Page 32 of Queen Rose

“Should be any time now.” Aria leans closer to me, wrapping her arms around my neck.

And I can’t resist her any longer. I nip at her lips, pulling her practically off the counter, so she’s forced to cling to me. Teasing her, I coax her mouth open, sliding my tongue inside to sample her sweet taste. I growl. “Fuck. All I’ve thought about since we finally arranged this trip was exploring your body again. The things I want to do to you, Aria.” My ragged exhale is proof of how she affects me.

Her chest rises and falls in jerking motions. “I want the chance to do everything you’re thinking. And we have all this time alone together.”

I snicker. “Alone time with your friends. But I should warn you—I don’t share very well.”

She bites her lip and laughs. “I don’t know if any of them would be down with sharing anyway, though I did hear tales of a drunken cuddle puddle that a bunch of them ended up in at the New Year’s party. I wasn’t there that late, but I heard it was fucking hilarious when they all woke up and didn’t have a clue how they got there. They were a tangled-up pile of limbs on the floor of the Danbrooks’ TV room.”

“Seriously?” I let out a snort. “Who?”

“If memory serves, it was Daphne, Micah, Max, and Griff—but this was before Max and Griff got together.” She covers her mouth, giggling. “Before Griff actually had any real idea that he could get behind dating a guy. In fact, I could swear that was part of the great awakening.”

I cock my head to the side. “Yeah, no cuddle puddles for us, unless it’s for two.” I tuck my fingers under her chin. “I only want to be with you.”

“I’m okay with that.” She leans in, connecting our mouths again, effectively ending that conversation.

We get a little lost in the kiss, our tongues stroking, curling, and caressing, until we’re both frantic with our movements. She feels so good in my arms, I could go on and on like this. I love the way she gasps and moans with each touch. Every kiss. Each wicked, wanton thrust of her hips.

I cup Aria’s breast, squeezing lightly and pinching at the nipple through her shirt and bra. My other hand dives between her legs, and she rocks impatiently against it, seeking out friction.

Nuzzling along her jawline, I lick a path from below her ear all the way down her neck, where I suck on her sensitive skin.

She throws her head back in abandon and pants out, “Oh, God. I love it when you do that.”

“Hey, hey, hey! The party has arrived!” A voice booms—Beau, if I’m not mistaken—and the sounds of people coming our way from the garage through the mudroom puts an abrupt stop to what we’re doing. Aria sits up, her lip caught between her teeth and gives me what I could only call a naughty grin. I definitely like that she remains wound around me, absolutely not inclined to let go.

She’s eagerly watching for them to come through the doorway, but I can’t tear my eyes from her. I did a number on her in no time flat. Her lips are swollen from our kisses, her cheeks are stained pink, and I’ve mussed her hair a bit. But her eyes are bright. And everything about this entire package screams that she’s mine.

Two by two, Aria’s friends troop into the kitchen to join us. First, it’s Beau with his arm wrapped around Lyla, followed closely by Griff, who is holding hands with Max. They hurriedly drop their bags on the floor, in favor of getting a look at the house.

“Xander and crew are behind us.” Beau smiles, his gaze swinging from the kitchen out to the living room. “This place is great.”

Lyla grins, giving us a little wave as she detaches herself from Beau’s side and comes closer. “Have you been here long?”

“Nope. Just long enough to give Nate a little tour.” Aria pats my chest with her hand, then surprises the hell out of me and rests her cheek against it, her head tucked under my chin. My arms tighten around her reflexively.

Lyla’s brow inches up on her forehead. “Is that what you were doing? A tour?”

“I bet it was a quick tour to leave time for whatever we almost walked in on.” Max smirks, nodding at the two of us with a wink.

“Or maybe Nate was having a tour of something way more entertaining.” Griffin huffs with laughter as his eyes meet mine. He’s got this huge grin on his face and wriggles his brows a bit in amusement. “Sorry, man. You can expect these kinds of awful jokes and innuendos all weekend.”

“It’s okay. You aren’t entirely wrong.” I shrug, a hint of a smile tugging at my lips. The only reason it’s not full-blown is that Aria’s fingers are digging into my waist.

In fact, it’s concerning. Is she nervous or something? She leans closer to me. “Okay, that’s enough of that. Be quiet and stop embarrassing me,” she groans.

Lyla turns and gives both Max and Griffin a look, which gets an immediate response.

“Sorry.” Max shrugs. “I’ve never seen you like this before. I like it.”

Griffin cocks his head to the side. “Totally agree. Happiness suits you, Aria. But we’ll behave. Promise.”

It hits me all at once that Aria is not usually the one on the receiving end of the teasing. But why is that? Definitely something I want the answer to. Maybe after enough time spent with her friends, I’ll figure it out.

Max blows out a breath, “So, are bedrooms first come, first serve?”

I sense relief in Aria as her body sags against mine. She nods. “Yep. Nate and I took one of the ones up here, but there are three more on this floor, and three downstairs. Lots of room for everyone.”

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