“They gotta learn her games just like the rest of us and they also gotta learn that a woman who’ll work twelve-hour days and still break her neck to give them a fuckin’ good Christmas, smilin’ bright even though she’s got fatigue in her eyes, is not someone they need to feel torn and guilty about likin’.”

Okay, he wasn’t wrong about that.

“Okay, honey, but I have to go out with Martha. She came over and had a drama about how she never sees me. I need to give her some time.”

He stared at me and I could tell this wasn’t going over very well.

I leaned closer. “You have your talk with your boys, dinner, guy time. I’ll have my girl time and come over later. And tomorrow, I’ll make something fabulous for breakfast.”

“Tess—”

“Payback, Brock,” I cut him off and his eyebrows shot together. “They asked me to go to the mall with them. I declined but traded free baked goods if they found a nightie that a bad-boy hot guy would appreciate being given for Valentine’s Day. I’m sworn off the mall until March. For you to have a happy Valentine’s Day, you owe them.”

He stared at me again for a few seconds then his lips twitched and he shook his head.

“My sweet Tess,” he muttered before he leaned in and touched his mouth to mine.

When he leaned back, I whispered, “It’s all gonna be okay.”

“Yeah,” he whispered back.

I smiled at him then informed him, “You need a shower.”

“So do you,” he replied.

“I took one this morning,” I reminded him.

“Well you’re gonna take another one,” he told me.

The tingles came back.

“Okay,” I whispered and he grinned.

Then he stood up, taking me with him and putting me on my feet, saying, “We gotta be quick, babe. I gotta get the boys.”

We’d done quick before. I preferred not quick.

But quick would do in a pinch.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

When Exes Attack

I HAD MY head thrown back, Brock’s hand was lifting my breast to his mouth, his mouth pulling hard on my nipple, his other hand was curved around my other breast, thumb circling the nipple, my fingers were in his hair, and I was grinding into him hard.

I’d accepted a lift from Daisy (who was my new best friend seeing as she had a limo and a driver and she was sweet and she was hilarious) to get to Brock’s from Club.

I’d done this because I was more than slightly inebriated.

I’d also attacked my drowsy hot guy bad boy the minute I hit his bedroom and I’d done this because, as I said, I was more than slightly inebriated.

Obviously, he didn’t mind.

I started to make noises that Brock had heard many a time thus he did not misinterpret.