Page 172 of State of Grace (First Family 2)

“How’s it going?” Sam asked him.

“All good. Everyone is settled, and we’re just making sure there’re no last-minute requests before I send everyone home.”

“We can’t thank you enough for such a wonderful evening,” Sam said.

“We all enjoyed it. Everyone appreciated you inviting the staff families in for the reception last weekend. They loved meeting you both and the kids. And, of course, Skippy, the internet superstar.”

“She’s the most famous one in the family,” Nick said, offering his hand to Gideon. “Thank you for all you do. We’re blown away every day by the incredible staff.”

Gideon shook his hand. “We aim to please, sir. We’ll see you in the morning.”

With their guests settled in for the night, Sam followed Nick into their bedroom and closed the door, leaning against it with a deep sigh. “That was one hell of a Christmas Eve,” she said.

“I’d say it was the best ever, but I sure did miss having your dad with us.”

“Me, too, but it’s okay to say it was the best ever. He’d certainly agree with that.”

“It’s nice to be able to have everyone here with us, even if I feel a little guilty about putting so much on the staff at Christmas.”

“Gideon said they were happy to do it. They know about the twins and what they’ve been through. Everyone wants to see them have a magical Christmas.”

Nick came to her and ran his hands down her bare arms, careful to avoid the bandage on her left arm, before linking their fingers. “Most beautiful wife I’ve ever had,” he said, kissing her neck.

Sam laughed. “I’d better be the only wife you ever have, mister.”

“Only one I’ve ever wanted, and you know it. How do I get you out of this getup?”

“There’s a button right here,” she said, pointing to the back of her neck.

When he released the button, the top half of the dress collapsed, leaving her nearly bare from the waist up.

“What’ve we got going on here?” Nick asked, eyeing the tape Marcus had convinced her to wear in lieu of a bra.

“Blame Marcus. He said, ‘Tape up the girls so you won’t have to wear a bra.’”

“How do I untape the girls?” Nick asked, his brows furrowing adorably.

“Carefully,” Sam said.

Working together, they tugged gently on the tape that had held her breasts in place inside the slinky red gown.

“Ah, there they are,” Nick said when the last of the tape had been removed. “My best girls.” He cupped them and ran his thumbs over her nipples. “You looked so beautiful tonight, but then again, you always do.”

“Same to you. I love how you look in that tux. Hotter than the sun.”

“Whatever,” he said, as he always did when she commented on his hotness.

Sam laughed as she worked on removing the studs that held his shirt together. “Can you just take this over your head?” she asked, impatient as always.

“Yep.” He lifted the shirt and the T-shirt under it up and over his head, revealing her favorite man chest of all time.

She slipped her arms around him and pressed her breasts against him.

“Mmm, now that is what I needed,” Nick said, sighing with pleasure. “Best part of the day, hands down.”

“Watching you read to the kids was pretty great, too.”

“I’ve never been more relieved in my life than when we got that news from Andy,” Nick said.

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