No condom, f**kadoodledoo. She added a trip to the drugstore after breakfast to her mental to-do list. She wasn’t sure there’d be a part two to this interlude but if fate was that kind to her again, she’d be ready.

Oh, almost there, just a bit… “Fuck me!” she exclaimed as he sucked her clit into his mouth and pressed two fingers into her pu**y at the same time. Orgasm hit her hard, stealing all speech but a long hard exhale.

Moments later, he kissed the inside of her thighs and moved to lie beside her. “I’d love to f**k you, by the way,” he murmured into her ear and she laughed.

“Sorry, I have a f**k habit. That’s to say I say it too much.”

“I haven’t noticed it.” He kissed her shoulder and she pushed him back and kissed down his chest.

“I’ve been trying to watch my mouth around you.”

“Something I hope will end right about now,” he groaned as her tongue traced his navel.

The man had the hardest, flattest belly she’d ever licked. He smelled so good she wanted to take a bite but resisted, being so close to his c**k and all.

A c**k that by any indicators she’d been acquainted with, was quite pleased at her presence. Especially when she ran the flat of her tongue across the head and around the crown.

Sliding her hair over his abdomen and thighs, she took him into her mouth—all she could—and pulled back only to suck him back inside again.

“Tate, oh, yeah, right like that. You’re…holy…oh.”

Triumph and pride bloomed within her. She’d reduced Matt Chase to incoherence. Her, Tate Murphy, the girl most likely to not be remembered by anyone. It wasn’t like she’d given a thousand blow jobs or anything, she just wanted to please him and she couldn’t get enough of him.

She’d never considered f**king without a condom but damn she wanted him badly. Still, she’d seen the results of thinking with one’s pink parts. Tate did not want to be end up like her mother. Or her father, whoever the hell he was.

Matt’s thigh bunched and flexed beneath her palm as she loved him with her mouth. Her nails lightly traced his balls as they pulled tight against his body. He made a small sound at the back of his throat and then said her name as he came.

Sometime right after, he pulled her up and encircled her with his arms. “Condoms. Next time there’ll be condoms.”

She laughed, totally happy.

Until her phone rang. She picked up the receiver and looked at the caller ID window. “I’m sorry, it’s one of my sisters.” She hit the on button. “Yes?”

“Are you all right?”

“Beth, I’m busy. I’ll talk to you tomorrow. I’m fine.”

“You know, you can’t run off after these dinners, the twins blame themselves.”

“Beth, I don’t want to talk about this right now.” She sat up and grabbed a robe from the nearby chair and pulled it on as she stood and headed for the hall.

“Tate, you take the brunt of dealing with them and then you run away. We all feel guilty about that. Why don’t you let us help?”

“Beth! For f**k’s sake! Let it go. You can’t have everything. I give you all ninety-nine percent but I’m allowed to have my own feelings about dealing with them. I wouldn’t do it if I didn’t want to. I’ll see you in the morning but I’m warning you, don’t bring it up again.”

“Tate…”

“Good night, Beth. I’m hanging up now. I love you.” She hit the off button and turned off the ringer. When she turned, Matt stood there in the doorway to her bedroom and yep, he looked better naked than in clothes.

“Is everything all right?”

“Yes. Family.” She shrugged. “I expect you know what I mean.”

He moved to her, pulling her into his arms. “I do indeed. Can I help?”

She laughed, tossing the phone on the couch. “I think you’ve done your part in my stress relief.”

“Well, come back to bed, I’ve got a few more tricks up my sleeve.”

“Sweet talker.”

He’d stayed until nearly two but as both of them needed to be up early, she talked him into going home. Not that it stopped her from sleeping on the side of the bed he’d been in, loving his scent.

Not only that, but he’d asked her out on a real date for the following Saturday night and she’d agreed.

She headed into town to the Honey Bear where her siblings were all meeting for breakfast before the twins headed back to Atlanta. They were taking summer classes to finish school early.

Ignoring Beth’s frown, she kissed everyone and took the seat they’d been saving. A full house, so full they’d had to push two tables together to fit all eight siblings, two spouses and four children.

They had coffee and talked around the dinner the night before. Things had eased up by the time they’d all eaten and headed their separate ways. Anne, Beth and Tate all walked to the shop to open up.

“I had sex with Matt Chase last night.”

Anne, who’d been cleaning her scissors, looked up, surprised. “You did?” Plopping into Tate’s chair, she put her hands on her lap. “Do tell. And don’t dream of skipping a single detail.”

“What’s going on?” Beth wandered past.

“Tate was just going to give me all the details of her sexual encounter with Matt Chase last night.”

“What? That’s what busy meant? Shit, I’d have hung up on me too. Tell us.”