I grab his head and hold him against me. “Tolerable.” He narrows his eyes at me, not buying my elusiveness. I sigh, dropping my head down. “I mean, if you really loved me, you wouldn’t want to wait ten more days to make this official. You’d whisk me away to Vegas and make me yours right now.”

He stands up, pressing his lips to my forehead. “Do you need my dick in your mouth again?” I nod quickly and he laughs. “If I could arrange it, I’d have the entire world witness you becoming mine.” He smirks. “Officially.”

“Officially,” I echo, reaching behind me and shutting off the water. For all intents and purposes, we both know I’ve been his since that first wedding, but until his last name becomes mine, it won’t feel real to either one of us.

After securing a towel around his waist and blocking my amazing view, he wraps a towel around me and follows behind me into his bedroom. I don’t bother getting dressed because he prefers me naked in bed; anything I put on my body right now would be ripped off and discarded.

No barriers.

Nothing getting in his way of me.

That’s his thing.

“You hungry?” he asks after stepping into a pair of boxers.

“Aren’t I always after you ravage me?”

He disappears down the hallway, returning moments later with two bowls. He hands me mine with a smile and I lean back against the headboard, lifting the bowl to my nose. “Mmm, this smells amazing. I might just keep you.”

He laughs softly next to me before he begins inhaling his food. “So, there’s this last-minute account Ian and I are taking on that requires some traveling this weekend. And we were talking and thought it’d be cool if everyone came with us.”

“Where are you going?”

He stretches his legs out next to mine, my feet stopping at his calf. “New Orleans. We have to be there really early on Friday, so you’ll have to take a separate flight.” He pauses, exhaling roughly. “I need to talk to you about something.” I cock my head and see his jaw twitch slightly just before he rakes his hand through his hair.

Uh oh.

“This account, it’s a business Bryce is investing in. He hired us to show them how to make better use of their resources and increase profitability. The only reason why I agreed to do it is because…” he clenches his eyes tightly, swallowing loudly. His eyes refocus on mine after he takes in a calming breath. “It’s just important. I need this account, and I need you to understand that.”

Bryce Roberts has been flying under the radar since Reese and I got engaged but before that, he made it very clear he was interested in me. The last time I saw him was when I delivered treats to Reese’s building for a business meeting. I had no idea they knew each other, but there that little shit sat, staring at me like I was one of the pastries I had made. They don’t work together and apparently, hardly ever have to deal with each other, which is a good thing. Reese isn’t shy when it comes to how he feels about guys hitting on me or making me feel uncomfortable, and Bryce did both.

I see the pent-up irritation on his face that he’s failing miserably at hiding. Humor works best in situations like this. “Well, it sucks he’s still breathing. I was hoping he had gotten mauled by a bear.” My jokester smile fades when Reese remains in serious, concerned-fiancé mode. I dip my head, forcing his eyes that are burning a hole into the sheet to focus on mine. “I get it; it’s an important account. I told you before, I can handle assholes like Bryce.”

In fact, I’d very much like to handle Bryce. I haven’t slapped anyone in months, and my hand is beginning to twitch.

He aggressively stabs his noodles, taking out his anger on the delicious dinner he’s made us. “And I told you before, if he makes you uncomfortable in any way, I’ll break his fucking neck. That doesn’t just include him coming into your shop. If he so much as looks at you in a way you don’t like…”

I place my hand on his arm, halting his threat. “Relax. He won’t.” Unless he’s dumber than I think, which is entirely possible. I swallow my mouthful and twirl some noodles onto my fork. Time to get the subject off Bryce before my fiancé has a coronary. “I’ve never been to New Orleans. I’m kinda excited.” I shove my forkful into my mouth and bob my head to the side, chewing animatedly. Reese laughs softly next to me, finally relaxing. “So, what do I need to do?”

He sits his empty bowl on his nightstand, sliding down in the bed and settling on his side facing me. “Just book your flight. I already rented the house for all of us to stay.”

I arch my brow at him. “And what if I would’ve said no?”

He pinches my side and I yelp, prompting him to pull me closer so our bodies are touching. Constant contact. “I knew you’d say yes. You don’t have a wedding to bake for this weekend, so you’re all mine.”

I smile wide. “Look at you knowing my schedule. Oooo! We can do our bachelor and bachelorette parties this weekend! In the Big Easy!” I kick the covers off and scramble out of bed, setting my half-eaten bowl of spaghetti on my nightstand.

“Where are you going?”

“To call Joey! He’s going to freak out!”

I hear his faint laugh as I grab my phone from my clutch and dial Joey’s number. Returning to the bedroom, Joey answers as Reese pulls me back into bed.

“If you’re calling to tell me Reese’s mother is in charge of making my penis cake, I’m hanging up.”

I giggle and settle back down on my side, staring at a very sleepy-looking Reese. He’s been working long hours lately, plus some weekends, leaving him exhausted most nights by the time I get to him. Especially if he decides I need a good dicking as soon as he sees me, which is what usually happens. He lets his eyes fall closed, keeping his one arm wrapped around my waist.

“What would you say to a weekend in New Orleans with your two best friends and our men?”

“I’d say count me the fuck in. When?”

“This weekend. It’s perfect. We don’t have any weddings to bake for, and Reese and Ian have to go anyway. Plus—” I pause for dramatic effect, prompting Joey to give me an impatient grunt, “—we can go all-out for my bachelorette party, Mardi Gras-style.”

“Oh, fuck yes! Do you know how many gay bars they have there? Oooo, cupcake, I’m busting. This is going to be fantastic.”

I listen to my easily-excitable best friend and smile at the man I love who has completely passed out next to me. Reese’s breathing is slow and steady in my ear as I press my forehead against his, feeling the dampness of his hair against my skin.

“Billy’s in, too, right?”

“Of course. As soon as he heard me say ‘gay bar’ he was in. Do I need to do anything besides buy our plane tickets?”

“Nope. The place we’re staying at has already been booked. Oooo, maybe it’s in the French Quarter.”

“Babe, I want a window seat. A window.” I hear Billy’s muffled response in the background, prompting Joey to let out a cross grumble. “Oh, for Christ’s sake. Cupcake, I gotta go handle this. You better book your flight now if you want a decent seat.”

I roll over and sit up, grabbing Reese’s iPad off the nightstand. “Yeah, I’m on it. I’ll see you tomorrow.”