Page 41 of Royal Academy

Lia’s lips twitched, “If we were, do you honestly think we would tell you?”

The girl's face’s beamed with relief. Lia had found two fast friends.

“Go to bed,” Nick admonished the girls, “And I will think about not telling mom.”

They looked horrified, “You wouldn’t!”

He shrugged, “You have ten seconds before I call out. Ten, nine, eight…”

The raced down the hallway and a door slammed faintly in the distance.

Nick turned to face her. “I’m sorry about that. They are a handful.”

Lia smiled, “I like them. They are uninhibited.”

A ghost of a smile crossed his face, “Yes, they are certainly that. Why were they here really?”

His face scrunched a little and then Nick out a loud sneeze.

Lia brushed Hank back onto the floor, “I am sorry about that.”

Nick shook his head, “No worries, I did take allergy medicine. Now, why were my sisters tormenting you?”

Lia turned and picked up the plastic snake. “Before you get angry I just want to say that we had a lovely visit and I don’t want them to know I showed you this. Also, I’m giving you fair warning that I will be on a secret mission with your sisters to install this in your bed at some point. I want you to give the appropriate response when you find it.”

His grin deepened, “Abject horror?”

Lia nodded, “At least!”

Nick shook his head, “You don’t have to be so nice to them.”

She blushed, “I only had an older brother that was absent a lot in the past few years. It is nice to spend time with Kate and Kylie.”

Nick moved closer to Lia and pushed a lock of wavy red hair behind her ear.

“Every time I think I have you figured out, you go and prove me wrong,” he whispered standing entirely way to close to Lia.

Her breath quickened, and she was all too aware of standing there in a tank top and pajama bottoms.

“I’m not that hard to figure out.” Lia didn’t move back as he took a step closer. His breath now brushing her face in little puffs.

“Tell me to leave, Lia,” Nick wrapped an arm around her waist and yanked her body so that it was flush with his.

Her hands landed on his hard chest and her eyes widened as she felt his straining erection against her stomach. But she didn’t move back.

Lia leaned in and met Nick’s mouth, her hands moving up and locking behind his neck. The kiss sending ribbons of desire through her body. Lia was falling for this man. She knew it just as sure as she knew that she needed to keep her emotional distance.

But when he kissed her…

When he kissed her all rational thoughts melted away as need and desire started coursing through her veins. Her nipples tightened, begging to be touched, her pussy dampened, and she knew she was helpless to say no to him.

Maybe she just needed one night. One fantastically glorious night that would get all of this out of her senses once and for all. Nick was a good man. She cared for him, maybe even loved him a little. She knew that giving her virginity to someone would alter things.

But if they both knew it wasn’t permanent?

He slid one of his thighs between her legs and put pressure on her core. Lia gasped at the sensation and began to rock shamelessly against him.

“You are so fucking sexy,” he whispered as his lips made a train across her neck.

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