I gasped as I suddenly remembered something. My eyes quickly scanned the bar, looking for Gizmo. I found him at very end, sitting in Grizz’s lap. The old veteran was feeding him sardines, straight out of a can. Carter caught me looking and chuckled.
“Do I even want to know where he got those from?” I asked, trepidatiously.
“No, probably not.”
“I won’t ask then.” I smiled back at him. “Listen, I have to run to the shelter. We’re running out of forms.”
“Nice.”
“I thought so too,” I agreed. “But if you ask Monica, she’d tell you the world is ending.”
“Sounds like some alarmist bullshit if you ask me,” said Carter. “Shedoesknow you work for free, right?”
“It’s been mentioned.”
“Then she needs to shut the hell up and trust you,” Carter declared. “I mean, look at the way you’re multitasking right now. You can’t buy that kind of help.”
“You of all people should know,” my smile twisted into something wicked. “I’ve had a lot of practice lately.”
“Practice?”
“Multitasking,” I winked, then pushed off the bar.
~ 33 ~
HAYDEN
Sawyer groaned, as my thumbs dug even deeper into his shoulders. I guided them away from his spine, moving smoothly along the transverse fibers of his trapezius, until his chin dipped all the way to his chest.
“We’re getting married,” he hissed, his voice near liquid with pleasure. “You know that, right?”
I could feel the tension draining away. In its place, euphoria rushed in.
“So, you’re gonna make an honest woman of me?” I teased.
“Sure.”
“Care for me? Provide for me?” I pressed. “Build me a home, and put babies in me?”
“As many babies as you want,” he moaned happily, as my thumbs moved to his neck. “As long as you keep doingthis.”
I smiled and dug in even deeper. Sawyer had a thick, well-muscled neck with lots of kinks and knots to work out. Even so, it was no match for my strong hands, and well-trained fingers.
“Wait… who’s putting babies in you?”
Carter walked through the living room fresh from the shower, still drying his hair with a towel. He was heading for thelaundry, I knew. But I wondered if that part was just an excuse to walk past me without a shirt on.
“Nobody, hopefully,” I chuckled. “At least as long as my birth control holds up. It’s been working overtime around here. I might even give it a raise.”
My thumb encountered another knot. Sawyer’s moans grew deeper as I worked to smooth it out.
“I just got a marriage proposal though,” I continued casually.
Carter paused. “You did?”
“Yup. Soon as this massage is done, Sawyer and I are getting hitched.”
He let out a low chuckle. “That’s wonderful. Congratulations.”
