“I’m good, Mom. How are you?”

“I’m wonderful, dear. Listen, I swung by this quaint little Italian restaurant yesterday in Printer’s Row, and it would be the perfect venue for the rehearsal dinner. And I already checked to make sure they’re available.”

I feel my frustration level quickly rising. “Mom, Reese and I don’t want a rehearsal dinner. I’ve told you this already. We want to run through the ceremony and go out afterwards with our friends.”

My mother gasps as if she’s just now hearing this information for the first time, which is definitely not the case. “Dylan, every wedding has an actual sit-down rehearsal dinner. You can’t skip that detail. It’s crucial.”

“Crucial? You make it sound as important as our wedding vows.”

“It is,” she insists with a firm tone.

I grumble and roll over, rubbing my face into the comforter. The faint smell of citrus calms me down a bit, but not enough to agree to this absurdity. “Mom, this is what Reese and I want. It’s our wedding. I’m sorry if you don’t agree with our decision, but it’s final. No dinner. If people get hungry, they can go hit up a drive-thru.”

“Oh, that’s just ridiculous, Dylan. A drive-thru? How tacky is that.” The sound of her exhaling loudly fills my ear, followed by the crinkling of paper. “Fine. No dinner. I suppose I’ll have to pack some snacks for your father to munch on during the actual rehearsal. You know how he gets when he goes without a meal.”

I chuckle into the comforter just as the sound of my loft door opening catches my attention. I roll over quickly, keeping the phone against my ear as Reese emerges behind the door. He closes it and I hold my hand out, palm up, silently asking him what he’s doing here. It’s almost six o’clock and he’s usually at the office by now. He smiles his response before he walks toward me. He’s dressed in his usual work attire, a dress shirt, tie, and khakis, and it gets me like it always does. The man does office-wear like no other.

“Hey, Mom, I gotta go. I’ll see you tonight at the fitting, right?”

More papers rustling comes through the phone before she answers, prompting me to roll my eyes. “Of course. I’d never miss it. Maggie and I will meet you there at 6:30 p.m. Goodbye, sweetheart.”

“Bye, Mom.”

I press end and drop the phone onto the bed before lifting my gaze to Reese. “Handsome, what are you doing here? Don’t you have numbers to crunch?”

He steps around my screen that divides my one large room into two and stops just in front of me. “I do. But I couldn’t stop thinking about something.”

“Oh? My sparkling personality?”

He laughs, reaching out and opening my towel. His eyes linger on my breasts for several seconds before he lifts his gaze to meet mine. “Do you think one of the times last night took?”

I watch his eyes shift back down and trail lower. “Um, I don’t know. Maybe. You definitely gave it your all. Is that really what you can’t stop thinking about?” ‘Cause your body language is screaming something else entirely. Of course, Reese always looks at me like this. I’m certain that even if we were in church, he’d be able to melt the panties off me right in front of Jesus.

He nods, keeping his eyes on my body. “I want that so bad. I’ve never wanted that, Dylan. You don’t understand. I’ve never thought about having kids before. Hell, I’ve never thought about getting married before.” He leans into me, forcing me to lie back onto the bed. I reach for his tie, wrapping it around my hand as he holds himself above me. “But when I look at you, it’s all I can think about. Marriage. Kids. Everything. I want it all with you. And I don’t want to wait.”

Oh, Reese. I raise my eyebrows, loosening my grip on his tie. “To marry me or to have kids?”

“To have kids. I’m dealing with the other thing.” He leans down and kisses the corner of my mouth, once and then once again before slowly moving down my body. “Don’t make me wait, love. I need to see you like that.”

I moan as he brushes his lips against my rib cage. “Like what?” I know what. I just want to hear him say it. Because what the hell is hotter than the man you love wanting you to carry his child? Nothing. Especially coming from this man.

“With my baby inside you.”

I reach down and thread my fingers through his hair. “Are you going to be late for work so you can make that happen right now? Because I’m all for another round of baby-making sex with you if that’s where this is headed.” Suck it up, vagina. You can be sore tomorrow.

“No, that’s not exactly why I’m here. Close, though.” He drops to his knees and drapes my legs over his shoulders. His hands grip my hips and he slides me closer to the edge of the bed, his lip curling up into a sly grin. “I’m going to be late for work because on top of not being able to stop thinking about last night, I also can’t stop thinking about the taste of your pussy. And I was too busy yesterday fucking you all over the condo to get any of it. So lie back, keep your legs open, and give me what’s mine.”

“Jesus. I love when you order me around like that. Seriously, please do that all the time. Just not like to do your laundry or anything.” He swipes up my length with his tongue, prompting me to fist the comforter. “Oh, God.” His fingers dig into my hips as he flicks against my clit in a pulsing rhythm. At the feel of his teeth on my swollen spot, I arch off the bed and dig my heels into his back. “Reese. Jesus Christ.”