“I’m so happy for Adam and Abby!” Laura said as she walked along the sidewalk with Owen’s arm draped across her shoulders. His mother had chosen to sit out the engagement party, preferring to stay home with Holden so they could have some time to themselves.

“They’re great together. I’m happy for them, too.”

“She’s been really wanting this. She’s never actually said so, but I can just tell by the look on her face when everyone is talking about weddings and husbands and babies that she wanted in on it all.”

“It’s nice to see good people get what they want.”

“Yes, it is.”

Though he was participating in the conversation and had done the same with their friends at the party, he was distracted and distant and not fully present. “Want to take a walk on the beach? I’m sure your mom won’t mind a little more time with Holden.”

“If you want.”

She stopped walking and turned to him. “I’m asking if you want to.”

“I’d rather take a nap than a walk.”

Now that sounded like the Owen she knew and loved. “Is that so?” she asked, smiling up at him.

His gaze took a greedy, hungry journey over her face as he nodded.

Holding his hand, Laura went up the stairs and into the lobby, where they greeted the young woman working at the reception desk on the way upstairs to their apartment. She released him only so he could use his key in the door. Inside, they found a note from Sarah that said she and Charlie had taken Holden to Charlie’s house for a couple of hours and would be back after dinner.

“Have I mentioned how much I adore your mother?” Laura asked.

“A few times.”

“Never more so than right now.”

“Is that right?”

“Uh-huh.” She unbuttoned the dress shirt he’d worn in deference to the location of the party at one of the fancier venues on the island. Pulling the shirttails from the waistband of his khakis, she pushed it over his broad shoulders and tugged it down his arms until it was on the floor behind him. Next, she unbuckled his belt and unbuttoned his pants.

The whole time, he kept his hands by his sides, waiting and watching her undress him.

“What’s on your mind, love?” she asked.

“Not a single thing besides wondering what Laura is up to.”

She laughed softly, charmed by his reply and the effort he was making to connect with her despite the burden of his thoughts and worries. She peppered his belly with kisses, nuzzling the trail of golden-blond hair that led into his pants. Unzipping him, she worked slowly and carefully around the huge bulge. He held his breath, waiting to see what she would do next.

Working her hands into the back of his pants, she pushed them down over his hips and then rubbed her nose and lips over his cock through the soft cotton of his boxer briefs.

He gasped and clutched handfuls of her hair. “Laura… Come here.”

“Not yet.”

Still on her knees in front of him, she eased his underwear slowly over the straining tip of his cock, letting the elastic rest halfway down his shaft. Then she ran her tongue over the area she’d exposed while cupping his balls through the cloth.

His breathing became choppy and erratic as she teased him with her tongue and lips, focusing only on the wide head.

“Babe,” he said on a gasp. “Are you trying to make me lose my mind here?”

Knowing he was now thinking only of the pleasure and not of the many other things that had been weighing so heavily on him for the last few weeks, she kept up the erotic torture. Sliding her free hand around him, she cupped one of his tight, round cheeks and squeezed.

“God, Laura,” he moaned. “You’re killing me.”

“Relax and enjoy.”

“Right… Relax? Not bloody likely. Enjoy? Hell yes.”

Smiling, she pulled his underwear the rest of the way down and wrapped her hand around the base as she sealed her lips over the tip and sucked. She dipped her tongue into the slit at the top and ran it back and forth while stroking with her hand. He was far too big for her to take more than a few inches into her mouth, so she did what she could while continuing to knead his backside.

“Feels so good,” he whispered.

She looked up to find him gazing down at her, his eyes heated with desire and passion. In them she saw none of the torture that had been so prevalent over the last few difficult weeks. She saw only the pleasure.

“Come here, Princess. Let’s do this together.”

Without releasing him, she shook her head. Though her own sex tingled with need, she loved knowing she was thoroughly distracting him. His thighs tightened and quivered, and his cock got even larger in her mouth, stretching her lips to their limit. When she pulled back to readjust, he pounced, lifting her from the floor into his strong arms, devouring her mouth with his lips and tongue. They landed on the bed in a tangle of arms and legs without losing the kiss.

He was careful, as always, not to put too much weight on her abdomen, but his hands were all over her, lifting her dress and breaking the kiss only to pull it over her head. Her bra was next, followed by the matching panties, a set she’d bought from Tiffany.

“You are so beautiful,” he whispered as he tongued her nipple until it was standing up tall. “Sometimes I still can’t believe that I can hold you and touch you this way any time I want to.”

“Any time, Owen. I always want you.”

With his hand on her face, he brushed back her hair and kissed her again, softer this time but with no less urgency. He broke the kiss and raised himself up so he was above her, kissing a fiery path down the front of her. “You know what they say about payback, don’t you?”

Laura let her nervous laugh speak for her as he propped her legs on his wide shoulders and used his fingers to open her to his tongue. She was so ready, so primed, that all it took was a few concentrated strokes of his tongue to trigger her orgasm. He extended it by sliding two fingers into her, connecting with the place inside that set off another wave of intense pleasure.

Before she could come down from the incredible high, he aligned his cock with her entrance and pushed into her, moving slowly, giving her time to adjust and accommodate him. She liked to tease him about getting more than his share, but she loved the way he felt inside her.

“Easy, babe,” he whispered as he rocked against her. “Nice and easy. You can do it. You can take me.” Bending his head, he laved her nipple, sending a bolt of heat to where they were joined. “That’s it. Let me in so I can love you.”

His words were almost as potent as the tight squeeze of his hard flesh, and then he added the press of his thumb against her clit, and Laura came again, drawing a deep groan from him as she clutched him from within.

“Christ,” he whispered on a gasp as he surged into her, riding the waves of her release to gain entry. Once he was fully seated, he stayed still, letting her catch her breath. “Every damned time.”

“What?” she asked when she could speak.

Holding himself up on his elbows, he cupped her shoulders and held her as close to him as he could get her without squeezing the part of her where their babies rested. “You freaking ruin me every damned time.”

She pushed the shaggy blond hair back from his forehead. “I ruin you? Let’s talk about what you do to me.”

“Tell me what I do to you.”

“First of all, you make it so I can’t walk properly for days afterward.”

“That’s not true.” He raised her legs one at a time until they were wrapped around his hips. When he had her arranged the way he wanted her, he retreated slightly before advancing again, drawing a keening moan from her as she arched into him.

“It is true, but I love it. I love that I can feel you inside me long after we make love.”

“You can? Really?”

She nodded.

“You’ve never told me that before.”

“Hours later, I can still feel you, and everything is still pulsing and quivering.” As if to make her point, she contracted around him, making him groan. “It feels like mini-orgasms that go on and on.”

“God, I love it when you talk dirty to me. Tell me more.”

She laughed at his playful commentary, thrilled and relieved to see him relaxed and fully involved in what they were doing. “I love how big you are.”

He snorted with laughter. “Now you’re just lying to me.”

“No, I’m not. I do love it. I don’t love that it takes me forever to let you in, but I love the way you feel when we get there and I’m totally impaled by you.”

He growled against her neck, nibbling and sucking on her skin as he rocked deeper into her. “You’re going to make me come just from listening to you.”

“I love the way you hold me and kiss me. I love the way you smell and the way your cute butt flexes when you make love to me.” She sent her hands down his back to squeeze his cheeks, which sent him surging into her. “And I absolutely love when you lose control and really let go.”

“I’m always afraid to do that. I don’t want to hurt you.”

“You won’t. You couldn’t.”

“But the babies…”

“Are fine.” She lifted her hips, daring him to give her what she most wanted. “Please, Owen…”

“Tell me what you want.”

“You know!”

“Say it.”

“I want you to make love to me.”

“Oh so polite, Princess. Say what you really want.”

Her entire body was on fire for him, with every pressure point throbbing and tingling. “I can’t.”

“Then I’m afraid I can’t help you.”

“Owen!”

His soft chuckle made her smile, but her smile quickly faded when she realized he was withdrawing from her.

“No!” She grasped his ass and pulled him back. “I want you to fuck me.”

“There we go,” he said with a satisfied grin that had her averting her eyes in mortification.

“I’ve never said that in my life.”

“I love that you said it to me. I fucking love it.” He curled his hands around hers. “Hold on tight, babe.” He squeezed her hands. “Ready?”

“Yes.”

He started slowly, looking down at her and watching her closely to make sure she was with him before he picked up the pace, driving into her with deep strokes that made her scream from the full-body pleasure that overtook her. “Good?”

“Mmm, more. Faster. Harder.”

He released her hands to put one of his under her, lifting her to him as he possessed her. There was simply no other word for it. She was possessed by him, owned by him and captivated by him in every possible way. Their bodies were slick with sweat as they moved together, breathing hard and racing toward the finish line.

“Come for me,” he said pleadingly. “Laura…” He stroked into her and triggered another release, this one bigger and stronger than the other two put together, taking him with her this time.

Sagging against her, he continued to protect her abdomen until his arms began to tremble from the effort. He rolled to his side, bringing her with him, still embedded in her. “I love you. That was… I don’t even have the words.”

“Astonishing.”

“Yes. Yes, it was. You are astonishing.”

“You’re pretty damned astonishing yourself, and I love you, too.”

“When I’m making love with you, there’s no way I can think about anything but you and me and what we have together.”

“I’ll keep that in mind over the next few days. I see a lot of sex in your future.”

“I like the sound of that.”

She rested her hand on his face and smiled at him. “Anything I can do to help the cause.”

---

On the way home from the eventful engagement party, Mac and Maddie rode with the windows down in her SUV, letting in the warm summer breeze. “What a crazy-ass stunt on Jim’s part,” Mac said, disgusted by the asshole who’d once been his brother-in-law. “He’s all but ruined any chance he ever had to practice law on this island again.”

“I know. I’m so glad Tiffany isn’t with him anymore, but I hate that he did this to Ashleigh.”

“He never has had the proper respect for either of them, if you ask me.”

“He’s no Mac McCarthy, that’s for sure.”

He reached for her hand and gave it a squeeze. “That’s nice of you to say, and really, when you think about it, who is?”

Maddie groaned. “I’m not going to dignify that with a response.” She looked over at him and then leaned across the center console to kiss his cheek. “Seriously, though, I mean it. Every day I feel like I hit the jackpot with you, but never more so than when I’m reminded of how awful my sister’s first marriage was.”

“I’m the one who hit the jackpot, babe, and as for Tiffany, at least she’s happy now with Blaine.”

“That she is, although he didn’t look too happy when he came back in for her.”

“I’m sure he’s pissed that she tried to confront Jim, and I don’t blame him. I would be, too, if you ever put yourself in that kind of danger.”

“I don’t blame her for what she did. She wanted him to stop before things got out of control.”

“Things were out of control the minute he walked in there and started knocking stuff over.”

“True. What do you suppose will happen to him now?”

“He’s going to face charges for sure. If he hadn’t grabbed the knife, it might’ve been a misdemeanor, but waving a knife around in front of a cop probably qualifies as a felony, and he actually stabbed Dan.”

“Jeez.”

“If he’s convicted, he could get disbarred, too.”

“I’ll never understand what’s wrong with him. He had everything and threw it all away.”

“His loss.”

“Definitely. Did you ever talk to your dad about the woman who came to the marina today?”

“I didn’t get a chance to with so many people around. I’ll ask him about it in the morning. I’m sure it’s nothing, or he would’ve told me.” He glanced over at her. “So I had this absolutely brilliant beyond brilliant idea today that I wanted to run by you.”

“I can hardly wait to hear this.”

“Ned was grousing this morning about how Seamus and Carolina stole their idea.”

“Stole their idea?”

“Apparently, he and your mom were planning to pull off a secret wedding disguised as a cookout.”

“Seriously? They were going to do that, too?”

“Yep, and he’s all bummed out because he really wants to be married to your mother, and it’s almost impossible to find a time when there isn’t something else going on. Then Grant showed up and announced that he and Steph are getting married on Labor Day. That really set Ned off.”

“I’m so glad Grant and Steph finally set a date. I was starting to worry about that.”

“So was he.”

“So what’s your brilliant idea?”

“Let’s give them a surprise wedding.”

“You want to surprise them with a wedding.”

“Yes.”

“Mac, when we got married, what exactly did you do to help plan the wedding?”

He thought about that for a moment. “I bought the house where we had the wedding.”

“And?”

“And I um… Well… I ah… I got married?”

“Exactly,” she said with a laugh. “You don’t have the first clue as to what it takes to plan a wedding, which is why you think this is such a brilliant idea.”

“How hard can it be? We can do it at our place. We need food and flowers and music. We invite everyone over for a party, and Uncle Frank marries them. Voilà. Done.”

“What about a license and rings?”

“Huh… Um, we can do that for them, can’t we?”

“As I recall, there’re signatures involved.”

“Come on, Maddie. There’s got to be a way. I’ll talk to Uncle Frank about how we get around the license thing. Will you talk to Tiffany to see if she approves of this and if she’ll help us? You two know what your mother would like. Let’s just do it.”

“It’s a nice idea. I’ll give you that.”

“It’s a brilliant idea.”

“Whatever you say, dear.”

Mac pulled into Grace’s pharmacy and turned off the truck.

“What do we need here?”

“I’ll tell you after I get it.” He left her with a kiss. “Be right back.” Mac went into the store and straight to the condom aisle in the back, which had been in the same place since he was a horny teenager on Gansett. Back then, the Golds had owned the store that now belonged to his future sister-in-law, Grace, who was fortunately not working tonight. In fact, he didn’t see anyone he knew. Thank God for small favors.

Grimacing, he grabbed an economy box of the extra-large ones, and then, laughing to himself, he got a box of the small ones, too, and went up to pay for them. “Could I get two bags please?”

“Sure,” the teenage girl at the register said, blushing to the roots of her hair when she realized what he was buying.

Even as a married man of thirty-seven with two kids and a third on the way, this transaction never got any less embarrassing. “Thanks.”

He walked out of the store with his bags and got back in the truck.

“What’d you get?” Maddie reached for the bags before he could explain. “Something you want to tell me?” she asked with that arched brow of hers.

“They’re for Janey. And Joe.”

“Huh?”

“She’s getting me back for what I did to her when we were dating.”

That set Maddie off into fits of giggles that had him laughing at her delight. “Oh my God, I love that! Good for her!”

“Good for her? You can’t be on her side and be married to me, too.”

“What’re you going to do? Divorce me?”

“I just might.”

“Oh hush. You couldn’t live without me. Why two bags?”

“Look at the sizes.”

Maddie examined the boxes and then burst out laughing again. “What’re you up to?”

“She told me to get the extra-large ones. You’ll see.”