Page 29 of Just Our Secret

Liam jumped up and streaked to the kitchen yelling, “Lasagnaaaaa!”and Connor followed suit with the added twist of waving his hands in the air like an insane person. Because he was.

And me? I had utterly failed.

Andi rounded the corner and ducked her head to look at me from where she stood. I liked this vantage point with her being taller.Note to self, I should kneel and fuck her with my tongue until she comes so hard she can’t stand. Then maybe she can ride me on the couch—

“That went well,” she said, arms crossed.

Right. Back to reality. “I tried. I did. Part of it was nerves, but you heard all that. How am I supposed to say something serious when he’s like that?”

She rolled her eyes. “It’s just Connor being Connor. This is nothing new. If you can’t do it, I’ll do it.”

I jumped up, sliding a hand down her wrist as her arms dropped. “I’ll try again. After dinner—maybe when Liam’s in bed?”

She shook her head with a smile and turned. “I’ll do it. I don’t know why we decided you should anyway.”

I followed close behind her, so tempted to slap her ass or take a little bite of her neck. She’d tried to sound like pure business, but I saw that smile. She liked me, even if I’d been a wuss. “I see how it is…”

She glanced over her shoulder and winked. “You’re about to. Watch how it’s done.”

She continued into the kitchen, all confidence in that sexy as fuck stride of hers. And while I hated that I hadn’t just forced it out and gotten it over with, I had a feeling she’d have some sympathy for me once she got her way. And in the meantime, I’d sit back, eat lasagna, and watch how it was done.

FIFTEEN

ANDI

Okay, yes, I gave Wade shit for not breaking the news to Connor. But we were fifteen minutes into dinner, and I still hadn’t done it. But in my defense, I didn’t like the idea of talking about it in front of Liam. He was only four, so I was sure he wouldn’t understand the complexity of the situation, but he was very observant. Even if we talked in code, he’d still feel the vibes, and then he’d question us, no doubt about it.

Sitting across from Wade hadn’t helped at all, either. Every time I looked at his ridiculously handsome face or the broad shoulders that I could still picture moving above me, I blushed and looked away. What the hell was wrong with me? And the little quirk of his lips every time it happened was like the nail in the coffin for my insides.

Shit, maybe we wouldn’t even have to tell Connor at this point. Maybe he’d notice my reaction to his hot-as-hell best friend or his flirty looks back at me, and he’d figure it out on his own.

Connor sat at the head of the table on my left, Liam was on my right. My attention bounced between them while we ate, and when Liam finished his plate of lasagna and asked to be excused, I almost cheered out loud.

“Yes, absolutely, baby,” I said. “Go wash your hands and face to get the sauce off, then you can go play while we finish up.”

“I hate washing my face. Besides, I have manners. I don’t have sauce on me,” Liam said, blinking up at me with streaks of red on his nose and chin.

Connor chuckled. “Hate to break it to you, bud, but you do have a little something right here. And here.”

Liam watched as Connor pointed to his own nose and chin, then narrowed his eyes. “Is this a trick?”

“Tell you what,” I said, “why don’t you go to the bathroom to wash your hands, and you can look in the mirror. If nothing’s there, it’s a trick. If you see sauce, wash it off.”

Liam groaned and got up from the table. “Fine.”

“Hey, goofball,” I said, stopping him in his tracks. “Clean up your mess.”

With his face tilted to the sky, he trudged to the table and picked up his empty cup, plate, and fork. He put them in the sink on his way out, and I turned back to the guys with a laugh. It cut off when I saw the look in Wade’s eyes though. It was time.

I cleared my throat. “Hey, Connor.”

“Yeah?” he asked, focusing on his food.

“There’s something I wanted to talk to you about,” I said, echoing Wade’s words from earlier.

“Yeah, you know what, there was actually something I wanted to talk to you about, too,” Connor replied, setting his fork down.

The serious edge to his tone and the crease between his brows had me looking at Wade with a gulp. Wade’s eyes widened a fraction before they flicked back to Connor’s face.