Page 99 of Storm

She giggles, then wraps her arms around my neck to pull me to her. Kissing me again, she whispers, “Will you tell me you love me?”

“I thought it was obvious,” I murmur back as her lips work over mine teasingly.

“You should tell her. Women are happy when you say it often.” Both Miriam and I turn our heads to find Ezra, watching us closely. When he has Miriam’s attention, he holds up a dress. “Will this do?”

She laughs, then lifts her chin toward the bag on the bed. “It’s perfect. Will you put it in there?” Then, turning to me, she raises a brow as Ezra does as he’s been asked.

Picking her up, I help guide her legs around my waist. “Te amo niña bonita.”

Her head tilts to the side as she runs her gaze over my face. “Richard or Ezra?”

Laughing, I kiss her hard and set her down. “Rich helped with that one. Pretty good, right?”

“Perfecto. Although, sometimes things don’t cross over the same way between languages. Now, say it in English because I like it better that way.”

Herding her to the door, I stop her and lean back until her hair brushes the floor. With as much dramatic flair as I can muster, I run my tongue up the center of her chest where her skin is exposed, then lick across her lip until she opens for me.

“I love you, pretty girl. You’re what keeps my heart beating.” I kiss her again, enjoying the way she melts under me. Nipping at her lip, I add, “And what keeps my cock hard at night.”

Her head falls away as her laugh explodes from her belly. “Such a Casanova.”

“You know it,” I tease with a wink. Pulling her back up straight, we head out to the car already running. Ezra is carrying Gabriel, tucked snuggly in his car seat, trailing along behind us.

We make our stop over at Susanna’s place first, since Ezra called ahead to the store and hisbest friend Willydoesn’t start his shift until early afternoon. We have a nice lunch with them while the girls talk baby stuff, and Ezra and I get to know Susanna’s guys better.

Finally, we’re walking into the store where Ezra loaded up on so many essential items for Miriam.Fuck. I can’t believe how long ago it feels. Thoughts of where we’re at now bring me to a halt.

Miriam gives me a curious look, but I keep it to myself. Instead, I take her hand and we follow behind Ezra while he carries Gabriel through the store, looking down each aisle.

He walks past one, then immediately takes two steps back. “Hey man! Remember me?”

Miriam and I pick up our pace when Ezra disappears between the shelves and we lock eyes as soon as we hear a young kid’s voice. “Oh myGod!Dude, I can’t believe you’re actually here. Holy shit… Wait, sorry.Is that your baby?”

As soon as they come into view, I start laughing. This kid is the epitome of a pimply, high school nerd. And fuck, he’s got a mouth on him.Willypeers over Ezra’s shoulder when he sees us and his eyes widen.

“Isn’t he great, man?” Ezra is asking him, holding Gabriel to the side so his “friend” can get a look at him. “Let me tell you, those teepee things you suggested are life savers. This kid could hit the wall if you let the stream fly.”

Clapping my hand on Ezra’s shoulder, I grin at Willy. “You want to introduce us?”

“Sorry. Will, this is my best friend Tate. He’s also Gabe’s dad. Andthisgorgeous woman is Miriam.”

Holding out a hand, he takes it slowly, doing his best to not stare at Miriam and failing miserably. When I have a grip on his hand, I tug him closer. “I know she’s probably one of the most beautiful women you’ll ever see, but you should close your mouth.”

He snaps it shut and blushes. Scratching at his head, he looks everywhereexceptMiriam, who elbows me in the side. “Will, it’s nice to meet you. Thank you for helping Ez out when he went on his shopping trip. You wereveryhelpful.”

“Oh, it was no big deal.” Then he grins widely and smirks at Ezra. “It was probably the most fun I’ve had here. Congrats on the kid, by the way. I’ve seen a lot of ugly babies around here and yours definitely isn’t one of them.”

Ezra shows off Gabriel for another few minutes before asking, “So, got anything new in here we didn’t get the first time?”

Will snaps his fingers, then leads us to the other side of the store and starts pointing out items I’m not sure any of us understand. Because of his enthusiasm, we do find ourselves picking up a few of them.

Once we’ve checked out and loaded up, Ezra slips him another hundred. “I probably won’t see you again, but seriously, thanks so much for your help.”

“Nah, man. It was great. I wasn’t expecting to see you again, so this was pretty badass. Your kid is awesome.”

After getting Gabriel settled back in his car seat, Miriam thanks Will and we finally take off for her dad’s place. She’s in the back with her eyes closed for the drive and I glance over at a beaming Ezra.

“He’s a good kid,” I tell him.

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