“Calm the fuck down, Powder Puff. You know I’ll never be nice to you.” Tom smirks at him.

“And the world is right again.” Stuarts places his hand dramatically against his chest, setting us all off laughing.

Calvin Harris’s “I Need Your Love” starts to play. I love this song. It’s such an infectious tune.

Turning my head, I see the makeshift dance floor start to fill. Tru’s mom, Eva, and her dad, Billy, are on there. Eva has Tru and Jake’s son, JJ, in her arms. As Eva gently sways with JJ, Billy throws out some interesting dance moves. Eva throws her head back, laughing at him. I smile at them both.

“I need your love,” I whisper-sing along with the lyrics.

Tom leans close and says in my ear, “You wanna ditch these losers and dance with me?”

“Sure I do.”

He takes me by the hand, and I let him lead me onto the makeshift dance floor.

When we move past Billy, who’s still going at it, he pats Tom on the back. Tom smiles at him and then pulls me close, wrapping his arms around me. He starts to move us to the music. He’s a surprisingly good dancer.

“So, you really are Magic Legs.” I grin up at him.

“I told you. I dance as well as I fuck.”

“Can’t argue with that.” Inching onto my toes, I brush my lips against his.

“Ly,” he murmurs. “I’ve been thinking about something…something I wanted to ask you.”

“Okay. Just checking here, but you’re not gonna get down on one knee and have Jake win his bet, are you? Because I love you and all, but we’ve only been together for a week,” I tease.

“Technically, nine weeks, if you include the tour and my fuck-up fortnight.” He smiles at me. “And don’t worry, Firecracker. The only reason I’ll be getting down on my knees in front of you tonight is to bury my face between your hot thighs.” His fingers dance over my ass.

I shudder against him, my panties instantly soaking. I love it when he’s so direct about sex.

“You’re wet,” he whispers in my ear, knowing full well that I am.

He knows what his words do to me.

“Yes,” I breathe.

I’m wet and so ready to have him inside me that it’s not even funny.

“You wanna find a dark corner and have a quickie?” I bite my lip suggestively.

His eyes darken. “Like I would ever turn you down for sex…but before we disappear to that dark corner, there’s that something I need to ask you…”

“Oh, yeah, sure…go ahead.” I stare up into his eyes.

He suddenly looks unsure, nervous. It makes me a little nervous as to what he needs to ask me.

“Well, I’ve been thinking…seeing you this past week, working toward forgiving Dex after what he did to you and the way you forgave me when I fucked up. You’re an amazing person, Lyla. And it’s got me thinking. Maybe I need some closure in my past. I’m not saying I can ever forgive my mother…but it’s been eleven years. I was thinking maybe it’s time I go see her. Talk to her.”

I put my arms around his neck. “I think that’s a really good idea.”

“Okay. And I wanted to ask if you’d come with me?”

“Of course I’ll come with you.”

He exhales. “Okay, good. While we’re on the fix-it road, do you want to go see Rally at all? I’m guessing he knows we’re together…and he’ll be having a shit fit,” Tom muses, his face turning into a grin.

“He’ll definitely be having a shit fit, but”—I shake my head—“I don’t care. And I don’t need to see him or talk to him. There’s nothing to fix with Rally. We didn’t fall out. We just didn’t communicate, and that was his doing. He was never there. He let me down my whole life. I’m not gonna chase after a man who doesn’t want me in his life.”

Tom’s expression changes, and he holds me closer, pressing his lips to mine. “I want you in my life all the time. I love you,” he murmurs over my mouth. “And all this…” He gestures around at the wedding party going on around us. “I know the guys were joking before about us getting married, and it’s definitely too soon…”

He emphasizes with his eyes. And I nod, agreeing.

“But I do know that the day I decide I want to get married…you’ll be the girl I’ll be asking.”

The emotion I feel at his words momentarily overwhelms me. My eyes glittering, I say, “I guess we have a lot of amazing things to look forward to together.”

“We do.” He smiles. “There are a lot of things I want to do with you, Firecracker.” His smile transforms into a mischievously sexy grin. “Starting with that quickie in the dark corner.” He grabs me by the hand.

Laughing, I let Tom drag me away, quickly looking around to make sure nobody witnesses us sneaking off.

I stare at him as he leads me into Tru and Jake’s house.

My heart is so full of love for Tom.

A love I never thought I’d be able to feel—let alone, feel it for Tom Carter.

It’s funny how the one person I thought I would never be with in a million years turned out to be the one I was looking for all along.

Who would have thought it? The untamable Tom Carter, and me, Lyla Summers, the one who tamed him.

Or what I should probably say is, the untamable Tom Carter who tamed his ways for me.