The grin on his attractive face was part sad but mostly content.
She didn’t like the sad part.
But she’d take that too.
* * *
Evangeline decided it was time.
So she stopped reading her book in her corner of the couch and looked over the top of it to Branch in his corner.
He was naked, spread for her as she’d positioned him, one calf over the back of the couch, other knee cocked, his foot in the couch, knee dropped to the side.
His eyes were lazy and aimed to her. His cock was hard because he’d been ordered to stroke it to keep it that way.
And his balls were resting on her toes where she’d settled them, digging under, resting the ball of her foot so the cool of her jewel touched her skin there.
She wriggled her toes, something she’d been doing randomly and repeatedly for the last hour.
And she watched Branch’s jaw get tight.
So, so pretty.
Gently, she slid her foot away but she watched him come alert as he watched her move, putting her book aside, turning her legs under her and crawling over to him in the seat of the couch.
Seeing all of him, his jewel winking at her, the wet between her legs pulsed wetter.
When she came close, she put a hand to the inside of either knee and slid them up his inner thighs.
One she left at the juncture of his hip.
The other one she put to his jewel.
Gently twisting it, she watched his teeth bite his lip as she slid it out and started slowly fucking him with it.
“How you doing, baby?” she asked softly.
“Good, Mistress,” he rumbled.
He looked good.
He looked hot.
And he was all hers.
“Wanna be better?”
His eyes flashed.
“Anything you want, Angie.”
She filled him. “Then turn to your knees, handsome. Hands to the arm of the couch. I’m going to fuck my big boy’s ass a little bit before I guide you upstairs by your cock and do a number of dirty things to you.”
Another flash. Hotter. Longer. Burning deep.
“Yes, ma’am.”
She shifted back so he could position.
She moved back in when he had so she could do as she said.
When he’d dropped his head and a languid, purring growl rolled up his throat, she asked, “How’s that feel?”
“You know I love how you take my ass.”
“I know, baby. But are you ready to get dirty?”
“You give it, Angie, you know I’m ready for anything.”
She slid his jewel inside, pressed her chest to his back and kissed his lat.
There she whispered, “Then let’s go, big boy.”
She got off the couch and then she drew him off with her, tugging him by his cock.
She led him to their bedroom.
And she enjoyed every second of it as they got dirty.
* * *
Evangeline barely got through the door before she had a dog attacking her feet and a man sweeping her into his arms.
Branch kissed her.
She wasn’t sure (and didn’t care while Branch was kissing her) but she had a feeling Murphy was trying to eat her spiked heel.
He took his time but Branch eventually ended the kiss.
Lifting his head slightly away, Evangeline opened her eyes and whispered, “Hey, honey. I’m home.”
Branch smiled, big and beautiful, and replied, “Thank fuck. I’m hungry and it’s your turn to cook.”
He then took her stuff, tossed it on the counter, and when he noticed she hadn’t moved, he put a hand to the small of her back, shoved her into the kitchen and ended that with a swat on her ass.
“Daddy’s annoying,” she shared with Murphy as Branch sauntered out of the room.
Murphy just looked up at her with his big, black, happy eyes before he trotted off behind Branch.
She watched as Branch threw himself on his back on the couch and disappeared.
Then she hustled to the stairs so she could change and feed her man.
* * *
Evangeline was riding the high she always rode whenever she and Branch went out together.
These days, it happened more. They’d been to a couple of movies (she’d noted he wasn’t a big fan of being in a dark room with other people, however, so she’d stopped suggesting that). They’d been out to dinner (something he didn’t seem comfortable with at first, but he’d settled in, so she didn’t ask often, but she was still going to push that). Breakfasts were better. Meeting for quick lunches he didn’t mind at all, not even in the beginning. They didn’t work out together, however. He went to a boxing gym and she’d tried it with him once, but she needed her treadmills and rowing machines, not the testosterone-fueled eye candy of men sparring and punching bags distracting her, even if it made Branch smile.
And just now, running errands and going through a drive-thru of a coffee place to get a coffee, like normal people.
Because that was what they were.
Normal people.
With a delicious twist.
He no longer asked what she wanted to order.
He just pulled up in his big SUV (that was so much roomier than her Fiat, it wasn’t funny, she loved her little Fiat but his truck reminded her of him, big, solid, built tough—it rocked) and said into the speaker, “Iced chai latte and a nonfat iced mocha.”
She was happily sipping it when Branch made the turn to pull into her drive behind her Fiat.
Summer was almost on them.
And her carport held only one car, even if that car was a tiny Fiat.
“We should look into having the carport extended so it can cover your truck,” she noted.
“It’ll fuck with the look of your house,” he replied.
“We’ll get a good designer,” she told him.
“Trees offer enough shade, Angie.”
She turned to him. “And they also offer a crap ton of bird poo.”
He parked, turned off the truck and looked to her, smiling, “Good point. And I got the cash so I’ll ask around. Aryas probably knows someone who does good work.”
“I have the cash too. My vacation fund is out the roof.”
“So take a vacation. But I’ll do the carport.”
She felt her mouth turn down.
He watched it then looked into her eyes.
“Baby, told you,” he started gently, “you need to slow down. You’ve been doin’ that but that also means sometimes allowing yourself an even bigger break.”
She didn’t want a break. That meaning she wanted a break, she needed one, just not one from him.
“I can’t think of anywhere I want to go,” she muttered, turning to open her door so she could hop out.
“I can.”
She froze a second before she turned back to him. “You can?”
“Not exactly been kicking back the last, I don’t know, ’bout twenty years,” he remarked.
This was sadly very true.
“You mean you want to go on vacation with me?”
His brows snapped together. “Not gonna let you go on your own.”
Her heart flipped.
Still, she asked, “Not gonna let?”
“No, babe. Not … gonna … let. You wanted an alpha, you got him and not just the good parts you like. You want time away with a girlfriend. Cool. But the first vacation you take when we’re together, you take with me.”
She smiled. “I can do that.”
He smiled back. “Cottage on a lake.”
She frowned. “House by a beach.”
His face changed. “Beaches are always busy. Cottage on a lake.”
Her voice dropped. “Cottage on a lake.”
When she gave in, he reached out to her, hooked her behind the neck and brought her to him.
He touched their mouths together, let her go, then turned, threw open his door and angled out.
/>
She was going on vacation with Branch to a cottage on a lake.
On this thought, she hopped out of his truck and did it smiling like crazy.
“Got the shit, you just get inside,” Branch ordered from the back of the SUV.
Her alpha wanted to carry in all their stuff, she was not going to argue.
But she stutter-stepped when she saw Jane working in her front yard and stopped fully when Jane saw her.
She lifted her hand to wave.
“Hey, kids!” Jane called, garden gloves on, coming their way, waving back at her maniacally.
“Hey, Jane!” Evangeline returned, sensing Branch coming up the other side of the car so she started to move again.
She rounded the hood only to be claimed by Branch with an arm thrown over her shoulder, the handles of the plastic bags they’d accumulated during their errands dripping from the fingers of his other hand (all five of them).
“Yo,” Branch grunted as greeting.
Even if that was grunted and not-so-vaguely Neanderthal, Jane smiled at it like she was crazy.
“You hitting my party next weekend?” she asked.
“Wouldn’t miss it,” Evangeline told her.
“Can we bring something?” Branch inquired, and Evangeline tried not to show how much she loved the total beauty of the normalcy of that (not to mention the politeness) by not melting into him.
But she didn’t try too hard because she loved it and she decided it wasn’t a bad thing that Branch knew it.
“Just yourselves. And if you have something specific you want to drink. I’ll have beer. Wine. And margaritas.”
“Great,” Branch said, putting pressure on and tugging her toward the house, clearly done with chatting with Jane.
“See you then!” Jane cried.
“See you, Jane. Can’t wait!” Evangeline called back.
Branch got them in the door, immediately dumped the bags on a counter and turned to the laundry room, saying, “I’ll let Murphy out then go grab the mail.”
“Thanks, baby,” she muttered.
She went to the bags.
Murphy bounded out to say hi by sniffing her foot then he bounded after Branch as he headed to the front of her house.
He came back and dumped the mail then led Murphy out back.
She put the stuff away and sifted through the mail.
As she did, one piece caught her eye and she snatched it from the rest, ripping it open and sliding out what was inside.
Then she dashed to the French doors, threw them open and exclaimed while continuing her dash outside, “Guess what?”
Branch had the pool skimmer resting net down to the pool deck, long handle to his shoulder, his head bent to his phone.
He seemed to jerk out of some shock as his head snapped up and he appeared distracted when he asked, “What?”
Murphy nearly sent the skimmer sailing when he collided with the net but Branch grabbed it as she walked to him, fighting a sour feeling hitting her belly at whatever might be distracting him and making his face look like that.
“Everything cool?” she asked.
“You first,” he demanded.
She lifted the cream, heavy-stock, perfectly hand-calligraphed invitation in her hand. “Penn and Shane’s wedding invitation.”
“Awesome,” he muttered, gently propelling Murphy back with a foot and taking up the skimmer again.
“Your turn,” she said, getting closer.
He was eyes to the pool, but he spoke.
“Got a text. Friend’s in town.”
She waited.
He didn’t make her wait long.
His blue eyes came to her. “He wants to…”
He trailed off.
She waited again.
That time, she had to prompt, “He wants to what, honey?”
“His name is Tavis,” he stated, instead of answering her question.
“Okay,” she replied.
“Or it might be. It might be something else.”
Evangeline fell silent.
He put the skimmer net to the deck again and gave her his full attention.
“You get me, baby?” he asked carefully.
She nodded.
“He wants to meet you.”
“Do you think that’s safe?” she queried.
“Absolutely.”
To that, she smiled. “Then I’d love to meet him.”
“He’s…,” he shook his head, “he’s like me, except more of a pain in the ass.”
Evangeline let out a breath.
One of those friends.
She knew those friends.
So she stated, “Then I figure I’ll love him.”
Branch went totally still.
At that, Evangeline realized what she’d just said.
And she did not care.
“Don’t pretend you don’t know,” she whispered.
“Baby.”
“Fell in love with you in the red room the first second I laid eyes on you,” she informed him.
“Fell in love with you looking at you, beat to shit, finding it hard to breathe, not listening to Aryas telling me what he wanted me to do to that guy, just fighting the urge I already had when I got him not to kill him,” he fired back.
Oh my God.
He loved her.
Loved.
Her.
And he’d loved her since the very beginning.
She smiled up at him but noted, “That’s not very romantic.”
He shrugged.
“But it’s totally you,” she finished.
“That it is.”
“Thank God.”
“Am I gonna kiss you or are you gonna kiss me?” he asked.
“Way it goes with us, I think it’ll be both.”
Branch lost patience.
“Get over here, Evangeline.”
She got over there.
He kissed her. She participated. But with her alpha, the way it went when she was his Angie, it was mostly all Branch.
She loved every second.
When their mouths broke, she didn’t make more avowals of love. Branch wasn’t that way.
They had it.
They knew it.
They didn’t need to go over it.
They just needed to be easy.
So she asked, “Do you think your friend will want to have dinner with us?”
“I think he’d kill to eat your food and sit in your house with you while he was doin’ it.”
“I think it’s probably that he’d kill to do that with you, but that’s okay, honey. I’ll play second fiddle.”
Branch grinned.
She pressed closer a second before she pulled away.
She located their dog, found him looking like he was snuffling an ant on the pool deck, and asked Branch, “You want him out with you?”
“Yeah.”
She knew that answer too.
She gave him another smile, seeing he had his phone out, before she turned to walk away.
She wasn’t too far when she heard him say, “Yeah, Gerbil. Wanna come for dinner?”
Gerbil?
She didn’t ask.
She went in and did an inventory to decide if she needed to pop out to the grocery store so she could wow Branch’s friend during dinner.
Fell in love with you looking at you, beat to shit, finding it hard to breathe, not listening to Aryas telling me what he wanted me to do to that guy, just fighting the urge I already had when I got him not to kill him.
She finally had something to thank Kevin for.
She’d never have the opportunity.
Because there was a man who loved her who would not allow that.
She giggled with glee and decided to make lasagna.
* * *
“Hi, nice to meet you.”
“Hi, you too. Name’s Cam.”
Early that evening, she stood with Branch at her front door and stared up into Cameron’s beautiful brown eyes, trying
not to laugh her head off at both of them pretending they hadn’t stood right there not too long ago when she’d given him a hug goodbye the morning after they’d gotten drunk on vodka and he’d crashed in her guest room.
G.
For Gerbil.
And it all came together.
“Cam?” Branch asked.
Cam looked at his friend. “Decided to go vintage. ’Least for you two. I’ll be someone else tomorrow.”
Branch rolled his eyes to the ceiling.
“Would you like a beer?” Evangeline inquired.
“You got vodka?” he asked back.
At that, she knew he was making an inside joke but she didn’t want to laugh.
And at that, her heart beat a little harder, she could swear her cheeks were getting pink and now she was trying not to weep at the expression on his face.
He was there.
He was going to try too.
And he was going to be with them when he did it.
So she was going to guide him to winning too.
She knew it.
Because so far, she had a great track record.
“Absolutely,” she said. “Please,” she swept out an arm, the one that wasn’t around Branch’s waist as his was again thrown around her neck. “Come in.”
Branch moved them aside. Cam strode in.
Branch shut the door, gave her a squeeze and she broke off, murmuring, “I’ll just get drinks. You boys settle in.”
“Thanks, honey,” Branch murmured back.
She moved off.
Murphy bounced around Cameron’s feet.
“Cute dog,” she heard him rumble.
“Shut up.”
“Cute girl.”
Nothing from Branch.
“Great ass,” Cameron said.
“Do you want a throat punch?” Branch asked.
“Not really,” Cameron replied.
“Then no more about my babe’s ass.”
She’d never get tired of being his babe.
She was moving around in the kitchen when they continued a conversation in the family room neither of them tried really hard not to let her hear.
“Want some good news or some bad news?” Cam queried.
“Good,” Branch answered cautiously.
“Someone you know who’s a lot prettier than you is moving to Phoenix.”
“Fuck, seriously?” Branch asked.
“Seriously.”
“What’s the bad news?”
“Someone you know who’s a lot prettier than you is moving to Phoenix.”
Branch busted out laughing.
God, she loved that.