Page 124 of The Fix

“I’m dying here, Anna,” Aria whines and straightens her spine, her mug settling back on the counter. “Please tell me that was Toby last night.”

“Oh God.”

“Yep,” she mutters with a pop to the word. “Heard you say that a bunch, too.”

“Wh-what else did you hear?”

She snorts and lifts her mug to take a sip with grinning lips. “Enough to know you had a good night.”

“Shouldn’t you be hungover or something?” I scowl and turn away from her to stir my concoction with my achy muscles and a burning face.

Maybe if I avoid answering the question, she’ll let it go.

“Honey, it’s noon and I have twins at home. I don’t know how to hangover anymore.”

I whip my head in her direction when her words sink in.

“Noon?”

I rub my dampening brow when her grin only grows.

“I haven’t … Oh God. I haven’t slept past seven in literal decades, Aria.” I feel suddenly hot, my thoughts whirling around all the things I might have missed in the last several hours while I was passed out in the most peaceful sleep I’ve ever had.

We won’t mention that it was in Toby’s arms. Nope.

She snorts. “Damn, girl.”

“Is that coffee I smell?”

My already stiff muscles tighten at the deep sound of Toby’s voice traveling down the short hallway right behind Aria.

I mean she knows, but she doesn’t know … right?

When the roughened pads of his fingers touch my jaw and his talented fingers bring my wild eyes to his, my pulse calms.

My thoughts slow.

My smile appears.

“Hey, Mama,” he murmurs with a smirk that makes my heart soar, and leans in to ghost his lips over mine in the sweetest kiss.

I melt on the inside at the contact. “Hey.”

A clearing of the throat snaps into my subconscious, and I turn to see Aria fanning her face, her lips forming around a single word that makes my chest fill.

Wow.

I bite my lip.

“Don’t do that,” Toby grumbles, his thumb moving to the base of my lip and pulling it free.

“Why not?” I sass, and the man growls low and deep and close to my ear.

I shiver and giggle.

Just the sound alone is enough to have my stomach clenching and my thighs itching to cross.

Am I dreaming? This has to be a dream.

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