Page 73 of My Husband Problem

We make it to the porch, and as I step onto it, the floorboard creaks menacingly.

This fucking porch…

She bends to retrieve the key from under the otter statue, and my hand slides over the curve of her ass.

She freezes. I freeze.

The curve fits perfectly in my palm.

Suddenly she spins and presses against me, her arms around my neck, her mouth on mine again.

I put both of my hands on her ass, pulling her up against me firmly, letting her feel that I’m hard for her and that we fit perfectly against each other in more places than one.

She shivers in my arms, and acting on instinct more than an actual plan, I pull her toward the porch railing, intending to at least use it for some leverage so I canfeelher more fully.

“Dec,” she breathes against my lips.

No one calls me that. I’m not that casual with anyone. When I was growing up, my brothers and sister would, but it’s been a long time.

Now, hearing it from Astrid, my entire body is on fire.

“Anything you want,” I tell her, meaning it from the very bottom of my soul.

I will do absolutely anything she wants or needs me to do. But I need heragainstme. Right now.

I back up to the railing and lean back, settling my ass against the top and pulling her between my knees. She leans in, seemingly just as eager to get our bodies aligned.

I just register how fucking good she feels and realize that she must be acutely aware of how she is affecting me, my cock pressing hard and full against her stomach, when I hear a crack and feel my body shift left.

She gasps, and one hand moves to grip the railing next to me.

Then the railing gives, my weight shifts again, and I jerk forward instinctively. Because I had my weight fully settled back and Astrid was leaning into me, my hand flies up to grab for the post to my right while my left foot shoots back to try to find firm ground. My foot slips off the edge of the porch as the railing breaks away.

To keep her from falling off the porch, I push Astrid away from me. She stumbles back, her head banging into the wind chimes hanging next to her front door. The clanging mixes with my cursing as I barely regain my balance instead of pitching off the edge of the porch into the vegetation below.

She gasps. “Oh my God, Declan, are you all right?”

I catch my breath. “Yes. Are you okay?”

She nods, stepping away from the wind chimes. “Yes. I should’ve warned you about the porch railing.”

“You knew it wouldbreak?”

“Well, I knew it wasn’t very stable.” She steps forward. “You…distracted me.”

I smile and step forward to cup her face. “I’m glad. I guess. That seems hazardous around here, though.”

She pulls her bottom lip between her teeth and nods. “Sorry about that. I don’t think anyone’s done anything to maintain this porch the entire time the house has been here. And it’s pretty old.”

“I don’t like you having a porch that’s falling apart. Or anything that’s falling apart.”

“It’s not like I’m having porch parties. I know the spots to step around and which step is uneven.” She gives me a look from beneath her lashes that is sweet, adorable, and sexy all at once. “Usually anyway.”

I can’t help it. I have to kiss her again. I cup the back of her head and lower my mouth. She immediately responds, lifting on tiptoe, and pressing her mouth fully against mine. Our tongues are stroking, my other hand is back on her ass, her hands are gripping my shoulders as I back her up against the side of the house.

But then I shift slightly to the right and step on a loose floorboard. Not only does it pop up, but it happens to be the one underneath the otter statue. The statue tips over and falls with a dull thud as the floorboard shifts, slightly twisting my ankle.

I jerk my head up. “Goddamnit.”