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Zale was prepping the barbeque and Mara flitted back and forth from the kitchen grabbing more drinks.
I wandered over to Mara’s bench at the very back of the garden and sat down. From this vantage point I could see the entire garden. The trees Mara and Zale planted years ago, all the gardens, the birdhouses and bird feeders, the kids playing, my family at the patio table. I could not deny that I wanted what Rhys gave to Rebecca, what Zale gave to Mara. These were dangerous thoughts especially since the man who starred in my daydreams was making his way over to me.
Lord, he was glorious.
He handed me a bottle of water and sat down close beside me. I felt our connection clear through to my soul.
He looked at me sideways and bumped my shoulder lightly with his. “Are we ever going to happen?”
“You’re my best friend,” I protested weakly, but I felt my cheeks warm. It was true, he was my best friend, my favorite person, the one I looked forward to being with the most. He had been there for me in my darkest hours, and he hadn’t left my side since. We had bonded.
“I’m not your best friend,” he rumbled, “best friends don’t want to fuck each other.”
I felt my mouth drop open and caught his quick grin.
“You do so much for me! Are you telling me it’s all just to get into my pants?”
I could not believe that was true, but maybe he didn’t feel the bond I felt.
“I’d do anything for you.” He stilled and looked at me straight on, and in that
moment I wished and even wondered if I could be what he needed. He continued in his carefully measured way. “I’m hoping to be everything to you.”
I sighed and looked down.
“It’s not that I’m not tempted, or that I don’t want you. I am and I do. But you need to trust me when I say that you will be disappointed and then I will be devastated. I’m not very, um, passionate.”
He grinned. “I’m willing to take my chances.”
“No, really,” I rolled my eyes and then laughed, half with embarrassment, half to cover my sadness. “I don’t really enjoy sex. I’m thinking so hard about what to do that it’s more of a chore than anything else. Especially in the beginning when I don’t know what he likes.”
Interest sparked in his eyes.
“What if you didn’t have to think? What if thinking is the last thing I want you to be doing? What if I wanted to tie you down so you couldn’t do anything but feel?”
I gasped, enthralled and mortified in equal measure. I looked into the multi-colored depths of his eyes. My voice came out in a whisper. “I need to be in control.”
He shrugged his massive shoulders and reached out to wrap an errant curl around his finger. “Maybe. Maybe you don’t.”
He tugged, and I felt it low in my belly.
I stared into his heated eyes that swirled with seemingly every color. I could not stop my mind from wandering along the coils of imaginary ropes and the vision of those shoulders hovering over me, those arms caging my body beneath his, his face tight with need and my pussy spasmed.
His eyes darkened. “Yeah. I don’t think we’re going to have a problem.”
I jumped up, and burst out, “I need a drink,” even though I had one in my hand.
I heard his deep satisfied chuckle as I escaped back into the house. I looked back once to find his eyes still on me and I couldn’t help but laugh and he smiled big as I ducked through the doorway and out of his sight.
The following weekend was Amelie and Cole’s seventh birthday party which turned out to be complete and utter joyful chaos. Seventeen children came to the safari themed extravaganza complete with jungle music and a mobile petting zoo, the same one Bex had for her wedding. I think she was keeping them on retainer, and I fully expected them to be back for Christmas.
All of us, Mara, Zale, Rhys, Rebecca, Barrett, and myself, along with Barrett’s lovely parents, Calum and Jeanie, helped to supervise the handling of the animals along with the handlers.
Bex ordered specialty animal print cupcake papers and made homemade cupcakes that she topped with icing tinted to match the different papers. Mara and Olivia made animal shaped cookies and put together the fruit kabobs. I sorted all the treats for the animal print loot bags Bex found online and filled them for the kids to take home with them.
Barrett spoke to the children before they went in to visit the animals. Perhaps it was due to his natural authority, perhaps it was due to the fact he looked like a marauding Viking, but the kids listened and followed his directives.
By the end of the afternoon, we could do little more than crawl home. Barrett had a commitment that evening, so I drove myself there and home. I wondered what he was doing, and with whom, but I was afraid to ask.
