“Y-you,” she whispered.

“That’s right, baby. Push back against me. Come all over my fingers.”

Her lips parted, and her body went rigid against his. He kept on thrusting with his fingers, with his cock against the soft curve of her ass. Kept on rubbing dirty little circles over her clit as she went off. Clenching, clamping, releasing, relaxing. She collapsed to her elbows, covering her mouth with her own hand as she sobbed through a devastating release.

She trusted him to give her this. To take it so forcefully. She trusted him to protect her. But it wasn’t enough. He wanted it all.

He waited until she was done, weak and shaking, before pulling back. Before he gently tugged her thong back into place.

His fingers traced the outline of the handprint he’d left on her, making goose bumps appear.

She made no move to stand after he smoothed her dress back down, thrilling him with a perverse triumph.

They’d both gotten off and they’d both lost something.

“Next time you want to tell me this isn’t a big deal, or you don’t want to say that we’re in this together, I want you to remember this,” he said darkly and then he walked out the door.

39

Remi brought her hands to her flushed cheeks and watched in delight as her parents whirled past her to a Zac Brown Band tune. At some point in their thirty-five years together, they must have taken dance lessons because they practically sailed across the dance floor in perfect unison.

Darlene and Gilbert Ford got each other. They were wildly different yet still managed to stay in sync.

Kimber and Kyle were at a table, avoiding eye contact.

And Brick, in that fucking sexy tie, was everywhere at once. Keeping an eye on the food, restocking plates, and generally wielding control over the chaos. And shooting her looks that made her knees go weak. It was clear that he was mad. It wasn’t clear what he was mad at. Especially since he’d seemed fine between their orgasms.

But even pissed at her, he was still there making sure her parents had the best last-minute surprise anniversary party possible.

He was so good, so solid and sturdy.

Like her father, Brick Callan would always be there.

But he was holding himself back. And so was she. Worse, Remi didn’t know if either of them had it in them to go all in.

She went with the flow. Stayed open to opportunity. She didn’t tie herself down as a rule. That’s what a relationship with Brick would be. At least a real one. He wouldn’t exactly collar her and keep her tied to a bed. But wouldn’t she feel the obligation to be more of what he wanted, less of what she wanted?

And what about all those past rejections? Just because they’d gone farther in the past few weeks than they ever had didn’t mean there wasn’t still progress to be made. Didn’t mean he would want to take her on. She was too loud, too emotional, too chaotic. It’s what had kept him at a distance for fourteen years.