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“If you haven’t noticed, and I mean, I don’t know how you couldn’t, but I’m absolute shit at showing emotion. And when Hensley knocked on the door along with her news that she’d spoken to my parents more than I have in the past decade, well... It’s ridiculous, me being hurt because a part of my life I’d left behind came back with a vengeance.”

His warm hand stroked my cheek before cupping it. “Rejection, in any form, hurts. Sometimes you bury it deep, but it’s still there.”

“It’s the reason I freaked out. Hensley and my parents, they’re two of my apparent failures. Although for both, I walked away and didn’t look back once they let me know they didn’t want me anymore.”

Neko swallowed, and his eyes widened at my words.

“Oh, love, what we have…” He shook his head, “Whether they’re romantic or between family, relationships take work. Between both parties. You walked away from the life you knew in California for your sake. It’s not selfish to want the best for you. And I see now. You’re wondering if you’re capable of loving someone without ruining it. But my question is did you ruin your relationships, or did you want an existence different from them which made you incompatible and you did the right thing by moving on?”

His understanding relaxed the tension in my chest.

“It’s not logical. I shut myself off from those who chose another path apart from me.”

“Hey, there’s nothing wrong insulating yourself or changing your life in order to protect your mental health. I’m one gigantic emotional nerve, I cry at the simplest things, including commercials. Instead of losing yourself in sentiment, you judge any situation based on rationale.” He paused for a minute. “Does it bother you she’s here?”

Rather than spouting out nonsense in a knee-jerk reaction to the surprise of my ex arriving on my boyfriend’s doorstep, I thought about it. Hensley, despite her career and a few of the friends she surrounded herself with, was down-to-earth and as practical as I was. Although it took me several months to get over it after she broke it off, there wasn’t any residual emotion tied to our failed relationship. I thought of her as my friend, and granted I hadn’t contacted her since we split, but I still counted her as one.

“No, and I’m pleased she opened up to you about her career. It’s a strange feeling, you two being in the same space…”

“But?”

Our mouths met in a tender kiss and devolved into a mesh of lips and tongues and sensation. I absorbed his moans and loved the pinch of his fingers digging into my waist, grounding me. As we broke apart, both of us panting, I said, “I want you all to myself.”

“We have all night and,” he blushed and stammered before he continued, “I want to see your reaction to your presents.”

“How did you find time to buy them?”

He winked, which set my blood alight. I loved the playful Neko.

I snagged a quick kiss and murmured against his lips, “I’m going to enjoy the next few hours because it’s important to you I celebrate my birthday. But tonight, after everyone has gone home and we’re alone, I will touch and kiss and lick every inch of skin until you’re vibrating with need for me. Then, I’ll sink into your beautiful and willing body, making love to you until your orgasm strikes and you shake with its intensity.”

Before he answered, Echo walked in with Hensley, both of them smiling, and asked, “Why is Neko flushed? Please tell me you didn’t do it on the kitchen counter. It’s unsanitary.”

“Yeah, in a full house including my parents, Graham’s ex, my best friend and the twins, I somehow seduced Graham, and we achieved mutual orgasms, all the while clothed, in less than ten minutes from the time he arrived home. I’m brilliant!”

I laughed and leaned closer, a little breathless because he called his house our home and replied, “Yes, you are.”

He hugged my waist and smiled against my lips and whispered, “Happy birthday, love.”

“Thank you, for everything.” I paused, not sure if I should tell him, but unable to keep it to myself. “Although I didn’t plan this, I have a surprise for you later.”

His brows drew down as the edge of his mouth tipped up in a smile. “I know, you promised—”

“On top of all that. Trust me, it’s going to be life-changing.”

“With you, I know that’ll be a good thing.”

There was a rush when the oven beeped. Neko pulled out the garlic bread and cut up the lasagna while I filled the glasses with ice and put out an assortment of drinks. None of us imbibed in alcohol, so I grabbed soda, water, and iced tea.

The conversation stalled and then stopped altogether as we took a bite of the lasagna. When the sauce, noodles, and cheese melted on my tongue, I moaned, unable to keep the sound from escaping my throat. Although I’d eaten dinner with him every night and adored all the new tastes I never experienced before, the pasta ranked up there with the best thing I ever put in my mouth. Okay, a close second, but I wouldn’t be able to sustain myself on Neko alone.

The entire group of us became ravenous and demolished the pasta, bread, and salad. When Echo swiped some frosting from the cake, my attention focused on the sweet-scented, exquisite creation. Each layer decorated in a different color; light pink on the bottom, yellow with blue ribbons around the middle, and then a dark chocolate with chocolate shavings on the top.

“E, it’s Graham’s cake. He should get to taste it first.”

Echo growled at me, the words ‘happy birthday’ rumbled out of her throat, before she crossed her arms and said, “Well hurry. This tower of sugar has been tempting me since you made it.”

Neko giggled as he lit the three candles on top of the cake and brought it closer to me. When I stood, leaning down and pressing a kiss to the top of his head, he whispered, “Make a wish.”