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“We’re taking her to Austin this weekend.” Grim seemeddecidedly ungrim. He was practically cheery.
They’d told his parents they were taking her to a sex club.Not in so many words, but it was obviously a code.
She felt a warm hand on her wrist. Abby gave her a softsmile. “Sweetie, parents always know. If you were vanilla and Josh had told meyou were going away on a trip, I would expect you would be intimate. It’s apart of life, and a good part of it. No one’s going to ask invasive questionsabout it, but know we support you as you explore this lifestyle, and there’s nojudgment at all here. I’ve been in your position. It can feel odd to be soopen, but I think you’ll find it’s freeing once you embrace the idea there’s noshame in loving someone the way they need to be loved, in allowing yourself tobe loved the way you need to be.”
She was not going to cry. She was absolutely not going tocry.
In mere moments Abigail Barnes had been more of a motherthan she’d ever had. Nic was certain she hadn’t meant to be, but a deep well oflonging opened inside her. Had she ever truly been loved?
It felt like it when Josh tossed her over his shoulder orwhen Grim grinned down at her and offered her a chocolate because he’d tied herhands together. The sex was phenomenal, but it was the sweetness of thosein-between moments that were getting to her.
It was the genuine intimacy of being with them that made herlong for something more.
But she couldn’t cry here at the table. There would bequestions, and she couldn’t answer them.
I’m crying because I’m falling in love with your sons,and I can’t be with them because I’m wanted for murder and someday they’regoing to do a true crime show about it and you’ll see my face and be soshocked.
You’ll be ashamed to even know me.
But I didn’t do it. I didn’t.
She couldn’t say any of those things so she choked theemotion down, shoving it as deep as she could. “Thanks. I’m looking forward togoing to Austin, though I hope Christa doesn’t need me.”
“You deserve time off,” Grim insisted.
“When was the last time you didn’t work?” Josh asked. “Youget off work and go looking for more work.”
“Well, today counts. I wasn’t allowed to work today,” shepointed out.
Abby smiled as though she understood what it meant to dealwith bossy men. “I think Christa can do without you for a few days. If sheneeds someone to fill in, I still have my old uniform.”
Sam winked her way. “Damn straight you do, baby, and youstill look good in it.”
Olivia groaned. “Pops, no. Don’t. I’m trying to eat.”
Sam simply upped the wattage on that smile of his.“Daughter, how do you think you got here?”
“Oh, we are not going there.” Josh’s head was shaking.“Momma, what have you been reading lately? I noticed Nic likes to read.”
It was news to her. “You did?”
He nodded her way. “You had a couple of paperbacks in yourroom. Momma and Livie are big readers, though you should understand they prettymuch only read one thing.”
“Not true,” Liv said, a hand on her chest as though to saywhat me? “I read a lot of things. I read suspense.”
“Where the detective solves a murder as he’s railing theheroine,” Grim explained.
“I read fantasy.” Abby seemed to pick up on her daughter’svibe.
“Where a bunch of fairies rail the heroine,” Josh added.
“Oh, I recently read a science fiction where the heroine’sspaceship lands in a prison colony,” Liv said with a grin. “And she totallygets railed hard. But I mean they were unjustly imprisoned.”
“So what we’re saying is we read a lot of super spicyromance,” Abby explained. “And the boys make fun of us, but we don’t care.”
“That’s what I read, and I’m pretty sure I read the prisoncolony one.” Nic felt infinitely more relaxed talking about books. “Have youever read the Texas Temptress series?”
Both women got very excited.
