“Love you,” she whispers, just as I push two fingers inside her, and my world just tilted on its axis.

“Love you too,” I reply softly, but she’s whimpering, her lip caught between her teeth, already in that incredible place she goes when the pleasure takes over. It’s the damnedest thing to watch.

I kiss both her thighs, her flat stomach, then over to her side. Sex with Callie is usually fierce and passionate, fast, hard, maybe a little dirty. But tonight I want to savor, enjoy.

Love.

My body covers hers, her legs are hitched around my hips, and her arms are wrapped around my back. Her clean face is sleepy and happy, and as I slip inside her, we both sigh at how damn good it feels.

“It’s always different,” she murmurs. “Just when I think I know exactly how you’ll feel, you surprise me.”

I grin, seated inside her to the hilt, and kiss her neck, then drag my lips up to her earlobe. “I want to keep surprising you.”

She cups my cheek and guides my lips to hers, and for several long minutes, I move at a slow, leisurely pace in and out of her while I make love to her mouth. I link my fingers with hers, squeeze, and pin her hand over her head, using it as leverage as I pick up the pace, just a bit, adding a little more force to each thrust.

Not to change the tone of the moment, but to kick up her own need just a notch because I don’t know how much longer I’m going to last. Jesus, she’s sweet. Tight.

Mine.

“Love the way you feel,” she whispers and grabs my ass with her free hand, pulling me against her, and I can feel the tension building. Her back arches and her pussy tightens around me, making my eyes cross. “Your pubic bone hits me in just the right damn spot.”

“Callie, go over, baby.”

She cries out, then whimpers softly as she surrenders to the orgasm and pulls me over with her. We’re quiet, the room is hushed as we fall apart, then cling to each other and fall back together, catching our breath.

I brush the hair off her face and kiss her softly, then roll us to our sides, wrap her up against me and kiss her forehead.

“Sleepy,” she mumbles, and before I can reply, she’s slipped away, back into sleep.

I want this, every night.

***

Over the past year or so, my brothers, plus Ben and Rhys, have started getting together a couple times a month for a guy night. Mostly, we play pool, drink beer, and rag on each other.

It’s generally a good time, and as much as we all love our women, it’s nice to not have any estrogen around for a little while.

Not that we’d ever admit that to them.

Tonight, we’re in a dive bar a few blocks from the Quarter, playing pool and watching Monday night football. We usually gather at Ben’s, but he’s having work done on his place—mine’s not ready, and the others have that estrogen I mentioned earlier.

So, dive bar it is.

“Nine ball, corner,” Eli says and takes his shot, easily sinking the ball.

“So you’re moving into town?” I ask Beau as he watches Eli survey the table. Beau has lived on the inn property since Gabby opened, to keep an eye on things there, and to protect Gabby and Sam.

“Yeah, I’m moving into the loft next to Eli’s townhouse,” he confirms. “There’s no need for me to be out at the inn now that Rhys is there.”

“We told you a hundred times,” Rhys says and smirks when Eli misses his next shot. “We don’t mind if you stay. Your house is separate from the inn, you’re not in anyone’s way.”

“It makes sense to move into town,” Beau says. “I won’t have to commute to work anymore. The loft will do just fine until I find something else to buy.”

“Are you looking for a house?” Ben asks. “I think I saw a house about a block from me come up on the market.”

“Not yet,” Beau replies. “Although I do love the garden district.”

“How’s your house coming along?” Rhys asks me.

“It’s coming, one room at a time,” I reply with a shrug. “No hurry.”

“Declan’s never in a hurry for anything,” Eli says, but he smiles over at me with affection. It’s not a dig; it’s the truth.

I simply shrug just as my phone rings.

“This is Declan.”

“Hey, man, it’s Adam. Are you available to chat?”

“Sure, what’s up?”

“No, I mean in person.”

“Is Callie okay?” I ask with a frown.

“She’s great. I’d just like to talk to you in person.”

Ben raises a brow, but I just shrug. “Sure. I’m at the Big Boy, it’s a bar in—”

“I know it. See you in ten?”

“See you then.”

I hang up and frown.

“What’s that about?” Eli asks as he takes a shot and misses, then swears a blue streak when Ben laughs at him.

“Not sure. Adam, Callie’s friend, is on his way to chat.”

“Uh oh,” Rhys says and pats my shoulder. “Good luck with that.”

“What does that mean?”

“Means he’s gonna want to have the same chat with you that we all had with Rhys last year,” Beau says.

“You guys didn’t scare me,” Rhys insists.

“You didn’t have any reason to be afraid,” Eli replies. “What did you do, Dec?”

“I didn’t do anything,” I say and cross my arms over my chest, lean back against the bar and watch Eli at the table.

“I’m glad we get to watch this,” Ben says and cracks his knuckles. “Just so you know, if he takes a swing at you, we have your back.”