anything you want.

Anything you want… Those fucking words were going to be my ruination. I felt it in my bones.

I threw my phone aside because if I waited for and watched that video, my sister would find me in the bed with my hand between my legs. Plus, I wanted to meet him in the kitchen for coffee. To grab a private moment before the day began and the wedding festivities kicked into high gear.

I washed my face, brushed my teeth, finger-combed my sleep-tangled hair into a silk turban, pulled on the ground-skimming robe that matched, knotted it at the waist, and made my way downstairs.

Murmuring a bright greeting to my beautiful monstera, I glided into the foyer where the door stood propped open for the catering company to bring tables in. Glancing to the left, I saw that the living room had been cleared of furniture, and bar-height tables skirted the designated dance floor. A little further down the hall, men were clearing out the furniture in the formal dining room.

“Good morning, fellas!” I called out, clutching at my robe as a breeze off the river tunneled through the open doors. “Everything okay?”

“Yes, ma’am!” one of the men said in response. “We’ve got everything handled.”

“All right, then. If you want anything to drink — coffee, juice, water — just let me or Minnie know.”

“Thank you, ma’am.”

So much for a quiet, private moment before the day began. This wedding was already happening. My son was getting married — in this house where I’d raised him. And all I could think about was his best friend Tommy and wonder if he came for me yet. What the fuck did that make me?

The main hallway was packed with men at work, so I took the back one that led to the laundry room and a little powder room. Minnie was probably in the kitchen already, and I just wanted to hold onto this feeling for a moment longer. This feeling of just being Darcy — a whole and sexual woman, not just someone’s mother and ex-wife. I wanted to float on this feeling until I saw Tommy and shared a cup of coffee with him on the back porch.

Just as I approached the laundry room, a hand shot out, hooked around my waist, and hauled me inside. I barely had a moment to gasp or protest before Tommy pressed my back against the pocket door, locked it, and kissed me.

His kiss, his kiss, his goddamn kiss… It was like an accelerant for the demands that my body, mind, and pussy had made for years. Demands that went unanswered until he ignited them — ignited me. With one stroke of his tongue, my body arched into him. I grabbed his waist and pulled him right up against me.

“I’ve got something for you,” he whispered against my lips.

“What?”