Page 86 of Fractured Frets

I didn’t want her to lose more weight. I loved every dip and rise covering her body. We’d both had a stressful few months, but hopefully the worst was behind us...hopefully.

She was still stunning. She always would be. My hardened dick wanted to stay there in our room, buried inside her, not be stuffed away inside the confines of fresh boxer briefs while I had to be civil to my relatives. I could never get enough of Maddy. Not ever. But I possessed some level of control. Some...not a lot.

I put on a casual black button-down shirt and beige pants, brushed my long hair and tied it back into a ponytail...just for mom. She wasn’t a fan of my long hair, so I’d thought I’d do something nice for her birthday.

Not sure it would matter though.

Mom would go off at me about something...and everything, from getting married, to the gossip online, to my band’s parties, to not seeing her often enough. So the sooner I faced her rants, the sooner I could get on with celebrating and catching up with other relatives.

“I’ll wait for you downstairs.” I slipped a pain-killer into my pocket for later—having to take them at a set time per day was often hard, but I managed—then I kissed Maddy on the cheek. “Don’t be long.”

“I won’t be.” Leaning toward the mirror, she drew eyeliner onto her lids. “Five more minutes. Tops.”

That meant ten. “Okay. Love you.”

She didn’t need any makeup; she looked more beautiful without it. Her mocha skin was flawless. Her dark eyes shimmered with no eyeshadow, mascara, or false-lash highlights. I often kissed any lipstick or gloss from her perfect pink lips within seconds, so that really was a waste of time. But asking her not to wear any was a battle I wouldn’t win, so I left it well alone.

I clambered down the staircase and headed outside onto the terrace covered in the late afternoon sunshine. I loved Italy, but I wouldn’t want to live here. It was too hot. And too far away from the action of LA—the action I loved but also needed a break from.

“Josh. Chase me.” Charlotte giggled as she shot around the end of the villa and ran across the lawn with her teddy bear hooked underneath her arm. Ava’s son came charging around the corner after her. Then...Harper scurried after them.

“Charlotte? Josh? Stop. We have to wait here for your mom and dad to go to the party.”

Harper’s short, floral dress showed off her long, tanned legs. Her blonde bob flicked around her face as she caught Charlotte and swung her round. But as I watched her play with the kids, I felt...nothing. No flutter in my stomach. No skip in my pulse. No loss in my chest. Maddy truly owned me. There was never any doubt in my mind.

I just needed Maddy to understand that.

Thwack.

“Ow!” I clutched my arm. But then a big grin slid across my face. Maddy.

“You finished ogling Harper?”

“Harper?” I glanced around, this way, then that. “Where is she?”

Maddy narrowed her eyes, and a sly smile curled across her lips. “Nice save. But I saw you watching her.”

“She just ran across the lawn, chasing the kids. There was no ogling involved.”

“Hmmm. Come on.” Disbelief swayed her tone as she entwined her fingers with mine and tugged me toward the front door. “I need wine.”

So do I. But wait . . .

“Mads?” I drew her to a halt, raised our joined hands, and spun her ’round. Her dress flared as she turned. Her long hair fanned outward. Her smile returned. “My God, you’re beautiful.” I pulled her into my arms and kissed her. “Mio bel girasole.” Always. I cupped her cheek and smiled, my mouth hovering an inch from hers. “Ti amo. Got that?”

Her insecurities had always hung between us. As did my own. I was hell-bent on eliminating them. I was a man on a mission. In love. Totally crazy about this woman before me.

“Yeah. I do.” She slid her hands up my chest and around my neck. She kissed me, long and hard, with a lot of tongue...fuck yeah. That lipstick on her lips didn’t last long.

But I wasn’t naïve. She’d kissed me in full view of Harper. I was down for Maddy claiming me as hers at any time, on any day. Any. Fucking. Day.

A few minutes later, the others joined us, dressed and ready to party.

We took to the cars and drove a few miles down the road to my uncle’s vineyard. Dozens of vehicles lined the gravel driveway or were parked in a neat row in front of a trellis covered in grapevines. Ahead, twenty kids ran around the lawn in front of the rustic villa, playing croquet and kicking soccer balls. But we couldn’t see any adults.

“Where is everyone?” Maddy peered out the windshield.

“Probably out the back in the garden.” I drove slowly toward the main house, the gravel crunching beneath the car tires.

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