Page 32 of After Hours

“Hey baby.” I leaned over the back of the couch where Oscar worked on his laptop. Sugar lay on her back with her feet in the air next to him. He looked up from the customer managementscreen and took the kiss I offered. “Dani texted. She beat her time up the Gap.”

He half-smiled, half-cringed. “That’s good, but safe sounds better than fast.”

I couldn’t help but kiss him again. “We’re always safe. I think I’m going to grab a shower before our brothers show up. Are you in the mood for Chinese tonight? I have a craving for wonton soup. Does Dec like it?”

Oscar typed a few more things before he looked up, pretty eyes wide. “What did you say? I’m sorry. Someone ordered three custom necklaces.”

“Nothing, baby. We can figure out dinner when they get here.”

I shoved my sweaty clothes in the hamper and started the shower. He had to finish the orders from his online shop before dinner anyway. That was one of our rules. No work stuff after dinner. It took a while to get used to a day shift when I first switched, but being able to see Oscar while he was awake was a big bonus. Henry knew not to ask me to fill in for the midnight shift unless in the most extreme emergencies.

Now, a year later, I couldn’t imagine getting out of bed at midnight to head to work. That was the perfect time for snuggling and sleeping.

I tipped my head back and scrubbed shampoo through my hair. With the rush of water, I didn’t even hear the door open. A sudden cool breeze on my bare side made me blink. The press of Oscar’s warm, bare body up against mine made me forget about dinner or hair washing or anything other than how good he felt.

“I wasn’t ignoring you,” he said before he pressed his lips against my shoulder.

Turning around, I wrapped my arms around him and pulled him close. “I know you weren’t. I was distracting you.” When hismouth skated up my throat to my jaw, I groaned. “Do we have time for this now? They’ll be here soon.”

Instead of answering, his lips found mine, and we got lost kissing and touching each other. The warm water cascaded over us, washing soap away and making everything even more steamy. My hand slid down to cup his ass and pull him closer. “Oscar, baby, I want—”

The muffled sound of the doorbell and three sharp knocks interrupted our private plans. Oscar slumped against me, and I groaned with frustration instead of rising passion. The bell rang again, and the banging got louder. “I hate my brother,” I muttered as I reached for the faucet.

“No, you don’t.” Oscar hopped out, grabbed a towel, and hurried out into the hall. “Just a minute!” he yelled toward the living room before rushing the other way into our bedroom.

We answered the door together, hair wet but with wide smiles.

“You knew we were on our way, bro,” Wyatt said with a laugh.

Dec swatted his arm and pushed past to grab Oscar in a huge hug. We bustled about getting soda and water, ordering Chinese takeout, and deciding on a movie. Ten minutes later, Dec was flat on his back with Sugar bouncing all over him, Wyatt was laughing his head off, and Oscar was in my arms.

“I love our life,” he said as he tipped his curly head back against my shoulder.

I squeezed him and kissed his temple. “I love you.”

He whispered it back to me. There was nothing more to say. Life didn’t need big thrills or great adventures. It didn’t need family ties or legacies full of expectations. We made our own family, and all we expected was love. Our little world was perfect, our love was perfect, and it would stay that way forever as long as I had Oscar in my arms.

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