Page 81 of Reckless Temptation

I couldn’t wrap my head around that, this news that it wasn’t just sex for him either.

I got onto the bike and wrapped my arms around him, glad that my parents wouldn’t be home. Mom was catering for an event about an hour and a half away. And Dad was over at a coworker’s house, helping him with his roof—more hurricane cleanup. Weekends could be hit or miss like this, but I was glad that I’d have privacy with Nick at home.

When we arrived, I tamped down the nerves about what he’d think of my home. He came from wealth, sort of, and I was the opposite. Of course, he noticed how we were in the throes ofrenovations. But when he asked about it all, he wasn’t mean or nosy.

I showed him the empty house and the progress we’d made so far. Then I led him to my apartment studio over the garage.

We had yet to speak aboutus, about what he said or what could happen next.

The moment I said I wanted to shower, he smiled and followed me toward the bathroom. “Me too.”

I smiled, loving how easily we could be together now that he didn’t have ulterior motives with me and I had no reasons to judge him.

In the shower, where I wanted to warm up from the lingering chill of fear, we washed off the chlorine and cuddled under the water.

“Did you mean it?” I asked as he rubbed my loofah over me, washing me with such tender gentleness.

“Mean what?” he asked before kissing my brow.

“That I am the woman you love,” I replied nervously.

He grinned, so sexy and smug. “Hell yeah, I mean it.” Letting the loofah fall, he cupped my face and kissed me. “I love you, Sabrina.”

I smiled as he pecked more light kisses over my face. My cheeks. The tip of my nose. My closed lids and my brow.

“I love you, and I don’t think I’m capable of ever stopping.”

“I love you too,” I replied. “It’s bizarre. And it seems so farfetched,” I admitted, needing to be logical and not obey onlymy heart. “You bullied me, but somehow…” I kissed him harder. “Somehow, you got to me. I can’t imagine my life without you,” I admitted, knowing what his mom had told me was so true and real.

Nick had my heart, and despite how we’d started to connect, as enemies, this man wasmine.

“I’ll never forgive myself for how I treated you,” he promised with more soft kisses over my face.

“ButIforgive you,” I argued, pulling him close for another deeper kiss.

It seemed like he wanted to keep this serious, not playful, but with his erection poking at my stomach, I lost faith that I could keep my hands—or mouth—off him.

After I showed him what I wanted, to give him head under the streaming water of the hot shower, he stopped me before he could come so he could carry me to my bed and make love with me there.

Then following a long nap, we did it again.

And again.

The rest of the day was just what I needed. We talked, and talked, and talked some more. There was a lot to cover, and we didn’t leave anything out. Between us, we agreed that Tiffany would be dealt with. That George and Leslie could handle the lies and rumors on their own. And that I would not stay in the running for the intern spot.

He bristled and argued when I suggested dropping out of the program completely, worried that the Lorsen name was tainting my goals for my career.

“It’s not a matter of wanting to distance myself from the Lorsens,” I said as we lay in bed together, snuggling. “It’s a matter of wanting to distance myself from an inappropriate focus of the law.”

Instead, I told him that I’d rather transfer to another college more well-known for community justice. Or even switching into more of a criminal law track to become a prosecutor or DA.

That wasn’t all. As we whiled away the evening, we shared so much about ourselves. He talked about his dad and why he’d gone into engineering. I commented about the bullying and why I never let it get to me. He explained how lost and defeated he felt about his mom and losing his dad and not knowing what to do with his life. And I laid out all the reasons I wanted to focus only on my studies so much, to be able to help my family.

We fell asleep together, but when we woke up, I knew we had to act on some of the things we wanted.

Being together, no matter what, was at the top of our list. But before we could assume that all was well with us in love, we had to explain that our relationship wouldn’t be challenged by others.

I wanted to tell my parents.

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