Page 61 of Promise Me Forever

“Is Kimmy a fan of vaginas too?”

“Kimmy’s a fan of everything. She’s great fun, you’ll love her.”

This is going to be one of those complicated situations we’ll have to navigate. If we’re keeping this a secret, can we meet each other’s friends and family? Can we exist in each other’s lives? I want nothing more than to show her off, to have her at my side every minute of every day, but how does that fit with maintaining discretion? I have no clue, but I have even less intention of dragging us both down right now. I finally got the woman into bed, and the only time I plan to let her out of it today is for food. She needs to keep her strength up.

As if she read my mind, she says, “You want to go get something to eat?”

“I don’t really want to leave this bed, but much as I’m willing to try, man cannot live by pussy alone.” Again, she blushes. No less adorable than last time.

“Don’t you have to leave soon, though?” she asks. I frown because I haven’t said anything at all about leaving. “I assumed you have work to do.”

Right. Of course she did. And yeah, there’s always something that needs doing. But I regularly put in hundred-hour or more weeks, so it won’t kill me to take a weekend. “I thought I’d spend the day with my secretary instead. She’s a sex maniac.”

“She is? You lucky man. Okay, so we’ll go out for food. Can you guess where I want to take you? What I want you to taste?”

I close my eyes and groan. I certainly can.

“Mario’s exploding donut balls!” she yells, bouncing up and down on the mattress. It makes her gorgeous tits do some interesting things, and I grab hold of her and pull her onto my lap.

“All right, all right. But first, I need to make something else explode.”

Chapter

Twenty-Nine

AMELIA

“What do you think?” I say, leaning forward and watching him closely. Wait for it, I think, wait for it, any moment now… Boom! I see the moment he bites into the donut ball, and I laugh at his expression.

“Holy fucking shit!” he says, his eyes wide. He carries on chewing, and I grin at him. I would have been so disappointed if he hadn’t reacted exactly like that.

“Wow, they really do explode, don’t they? What’s in these things, fucking cocaine?”

We’re sitting on the benches that line the river, looking across the water. You get way better views from Brooklyn because you’re looking at Manhattan, and I’ve really enjoyed showing Drake around my neighborhood. Obviously, he’s been to Brooklyn many times before, but notmyBrooklyn.

“I know, right?” I reply, delighted with his response. “I told you they were great.”

“You did. In fact, this whole day has been great. I’ve got the sneaky feeling that’s because… you’re great.”

“Aw,” I say, pulling a goofy face. “That’s so sweet—and undoubtedly true. So, I showed you my old school, and I showed you Wanda’s and O’Kelly’s, the bar where I first got drunk.”

“You did. I think I’ve had the complete Amelia-in-Brooklyn guided tour.”

“More of a highlight reel. I wish… I wish I could have shown you my mom’s house. I mean, I did show you my mom’s house, but I wish we could have gone in, you know? I’d love for you to meet her. I feel like I always talk about her when she’s sick or when I’m stressed, and I skip over the fact that she’s a lot of fun.”

He smiles at me, his head tilted to one side and sunlight glinting from his dark hair. He’s wearing the most un-Drake clothes I’ve ever seen him in—a pair of gray sweatpants and an I-heart-NY hoodie that he picked up from Mr. Aziz’s Mini-mart. He was wearing his usual suit when he turned up at my place, and I think we were both surprised that he spent the night.

“I know.” He raises my hand to his mouth for a kiss. “I’d love to meet her too. And maybe I will. I suppose we have a lot to figure out, don’t we, Miss Ryder?”

“We sure do. Is it… Is it too complicated for you, Drake?”

He pulls me into his arms and holds me so tight I can’t breathe. It’s the absolute best hug I’ve ever had. “It’s complicated, yeah. But too complicated? No. You’re worth a little complication. What about you? Any second thoughts?”

I wonder what he’d do if I told him I’d decided it wasn’t worth the risk. Because I am taking a risk, more than he even knows. This isn’t only about my job or my career or my reputation. It’s about my heart. I haven’t told him that I’m in love with him, but there’s no getting away from it—I am hopelessly in love with Drake James.

“None,” I say firmly, luxuriating in the simple pleasure of being with him. We’ve carried so much tension around with us for so long that this feels like paradise. To finally be able to relax,to enjoy each other’s company, is bliss. That and all the orgasms, of course. “I don’t care how messy it is. As you said, worth it. Like those exploding donut balls and the calories.”

“I’d better be careful with those. I don’t want to get fat. You’ll find some new guy with a six-pack to take care of your insatiable appetite.”

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