I rubbed the pad of my thumb across the roughness, treasuring the feel of our initials against my skin. AB + BB. And on the back were the words Our Hearts with the initials of all our children.

“Well, I love it.”

“And I love you,” he said, pulling me even closer.

Happy and sated, I let my fingers toy with the hair around his nipples. “I wish Beau could do this,” I murmured.

Axel chuckled, the sound vibrating against my cheek as his hand stroked lazily up and down my back. “Bear, you know I’m a kinky fucker and would do practically anything you asked, but your brother playing with my nipples? Yeah, that’s a hard no for me. I would end up in a shallow grave just for asking.”

I rolled my eyes. “Don’t be silly. Beau would never risk a shallow grave. He would bury you deep with lots of hydrated lime to keep the animals from finding your carcass.”

Axel’s hand stilled on my back. “You scare me sometimes, sweetheart. Have I mentioned how much I love you?”

“Good to know. But I wasn’t talking about your nipples. Those are all mine.” I gave his left one a little nip with my teeth, and my husband’s hand drifted down to give my ass a nice, firm squeeze. “I was talking about love. I wish my brother could find a good woman and fall in love.”

Axel’s hand resumed its mesmerizing trail along the length of my spine. “Babe, with the caliber of women Beau dates, I don’t see that happening anytime soon. Or ever.”

“True, but I’m not talking about his skanks. I’m talking about a nice girl. Like… like Charli.” I looked up at Ax and noticed his lips pressed tightly together a split second before he burst into laughter. I’m talking full-bellied, side-aching guffaws.

“I’m glad to see turning thirty hasn’t dampened your sense of hu—” He stopped short, his smile fading when he noticed the serious look on my face. “Wait. Please tell me you’re joking.”

“Nope,” I replied, popping the p. “They were checking each other out today at the pool, and Beau looked like he was about to commit homicide while he was watching Cam mess around with her.”

“Your brother’s homicidal tendencies fall under the category of ‘Exhibit A of why he shouldn’t be with a sweet girl like Charli.’”

“He can be… protective,” I admitted, and my husband snorted at the understatement. “But he has a soft side. Look at how he is with the kids. And he’s good-looking, dontcha think?”

“Have we circled back to him playing with my nipples?”

I smacked his hard abs with my palm. “I’m being serious here, Ax. And Charli’s really pretty, right?”