Page 82 of A Song for You

It’s clear Cash is a favorite. His grandmother fawns over him the second he appears at her side, and Theodore beams proudly, reminding him of his five touchdowns during the game.

The team was good. I’ll give them that.

Cat grins just as proudly, swooping in for a hug. Taking a small step back, I take in the interaction, tightness growing in my chest. This family is close. Really close. How will I fit into this world?

But the much bigger question? How could I ever walk away from it? How could I ever walk away from her?

The answer’s easy. I can’t. I won’t. Somehow, I have to accept that the woman I’ve fallen for is the daughter of the man I despise. The man who destroyed my family. And hope that her family makes up for the inevitable loss of mine when the truth comes out.

Forty-Two

Cat

Lips on You By Maroon 5

After a very strange dinner with my brothers, my grandparents, Jay, Frank, and Kevin, wherein my grandfather sat next to Jay and asked him question after question about his family business and talked shop regarding the whiskey business in general, we finally relax at the bar.

Carter wandered off to the dance floor with a random blonde, and for the moment, I have freedom to unabashedly check Jay out. His blond hair falls lazily across his head—a far cry from the way it was swept back from his face all day as he ran his hands through it anxiously. His blue eyes glitter as he looks at me over his whiskey. “C’mere,” he murmurs, smacking his knee lightly.

I scan the dance floor, but Carter is nowhere to be found, and I really do need to touch this man. Even if just for a moment. I settle on his lap while Kevin looks the other way, shaking his head with a laugh.

“I’ll go keep an eye on Carter and give you guys a few minutes,” he says, gaze fixed on the drink he’s spinning on the bar top. With a slight frown, he turns to Jay. “But don’t be stupid. You have, like, five minutes, tops.”

Jay smirks, then with his hands on either side of my neck, his thumbs brushing my jaw, he pulls me in, planting his mouth on mine. “Then I better make the most of them, eh?” he whispers against my lips. Our kiss is lust-filled and frantic, but also sensual. He takes his time, despite our time constraint, but I feel his impatience as he tugs me closer and holds me in place with a firm grip. “Fuck, I missed you,” he mutters, still holding my face and kissing me again.

I laugh as I pull away. “You’ve spent the last twenty-four hours with me.”

“Kitten, you seem to forget that I’ve yet to be inside you. I fucking need you,” he says, his voice smooth, hitting me right in the chest like the first sip of a strong drink.

I need him too.

All of him.

Peering at him through my lashes, I admit, “I want that too.”

“Can you sneak away with me to Paris next week?” he rasps, his hold on me possessive.

I press my thumbs against his cheek, massaging, trying to calm him. “I can’t do anything until after the ball.”

He closes his eyes, accepting defeat.

“But I don’t need Paris, Jay. I just need you.”

He shakes his head. “I want it to be special. I want to take you shopping at the Champs Élysée. I want to see your response when you see the Mona Lisa and realize just how hideous and small it is.”

I laugh. This man. Serious and desperate one second and teasing in the next.

“I want to sip champagne with you with a view of the Eiffel tower. I want to feed you crepes,” he says as he squeezes my hip. “And I want to make love to you. Slow. In our own world. I want everything for you, Cat. It’s what you deserve.”

My smile is wide. The idea he paints, the memories I know we’ll make, they’re beautiful. “Someday I want all of those things too. But I’m not waiting, Jay. Figure out a way to make it special here, because I can’t wait for a special trip to fuck you.”

He groans and presses his forehead to mine. “You can’t talk to me like that, Kitten, or I’m going to find a corner and make a meal out of you right now.”

I drag my hand down his chest and slip my fingers between the buttons of his shirt. We both hiss at the connection. “Do it,” I murmur. “I dare you.”

Before I know what’s happening, he’s lifting me in one quick movement. Then he lowers me, making sure I feel every inch of his body on the way down. Once my feet are planted on the floor, he presses me forward and whispers in my ear. “You’re going to pay for that mouth, Kitten. I’m going to fuck the sass right out of it.”

Of their own accord, my thighs clench, and a rush of warmth spreads through my body. “Yes,” I rasp.