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As I cried, York hugged me and reassured the whining dogs that I was okay.
The only upside to their departure was that Rock followed them down the street. As much as I loved my childhood friend, he was irritating the shit out of York. Despite my lover’s lack of outward rage, I sensed his tension whenever Rock touched me.
“He’s like a brother,” I reassured York as we were fooling around in bed one night. “I can’t think of Rock in a sexy way, in the same way I couldn’t picture Boone that way.”
“That’s fine,” York said, revealing a hint of his temper. “But I instinctively understand that Boone is your brother while Rock is a guy who could theoretically fuck you. Meaning, his hands need to find someone else to touch.”
“Should I slap away his hands?” I teased York. “Would that soothe your beastly instincts?”
York stopped kissing my belly and stared up at me with a hard expression. “Yes. Do that. Smack him in the face, too.”
My fingers stroked his head while I asked, “Do the club sluts touch you?”
“Not since I saw you.”
“Did they know why your body became off limits?”
“I told them that I was getting over a breakup and women made me sad.”
Snickering, I asked, “Did you say it all monotone, like you just said it to me?”
York finally cracked a smile while nodding. “I can’t wait to see their reaction when I show off my engagement ring in a few days. They fucking cried when Exile hooked up with Lula.”
“How about when Zodiac hooked up with Elle?”
“They have bets on how long their marriage will last.”
Frowning ugly, I shook my head. “I’m going to punch those bitches in the head for doubting Elle’s worth.”
“To be fair, it’s not like they’ve met her.”
“Oh, well, yeah, I hadn’t thought about that,” I said before he kissed me. Once our lips parted, I added, “I never want to meet any woman you’ve sampled.”
York studied me. “Have you fucked anyone in your club?”
“No, have you?”
Chuckling, York didn’t point out how his club was full of dudes. He instead sucked at my throat and helped me focus on us rather than my parents leaving.
On Saturday evening, I stayed at Lula and Nova’s shared home while York and Exile went to the clubhouse. To keep myself busy, I colored pictures with Skylar and Lyric, braided Lula and Nova’s brown hair, and watched “Toy Story 5.”
After everyone went to bed, I sat with my brother on the back deck overlooking their pool.
Boone asked, “Are you nervous about meeting York’s mom?”
“Yes, even though he swears he doesn’t care if she hates me or I hate her.”
“He doesn’t seem particularly fond of her.”
“They’re just not close,” I explained while the dogs sniffed around the yard. “I feel like Jessica only knows how to deal with certain people. York’s dad was probably the same way. So, when York wasn’t like them, they didn’t connect on a deeper level. Our parents always got interested in whatever we liked, even if it initially bored them. York and Jessica don’t have that kind of relationship, but he still cares about her.”
“Weird.”
I grinned at my brother. “I know, right? I can’t imagine that sort of relationship with our parents. But that’s okay. I don’t need a second mom. I only want to get along with Jessica well enough that York can fully turn to me for support when she kicks the bucket.”
“Super fucking weird,” Boone taunted. “But I get it. She’s getting up there in age, and death comes for us all.”
“York isn’t comfortable emoting. If he thinks I don’t like Jessica, he’s bound to shove his grief down deep when she dies. So, I plan to be super fake nice with her. It’s the least I can do when York has endured our awesome parents for weeks.”
