Page 79 of Séance

My own little piece of heaven in one beautiful woman.

Her stomach releases a fierce growl, and I reluctantly pull back. Her beautiful full lips are swollen from my kiss, and I can’t resist leaning forward to nip them once more. I shake my head to rid it of the spell she placed on me and straighten to my full height to glare down at her. “Stop trying to distract me, woman. Why didn’t you tell me you were hungry?”

I wince when it comes out as more of an accusation than a question. The need to feed her is like a compulsion, and I grab her hand and march her toward the deli. “Come, we have a picnic to attend.”

Pookie is about to be the most spoiled woman in the world, and my chest puffs up at being the one to fulfill her every whim, even the ones she doesn’t know she has yet. Instead of reprimanding me, her laughter trails behind us. My heart does a little twirl and dance in my chest at the sound, and I squish her tighter against my side, my own smile breaking free.

My pookie is fucking perfect.

As I place the order for a picnic, selecting nearly everything on the menu for her to try, Rue texts the guys the location of the park near the pond. I also order a bag of bird food, something most stores near the park sell, imagining her reaction to feeding the ducks that flock to the large, man-made lake.

It doesn’t take long for the food to be ready, and we walk toward the park. Whenever anyone looks at my pookie for too long, I glare at them. More than one person scrambles away, nearly running into traffic to cross to the opposite side of the road.

I spot the guys waiting by the lake and scowl that my time alone with Rue has come to an end, then I sigh. As much as I might want to hog her attention all day, she belongs to all of us.

No, if we want to make this work, then I have to share.

I kick a rock at my feet as I pout, struggling with my sudden need for violence.

Rue squeezes my hand and smiles, and my bad mood vanishes. “You okay? Do the crowds bother you?”

The fist around my heart eases that she would notice. Most people see my grin and don’t give a fuck to dig deeper. My smile turns genuine as I gaze down at her, and a weird warmth fills my chest when she beams back. “I’m good now.”

I tighten my hand around hers and vow to be on my best behavior. The last thing I want is to cause trouble when she’s out with us.

I want to prove to her and the others that I can be good.

That I deserve her just as much as them.

Chapter Twenty-six

RUE

The picnic is magical. Jameson remains by my side the whole time, keeping me entertained and stuffed with food, insisting on feeding me much of it himself. After the initial awkwardness, I find his attentiveness sweet.

I bask in his attention, feeling special for the first time in my life.

Even Hicks isn’t a dick, though I suspect it took an effort to curb himself for my benefit.

I could easily lose my heart to these guys. I refuse to look at my emotions too closely, just wanting to enjoy myself without overanalyzing and second-guessing everything.

Jameson digs into the basket—yes, an honest-to-goodness picnic basket—and pulls out a bag of…corn, seeds, grains, oats, and vegetables?

I crinkle my nose and lean back. “I’ll let you guys enjoy that. I’m stuffed.”

Everyone glances in my direction, then blinks as if I spoke a foreign language. Jameson breaks first, sputtering on hislaughter as he launches to his feet. “Not for us, sweetums. It’s to feed the birds. Come,” he demands, holding out his free hand for me and wiggling his fingers impatiently, shifting from foot to foot as if it’s hard for him to remain still for a second.

Curiosity gets the best of me, and I grab his hand, then yelp when he tugs me to my feet so hard that I go flying. I land with a soft oomph against his chest, and his arms wraps around my waist. He grins down at me brightly, wiggling his eyebrows as he hugs me. “I knew you couldn’t get enough of me, but we’re in public, pookie. Save the sexy stuff for when we’re in private.”

A blush heats my cheeks, but I laugh up at him and roll my eyes.

“Aw, who am I kidding, sugarplum? You can claim me whenever and wherever you want.” He kisses me on the nose, then he takes off for the pond, leaving me no choice but to keep up with him or be dragged.

“Yeah, sure, we’ll clean up your mess,” Hicks mutters behind us, and I turn to see him and Ellis already cleaning up the leftovers.

Feeling bad, I try to pull away, but Jameson snorts, having none of it. “Don’t let them fool you. They would do it anyway. They don’t like the way I clean up.”

I can tell he’s honestly baffled why they don’t appreciate his assistance. I can only imagine the chaos and mess involved when he tries tohelp. I catch up to him, hugging his arm close to my chest, both to keep him from wandering off and because I enjoy having him near.

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