Page 27 of The Price of Forever

Tousled, black hair. The square jawline that framed those perfect, plump lips. His chocolate puppy dog eyes sweeping over my body, leaving tiny explosions in their wake. And his body—gloriously uncovered, available for viewing. His silky black boxer briefs had an unnaturally large bulge between his legs. I blinked a couple of times, wondering if this was an optical illusion. His dick can’t be that big when it’s soft, right? I tried desperately not to stare, moving my gaze instead to his sculpted thighs. Dark leg hair. And the abs—oh, fuck me, the abs.

My brows furrowed as I beheld him. The longer I looked at him, the angrier I got.

He paused in the doorway, squinting at me like this encounter could go sideways. “Why do you look so angry?”

“You’re just…wearing underwear.”

He blinked a few times. His confusion helped me realize that I hadn’t made any sense at all. But there was no way I could explain. Not without outing myself.

“So are you,” he said.

“Right, but I’m like…” I gestured at my simple tee and undies, which were mostly hidden by the shirt. “You’ve seen me in way less.”

“Should I put pants on or…?”

“No. It’s fine. I mean, unless you were planning on it. I don’t want to plan your clothes out. I’m not your mom.” I breezed out of the room, trying to act confident. But internally, I was melting down. Not a word I’d said made sense.

I just needed to get away from those man thighs. And the possible monster dick.

After opening all the curtains in the living room and watching the treetops of Central Park for a few minutes, I decided my fascination with Seven’s body could be done now. I’d seen plenty of good-looking guys in my time. His abs were nothing new, even though I could have absolutely cleaned a pair of socks on them if necessary. That bulge in his underwear? Probably stuffed with toilet paper to look more impressive. And now that I thought about it, the narrow, slightly crooked nose of his wasn’t all that uncommon. I’d seen more bronzed skin, more precise hairstyles.

“So I take it you’re ready to start the day?” His gravelly voice in the living room startled me out of my thoughts. I spun around to respond, but my voice withered and disappeared entirely. He wore the same black, pressed pants with a belt….and nothing else. The sight of his trim torso cutting away to the dress clothes nearly undid me on the spot. He watched me with a curious look as he sat in an armchair facing me. The crinkle of his belly started a whole new wave of flutters through my pussy.

“What’s wrong now?” he asked. “I put pants on.”

I sighed and turned back to the window. “I really wanted to sleep more. But it’s too bright now. I just can’t.”

“Starting the day early isn’t a bad thing. We have a lot to get done.”

I crossed my arms, getting lost in the trees of Central Park again. “I guess I do need to pack up my apartment.”

“We’ll send someone to do that for you. You don’t need to go back there—in fact, you shouldn’t. What I’m talking about is the elephant in the room.”

I bit my lip. I must have been so transparent. Did he know how badly I wanted to have sex with him? “And that is…?”

“Getting on the same page with your brothers.”

My shoulders sank. “Oh.”

“After what happened last night, we need to go talk to them. I haven’t told them a single word about Dustin, but I’m going to. You should be there to give your input.”

“Can I submit a written statement instead?”

Seven sighed, the first bit of honest exasperation I’d heard from him. I turned to watch him as he buried his face in his hands. “How can you possibly be this resistant to your brothers trying to help you?”

The question floored me. Mostly because he’d asked it so honestly.

I didn’t know how to answer without revealing the gaping caverns of my heart.

“They’ve never been there for me,” I finally said. “Why are they starting now? It’s too convenient.”

“They didn’t even know you were alive,” he said succinctly. “How could they have been there for you when they thought you were six feet under?”

“It would be easier for all parties involved if they continued thinking I was dead,” I retorted. “Then we wouldn’t have to go through these stupid charades.”

“And you’d have been raped in your hallway last night.”

Silence thudded between us. My gaze dropped to the floor because I couldn’t handle Seven’s intensity right now.

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