Page 37 of Inked Persuasion

“Don’t hurt her,” my father said, scowling. “It should be serious. It’s the two of you. It can get complicated.”

I nodded. “We know. That’s why we laid out ground rules.”

My mom scoffed. “You know, you young children always say you put down ground rules, then you trample all over them. However, I trust you both to make the right decisions and not be stupid little idiots. I am excited, but I won’t get too giddy. I think this could be amazing, though.”

I shook my head. “You do? And not because you want to see us happy. But is it okay? You know, because of Jonah,” I said, voicing what I’d done my best not to think about.

Was I stealing my brother’s girl? Was I crossing a line and breaking the code that brothers never dared to speak of? The problem was, Jonah never loved Annabelle the way a husband loves his wife. And I knew that Annabelle felt the same. I didn’t know what lines were left to cross. I just hoped I wouldn’t be the one breaking the rules.

“I think your brother would want you to be happy. And you haven’t been happy, my baby boy,” my mother said softly. “You need to be happy. So does Annabelle. And, even if I don’t condone this not-serious talk, if you could have even a slight breath of happiness right now, that would be good.”

“Good,” I said, relief pouring off me. “I promise I won’t hurt her. We’re not going to be serious enough for us to hurt each other.”

My parents once again gave each other a look, but I ignored it.

“And now I need to go home and shower before I pick her up for dinner.” I looked down at my watch. “I might be late.”

“Hurry, go. Thank you for stopping by. We’ll see you on Sunday?” she asked.

“You may see me both days. I love you guys.” I swallowed a ball of emotion, kissed both my parents on the cheeks, and then headed out.

My fingers tapped the steering wheel as I thought about what my parents had said, but I knew that even if I were making a mistake by being with Annabelle, I wasn’t wrong in what our plan should be.

It didn’t make sense for us to want something more than what we already had.

We could have fun. We could care for one another. And we could remain friends.

That’s what needed to happen.

I pulled into my garage and practically leaped out of my car, taking the quickest shower of my life. I pulled on gray slacks and a black, button-up shirt that I figured made me look decent enough for dinner. We were going out for a nice meal, and then planned to come home.

We might do something else, but I wouldn’t pressure her, and I knew Annabelle would never pressure me.

I brushed my hair back and noticed that I needed to shave, but it wasn’t going to happen in the time I had. I rolled my sleeves up to my elbows and called it good. We weren’t going out to a fancy place, and I had noticed Annabelle looking at my forearms before. I might as well let her have a little arm porn tonight. I slid my feet into my shoes, grabbed my wallet, keys, and a couple of condoms, and then headed to my front door.

I opened it, and Annabelle was standing there wearing a pretty, soft-looking, pale pink dress that fit her curves and flared out at mid-thigh. She had on tall heels, carried a little bag, and her dark brown hair floated in the slight breeze. She had done her makeup in a light smoky eye thing, and her lips were glossy and luscious.

I wanted to pull her inside, bend her over the couch, and fuck her hard. I could pull up that little dress, tug her panties to the side again, and slide right home.

My dick pressed against the fly of my pants, and I swallowed hard. “Hey. I was on my way to pick you up.”

She grinned. “Well, the good and creepy thing about being neighbors is that I saw you pull in and figured you’d had enough time to shower. I know you’re driving. So, here I am. You don’t even have to pick me up at my door. See? Super easy.”

She was nervous, but hell, so was I. I reached out and pressed my thumb to her chin so I wouldn’t mess up her gloss. She parted her lips, letting out a soft breath.

“Hi,” I whispered.

“Hi,” she breathed.

Damn it. My parents were right. I was going to fuck this up. I would have to figure out a way not to. Right now, I was a goner. There was no way I could keep from being serious. Not unless I tried really hard. But, I reminded myself, I was good at doing what I needed to if I put my mind to it.

So, that was what I would do. I would make sure I didn’t do anything too serious. I wouldn’t break that rule or cross that line.

Though the Annabelle in front of me was pure temptation, it would have to be one I didn’t fall into.

Chapter 11

Annabelle

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