Page 88 of She Wolf

She leans forward and presses a soft kiss to the side of my mouth. “I really, really do,” she punctuates eachreallywith tiny presses of her lips on mine. “But what about—oh! Mom and Dad are off on a sailboat!”

“That’s what Casey said. We’ll see them but then they’re heading out for a couple of nights, and we’ll have the place all to ourselves,” I say as I turn my head to place a soft kiss on her neck.

She drains the rest of her pale mauve drink. “I think I owe Casey one.” Her smile is devilish as she jumps out of the booth and holds out her hand. I quickly down mine and then pull my wallet out of my pocket and throw down a few bills for the waitress. Linking our fingers, I let her lead me up to the suite.

Chapter Nineteen

Gunner

We arrive in Wilmington two days earlier than planned. Even though Jack was excited to get here, whatever Casey had said to him earlier this morning at the other end of the breakfast table had been received with an over the top yes and a robot dance. After that he was more than happy to postpone maximizing the fun. Just a smidge.

We talked and sang the whole drive down and to say that Mrs. Madden was thrilled to see us is an understatement. There were tears and hugs and face squashes that I can’t say I didn’t enjoy. Coralie’s father beamed the whole time, just watching, waiting for the moment he was able to hold his only daughter in a warm welcome.

“Nice to see you, son,” he said once it was my turn, my stomach clenching a little at hearing Coralie’s dad call me that. I kinda like it.

“Thank you and you too, sir. Thank you for sharing your home with us.” When he smiles, it lights up his whole face. If Jack is a tiny version of the Madden brothers, then the Madden brothers are younger versions of this man.

A retired officer in the Air Force, he exudes the kind of energy you’d expect from a former military man.

He claps me on the back. “Now come on, the sooner we unload the luggage the sooner we can eat.”

“Eat? I thought you didn’t know we were coming,” Coralie says with a knowing smile.

“Trust me, the moment you pulled up on the drive Gilly was pulling dishes out of the

freezer. She wanted to make sure everything was stocked before we left.” He smiles, brightly, his eyes boring into me. “Empty nest syndrome is a real thing Gunner, so, good luck.”

Can he see how much I love her? Knows it will be me standing beside Coralie when

our babies finally leave—although the thought of Jack not being around all the time makes me sad even now.

We head back out to the car to unload and Jack Sr. chuckles when he spies all of Jack’s luggage. He’s definitely packed more than the rest of us. It’s a good job my truck is so big, and it takes a few trips up and down the wooden stairs.

Instead of a sprawling mansion like you might find in other coastal resorts—this oceanfront, custom-crafted house is set over three stories. It’s a giant of a building, and what it lacks in land, makes up for by being directly on the beach.

That’s a lot of fucking steps though.

And of the eight bedrooms, Coralie fell in love with one on the top floor, furthest along the corridor.

Casey had it painted in powder blues, greys, sea greens and whites, and it’s so calming, with an obvious beachy vibe, it just pleads with you to relax and recharge—and that’s exactly what I have in store for us.

We enjoy an over-the-top late lunch and when Jack Sr. is finally able to pry Mama Madden away from Coralie, they leave for their two-day excursion. Coralie sees them out and waits on the porch at the top of the steps waving them off.

I’m rinsing off dinner plates when Coralie loops her arms around my waist from behind.

“That was a long old drive, huh?” She says hugging into me. The warmth of her body soaking through to mine.

“It was.” Six hours, but it felt like nothing with my gorgeous girl beside me.

Rinsing off the last of the suds, I place the final pieces of the cutlery on the draining board. I might not use my kitchen much—or any kitchen for that matter—but my mom always made us do the dishes straight after dinner. Even now with the dishwasher empty and waiting to be filled, my mom’s training is kicking in. Drying off my hands I spin switching positions and bundling her into me. Pressing her perfect body into mine.

“I like sharing such a small space with you. Having you confined is just fine by me,” I say with a smile.

“Honestly, Gunner, first you show your stalker tendencies and now you’re giving off serial killer vibes. I don’t know if I might have bitten off more than I can chew.”

“Oh, it’s definitely more than a mouthful,” I squeeze her slim waist, and she giggles.

“Wanna go take a walk along the beach,” I shake my head, nuzzling into her neck. Inhaling her rosy scent that seems to constantly emanate from her skin.

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