Page 7 of Honorable Sins

"No!" The shouted denial does not come from Cormac or Mavie, but our quiet little Sorcha. "It goes high."

Fitz drops to his haunches in front of his little sister, while blocking Cormac's path back onto the ladder. "Do you want me to hang it for you?"

Sorcha jerks her head in a nod. "It goes high."

"Yes, all the breakable ornaments go higher on the tree, you are right, my sweet Sorcha," Kara says, her voice filled with warm approval.

I carry Mavie to the tree and allow her to place both of her ornaments on high branches. "You let your mam and Fitz hang the rest of these ones," I tell her firmly.

She turns her sunny smile up to me. "Okay, da."

"I want to hang it," Sorcha says, her own voice just as firm as mine, only she's talking to Fitz.

"You want me to pick you up like da did for Mavie?" Fitz asks, respecting the touching boundaries our youngest twin has had since birth.

Sorcha considers her answer before nodding again. "Yes."

Fitz lifts her and allows her to hang the ornament near where Mavie placed hers.

"Marshmallows!" Cormac crows, having discovered the hot cocoa.

Minutes later the littles are sitting on the floor around the coffee table, drinking cocoa with their favorite toppings. Mavie likes whipped cream as the white mustache she sports attests. Sorcha wants whipped cream too in order to be like her sister. However, her child sized mug only sports a small dollop that Kara mixes into the lukewarm beverage before our little one will take a sip.

Fitz sits in a chair, his own mug untouched while he looks around at all of us, like he's still trying to figure something out.

Kara nestles into my side on the sofa, taking sips from my drink while ignoring her own. "Everything okay with him?" she asks softly so her voice doesn't carry.

"Aye."

She relaxes against me, but I'm not fooled. My sweet wife will want chapter and verse later when the children can't overhear.

And there will be no slaking the intense desire that still burns brightly between us until she gets it. Not that that stops her from teasing me with the press of her gorgeous baps against my side.

When I glance down at her, she's looking back, her hazel eyes filled with the knowledge of what that touch does to me.

"Want to play stoplights tonight?" she asks softly.

My cock hardens in response to her question, like we didn't make love this afternoon while the girls were napping and Cormac was in preschool.

One thing that hasn't changed in the thirteen years of our marriage, is how much I need this woman.

And it never will.

Chapter two

Some Things Change, Some Things Stay the Same

KARA

Leaning down, I kiss Cormac's forehead and rub my knuckles over Miles' head. The dog prefers sleeping with Cormac because he doesn't have to fight Gobby for prime real estate on Fitz's bed.

There's no question who wins in a contest of wills between them and it's never our gentle dog.

I kissed the twins goodnight before taking Cormac to bed. Mick and Fitz are tucking the girls in tonight. Our twelve-year-old thinks he's too old to get tucked in himself but he's happy to help settle his younger siblings. Which allows him to enjoy the ritual without feeling like we're babying him.

The abandoned cocoa mugs are gone and soft jazz plays from the smart speaker instead of Christmas carols when I reach the living room.

My husband lounges on the sofa, his tie and suit jacket long gone and his black dress shirt unbuttoned down the front, revealing his tattoos.