Page 65 of Smith

One side of Smith’s mouth curved up.

“That’s a deal.”

Maybe he thought I was joking when I absolutely was not.

“Will Zane be okay with me being there without you?”

“The real question is, will you be okay with Zane without me being there?”

I could totally handle Zane. He was a big ole marshmallow under all that gruff.

“As long as he doesn’t ask Ivy for more boob juice in front of me I’ll be fine. Oh, his balls. I could do without hearing him complain about his vasectomy.”

“Both could happen.”

I figured he was right, which made me think about Zane’s beautiful wife, Ivy. In the limited time I’d spent with her, I liked her a lot. She was funny and gracious. But there was an underlying toughness that made her perfect for Zane. She struck me as the type who gave as good if not better than she got. The couple’s banter reminded me of my mom and dad’s.

Playful.

Sweet.

Full of love and adoration.

One day, that’s what I wanted in a husband—friendship. The kind that didn’t go away when the vows were said. The kind that stayed forefront, that transcended the name change and legal document. My mom had married her best friend and my fatherremained so until her death. That was how I saw Zane and Ivy. They were friends above being husband and wife, or parents.

That was the kind of relationship that lasted.

That endured hardships.

And that was what I’d have or I’d have nothing at all.

“Does your office have a lock on the door?”

Smith’s eyes lit.

Flirty and playful.

Nice.

“You asking because you want to keep Zane out, or you got other plans?”

“Well, originally to keep Zane out but I wouldn’t say no to a quickie bent over your desk.”

I was still basking in the glory of his smile when his lips hit mine.

A smile never tasted so good.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

“I have preliminaries on Billy Rice when you’re ready,” Kira said on her way past my office door.

Aria set her laptop bag down on the floor behind my desk and giggled.

“Cock blocked again, Sailor.”

She wasn’t wrong. The tease had my dick hard from the moment she’d said she was up for a quicky and she kept it that way the entire drive to the office with her hand on my thigh and her knowing smirks.

I tagged her hand and yanked her to me. Her other hand came up, braced against my chest, and she leaned in for a kiss.

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