“Just making sure. Call me when it’s ready!” She skipped toward the door, but he touched her elbow as she passed.
“For the record, I’m still into your mom, too.” He winked at her. Or at least he would have been if she and Mason hadn’t interrupted them.
She rolled her eyes. “So. Gross.”
“You bring this on yourself, Catriona. Get out of here before we start talking sordid details.”
“Don’t need ‘em. I know exactly what was going on in here before I opened that door. Coach Swift disappeared up those stairs like his butt was on fire.”
Clare pointed the whisk at her daughter. “Leave. Or I’ll get the baby pictures out and show Eli just how adorable you used to be before this…monster thing…took over your body.”
“You love me.” She stepped back to kiss Clare on the cheek.
“I want my baby back!”
Cat laughed and left the room. “I’ll always be your baby, Mom.”
It was as though her announcement was a declaration of war. Mason’s voice bellowed from the living room where—Elliott assumed—he was glued to a screen playing a game. “I’ll always be her baby. You’ll always be older, Sissy.”
“Yes, yes, but I love you both equally.” It was Clare’s turn to roll her eyes. “Please let it drop. Please let it drop.” She chanted but cocked her head, nodding when both kids stayed quiet. “So, that went better than I expected.”
“What did?”
“Mason. I thought he’d take…” She waved a finger between them. “This hard, I guess.”
He nodded. “I guess we’re officially dating.”
“I guess we are.”
Chapter 13
Clare
If she could have bottled the moment and kept it on a shelf forever, she would have. Her head rested on Elliott’s bare stomach as she lay draped across him on her bed. Her hair splayed over his damp-with-sweat skin from another round of being treasured like a queen.
Her thighs ached, her lady bits ached, and she probably needed to guzzle a gallon of water to rehydrate, but as he traced his fingers back and forth over her chest, she’d never felt more relaxed and at ease.
She sighed, sinking into him just that little bit more.
“I need to tell you something.”
The six words every woman loves to hear made her hot and sticky body turn cold and tense. Swallowing hard, she nodded. “Okay?”
She tried to sit up, but he held her in place against him, his palm on her sternum.
“I don’t know that I can tell you if you’re looking at me. Please just stay there?”
“’Kay.” Fuck. Shit. Panic. Was he leaving again? Was he taking his super talented tongue, and devilishly handsome smile and going to use it to make someone else’s clit go crazy?
She wouldn’t let him. Not again. This was her line in the sand. He had to get her off him before he could leave and she was very good at making herself into a dead weight. He had no chance.
A hysterical laugh squeaked from her.
“What?”
“I was just thinking that if you tried to leave I’d just keep lying on you so you couldn’t.”
“A fool proof plan, I grant you, but totally unnecessary. I’m not leaving.”
