Page 114 of Peaceful Chaos

Shane shrugs his shoulders. "I could go for some pancakes."

Still, no one moves, and Jen sighs. "Do you want me to make the fucking pancakes?"

Amber giggles. "Jen said fuck. She never cusses."

Tessa digs her keys out of her pocket. "Good lord. I hope someone has tequila," she mutters to herself and swings open her door.

Ford grabs her hand and pulls her toward his apartment with Shane and Jen. "C'mon, Tessie. I've got you covered."

"Like old times, huh?" she asks. This truce between them is fragile, but if there was ever a night for a ceasefire, it's tonight.

Ford shakes his head and drops his heavy arm around her shoulders. "Nah, it's going to be better."

She moves her finger back and forth between them. "We can't do this, whatever this thing between us is, again."

He kisses the side of her head and lingers for a few seconds. "Then we better grab the vodka. You know what they say about tequila."

Amber and Jen start singing something about it making clothes disappear. At least, I think, that's what they sang. But hey, I finally found something they aren't good at. Unless dying animal was the sound they were going for. In that case, they nailed it.

Lucien slaps Amber on her ass and moves into the apartment ahead of her. Over his shoulder he says to her, "Babe, you're hot, but don't ever ask me to go to karaoke."

"Hey!" she shouts.

Teddy laughs and kisses the side of her head. "I'll go with you if you want."

"Thank you, baby," she coos at him.

He smiles his goofball smile at her. "Yeah, I've got some hearing loss from listening to loud music in my headphones." She snarls, and it sounds more like an angry kitten than a grown woman. Of course her idiot boyfriends just high five each other. I don't know how she puts up with the two of them.

I lean into Sin's side and he asks me, "Do you want some fucking pancakes?"

I'm hungry, but not for food. "No, I just want you."

There's a flare of hope in his expression, but it flickers out. Sin isn't used to hoping for anything. "Are you sure? After tonight, I understand that you might need time. A lot has happened." His dark eyes are sincere. He'd never push me. Never would he force me to do something I don't want to do. And tonight he proved more than once he trusts me to stand side by side with him as his equal.

Fisting his shirt, I pull him down closer so I can whisper into his ear. "There are so many things I am unsure about, but you aren't one of them. Take me to bed."

He scoops me up in his arms. "What the lady wants, the lady gets."

Jen sees us heading away from their apartment. "Aren't you guys coming over for pancakes?"

Shane guides her into the apartment. "I think they're busy. Don't worry, I'll eat their share and then I'll eat—"

She slaps her hand over his mouth. "I get it. You don't need to spell it out for me."

"Are you sure? Ford has some tequila if that helps."

I'm laughing hysterically by the time Sin manages to unlock our apartment. Body shaking laughter that has tears rolling down my face and prompts him to set me down.

He looks back at the door and shakes his head. "Our friends are insane."

I wipe the streaks of tears from under my eyes. "I think they're kinda perfect."

Sin smiles, and though there are still shadows in his eyes, I see a bit of light starting to peek through. "Yeah, they kinda are."

I walk through the apartment and sit down on the edge of our bed and pat the space next to me. Sin starts to fidget. "Are you happy? Can life with me really be what you want? You aren't in danger anymore."

"Marrying you was never about my safety. Not for me at least."

The corner of his mouth curves up. "Not for me either. I was, however, willing to use it as an excuse to lock your sexy ass down."

I return his smile. "Well, mission accomplished, because I'll never want anyone but you."

When he doesn't move, I hook my fingers in his belt loops and tug him to me. "Do you not believe me?" I ask, looking up into his face.

"It isn't that I don't believe you, it's that I don't know how I got this lucky."

"I'd say you were due." Words aren't enough for him though, so I spend the rest of the night showing him.

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