Page 55 of Irresistibly Wicked

“You’re getting married?” he said incredulously. “Bro, what’s the rush? Brian’s already in rehab.”

“Yeah, because I paid for it. She wants to pay me back, which means getting the marriage clock ticking so she can get her money.” He headed to his truck, but Zeke followed.

“Slow down, Zan. Can we just sit down, have a beer, and talk about this? There’s got to be another way.”

“Are you fucking kidding me? I thought if anyone had my back, it would be you.”

“I’m trying to have your back, but come on. You and marriage? Those two things do not go together, and you know it.”

“Like I said, way to have my back, bro. I’m out of here.” Ignoring Zeke’s pleas to chill the fuck out, he climbed into his truck and sped away.

If ever there was a time when Zander wished he had his motorcycle, it was now. He could use some wind therapy to cool off before going home. Instead, he hit the highway, cranked the tunes, and ground his back teeth. He felt blindsided. Not just by his parents and grandfather, but by Zeke. He was the one person who had always had his back, no matter what kind of shit he got himself into, and this wasn’t even for himself.

He was still on edge when he got home.

As he headed up to the front door, he saw Shauna through the window. She was vacuuming in her workout shorts and a crop top, her head bobbing and her ass swinging to some beat he couldn’t hear. He laughed to himself, the tension draining out of him. How could coming home to someone he barely knew make him so happy? He never imagined he’d go against his family for anything, but as he made his way inside, there wasn’t even a question. He refused to be just another person who let Shauna down.

She was shaking her ass, belting out something about moonbeam ice cream and taking off jeans—his kind of song—and the living room looked like it had been hit by a hurricane. Cat treats and glitter littered the floor and furniture, along with what appeared to be pieces of balloons and feathers.

Shauna looked up and startled. She quickly turned off the vacuum, and as she took out her earbuds, she said, “You scared the crap out of me. How long have you been standing there?”

“Long enough to see this.” He turned around and shook his ass.

She covered her face with her hand, laughing, but her smile faded fast, and she wrinkled her nose adorably. “I’m sorry about the mess, but don’t worry. I’ll clean up everything.”

“I don’t care about the mess. What happened?”

“Ask her.” She pointed to Kitty, lounging on the couch like a queen. As if on cue, Kitty rolled onto her back and stretched, looking insanely cute.

He cocked a brow and picked Kitty up.

“Don’t fall for that cuteness. This is all her doing.”

“This sweet little girl?” he teased, snuggling Kitty. “No way.”

“I’m telling you, she’s got a little devil in her. I stopped by the craft store after my pole class to get stuff to make a glitter bomb birthday card for Mike, one of the guys I work with, and I thought it might be fun to get Kitty a new toy. But they didn’t sell cat toys, and I had ordered takeout to pick up on the way home to surprise you since you’re doing so much for me. Rather than take the time to go to the pet store, I thought I’d make her toys. I bought helium balloons and feathers to tie to the strings, thinking that when the balloons floated up to the ceiling, she’d chase the feathers around.”

He freaking loved that she’d thought about making something for his cat, but he loved that she wanted to surprise him with dinner even more.

“Little did I know devil cat would launch herself off the couch, trying to get the balloons instead of the feathers, and knock over my glitter jar. I tried to catch it, and missed, but I managed to knock over the bag of Kitty’s treats I found in the cabinet. Meanwhile, she was freaking out about the glitter jar crashing to the floor.”

He laughed.

She planted a hand on her hip. “You laugh, but I swear she’s possessed, because that’s when she noticed the feathers tied to the strings on the balloons. I kid you not, she leapt onto the back of the couch and turned into a flying squirrel right before my eyes, launching herself onto one of the balloons and puncturing it with her claws. As she’s going down with the loudest meow you’ve ever heard, I dive across the room to catch her, and my foot slips on glitter.”

“Oh, man.” He winced.

“You’re telling me? I’m stumbling forward, arms flailing, and manage to catch her on my way down.”

“Did you get hurt?” he asked through his laughter.

“Just my ego.”

And there they were. The dimples that had him pulling her into his arms for a quick hug with Kitty as he said, “You’re my hero for saving my girl.”

“Your girl is a demon.” She scratched Kitty’s back, and Kitty purred. “Oh my gosh, I have been a nervous wreck all day about how things would go with your parents, and I got so caught up in this mess, I almost forgot to ask how it went.”

He kissed Kitty’s head and put her on the couch. “It didn’t go great, but fuck ’em. We’re doing this.”