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“This is you snuggling me,” I wheezed, slapping his arm without any real intention of breaking free. “If you try to do this when I’m sleeping, you’ll feel a lot more than prickles.”
“Oooh.” He paused, his teeth scraping my neck. “I’m intrigued. Like what, Cupcake? Are you going to…nuzzle me? Like this?”
His nose pressed behind my ear, hot air blowing against my skin. I squirmed in his hold, and he used my movement to rotate me in his arms, bringing us chest to chest.
“Now you can properly cuddle me,” he whispered along my throat.
“Or get my knee to your balls,” I whispered back. “Watch out, Aldrich.”
“Your knee’s so tiny, it would probably feel like a gentle breeze.”
“Oh, you asked for it now, my guy.”
I brought my knee up, but since I didn’t really want to hurt him, there was no force behind the movement, and Miles easily caught me.
“You can’t have my leg,” I squealed.
He waggled his brows. “Too late.” Then he had my leg draped over his arm and went back to gobbling on my neck and shoulders while I screeched and bucked. His body shook with laughter, even when I hit him. In fact, it shook even harder when I threatened to put shrimp in his cupcakes and shave off his eyebrows while he was sleeping.
A throat cleared. And since we were being so loud, it had to have been even louder.
Miles and I froze, our heads turning to the side in unison. There stood Saoirse, her hand over her mouth, the apples of her cheeks pink. The man next to her, who had to be her husband, Luca, had his head cocked and brow furrowed as he studied the scene they’d walked in on.
“How’s it going, Rossis?” Miles asked as though he hadn’t a care in the world. “Good drive?”
Saoirse snorted. “Great drive, but I think we should have taken the scenic route. We definitely interrupted something.”
Miles gave me a jiggle. “This is nothing. Just me showing Daisy-daze how snuggly she is.”
I let myself go limp in his arms so I was just hanging there and gave him a flat look. “Do I seem convinced?”
He flashed me a wide, pleased grin. “You seem cute.”
Then he set me on my feet, making sure I was steady and my clothes were straightened. After that, I greeted Saoirse properly and met Luca. A few minutes later, Elise, Weston, Elliot, and Kit arrived.
I felt like the odd man out. They all knew each other and were clearly very close. And the women, dear god were they beautiful. Kit was the only one I hadn’t met, and with her long, thick auburn hair and dangerous curves, she fit right in with Elise’s girl next door plump sexiness and Saoirse’s lithe, outdoor beauty. The three of them together were like an eclipse. Looking at them straight on was so tempting but too powerful for the human eye.
I didn’t think I was ugly or anything, but in the face of the three of them, I felt like someone’s twiggy, plain kid sister.
I’d have to get over that really quickly. This wasn’t high school, and they were welcoming me with open arms. Beautiful and kind. It was almost too much.
The guys took the bags upstairs while the women drifted into the kitchen. Elise stopped in front of the island and pressed her hands together beneath her chin, peering at the board I’d created with wide, alight eyes.
“Wow, Daisy. This is a work of art. The roses…how did you even do that?”
I bit back the urge to dismiss her compliment and tell her it was no big deal. “I used a wine glass. If we have time later, I’ll show you. I promise it isn’t hard.”
She waved her hand over the board. “Maybe not, but this whole thing all together—” she sighed, “—you have quite the eye. I almost don’t want to eat anything and ruin it.”
Saoirse leaned over her and plucked an olive off the twigs of rosemary I’d placed around the board. “I have no such problems. I can admire while I dig in.”
“Please, eat. That's why I made it.”
Elise sucked in a breath like she was going to say something then shook her head.
I touched her forearm. “What is it?
“Well, I was going to say it would be amazing to have something like this at our rehearsal dinner, but then I realized how last minute it is, plus you’ll be there as a guest, so I decided to keep my mouth shut,” she rushed out.
