“Have to lick it off, I’m afraid.” He groaned when she bent down. Grabbing her, he pulled her into him for a hug. “I was kidding. No more. I think my dick is in danger of falling off.”
“Yet you’re still hard.”
“I blame you.” He smiled at her. “Seriously though. I want to marry you. I can wait on the kids, but how would you feel about getting married next summer?”
She stared into his eyes. “Gray has got to be my new favorite color.” She kissed him, the promise of tomorrow in her touch. “And I love June. I’m in.”
He hugged her so tightly she squeaked. When she tried to pull her head back to look at him again, he wouldn’t let go. Then she heard him sniff.
“Oh my God. Dex. You’re not crying are you?” Her big tough Marine, a man who could bench press her with one hand, crying? “You really are a marshmallow, aren’t you?”
“Fuck off, Maya—I love you.”
“And there we go. Onlymyman could get away withfuck offandI love youin the same sentence.”
They sat together, lost in that nowhere time of love. Then Maya asked, “So what were you saying before I sidetracked us about kids?”
“Maya Jr. will have me wrapped around her finger in a heartbeat.” He smiled and looked down at her, his grin fading.
“Dex?”
“You love me, right?”
“Yes.”
“You know I love you. Will do anything for you. I accept the Terrible Trio in its entirety. Your friends are my friends. Your family is my family. And vice versa… So about—”
“Oh man. You’re going to mention Anson, aren’t you? While we’re naked and in bed?”
“Honey, he’s my cousin. More like a brother. He needs help.”
“He sure does.” She grimaced. “He’s insufferable. Arrogant. Too smart and rich for his own good.”
“All that. I totally agree.” He nodded. “And he’s hopeless when it comes to Riley.”
“I just knew you were going to go there. No way. Uh-uh.”
“Maya, honey. For me. Please?”
She looked into his eyes and melted. “Ugh. What is happening to the tough broad I used to be? Damn it. Fine. I’ll help. But only because she’s practically my sister, and I know she has a thing for your uppity cousin. By all that’s holy though, you have to get him to check that ego.”
“I will, I swear.”
She blew out a breath. “This won’t be easy, you know. Ann and Jack were always a couple. And you always had a thing for me.”
“And?”
“Well, I thought you were cute, even as a geek. And as a man, just…wow. You’re the whole package, lover.”
“Like I said, chicks dig the biceps.”
“But this thing with Riley and Anson? That’s going to take a lot of work.”
“I have faith in us. And in Jack. He’s big on hooking Riley up to spare himself the pain of Ann’s mandatory couple’s nights.”
“So we’re now doing this for Jack?”
“And out of pity for Anson. Just think how much he’d hate being pitied.”
