Page 99 of Just Say Yes

I looked over his shoulder toward the large farmhouse.

Sullivan Farms felt like it was made to last forever. Sturdy, dependable. Not like the hotels and rented apartments I bounced between. It made me wonder—just for a second—what it would feel like to stay. The farmhouse itself looked like it had a soul—strong and steady, the kind of place where generations gathered to share meals and stories. It was everything my life wasn’t—rooted, permanent, and filled with warmth.

Not old, but lived in.

Well loved.

The expansive front porch had been decorated for autumn with pumpkins, mums, and dried stalks of corn. A pair of wicker chairs seemed perfect for looking out onto the expanse of the farm. In the distance, beyond the red barn, rows and rows of blueberry bushes were just starting their slow transition from green to reddish-purple.

I nodded to Duke as I stepped past him and climbed the porch steps. I opened the door and stepped inside. Warm smells of something rich cooking in the oven greeted me. I could hear the low conversation coming from the kitchen. Carefully, I slipped off my jacket and hung it on a hook near the door. When I followed the sound of MJ’s laughter, I paused in the doorway to the kitchen.

Sylvie had a dish towel flung over one shoulder as she pulled a pan from the oven.

A sleeping child was propped on MJ’s hip.

I swallowed hard as I watched her. She moved so easily with the kid on her hip, laughing softly as she whispered something to her sister. It shouldn’t have hit me the way it did—like a shot to the chest. For a brief, terrifying moment, I wondered what it would feel like if that kid were ours.

Jesus, what was I thinking?

A deep, hard thump rattled inside my chest.

MJ’s lower lip was between her teeth, like she was gathering the courage to ask her sister something. “Is italwaysthat good? Like ... multiple-orgasms good?”

My eyebrows popped up.

“Well,” Sylvie responded with a surprised laugh. “It’s not common, but when it feels right—certainly when you’re with someone who knows what he’s doing ... it can be a lot of fun.”

The pair giggled and the awkward feeling grew.

I gently cleared my throat.

MJ’s head whipped around as her eyes went wide. “Shit. Hi.”

A small laugh burst from Sylvie’s lips as she took Gus from MJ’s arms. “I’ll see if Duke is almost ready to eat.” She was grinning as she walked past. “Nice to see you again, Logan.”

My eyes were fixed on MJ, who looked like she wanted to melt through the floor. I closed the distance between us. “Sounds like I know what I’m doing.”

MJ laughed and buried her head into my chest. My arms wrapped around her and squeezed.

“Can you forget you ever heard that?” she asked, hiding her face.

I held her back so I could look at her. “Absolutely not. In fact, I’m thinking of having it embroidered on a pillow. Or maybe getting it tattooed.”

Her eyes rolled. “You’re impossible.”

I grinned. “Impossible to resist, apparently.”

A disgusted sound rattled in her throat, and she turned away from me. “You’re the worst,” she teased.

I crossed my arms. “That’s not what I just overheard.”

MJ scoffed with a smile. “Your ego is almost as big as your—never mind.”

I cocked a brow. “Careful, Julep. Finish that thought, and I might start believing you’ve been daydreaming about me.”

Her smirk was slow, deliberate. “Who says I haven’t? But in my daydreams, you’re much quieter.”

My eyes drilled into her, remembering how much she liked my filthy mouth. “I seriously doubt that.” I grinned. Coming here to tease MJ was definitely a good use of my time, distraction or not.