Page 67 of The Forbidden Trio

Chapter Two

She decided to take a Lyft to meet Max at the restaurant. She wasn’t ready to be in a car with him—it felt too dangerous.Hefelt dangerous in a way that thrilled her, just as he always had. But amplified now, after that kiss. The hottest kiss of her life. That kiss, the chemistry, and knowing they’d both been into kink all these years. God, what kinds of skills had he developed? But the explosively hot fantasy images warred in her mind with the questions and doubts.

What if they weren’t into the same brand of kink? They’d have to get through negotiations and… why was she getting that far ahead of herself? She wasn’t even sure this was the best idea. She was letting wishful thinking run away with her.

The Lyft pulled up in front of the restaurant and Max was waiting outside, dressed in a pair of dark jeans and a white button-up shirt, the sleeves rolled up, exposing his strong, tanned forearms. His dark hair was combed back off his face, and this mature version of Max, with his chiseled features and the air of a man who was utterly comfortable in his skin, looked more incredibly handsome to her than ever. Handsome and commanding.

He came to help her from the car, and even his hand on hers was a turn-on. He was pure sex—every gesture, even his posture, exuding control.

He led her to the sidewalk before leaning in to brush a kiss across her cheek. “You look beautiful.”

Her cheek burned where his lips had touched. She swallowed hard. “Thank you. You look great, too.”

He didn’t have to know she’d spent an hour trying on everything in her closet before settling on the short, emerald green silk slip dress that skimmed her thighs and matched her eyes.

“Shall we?”

He held the door open and led her inside the restaurant. The décor was all clean, minimalistic lines, everything in varying shades of gray with touches of cool jade green in the modern art on the walls.

“I got us a table in the back. I hope you don’t mind. It’s very private.”

“That’s probably a good idea.”

The hostess showed them to their table, casting longing glances at Max. Not that Aster could blame her, and it was something she was used to when out in public with her stepbrother, but it made her feel oddly territorial.

They sat, and Max asked her if she minded him ordering for them both.

“You’re the chef. And you know what I like.”

He arched a brow and grinned at her, making her blush.

“Just order please, Max.”

He chuckled as he perused the menu.

When the waitress came, he rattled off a selection, including a small bottle of cold sake, which she brought right away.

Ever the gentleman, Max poured for her.

“Thanks.”

“Cheers,” he said as they clinked the tiny cups and then sipped. “So, have you had some time to process everything?”

“To be honest, ‘everything’ would take at least two years with a good therapist.”

He laughed. “True. How about we start with getting caught up? Tell me what you’ve been up to.”

He’d always been good at putting her at ease. Not that anything was going to cut through the insistent lust coursing through her body, but Max was as comforting to her as he was exciting. And God, she was overthinking this. She took a slow breath to try to center herself.

“Well, you know I opened a Pilates studio here in town about three years ago—it’s called Synergy. It’s going really well, and I love my work. I’ve been thinking about opening another studio in the city. Manhattan is really competitive, but I think I can do it. Enough of my clients work in the city that word would get out. Plus—I don’t know if you remember—but my friend Cassie is a publicist, and she’s agreed to help.”

“That’s great, Aster. I’m proud of you. And I have to say, the Pilates definitely keeps you in great shape.”

She found herself blushing once more and sipped her sake to cover it up.

“The only weird thing is when some of Mother’s friends or their daughters come in, but I don’t do any private sessions with them—I hand them over to my staff. I just don’t want her in my business any more than necessary.”

“I get it. I know she can be difficult, especially with you.”

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