17. Michael #2
“You could’ve come over sooner,” she whispers, never once losing contact as my grandmother continues, the drama of her tale emphasized by the rising volume of her voice.
“And miss seeing you get trapped into one of my grandmother’s stories? Never.” I rub my chin over her soft hair. It’s so silky and catches in the scruff I forgot to shave off this morning because I was too busy worshipping in between Vivian’s thighs.
“Hey!” She elbows me in the stomach and I mock-groan.
“You could be stuck here for days ,” I drawl, earning a full-on laugh from her. Thankfully the story has wrapped up; she really can go for hours, especially when it’s a story about Cuba. “Paquita, I need to steal my woman away for a minute,” I say, and her clear blue eyes don’t miss a thing.
“ No folles en mi casa, ” she says to me, sternly shaking her finger and causing me to choke at her words.
“ Nosotros seremos buenos ,” I reassure her as her chastised glance follows us to the living room where we wait for Connor and Sebastian to arrive.
She shakes her head at me, but stalks off to the kitchen, probably to get us some water even though I told her we were fine.
She doesn’t ask; she just takes care of people. No wonder Isabella gets it from her.
“What was that about?” Vivian whispers, coming closer to me.
“She doesn’t want us to fuck in her house.
” I grin at her and the rosy flush that takes over her face is priceless.
Is there anything she does that isn’t adorable or turns me on?
Damn, the way the red spreads across her chest makes my pulse beat faster.
Just like this morning as I thrust into her, her beautiful skin covered in a sheen of sweat as she screamed for me and we climaxed together…
And now I’m getting a hard-on in my grandparents’ house. Great .
It’s gonna be difficult to obey my grandma’s demand, but I’m respectful.
I was raised a gentleman and won’t mess around in their home.
Although the temptation might kill me not to make love to Vivian tonight.
At least we had this morning… and the rest stop…
that’ll have to keep us satisfied for now.
Maybe I can just hold her.
Who am I kidding? I won’t be able to resist sliding my hands inside her pajamas.
I saw the silky number she packed and thought of how sexy that’d look on the floor.
There’s more than one way to be intimate if I can keep her quiet enough.
A hand over her mouth maybe, since my woman does like to get loud. Yeah, that could work…
”Michael?” Vivian looks at me as my grip on her waist has become progressively tighter, fingers stroking her more intently.
“Yes, mi amor?” My eyes snap to hers hungrily, breaking me out of my lust-drunk haze.
“Down, boy.” She laughs, removing my hand from where it was squeezing a little too hard and lacing her fingers with mine.
My breath whooshes out of my chest as I realize she’s trying to help tamp down my body’s reaction, so I don’t embarrass myself in front of my family.
This woman is perfect for me, just like Paquita said.
“Um, let me help you out here,” she says, eyeing the prominent bulge under my jeans. She moves to stand in front of me, blocking my “problem” from view. But as she starts to lean back against my chest, I hold her away from me slightly, needing a buffer between us.
“Trust me, woman, that will only make it worse,” I growl in her ear when she looks over her shoulder at me questioningly.
Her eyes widen, but her lips quirk into a smile in realization as she places my hands on her shoulders, maintaining the skin contact I crave while giving my body space to calm down.
I lean forward just enough to press my forehead against her hair and inhale the coconut scent of her shampoo, her jasmine perfume lightly overlaid.
Breathing deep, it’s all I need to ground me.
She’s actually here, meeting everyone I care about. The people who will hopefully become her family. If I play my cards right.
A loud knock at the front door breaks me out of the peaceful bubble we’re wrapped in, but I don’t mind.
Only Connor knocks that loud; the man doesn’t know his own strength.
I open the door to my two best buds who I haven’t seen in weeks.
Connor’s carrot-red hair has gotten longer, and Sebastian’s dark hair is pulled back.
”Is that a fucking man bun you’ve got going on?
” I ask, reaching behind his head and giving it a tug.
“Nice way to greet your friends.” Connor laughs.
“Fuck off, Michael,” Sebastian grumbles after checking to make sure the bun is still in place.
I can’t help ribbing him some more. For some guys it works, but on him it looks ridiculous. “I knew you were growing it out, but what does Amanda say about it?”
“Oh, don’t you know? She’s the reason he’s got it in the first place.” Connor chortles.
“She says it elevates my look,” Sebastian says a little sheepishly, and I laugh outright. “Hey, are you going to invite us in or are we eating out here? I’m starved.”
“Come on, come in,” I say as we give each other bro hugs and slap each other's backs. No cheek-kissing here; this is Charlotte, not Cuba.
Walking into the living room, I spot Vivian and Isabella chatting animatedly by the fireplace.
With the arrival of my friends, the noise level has escalated quickly, so I can’t hear what they’re saying.
All I catch is, “Did he say—” and “I know, right?” before they both burst into laughter.
Shaking my head with a grin, I return my attention to my friends who are already trapped in Paquita’s embrace.
My family hasn’t seen them for a while so there’s a lot of catching up to do.
And a game of dominoes on the coffee table waiting to be played.
I settle myself on the plush couch, knowing the guys will come over once they can extricate themselves.
Getting to introduce Vivian to my childhood friends fills me with an unexpected pride.
Although I know I want her in my life forever, this is still brand new for me.
Yeah, my friends have seen me with other girls; we’ve all known each other since grade school.
But it still feels really good when Sebastian sits down next to me and asks, “So she’s the one, huh? ”
“You figured it out that quickly?” I smirk as I sort the ceramic tiles.
“Dude, you can’t keep your eyes off her.” He punches me lightly in the shoulder.
“Yeah, man, she is.” I glance up, my gaze constantly drawn to Vivian as she gets to know her future sister-in-law. “Not all of us found our dream girl so early you know.” Seb nods.
Sebastian found his ‘one’ several years ago when Amanda showed up at one of our pickup basketball games, but her strict parents didn’t allow her to date at the time.
Considering he was such a manwhore in high school, it shocked everyone when he discarded his playboy ways in order to wait for her.
I gotta hand it to him, he was attentive and patient until the time when they could officially be together.
The running joke is that they’ve gotten too used to waiting and that’s why he hasn’t put a ring on it yet.
Everyone knows they’re the real deal, but I think Sebastian is waiting til she graduates college.
Makes sense. But we still give him hell for it.
We I shoot the shit as we play dominoes just like we have a million times before.
My eyes frequently catch Vivian’s across the room.
I’m ready to jump up the second she needs me, but her relaxed posture and broad smile lets me know she’s having a good time.
She fits right in with my family, just like I knew— hoped —she would.
Sebastian notes how our eyes maintain connection over the busy living room.
“I like seeing you like this, man. Whatever she’s doing to you, it’s working.
” He’s not wrong. These guys have been my ride-or-dies for years now, and fuck if I don’t miss them.
Leaving Charlotte meant leaving some of the best men I know, but we’re all at points where our paths might split.
They supported me one hundred percent then, and Seb’s approval means the world to me now.
They’ve witnessed the girls I’ve dated before and knew I wasn’t serious about them.
Not enough to bring them home to meet my family.
Today just proves this isn’t some fly-by-night thing.
Finished with sorting the dominoes and unwilling to wait any longer, I stand up to bring Vivian over so I can make official introductions, but she’s already walking over to me.
“Hey there, mi amor,” I say as I lightly kiss her cheek.
It feels like forever since I’ve touched her skin.
“Did you and Isabella have a lot to talk about?”
“Oh, so much,” she gushes and I roll my eyes, wondering which of the many embarrassing stories my sister told her.
“It wasn’t all about you, you know.” She playfully elbows me, and I gasp, pretending to fall down from her punch.
She laughs as she helps me up. “For real, your sister is really cool.”
“Couldn’t agree more.” I run my hands up and down her arms. “Let me introduce you to two more ‘cool’ people.” I see her body tense slightly even though her smile never falters.
“Relax,” I remind her, kissing her behind her ear and noting how her breath hitches. “Isabella loved you and they will too.”
“You keep doing that to me and the last thing I’ll do is relax.” She releases a shaky breath. “And we’re right in front of your family!” The admonishment makes me snort.
“Nobody is going to care about that, trust me,” I tell her with absolute certainty. “Little kisses aren’t going to offend anyone.”