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“Me too.”

I slid my arms around him and hugged him tight, laying my head against his chest. He rested his chin on top of my head, his heart thumping wildly. I didn’t think about Rosethorn. I didn’t think about how inappropriate this was given that I’d approved Tommy’s proposal.

I existed where he existed, and that made the misery easier.

“What are the odds of you being here today, huh? I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you,” he murmured. “I nearly texted you a hundred times over the last week. Every morning I woke up thinking about you.”

Surprise made me swallow hard. I’d done a really good job of convincing myself he’d forgotten all about me. “Why didn’t you?”

“Pepper,” he rasped. He gripped my hair, giving me a tug. “What are you doing? I thought I’d scared you off. Does this mean I’m not with Rosethorn?”

I shook my head. “I approved Tommy’s proposal. I dragged my feet on it, and for that, I’m sorry.”

“Then what…”

“I don’t know,” I said. “I saw you here. And when you’re around, I can’t resist you. No matter how hard I try. Maybe I’m just losing my mind. I’m never good around this time of the year. It’s always a few days of hell. I’ll be more normal later this week.”

“It’s okay,” he murmured. He opened his mouth to say something, but then shut it.

“What?” I asked, raising a brow.

He studied me, but then continued. “The sex club is open tonight. It’s a Sunday, so a… different kind of church, you know.”

My eyes widened. “The place you told me about, right? The Garden?” I’d spent some time looking at their website earlier this week.

He nodded.

Don’t do it. Don’t.

“I’ll take you, if you want.”

“Really?” I asked.

“Yes. Do you want to?”

More than anything else. The temptation was too great, but I still tried to resist. For a second. “Doyou?”

The corner of his mouth tugged. “Yes. It’s a bad idea. But yes, I want to take you there.”

I took a deep breath. I wanted to go. I wanted to experience something new. I was tired of fitting into the cage I’d built for myself. I wanted to be free.

I wanted to be with him.

“I want to forget about everything else,” I whispered.

“Me too.”

My cheeks flamed. “Are you sure? Last Tuesday was?—”

“I still stand by what I said then,” he quipped, his nostrils flaring. “I don’t chase, Pepper.”

“I’m not running. At least for tonight.”

His hand slid behind my neck, massaging my tendons. “For tonight. And tomorrow...”

“Tomorrow, Tommy opens his email. He reaches out to you to set up another meeting. It’ll probably take place later next week, and it’ll be with everyone important.”

“So a meeting with you.”

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