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He grunts, lifting his head just enough to rest it on my upper arm. “Mind showing me what else you’ve made?”
My heart flutters with warmth. Even though I debate powering down the tablet and telling himmaybe some other time, I opt to show him all forty-seven cards I have completed. I go through each one, showing him the designs and various color changes. Which ones took me the longest, my favorites, ones I’ve had printed to give to people. “Alison thinks I should open an onlineshop and sell them,” I say, finally turning off the tablet and setting it on the nightstand.
“Why don’t you?” he asks, bringing me closer as I slide deeper under the covers.
I shrug. “I don’t know. Seems like a lot of work to turn a hobby into an income, you know?”
His big hand trails gently along my naked back. “Wouldn’t be work if it brings you joy,” he says, kissing my temple. “Some big names already think you’re pretty great.”
That’s true.Hallmarkdid buy another one of my cards. But that’s only two out of the dozens I’ve submitted. “Maybe,” I whisper, snuggling closer in his embrace. “Peggy did tell me I could put in one of those card stands in the coffee shop if I wanted to.”
“That’d be a good start,” he says sleepily, kissing down my arm and urging me to lay back as his muscular body lifts over me. “After.”
I bite back a smile, looping my arms around his neck. “After what?”
He raises a single dark brow, and with a lopsided grin, he dips his head to my bare chest. Leaving light kisses over each breast before licking a slow trail to my nipple.
I squirm under him, arching my back for more as he takes the nipple in his mouth and sucks—hard. “Butch,” I gasp.
Frankie’s high-pitched whine echoes just outside the closed bedroom door.
Butch pauses and looks up at me. I laugh, gently shoving him away. “Come on,” I say, holding the sheet to my chest as I check my phone for the time. I peer over my shoulder at a disgruntled mountain man. “Your girl needs breakfast.”
The light that flickers in his eyes at me saying I’m his ignites. He pounces on me, dragging me back under the covers and pinning me down. We’re a tangle of limbs and kisses and sheets—laughing and smiling as I wrestle to slip free and get out of bed at some point this morning.
“All right, all right,” he mock-grumbles, letting me slip away. He lays back on the pillow, the sheet dangerously low on his hips and his bulge not-so-subtly growing. He watches me pick up my sundress from the floor and tip-toe to the attached bath. “You want to go out for breakfast this morning?”
I leave the door open as I turn on the shower. “I figured I’d grab us something from work and bring it back.”
The bed creaks in the other room and his heavy footfalls come closer. I toss my hair up on top of my head, tying it off before stepping into the shower. His wide silhouette frames the doorway as I slide the glass shower door closed behind me. “You have work today?” he asks, not sounding pleased.
“No, but I forgot to bring those contracts Peggy wanted me to look over home with me yesterday,” I say as he grabs two towels and places them on the counter. I watch him oddly as the shower door opens and he steps in. “What are you doing?”
“What does it look like? Conserving water.” He steps under the showerhead with me, letting it splash over his face with a scrub of his hand.
I snort, bumping him out of the way with my hip and squeezing under the stream of water. “Anyway.” I laugh. “I thought I’d pick us up some muffins and breakfast sandwiches while I’m there. Is that okay?”
Those burly hands of his find my ass, hauling me against him. “And what am I supposed to do while you’re gone?”
“Wake your brother up. Get him in the shower and a few aspirin for the headache I’m sure he’ll have once he gets around. Then I’ll bring the coffee,” I tell him, reaching around to grab my body wash and squirting out a dollop. “Maybe talk to him? Make sure he’s okay after…last night,” I add quietly, remembering his reason for the annual drunken stupor.
“He told you?”
I look up at him shaking his head. “I promise I won’t tell anyone. His secret is safe with me, I swear.”
“No, Sunshine, that’s not what I meant,” he says with a sigh, helping me to rinse off while taking extra care over my ass and breasts. “You’re the first person he’s told outside of the family. He hasn’t even told any of our other siblings—only my parents and I know.”
“Oh…”
“Yeah,” he grunts. “And if he told you…well, consider yourself one of the family now.”
Despite the grim subject, I can’t tamp down the smile creeping in. “That’s sweet of you to say.”
“I mean it,” he adds as I step out, grabbing a towel to dry off. “Which means Sunday dinner tonight is mandatory for you, too.”
I laugh at his obvious play considering my uncertainty when he brought it up yesterday. “Fine, fine,” I tease. “I’ll go with you.” I poke my head in the shower. “I’ll be back in an hour, tops. Do you want anything else or the usual?”
“I’ll try one of those new muffins I saw last week. Dealer’s choice,” he says through sloshing water, leaning out for a kiss. “Drive safe.”
