Page 100 of Forbidden Bond

“Never has.”

That Irish-American drawl widened her smile again, and it was close, so close that its owner’s fingertips drifted up her arm.

Not just in bed, she never called him Ire, except with other people.

Strat was a lot more serious than her hormones. “It’s a fake?”

“Without a doubt. And who do we know with experience in the porn industry… Hmm…” She feigned wonder. “Let me think… Someone who knows Swerve…”

“Shit, it’s…” Strat trailed off and glanced above her to Conn. Niall went somewhere, she didn’t know where, but he wasn’t around. “You asked who.”

“The actors,” she answered. “The people doing the screwing.”

“Weakest links in the chain.”

“Might be Silvio’s project, but what does he plan to do with it. No way he did it just to embarrass us. We’re together, the world knows we’re together now. Kinda follows that we have sex.” She bumped back against her guy. “I thought it was the original.”

“Every copy of that is in the vault,” Conn said, relaxed as always.

“Except my copy,” she said and snagged her friend’s hand. “Strat has that.”

“That’s what the flash drive is? Fuck, am I happy I never got curious.”

“You were always curious, just not that curious.”

“You weren’t exactly in with the McDades then. Could’ve been anything.”

“Give it to Conn, or Niall, they can put it with the others.”

“Doesn’t matter,” Conn said, sort of distracted.

“Does if it’s the only copy out there. If it gets out, Strat loses his head.”

Her friend blanched. “Good point, I’ll get it.”

“It’s blank,” Conn said when her friend moved sideways. “The drive you were given is blank.”

Slowly, jaw loose, she turned to him. “Months. How did it take you months to tell me that?” Though it was confusing. “What if I watched it?”

“You didn’t.”

“Yeah, because I was attacked on my way out. If I hadn’t sent Strat after it, I’d have been terrified that… Baby, why did you do that? How did you know I wouldn’t watch it?”

“You would’ve watched it, if the attack hadn’t happened, you would’ve watched.”

“Probably, and I’d have seen it was blank, that there was nothing there…”

That was when Conn’s dark emeralds sank to her gaze. And that was all the more shocking, because that meant…

“I’d have come back,” she murmured. “I’d have demanded to see you.”

God, that changed everything. Absolutely every little thing about—grabbing his face, she forced him down to accept her mouth. Back then, they hadn’t been over, he was never done with her. What she’d said to him, after the attack, how she’d pushed him away, all of it was misguided.

Easing from their kiss, she sailed on their permanence.

“I get what I want,” Conn said.

Her lips curled as she bowed back to meet his eye. “Yes, you do. I exist beneath you, under you.”

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