“Is his dick bigger?”
“Nope,” I lie quickly. It is, but not by much. Maddox groans, burying his face against my cleavage. “I’ll tell you what. I’ll wear my tank top to the bonfire and you can suck a hickey a few inches up from where your mouth is right now. Colt will see it and know you put it there.”
Colt doesn’t give a rat’s ass that I’m sleeping with his brother and damn sure won’t get jealous, but if it soothes Maddox’s wounded pride, I’ll do it.
“It’s too cold out for you to wear a tank top.” He picks his head up just enough to say it, pressing his lips against me right where I told him to, despite his argument. His mustache tickles me.
“So give me one of your jackets to go over it. Double whammy.”
He seems to like that idea, if the way he nips me is anythingto go off of. I yelp, squirming to get off his lap. His arms band tighter around my waist. “I said hickey, not bite!”
“Shh, be still.”
We’re late to the bonfire.
THIRTY-FOUR
MADDOX
Austin keepsher arms crossed over her chest as we walk down toward Jameson’s cabin for the bonfire. I suspect it’s so I won’t hold her hand, so I shove mine in my pockets. Colton and Jameson start whistling when we come into view, but cutting a look at Jamie’s enough to make him stop. Colt doesn’t give two shits about any looks I cut him, so Mama intervenes with a pinch to his ear.
My youngest brother annoys the ever-loving fuck out of me, but my eyes trace over him anyway, looking for any signs of a broken bone or pulled muscle. Other than some weariness in his eyes that tells me he probably drove straight through most of the night and hadn’t napped before coming here, he seems fine.
Kendall’s got a spot on a log next to her open and she waves Austin over like we weren’t already headed in her direction, like Austin would want to sit anywhere else. Before she can start talking a mile a minute, I let Austin know I’m going to say hey to Colt. Her eyes flick over my shoulder and then a millisecond later, her hand is on the back of my neck and she’s up on her toes, pulling me down to kiss her.
It’s instinct, the way my hands find her face. We’ve kissed before, of course. During sex only, though. Outside of that, I rainkisses down on her hair and forehead as often as I think I can get away with, but never her lips.
Her breath tastes like my toothpaste and her hair smells like my shampoo. I’m obsessed with it, with the very idea of people knowing she’s mine, even if it’s all just an act right now.
My jacket on her shoulders, my marks on her neck and chest, my cum still deep inside her from this morning when she woke me up by lazily riding me. If I were younger, I’d have my hat on her head too. I’d like to think I’m mature enough that such crude claims are below me, but I’d giveanythingto have her wearing a collar for me so I know I can’t say much.
She settles herself back flat on her feet and I chase her mouth the whole way until she parts with a laugh that jolts me out of the fantasy. Colt’s whistling again. Someone’s clapping. Rainy’s barking at all of the commotion.
“What was that about?”
Austin’s eyes flick between mine and there’s so much expression in them, it’s a wonder I ever thought she was difficult to read. The fear, the insecurity, the… hope? “He knows I’m yours now,” she whispers, but it’s a surface-level response at best and I’m left with about a million and ten follow up questions.
“Are the two of you finished being gross now?” Kenny finally interrupts, and it’s enough for Austin to spin away from me and plant her pretty little ass on the log beside my sister.
I shove my hands back in my pockets and decide not to visit Colt after all, trudging up the slight incline leading to Jameson’s house. Theo’s at the grill on the back porch, hot dogs and hamburgers lined up and cooking. “Miss Kenny’s busy, honey. She played with you all day today. She needs time for herself, too.”
Callie’s cheeks are red, eyelashes wet and stuck together. Her face contorts like she’s about to let out another wail but when my boot hits the first step, she whirls around. Crying forgotten, she slips between Theo’s legs to hide and he turns his body away from the grill so she isn’t as close to it.
“Hello, Miss Callie Anne,” I greet, otherwise ignoring her completely, like she wants. She’s scared of me, though I don’t really know why. She’s a shy little girl in general, but most of the Whittakers get a pass, except me and Bailey. “Need any help?”
“Nah, I’m just about done here. Just gonna put it all on a plate and tell everyone to fend for themselves.” He trips slightly when he reaches for the pack of cheese slices on the small table next to the grill and then huffs, looking up at the stars for a second to calm himself. “Callie, sweetie, I can’t make supper with you hiding there. You shouldn’t even be this close to the grill.”
I walk around to his other side to grab the cheese and Callie shuffles her feet so she can keep her eyes on me the entire time, even though I’m giving her a wide berth. I hand him the cheese and lower my voice. “I can leave.”
“It’s not you,” Theo’s quick to lie. I look at him pointedly but he just passes me the spatula, reaching down to pick up his daughter and walk through the open sliding glass doors with her. Jameson’s cabin is small, just like mine is, so I can still hear him as he rifles through the purple backpack he has to carry everywhere and pulls out the little girl’s tablet. He sighs again and it makes me look over my shoulder.
Callie’s sucking her thumb and holding her stuffed bunny under her other arm, waiting patiently while Theo powers the device on. He’s staring at her like he’s trying to decide if the thumb-sucking is a battle he wants to choose right then, gently pushing her blonde hair behind her ear. Apparently he doesn’t choose to fight with her, because a few seconds after I turn back around to start plating the burgers, I hear the opening notes of a childish theme song even I’ve memorized. His boots are hitting the porch again right after.
“Sometimes, I’m positive Annie’s looking down at me and shaking her head.”
I pull out two paper plates and open the bag of buns on thepicnic table Jameson has on his back porch. “Not sure why she would be.”
He huffs. “I just placated my toddler with a tablet instead of giving her the attention she was begging for and didn’t say a thing about her sucking her thumb, even though she’s well past the age to cut that out.”
