well, let’s get moving.”

  I thought it’d be easier to move the furniture back to where it was. Nope. Apparently, we need to feng shui the whole room so we don’t throw off her chi.

  Whatever the fuck that means. Holy balls, I don’t understand girls.

  By the time the last piece of furniture is in place, my back aches like I’d been lifting weights in the gym for hours. And yet, Lizzie looks like she’s barely broken a sweat. Probably because
I did all of the work as she just dictated where everything needed to go.

  I flop into the chair and let my arms dangle over the side. “No more. If you want it moved again, you’re gonna have to do it yourself.”

  She laughs and sits on the couch. “You’re such a wuss.”

  “Wuss? I didn’t see you dragging each piece around in circles, trying to get the right angle for everything.”

  Shaking her head, she disappears into the kitchen and comes back with two beers in hand. Cracking the top of mine, she hands it to me and I accept it with a nod.

  “I offered. You said no.”

  “I didn’t say no.”

  “Really? So it was someone else who said let the big, strong man do it?” she says in a terrible impersonation of my voice.

  I can’t help it. I laugh. “You’re damn lucky you’re cute.”

  She awards me with one of those breathtaking smiles. “I know.” Before I have the chance to respond, she’s crawling into my lap and wrapping her arms around my neck. “You’re pretty cute yourself.”

  I set the beer on the table next to me. “Is that so?”

  “Mmhmm.” Leaning forward, she runs her nose up the side of my neck, leaving a trail of goosebumps in her wake. “Very.”

  Using this opportunity, I run my hands underneath her shirt, toying at the clasp of her bra. One quick flick and it’ll open. Then her shirt will come off and I can get those perfect breasts in my hands.

  “On a scale of one to Brad Pitt?”

  Her laugh vibrates through my muscles as she teases her lips against my skin, barely skimming the surface. Yet it feels as though she’s touching me everywhere all at once.

  “You are hotter than Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Cole Sprouse.”

  I pull back and stare at her. “Who?”

  “I’m going to assume you mean Cole?”

  “Yeah,” I say, brushing some hair behind her ear. “Who in the hell is that?”

  “The guy on Riverdale.”

  Nothing.

  “The Suite Life?”

  Nada.

  “The little kid from Big Daddy?”

  I snap my fingers. “You mean Frankenstein?”

  Lizzie rolls her eyes. “Yeah, Frankenstein.”