Tate’s brows dipped. “I can’t.” He sighed. “I wish Ezra were here. He would know what to do.”
“What did his message say?” I wasn’t trying to be nosy. “Ezra would tell you to send him a nude, and that’s not what we’re trying to do here.”
Tate’s green eyes went wide with fright. “Goodness, you’re so right. He would tell me to do that. He, uh, he would tell me to flirt, too, and I’ve never done that in my life. I’ve never even kissed a boy before.”
“Well, you can just be friendly,” I suggested as Tate held out his phone to show me the message.
“Hey Tate, it’s Oscar. Hope it’s cool that I followed you. All your baked goods look delicious. I hope to stop by the next time Boston is in town. I’ll have whatever your favorite is.”
Tate gave me a nervous smile. “What do you think?” His eyes darted over to where Maverick was talking with their mother, Yvette. “I don’t want Mav to worry. He does that, you know. Because I lived such a sheltered life compared to him. And I respect that. I want what he has. Love. A family. All of this.” He bit his bottom lip.
“I think you should just keep it safe. Message Oscar back, thank him, and tell him you’d love to see him when he comes back. Tell him you’ll hook him up with something special. Ask what he likes.” The tension dissolved from his shoulders. “Then see what happens from there.”
Tate nodded. “I could do that.”
Just then, Reed reappeared with Leo and Archer. I half expected him to be covered in makeup, which honestly would have been hot as hell, but he wasn’t. He stopped to say something to Andy and the twins, nodding and smiling at them before he ruffled Archer’s hair and headed to where I sat with Tate.
“All good?” Reed asked. “I can make myself scarce again if you still need privacy.” He hooked a thumb behind his shoulder.
Tate stood up. “No, it’s okay.”
“You don’t have to leave.” Reed sat on my lap again, bringing with him the enchanting smell of cinnamon. I couldn’t help but inhale deeply as I stuck my nose against his neck.
I growled softly. “What the hell did you do up there? I want to eat you alive.”
“Easy, tiger.” He huffed out a laugh as he pushed my head away playfully.
Tate had his phone in his right hand. “I have something I need to do.”
“Dessert!” Maverick called out as Jackson placed pie on the table. “Tate, don’t go too far. It’s devil’s food. Your favorite.”
Reed pressed a kiss to my cheek. “Everything okay?”
“Perfect,” I assured him.
Chapter Fourteen
Reed
Ihad big plans for tonight. Plans that included letting Cole inside my body for the first time. We had done so many other things. Hand-jobs, blowjobs, frotting, and kissing. But I wanted him so badly it hurt. I couldn’t wait to feel his cock inside me. And Cole had a nice one. I had spent so much time exploring it, licking, kissing, and touching it until he begged me to let him come. He was always so eager for me. Ready to burst and come apart.
Watching Cole orgasm was a beautiful experience. He never held back. His entire body went tense right before he let go, and his muscles melted beneath me. Cole had never pushed me for anything. He had only mentioned sex once, and that was it. So today, since my entire family was gone, I had spent all day getting myself ready. Shaving all my parts. Douching. Washing my skin with a pecan-scented sugar scrub that I had been saving for this type of occasion. Making sure I was clean and sparkling. Using the best lotion so I smelled good for him. We had a date planned for this evening, and I was nearly bursting with excitement as I headed across the lawn to Cole’s place.
“Hey.”
Cole met me at the front door of his house before I even had the chance to knock, leaning down to kiss me. He gave me a shy smile before he pulled me inside. He looked sexy as hell dressed in a pair of blue jeans, a shirt with the Superman logo on it, and his usual backward cap. Sometimes I wanted to pinch myself tomake sure he was real. That Cole wanted to be with me. That he was my boyfriend.
My brows went up. “Uh, what’s going on?” He had said something about dinner, so I assumed we were going out.
“Come with me.” He grabbed my hand and led me farther inside. Through the kitchen and the hallway, past the bathroom, the two spare rooms that Cole had pointed out briefly. One was being turned into an office for his fathers, while the other was still undetermined. There was a back room that could have been some sort of living room if they wanted it to be, but that wasn’t what caught my attention. Spread out on the screened-in back porch was a blanket spread out on the floor, along with a picnic basket and hundreds of small electric candles.
My mouth dropped. “You did all this?”
“Technically, Mav did most of it. He made the sandwiches, too, but I helped. A little.” Cole held up his fingers an inch apart.
I flung myself at him. I wrapped my arms around his neck, my lips against his. “This is so romantic,” I gushed. “I mean, seriously, no one has ever done something like this for me before.”
“I wanted it to romantic, baby. You deserve it.” He tipped my head up. “I really like you. I hope you know that.”