Page 95 of The Big Puck

I shove through a forest of cameras aimed at me to get to them. I need to hold them all in my arms, but especially Lainey. If that makes me a bad person, then I guess I’ll have to rot in hell because there’s no way to tame how I feel, no way to keep it down. And no longer any reason to hold back.

Someone gives me a cigar and I grin, but I don’t dare light it up because this mouth is reserved for kissing Lainey’s sweet lips and nothing else.

Aunt Hildie is holding Krissy and when I reach them, Lainey launches herself at me, jumping into my arms, unrestrained and filled with the light of the sun, moon and stars combined. She rains kisses all over my face and I cup her ass cheeks, holding her against me as pictures are taken and I don’t give a shit.

She laughs into my mouth as I capture her lips and devour them, plunging my tongue in to claim all of her, everything she has and I hope everyone’s watching because I want them all to know. When Aunt Hildie approaches with Krissy and her flailing arms and her baby voice calling for daddy, I let Lainey slide down my body until her feet hit the ground.

“Jesus, Lainey, you’re blinding me with that grin. I forgot my sunglasses.” I kid her and her eyes tear up. I take Krissy from my aunt and hug her and kiss her pudgy baby cheeks as she kisses me and holds my head in her baby hug.

“I’m so happy, Spence. You did it. You accomplished everything. I’m so proud of you and so over the moon.”

“I know.” I say, giving her a mock eye roll. “I hate to rain on your parade, but I have some bad news for you, sweetheart.”

Her face puzzles up, her smile dampening down to a few hundred watts from its previous thousand. “What is it?”

“You’re fired.”

Chapter 38

LAINEY

Laughter like I’ve never felt before bubbles up through my chest, making my heart rumble and erupting into a wild sob of joy. I’m a pretty jolly girl, so I thought I knew all about what it’s like to feel giddy. But I was wrong. Oh so very wrong. Because this here, what I feel now as I throw myself into Spence’s arms, is the real thing.

His arms wrap around me with that delicious possessive strength that never fails to ignite my core, to set off sparks.

“Oh. My. God.” I shout and he lifts me from the ground. Though frankly, it could be the burst of elation making me float into the air like a happy balloon set off its tether and free to go anywhere and do anything. There’s still a mob of people around and they’re turning our way, but I don’t care.

“I never saw anyone so happy to lose their job,” he says, not hiding the tease in his voice, or the grin on his face.

Aunt Hildie interrupts. “How about if we all go home.”

“Great idea.” He kisses me. A camera flashes and his smile doesn’t turn to a scowl, it widens to a grin.

“See you next season, Buddy.” I recognize his favorite sports reporter, a local guy.

“Looking forward to it,” the reporter says.

Spence sweeps me and Aunt Hildie past the rest of the crowd and I take Krissy, kissing her and pouring out my affection because I couldn’t love her more if she were my own. A pang of longing so deep trenches through my belly at the thought, stunning me with the intensity and greediness of the wish it implies.

* * *

At home, because that’s the only way I can think of Spence’s house now, everything is quiet and Spence drags me to his room. Another pang hits me because I can’t pretend I don’t wish this was our room, that we were together officially.

“Come here,” he says, patting the bed next to him as he takes off his clothes.

I stay where I am.

“Why?”

He stops unbuckling his belt and I bite my lip, wishing he would keep going. Dam, why did I have to distract him now?

“Never mind. Take off your pants.”

He complies, standing and tossing all his clothes aside, proudly naked and fully aroused, making my heart beat out of my chest so that I’m worried I’ll end up with bruises.

He reaches out to me, pulling me by the hand, whispering.

“Why what, Lainey? What do you need to know?”