Before Leo has even cleared the front door to our apartment, I’m calling to him from the bathroom where I’m putting the finishing touches on my makeup. “Honey, did you mail the invites? So help me God, Leo, if you forgot again—”

“I mailed the invites,” he shouts back.

“Before five?”

“Yeah, babe, before five.”

I decide this conversation might go better if I could at least see him, so I wander through the bedroom and out into the living area. “Then why the hell are you so late? We have to go.”

His gaze rolls over me from head to toe, and the wanton look in his eyes tells me he likes what he sees. “I was thinking we’d stay in tonight.”

“We have dinner plans with your parents. We can’t just not show up.” I grab my earrings from off the counter and put them on, turning when I see he hasn’t moved. “What do you have behind your back?”

“I stopped by our favorite bakery.”

“Oh,” I say, somewhat breathless, because this man knows how I feel about cake. The grin on his face says that was the point exactly. “Vanilla with buttercream?”

“Vanilla with buttercream.”

“Mmm,” I say, but it comes out more like a moan.

“Fuck, Pop Tart, you know I can’t resist that sexy whimper.” He sets the cake down and pulls me closer, then he turns me and kisses my neck as he unfastens the zip on my black velvet gown. Leo pushes me forward on the table and rubs his hard cock against my ass. “I fucking love this dress.”

“You love taking this dress off. I’ve never worn it for more than five minutes at a time because you’re always trying to get me out of it.”

“Isn’t that the same thing?”

“Not even remotely.” I straighten and turn to face him, my straps falling from my shoulders. Leo slips his fingers behind the fabric covering my breasts and peels it from my body. His hands circle my waist, and he lifts me onto the table. I open the box beside me. Lavender buttercream with confetti sprinkles. I dip my finger in the frosting and bring it to my mouth, but Leo grabs my hand and sucks my finger clean.

“You know I almost feel bad every time I pick up one of these?”

“Why?”

“Because they go to so much trouble to make these look amazing and we just mess it all up,” he says.

“I’m okay with mess.”

“Really?” He taunts me with that gorgeous smile.

“Uh-huh.”

“Now you say that, but are you going to nag me if I get frosting all over the apartment?” Leo’s eyes twinkle with mischief as he dips a finger into the frosting. I try to sneak another taste, but he shakes his head. “No. No more cheating.”

I pout but close my eyes and open my mouth. He places his fingers inside and I suck hard, eliciting a groan from him as the sweetness of buttercream dances over my tongue. “Jesus, Poppy.”

“Nope, not Jesus, though it would be a handy trick turning water into wine.”

Leo smiles and shoves his hand inside the box, grabbing a fistful of cake and frosting, and smearing it on my leg. I giggle and squeeze my eyes tightly shut. He trails his fingers up my thigh toward my panties, and then he lowers his head and cleans up the mess with his tongue. I drive my hands into his hair, bite my lip, and moan.

My phone rings. No, no, no. Not now.

“Ignore it,” Leo says.

“I can’t,” I pant. “It’s probably Jacinta. She wants to discuss us bringing in a freelance event planner to help with wedding season.” We’re swamped since I made partner and Katherine quit. Reluctantly, I pull my phone from my clutch and answer it, “Poppy speaking.”

“Poppy,” Claire says. She sounds as if she’s been crying. “I just received your invite.”

“Oh, um, are you okay?”

Leo’s phone rings, and he rolls his eyes and pulls it from his pocket getting frosting all over the front of his suit pants. “Hey Chase, what’s up?”

“Chase cheated on me. We’re getting divorced,” Claire wails.

My jaw drops. I glance at Leo, who’s shaking his head. While Leo and Chase are still relatively close, Claire and I have drifted even further apart since the wedding. In fact, I can’t remember the last time she returned my calls.

“Chase, I’m gonna have to call you back,” Leo says, hanging up the phone. He takes my cell from me and speaks into the microphone. “Hey, Claire. I’m really sorry but Poppy’s unavailable tonight.”

My eyes go wide, and I grab for the phone, but he makes a show of hanging it up and holding it high above my head.

I scowl. “I can’t believe you just did that.”

“Babe, Claire was never any kind of friend to you. She doesn’t even know how lucky she is to have you in her life. She fucked your fiancé, got knocked up, and married him. She married your ex.”

“Well, now you’re marrying his ex.”

Leo frowns. “Why do we still talk to these people?”

I laugh. “I have no idea.”

“We need to find some new friends,” he says, wrapping me in his arms, and bowing his head to kiss my neck and collarbone.

I nod and tilt my head to give him better access. “Uh-huh.”

“But first, we have a cake to destroy.”

Yes, we do.