Page 27 of Beautiful Chaos
“Presley was helping her mom change her little brother’s diaper and he peed on her. Of course, she freaked out, which was highly entertaining to her brother. While she was busy throwing off her top, her brother was on the changing table giggling his head off. Presley, the sweet big sister that she is, couldn’t help but be charmed by his giggles, so she ended up in hysterics with him.”
I chuckle. “That girl is something else.”
“She really is. It’s so cute how much she loves her baby brother.”
“What do you want to do for your birthday?” I ask.
“It doesn’t matter to me,” she answers drowsily. “Just as long as I’m with you.”
Crooking my finger under her chin, I tip her head back and look down at her with a smile. “There’s nothing that would take me away from you on your birthday.”
Leaning up, she returns my smile and presses her lips against mine. “You couldn’t be a better husband,” she murmurs against my lips. “I was blessed beyond measure the day I stepped into Slate.”
I remember that day vividly.
I was getting ready to leave for the night, but I needed to speak with Silas first. While I was looking for him at the bar, I happened to glance at the dance floor. Right fucking there, with her hands sliding through her long, dark hair, her hips swaying to the soft beat of the music, wearing a short skirt barely covering her ass and a shirt that had slipped off one shoulder, was the woman I knew to the very depths of my soul, I would make mine. I didn’t leave like I had planned to. I rooted my ass into a chair, and I watched her. For hours, I sat there and watched her and her friend, looking like they were having the time of their lives. I almost followed them when they left, but I resisted the urge to learn more about the woman who so completely captured my attention.
They returned a couple of weeks later. I had informed Kurt that I wanted to be informed as soon as she walked in the door, so I had more time to observe her. Once again, I sat in the shadows and watched my girl swing her hips while laughing with her friend. Twice I almost beat the fuck out of a couple of guys who dared approach her. Their faces were saved only because she didn’t show much interest in them.
Later that night, things changed. That’s when I saw an asshole spike her drink. After breaking his nose, I had Kurt throw him and his friend out of the club. That wasn’t the end of it though. I found out who the guy was a week later, and he had an unpleasant ending. The pigs were happy though, as they fed on his corpse.
“You got that backward, baby,” I say, switching my thoughts back to the present. “I was the one blessed that day.”
She smiles against my lips. “You’re too good for me.”
That earns her a grunt. “You gotthatwrong as well. You’re too goodforme.”
Cat would never know how true my statement is. With everything I’ve done in the past and everything I’m still doing, I will never be good enough for her.
ChapterTwelve
Caterina
Hunter grabs the back of my shirt and spins me around. I laugh as I fall against his chest, but it dies when his lips drop to mine for a heated kiss. I moan against his mouth, my body quickly lighting on fire, just as it always does with Hunter pressed against me. The man knows exactly what to do to get my heart rate up. Hell, he doesn’t even have todoanything. A simple look at his green eyes can make me want to climb him like a tree. It’s been that way since the first time I saw him and the desire has only grown since then.
“I don’t want you to go,” he says against my lips. “I want you here so I can do wicked things to you.”
A giggle slips free, and I shove my hands into the back pockets of his jeans, squeezing his ass. “You know if I don’t go, Megan will hunt me down.”
A deep growl rumbles from his throat. “Fine, but hurry back. I know how to hunt down people too.”
I roll to my toes and kiss Hunter again before grabbing my purse from the hook by the door. I pull out my keys from an inside pocket.
“You can last a couple of hours without me,” I tell him.
He lets out a dramatic sigh. “Only if I must.”
With another laugh, I blow him a kiss, then wiggle my fingers at him. “Love you.”
“Love you back.”
Hunter opens the door for me, and I step out onto the porch. I feel him watching me as I make my way to my car. Looking back at him as I open the driver’s side door, he gives me the smile he reserves only for me. The one that’s proof that he loves me just as much as he claims.
I turn on the radio, keeping the volume low, as I drive the ten minutes to the restaurant where I’m meeting Megan. Since she’s in town visiting her parents, we decided to have lunch together.
I spot Megan sitting in a window booth when I walk into the restaurant. After pointing her out to the hostess, I walk over to her. She gets up from her seat and we hug.
“It feels like it’s been ten years since I saw you,” she says after we take our seats.