“Fuck yeah,” he grunted, going deeper, harder, faster, five thrusts then he was there, joining me.

When we were coming down, silently and gently, he moved in and out and, silently and happily, I let him and enjoyed every stroke.

After awhile, he pulled out then his hands glided down my sides and in, pulling me up in front of him until I was on my knees, my back pressed to his front. Then his fingers fisted in the little, slinky, sexy dress that Brock liked, like, a lot, that was bunched at my waist and he pulled it up. I lifted my arms for him; he yanked it free and tossed it to the side of the bed.

Then his face went into my neck as his hands roamed my body and, against my skin, he murmured, “Love you, baby.”

I lifted an arm to glide my fingers in his hair and whispered back, “Love you too, Brock.”

Carefully, he turned me and deposited me on my back in the bed then turned his attention to the strappy, high-heeled sandals I still wore. One by one, he unbuckled them and they joined my dress on the floor. But after each one he kissed the inside of my ankle.

Once he was done, he moved his body to cover mine and I moved my legs to surround him, one around his ass, one I curved around the back of his thigh and I did this as my arms circled him, holding him tight.

Brock put some weight into his forearm but his other hand came to my face and he traced it with his fingertips while I traced his with my eyes.

“You know,” I whispered and his silvery-gray eyes came to mine, “the first time we were together, after you made me come, I looked at you and my first thought was how beautiful you were.”

His fingers stopped moving, his eyes closed and his forehead came to mine and when he groaned, “Tess,” I knew it came from his gut because I felt it in mine.

My fingers slid into his hair and my lips went to his cheek, I moved them across, lifting my head and, in his ear, I kept whispering.

“And the way you were looking at me, I knew in my blood you were mine.”

“You were right, sweetness,” he whispered back.

Then he kissed my neck, lifted his head again, I dropped mine and both my arms gave him a squeeze.

“Thanks for drinking champagne with me.”

“Thanks for makin’ me drink only a glass so I could move on to beer.”

I smiled at him and his eyes dropped to my mouth.

Then they came back to mine and I felt my body still at what I saw.

Then he spoke words that described the feeling I saw in his eyes.

“My Dad was a dick, I grew up fast, I lost Bree the way I did and lost all our history with her and I found Olivia and she made my life shit. Then I had a job where you wouldn’t believe the shit I saw, the shit I did and I hope to God, baby, you never get to a place you do.

But all that was worth it, all of it, since my reward is you.”

“Shut up,” I whispered, I didn’t know why, it just came out of my mouth but what he said meant so much, it filled me so full, it felt like I was going to burst.

A beautiful pain.

But he didn’t shut up.

Instead he went on, “McManus said he started with a good one and I was lucky I was ending with one and he was not f**kin’ wrong.”

Both my hands moved to either side of his face and I begged, “Please, Brock, be quiet.”

“No f**kin’ way, baby,” he whispered. “Today, I been thinkin’ a lot about McManus and he lost his good one and there is no way I’m gonna find mine and not know right to my f**kin’ bones she doesn’t understand precisely what she means to me.”

I felt the tears well then slide out the sides of my eyes as my thumbs moved over his cheeks and I told him, “Well, I’m lucky too. I had it shit for awhile and I found you.”

He shook his head then his hand captured mine, he turned his head and pressed my palm to his lips where he kissed me then his fingers curled around mine and he held my hand to his shoulder.

“It isn’t the same. You’re made of sugar, Tess, and it’s a given you’d eventually get it good because people like you, sweet to the core, they deserve it. What I’m sayin’ is I’m glad I’m the one who gets to give it to you.”

Oh God. I loved this man.

“You’re sweet too.”

He grinned.

Then he muttered, “I see, all this time, you still don’t know me.”

I didn’t grin. My hand tensed on his face as the other one clenched in his.

“You’re a manly, macho, rough, wild, hot guy kind of sweet but you’re sweet. I’m a mountainous swirl of frosting with a moist, rich cake as my core but you’re smooth, delicious dark chocolate that tastes good from the second it hits your tongue and makes you want more the minute it melts away.”

His grin got bigger. “Shit, Tess, you’re makin’ me hard again.”

I took my hand from his face and slapped his shoulder, snapping, “I’m being serious.”

His grin faded clean away and his mercury eyes locked with mine.

Then he whispered, “I know.”

I stared in his eyes and what Vance said hit me as truth so pure and undiluted, it felt like I was touched by a rainbow.

Vance thought he was the lucky one that he had his wife and one of the reasons he thought that was because he knew she felt like she was the lucky one.

And I was lucky and so was Brock.

“We should go to Vegas,” I announced. “We’re on a streak.”

His brows drew together. “Babe, not sure you’re payin’ attention but, shit that’s flyin’

around us does not say ‘winning streak’.”

“I’ve got a na**d hot guy bad boy on top of me that proves you wrong.”

At that, his brows relaxed and he smiled.

Then I informed him, “You and your boys’ birthdays are next week and I’m telling you now I’m giving you and the boys an all-inclusive, five-star beach getaway for Spring Break for all your birthdays and I’m not taking any lip and I don’t care the shit that’s swirling, we’re going no matter what.”

His smile didn’t die when he said, “We’ll talk about it later.”

“We won’t. I’m doing this.”

That’s when his smile faded. “Babe, you’re not payin’ for me and my boys to go on vacation.”

“Honey, I need a vacation, you need a vacation and the boys freaking need a vacation. So much, it’s got to be a really, really good one. And I don’t bust my hump baking cakes not to live the good life and give it to those I love. So I’m going to give it to those I love.”