Page 24 of On Her Terms

“What is it you want?” I ask.

“I’d like to be doing things for the people. Maybe use my legal skills to help needy organizations, or to build schools in third-world countries. Or maybe champion causes like Artscape, where they transformed streetcars into homes and businesses for artists.” Her eyes light up as she talks, and this...this is the kind of legal work she should be doing. “But I chose family law, thinking it’d be a stable career, and I fell into a firm that specializes in divorce law, where I work sixteen-hour days and have little time for anything else,” she says and glances out the window. There’s silence between us for a moment, and her voice is low when she says, “Hey, you won the race up the hill.”

“I know. Sorry you didn’t win. I know you’re desperate to return to your room.”

She casts a quick glance my way. “Are you going to tell me what you want?” she asks, sounding like she’s miles away.

I stare at her as she turns back to gaze at the mountains. I think about that for a moment, but I can’t tell her what I want. I can never tell her that. “Eventually,” I tease, and she laughs, no doubt thinking I’d like to tie her up or something. Which I totally do.

She goes quiet as the server comes, refills our coffee cups and takes our orders. “Beautiful day,” she says and glances at Brianna, who is staring out the window. “The scenery doesn’t get much better than this, does it?”

“It’s perfect,” I say and look at Brianna as she pours a bit more milk into her cup.

We thank the server, and when she leaves Brianna says, “It’s strange how I’ve always been drawn to Europe.”

“Have you ever considered living here?”

“Yes, but then I remember I have a life in New York and I want to be close to Granddad.”

I nod. “Family is important.” She smiles at me, and while we come from different worlds, we both value family and hold them in our hearts.

Our food arrives and we both pour a generous amount of syrup on our waffles. “These Belgian waffles look amazing,” Brianna says.

“Did you know that in Belgium they just call them waffles.”

She laughs, then stifles a yawn as she picks up her fork. “It must be all this fresh mountain air making me tired.”

“Or all the sex,” I say and reach for my knife. “Oh, but wait, that’s nothing new for you. I forgot.”

She picks up her fork. “What was that about you not being an asshole?”

I laugh and hold my hands up in surrender as she stabs her waffle. “Speaking of sex, we kind of look like we’ve been in a marathon.”

“Yeah, it’s written all over us. That should be enough to convince Granddad,” she says.

“And everyone else,” I add.

“As long as Summer and Tate don’t get the wrong idea about us and think there is more going on.”

With a bite of my waffle halfway to my mouth, my hand stills. “No, you’re right. None of us can forget this is a ruse.”

Myself mainly.

CHAPTER NINE

Brianna

I SLIDE FROM the bed and leave a very tired Luca sleeping as I tiptoe across the wood floor. After our early-morning bike ride and our afternoon sex-a-thon, we need to get ready for the wedding rehearsal, followed by a romantic sunset horse-drawn carriage ride. I’m really looking forward to it. I can’t remember the last time I saw a sunrise and sunset in the same day. Normally I’m in my office before dawn and after dark. Honestly I haven’t had this much fun since I was a teen.

I make my way into the bathroom, pull back the sliding glass door to the shower and turn it on. It’s a huge marble creation that spans one length of the room. Muscles I didn’t even know existed tighten as I bend forward and adjust the spray. I hold my hand under the rain showerhead for a moment until the temperature is perfect, and I’m about to stand when a low growl curls around me. I grin as my body comes alive, even after all the sex we just had. How the hell am I going to go back to my crazy, sexless work schedule after this week? I have no idea, but I’ll have to find a way. I’m not looking for anything more from this man, and he made it blatantly clear he wasn’t either when he said earlier, None of us can forget this is a ruse. And I have to say, I’m happy about that. Neither of us has any expectations and that’s perfect. Absolute, 100 percent perfection.

I stay bent over, showcasing my backside, and his feet slap the floor as he approaches. Warm hands go to my hips and he presses his cock to the crease of my ass and lets loose an agonized moan that settles deep between my legs. Other than that one mortifying time, Luca never paid me any attention back in college, but he’s sure making up for lost time now. That thought brings another. Does he really not know who I am, or is he pretending, like me? If he knew, he would have said something, right? Then again why bring up past hurts and ruin all this amazing sex?

He’s not the ass I thought he was. He’s fun to be around. And today, surprising me with the mountain biking at sunrise and then having breakfast, after finding out how much I like it. That was sweet, right? It kind of makes me want to surprise him with something he’d like.

Oh Jesus, Brianna, get it together. This is temporary.

Big hands slide around my body and draw me up until my back is pressed against his chest. “I didn’t like waking up and finding your side of the bed empty,” he murmurs in my ear.

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