“Hey!” I hugged them both when they reached us, then bent down to cuddle a bouncing Barclay, while Lauren kissed Bell who was all snuggled up in a little warmer.
“Thank God you’re arriving with us. I told Lowe I needed a proper breakfast and could imagine Penny whisking us off before we’d even had chance for some coffee. We did a spin class this morning and it was so hard, and I’m starving,” moaned Lauren, for the thousandth time.
“Who taught the class?” asked Kit.
“Mikey,” we replied in unison.
“Ugh,” Kit groaned. “His classes have definitely gotten harder. My ass ached for days after the last time I went.”
“Yeah, I know. I’m surprised I could walk after class,” I said, stepping to one side to let an elderly couple pass us, seeing as our little group was blocking the entire sidewalk.
“Come on,” groaned Murray. “As much as I’m a fan of talking about my girlfriend’s ass, let’s get food.”
We followed Lauren into the restaurant where the host shook Murray’s hand with a nod of recognition, then left us to get to our table unguided because we all knew the way. The boys came here every weekend; they sat at the same table at the back of the restaurant, probably ate the same thing, and were mostly left unbothered by the throngs of women who were usually spotted trying to get their attention in some way or another; or even just to say they’d seen them.
As we walked through the main room, nearly every person we passed turned their heads for a proper look at Murray, and it didn’t make a difference that he was carrying a baby in one hand or his other was firmly gripping onto Kit, they’d be staring either way. Though I suspected their expressions would contain less disappointment if he was with the boys instead of surroundedby his daughter, his girlfriend, his best friend’s sister, and her friend, like we were some kind of female-only security team.
It made me wonder what would happen when Penn arrived, because according to Lauren, word had gotten around quickly that Penn was the only single one of the three left. However, since he’d been sulking for most of the summer about The Lions, this was the first time they’d all had brunch here for a few months, so it was going to cause a stir - especially as the announcement had been made on his new ownership status. His face had been on the front page of the New York Post plastered across every corner stand we’d passed on the way to the gym and back. And then to here.
He was going to be more in demand than ever.
My teeth gritted before I could stop them. It wasn’t something I’d ever thought much about, mostly because Lauren always gave Penn shit for the trail of women he left in his wake at any possible opportunity she could get.
But now I was one of them.
Yesterday he’d said there was an ‘us’, but how many other women did he say that to?
“They’re here!” called Rafe, when we reached the table, but the only thing I could see was the waitress with her hand on Penn’s shoulder as she simpered down at him.
I wasn’t even sure what she was doing there, seeing as the table was already laden with food and the bustle of other wait staff hurrying around meant she was surplus to the requirements of Rafe, Beulah, and Penn.
In his defense, he wasn’t looking at her; he was too engrossed in whatever was on his phone and didn’t even seem to have noticed her hand was on his shoulder, but I couldn’t decide if that was better or worse - that he was so used to being pawed at, women all blurred into one.
I jolted hard at the vicious right hook planted on me by the green-eyed monster. I’d experienced jealousy before; I was familiar with the wretched knots of envy which squirreled through your veins. But right now, the undiluted - not to mention wildly uncharacteristic - rage surging through me had me wanting to scratch that woman’s eyes out if she didn’t remove her taloned fingers from Penn’s black polo shirt immediately.
What made it worse was that while I was still glued to the spot, every other member of our party was hugging and kissing, while passing Bell round for more hugs and kisses. Not one of them had noticed I had yet to blink.
My body stayed rigid as it was grasped into a bone-crunching hug by Rafe, followed by Beulah.
“Are you okay?” she asked with a slight frown as she stepped back.
I pulled myself out of my trance where I was currently plotting ways to get the waitress fired. Or murdered.
What was the matter with me?! Who had I become?! And what spell had Penn Shepherd bewitched me with?!
“Yes, yes,” I smiled finally and firmly, hugging her back. “Hello, just hungry. Low blood sugar or something.”
“Me too,” she grinned. “Let’s eat.”
There was a tap on my shoulder.
“Don’t I get a hello hug?” Penn’s deep timbre rolled over my skin, like sinking into a hot bath on a cold day, and I turned to find him peering down at me, his grey eyes so intensely focused on me that my mouth dried up in an instant.
It was hard to believe he’d been naked in my bed less than four hours ago, or that his fingers - those magic fingers which were right now subtly slipping under my t-shirt and brushing against my feverish skin - had given me so much pleasure as heslowly and deliberately pumped them inside me until his name was echoing around my apartment from the volume of my cries.
Shivers rippled across my skin from his hot breath blowing against my neck when he pulled me in. My arms were still dangling down by my side, frozen in place from the assault every single one of my nerve endings was currently enduring.
“I can’t wait to get you naked later. You’re going to be soaking my cock.” Penn’s voice was so quiet even I could barely hear his whisper, but it didn’t stop my stomach caving in from the flurry of butterflies, and jumping back like I’d brushed against a live wire.
