His hands slide down to my ass and squeeze before he kisses me breathless. He steps back, making sure to hold me up as I melt to the floor.
“You’re a tease, Mr. Hutton.”
“You love it when I tease you. It only makes the orgasms that much stronger.” He winks and moves me so he can sneak out the door.
Well, he’s not wrong, but damn that man and the way he can render me useless with a few dirty words and a kiss.
I take a deep breath and head out the door to find the kitchen full of the Hutton family. The cheese plate is half gone already, but I stand in awe of this amazing family I, not too long ago, was hiding from.
“So, baby, what’s for dinner?” Ledger smirks, letting me know he sees how frustrated I am. I want to flip him off so badly, but I refrain.
“I made homemade gnocchi earlier with a spicy tomato sauce that just needs heating up.”
His eyes jolt up to meet mine, and I give him a knowing smile. I may have wanted to hide our relationship, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t committed. I paid attention to all the random shit we talked about and filed it away as facts about my favorite person.
“Damn, she’s good,” Willow whispers before taking a bite out of a piece of cheddar.
Lennox is pouring the wine I set out into glasses for everyone, and I look around, happier than ever.
I walk to the refrigerator, pulling out the gnocchi and sauce that I pre-made. Ledger walks up next to me.
“How did you know?” he murmurs into my ear.
“Vegas. You mentioned it briefly, and I tucked the information away.”
He presses a kiss to my cheek, wrapping an arm around my middle before taking a deep breath. “You are so fucking incredible.” I can hear the emotion in his voice. It’s a little shaky with a crack at the end, so I lean back into him, giving him support through our connection so he can hide it from his siblings.
He still feels the need to be the father figure to them, and we’ve talked a lot about how they are all adults. It’s okay to worry about them, but it’s his turn to be a brother and focus on his own happiness instead of living through theirs.
“What can I do to help?” he asks.
“Just grab a couple of pans and put them on the stove. I’ve got the rest.” I turn around in his arm and press a chaste kiss to his lips before ducking under his arm and heading to the stove.
Dinner takes no time at all to make, and before the first glasses of wine are drunk, we’re sitting at the table, waiting to dig into our food.
“I think I’ll go first if that’s okay,” I speak up.
Nods greet me, so I continue.
“My favorite thing this week has been starting on Jenna’s landscaping and seeing the fruits of all our hard work over the past couple of months,” I say.
“Mine is starting a new book. I’m excited about this one. It’s going to haveOnly Murderers in the Buildingvibes, so it should be a little more lighthearted than I usually go for,” Willow says.
“Oh, how fun!” I tell her. I’ve started going through her backlist, but some of her books are scary as hell, so it’s slow going to finish them.
“Mine has been that it’s been a quiet week. No animal births, no trapped animals, just peace and quiet in the forest,” Lennox adds.
“Nice. Rina?” Ledger asks.
“Hmm, let’s see. I got a new commission.” She says it bluntly and does not sound happy about it at all.
My eyebrows shoot up to my hairline, but I don’t say anything. If she wants to talk about it later, I know she’ll come to me.
“Okay, then.” Ledger moves on. “My favorite thing this week is watching Ainsley thrive in the business. You’re absolutely killing it, and it’s so fun to watch. I truly believe you were born for this job.”
“You mean the job you created for me?” I give him a hard time.
“Doesn’t make it any less true. Now, let’s eat. I’m starving.” He doesn’t wait for a response, just digs into his gnocchi and moans as he takes a bite.
