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Selena waited for me to speak. Nerves danced in her eyes. I didn’t want this girl to ever feel scared again. She’d faced enough darkness, that much was clear.

“What is?” she asked.

“You. Every single inch.” I straightened and raised her leggings, and her panties with them. I settled them into place and enjoyed the thought that under her clothes, she smelled like me.

“Hardly,” Selena muttered tartly.

But I could see that my words had reached her.

“Don’t argue with me, heathen. I’m a connoisseur, remember?”

I took her chin when she refused to look at me and waited until her eyes met mine. Then I tucked her hair behind her ear.

“Let’s go and finish breakfast, before eating an éclair like you did gets you in even more trouble.”

Selena went upstairs for a shower, and it took every single inch of my self-control not to join her. The reason for my restraint walked into the kitchen just as I was making up two protein shakes at the counter.

“Good morning,” Abby said, smiling. She was all dressed up, and it was early in the morning. That could only mean one thing.

“Morning,” I responded shortly.

“Two protein shakes? Isn’t that a bit much? Is one for me?” she asked.

“For Selena. We just finished working out.” A visceral memory of our “workout” around the back of the bakery hit me and sent blood rushing to my cock. Had she taken those panties off yet? The ones holding my cum? I sipped my protein shake and tried to calculate my odds of convincing her to wear them the rest of the day. Slim, but not impossible.

“Oh, really?” Abby raised an eyebrow at me. “I admit I’m surprised how easily you and your brother have adapted to having another person living here with you. I’d have thought it would be an incredible burden.”

“Yeah, well, a little feminine energy in a house of three men is pretty welcome,” I told her flatly. “It’s been a long, long time.”

She sighed and turned away from me. “I’m not sure how much feminine energy she brings to the table. She seems like a tomboy to me. She certainly doesn’t look very womanly.”

“And what does a woman look like, from your narrow, restricted worldview?” I leaned on the island and watched my mother flutter around, picking up her things and putting them into a handbag. My instincts were right on the money. She was getting ready to leave.

“Well, skirts, brushed hair, clothes that come within three sizes of fitting would be a start. Is she trying to camouflage herself as a bag of rags? You can’t even make out her body under all that excess material.”

“Maybe it’s not just her physical body that makes her feminine,” I pointed out.

My mother turned to me and scoffed. “You sound ridiculous.”

“No, he doesn’t,” Cal cut in. He walked into the kitchen, his Hellions bag over his shoulder.

Abby rolled her eyes and then shook her head. “Anyway, I’m glad you’re both here. I’m going to be heading off, since this side trip has already taken longer than I allowed. I stayed for your game, after all,” she reminded Cal. “And it was very good hockey playing.”

He nodded, his face unreadable. I had to turn away to hide my smile at my mother’s feedback. Considering she’d spent most of the game looking at her phone, frowning at people around her, and shivering theatrically, it was about the most feedback she could possibly give.

“It was good to see you both, even if you didn’t really need me at all.” She sniffed.

I caught Cal’s eye. He looked more tortured than usual. I knew how it tore him up to be cold to our mother, despite all she’d done, or failed to do.

I put down my drink and stood.

“Thanks for coming, Mum,” I said and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

She looked up at me, surprised and touched.

I squeezed her to me. She was so small, really.

“Get over here,” I called to Cal.