Page 47 of Ravished By Her

I opened my mouth to argue, but I couldn’t. My sister was right. I’d been kind of an asshole about Kai, but at least that had been through video chat and not in person at a book club meeting.

“Please don’t make things weird. If you love me at all, don’t make it weird,” I said to Sterling. She took both of my hands in hers.

“I promise to try not to make it weird,” she said, looking into my eyes.

“I guess that’s as good as it’s going to get.” I squeezed her hands and found Kai doing that thing where she watched us with too many emotions on her face.

“I know you really like her, Gwennie. I’m not going to do anything to damage that,” Sterling said, still holding my hands.

“I never said I really liked her. I admitted under duress that I had a crush on her.”

My sister grinned. “You didn’t have to tell me you liked her.”

“Okay, Sterling,” I said, but it was true that we could read each other better than anyone else. Call it a magical twin bond or shared DNA or whatever, but Sterling knew me. Especially now that we were together all the time.

“Invite her to book clubbbb,” Sterling said, drawing out the last word and then letting go of me.

“I’ll float the idea,” I said. “But no promises.” Lacey hadn’t been enthused about it when I’d mentioned it before, so I didn’t know if she would be up for it now.

“That’s all I ask,” Sterling said.

“And all I ask is that you don’t embarrass me,” I said.

Sterling rolled her eyes. “Now you’re asking too much.”

* * *

“Feel free to say no, but my sister and her girlfriend wanted me to make sure that I invited you to book club next Thursday night. They finally wore me down into going and I know you like to read, so you’re welcome to come. You don’t even have to read the book or talk. You could just come and eat and drink and then leave,” I said, feeling myself starting to babble a little bit.

We were in the office painting the walls and my arms were already aching.

“With an endorsement like that, how could I say no?” she asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

“I just didn’t want to pressure you. Or make you feel like you had to go.” I dipped my brush in the paint tray and tried to force myself to go back to painting window trim. The dining room was the only other room left on this floor that needed paint and as soon as it was dry, I couldn’t wait to bring the furniture in and get this place looking like a home again. Or at least not like the cluttered disaster it was before.

“I’m not pressured, Gwen. It sounds like it could be fun, I guess. What’s the book we’re supposed to read?” she asked. I told her and she smirked. “Already read it. But I can absolutely read it again this weekend.”

It didn’t surprise me she’d already read the book, given her tastes. I’d also read the book before and was going to read it again before Thursday. The book was an age-gap sexy romance where a woman is kidnapped and taken to a private island under mysterious circumstances by a stunning ice queen. It hit so many of the tropes that I adored.

“So you’ll come?” I asked.

“I will,” she said, setting down the roller and stretching her shoulders. I didn’t miss how they both made a popping noise as she stretched. I also didn’t miss the beautiful curves and valleys of her body as she moved. I’d never wanted to lick someone so much in my life.

“And since you are inviting me to book club, I am inviting you over for dinner on Friday. Or another night, if you’ve already got plans,” she said, and I almost dropped the paintbrush.

“Oh,” I said. “I’m not busy on Friday.” Maybe I shouldn’t have admitted that, but I wasn’t going to lie to her about my social life. Right now it consisted of hanging out with my sister and that was about it.

“Good,” she said, giving me one of those rare smiles that made my heart stop. “Any requests for food?”

I shook my head. “No, make whatever you want.”

“Got it,” she said, grabbing the roller and covering it in paint again. “Even though you’re not a princess, I’m still allowed to call you that, right?”

She stretched to reach the highest part of the wall where it met the ceiling and her tank rode up, gifting me a look at her stomach, causing me to forget my own name.

“What?” I said and she glanced down at me without lowering her arms.

“Can I still call you princess?” she asked, her voice soft and intimate.

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