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Lord have mercy.

“It’ll ruin my dress,” I whine, wishing we could indulge, “and then we’ll have to miss the wedding, and something tells me that’s not a good look for our first official outing as the representatives of East End and PNZ.”

He groans but steps back, reaching down to adjust the bulge in his pants as the doors of the elevator open. I step forward to exit, but he grabs my arm and stops me, whispering in my ear, “Seriously, Verity. The three of us are going to be walking into enemy territory distracted by how fucking gorgeous you are. It’s going to be averylong night.”

My cheeks heat as we step out into the lobby. Wicker and Pace are focused on a tablet, both dressed in dark suits. We’d been told to wear black in honor of the wedding’s theme. None of us have any idea what we’re getting into.

Wicker glances up first, his gaze piercing through me as he stands straighter. “Christ, Red,” he exhales, taking me in. He jabs his elbow at Pace, who draws his eyes away from the tablet, and sucks in a breath.

“Fuck me, Rosi.” Pace’s dark eyes assess me from head to toe before throwing Lex a pained look. “We’re going straight into enemy territory with boners.”

Lex points at him. “That’s what I said.”

My jaw drops. “How do you think I feel? You have to deal with one chick, but I’ve got three fucking underwear models to look at all night. Why do you keep letting Wicker dress you?” I demand. The man’s got impeccable taste for menswear. Their suits are hugging all the right places.

Goddamn it, I want tofuck.

Lex shrugs, adjusting his shirt cuff. “We work with our strengths.”

Let’s just hope I have some left by the time this wedding is over with.

“God,I thought we’d never get out of there,” Pace says, tugging at his tie as we all but sprint to the waiting car. “That whole thing?—”

“Stop,” Wick says, rubbing his temples. His hair is a rumpled mess from the mask he wore all night. “Let’s swear right now—all four of us—that we’ll never speak ofthatagain.”

“Deal,” Lex agrees, helping me into the backseat of the car. They climb in behind me and Pace taps the roof, letting the pledge know we’re ready to go. “We should get to West End in about fifteen minutes.”

I groan, squirming in my dress, which has become itchy and annoying. “That’s another reason we should have Mama stay at the palace. It’s so much closer.”

I’m not going to say I’m engorged, but I can feel the pads I’d stuffed in my built-in bra getting damp. It’s been two hours and forty-five minutes. We’re pushing the limits.

Wicker, sitting across from me, bends down to pluck up my foot, propping it onto his knee. Pulling off my shoe, he rubs tiny circles into my arch that make me positively melt. Sighing, I lean into Pace’s side and inhale his warm scent.

As weird as the wedding was, I have to admit that it was fun to get out for a while. Lex and Pace still have school, and Wick sometimes has to attend to businessy things, but I never get out of the palace. I’ve put a lot of work into making it feel more like home, but the cabin fever is intense.

Lex’s phone chimes and he picks it up, reading the name on the screen. “It’s a text from your mom.” He thumbs it open, scanning the words. “She says to stay as long as we want. Justice got fussy, so she gave him some tummy time—fuck, hopefully on the dinosaur blanket—and a bottle. He’s back asleep.” He sends a text in response. “I told her we’re already on the way.”

Smiling, I wager, “You also told her about the dinosaur blanket, didn’t you?”

He pointedly ignores this question, and when the phone chimes back, his eyebrows rise. “She said to enjoy a few extra hours.”

“You mean we’ve got two hours…” Pace asks, glancing between us, “alone?”

“We could go to the diner,” Lex says, looking at me. “You hungry?”

My stomach drops as I realize I’m about to spoil all the fun. “Unfortunately, I’m going to need to get home and pump,” I remind them, aware that I’m pretty much past the point of no return. “I feel like I’m about to burst.”

Wick’s eyes flick down to my chest and his tongue darts out. “I mean, youcouldpump,” he says. It could be taken for casual,except for that hard, tense muscle in the back of his jaw. “Or we could take care of it.”

The idea brings a rush of warmth between my legs and I confess, “I don’t know if I can make it until we get home.”

“Who said we needed to wait?” Pace says, wasting no time tugging at my top. “Let’s at least relieve a little of the pressure.”

Lex bangs on the window between the front and back seat, calling out, “Change of plans. Take us home.”

The vee of my dress, made for easy nursing access, splits easily, exposing my breast. A drop of milk beads on my nipple, then slides over the round curve. Pace’s thumb catches it, and I watch, hypnotized as he brings it to his lips, tongue snatching it off the tip. His eyelids droop. “You had almonds?”

I watch his Adam’s apple bob. “This afternoon. How did you know?”