*Add 1/2 cup different color sugar sprinkles to the sugar to personalize for any occasion.

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Antipasto Cups

12 slices salami

1 (15.5 ounce) can baby artichoke hearts, chopped

1 cup Kalamata olives, chopped

1/2 cup sliced banana peppers

1 (12 ounce) jar roasted red peppers, chopped

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 cup feta cheese, crumbled

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Press salami into 12 muffin cups and place a small ball of foil in the middle to hold in place. Bake for 5-7 minutes or until edges begin to brown. Remove from pan and place on paper towels to drain. In a large bowl, combine remaining ingredients except for feta cheese. Toss well. Place the salami cups on a platter and fill with antipasto mixture. Top with cheese and serve.

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Margarita Cheesecake Bites

1 cup crushed pretzels

Juice and zest of 1 lime

8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, melted

1 tablespoon tequila

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 (8 ounce) blocks cream

1/2 teaspoon salt cheese, softened

1 cup powdered sugar

Line 12 cupcake tins with liners. In a large bowl, mix together pretzels, butter and sugar. Press an even layer of crushed pretzels into the bottom of each muffin tin using the back of a spoon. Refrigerate for 10-15 minutes. In a large bowl, using a hand mixer, beat cream cheese and powdered sugar until combined. Mix in remaining ingredients, reserving some of the zest for the topping. Spread evenly over pretzel crust and top with remaining lime zest.

Freeze for 1 hour or until ready to serve. To make a full cheesecake, press an even layer of the pretzel mix on the bottom of a 9-inch spring form pan. Refrigerate for 10-15 minutes. Spread the cheesecake mixture over the pretzels and top with remaining lime zest. Freeze for 1 hour before serving.

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Rockstar Reunion Invitation

Sam and Leo

Leo

“They’re on the way here from the airport,” I inform Sam, who’s sitting at her vanity in our closet putting the finishing touches on her hair. “I just got a call from Gary.”

“Okay.” She sighs and stares at herself in the mirror. She seems to be having a silent conversation with herself. One that I’m not part of.

“What’s on your pretty mind?” I ask as I walk up behind her and look at her reflection, resting my hands on her shoulders.

“Nothing.” She runs her brush through her blonde locks, acting as if nothing at all is bothering her.

But I know my wife, and this isn’t the nothing nothing tone. This is the something nothing tone, and I’m going to have to pry it out of her.

Which is fine by me because it’ll involve skin-to-skin contact.

I drag my hands from her shoulders to her elbows and kiss the top of her head, breathing in strawberries and vanilla, and watching her eyes widen and dilate in the mirror. Her cheeks flush, and her pink lips part as her breathing grows ragged.

“You know.” I sweep her soft blonde hair to the side and kiss her neck, just below her ear. “I need you to talk to me, Sunshine.”

“I don’t have anything to say.” Her raspy voice catches on “say” as I grip her earlobe in my teeth and give it a little pull. She tips her head, giving me easier access to her neck, which I take full advantage of, licking and kissing lightly.

It’s about to get interesting.

She sighs, settling into my soft touches, so I fist her hair at the back of her head, catching her attention, and plant my teeth in the supple skin at the base of her neck where it meets the shoulder, and her breath immediately comes faster.

“You like it a little rough.”

“Mm” is her only response, which always makes my dick twitch. I fucking love her raspy voice.

I pull her shirt and bra to the side, giving me more access to her, and leave open-mouthed kisses over her skin, which pebbles in goose bumps. Her breasts lift with her gasp, begging for my hands.

“You like that?” I whisper as I cup her tits and worry the already tight nipples between my finger and thumb.

“You know I like that.”

I grin and bite her again, then nibble over to her spine.

Sam’s back is fucking gorgeous.

“Take this off.” I yank her shirt over her head and drop it on the floor, squat and kiss my way down her spine to the top of her ass.

“Oh, that’s nice.”

“Nice?” I lick the dimples above her ass. “This is nice?”

“It’s good.”

She giggles, but I drag my fingers up her sides, over her ribs, squashing her laughter and making her sigh again.

“Just good?”

“Okay, it’s fucking amazing.”

“That’s what I want to hear.”

My hands roam up her belly to her breasts again, teasing her over her bra.

“Talk to me,” I murmur against her skin. “What’s up with you?”

She sighs, leaning into me. “I don’t want this weekend to be the beginning of a new surprise album and tour, Leo.”

“That’s not what we’re doing.” I turn her to face me and pull her into my arms. “We’re just hanging out. I haven’t seen them in a couple of months, and I miss their ugly faces.”

She laughs and presses a kiss over my heart. “Okay.”

The doorbell rings and I smile down at her. “They’re here.”

“Don’t leave. You’re not done with me yet.”

I kiss her, hard, and then smile as I pull away. “I have to get it. We haven’t hired a butler.”

“Nor will we. Okay, go get it. I have to fix myself after your attack on me.”

“You loved it,” I toss over my shoulder as I jog through the house to the front door and open it wide, excited to see my band.

“Hello, darling,” Cher, DJ’s wife and a longtime friend of mine, says as she steps inside and kisses my cheek. “I have to use the bathroom.”

She hurries down the hall as the rest file in, and Meg and Will pull up in Will’s Mustang, just in time.

“It was a bumpy flight,” Gary says after shaking my hand. “I’ve never been so glad to see land.”

“Gary’s a pussy,” Eric replies.

“Motion sickness doesn’t make me a pussy,” Gary insists.

They’re all here. Gary with his wife, Lori, Jake and Eric, who have both managed to stay single all these years, and DJ and Cher.

Meg and Will come up the front steps, Will carrying Meg’s guitar for her.

“Looks like we have good timing,” Meg says with a grin. “Hey, everyone!”

“Meg!”

She’s immediately swept up amongst the guys, the way she always has been where they’re concerned.

“Is there food?” Will asks, making me grin.

“Hungry already?”

“I had training today,” he explains.

“That means nothing. You’re always hungry,” Sam says as she joins us and slips her arm around my waist. “But yes, we have tons of food. I had a caterer bring in a great assortment, all set up in the kitchen and dining room.”

“Sweet.” Will takes off for the kitchen, making us all laugh.

“It’s so nice out today,” Sam says after hugging and greeting everyone. “Let’s sit outside.”

“Your outdoor space should be in a magazine,” Lori says as we grab drinks and some food and walk out back. We face the ocean, and Sam’s right, it’s a beautiful day for enjoying the view. It’s a nice early fall day, and I set up the sun shades this morning.

“Thank you,” Sam says. “You look fantastic for having a baby just a few months ago.”

“Oh, thanks.” Lori laughs and glances at her husband. Gary’s still loading up a plate full of fried chicken and deviled eggs. “I think we’re done with five.”

“That’s a lot of babies,” Cher says as she walks outside with a bottle of water. “Who has them all this weekend?”