I wouldn’t change these moments for anything. Here, surrounded by people I felt safe with. People who had my back. I often said Austin needed this, but I was starting to see that I did too.
Reed left to steal his daughter from Austin. I got lost in watching as everyone talked and laughed. Oh, and Carver trying to teach anyone within reach how to salsa. I had to say, Kyle’s best friend, Reese, was pretty good with the hip work, even when he pulled a stiff-looking Violet into a dance. I’d never have moves like that, which was why I stuck to the far side of the room.
“Hi, my Sexy Agent,” Austin whispered into my ear as he wrapped his arms around me from behind. I leaned back into him as I shook my head.
Yeah, this was a thing we did sometimes.
“No,” I warned because this was not the time or the place.
“What? You can’t be my Sexy Agent man?”
“Austin,” I said under my breath. “Say it again, and I’ll—”
“Handcuff me, spank me for being bad, and then fuck the bad right out of me?”
I hissed a curse so low only he could hear. The image was in my head and I couldn’t say I hated it. I closed my eyes, willing my body to calm down.
“I don’t have any handcuffs,” I told him as if that was the right thing to say. “And we’ll have to save the spanking for later.”
“What if I pout?” I turned around in his arms to see his bottom lip pushed out. I knew he didn’t really mean it. He sure as hell didn’t want me to strip him down and do dirty things to him with everyone around. But he liked to get my blood pumping, which it was. And he liked to torture me, which he was.
“I’ll fuck you later,” I promised in a harsh whisper, making that pout turn into an instant smile. I put my mouth next to his ear. “I’ll turn that ass red first before I eat it, then I’ll stuff that pretty little hole until my cum is leaking out of it.”
I pulled back in time to see his eyes roll in the back of his head, and the shudder that ran through his body was so hard that he might have fallen down if I wasn’t holding him up.
“And we’re leaving,” he called out, breaking out of my hold to grab my hand. “Brunch was amazing. We’ll be at the next one.”
He marched toward the door, waving carefully over his shoulder. I at least tried to turn and make eye contact with a couple of people as I waved goodbye.
The laughter that followed us out said we weren’t smooth in our quick exit.
“Don’t forget the twins are coming tomorrow,” I said as the elevator started to descend.
“Shit,” he said, but I knew he wasn’t upset.
He was actually looking forward to their week-long visit.
After quite a few discussions, Austin helped Braden rebuild the house on the property in Nebraska. Luckily, Braden hadn’t asked too many questions about what happened, and Austinhad worked into the FBI deal for them to “clean up the mess without consequence.” Braden and Austin had gotten closer over the last few months. Oh, Braden was now a goat farmer, which he figured out was his true calling, as he said. He had started making soaps and lotions out of goat’s milk and he was working on growing his business. He’d sent us quite a few boxes of the stuff, and I had to admit, it was nice.
Their mother and the twins were also living with Braden, for now. I think the plan was to build another house on the property soon. It seemed like getting out of Texas had brought the family together. It might have been the very thing their mother needed to clear her head. Austin’s relationship with her was still strained, but both of them were trying.
I didn’t want to jinx it, but things seemed to be going really well all around.
Austin was super excited for Dina and Diana to get here. He already had a list of things planned, and I already planned on having to reel him in a little. I loved him, but he could be a bit over the top sometimes. I found it adorable, but I had a feeling the twins might not see it the same.
“I…” Austin started as he stepped out of the building. I stopped and turned to face him, not giving a shit about blocking the sidewalk. People could hustle their asses around us if they needed to get somewhere. “I love you.”
A smile spread on my face.
“I just wanted you to know that,” he rushed to add.
“I love you too,” I told him.
“I know my life can be a lot sometimes, but I can’t thank you enough for being there for me.”
I looked at him pointedly.
“We literally fell in love while I had the whole country hunting me down,” I pointed out dramatically.
