Page 41 of Tangled Up With You

“I think I could soften the blow a bit before they meet you. That way they have some time to wrap their head around everything.”

I stroked the side of her neck with the pad of my thumb, not missing the way her pupils expanded or the slight lean of her body to get a little closer to my touch. It was those little signs that she still wanted me—or at least her body did—that kept me going. Kept me hoping.

“Nope. We’re in this together. We’re a team, remember? We do this together or not at all.”

She blew out a raspberry and took a step back, breaking our connection as she ran her hands down the front of her shirt. When I arrived earlier to help her prepare for dinner and got my first glimpse of her in a pair of painted-on jeans and a vintage concert tee that left an inch of bare, creamy skin visible along her stomach and back, I’d gone instantly hard. The past week and a half had been a true test of strength for me. Living so damn close to her but still being too far from her was driving me out of my goddamn mind.

More than once, I’d woken up and shuffled into my small kitchenette for my morning coffee only to spot her through the window of her house still dressed in her pajamas with her hair wild and her face soft with sleep. The woman slept in these slinky, satin-y nighties that would cause a priest to question his vow of celibacy, and I was nowhere near as restrained as a man of the cloth.

If it wasn’t those goddamn nighties, it was the skin-tight spandex she wore when she did yoga beside her back garden.

I’d pumped my own dick so much lately that I was starting to worry about blisters.

“Stop fidgeting,” I told her, silently willing my dick not to get hard tonight. “You look beautiful.”

“My boobs look ridiculous,” she grumbled as she looked down at her chest and grabbed the body parts in question, lifting them up and letting them drop again.So much for not gettinghard. “I swear to God they’ve gotten bigger. What do you think?” She looked up at me guilelessly. “Do they look bigger to you?”

I let out a pained groan and dropped my head back. “I think I’m not above beggin’ you to please not talk about your tits. The last thing we need is for me to meet your folks sporting a half-chub.”

Her eyes darted down to my dick and the tip of her tongue peeked out to swipe across her bottom lip before she pulled it between her teeth and bit down.

“Fuckin’ hell,” I growled. “You can’t look at me like that. It’s not helping.”

Her eyes bulged out as they darted back up to my face. “Sorry,” she squeaked, her cheeks staining pink. “I’m sorry.”

The doorbell rang a moment later, and I wasn’t sure if I was grateful for the interruption or pissed off. I didn’t have time to decide, because Ivy was scurrying to the door and grabbing the knob before the chime had even stopped.

I stood between the dining room and kitchen with my hands stuffed into the pockets of my jeans as I waited patiently. Truth be told, I was nervous as hell. I hadn’t done the whole “meet the parents” thing in a really long time, and I would have been lying if I said I wasn’t worried about making a good impression. But I kept that from Ivy, wanting to be a rock for her to lean on, not another cause of stress.

“Hey, love bug!” I heard just before a set of arms wrapped around Ivy and pulled her into an embrace.

“Hey, Mom.” I could hear the affection Ivy held for her mom in her voice.

“Missed you, Monster,” a male voice greeted, making my little butterfly laugh.

“Hi, Mike. Missed you too.” She stepped back and waved her folks in. “Come on in, guys. There’s actually someone here I want you to meet.”

If ever there was a time for me to shine, it was this one.

Christ, I hoped I didn’t shit my pants the one time it mattered the most.

Ivy

“You want us to meet someone?”My mom’s brows went up in curiosity while Micah’s dipped down in an unhappy frown.

“Thought this was family dinner?” Micah grumbled. “Who would you want us to meet at a family dinner?” he asked, putting extra emphasis on the word family.

I laughed nervously. “Well, it’s funny you should ask that.”Just do it and get it over with, I told myself. The faster the better. Like ripping a wax strip off your bikini area. I lifted my arm, indicating Connor as they stepped into the house, shutting the door behind them. Connor waved politely and stayed in place as though waiting for my cue. “I don’t know if you guys remember Connor Bennett from Rae and Zach’s wedding?”

“Of course.” My mom smiled politely and walked to him, shaking his hand. “It’s nice to see you again.”

Micah offered him a silent chin lift in that weird way guys did.

“Well, Connor’s here because... I’m pregnant. And he’s the father.”

Riiiiiip.

The silencearound the table was like an uninvited fifth dinner companion. The creepy uncle who was never invited places because he weirded everyone out. Or that one aunt who insisted on kissing everyone on the mouth.

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