Page 90 of The Heiress Auction

I’ve missed this. The realization is whisper quiet, but I feel the truth. My soul is more content than it’s been in years. Maybe a decade.

A breeze sweeps across the lake, and I burrow deeper into my blanket as I scooch my toes closer to the fire.

“You cold?” Alex asks.

His words are an echo of Gabe’s earlier, and my cheeks heat as I nod. Gah, was it only an hour ago that I was in his lap, dry-humping him ’til I came? I feel Gabe’s gaze like a caress, and my body reacts as if he reached beneath the blanket and stroked my skin. Nipples hard, pussy wet, muscles supple and ready.

“She’s either freezing or burning up,” Ford says. “No in-between for Kate.”

Alex stands up. “Let’s scoot you closer.”

I start to get up, but he bends over, holding a hand just above my belly as he grabs the armrest with the other. He’s taking care of me. Again.

I see Gabe out of the corner of my eye, mirroring Alex’s motion, and then I’m zooming through the air like a feather. They deposit me and my chair about a foot closer so my feet reach the bricks surrounding the fire.

“Thanks.”

“No problem.”

“So, how’s school?” I ask Ford and Sutton.

Sutton is a bit of a bookworm. “You sound like Pierce.”

I brace for the uneasy feeling that always comes over me when someone compares me to my father. But there’s nothing.

Just peace. And quiet.

“That’s not an answer,” I say.

Ford laughs. “Now you really sound like Dad.”

I give him my best big sister glare. No matter how twisted our family tree, I hit the brother lottery. Still, I stick my tongue out at him.

“No one told me there was a party,” a voice cuts through the night. A voice I instantly recognize. My head whips right, gaze searching, heart not believing my ears.

But they weren’t mistaken. My best friend saunters across the terrace into the yard.

I jump out of the chair, throwing the blanket to the side and launch myself into Kingston’s arms.

“You’re here! Ohmygod! When did you get in? Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?”

He hugs me tight, lifting me off the ground and spinning me around, classic rom-com style, until I giggle.

As soon as my feet hit the grass again, he cups my cheeks with both hands. His light green eyes study me closely as if looking for sadness or fear. But all I feel is ecstatic.

My best friend is back.

His gaze drops to my lips, and my body goes on instant alert. Why is he looking at me like that, and why does it feel like time is slowing to a stop?

“What are you doing here?” Please don’t let this all be a dream. I glance at Ford, who just gives me a shrug and smile, but he had to be in on it. Turning to Kingston, I pull him into another hug, then lean back.

Before I can introduce him to Alex and Gabe, he trails a thumb across my cheek. I freeze.

Then he ducks his head, blotting out the porch lights, his lips slanting across mine. I blink, startled. What?—

I ball my fists against his chest to shove him away, but his mouth is sinful, coaxing. Moving against mine like he won’t stop until my seduction is complete.

His hands clasp my waist, holding me steady, keeping me close.

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