My dad is staring at me, thinking of what to say. He hasn’t said a word since I laid every one of my mistakes on the table. He’s been watching me quietly since I told him I wanted to talk with him. I used the free time alone with him to tell him everything about Chicago and the underground world I fell into. Josh is inside putting Tanner to sleep. My mom and Olivia are sitting with Savannah. They’re each curled into an Adirondack chair, talking. I look over at them, checking on Savannah. My mouth tugs into a smile when I see her smile, rubbing my sister’s tiny baby bump.

I look back at my father, who is still watching me. “I’m glad you got out of that, son.”

I nod, expecting so much more from him.

“It explains a few weeks ago when I asked you to play a hand.”

I nod again, looking down, completely ashamed I ruined something that we both enjoyed doing together.

“I want you to play again. We’ve never played for money. That’s not what we do. If you never play another hand with another person again, that’s your decision. You will play with me, though.”

I look back at Savannah. “I can’t risk becoming that person again.”

“You won’t, not with me.”

“We’ll see,” I tell him, not ready to commit to anything yet.

“I’d never let you hurt her. We all love her.” I look to my dad. He’s looking at the women now, too. “If you treat her like garbage or anything like that co-worker did, I will personally kick your ass.”

I laugh. “You’ll have to get in line. I’d kick my own ass if I did anything like that to her.”

Savannah’s cackle catches my attention. I whip my head toward her, feeling the burning in my chest. I want to walk over there, wrap her in my arms, and inhale that sound. I don’t know what she’s laughing about, but I find myself chuckling along with her.

“Told you,” Josh says, coming up behind me, clapping me on the shoulder. He sits down, opening a fresh beer.

“Told me what?”

My dad is already smiling, clinking his beer with Josh. “That you were fucked.”

I look back at Savannah. Bastard is right. I’m so fucked. There’s no chance of letting her go now.

“How’s it going, Adler Fam?” I turn toward the voice. Hudson is walking into my parents’ backyard through their gate.

He walks over to the women first, giving each of them a kiss on the cheek before coming to us. “I could see the food across the street,” he says, rubbing his stomach. “Figured you would have extra, thought I’d grace you with my presence.”

A couple of years ago, after Hudson bought a stake in his family’s company, he purchased the lot across from my parents, tore down the house that was sitting on it, and built a monstrosity in its place. I can’t deny that it’s a gorgeous house, but it is way too big for one man who refuses to bring a hook-up into his bed.

None of us laugh, used to his certain brand of charm.

My dad shakes his head and stands. “Come on boys, let’s eat.”

We all follow him over to the women. He helps each of them up and holds my mom’s hand as we walk over to the table.

“I see you brought your girl home,” Hudson says. “Risky move. She’ll think it’s serious.”

“It is,” I tell him.

“Really, man?” Hudson stops walking.

I stop, pulling up next to him. “Yeah, she’s....” I pause, searching for the right word to encompass everything that is Savannah. “Everything.”

Hudson’s smile splits his face. “Aww, is my boy falling in love?”

I can’t stop the smile that is taking over my face. I don’t answer him, but keep walking. He catches up to me, slinging his arm around my shoulder. “That’s adorable. I’m happy for you, man.” He slaps my back. I look over at him, seeing if he’s serious. He jumps from one woman to the next, never going back twice. I’m surprised to find genuine happiness on his face.

I pull Savannah into me when we reach her at the table. She wraps her arms around my neck, while mine settle on her hips. I raise one hand to brush her hair back. I settle my lips on hers. She sighs contentedly. When I pull back from her and we face the table, each person in my family is staring at us with a smile on their face.

* * *

When Hudson suggests we crash girls’ night at The Cellar, I jump at the opportunity to see Savannah. We’ve been spending every night together for the past several weeks since we both stripped our baggage. We spend a few days at my house, then a few days at hers. We’ve ended each night exploring each other’s bodies. I’m relishing every moment that I get to spend finding out what makes her moan. Savannah continually brings me to my knees with her sinful mouth, soft hands, and tight pussy.

We’re living in a fantasy that I surely don’t deserve to have. She was already asleep in the middle of my bed when I got home late last night. She woke me up in the middle of the night by sucking me awake. We made love quietly before falling back asleep, wrapped in each other. This morning, she was out the door for an early meeting before my alarm went off. I didn’t see her before she left to meet the girls at The Cellar. I’m dying to get my eyes and lips on her.

I text Gabe on our way to the bar, telling him to meet us there. We came to a silent understanding after meeting properly. I appreciate the fact that he has looked out for Savannah like she’s family. I would do the same for his woman. When we stroll into the bar, I hear the girls’ laughter over the music. When we approach the table to find three empty wine bottles and a new one freshly uncorked, I smile. I love when my girl is tipsy, she turns feisty. These girls’ nights end well for me.

Savannah is sitting on one side of the booth, alone. I slide in next to her, my lips landing on her neck. She giggles, turning toward me, holding my face. “What are you doing here, baby? It’s not time to pick me up yet.”

“Crashing,” I tell her before kissing her deeply. When our tongues melt together, she moans. A straw hits the side of my head, and I break our kiss and turn toward the other side of the table. James and Hudson have chairs on the end of the table. Harper has another straw aimed at my face.

“Y’all are seriously so disgustingly cute,” she says. “If I didn’t love y’all, I’d want to kill you. I want to be kissed like that.”

Hudson leans toward her. “I can kiss you like that, baby. Anytime.” He gives her a wink before leaning back into his chair.

“You couldn’t handle me,” she says, dismissing him. “This silent, sexy brute on the other hand, though,” she says, her hand waving toward James. “He is much more my type.”

The girls laugh. “He’s everyone’s type,” Valerie pipes up.

James is stiff as a board, his cheeks a rosy red. I clap him on the shoulder. “Sorry, big guy, you’re not my type.”

He shakes off my hand, shaking his head, but remaining silent as usual. Hudson is laughing along with Harper, not put out by her dismissal. The two of them have become good friends since Savannah and I mixed our little groups. They verbally spar. Hudson flirts with Harper like there’s no tomorrow, but she continues to ignore him. I know he would never go there, though. He wouldn’t want to upset any of these girls. Savannah and her girls have him wrapped around their fingers. He will do anything each of them asks.

“Hitting on James again, babe?” Gabe asks as he saunters up to the table. “If I was a less confident man, you’d definitely give me a complex.”

We spend the rest of the night laughing and polishing off more drinks. I whisper in Savannah’s ear every few minutes promises of what I will do to her and asking her if it’s time to leave yet. I’ve missed my girl and want her in my bed without anyone else around.

Finally, she lets me drag her from the booth. When she starts another conversation with Harper about a new dress at Harper’s store, I toss her over my shoulder and march out. She pounds on my back as I stomp through the parking lot toward the Jeep. I slap her ass. “I’m ready to get you home.”

She giggles, squeezing my ass. “I love your butt,” she moans. “It’s so sexy.”

I throw her in the Jeep and head to my place as fast as possible. She keeps her hand dangerously high on my thigh the entire way there. We’re barely inside the house when we start to rip each other’s clothes off. I have her dress and bra tugged down under her tits. Her nipples are taut and begging to be sucked. Savannah wraps her leg around my waist. Cupping her ass, I carry her to my room. Her nipples are dragging over my naked chest. She’s moaning from the contact, grinding her wet pussy against my stomach.

“No panties tonight?” I ask breathlessly.

She stops sucking on my neck, moving her mouth to my ear. “I knew I would be coming home to you.”

I growl, gripping her ass tighter, marching faster into my bedroom. I put Savannah on the edge of the bed and drop to my knees, pulling her legs over my shoulders. I lean into her slick pussy.

She tries to get closer to me, but I put my arm down on her stomach, holding her in place. I give her one long, lick before pulling away.

“Tell me what you want, gorgeous.”

“Lick me, Liam. Please.” She tries to move from the confines of my arm, but she doesn’t need to. I give her exactly what she wants, licking her pussy lips. I suck her clit into my mouth, grazing it with my teeth. Her hands weave into my hair, pushing my face down into her pussy. I moan, licking her top to bottom again. She whimpers.

I plunge my tongue into her core, fucking her with my mouth. She bucks beneath me, pleading for more. I rub her clit in circles, removing my arm from her stomach to play with her nipples. I pinch one, rolling it between my forefinger and thumb, pulling it. Her back arches. I continue to fuck her with my tongue and lay a light slap across her clit.

Savannah’s hands pull my hair as she screams her way through her orgasm. I crawl up her body, slamming into her and catching the last waves of her clenching pussy. I growl, thrusting into her faster. She’s panting, “I’m–I’m going to come again.”

I squeeze one breast and use my other hand to massage her clit, and she shoots off like a rocket again, strangling my cock with her tight, wet pussy. I pump into her twice more before releasing my orgasm inside of her.

Savannah wraps her arms around me when I collapse on top of her. She kisses my neck, saying between licks, “It’s so, so good every time.”

My lips land on her mouth; she opens for me. I sink my tongue into her mouth, relishing that her taste is still in my mouth. She sucks my tongue, moaning. I break the kiss, looking into her eyes. “I’ll never get enough of you, Savannah.”

She lightly kisses me one more time. I pull out of her, already missing her heat. I go to the bathroom, grabbing a washcloth to clean us both off. I love to take care of her after. I love the way she lets me clean her off before we go to bed. I peel the rest of her clothes from her body that never fully came off in our haste.

Once we’re both naked, I tug her body into mine. She lays her head on my chest, her arm and leg slung over my body. My arm is around her back, palm on her ass, and the other hand is resting on top of hers on my stomach. I listen to her drift off to sleep, thinking the words I promise to tell her soon.