Page 56 of My Darling Mayhem

I smiled. “I’d love some dinner. I have Kane with me after school, so it’ll be two of us.”

“Cruz will love that. See you at five?”

My stomach dipped. It was just dinner, but the idea of sitting at a table with her, Cruz, and Kane did something to me. “We’ll be there.”

“Why do you have flowers?” Kane asked as we walked over to Wren’s house. The sun was setting, and the sky was blue with swirls of orange and pink, creating a beautiful sunset. The red roses were mixed with baby’s breath, wrapped in burlap, andin my hands, they felt as significant as walking over with an engagement ring.

“Because Wren is making us dinner, bringing the host flowers is a nice gesture.”

Kane wrinkled his nose. “Sarah took a loaf of bread to someone’s house when our fancy neighbors invited us over.”

Sarah was his foster mom, and she was nice enough, but I hated when Kane used the term ‘our’ or ‘my’ when talking about her or Ron, his foster dad.

“Bread is a good idea, too. In fact, Wren might have liked that better.” I passed by her black SUV and smiled. The windows were all tinted, and the wheels were black-walled. My mind drifted to how safe it would be and how, if she were my woman, the only other thing she’d need was a piece of leather for her back. Then, I thought of taking her on the back of my bike…in more ways than one.

Kane bumped into my leg. “Are you going to knock?”

I blinked, shaking away those thoughts, and rapped my knuckles against her door.

Cruz yelled something on the other side before Wren pulled on the knob, revealing both of them and a warm, inviting house.

Kane pushed past me and ran inside with Cruz. The two took off toward his room before we could encourage them to wash up. Wren sidestepped the two, which gave me a second to look at her without her noticing. Her hair was loosely braided down her back, but pieces had fallen free, kissing her cheek and framing her bright eyes. She wore a pair of tight jeans and a soft shirt that had a deep V cut, allowing just the smallest peek at her cleavage. Fuck, the way I wanted to trace my tongue along that cut and see what her tits looked like underneath it.

“Hi.” She smiled, and it made my head feel fuzzy.

My eyes dropped to her mouth, and all I could think of was when we’d kissed in the truck.I had something else in mind.

“Archer?” Wren’s brows dipped into the center of her forehead. “Are these for me?”

My hand shot out with the flowers. “Yes.”

“They’re beautiful, thank you.” She brought the flowers to her nose, where she inhaled and closed her eyes. That fuzzy feeling returned as I stepped inside and closed the door. There was a strange sense of fulfillment as I slipped out of my shoes and followed her into the kitchen.

“Smells good in here.” My stomach growled as I smelled the different spices permeating the air; it was sweet with an undercurrent of savory that made my mouth water. Wren gently set the roses down and began searching through her cupboards.

“I’m glad you think so. I decided to treat you guys to my famous root beer tacos.” She pulled a large glass vase out and began filling it with water.

I settled next to her, carefully peeling back the burlap that held the flowers together. “Root beer?”

Wren gave me a smile that eclipsed her entire face, making my stomach flip. “Yes, root beer. I soak the meat in it and then slow-cook it. It makes for such a delicious kick, especially when we add the salsa. I mix in mango, purple onion, cilantro, and a few other things that create a really delicious combination. I also have chicken in case you guys don’t like it.”

Her face flushed pink, making me want to pull her in for a kiss.

“We’ll like it.”

She laughed, and it made me smile. “Don’t be so sure. I can throw together something else, too, if you want.”

“If you made it, we’d be honored to eat it, Wren.” Since the boys were in Cruz’s bedroom, I stepped behind her and placed my lips at her ear. “In fact, I can’t wait to taste them. They’re making my mouth water.” I traced my tongue over the shell ofher ear, which caused a trail of goosebumps to erupt down the side of her neck and along her arms.

She sighed deeply as her hands sorted the flowers into a vase. Her mouth parted just as the boys ran in, and I stepped away from her.

Wren’s voice cracked as her fingers gripped the counter. “Boys, ready to eat?”

“Yeah, I’m hungry as an elephant.” Kane laughed, and then Cruz slid into the chair next to him. “I’m so hungry, I could eat an elephant.”

The two laughed while Wren shook her head, smiling while serving our plates. Smaller tortillas were pulled from a circular container, steam rising as Wren used tongs to pull out a pile. She prepped each plate with double-layered tortillas, then lifted the lid off the meat. My stomach groaned as the aroma of food hit my stomach.

“Here, let me help.” I took Kane’s plate, dished his meat, and added the mango blend.

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