“Honey, Jim and Trish didn’t really invite me, they invited you, you’re their daughter. I’m just someone they felt they had to invite because you work for me, so it’s no big deal if I don’t go.”
But Mandy shook her head stubbornly.
“No, it’s not a pity invitation, Peter,” she said firmly. “Jim and Trish aren’t like that, my parents are really nice people and genuinely want you to come. You’ve known each other how many years now? Ten? Fifteen?”
And my shoulders slumped. That was true, her folks were open-hearted, kind and caring, and I had known them a long time. I’d look like a hermit if I didn’t go, the neighborhood weirdo if I hung out at home by myself on Christmas Eve instead of spreading the cheer. So letting out a huge exhale, I gave in.
“Okay,” I growled, “but we’re not staying longer than two hours max. No way can we leave Violet that long.”
And the brunette blew a kiss my way.
“I knew you’d do the right thing,” she purred, “and trust me, I’ll have a special present for you when we get back.”
My dick jerked at that, even the thought of seeing and feeling her body again making my pulse jump. Shit, I was in Mandy all the time already, over and over again, touching, taking, tasting, the girl was a drug that I couldn’t get enough of, one that made me growl, jerk, and spurt like a helpless man. What the fuck had happened to me? I was the alpha who was always in control, the dude in the driver’s seat. What the fuck had happened?
But the thing is it felt oddly right. It felt right to be with Mandy, to make an appearance at her parents’ house for Christmas brunch like a real date, to show that I honored and loved their daughter. Shit, it was almost like the Smiths were my in-laws, people I had to make nice with. But it made Mandy happy, and that was that. It made her smile that special smile, glowing with a light within, so yeah, I was going to do it because I loved seeing her happy, I’d do anything for the beautiful brunette.
So I groaned once more into the silent office. Because yeah, Pete Parker was whipped, completely whipped, like a puppy begging for food from its master and in this case my master was Mandy. Sitting up straight once more, I prepped myself, giving myself a mental talking-to. The food at the brunch would be good, yeah, but how the fuck was I going to look into Jim and Trish’s beaming, middle-aged faces? How was I gonna survive, acting nice when actually I was boning their sweet little daughter, giving her my dick to taste every couple hours, never letting up? How would they feel if they knew the truth, which was that I never wanted to let Mandy go, college be damned? Holy fuck, but this was gonna be the most awkward, the most painful brunch I’d ever been to.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Mandy
When the door opened at my parents’ place, I was surprised to see Uncle Tom standing there.
“Hiya big girl,” he said leaning forward to kiss me on my cheek. Oh gross, I hated when random male relatives did that. It wasn’t so bad with the women, but some of my older male relatives were really decrepit and aged, an indescribable odor coming off them. What was it? The medicine they took? What they had for breakfast? All I knew was that it smelled bad, like rotting garbage.
And unfortunately, Uncle Tom was one of the worst. Not only was he gross all around, but he had creeper tendencies too, and right here on my parents’ porch, he touched me
“Hey hey hey, big girl,” he chuckled again, grabbing my ass. “Getting bigger every year, huh?”
I was about to snap at him but at that very moment, Pete materialized next to me, his huge form ominous, menacing, strong arms filled with glittery presents.
“What the fuck,” he grunted. “Did this old dude just touch you?” he asked with disbelief, that masculine body hard, tense with repressed energy.
So I tried to make nice. I didn’t want to cause a scene on Christmas Eve before we’d even gone in, so I pasted a smile at my face, looking brightly at both men.
“Oh Mr. Parker, this is my Uncle Tom, Uncle Tom, Mr. Parker,” I rushed quickly. “And it was nothing,” I apologized. “Uncle Tom says hi like that to everyone.”
Pete wasn’t convinced at all, he looked like he was ready to toss the gifts on the ground and snap Uncle Tom in two over his knee, but my relative is probably sixty or so and no match for an alpha male in his prime. So the elderly guy literally shrunk in on himself, losing about two inches in height so that he was a cowering, frail old man once more.
“Oh no no!” he babbled. “Mandy’s so pretty, I’m just saying hi because she’s pretty,” he rushed. “Gotta go in now, check on the turkey!” and he slipped off, scurrying away.