I see my mother winking at me; she approves of Nell, and I sigh, leaning back in my seat and pulling Nell closer.
“Damn, girl, you know how to pack the punches, huh?” Asher muses.
My thumb strokes across her bare skin, sending a wave of goosebumps across her flesh.
“Sorry,” she whispers to me.
“You did good, babe.”
She nods, then takes a sip of her wine. Her body is pressed against mine, her bare arm touching mine, and it makes my balls ache to feel more of her.
She is making me feel more than I expected, stirring things inside me I never thought I wanted again after the shitstorm that was my last relationship. I always thought this kind of instant connection—what people call “insta-love”—was just a myth, but now I’m not so sure.
There’s something about her.
“So, how did you two meet?” I hear my uncle ask me.
My parents chuckle.
Nell giggles.
I groan.
“Well, it seems that our son likes a bit of alien romance, isn’t that right, Romeo?” my dad chimes in, making everyone laugh.
“Yeah, sure, Dad.” I shake my head, laughing.
“Do tell,” my uncle calls.
He is the father of the bride and a man I highly respect, and he is also the man who gave me the start-up money for Lux all those years go.
“Okay, truth time. I bumped into Nell outside her coffee slash bookstore, where she was being accosted by her ex-husband and his newlady friend, we will call her.” Nell’s body tenses besides me. “They were not being very nice and I stepped in to help. Pretending to be her new man. After a few hard truths from Nell, she sent them packing. We sat and talked after she offered coffee as a thank you, and we just clicked. Right, baby?”
Nodding, her smile is wide, her eyes holding adoration as she looks at me. That one look tells me she is in this as much as I am. Fingers crossed I get to keep her past this one week.
“Yes,” is all she says.
We get lost in each other’s eyes. Like in the fucking cheesy movies, everything fades around us. I brush a hair from her face, then cup her jaw, leaning in for a kiss just as someone speaks.
“Aww, that is sweet.”
Nell pulls back, her cheeks painted pink from her blush, and it makes me want her more.
“Man, I am glad that Nell seems like a cool chick. You remember the one who turned up at our family Halloween party dressed like a slutty nurse?” a young cousin of mine calls out.
“Oh, I remember. Which one was that?” Gio asks between laughs.
“He has had so many,” Asher adds, looking at Nell and winking.
She giggles, and I relax, hoping that the mention of my past with women will not put her off being with me.
Everyone laughs, and I bite back my own laugh as I see Daniella pushing to her feet, her face red with anger.
“That was me, you dick. I was told that it was an adult party, not a family one.” She stomps her feet, making people laugh harder.
“Did she just stomp her feet like a toddler?” Nell whispers to me.
“She did.” Then I turn my attention to my ex, who is making herself look like a fool. “No, you were told it was a family party. We talked about it, and I told you not to wear that costume, but you were convinced that I was lying to you.”
