“Was there a point somewhere in this monologue?” Kelly asked, her dry sense of humor returning.

“You’re very snotty now. Not at the nose, but in the attitude.”

“Am not.” She smirked. “You just can’t handle a Kelly who doesn’t say she’s sorry anytime anyone gets upset for any reason.”

He set her back. “I want to be facing you for this. Also you’re giving me a hard-on when you sit on my lap. That’d be rude.”

“Wouldn’t want that.”

He flipped her off. “Okay, so snotty is a bad word. Saucy? But—” he shrugged “—maybe there’s some truth to my being set off balance when you push back. The Kelly I was married to apologized more. Smoothed the way between us a lot more than I did. The woman you are now doesn’t. You’ve never used tears to manipulate anyone, so the way you just cried startled me. It’s not like I’ve never seen you cry.”

“Show business people,” she said as she rolled her eyes. An inside joke. Kelly’s mother used to say those words with so much envy and rage in them anytime Kelly was overly emotional in any way.

“I still really hate your mother.”

Kelly shrugged. “There’s a national registry somewhere you can sign up I’m sure. You won’t even be in the top hundred, though. The tears were like one of those moments when you feel multiple things and some of them even conflict, but you feel it all so much and so hard you panic and burst into tears. Like that.”

He nodded. The first night of the tour they’d just ended he’d had a gut-wrenching crying jag in the shower after the show. It had hit him, the elation of being out on the road and doing so well, their album selling far beyond what they’d expected and the thought that he was finally losing Kelly.

“I understand.”

“To circle back, I don’t have a checklist. I don’t know when I won’t have some worry because of something that happened before. I just know that I worry less about it today than I did yesterday.”

He grinned. “Can we tell them?”

“You’re like a kid at Christmas, Vaughan.”

Laughing, he rolled her to the mattress, ending up on top. “I want to unwrap you every single day.”

He wanted everyone to know they were together. That was the next step in this process and he craved it. Craved her trust to allow him back in that much more.

“You’re using your charm on me.”

He grinned, letting her have his full dimple. Yes, he knew she was helpless when he got very charming. But it was genuine. He kissed her, teasing little nips and licks.

“I am. Is it working?”

She burst out laughing. “What am I getting myself into?”

“Too late. You already let me see your boobs and now you’ll never get rid of me.” He stopped teasing. “I love you, Kel. I made mistakes. I’m sorry I hurt you and I fucked things up, but I’m here with you and that’s where I want to be. Where I’m supposed to be.”

She breathed out. “All right. But we don’t need to announce it. Let’s just continue to go slow and they’ll see it when they’re ready.”

“Does that mean I can sleep in here with you so I can pounce on you when we wake up?”

“I get up at five to exercise. If you wake me before that, I’ll cut you.”

“Oooh. Yes, new Kelly makes me even hotter than old Kelly.” He nibbled on her earlobe until she wrapped her calves around him, her fingers tunneling through his hair.

“Can I tell my family, too?”

“Why did you go and do that?” She pulled his hair.

He started laughing. “Ouch! Give them a chance.”

“I can say the same of them.”

That was something else he had to deal with. There was no way he wanted to have his wife—and that was the end goal here, to get her back all the way—ostracized by the Hurleys.

But before he could say any of that, she left a trail of hot, openmouthed kisses up his neck, undulating her hips, grinding against his cock until he stuttered a groan.

“Don’t think I’m unaware you’re using your body to change the subject,” he whispered as he grazed his teeth over the shell of her ear, using his weight more fully to hold her in place.

Her answering gasp and the heat from her pussy told him she liked it as much as he did.

“Is it working?” She turned his earlier answer back at him.

One-handed, he managed to get his shirt up and off. “Always. But we’ll be back to the Hurley topic later on.”

“You have to make me come an extra time for making me talk about your family during sex.”

There was something joyous about sex with Kelly that they hadn’t shared before. He loved it, though. It made a difference. Added a layer of emotion they’d needed before but hadn’t known it.

“Not like I’d argue with that any day, anywhere, anytime.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead and stretched his muscles. Kelly’s hands roamed over his bared skin, her nails digging in, urging him.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

KELLY WAS GOING to lose her mind over that thing he was doing with his tongue. This thought was one of the few coherent ones she’d had since he’d turned up the heat and she’d been busily melting into goo.

“Momma, whoa!”

The sound of a door hitting the wall called Kelly’s attention to Maddie standing there with Kensey.