Page 63 of Recipe For Seduction (Madewood Brothers 3)

Carson had joined the men hovering over the laptop. “These are beautiful.” She leaned in closer. “Oh, Veronica, you’re gorgeous.”

Veronica tensed on the couch. If Carson was looking at her photo, it meant all of them were…

“Christ! Click away! Close it down!” Mark cried out. “I need to wash my eyes out with bleach.”

“What is that sound?” Neil asked, peering closer.

Despite the loud conversation, Veronica heard it too, an incessant beeping from the screen.

“That would be all the men wanting to set up a date with our Veronica,” Penn said with a triumphant smirk. She leaned forward and nudged Mark out of the way. “V, you have seventeen pings. Damn. Look at all these messages! It’s the photo. I knew that photo would do the trick.”

“You put a photo of yourself in lingerie online?” Finn’s eyes nearly narrowed to slits as he stared at her.

Embarrassment rushed up her neck to her cheeks. The library had gotten thirty degrees hotter all of a sudden. “No, I did nothing of the sort.”

“It’s only her face. Calm down, grandpa.” Penn waved Finn out of the way.

“Since when do you online date?” Mark asked, his face wreathed in curiosity—or possibly bewilderment.

“I think our sister does a lot of things we don’t know about.” Cal sauntered up to the group at the computer and read over someone’s shoulder. “Hey V, this guy wants to meet and find out if you’re his Special Someone.” He snickered. “This shit is so cheesy.”

While the rest of the group laughed and made jokes at her profile, Finn merely glared. How did he not know it was a joke? Uploaded by someone else? Did he really think she would sign herself up for an internet dating site while they were…doing whatever it was they were doing? Even if it had been a week since they’d actually done anything.

Not that she owed him any explanations. Eventually, their game would be over and they’d go their separate ways. That was their agreement.

But she was conflicted because the more time they spent together, the more Cal deteriorated—and the more the image of the future she had thought she wanted blurred.

Jack finally settled things by taking the party downstairs after suggesting the women get dressed because the minister was due any minute. A while later, the minister arrived and those in the wedding did a dry run-through of the ceremony. The beauty of the moment was only shadowed by Sterling’s upset that her parents hadn’t shown up. So, Neil stood in for her father and walked her down the aisle.

The absence of Sterling’s parents was just another entry on Veronica’s list of reasons not to have kids. Who needed a bigger family if they could be so hurtful to each other? Just look at how Cal was treating her after all they’d been through over the past eight years.

Besides, the one man who could possibly threaten her theory was deliberately ignoring her. So it was probably a moot point, anyway.

After the minister took his leave, Cal, Sydney, and Surrey decided they were bored with the mushy adults and the froufrou hors d’oeuvres, and left to grab some burgers and shakes at a local diner.

The rest of the group continued to drink, and Veronica began to feel the effects of mixing champagne with wine and shots. Good thing she worked for herself and could reschedule her meetings for the next day. She was going to need some serious recovery time.

In the middle of an animated conversation sitting at the breakfast bar with Madison, where she preached the pros and cons of fucking while being bound to a bed, Veronica had to bite the insides of her cheeks to keep from smirking, but her I-know-something-you-don’t-know giddiness stalled when Finn’s sexy drawl sounded close to her ear. “Silk bindings. Definitely.”

“Ah. A man who knows his way around a knot,” Madison said with a wicked smile.

Veronica almost melted into a puddle on the floor at the rough timbre of his voice when he said, “Oh, and so does this lady,” then leaned closer and murmured softly, “Meet me in the master bedroom. Now.”

He was gone before she even had a chance to turn her head.

Madison smiled and winked, slipping off her stool. She sauntered up to Veronica’s brother and grabbed him by the lapels of his suit jacket. “Hey Mark. Why don’t you tell me about life out west?” Then she turned back to Veronica and mouthed, “Go for it.”

Her friend was going to keep him distracted so she could slip out unnoticed.

With a last glance, Veronica mouthed, “I love you,” then scooted out of the kitchen and up the stairs.

She approached the master bedroom and peeked around the door. The room was dark. She slipped inside, and before the door was closed behind her, strong hands wrapped around her body and Finn’s arousing scent surrounded her.

…

Finn nuzzled Veronica, pressing soft kisses against her neck. She nestled into his body as his kisses trailed higher. He snaked out his tongue and nibbled at her earlobe. Her body shivered in response.

“Finn, this is dangerous.”

---