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She loved him. It was evident. There was no sexual chemistry between them whatsoever, but they were partners in every other sense of the word.
After dinner, I watched as Hope and Minty helped Brayleigh get into her princess gear.
Lucky stood with Sia asleep in his arms, his face soft as he looked down at her.
I caught the anxious look Minty threw at him. The shake of his head in response. His laugh. “No, baby. I’m good with one. Believe me.”
Saw her relax.
Hope bumped her with her hip and threw her arm around her.
Together, they were a family.
One I thought I could, possibly, be okay being a part of.
Satisfaction
Ares
“I had the wrong idea about you. You’re nothing how I thought you’d be.”
I trailed my fingers over her naked back, the sweet weight of her chest resting against mine somehow grounding me. “Why do you say that?”
“You were so insulting the first time I met you.”
My body jolted with guilt and residual anger.
Her head popped up. She felt it.
Resting her chin on the back of her hand on my chest, she looked up at me. “What happened?”
My heart warred with my mind over how much to tell her. In the end, what did it matter? It wasn’t my shame.
Though my heart might argue.
“My stepmother called me. I hadn’t spoken to her since she kicked me out at nineteen. She wants financial compensation for raising me.”
Hope reared back, her face slack with surprise. “What?” She stuttered over her next words. “That’s ludicrous.”
“Yeah,” I agreed, drawing her back down to my chest. This conversation was better had without eye contact. “I told you my father threw money at every problem where I was concerned. Becoming financially independent, snapping that tie, is my greatest accomplishment to date. After that phone call, I felt like I had a noose around my neck.” I sighed because now came the hard part. “Then I saw you. Beautiful. Laughing. Your personality bubbling over, and I projected all that anger onto you.”
“Hm, so it was nothing personal? I just happened to be there?”
I squeezed her tighter to my chest. “There might have been an element of jealousy.”
“How?” She snorted out a laugh. “You didn’t even know me!”
I shrugged and pressed my face into her hair. Breathed deep. Let her sweet scent settle into my lungs, invited her warmth to spread through my chest. “I can’t explain it.”
She nuzzled her cheek against my chest while her hand traced my collarbone. “Has she called since?”
“Remember when we had coffee at Giovanni’s? She called that morning.”
“That’s why you looked so sad.”
I jolted again. “I looked sad?”
“Yes.” She tipped back to look at me. “That’s why I went over to sit with you. You looked like you needed a friend.”
