Page 62 of Second Chances with my Billionaire Bosses

“You look…Jesus, Maxine. You look beautiful.” Shep pressed his knuckles into his mouth and shook his head. “Goddamn.”

“Come here, baby.” Arlo came up a few steps to reach me but Rhett pulled him back.

“No. If any of us touch her before we get out of this house, we’ll never make it to our date.” Rhett groaned and slapped Arlo on the chest while pulling him away. “Walk your sexy ass out to my truck and climb in. It’s the only way we’re not dragging you straight to bed, sweetheart.”

I giggled and rushed past them, nearly falling over in the heels I wasn’t used to. I managed to catch myself and then hurried out to the truck with them hot on my trail. The pained sounds they made lit me on fire. Knowing how much I affected them made me feel so alive.

Arlo opened my door for me before I could do it myself and looked at me with so much heat that I blushed.

“If you put that dress on with the idea that you were still planning on leaving us eventually, you’re sadly mistaken. There’s no way we’re letting you go, no matter what, but after seeing you in this dress? Baby, you’re ours. Forever.”

I hesitated before slowly raising my hand to brush my fingertips over his cheek. I wanted to tell him I was done fighting but I couldn’t make the words come out. Not yet. Instead, I smiled shyly and then gasped when he grabbed me and put me in the backseat. His hands immediately released me and I missed them desperately.

Shep climbed into the backseat with me and slid his hand over to hold mine.

“I’m going to send your sisters flowers. And maybe jewelry. This dress is something else.”

I ran my free hand down my bare thigh and rolled my eyes.

“I think they were dressing me for a night out in the city. I’m not sure Devil’s Den requires all this.”

“They were dressing you in hopes of getting you knocked up, I’m pretty sure.” Rhett glanced at me in the rearview mirror and smirked. “They had that scheming look about them.”

“They were angry about the surrogacy plan.” I looked out the window and watched the mountains in the distance. “It seems like everyone knew it was a stupid plan but me.”

Shep’s hand tightened around mine.

“And now? What do you think of it?”

I looked back at him and smiled.

“It was a stupid fucking plan.”

Arlo let out a bark of laughter from the front of the truck and shifted so he could look back at me.

“There’s something magical about hearing you curse, sweetheart. That hold over you gets a little looser day by day, huh?”

A sly smile was my answer. Truthfully, I heard Mom’s voice less than ever and still less and less daily. For all the bad she’d pushed on me it didn’t seem to be strong enough to handle all the good the guys gave me.

Rhett parked in front of the diner and I let out an astonished laugh when I saw the sign on the door that proclaimed that it was closed for a private event. In my entire life I’d never seen the diner closed for anything of the sort.

Arlo opened my door for me and helped me out, using his body to block my not so graceful dismount from view. He looked down the front of my dress once I was standing in front of him and stepped closer. He tucked his finger under my chin to lift my face and then he gently pressed his mouth to mine. Speaking against my lips, he kept his voice low.

“As soon as we get home tonight I’m going to push this dress up and eat you until you can’t take anymore.”

I leaned into him and trailed my mouth up to his ear.

“Want to know a secret?”

His hands gripped my hips hard.

“From you? Always.”

“I couldn’t wear panties with this dress.” Who was the siren who’d taken my place and decided being a seductress was the best idea ever? I didn’t know but I appreciated her taking control of my mouth.

He pinned me to the side of the truck and kissed me so intensely that I lost my breath. His tongue stroked past my lips and teased mine before the sound of someone clearing their throat drew us apart. He glanced over his shoulder and sighed while slowly pulling away.

“Ma’am?”

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