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I was just happy to be liberated from the dreaded med boot. My ankle still ached a little. I would, however, survive.

“Psst.”

What the … ?

“Psst, Lena.” Ev’s bestie, Lauren, threw a pecan into my cleavage. A nice enough girl, but lobbing nuts at me was unnecessary.

I fished it out and popped it in my mouth. “Something I can help you with there, Lauren?”

Ev and Anne’s sister Lizzy also closed in on my neutral position near the balcony windows. The condo really had a gorgeous view out over the Pearl District. Plus, Jimmy.

“We come seeking information regarding you and Jimmy,” said Ev.

“Bullshit,” laughed Lauren. “She’s already banged him. It’s blazingly obvious.”

I pushed my long dark hair back off my shoulders while perusing my would-be interrogators. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Did you really bust your ankle trying to kick in his door?” asked Lizzy, sizing me up.

“Well, yes. That happened.”

Her face went all dreamy. “I think that’s really romantic.”

“I think it’s hilarious,” said Ev. “Apart from the part where you got hurt, of course.”

“Of course.” I smiled.

“What’s going on, Lena?” Ev leaned against the glass door, eyes curious.

“I do not know what you’re talking about.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Please, the way he’s looking at you.”

“How is he looking at me?”

“Like you invented … what, help me out here …” She turned to her friend.

“Blow jobs,” supplied Lauren.

“Right.” Ev crossed her arms. “Jimmy’s looking at you like you invented blow jobs and you’re still trying to play innocent with me? That won’t fly. You and he are very, very involved.”

I gave away nothing.

“Anne wouldn’t tell me anything either. You girls are useless for gossip.” Ev sighed. “You wouldn’t hold out on me, would you Lizzy?”

“No, Ev. I wouldn’t dare.”

She gave me a side eyed glance. “Why do I not believe you?”

Lizzy laughed. “Okay, I’m going to go wrestle my sister away from her boyfriend for a few minutes. Later, ladies.”

“Later,” I said, doing a subtle look over my shoulder to check out the lay of the land. Jimmy was staring straight at me, eyes troubled. With Mal now busy talking to Lizzy and Anne, he had no distractions. I on the other hand had Ev and Lauren watching my every move.

“She’s a goner,” said Lauren.

“Yep,” agreed Ev. “But I suspect he’s rather smitten himself.”

I ignored them both. Sort of. “How about instead of worrying about what romantic dramas I may or may not be going through, we wonder what’s going on with their bitch mother? Any news on her?”

Ev winced. “Last David heard she’d taken the money and run.”

“Jimmy acts like it doesn’t affect him, but it must,” I said, going back to staring at the object of my heart’s desire in the reflections in the window.

His dark hair was slicked back and he wore a black dress shirt and a pair of blue jeans, shiny black boots. The sleeves were rolled back on his shirt, showing off his tattoos. I’d still never heard the story of those, what they meant to him. It was sad, the way there’d probably always be things left unfinished between us what with me only being his occasional hook-up.

“Lena?” Ev moved closer, lowering her voice. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah. Sure.” I gave her my best smile.

She didn’t return it.

I let mine go since it was so completely unconvincing. “There’s just a lot going on right now.”

“You’re not still thinking of leaving, are you?”

Lauren had wandered off to be with her boyfriend, Ev’s brother, Nate. We were alone. Ev, me, and all my worries and doubts standing in the corner at the party, watching life go by.

“Some shit went down with my sister and my ex a while back. They got together behind my back and now they’re getting married,” I said, unloading it all. Something told me she not only could take it, but she wanted to. As much as I loved Jimmy, sometimes a girl just needed a female friend to talk things out with.

Ev’s mouth formed a perfect
O
. “Crap.”

“Yeah, pretty horrible. I think my confidence took a dive, you know?”

“I bet.” She tugged on her elegant blonde plait, eyes thoughtful. “How are you and your sister getting along now?”

“She says she’s sorry. She wants me to go home for the wedding and step in for a bridesmaid who bolted.”

“Huh.” Ev huffed out a breath. “That’s a pretty big ask.”

“Yes, it is.” I laughed despite the situation being distinctly unfunny.

“You going?”

“I haven’t decided yet. I don’t want to leave Jimmy or subject myself to that, but weddings are a big deal. If I went, I’d be taking the high road. And all of the family will be there. I’ve stayed away for the last year or so, and they’re all fired up for me to show my face at least. Though I think my actually ever being a bridesmaid is right out of the god damn question.”

She didn’t say anything at first, just looked at me. “Lena, is this wedding going to cut you? Or is it just going to be a shitty thing to sit through, have a few drinks, smile at the right people, and then get the hell out of there the minute you can?”

“The latter I think.” I sighed. “I think I’ll feel better in the end if I go. It’ll give me some closure.”

“Then go. Jimmy will be okay for a couple of days.”

True, but the chances of me not getting all heart-down and despondent away from him weren’t good. Not that it mattered.

Me and him sitting kissing in a tree wasn’t what he wanted. Not in any permanent way anyhow.

I wasn’t what he wanted. He’d said it so many times, in so many different ways. It seemed only now however that my heart was truly taking it in, letting go. Our time together would come to an end. I couldn’t stop loving him, and he refused to start. That was the cold hard truth.

I needed to enjoy the here and now. Take what I could get, while I could get it.

Eventually, things would get problematic and I’d be leaving, just like I’d planned to right back at the start.

“Thanks, Ev.”

She smiled. “You’re one of us, Lena. Any time.”

“Hey.” The deep familiar voice came from directly behind me, making me jump.

I hadn’t noticed him get up at all. “Jimmy. Hey.”

“Lena, can I talk to you for a minute?”

“All right.”

A speculative sort of look came into Ev’s eyes. “I have to do something in the kitchen. Now.”

“Right.” I shook my head. The woman was subtle as a sledgehammer.

“What would you like to talk about?”

“Not here. C’mon.” Jimmy put a hand to my lower back, guiding me toward the bathroom.

I did as bid. But if he thought he was getting sex after his shitty hookup comments today, he was sadly mistaken.

He closed the door. It was a nice bathroom as these things went. Shiny gray stone surfaces, a huge well-lit mirror and lots of chrome.

“What’s up?” I asked, taking a step back from him and crossing my arms.

“Been thinking about your sister’s wedding and stuff.”

I frowned. “And?”

“And I did some research.” He pushed back his hair, smoothed down the front of his shirt. If I didn’t know better I’d have said he was nervous. Only Jimmy didn’t get nervous, certainly not because of me. “Your hometown doesn’t have anywhere decent to stay, so all I could book you was a room at the motel. But I got you first class tickets there and back and a rental car, the same kind of Mercedes as I’ve got so you’ll be comfortable driving it. That’ll be waiting for you at the airport. But I can just as easily organize a chauffeur for you if you’d prefer. Wasn’t sure what you’d want.”

I pushed up my glasses, my mind blown. “You organized all that?”

“Yeah. And the girl at the motel, she said they have a small restaurant attached but I checked it out online and it looked like shit to me. I don’t want you get food poisoning or something, so I’m gonna get the restaurant that does home to fly stuff in. Getting some decent sheets sent too. She said theirs were only poly-cotton.” His curled lip expressed clearly what he thought of such a thing. Like sleeping on anything less than Egyptian cotton might mean be the death of me. Crap, he was cute.

“And I told Sam to organize security since we’ve still got some paparazzi hanging around. Just in case. They’ll be discreet, I promise.”

“Jimmy, I can’t take security to my sister’s wedding.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah.” I smiled.

“Fine. But it also occurred to me you might need a dress or stuff so my stylist is on top of that,” he announced. “I described you and sent her your measurements. Don’t worry, she’ll send up a couple of things for you try.”

“She will, huh?”

“A bit of a mix so you can choose for yourself. I told her not to forget shoes and shit too.”

“You’ve thought of everything.” I cocked my head. “But how did you know my measurements?”

He stopped. “Lena, I’ve had my hands all over you a couple of times now. I know your body. I’m not gonna forget it anytime soon.”

“Oh.”

“I’m not presuming, I swear,” he said, eyes sincere. “If you decide not to go, that’s fine. Not a problem. But I wanted everything in place for you just in case.”

“You did all this? For me?”

One thick shoulder lifted.

“Just this afternoon?”

“Ev helped,” he admitted. “I know you probably haven’t seen your family for a while. As someone smart once said to me, family’s important.”

He leaned back against the bathroom counter, watching me. “Didn’t mean to hurt your feelings. I know you think this is me trying to buy my way out of trouble, but it’s not. I would have done this anyway. I just want the best for you, ’cause that’s what you deserve.”

My eyes went disturbingly liquid. I blinked repeatedly, sniffling ever so slightly.

He groaned. “Lena, do not cry. That’s not okay.”

“I’m not. I wouldn’t dare.”

“You think I don’t care about you. But I do. If you still me want to come with you, then that’s cool.” He winced. “I mean, I’d like that. Whatever you want, okay?”

“Okay.” I stared at him in wonder, staggered, my heart and mind struggling to keep up with it all. “Thank you, Jimmy.”

He just watched me warily, unmoving. So I moved instead, straight into his arms. Without hesitation, he crushed me against his chest.

“Don’t hate me, Lena,” he whispered. “You want to be mad at me when I do dumb things, that’s fine. But don’t ever hate me. I couldn’t take that, not from you.”

I put my hand to his cheek, undone by the rawness of his voice, his apparent vulnerability. “Hey. I could never hate you.”

“Promise.”

“I promise.” And it was true. He made me frustrated and angry all the damn time. There was no chance I could never ever bring myself to hate him, however. I cradled his face in my hands. He was so precious to me, yet he sounded so alone, lost and scared like a child. “That will never happen.”

Jimmy shut his eyes and exhaled hard. He rubbed his stubbled cheek against my hand, gently scratching the palm, making my skin tingle. I stretched up on tippy toes and he fit his firm lips to mine. His tongue slipped into my mouth, seeking out mine. Christ, he’d gotten good at this fast. The taste of him, the familiar feel of his body against mine, it was all so perfect.

He felt like home.

He kissed me slow and wet in what could only be described as a full-out frontal sensual assault. His mouth conquered in the best possible way. All of his worry just fueled the hunger, I think, he seemed insatiable. His hands slid over me, stroking my face and neck, touching every part of me. My skin came alive beneath his fingers. No other man had ever made me feel this wanted, this adored. Sure as hell, none had ever called to me the way he did, body and soul.

“You forgive me?” he asked, trailing hot kisses down my neck.

“Yes. But don’t do it again. And don’t stop kissing me.”

“Got it. Let me apologize to you properly. Let me kiss you between the legs.” Strong hands cupped my ass, pressing me against his erection. “I wanna lick you, Lena.”

“You like doing that, don’t you?” I asked, a little amazed. Past boyfriends had not rated the experience highly.

“Fuck yes. I love having you squirming against my face, rubbing your pussy on me.”

“God.” The hard stiff length of him pressed into my abdomen, urging me on. But it was his words that made my blood surge.

“The smell of you, the taste of you, I love everything about eating you,” he breathed.

“No more.” I covered his mouth with my hand, squeezing my legs tight together. The state of my panties was a disgrace. He’d make me slick and needy without even touching me below the waist. The man was on a sexual rampage, out of control. Or I might be, it was hard to tell. Either way, he had to be stopped. “Someone might hear.”

He escaped my hand, dimples flashing. “No one’s hearing anything. This place has excellent soundproofing. How do you think Dave and Ev manage to fuck during parties? Thick walls. Don’t worry.”

“Just in case.”

His eyes narrowed. “Are you wet for me, Lena? Is your pretty pussy getting ready for my mouth? I’m damn hungry. You’re coming more than once for me tonight.”

My face burned hotter than a grill and between my legs throbbed.

“I knew it. You like me talking dirty,” he said, teeth nipping at my collarbone before his tongue lapped over it. The big animal.

“No I don’t. You’re making that up.”

“You’re practically vibrating with excitement. You love it.” His laughter was diabolical, his breath hot on my skin. “Ah, Lena. Do I have some filthy things I need to say to you.”

I hid my face in his neck, giving him my own love bite or two. Man, his skin tasted good. Salt and the warmth that was Jimmy. And he smelled even better. His fingers sunk into my ass, holding on tight. The seemingly ever-ready presence of his hard-on more than made itself known, poking into my stomach. If it got any harder he might hurt himself.

“Tell me, Lena. How wet are your panties?”

I would impart that knowledge over my dead body. Or a mild bit of erotic wrestling. Most likely the latter. But it should be noted, two could play at this game, and playing with him was about as fun as it got. He might be currently in the lead, but I wasn’t so far behind.