“Jace.”

“Yes, sweetheart.”

“Please fuck me.”

“Well, since you asked nicely.” He flips me over, pulls my hips back and I hear him fumble with the condom. He pushes inside me, making me immediately explode with an orgasm. “Fucking hell.” He grips onto my hair at the nape of my neck. He doesn’t pull hard, but he has a firm hold, and it’s maybe the best sex I’ve ever had in my life.

Although, I think that every time Jace and I have sex.

He clenches onto my hip with his free hand, and I bury my face in the pillows as he fucks me ruthlessly.

He groans and slows, pushing all the way to the root, and loses himself in me.

“Is that what you were after?” he asks in my ear, panting.

“Oh, yeah.” I swallow hard, trying to catch my breath. “Yeah, that’s the stuff.”

He chuckles as he pulls out and collapses to the side of me. “So glad you approve.”

“So glad you don’t suck in bed,” I reply and then laugh at his look of surprise. “What? I mean, it would not be good if you were a horrible lover.”

“Are you saying you’re just with me because of the way I bone you?”

“No.” I shove my hair out of my face and laugh again. “Also, I love how romantic we are when we talk about having sex together.”

“I can’t believe you’re just with me for the humping,” he says, making me laugh harder. “Here I thought it was my sparkling wit and sense of humor.”

“I’m all about bumping uglies,” I say, still giggling. He cracks up, his abs clenching with the action, and I reach out to trace them with my fingertips. “These help, too.”

“My stomach?”

“Your abs. They’re hot. Let’s keep them.”

“I’ll do my best.”

“It didn’t occur to me that Will Montgomery would be here,” I whisper to Jace as we carry our drinks out the back door to the gorgeous outdoor living space. Meredith, and her husband Mark have a beautiful home. It’s something out of a Magnolia Home magazine.

I wouldn’t be surprised if Joanna Gaines decorated it herself.

“The Williams family is very close to the Montgomerys,” Jace says as he sits in a love seat and motions for me to join him.

“I know, I guess I just didn’t consider it.”

“Do you want to leave?”

I stare at him, blinking slowly. “No. No, I don’t.”

He smirks and sips his beer just as Levi joins us. Kids run around the yard and to the playhouse that’s a replica of the main dwelling.

“This is a great house,” I say, sipping my margarita. “Mer said Mark built it.”

“He’s a contractor,” Levi says with a nod. “He and Isaac Montgomery run Montgomery Construction.”

“Cool. There’s a lot of people in this family.”

“You’re not kidding,” Meg, Will’s wife says as she joins us. “It intimidated the hell out of me when I was first with Will. But they’re nice, and they only bite if you ask nicely.”

I smirk and glance at Jace, remembering the way he sank his teeth into my side earlier. If I’m lucky, I’ll have marks from it later.

Another woman comes outside and sits in the shade of the gazebo. My mouth is suddenly dry, and I can’t remember my own name.

Because, holy shit, that’s Starla.

As in, Starla the megastar. The voice of a generation. She can sing, dance, act. You name it, she can do it.

“Hey, girl,” Starla says to Meg, then plops down in a chair and sighs. Her hair used to be bleach-blond and short, but it’s grown long and is auburn now. She’s a tiny, petite woman, yet a powerhouse all at the same time.

I saw her Belladonna tour several years ago, and I’ve had a massive girl crush on her ever since.

I had no idea that she’d be here today.

“Starla, this is Jace and Levi Crawford, Wyatt’s brothers, and Joy Thompson.”

“Hi,” Starla says with a kind smile.

“Pleasure,” Jace says as if he’s meeting anyone, and Levi just nods.

I can’t even remember how to say words, so I just smile.

“So, what do you do, Starla?” Levi asks, pulling me out of my speechlessness. I stare, wide-eyed at Jace, but he doesn’t seem to know who she is either.

They’re idiots. Have I taught them nothing?

I’ve failed them.

“I’m a musician,” Starla says with a smile, tilting her head and hooking a piece of her hair behind her ear. Meg and I glance at each other.

“So, do you play the piano?” Jace asks.

I want to go hide in the playhouse. I can’t believe them.

“I do,” she says. “I play the guitar, too.”

“That’s awesome,” Levi says. “But what do you do to pay the bills?”

“Are you kidding me?” I ask at last, staring at both of them with disgust, then turning to Starla. “I apologize for them. They don’t get out much.”

“No, it’s actually really fun,” Starla says with a laugh and turns back to the guys. “The music gig pays the bills.”

“That’s fantastic,” Levi replies with a nod.

“What do you do?” Starla asks him.

“I’m a detective,” he says.

“Oh, do you work with Matt?” she asks.

“Yes, in a different department, but also for the Seattle PD.”

“Small world,” she says.

“Do you really not know who she is?” I ask Jace, who glances at me and gives me a wide-eyed look that says he’s lost.

I sigh, pull up my phone and find Starla on Wiki, then send him the link. He nods when he pulls it up on his phone, and then smiles down at me.

“Hi, guys,” Meredith says as she joins us. “I’m so glad y’all came. There’s food inside, but Will is already loading a plate so there may be none left by the time you get in there. I, however, am not eating much.”

“Why?” I ask her.

“Because we have a show tonight and it always makes me nervous.” She smiles and glances at Starla, who nods her head. “You guys have to come! Starla’s playing in town, and Jax and I get to dance with her, just like the good ol’ days.”

“I’m in,” I say immediately. Jace and Levi nod, not that I would have let them say no. We’ve just been invited to a Starla show. “And now I think I could use some food.”

I jump up, hurrying inside, hopeful that Will is still by the food. Of course, he’s married, and I’m in a relationship, and I’m just silly.

But holy fuck, he’s hot.

And when I move into the dining room where the food is set up buffet-style, I come to a screeching halt.

Will is holding a sleeping baby girl against his shoulder as he dishes up a plate. For a mere mortal, it would be difficult, but this is Will Montgomery we’re talking about. He’s balancing the baby and dishing up his plate effortlessly. And when he turns his head to kiss the baby’s cheek, I’m pretty sure my ovaries explode.

Damn. What is it about a man holding a sleeping baby?

“Hi, Joy,” Jules says when she sees me. “Come on, we have tons of food. I hope you’re hungry.”

“I am definitely hungry,” I agree. “And that baby is beautiful.”

“Thanks,” Will says with a proud smile. “I made this. Her name is Erin.”

“Yes, he made her all alone,” Natalie says, rolling her eyes.

“Nah, Meg helped.” Will kisses the baby’s head again. “Do you have kids, Joy?”

“No.” I shake my head as I set a pulled pork slider on my plate. “I have a busy veterinary clinic, and I’m not sure I have time for kids.”

“You can be successful and have kids,” Jules says. “It’s work, but it’s possible.”

“Well, I’m not in that position right now. But you never know.”

“You never know,” Jace says from behind me, startling me. I spin and find him smiling, not irritated in the least. “That looks good.”