Page 90 of Imperfection is Beauty

Two strong arms banded around my waist and pulled me to a large chest.

Smiling, I tilted my head back, my hair trailing down his chest, looking up into those eyes of his that I still saw four kids, and two dogs in.

He winked then pressed a soft kiss to my lips.

Once he pulled back, I turned around in his arms, wrapped my hands around his massive biceps, and said, “Great job today, honey. You got any booboos?”

He wiggled his eyebrows at me, “A few, yeah.”

Standing there, seeing everything I’ve ever wanted in those mocha-colored eyes I often found myself drowning in, throwing caution to the wind because I was tired of holding it in, I whispered, “Love me some of you, Marcus.”

And at my words, my big behemoth of a man bent forward lowered his head, pressed his forehead to mine, and whispered, “Love you more than air, Shortcake.”

My spine straightened, “What?”

He lifted a brow, “What do you mean, what?”

I glared, “Just like that? You didn’t have to say it because I said it.”

He grinned then, “I didn’t.”

I narrowed my eyes at him, “Don’t you dare ask me if I’m on my rag or some nasty shit like that either.”

He grinned, “First of all, I would never ask you that. Second, I was raised better. Third, I know you can kick my ass. Fourth, because I would never do anything to hurt you. And fifth, because I’d let you beat on me all you want to. It just means for some hot as fuck makeup sex.”

I snorted, “I love all that, honey, but you really didn’t have to say it because I said it.”

“Actually, it’s the second time you told me, and it’s the second time I said it back. So, I didn’t say it because you said it. I said it because I never met a woman, I wanted to have my babies with. Until you.”

Everything else he said went way over my head, “What do you mean the second time?”

“You said it in your sleep one night, and right before I followed you to dreamland, I said it back.”

“Okay, before she gets on a tear, how about we all go get a bite to eat? I’m starving.”

“Place a few blocks from here that only lets players in, after game day. No overzealous fans will be allowed in.”

And that was how Daemon, Aliyah, Crew, Keeley, Culpepper, Braydon, his wife, Finch, Van, Marcus, my dad, and the brothers all moved five tables together and ate dinner.

And yes… that night in his four-poster bed, I kissed away all his booboos and then grinned when he brought out my favorite tie of his.

***

If I had known all the joy and bliss, I had experienced last night was all going to come crashing down around me the next day… I would have told the world to go fuck itself.

Literally.

And because of one single mistake neither one of us would ever repeat.

Chapter 20

Scarlett

Rolling over in bed, I let out a blissful sigh, and apparently, I got too far away, because in the next second, he had his arms around my body, pulling me deep into his chest.

His face automatically buried itself in my hair and inhaled deeply.

Sleepily, he asked, “What time is it?”

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