Page 55 of Claiming Ours (Anchor Bay #2)
BAYLEE
C arefully balancing the Kindle on my thigh, I tapped the screen to turn the page while continuing to thread my fingers through Memphis’s soft strands.
I smiled down, loving the view of his head resting on my lap, lips parted in sleep.
When they returned from the suspicious errand, Memphis had stormed into the cabin, kissed me senseless, then headed to take a shower while Liam went to his place to do the same.
I swiped a clump of soft blond hair off his forehead and studied his handsome face.
How did I get so lucky?
Memories of Memphis had surfaced a few times over the years that would remind me of the friend I used to have and missed like hell, but I never took that step to track him down. Thankfully, he was braver than me, or we wouldn’t be here now with me quickly falling back in love with him.
While they were gone and I had time to process the last week, I recognized that love was what I felt for Memphis then.
It was platonic—though I guess not fully, or I wouldn’t have enjoyed him watching me and Dean or fantasized about him joining us.
What made me love Memphis then and now was how he treated me with respect, made me his priority no matter the situation, and I always felt safe with him both physically and emotionally.
I could tell him things, and he would listen, then ask for more, or just hold me when that was all I needed.
Panic of the unknown, of losing everything all over again, tried to weave through the quiet moment. Even if this wasn’t long-term, or ended badly, I would forever be grateful for the time I had with Memphis.
Same with how I’ve recently viewed my time with Dean.
The grief surrounding his death and our lost future was still there, but it no longer had the debilitating choke hold on me that it once did.
Instead, every day I found myself more and more grateful for the years I had with him instead of being sad about the ones I wouldn’t.
My gaze slid to the front door, brows pulling in tight as I impatiently waited for it to open. Where the heck was Liam? Over two hours had passed since he left to shower, and he hadn’t returned or at least called.
A noisy growl that erupted from my empty stomach had me stilling, hoping the sound wouldn’t wake the exhausted man using my thighs as a pillow.
After the shower, Memphis had stumbled out into the living room where I sat catching up on the book club read for the month, dropped to the couch beside me, and exhaustedly murmured that he needed to rest his eyes. He was sound asleep within minutes.
“Your stomach is loud,” Memphis rasped, voice thick with sleep. He shifted on the couch, rolling to his back to blink up at me. “What time is it, Kitten?”
I checked the time on the tablet. “Almost eight thirty.” A buzz came from the kitchen, and I inclined my head toward his phone. “Your phone has been going off nonstop for the last thirty minutes or so.”
A guttural groan rumbled in his chest as he pushed off the cushion to sit up.
He rubbed tatted fingers against his closed lids.
“That many texts in quick succession is probably my mom.” I bit my lip to conceal my knowing grin.
“Yes, I’m still a mama’s boy. Some things will never change.
” My stomach released another loud growl, making his eyes narrow.
I pressed a hand to my belly button, hoping to quiet the sound. “Shit, I need to feed you.”
“I’m not a zoo animal,” I grumbled, turning my attention back to the book. “And it’s not just me. You need to eat too.”
Memphis snorted like it was ridiculous that he would consider his needs before mine. Warm breath brushed along my throat as he pressed a gentle kiss just below my ear. “I could always eat you now to fill me up, Kitten. I’ve missed your taste on my tongue.”
Heat flamed on my cheeks, no doubt flushed red, and my breath hitched with the surge of desire his words evoked. “I wouldn’t be opposed to that.”
Passion flared in his green eyes. “Did you miss us, Kitten?” Biting my lower lip, I nodded. “Missed us taking care of you in all the ways? Tell me, did you touch yourself while we were gone?”
“No,” I breathed, pulse racing. The Kindle slipped in my grip, and I tucked it between me and the couch to keep it from falling to the floor.
“Good girl, but I’ll admit that we did. Just thinking about you had us gripping our cocks at night, stroking ourselves as we reminisced on the feel of your cunt and the taste of you on our lips, while the potential of being caught with our dicks literally in our hands added to the thrill.”
My eyes were so wide I probably looked like a cartoon character.
“Did you touch each other?” Was the idea hot?
Fuck yes. But even if they didn’t, the thought of them touching themselves in the same room while talking about me had a fresh rush of desire leaking from my core and soaking my already damp underwear.
Memphis’s smirk slowly spread into a mischievous grin. “We didn’t, but by your reaction, it seems you wouldn’t be opposed to it.”
Gripping my chin, he held me in place, kissing my lips hard and pushing his tongue inside to devour my mouth like I knew he could between my thighs. I moved along the couch to ease the demanding throb in my core.
“How soaked are you right now, Kitten?”
Drenched. I was almost worried there would be a wet spot on the couch when I stood up.
Before I could respond, my stomach growled again, reminding us both that it was way past dinnertime.
With one more quick kiss to the corner of my lips, Memphis stood, adjusting his tented sweats with one hand while helping me off the couch with the other.
He tugged hard, making me stumble against him.
Gripping a handful of one ass cheek, he squeezed it tight. “First I feed you, then we play.”
“Play?” I asked, trailing behind him to the kitchen.
“Oh yes, Kitten. Play. I plan to kiss and touch every inch of your tiny body tonight, inside and out. And I have some ideas for those toys of yours.”
My knees literally went weak at the tsunami of need that flooded my entire body, every cell pulsing with insatiable desire. Thankfully, I was by the island, and I kept myself from falling to the floor by gripping the edge with both hands.
Briefly checking his phone, a soft smile forming at whatever the text said, Memphis stepped in front of the fridge.
Bottles rattled in the shelves as the door swung open.
A string of grumblings echoed through the small area while he inspected the nearly empty appliance.
His lips were turned down when he glanced over his shoulder.
“What are the odds that Liam has food that isn’t expired or growing mold?”
I folded both arms over my chest with a fake annoyed huff. “Come on. It’s not that bad.”
“I knew we should’ve gotten stuff for dinner when he grabbed the steaks for the dogs. I didn’t realize it was this dire,” Memphis mumbled. “Okay, let’s go see what Liam has.”
“Wait, let me leave food for BamBam in case he pops by later.” Inside the sparse pantry, I took out the bag of organic beef jerky I bought for BamBam, the rustle of the plastic bag instantly calling the dogs to my side.
“You two have already eaten your share.” Both whined at my feet, their tails swishing on the floor where they sat impatiently.
I chuckled. “You’re right, you deserve this.
” After giving each a piece, which they swallowed whole, I put two pieces in BamBam’s bowl and placed it in the center of the island out of the dogs’ reach. “Okay, now we can go.”
Taking Memphis’s offered hand, we started toward Liam’s place, leaving the dogs behind.
A sharp gust of wind whipped through the row of cottages, rustling the few trees along the road.
At my first shiver, Memphis tugged me against him, releasing my hand to drape an arm around my shoulders, keeping me sealed to his warm side.
“I can’t imagine how cold it gets in the winter,” he mused. “I’ll have to update my wardrobe if I want to survive.”
I blinked up at him, tucking a few floating hairs behind my ear. “You mean that?”
“Mean what?”
“That you’ll be here through the winter?”
He paused in the middle of the road, the fading sun offering just enough light for me to see the confusion on his face.
“That’s what I planned, but if you don’t want me to, then?—”
Instead of answering with words, I hooked both arms around his neck and jumped, securing my legs around his waist. Burying my face against his neck, I pressed a soft kiss to his warm skin.
“Yes, that’s what I want,” I whispered. “I just didn’t want to assume you’d give up your life in Florida for me. For this.”
His fingers threaded through my hair, curling into a fist at the base of my head, and guided my face away from his skin.
“If you’ll have me, Bay, this is the life I want, here with you.
There isn’t a life I want to live if it’s not with you.
I can have my things in Florida shipped here, or hell, they can give it all away.
We’ve had too many years apart, of me denying myself the one person who makes my soul happy, to ever leave Anchor Bay. ”
“Yes,” I choked out, the swell of emotions making my throat tight. “I want that. I want you here with us.”
“Okay, then.” He pressed a sweet kiss to the tip of my nose. “It’s settled. I’m staying.”
Sighing in utter happiness, I rested my head on his shoulder as he restarted the short walk to Liam’s place. At the front door, Memphis adjusted his hold on me to pound a fist against the solid wood.
Worry wove its way into the earlier happiness when seconds passed without the door opening and Liam snatching me from Memphis’s arms. Again, he knocked, this time with enough force that Ethan would hear it from his place next door if he were ever home.