“This family reunion, is it something your family does every year?” Kaleb asked.

His fingers drew small circles on my side as we lay on the bed. We might've moved from the couch to my bedroom, but we still hadn’t gotten around to ordering pizza. We would have to get something eventually, because my belly was growling, but I wasn’t in any hurry. I didn't think he was either.

I was entirely too comfortable with him. I hadn’t been with too many other guys, but I couldn’t think of a single one who had been so easy to just be with.

It was nice.

“Every two years. And that’s about five years too often.” Grinning, I reached up to run my hand through his hair.

He caught my hand. “That math doesn’t add up.”

“I know. It’s not that I don’t love my family, but they’re not the easiest people to be around en masse.”

“Why not?” he asked, rubbing his thumb over my inner wrist.

I bit my lip, considering how to answer. He watched me, not pushing, not judging, and I answered as honestly as I could. “Have you ever had anybody who expected certain things of you? I mean like all the time?”

He started to shake his head, then stopped and shrugged. “In a way. I don’t think it’s quite the same thing you’re putting up with.” He kissed my hand. “But I think I get it. It can be exhausting.”

“You nailed it.” I curled in closer to him, enjoying his warmth. “Thank you. I know you don’t want to hear it, but thanks for helping me.”

“I’ve already told you, I should be thanking you. The money…well, I need it, so you're helping me.” As he spoke, a dull flush rose to stain his cheeks, and the tips of his ears turned red. It was oddly charming.

“Family stuff?”

He gave me a lopsided grin, but offered no real answer. His eyes shifted away, distancing himself even if his body stayed close.

Understanding the need for privacy, I rested my head on his shoulder so he didn't have to feel like he was avoiding looking at me.

“You know, twenty-four hours ago, I was brooding and pissed off. I had no idea I was going to be doing this today. I had no idea I would be meeting you.” I laughed a little. “All in all, I’m pretty pleased with how the day is going. Granted, last night…” I exhaled a long breath. “My mind is still kind of blown. I wish I could remember everything that happened.”

“According to Astra, we got hitched.” He said it in a tone dry enough to make me laugh again.

“That’s not what I meant.” I nudged him. “Well, not entirely. I’m talking about…” Now was my turn to blush and avoid his gaze. “I mean, last night. We slept together, but I don’t remember anything. Considering how amazing what we just did was, I sort of wish I could.”

He cleared his throat. “I kinda have an answer about that I think.”

I pushed up and turned around, facing him. “What do you mean? You know what happened?” He wouldn’t meet my eyes directly, and he didn’t answer right away, so I prodded him, poking him in the side. He flinched a bit, and I tucked that into the back of my head. Ticklish… “Come on, tell me.”

Kaleb sat up, scooting until his back was against the headboard. “I don’t think anything happened.”

“But this morning…” I stared at him. “There was a condom wrapper on the nightstand, and you were…” I cleared my throat. “You had a condom on.”

“Yeah, about that.” He flushed bright red. “It…ah…well, it wasn’t used.”

“But…” I couldn't think of a single response to that.

“Maybe we were just both too drunk. I don’t know.”

Baffled – and oddly disappointed – I stared at him for the longest time, uncertain of what I wanted to say. I couldn’t think of a single thing, although there were a hundred stops and starts inside my head.

“Mystery solved, right?”

“Yeah.” I managed a weak smile. “Mystery solved.” I leaned against him and snuggled in closer, tucking my head into the hollow between his neck and shoulder.

His arm came around me, and it fit – we fit. We felt…perfect together.

Why did I feel so disappointed that we hadn't had sex last night? I didn’t understand it, but there was this strange hollow feeling inside me.

“Are you okay?” Kaleb stroked his hand up and down my back.

“Oh, I’m fine. Just thinking.” I was careful not to let my voice reveal anything. I’d become all too good at that. That was a skill you picked up early, being a politician’s daughter. Certain things, a girl just didn’t let show.

From where my head rested against his chest, I could feel the steady beat of his heart, and it was oddly soothing, comforting. My hand was on his stomach, moving up and down with each breath, and in that moment, it made a deep, gurgling noise. With a little laugh, I straightened. Before I could tease him about it, my belly rumbled in agreement. “I guess we should get around to ordering that pizza. What do you think?”

“Sounds like a plan.”

I kicked my legs over the edge of the bed and grabbed the first thing that came to hand. It happened to be his t-shirt, but I pulled it on without a second thought. It came to mid-thigh, and the scent of him wrapping around my body made me shiver a little.

“Hey.” His voice had a low sexy rumble to it that made my pussy throb.

I glanced back at him.

“Did I say you could borrow that?” The glint in his eye said he was teasing me.

Two could play at that came.

“Well…” I reached for the hem.

“Don’t.” He groaned and looked away. “Keep it on or we’ll never eat, and I’m starving.”

I laughed and blew him a kiss. As I moved over to the phone, though, I could feel his eyes on me, and when I glanced back at him, he was watching me with heavy-lidded eyes.

Heat swept through me, and I averted my gaze as a voice came on the line. By the time I finished ordering the food, I could hear water coming on in the bathroom, and I thought about joining him. We had half an hour.

Might as well enjoy the time…and it would conserve water too.

* * *

Between the two of us, we pretty much demolished an entire extra-large pie and several beers.

Now, belly full and pleasantly buzzed, I stretched back out on the bed, studying him.

“I’ve been thinking,” I announced. He'd pulled a pair of jeans on after we'd gotten out of the shower, and while I was kind of sorry to see him wearing any kind of clothing, at the same time, it'd been a good idea. When he was all naked and beautiful in front of me, I lost track of important things…like breathing.

He glanced at me over his shoulder, a golden brow arched. “Just what have you been thinking about, Miss Piety?”

“I’ve been thinking…” I said slowly. I rolled to my hands and knees and crawled to the edge of the bed as I grinned at him. “That you and I need to be able to convince my parents and the rest of my family that we're comfortable together, that we fell head over heels in love…or at least in lust with each other.”

“Well, that is what you’re paying me for,” he said, turning to face me. Eyes locked on mine, he reached out and traced a bold finger down my cheek, my collarbone, then dropped his hand down to cup my breast through his shirt. “Are you saying I haven’t I done a good job of proving there’s a fair amount of lust on my side?”

I was having a difficult time concentrating as his thumb moved across my nipple. “I think…it’s safe to say there’s a fair amount of lust on both sides.”

He lightly pinched my nipple and I moaned, fighting the urge to wrap myself around him and tell him to just do me.

It took a supreme effort of will to continue.

“We have to convince them. We should…” I cleared my throat, heat rushing up to stain my cheeks red as he dipped his head and raked his teeth down my neck. He'd already left one mark, but I wanted him to leave another. But first I had to finish my thought. “We should be comfortable together.”

He pushed his knee between mine as he wrapped his hand around the back of my neck. “I don’t feel comfortable right now. Maybe after I’ve had you wrapped around my cock for a little while longer, after I’ve made you scream my name and I've emptied myself inside you…then I’ll be comfortable.”

Fuck me. Every cell in my entire body was practically vibrating.

“That’s not what I…meant.”

He grinned down at me, ice-blue eyes blazing hot. “What did you mean?”

“We should start sleeping together.”

“Haven’t we done that?” He caught the hem of my shirt – his t-shirt – and started to drag it up, letting his fingertips trail across my skin as he went. “Let me refresh your memory.”

“Again, not what I meant.” But I wasn’t going to complain. Not when I could still feel what it was like to have him inside me

“Oh.” He let the shirt go. “You meant…share your bed.”

“Yes.”

He looked thoughtful.

My body burned as I waited.

Then he nodded. “I’m fine with that.”

He turned away from me and my stomach dropped.

“Wait! What are you…?”

He looked back at me. “We’re sleeping together, right? I’m tired, so I'm going to get ready for bed.”

“But…” Glaring at him, I folded my arms over my chest, knowing my nipples would be clearly visible.

He slowly shifted back around to face me, his gaze flicking down and then back up. “Is there a problem?”

“You started something. Aren’t you going to finish it?”

He came toward me, a loose-limbed prowling gait that was unbearably sexy. “So…sex and sleeping together. This is getting complicated, Piety.”

There was a teasing glint in his eye, though, one that made me want to smile, want to tease.

Smoothing my hand down the front of my borrowed shirt, I hitched up a shoulder. “Not so complicated. Don't you need to get your shirt back so you can pack it? Be ready for tomorrow.”

He caught my hips, and the feel of his rough hands against my smooth skin sent a shiver through me.

“You sound like you’re a big believer in being prepared.”

He said the words against my lips.

Before I could respond, he was kissing me.

No…no, I really wasn’t a big believer in being prepared. I just would've said anything to get him to touch me again. What did it matter anyway? No amount of preparation could have ever gotten me ready for him.