Stay with Me

I laugh. “I’m all grown up now, big brother. I’ll see you on Sunday.”

“Now you need me to take care of you.”

I glance up at the sound of her voice to find her standing at the foot of the stairs, watching me with a soft smile on her stunning face.

“Is that so?”

She nods and walks into the kitchen. She reaches into the fridge for two bottles of water and brings me one, then surprises me by climbing into my lap and wrapping her arms around my neck.

“I don’t want to get into trouble,” I murmur before she plants her full lips on mine. I sink into the kiss, losing myself in her, the way I always do where Amelia’s concerned. She plunges her fingers into my hair and makes a fist, holding on tightly.

I can’t stop my hands from roaming over her tight body any more than I can control the tides. I cup her cheek, then let my hand fall to her breast, worrying the nipple into a tight bud under her thin tank.

“Mm,” she murmurs, grinning against my mouth, and I let my hand travel farther south, under the hem of her denim shorts and panties until I find her already wet center with my fingertips. “Fuck.”

“You like that?” I ask against her lips. She nods and holds onto me tighter as I rub light circles around her hard clit, reveling in how her entire body tenses under my touch.

“What’s not to like?” Her voice is husky, she’s panting, and she’s squirming in my lap. “Fill me, babe.”

“No.” I raise a brow when she frowns at me and continue to wreak havoc on the most sensitive part of her delectable body. “I’m in control here, sweetheart. That’s right, I want you to feel this.”

“Can’t do anything else,” she says and squeezes her eyes shut. I push a finger inside her, and she cries out and convulses around me, coming against my hand.

I pull my hand out of her pants and lick my finger clean, loving the taste and smell of her. She’s the most powerful aphrodisiac there is.

“Are you going to fuck me now?” she asks.

“No.” Her eyes spring open in surprise. “I don’t want to get sent home. You’d better get off my lap.”

She looks taken aback and then starts to laugh in the husky way she does that sets every nerve ending on end. “You’re such a smartass.”

“I like to keep you wanting more,” I reply and kiss her neck before setting her on her feet. She reaches down and cups my cock through my jeans.

“Likewise,” she says, then winks and walks away, her hips swaying as she moves across the room and back up the stairs.

I push my hands through my hair and call myself an idiot.

I’m the one who has to sit here with a hard-on like a sixteen-year-old on a first date.

Hey, babe, I’m gonna be a few mins late. I’m sorry!

I grin and text Amelia back. No problem. We’ll be here.

“You have a beautiful home,” Amelia’s father says, and my mother immediately jumps in with tales of my last house and why this one is so much better.

With Mom around, I’ll never have to speak again.

Levi winks at me and passes me a beer. Everyone is here, my brothers, Amelia’s siblings, and our parents.

And so far, everyone is getting along well.

Not that I thought they wouldn’t.

Jace, Anastasia, and Archer are standing on the edge of the patio, looking out at the Sound and laughing at something Anastasia said.

Amelia rushes outside, panting, and looking as beautiful as I’ve ever seen her with her hair pulled up, minimal makeup on, and a casual black T-shirt with shorts.

“Hey, guys, sorry I’m late—” She stops in mid-sentence and stares at our parents, then at me, and plasters a big, fake smile on her gorgeous face. “Hey, everybody. This is a surprise.”

“It’s so lovely to finally meet you,” my mom says as she and Dad stand, and Mom immediately folds Amelia into a hug. “I’ve heard so much about you, dear.”

Amelia looks shell-shocked as my dad also pulls her in for a hug.

“Lia, these affectionate people are clearly my parents, Linus and Melody.”

“So nice to meet you,” she says with a nod and then looks over at her own parents. “Hi, Mom and Daddy. Have you all met each other already?”

“Oh, yes,” my mom says happily. “We’ve become fast friends. Sherri and I both love to knit, and we were just talking about our favorite yarn shops.”

“How nice,” Amelia says, that fake smile still on her lips as she looks up at me. “Wyatt? Can I talk to you for just a second?”

“Of course.” I follow her inside, through the house to my office, where we’re as far away from the party as we can get.

“What the hell?”

“To be fair, I didn’t know that your parents were coming either,” I say, putting my hands up in surrender. “They came with Anastasia.”

“But you did know about your parents?” she asks, her voice a tiny bit shrill.

Or a lot shrill.

“I forgot to tell you.”

“How could you forget?”

“You sat your sexy ass in my lap, and I had my fingers buried inside you,” I remind her, bringing color to her cheeks. “So, yeah, I forgot.”

She blows out a breath and hangs her head, and I immediately pull her into my arms, hugging her close.

“This is okay,” I say firmly. “Our parents were going to meet each other eventually.”

“I just wasn’t mentally prepared for it to be today,” she mumbles against my chest. “I’m not dressed for it. My hair is a mess. I thought we were just having a casual cookout with our siblings.”

“We are,” I reply and laugh when she stares up at me as if I’ve just told her the world is flat. “Really, we are. You look fantastic. It’s just our families.”

“Pshaw. Right. It’s just the first time that I’m meeting your parents, and I want it to be perfect. You only get one chance to make a first impression, Wyatt.”

“I honestly don’t think you have anything to be worried about,” I reply and kiss her forehead, then her lips. “Let’s go out there and just have fun. They love us. This isn’t a big deal.”

“You’re lucky I love you,” she says and slaps my arm, making me scowl. “You need to tell me these things, Crawford.”

“You’re such a stickler,” I reply, rubbing my arm. “A violent stickler at that.”

She smirks and leads me back outside, and we spend the next hour cooking steaks on the grill, talking and laughing.

Well, most of us do. Amelia is still tense and has suddenly turned into a formal hostess, constantly asking if she can freshen up everyone’s drinks like it’s her job.

“I’d love some more tea, darling,” Sherri says when Amelia asks, and this time when Lia takes the glass and walks inside, I follow her into the kitchen.

“Enough,” I say firmly and pin her against the countertop, my hands planted on either side of her hips, and my face inches from hers.

“Enough what?”

“Enough of this. I don’t know what’s gotten into you, but this isn’t a reception full of strangers. It’s our family, and they’re having a good time. If they want drinks, they know damn well where to find the fucking kitchen.”

“It’s kind of a big deal,” she says, shaking her head. “Our whole families are meeting for the first time.”