Dirty Secret (The Burke Brothers #1)(71)
Author: Emma Hart

“Not yet.”

I can’t believe I’m doing this.

I can’t believe I’m about to get on a freakin’ tour bus and be their damn part-time PA until they can hire a full-time one.

I swear that was Conner’s ulterior motive. He denies it, but I think he’s full of shit.

“Bus, Mama!” Mila squeals as I lift her out of the car. “Big bus!”

“Sure is, baby girl. You wanna go on the big bus?”

“Yeah!” She grabs for it.

“You can’t play with it, Mila.” Conner laughs from behind us, wrapping his arm around my waist and kissing us both. “You can live on it for a while, though.”

She gasps in her overdramatic way. “Bunna, too?”

“Bunna, too.”

“And Dadda?”

“Yep.”

“And Mama?” She looks at me.

“And Mama,” I clarify.

Just how it should be. The three of us together, the way it should have always been.

I know Conner still hasn’t forgiven me entirely, and that’s okay. He doesn’t have to forgive me. I don’t hold it against him, because we have trust now. He trusts that I won’t run, and I trust that he’ll stay true to his word, that he’ll always want me.

“You’re not doin’ much organizin’ out here,” Tate says gruffly, rubbing the side of his head.

I put Mila down and she runs toward Diane at the front door. I give Tate the once-over. “You forgot to wash the lipstick off your neck. You smell like a cheap whore, too.”

He claps his hand over his neck. “Are you shitting me?”

“Would you have your hand on your neck if I was?”

“Aw, fuck.” He scrubs at the side of his neck.

I get a baby wipe from the backseat, step forward, and pry his hand away. I scrub at the red smudge until it disappears.

“Shit. Have we added a mother hen to our crew?” Kye teases.

“Y’all obviously need one. Clearly me coming along was a good idea.”

“That’s what we paid Jenna for,” Tate grumbles. “Why’d she go and get knocked up, huh?”

I ignore his dumb question. “You need to find a nice girl, Tate. And a shower.”

“I’ll take the shower, but I’ll pass on the nice girl, thanks.” He sighs. “I’ll be back in ten.”

He turns and heads toward the house. Hell, I can’t believe he listened to me.

“You gonna get him a girlfriend, Sof?” Aidan laughs.

“Hell no. I don’t want my ass chewed out when he fucks her over.” I snort. “Doesn’t mean I can’t plant the idea in his head. Maybe one day it’ll start to grow a little and he’ll stop hound-dogging.”

All three of them laugh, and I shrug when Aidan and Kye climb onto their bus, guitars in hand.

Conner wraps his arms around my shoulders. “She’s gonna miss Mom.”

I look at Mila hugging Diane. “I know. But she’d miss you more.”

“I’d miss her like mad. But you know what it means if you get on that bus, don’t you?”

I tilt my head back, wrapping my arms around his waist. “It means I get to organize your sorry asses for the next week or so.”

“That, too.” He smirks. “No. The second you step onto that bus it means you’re completely mine. And I get to do this”—he kisses me—“and this”—he drops his hands to my butt—“and this.” His lips brush my earlobe and he whispers, “It means I get to do crazy things like throw you on the bed, rip your clothes off, and fuck you all night.”

A red-hot, lust-filled spark shoots through me. “Yup. It means you get to do all of those things, whenever you want, wherever you want.”

“An open invitation to fuck you wherever I want? I knew there was a reason I fell in love with you, Sofie Callahan.”

“It’s because I’m fucking awesome, Conner Burke.” I seal my mouth over his. “And you fell in love with me because there was no other option.”

“Damn right there wasn’t. You’re mine, girl.”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”