That's when it hit me. Oh. My. God. We'd been doing it at the same time!

I couldn't help myself. I burst into laughter.

She glared at me. “I’m so glad you find this amusing. Now you know why I never told you!”

My laughter died down, and I reached for her hand. “I’m sorry. I really am. I just can’t believe it. Everyone but you knew that he was insanely crazy about you and he chose to tell you on his last night here? Then he left you with blue lips but later came back and he took your virginity after you tackled him?!”

She groaned and placed a hand on her cheek. “Oh my God, you did not just say that. Blue lips? Is that even a thing?”

I should've stopped before she killed me, but I was on a roll. “Yeah, you know, like blue balls. Maybe blue clit would be better?” I squealed, falling into a fit of uncontrollable laughter.

“What the hell’s so funny?” Jeremy asked.

I glanced up in surprise. I hadn’t even heard him come in. He was watching us curiously, a sleepy Ava in his arms.

“Jace gave Lexi blue clitoris!” I exclaimed without thinking.

Lexi's eyes widened in horror as she smacked her forehead. I bit the inside of my cheeks to keep from laughing, shaking my head when Jeremy gave me a curious stare. Lexi'd endured enough. I'd fill him in later.

Instead, she did it for me.

“No, he didn’t," she explained. "He just tried to, but I wouldn’t let him walk away.”

The pity on Jeremy's face was both genuine and absolutely endearing. His next words? They had me rolling.

“No way! No wonder you didn’t talk to him for so long. The summer before sophomore year, Mandy Simpson went to give me a hand job but chickened out halfway through. She said it was taking too long or something. I spent the rest of the night with a hard-on and it fucking hurt! I never spoke to that tease again.”

I nearly choked on my spit. When I slapped him on the arm, he simply grinned and leaned down to kiss me on the nose.

“What? I’m just telling Lexi here I understand her pain. Jace will never live this down!”

Lexi jumped up, shaking her finger in his face. “Oh, no, no, no. You cannot say a word to him. Nothing. I mean it, or so help me, Jeremy, I’ll…kick you so hard you’ll wish you only had blue balls!”

Horror crossed Jeremy’s face as he twisted to shield himself from her. “That is not something to joke about, woman! Fine. I won’t say anything. I need to protect the Banks family jewels.”

She walked towards the door, and just as she was about to go inside, she stopped and glared at him. "Just remember that when we’re around Jace, got it?”

I was cackling when he stood up straight and gave her a mock salute.

“Yes, ma’am!” Then he looked back at me. "What exactly did I miss?" he asked and handed Ava to me.

I leaned in close. "Remember our first night on the beach?"

His eyes lit up and he squeezed my ass. "Remember it? Baby, it was one of the best nights of my life."

I grinned wickedly. "Well, apparently, we weren't the only ones with that idea," I informed him.

His eyes widened as he glanced back into the condo. "Seriously? This may be easier than we thought." He draped an arm around my shoulders.

When I peered up at him, he was smiling down at me.

"I think this may just be a home run," I said.

At least, I hoped like hell it would be. Only time would tell.

“I can’t believe I let you talk me into this,” my sister hissed.

She was cowering behind Jeremy’s tall frame. We’d just pulled up to Helenback after having coaxed my sister out of her room at the condo. She’d tried hiding until we were gone, but Jeremy and I were having none of it. It was probably awful how secretly thrilled I was at her nerves.

“Blue clit,” I whispered in her ear, causing her to scowl at me.

She still hovered behind Jeremy. It was actually nice to see that she was so nervous. It made me believe Jace still affected her, and I was pretty sure she affected him, too.

I laughed as we entered the bar, stepping aside and anxiously awaiting the moment they’d see each other. Lexi was going to like what she saw.

Jace was even more handsome than he’d been in high school. As my eyes raked over him longer than they had on the beach, even I appreciated how he’d filled out. Lean, baseball-machine Jace McAllister had grown some muscles in the Army. Even with my eyes on him, however, he had no clue I was in the building. Nope, his eyes roamed over my baby sister, who stiffened the moment her gaze locked on him.

I elbowed Jeremy and leaned in close. “Holy sexual tension, Batman.”

He gripped my hips and pulled me in. Then he bent down and nibbled on my earlobe. “This was the best idea ever,” he whispered in my ear.

“Oh, yes,” I breathed.

Over the next few hours, we watched the former best friends reunite with rabid fascination, keeping my fingers crossed that Lexi’s night would be amazing.

By the looks of things when Jace and Lexi left the bar, I was pretty sure it was.

Just as I had known it’d be.

The rest? Time would only tell.

MY EYES BLINKED OPEN just in time to see Jeremy walk into the room. I went up on one elbow and admired the sight before me. Jeremy had been in my life for over twenty years, and my mouth still watered at the sight of him.

He took a sip of coffee then let out a moan. “Nectar of the gods, baby. Nectar of the gods,” he said, handing the mug to me so I could get a taste.

“Is she here?” I asked, anxious to talk to my sister about her time with Jace but also secretly hoping she’d spent the night with him.

The grin on Jeremy’s face widened, and I knew the answer before he even said a word.

“Nope,” he said, popping the P for emphasis.

It wasn’t long before Lexi did her walk of shame into the condo.

It was glorious.

I kept my mouth shut as she trudged down the hall and to the coffee pot.

I kept my mouth shut when she sat down at the counter.

I kept my mouth shut when I saw the whisker burns on her neck.

But I sure as hell squealed on the inside.

“Aunt Lexi?” Ava’s curious voice had her lifting her head from her mug.

“Hey, sweet pea,” Lexi greeted her. “What’s up?”

“Daddy said you had a sleepover last night.”

Jeremy stilled behind me. Lexi’s eyes lifted from my daughter to my husband, shooting him daggers. He rested his palms flat on the counter and shrugged.

“She asked where you were when my parents dropped her off this morning.”

When Lexi’s glare didn’t lighten up, he gasped in horror.

“What did you expect, Lexi? That I’d lie? To my daughter? That’s just shameful!”

Lexi’s eyes softened a little. It didn’t last long, thanks to Ava chiming in.

“Daddy said you were sleeping with Jace.” She scrunched her cute, little nose. “Do I know that guy?”

My sister gaped at Jeremy. “You told her that?” she asked, incredulous.

Ava giggled, and I gave her a stern look.

“Were you eavesdropping on Daddy and me again?”

She huffed and rolled her eyes in exasperation. “I can’t help it when you’re so freakin’ loud,” she responded, completing the complaint with a hand on her jutted-out hip.

My eyes darted to Jeremy, who was laughing.

“She’s definitely your daughter,” he said. “That right there? The whole hip, attitude thing? That’s alllll you, babe.”

“You two are absolutely ridiculous. I don’t even know why I agreed to this,” Lexi said, rising from her stool, setting her coffee mug in the sink, and pushing past Jeremy to go down the hall towards her room.