“Respectfully,” Bax says, standing from the couch with a slow intent that makes goose bumps break out over my skin. “I’m going to need everyone else in the room to back up.”
Ryan huffs out a laugh, crossing his arms over his chest, and it’s then that I finally take in their outfits for the night. And goddamn, but they look like walking wet dreams, my fantasies come to life but even better.
Caiden is wearing a black dress shirt tight enough that it stretches over his muscles in a way that makes me worry for the integrity of the material, a gray tie hanging around his neck. He’s in black pinstripe slacks, and on his feet are a pair of black-and-white Converse that make my lips twitch.
Ryan is decked out in a three-piece suit, his white shirt decorated with a dark-gray waistcoat that holds a silver pocket square that suspiciously matches my dress. His sleeves have been rolled to the crook of his elbow, his slacks match his waistcoat, and an adorable bow tie sits proudly at his neck.
Baxter is wearing a dressed-down version of a tuxedo, his gray dress shirt spread open down to the middle of his chest, revealing a whole lot of ink I want to lick again. He’s wearing three chains around his neck, the black jacket tight around his frame while his slacks hug his delicious thighs in a way that should be considered criminal.
And then there’s Rayne, who is wearing a loose black satin dress shirt, the front tucked into a pair of black skinnyjeans. There’s a necklace around his neck that includes my gemstone, his ears are lined with black studs, and his ink flashes along his arms where he’s also rolled his sleeves up.
“Damn, you guys are fine as fuck,” I blurt the moment my foot hits the last step, and I have to carefully swipe at my lip to make sure I’m not actively drooling over them. It wouldn’t be the first time, and it probably wouldn’t be the last, either.
The moment I’m planted firmly on the floor, I’m tugged into Baxter’s chest. I grin up at him as I murmur, “Hi.”
“Hey,” he says softly, staring down at me with eyes lit like a bonfire. “You trying to kill us before the premiere?”
“Not on purpose,” I answer with a flash of a grin.
It’s only then that Caiden finally recovers from his Maddie-induced brain fart, the idiot dramatically swooning onto the couch as he declares, “She walks down those stairs like an angel descending from the pearly gates of heaven.”
Ignoring him even as I blush, Rayne steps closer, his fingers brushing lightly over my waist while his expression remains beautifully soft. He leans in close, his lips brushing over my ear as he whispers, “You’re absolutely beautiful.”
I have no idea how he manages it, but even after all this time, his words still somehow feel different. More honest, maybe? Like he’s giving me something precious every single time he says them. It’s addicting, soul-serving, and completely heartwarming.
My chest aches, and just as I open my mouth to offer a compliment to the handsome man peering down at me like I’m his heart outside of his body, Caiden ruins the sweet mood in true Caiden fashion.
Pointing at the top of my dress, he curiously asks, “Can you breathe in that thing?”
I shake my head. “Nope. Lungs are suffering. It’s so worth it, though.”
“Nice,” he quips, nodding like he understands the struggle and respects the hustle.
Laughing, I shake my head right before Ryan meanders over, kissing my temple with a reverence only he seems to display.
It soothes my nerves as much as any touch from my guys would, as though they know my nerves are still bubbling under the surface.
Tonight’s premiere is a big deal. So big that I didn’t even consider skipping it like I normally would have, because it’s my parents’ newest movie that they worked on together. The first in two decades. So, like the loving daughter I like to think I am, I’ve readied and prepared myself for the red carpets, the interviews, the cameras, and the flashing lights. A year ago, it would have terrified me.
But now?
Now I’m surrounded by four men who would probably attempt to fistfight God himself in order to protect me. It’s an incredibly comforting thought that helps diminish my worries and lightens my shoulders.
While the guys gather the last things they’ll need for tonight, I hurry back upstairs to grab my purse, adding things to it that I probably won’t use but decide to bring with me anyway.
Just as I’m about to leave, my eye catches something. Something historical. Something my children will someday learn about. Something that belongs in a museum.
The bottle opener.
The big ol’ colorful dick bottle opener.
I have no idea when it migrated to my office, or why it’s proudly on display on one of my bookshelves, but I can’t say I’m all that upset by it. Especially since it’s basically haunting the household like a cursed family heirloom.
Staring at it for a long second, I pause. And then I slowly smile.
A light bulb goes off in my head.
An idea forms.
