Page 17 of Caught Up

“There’s not much to tell,” I said. “I came out of the bathroom to find him waiting for me in the hall. He had his brother Alec standing guard to keep anyone from bothering us, and I ended up pinned to a wall.”

“Okay,” Taylor said. “That’s kind of fucking hot, though.” She turned to look at Ryan for confirmation.

Ryan stared at her like she’d grown a second head. “Did you not just hear that whole story about how he betrayed her? We hate him.”

“Oh, obviously we hate him,” Taylor said with an eye roll. “But it doesn’t make it anylesshot. If anything...” Her gaze slipped to me, and she had the audacity to start fanning herself.

I grabbed a nearby pillow and chucked it at her head. Goddamn it. I needed her to help Ryan talk me down from my momentary stupidity, not enable it.

Taylor ducked the pillow, unperturbed. Walter let out an excited yip and went barreling after it.

“How’d you react?” Ryan asked.

“I froze,” I said.

Taylor waggled her brows. “Froze, or went boneless like the submissive little slut you are?”

Walter returned carrying the pillow. I politely thanked him and then lobbed it at Taylor again. My aim was better this time, and she nearly fell off the couch trying to avoid it.

“Ifroze,” I repeated. “He grabbed me and was just...there, and I was so caught off guard that I—” I could tell from my roommates’ unimpressed expressions that they weren’t buying a single fucking word. Time to speak my truth. “It wasn’t my fault; I was the victim of a possession.”

Taylor grinned. “By a randy priest?”

“Sexually frustrated nun.”

She nodded along like she was fully onboard with my bullshit.

Ryan, however...

“Fine,” I huffed. “I went boneless like the submissive slut I am, but in my defense, I haven’t seen Junior in a decade, and he’s grown into his man body. Thosefucking green eyesof his stared straight into my horny little soul. I couldn’t help it.”

Taylor fell against the couch cushions, pumping her fists into the air while chanting, “Hate sex, hate sex, hate sex.”

Walter returned with the pillow again, and I lobbed it at her a final time. “Stop that. I’m not sleeping with the man.”

Ryan eyed me. “Did he say anything to you, or was it just the manhandling?”

I sobered, recalling the exchange. “There was an attempted flirtation.” I couldn’t bring myself to confess that Junior’s charm had almost worked on me, instead giving them a rundown of our mini altercation and my quick escape to Nonna Bianchi and her friends.

Ryan’s grin was rueful. “The wooden spoon brigade to the rescue.”

“Those old biddies don’t mess around,” I agreed. “Both brothers left right after, so nothing else happened, thankfully. With any luck, another decade will pass before I run into Junior again.”

Taylor sat back up. “But don’t you feel like there’s unfinished business between you?”

“What do you mean?”

“Clearly, the man needs to apologize,” she said.

I shrugged. “I don’t need an apology from him. Not anymore. I’ve moved on.”

Taylor’s perfectly arched brows climbed up her forehead. “What if he apologized...with his body?” She started pumping her arms like she was about to break into chant again.

This time it was Ryan’s turn to throw a pillow. Since they were seated right next to her, it bounced off the side of her head and went spinning toward the kitchen, much to Walter’s delight.

“No hate sex,” I said. “Although...” I closed my eyes, and it was like I was back in the hallway with Junior pressed close, his hand gripping my hip, his breath warm against the skin of my neck. I swore I could still smell a lingering hint of his cologne. Still felt his thumb drawing circles on my side. If we’d been anywhere else besides a church . . .

Anot-so-subtlecough brought me back to myself, and I blinked my eyes open to find my friends staring at me like they knew exactly where my thoughts had gone.

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