Ariana shakes her head. “Hey, it’s about numbers, baby. Plus the three S’s: Short, Sweet, and Smutty.”
Thankfully, I’m not currently taking a drink of my coffee because it would have ended up coming out of my nose again.
“Cheating.”
“Well, next year, you can petition to change the rules. But this year, they count. So suck it up, buttercup. You’ll have to focus on something like Longest Book Read or Most Books Read in One Series.” Ariana sticks her tongue out at Lil. As usual, where she’s concerned, I find myself fighting a grin. Even when she’s being childish as fuck, she’s adorable.
Fuck. Who the fuck am I?
They continue debating the rules of their challenge before finally deciding they need to get some actual reading done and go back inside. I watch Ariana’s curvy hips and full ass sway as she strolls away and stifle a groan. It doesn’t matter how many times I jerk off to her, which is a nightly thing; I want her more and more.
I check in with Marco and join him in the basement gun range. He has me run through loading different guns like he taught me a few days ago.
“I’m proud of your progress, Luca.” Marco claps me on the back. He does that a lot. And tells me I’m doing a good job. Ford does, too. And Mia thanks me for keeping the girls safe when we get home every day. I’m still getting used to the praise.
“Uh, thanks.”
“Let’s go see what’s for lunch.” He leads the way back upstairs.
Lunch was never a family affair back at home, but this kitchen’s full of people. The counter is covered with platters of sandwich fixings, bowls of sides and chips, and condiments. I lean against a wall out of the way as they build their sandwiches.
“Parker, don’t you even think you’re getting out of eating with us,” Mia says as he tries to sneak back to the tech room with his food. He sighs and follows Lil outside, his face turning redder by the second.
Ford snickers as he slathers mayo on some bread.
Sully’s smirk turns to a frown when he looks at his plate. “Damn it, Ariana, stop putting goddamn pickles on my sandwich!” He picks a slice off with two fingers like it’s going to bite him and tosses it at her.
“Grown ass adults, all of you,” Marco reminds them.
Ariana peels the pickle off her cheek and chucks it at him. Without looking my way, she says, “Luca, get your ass over here and make a sandwich, or I’ll do it for you, and if I do it, I’m going with the most random combo I can think of.”
“Yeah, yeah, bossy.” I push off from the wall, take the plate she hands me, and throw some cheese and roast beef on a giant hoagie with spicy mustard. She piles turkey, provolone, lettuce, tomato, onion, mayo, and yellow mustard on a smaller hoagie.
Everyone else heads outside. Ariana grins up at me, her gray eyes sparkling. “I would have put all this,” she points to her sandwich “all that,” she points to my sandwich, “plus ham, pepperoncini, and olives on it for you.”
Sucked into the magnetic pull she has on me, I reach out and tuck a wayward piece of hair behind her ear. She slips her bottom lip between her teeth, and I almost groan. Fuck, my dick is getting hard in the middle of the kitchen as we stand here holding goddamn hoagies. I lean down, seriously considering saying ‘fuck it’ and kissing her, split lip be damned. Does she want to kiss me? Would she knee me in the balls? Would Marco haul my ass out tothe shed? I still find myself leaning in, and she’s not pulling away. In fact, she’s raising up on her tiptoes.
Loud laughter rings out from the backyard through the open doors. Ariana jumps a little and breaks eye contact. Fuck.
She blinks a few times, then turns back to the food. She spoons some macaroni salad on her plate and grabs the bowl of cheddar sour cream chips.
Okay, I guess we’re ignoring what just happened. Or almost happened. I opt for the potato salad and return to our conversation about sandwiches. “I, uh, I still would have eaten it. And you’re sharing those chips.” I grab a couple of sodas because she’s looking at one like she’s trying to figure out how to carry it along with what she already has in her hands.
She laughs and walks outside to the table where Everyone is already sitting.
“The whole bowl, Ari?” Mia shakes her head with a smile.
“I’m sharing with Luca.”
“Only because I’m making you,” I say.
“Hush, you.” Her tone is light, and her smile is bright as she holds the bowl out to me.
I don’t remember enjoying a lunch so much in years. If ever. When we bring our empty plates and the chip bowl into the house, the sandwich stuff has been replaced with cookies. Parker, Sully, and Ford each grab a few and go their separate ways.
“I have a different idea for dessert,” Marco says as he tosses Mia over his shoulder and disappears up the stairs with a smirk.
“Ugh, gross!” Lil yells after them. “T.M.I. and inappropriate, and JESUS CHRIST, we don’t need to hear that shit!” She fake gags while Ariana doubles over, laughing.
