She delivers it all so dryly and straight-faced that everyone loses it.
“I bet that was worth at least a few rings,” Mercy counters.
Tessa bites her lip and peers at me. “All seven.” Her prowling blues drop to my crotch with a sly reference to my captive bead ladder. “Or at least six.”
We got her settled in her suite last night. It was complete with a whole new wardrobe, an art studio, a tattoo chair, and a place for all her things. I even had her laminated lists framed. Of course, next to my name, I added some words likeI’m infatuated with, oris the most attractive man on earth.That was a more accurate portrayal of what had pissed her off.
She hugged me, thanked me, and assured me she was grateful, but didn’t need any of it. I had already known that, but it was still nice to hear it.
“I’d choose you without all of this. Because you make me laugh and tell me I’m enough and remind me of music. Home is whereyouare, Drac. That’s all I need.”
She’s the first woman I’ve ever wanted to spoil and the only one I’ve ever been with who didn’t view me as a gold mine.
She also caught on way too fast when I gave her a black diamond bracelet to wear that would’ve helped me track her and her vitals. Fucking Mercy. Girls obviously talk, and Ryker has my sister-in-law wired like a LoJack. I’ll have to get craftier than jewelry, I guess.
Afterward, we watched fireworks with my family from the rooftop terrace. Remy spent much of the night using Ryker as a jungle gym, but eventually, he snuggled up with Tessa and me. It made me desperate for kids of our own someday, something I’d never envisioned before.
Electro-swing music guides our path to the dance competition. We have a few drinks and wait for everyone to get their numbers on and line up with their partners. There’s a stage where the judges will eventually sit that’s currently lined with watermelons. Don’t ask why.
I honestly have no idea how we started this stupid tradition. It might’ve been aDirty Dancingreference, but I can’t be sure. Regardless, about a decade ago, Cash and I decided to launch watermelons from a catapult. It has evolved into a slew of mayhem that is always in high demand, so before we make these people dance for twenty-four hours straight, we aim to please.
One side of the tent is wide open to showcase the wall of our storage facility in the distance, at the end of an open field. Jax will send watermelons soaring while Cash and I mix some dance moves and fruit obliteration, with our own specialties.
Bernard announces the rules to the contestants and tells them to be ready to dance when the final watermelon is smashed.
That’s our cue.
The promiscuous lilt of the saxophone drawls, and Cash and I jump into action, alternating our penetration into the melons. He has cards. I have knives. Mine stick every time, but I’ll concede to the blade being easier to land. He’s so quick at the draw that he can fling three cards in five seconds. We make our way down the line, starting at opposite ends and working toward the middle. We even throw in a few spins and twirls to the beat of an up-tempo electro-swing song to really get the employees howling.
When we come to the final watermelon onstage, Jax launches his last one, and as a barrage of red oozes down the distant wall, highlighted with a spotlight, I hurl the waiting hatchet to slice the one onstage clean down the middle. It gushesright along with the celebration. The song picks up, champagne is popped, horns are blown, and capering ensues.
My work here is practically done.
Cash pats me on the back. “That was a smooth run.”
I chuckle while beelining for Tess. “It was just as asinine as the first time we’d done it.”
And as we stop before her, he manages to sum up our roles perfectly. “That’s why it works. We’ve gotten really good at being asses.”
“Couldn’t have said it better,” Tessa quips.
For that, I scoop her up, hoist her over my shoulder, and issue a firm spank. “Speaking of asses.”
Cash waves us off. “I’ll hold down the madness until you two …”
“Thank you for not finishing that,” Tessa calls as I bolt for the haunted house, and she immediately notes the detail I had added just for her. “Zero.”
“I got you, baby girl. It’s not allThe Nightmare Before Christmas, but there are some pieces.” I pat her sweet ass again. “Good thing you didn’t pick the raccoon in the bathtub. That could’ve been violent.”
She cackles as I glance at the attendant before entering.
“All clear,” he says since he was given orders not long ago and was expecting us.
Rushing up the steps, I breeze inside, lowering Tessa off my shoulder to thrust her up against the wall. Our lips collide without pretense, her tongue commanding mine, her legs hooked around my waist, her fingers snaking into my hair.
“Two hours without tasting you, and I lose my goddamn mind,” I growl, always craving more of her.
She purrs and rocks her hips and yanks on my strands, her mouth never parting from mine until she pants her demand against my lips. “Inside me. Now.”
