Page 73 of Tamed By You

“Must you sing it? It ruins the vibe.”

“Yes, I must. Let me have my moment,” he says dryly.

I pinch the bridge of my nose. Dear god, if our friends could see us now, they wouldn’t believe it.

He starts to sing. He's not a bad singer but his ego doesn't need to know that. I start to run, bending my knees when I get to him, quite literally taking a leap of faith, praying he will catch me. He grips my hips and lifts me above his head; I straighten out my body, pointing my toes and stretching my arms out, no flapping. It feels exhilarating to be up so high, and in his hold, trusting him.

“Yesssss,” I cheer. He continues to hold me in the air as I brace my hands against his muscular shoulders, my stomach sinking in that addictive way it does when you ride a rollercoaster.

“Put me down.” I laugh but he starts to twirl, spinning me in the air and falling to the couch, catching me in his strong arms and pulling me on top of his naked chest.

“Oh… my god, I thought you were going to drop me,” I gasp, tapping him on the chest. He clasps the back of my head and pulls me towards his face, our lips almost touching. His spicy scent swirling between us.

“I told you, I’d never let you fall. I’ll always catch you.” Suddenly my mouth feels dry, like I’ve swallowed a cotton ball. We stare into each other’s eyes, tension crackling between us. I shift in his lap, moving my hands to cup his face when a loud bang has us turning our heads towards the front door.

“... yeah, okay, 8 pm, I’ll see you there,” a woman’s voice echoes before a tall, slender woman with brunette hair freezes in the middle of the room. “Oh, sorry I didn't mean to interrupt,” Familiar blue eyes meet mine and I run cold. This is not how I imagined meeting Harry's twin, straddling her half-naked brother on her couch.

“Tor, you're back early. What are you doing here?”

“Well, hello to you too, brother. It's great to see you too. I had a great trip. Thanks for asking.”

Ooohh, I like her.

I scramble off Harry's lap and make my way over to her, reaching out my hand. “I’m so sorry. This wasn't the first impression I was planning on. It's nice to meet you. I’m—”

“Ali, right? Harry said you were coming.” She gives me a megawatt smile that reaches her eyes. “Victoria, but call me Tori, or Tor… come here.” She doesn't take my hand, but instead pulls me in for a hug. I’m stunned. I’m not really a hugger unless it's those close to me, but I welcome it. She smells sweet, like cotton candy and cupcakes, and there is something oddly comforting about her. I pull back and take a good look at her.

She’s a little shorter than Harry but taller than me, has the same midnight blue eyes as him and brunette hair plus the same dazzling smile. Yep, I can see the resemblance.

“Come here, sis,” Harry says, pulling her into an embrace. I watch them, a pang of jealousy hitting me. I never got to experience having a brother or sister, that unbreakable bond that only siblings can experience, and I can only imagine how much stronger that is for twins. Harry's whole face lights up looking at her and it's clear he adores hers.

“We all know you're quite the Adonis, Harry, but for the love of god, please put a shirt on. It’s been a long day. I don't need you peacocking around the apartment.”

I snort a laugh and Tori turns to me and gives me a wink.

I love her.

“I would, but Ali Cat over here loves the view. Can't keep her hands off me, can you, babe?”

My eyes and my mouth widen, cheeks flushing, I glance over at Tori as she clamps her mouth closed, stifling a laugh. I’m rendered speechless. What the hell do I say? Thankfully, Harry breaks the silence.

“So, how come you're back so soon… not that I don't love seeing my baby sis, but weren't you meant to be away till Friday?”

“Baby sis?” I question. “Aren't you meant to be twins?”

“He’s six minutes older, so loves to tell people I’m his baby sister.”

“Gotcha.”

“The trip got cut short, and no I’m not talking about it so don't ask. Plus, some of the girls are going to that live band night and my favorites are playing so I wanted to head back. I hope that's okay I can crash at Meghan’s if you need me to.”

“Don't be silly,” I interject, “this is your apartment, we can leave, or I can get a hotel or something. Give you two some time together.”

Harry goes to speak but Tori beats him to it. “Don't be silly, if anyone is leaving it’s him, we can have some girl time and he can find a nice hotel with lots of mirrors so he can get in some quality time with himself.”

We both laugh and Harry narrows his eyes at both of us. “Oh great, now there's two of you giving me shit.”

“You wouldn't want us any other way,” she mocks, cupping his chin, giving his head a little wobble. I love her accent. She still has a strong American one but the odd word has a British twang to it.

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