Page 158 of Foreplay on Words

We didn’t need toys or surprises to reconnect with one another. Those could wait until another night—when I didn’t need him so desperately.

Evan

Chicago

The last two days had been surprisingly enjoyable. Chase and I slept soundly after we’d reconnected. We’d awoken later in the night, and I’d handcuffed her and fucked her hard in that amazing hotel bed. The next morning, we met up with Diana bright and early for another bookstore appearance and signing.

There’d been a little buzz in the local literary circle with the pictures that’d surfaced from the other night. It’d all been positive, and I loved that Chase was finally getting the recognition she deserved. She’d always had positive press before but had been written off as only a romance writer. Having her name tied to mine had also awoken the critics to her ability to tell a suspenseful story.

It’d also been humbling to have a few of my readers tell me they’d been impressed that my writing had grown. I hadn’t even realized that my last few books had lacked a depth of emotion until Chase came along and shook up my world.

This morning we were driving to a bookstore near my parent’s house on the north side of Chicago.

“You doing okay?”

I glanced over at her out of the corner of my eye. We were flying solo this morning. Sam and Kristine had stayed downtown to sightsee. Diana had conference calls all morning, so she briefed us on the store we’d be at and sent us on our way.

“Yeah,” I sighed as I tried to loosen my grip on the steering wheel. We’d rented a car for the day, so we didn’t have to rely on hiring a ride-share.

Kelly had already headed to my parent’s house to cook for the crowd we’d expect this afternoon when Chase’s family drove in.

“Just thinking about this afternoon. I hope your brothers don’t try to murder me.”

Her rich laugh filled the car, and I smiled despite my nerves. “They’re not going to kill you.”

“You know they’ve read the book?” I pointed out, worried they’d think I was taking advantage of their baby sister. She’d told me how protective they were.

“Oh, they definitely have,” she nodded with a smirk. “I got some interesting text messages from Drew and Miguel the day after they got their copy.”

“Shit. They’re not mad, are they?” I asked anxiously. She started laughing hysterically, and my palms began to sweat, slipping on the leather of the steering wheel.

“No! Calm down. They were sending me links to leather Dominatrix outfits,” she giggled.

I took a deep breath and let out a nervous laugh. “Did you order any?”

“No, you nut. But I may have packed some lacy things inside the secret compartment in my suitcase,” she shrugged.

My eyes widened, and I gripped the steering wheel as I felt a twitch in my pants. I’d seen her in sexy underwear and no underwear but not dressed in lingerie.

“You’re going to make me hard,” I groaned as I tried to think of anything but Chase in barely-there lacy lingerie.

“And what did Ethan think of the book?” He was the one I was worried about. Ethan was the oldest and, from what Chase had told me, the most resistant to her dating when she was younger. I could only imagine what he thought of me.

“Oh, you don’t have to worry about him. He’s already one of your loyal fanboys. He probably thinks I corrupted your art,” she said in an annoyed tone and rolled her eyes dramatically as I glanced over at her.

I wasn’t sure how to respond to that. I’d never expected her family to be fans of my work. “So, how big of a fan are we talking?”

“Well, Elle may have teased him before they found out about you, that you were on his freebie list.”

“His what?” I had no idea what list she was talking about.

“You know how sometimes couples joke that if they ever meet a celebrity, they’ll give their partner a free pass...” she trailed off.

“Wait. I thought Drew was the gay brother?”

“He is.” She smiled, trying to hold in her laughter.

“I’m not even sure how to respond,” I told her honestly. I’d never been told I was on anyone’s sex list before, much less the straight brother of the woman I was dating.

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