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TATE

It’s been ten days since I’ve been home.

Calling Em and letting her know earlier this evening sure as fuck didn’t help.

The same went with her schedule. Beach Babe just got a huge delivery of new inventory.

Add into that those two crazy sisters have it in their heads the shop will only be closed for a week when they need to pull everything out, rip up flooring, paint the walls and ceiling, have the floor company come out to install it.

That alone would take longer; it’s also what has Emily and Kelsey in a tizzy on day five of their project, going crazy, ready to pull their hair out, fighting like they haven’t since they were kids.

I’d know because Emily called me, pissed at anything and everything.

It took a while for me to calm her ass down through the phone only for her to tell me the bigger part of the problem.

Seems she started her period; it worked well for me seeing as I was out of town, until I caught her wrath.

“So now that I’m back on birth control, if you want, we can both get tested, and once those are cleared, maybe we could do away with condoms?

” Fucking hell, my brain short-circuits.

The last thing I ever expected to come out of Em’s mouth is for us to go bare.

Sure, I’ve thought about it a few times.

What man wouldn’t? Condoms dull the sensation, friction being the main element, and after being inside Emily just for that one moment, it gave me a taste of what it’d feel like. “Are you even listening to me?”

“Baby, you expect any man to listen after a woman says she wants to quit with condoms, only thought I’ve got on my mind is when and how fast we can get test results back.

I’ll work on that while I’m here. You let me know the minute you can get away from Beach Babe, and I’ll have a plane ticket ready.

So, yeah, I’m listening, but I’m also planning on how fast that can happen.

Also got a thought in my head on what we’re gonna do first. I got a glimpse last time we were together; it’s what’s been keeping me going since I’ve been here without your sweet heat around me.

” No amount of phone sex or FaceTime fun is the same.

And if it weren’t for my job and her job screwing us both sideways, Emily would be here with me, or I’d be back home near her.

Apparently, Deke is getting the brunt of it all.

The renovations are driving Kelsey crazy.

Em has gone a bit crazy with wanting to know every little thing, micromanaging the crews.

He even said she went so far as to talking about setting up shop outside to watch the company do the flooring since she wanted it done this certain way.

Deke waded in and told her the crew, which he knew because they’d subcontracted for the Harts, wouldn’t come back if Em didn’t bottle up her crazy.

“Tate,” her voice coos through the phone. Emily doesn’t show that softness all that much. The woman is pure sugar and spice, sweet and tangy, and with the gift she’s giving me, it’s nothing of what I expected from her.

“Yeah, babe, feel that same exact way. You get that test, I’ll get mine, then you get your ass here as soon as you can because the rate this shit is going, I’ve got another week or two here.

” The fucker who was supposed to close this deal couldn’t seal it.

That’s why I’m here, not to mention this company is taking the piss on coming to terms with what will be our final offer on the rate at which they’ll get gas, how long, and the costs.

If they keep screwing around, I’m going to tell them to look for business elsewhere.

“I’ll do that. Seeing as how this renovation is taking longer than I was quoted for, maybe this weekend?

” I can hear the annoyance in her tone. She should know things like this never pan out the way you expect, especially if you changed your mind on how you want the flooring laid.

Yeah, Deke called me bitching about that, too.

Kelsey and Em once wanted the basic tile that looks like wood laid in the traditional pattern, then switched it up last minute to herringbone, making it take longer while also needing more materials.

“Yeah, I’d like that. Ever been to Nashville?” Yesterday, when we spoke, I was in Virginia working on another contract that was easy to procure, then I came back here until these people get their shit together.

“Can’t say that I have. Truth be told, traveling took a back seat since opening Beach Babe. Kels gets away more; I don’t begrudge her that, and now that Nat is taking over more managerial tasks, I’m thinking I can get away more, too.” Another idea comes to mind when Em says that.

“Who says you can’t work while you’re away?

I’m not saying do that the whole time you’re on vacation, but it’d give you more ideas on what other areas have to offer as well as giving your mind time to reset, creativity wise.

” Emily keeps telling me me her mind is always going every which way.

The only time it shuts down is when she sleeps.

Maybe this way, it’ll help her some, too.

“Did anyone ever tell you you’re more than a pretty face?” She’s got jokes today.

“Maybe. Might be why I’m the front runner of my company now instead of doing grunt work.” I don’t get into the fact that sometimes it was better being at the bottom. At least home wasn’t just a place to land a few days a month then.

“True. Alright, I’m going to make my appointment, get with Kels, and I’ll text you the dates. It sucks we can’t have fun tonight.” I don’t tell her we still could, even if she were here with me. There’s nothing wrong with a woman having that time of the month and receiving an orgasm.

“Next time, babe.” I don’t push the subject matter, but if I’m around her when this happens again, there’s nothing wrong with using my fingers to get her off, or shower sex.

“Yeah, I’ll text you later, see how you’re feeling.

” I pause before going further. “You’re giving me a gift; I’m not blind to that.

Promise I’ll take care with it.” I hear the hitch in her breath, taking it in and holding it.

I let her have a moment. Us not wanting a label, letting things play out as they come, I know this isn’t normal.

“That means a lot. I was worried how this conversation would play out. I should have known that Tate Masters wouldn’t let me down.

Later, babe.” The woman knows how to sink her talons into me, even if it is on the beating thing in my chest. The one who says, ‘play it cool, keep things nice and easy, that’s what she wants and so do I’.

But this right here, it means something big.