“You know how special you are?”
She’s got her eyes partially closed, and it seems as though her brain is misfiring because all she says is, “Hmmm?” then stretches up so she can brush her lips against mine.
Sparks of desire race through my body, pinging every nerve ending. I can’t help myself. She unhinges me completely. We’ve already kissed a couple times, so what’s another one?
I lean into her and move my hand to her ass, holding her up, encouraging her closer.
“You’re incredibly special. One of a kind,” I mumble before trailing my lips down her neck, sucking here and there, a sharp nip of my teeth before licking away any pain she might feel. The sensation of heated skin against my lips jolts through my system, and every time she moans or whimpers or rubs herself along my body, I get that much closer to saying “fuck it” and taking what I want. And what I want is to taste her. Like, really taste her.
My cock is pressed against her stomach, the hard ridge of it grinding slightly into her. Oh fuck. This is too much. I groan, close my eyes. I want to touch her skin. I want her lips on my dick. Instead, I kiss her again, probing for entry.
She opens her mouth and slips her hands over my shoulders, pressing her breasts to the hard line of my chest. She pushes up onto her tiptoes and brushes her nipples along the ridge of my pecs, and my brain as well as my cock nearly explode.
I lift her, encouraging her to wrap her legs around my waist. I’m burning for skin-to-skin contact, so I take it, running my hand up the back of her shirt. My body is rumbling. I’m so hungry for her. I want to lick every inch of her soft skin. I want her to rub her clit against my body. I want to—
A branch snaps. Voices coming close. Awareness crashes through me as she breaks the kiss, her eyes sparkling, her lips wet, and her cheeks flushed. I disentangle our limbs and immediately mourn the loss of her heat against my dick. My mouth feels puffy, my stomach hurts, and there’s a punishing ache that I feel right to my core. I put her back on her feet, and she wobbles a bit.
I’m completely failing in my hands off policy, but right now I don’t care because she’s got this secret little smile on her face that makes me want to rip her clothes off right here in the middle of the forest. I don’t care that she deserves better, that the hands that touch her shouldn’t be as tainted as mine. I have no idea how I’m going to make it through this weekend without taking her, making her mine.
She’s not for you, Doyle. Never for you.
I growl at the voice in my head. She may never be mine, but maybe I don’t have to be completely hands off. Maybe I can make her feel good without going too far.
I mentally nod along at the logic I know won’t hold up once my brain isn’t full of all the ways I want to take her. How good I’ll fuck her until she’s screaming my name. Maybe even against that tree over there.
Not that I can fuck her. That’d be crossing the line. Good thing I can make her come a hundred different ways without once losing myself in that sweet little body.
Besides, I gotta make it seem legit for her family, right? If she’s got a perma-grin on her face because she’s satisfied, then it all seems more real.
I smile. Yep. Satisfying Maggie is definitely something I can do.
She wraps her arm around my waist, looking only slightly disheveled as two people come into view. A woman—tall, blond, looking about as out of place as I probably do—and a guy, hiking boots, cargo shorts, a T-shirt that says “Harvard.”
“Maggie?”
Maggie stiffens for a second, then she unlatches herself from my side. “Amelia, hi!” She moves to intercept, her arms up for a hug.
This is the other sister. The eldest. Also a lawyer.
“You look flushed,” Amelia says as she pulls away from Maggie, giving her an arm’s length once over. “Feeling okay?”
Maggie starts to giggle. I chuckle a bit. Yeah, I’m sure she’s feeling just fine, sis.
“And who is this?” Amelia’s sharp eyes take me in, giving me a once over that actually makes me feel stripped…and not in a good way. She’s smiling, though, making it seem like she’s just politely inquiring about the dude who had his hands and mouth all over her sister a moment ago.
Maggie steps back to me and slips her arm around my waist again. I like her there. She’s short enough that her head hits my shoulder. Her body feels good nestled into my side.
The image only exacerbates the thoughts of fucking her still swirling through my brain. How easy it’d be to pin her body wide open against the wall while I take my fill of her sweetness.
I’m going to Hell.
“Liam.” I extend my hand. “The boyfriend.”
Amelia is still eyeing me, and it’s the man at her side who moves to shake my hand. “Teddy Rosen,” he says. His grip is firm, but his face is open and friendly. “Amelia’s partner.”
Fuck, should I have said “partner”? I can’t even talk to these uppity ups without screwing up. I probably sound like a possessive dick.
Which I kinda am, but still.
“Are the rooms ready?” Maggie asks.
Amelia nods. “Mom sent us out here to get you. The aunts have arrived, and they want to start the games.”
Just like that, my brain snaps out of its sexual haze. The games? Maybe I’ve watched too many movies, but that sounds…ominous.
Maggie isn’t tensing up, though. That’s gotta be good, right?
“The aunts are here?” Maggie takes my hand and laughs. “Oh, they’re going to eat you up.”
I glance over at Teddy, an eyebrow raised as Maggie all but drags me down the path.
He’s chuckling. “They’re going to love you, all right. Amelia, shall we?”
Amelia is still studying me, her face an unreadable mask buried under a forced smile. It makes me uneasy. She barely acknowledges Teddy but does accept his hand and begins to follow us down the path.
I turn back to Maggie and pull her closer so I can kiss the top of her head. Whatever happens this weekend, I gotta remember, I’m doing it for Maggie. When it’s over, I’ll walk away, and she can find herself a worthy man.
A man who is everything I am not, just as her sister clearly suspects.
Chapter Seven
Maggie
The aunts are my mother’s older sisters. They live together in an old but renovated farmhouse in Barnstable with about fifty cats. I’m not joking. The cats live both inside and outside, and the aunts actually have some kind of fence installed so that they can’t wander off and get into trouble. They are so dedicated to these cats that they had originally tried to convince my mother and grandmother to host the reunion at their home so they wouldn’t have to leave their precious animals. But Grandma wanted the reunion to be at the resort, despite the great expense, and so the aunts were forced to hire a cat sitter.
“Maggie, darling! You look amazing!” Aunt Chrissy wraps me in her arms the second I step into the lobby. She’s short and stout and wears her hair long, down to her waist and loosely braided. She doesn’t fuss over hair coloring and styling like my mother does; in fact, when it comes to appearances, Aunt Chrissy and my mother couldn’t be more different.
“Amelia told us you’d arrived. It’s so good to see you!” My words are muffled in Aunt Chrissy’s hair, which, despite being pulled back, is about as wild as mine and hardly contained by her braid.
“Maggie! Who is this fine-looking hunk you’ve brought with you?” There’s no mistaking Aunt Geri’s booming voice.
I unlatch myself from Aunt Chrissy to see Aunt Geri entwining her arm with Liam’s while at the same time likely snaking her other hand to his ass. Like Aunt Chrissy, she’s short, but she’s wiry and thin as a whip, as my dad likes to say. She’s feisty and likes pinching bums.
Liam is looking perplexed but not in a bad way. I’m sure if he could figure out a way to escape, he
’d jump at it, but for now he’s tolerating my aunt’s attention. He’s a good sport; I’ll give him that.
“Aunts, this is my boyfriend, Liam Walsh.”
Aunt Chrissy won’t let me go. Her arm is still holding me close so I’m nestled into her side.
“Ohhhh, Liam, is it?” Aunt Geri attempts an Irish accent, but it sounds more like a garbled Scottish, English. “Where do you hail from, young man?”
“Well, I was born in North Carolina, moved to Boston when I was six.”
Considering I know almost nothing about Liam, this is an interesting bit of information for all of us to learn. I have to wonder, though, if it’s actual fact or another little embellishment for the sake of our charade.
“And you’re in love with our dear Maggie,” Aunt Geri declares. “How wonderful! You’ll have such beautiful babies!”
“Auntie!” My cheeks heat in an instant, and I rush to Aunt Geri, pulling her into an embrace and away from Liam.
Liam chuckles but doesn’t say anything, and I squeeze my aunt harder.
“Don’t put the cart in front of the horse. Isn’t that what you always say?” I whisper. She’s so tiny compared to Aunt Chrissy. I can literally pick her up if I want to. She’s a powerhouse, though. No getting in her way when she’s got her mind set on something.
“Dear, have you seen this man? He’s a dreamboat,” Aunt Geri says, not at all whispering. “You need to put a ring on it and call it a day.”
“I don’t think that’s how it works, Ger,” Aunt Chrissy drawls. “Leave the poor girl alone. Liam, it’s nice to meet you.”
I pull away from Aunt Geri in time to see Aunt Chrissy shake hands with Liam.
“We’re Maggie’s aunts. Her favorite aunts,” she says.
Liam chuckles again. “Well, then you’re my favorite aunts as well.”
Aunt Chrissy cocks an eyebrow, her lips curling into a smile. “You’ll do just fine.” She turns to look at me and winks, mouthing the words, Good catch.
“Maggie, Liam!” My mother comes scurrying into the lobby looking like her hair is on fire. “There you two are! Come, come, everyone, the food is being served and the game is underway! Chrissy, Geri, I need you two helping me organize this one.”
“What game are we playing?” Liam asks.
I slip my arm into his and walk with him toward the banquet room. “You’ll see.”
We’re in one of the small rooms to start, with one long table that seats twenty. Most of the extended family won’t be arriving until dinner or later with the big events happening all afternoon and evening tomorrow and Monday, so this is cozy but not cramped.
I kiss my grandmother, who is seated at the head of the table, looking regal in her fancy clothes and white cotton candy hair piled into an elegant updo. She’s wearing a plastic crown that’s gold and shiny. She and my mother have been planning this family reunion for the last five years, and she’s in her glory now, the queen of the party.
“Maggie, sit here, next to me,” Grandma says as she passes me two party hats.
I pass the black one to Liam and put the green one on my head. “This stays on all through the meal. If you lose it, like it falls off, you’re out of the game.”
Liam leans closer to me, his warm breath on my neck. “What are we playing for?”
I shiver. “Mom has a prize for the winner.”
My mother clinks her glass to get everyone’s attention. The white noise ends abruptly.
“Now that everyone is accounted for and assembled…” Mother shoots me a dry look, like my very existence irritates her. It’s not like Liam and I were gone for hours, but with Mom, punctual means at least five minutes early. “First of all, we want to welcome you here and thank you for venturing up to the resort early. We’re expecting quite a turn out, which is wonderful considering the effort Dad went through to bring us all together.”
Her voice catches. Grandma squeezes my hand.
My mother continues. “Dad spent a good part of the last fifteen years trying to locate all of our family, and this reunion is a culmination of all of his hard work. He always said to me, ‘Rebecca, life is short. You have to make the most of the time you have.’” She’s smiling, despite the fact that I know she’s tearing up inside. “Even though he can’t be here with us today, I know how proud he would be to see all of us finally coming together. Mom, thank you for honoring Dad in this way and for footing the bill at such a luxurious resort!”
Everyone laughs, cheers, claps, and suddenly the mood has gone from heart-clenchingly sad to overwhelmingly happy once again. “Mother and I put a lot of thought into how we could get everyone caught up with everyone else in the shortest amount of time. With so many of us here right now, we thought it would be best to play musical chairs!”
I try not to groan. I hate moving around, but I know my mother is super excited about this game, and I also know I won’t be escaping any of the activities she has planned for this weekend.
“So, everyone will be moving, except for Mother.” She puts her hand on Grandma’s shoulder and gently squeezes. “Lunch will be served in five courses, and in between each course, you have to move. You cannot sit next to the same person more than once, and everyone must end up here, in the hot seat, at least once this weekend.” She points to the chair next to Grandma and smirks. “Mother will grill you for your deepest, darkest secrets regardless, so it’s best not to avoid sitting here.”
Liam expression is unreadable. I wonder if he’s going to survive my family.
Servers began entering the room with bowls of salad and fresh bread.
“Let’s begin! Oh, and don’t forget, the person who keeps their hat on for the entire meal gets a mani and pedi treatment at the spa!” Mother claps her hands, smiles up and down the table, and then takes her seat next to Grandma in the hot seat.
I’m trying to hear what Grandma is saying to her but get distracted when Liam’s hand lands on my knee.
“I don’t know about the mani/pedi, but after the way you riled me up on that trail, I’m thinking you need a more…suitable punishment if you lose that hat.” He circles his way toward the tender flesh high on my thigh. Even though I’m wearing pants, the heat of his touch burns through the fabric. His fingers don’t come near my crotch, but all the same, it rattles me, in a deliciously tormenting way.
I instantly squeeze my legs shut. My hat slides to the side, and I catch it just before it topples off. “That’s cheating!” I hiss.
“It is?” He runs his hand along my leg, moving closer to the sweet spot.
I move my hand to cover his.
“What about a spanking?” he whispers, and a chill runs up my body.
Shock rolls through me, and my mouth drops open. But then I realize his eyes are sparkling in that way he has, and his lips are curling like he’s fighting a smile. He’s totally fucking with me. I laugh, smacking his hand away. “You’re terrible.”
He laughs, too, and God, I really love that sound. He really needs to laugh more often.
Maybe that should be my goal this weekend.
My mother is watching us as she talks, her eyes darting to my hands, the one holding my hat up and the other that’s still under the table. Right. Appearances. I smile then slowly fix my hat and bring my other hand up to grip my fork.
“Liam, is it?” Teddy is on the other side of Liam and pulls his attention that way.
Grandma shifts toward me, smiling. “How are things on the job hunt?”
My mother makes a face as I give Grandma the canned response I give everyone. “Going well. I had an interview yesterday, looks promising.”
“That’s wonderful!” Grandma says as she reaches out to pat my hand. “With all your talent, you’re sure to land this one.”
“Oh, Mother, don’t encourage her.” Mom aims her fork directly at me, like she wants to jab me with i
t. “You’re wasting yourself, Maggie. All this time you spend chasing after a marketing career when you could just sit down to write your—”
“Enough, Rebecca.” Grandma’s voice snaps like a whip.
I cover my growing smile with my hand. Grandma has always supported my dreams. She’s never once pestered me about wasting my time. She definitely doesn’t think I’d be better suited to law.
“Mother, really, if Maggie would just—”
“I said enough! Maggie is pursuing a career in her field. She’s young and motivated.” Grandma is smiling as she speaks, and her eyes are glued to me. “Sometimes the good things in life take time. I believe it’ll happen soon, dear. Your dream job is just one interview away, I’m sure.” She pats my hand again.
“Thank you, Grams.” I avoid looking at my mother. I know she’s smiling—for appearance’s sake, of course—even though Grandma just chastised her. “You might be right, this last round of interviews might just lead to my last one, and then I’ll be able to move on with life.”
“Moving on would be good. Putting your energy into other pursuits once you’ve landed your dream job would be a wonderful feeling, wouldn’t it?” Grandma winks. “Tell me, is Liam living with you at your loft?”
I choke on the bite of salad I’ve just shoveled into my mouth and have to take a sip of water to get the offending leaf down my throat. “No!” I manage to croak. “We’ve only been dating a short time.”
“And does he cook for you, dear? Your grandfather was such a wonderful cook.”
Mom squeezes Grandma’s hand, just a soft touch meant to comfort her, I guess. Grandpa died five years ago, which seems like an eternity when there’s a hole in your heart.
“Life is much too short to settle for a partner who can’t feed you properly,” Grandma says. “That’s how your grandfather won my heart, you know. A man who knows how to cook is a man worth keeping around is what I always say.”
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