Page 93 of A Forbidden Arrangement
He visibly shudders, and his voice dips low. “Behave, and I’ll give you a reward.”
I swallow, and my skin tingles at the heat in his eyes.
“What if I want to know the punishment?” I taunt him.
His shoes brush the toes of my socked feet, and his grip hardens on my jaw.
“Keep it up, wife.”
Heat floods me, and a shiver rolls down my spine. I can feel the dare in my mouth, hot and stupid and irresistible, when the doorbell rings.
He snaps his head toward the door, eyes dark, and growls, “I’m going to kill them.”
The bell’s still echoing when I yank the door open. If I wait even one more second, Xander will beat me to it, and the night’ll be over before it starts.
Three women stand on the porch in heels and confidence. Misty’s grin could light a city block.
“Hi, I’m Scarlet,” the woman to her left introduces herself. Everything about her, from the perfectly styled hair to the sharp lines of her dress, screams old money, but her warm smile feels welcoming.
“Don’t forget about me. I’m Anastasia.” A stunning redhead steps forward and waves. “We’ve been dying to meet you.”
“Dahlia…I’m Dahlia.” All three of them are so stunning that I can barely get my name out. But they don’t give me time to be shy.
Misty lifts a tote like it’s a trophy. “We’re going out.”
“Out where?” Xander asks, eyes narrowed over my shoulder.
“Girls’ night. We’re going dancing,” Scarlet says, stepping inside without waiting. “We already told you.”
“You said you were coming over.” His focus slides from them to me. “Not that you were going out.”
Misty leans her shoulder on the doorframe and smiles like he’s adorable, not terrifying. “We didn’t ask you for permission. Wetoldyou we’re borrowing her.”
Xander looks at me instead of them. His jaw tightens. “This isn’t what I meant when I said you could go out.”
I flash the card at him. “You should have included that in the rules.”
“Why even bother fighting us? You know there’s no winning.” Scarlet smirks and grabs my hand, tugging me toward the door.
“I’m not even wearing shoes,” I point out, looking down at socks, leggings, and a hoodie.
Misty nods to the tote. “I’ve got you covered. We were going to get you changed in there, but best not poke the bear.”
Xander’s eyes cut to the bag like it holds a bomb. “Not happening.”
Anastasia calls over her shoulder, “Relax. We’ll have her back by midnight. One piece, no scratches.”
He stares at her long enough to thicken the air, then exhales through his nose. “Be careful,” he says to me. “Answer your phone.”
“We’ll send proof of life.” Scarlet provides reassurance that doesn’t feel like reassurance at all.
“I mean it, Dahlia,” Xander says, ignoring everyone else.
Misty loops her arm through mine and steers me toward the driveway. “You’re gonna have fun,” she says low, only for me. “If you hate it, we’ll turn around.”
That settles some of my worries. For how fun these three are, I don’t exactly know them, but I can’t help but want to. “Deal.”
Scarlet holds the SUV door. Anastasia climbs into the passenger seat and starts giving directions like she’s commanding a mission. The car smells like leather and citrus. Misty drops the tote in my lap and unzips it.
