Page 6 of Forbidden Desires

Pete winces at my words, guilt flickering across his face at the reminder of the night a few months ago, when we ran into each other at a club. Annie was working through her own issues, and while she was on a tear, getting way too drunk and hiding from us, Pete had shown up because Ethan had let slip we were at a local hot spot. "I deserve that. Look, that night, I wasn't in a good place. I'd just had a fight with Dexter and I was… well, I wasn’t in a good place."He repeats himself, then shrugs.

I hold my hand up to stop him. "Look, I don't need to know about your lovers’ spats."

At this, Dexter appears at Pete's side, looking amused. "I told you she'd bite your head off," he says, nudging Pete with his elbow.

Pete shoots him a look, but Dexter's grin doesn't waver. Instead, he turns his attention to me.

Oh, be still my beating heart.

No. I'm serious. Calm the fuck down, Suzie.

"For what it's worth," Dexter says, his gaze sliding over me with open curiosity, "I think you're kind of incredible."

I blink, thrown completely off balance by the unexpected compliment. "Excuse me?"

Pete sighs, rubbing the back of his neck. "This is not how I expected tonight to go."

"Oh really?" I snap, the words spilling out before I can stop them. These two idiots have taken me on one heck of a rollercoaster in the last few minutes alone. "And how exactly did you expect it to go, Pete? You show up at my brother's wedding with a boyfriend, and then expected you and me to be best friends?"

Pete opens his mouth to respond, but before he can say anything, Dexter steps forward, placing himself squarely between us.

"Okay," Dexter says, his tone firm. "That's about enough of that. Let's not turn this into a shouting match in the middle of Ethan and Cole’s reception. We don’t need to say things we might regret later." He frowns, his words coming out as low growl, and the affable man from thirty seconds ago is gone.

And I'm even more attracted to this dominant version of Dexter.

I glare at him, a mix of frustration bubbling to the surface. First at my emotions for running the show, but more so at the two men in front of me. "Why do you care what I do or don’t regret?"

Dexter's frown softens as he smiles. There's something in his eyes—something warm and understanding that makes my heart skip. "Because you matter to Pete . And believe it or not, that means what happens here, between the three of us now, matters to me, too."

The words hit me like a punch, knocking the air from my lungs.

For a moment, the three of us stand there, tension crackling between us like a live wire.

And then, before I can think twice, I take a step forward, right into Dexter's space, and kiss him.

I'll just blame it on the two glasses of champagne, shall I?

It happens so fast, I barely have time to register the way his lips feel against mine. Warm, soft, and far too good.

Pete makes a strangled sound beside us, and then suddenly his hand is on my arm, pulling me away from Dexter.

"What the hell, Suzie?" Pete's voice is a mix of anger and disbelief, but there's something else there too... Is that interest?

The emotions rolling through me are such a mess, I can't get a handle on anything, let alone a thought. "Don't ask me to explain it," I breathe, my pulse racing.

And then, not allowing myself to think it through, I grab Pete's shirt, pull him closer, and kiss him too.

The moment our lips meet, the world tilts on its axis. It's different from the kiss with Dexter—familiar in a way that makes my chest ache, but charged with something new. Fresh. Exciting.

When I finally pull away, both men stare at me, stunned into silence.

"Oh my word," I mutter, running a hand through my hair. "What the hell did I just do?"

Dexter chuckles softly, breaking the tension. "Well, that was unexpected. But not completely unwelcome."

Pete shakes his head, a dazed smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "You've always been full of surprises."

I step back, my heart hammering in my chest. I’m not sure whether to laugh, cry, or run for the hills.

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