Page 34 of Forbidden Vows

“That’s… good.” It’s weird enough that our parents are married again and we’re stepsiblings again. “Sleeping in the room next to them while they're on their second honeymoon might be a bit much.”

“Yeah. It might ruin the mood for our own vacation.” He playfully elbows my side.

I quickly correct, “Forced safety emergency trip. And don’t assume there will be any you-know-what between us.”

“You know what they say about assumptions,” he says. “They get your ass spanked.”

I still haven’t figured out if Iwantto cross that bridge. I mean I want to, want to. My body is begging for it. My face and my you-know-what heat to boiling. “Fine. Please do notpresumethat there will be any you-know-what between us.”

The repercussions…

“You-know-what?” he teases, interrupting my thoughts. “Can you not say the word out loud?”

I hold my head up high with goody-two-shoes dignity. “Can but choose not to. There’s enough dirty talking in the world already. I don’t care to add to it.”

He leans in. Too close. My senses are overwhelmed with the scent of man, cologne, and the feel of the scrape of his five o’clock shadow brushes against my cheek. His husky voice murmurs, the sound traveling straight between my thighs. “You mean, sex? Fucking? Me eating your pussy while you scream,” his voice goes all husky as he mimics me, “Oh Blaze don’t stop! Don’t stop?—”

My turn to elbow him in the ribs, but I’m not as gentle.

“Ow!” he laughs, rubbing his side. “That almost hurt. Like I got punched by a leprechaun.”

“Leprechaun? Please.” I’m at least as strong as a hobbit. My attention turns back to the magnificent house. I start up the steps. “Can we go inside?”

Finally, he heads for the front door. “Of course. Mom and Dad were too busy, but can I give you a tour at least? This project’s been my baby, and I’ve been dying to share it with someone from home.”

“I’m the first to see it?” I’m genuinely honored.

“Yeah,” he goes, shyer than I’ve ever seen him. “Except for Haze. I’ve kinda been waiting.”

Waiting for what?

I want to ask but then he turns the brass knob, saying, “I hope you like old houses.”

I’m the only patient who looks forward to going to thedentist. My local office has a subscription to Architectural Digest, and they never discard old subscriptions.

“Likeold houses? More like obsess. You’re talking to the girl who would choose an apartment with high ceilings and crown molding over one with a pantry and hall closet. As limited as storage space is in NYC, you know my heart lies with real hardwood floors.”

“When it comes to real estate, if there isn’t lead paint, I’m not interested,” he says.

“The more asbestos to be removed, the better,” I banter back.

We step inside. I take in the gorgeous foyer and the curved staircase, surprised by his choice of house. This place is so… me. “I thought you’d be a modern guy. Clean lines and walls of windows.”

“I’m secretly old-fashioned. I believe in spanking naughty women,” he teases, giving me those bedroom eyes of his. “And everyone knows I’m a sucker for an old soul.”

I ignore the spanking comment but get stuck on the ‘old soul’ one. He’s referring to his brother’s wedding when we were you-know-what-ing in the back of the church, and as I was on the brink of orgasm, I said I loved the scent of incense, and he called me an ‘old soul.’

I won’t let him affect me. Willing my cheeks to stay void of color, I swallow hard and steady my voice. “I want the full tour. Every detail. Don’t spare me.”

“Great.” He moves his hand to my lower back, doing that ‘protective man guiding thing’ I find so incredibly sexy. “And after that, we need to fuck.”

“What!” I stop cold, turning to face him. “What did you say?”

“Talk,” he says. “I said we need to talk.” He says it so cooly, I wonder if I misheard him. Maybe my mind had a Freudian slip. Seems like I’m the one who can’t stop thinking about sex, not him.

“We need to talk,” he repeats. “Go over the rules.” His hand leaves my lower back, sliding over my bottom. He squeezes my ass like he owns it, like I’ve got his name tattooed on my skin. “And the consequences if those rules are broken.”

“Oh. Um…” I give another hard swallow, focused on the way it feels to have his fingertips gently digging into that tender curve where my ass meets the top of my thighs.

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