Page 177 of Too Good to Be True

He let my hair go and grabbed my hips, slamming me back, the pads of his fingers digging in so hard, I knew they’d leave bruises, and I gave zero shits.

“Baby,” I begged.

“No,” he denied.

“Baby,” I whimpered.

He shoved his thumb up my ass and ordered, “Now.”

Splintering before him, I came apart and was surprised there was something left for him to keep fucking as I came, and he fucked my ass and cunt, and I kept coming.

Finally, pressing into me, he pushed me off my hands and knees to my belly, pulled out of my ass, planted both of his hands on my cheeks there, immobilizing me. He then fucked me even harder as I gasped and clenched, and took it happily before he gritted his release, buried deep but pushing like he could get deeper.

He collapsed on top of me.

When I had the capacity of speech, I noted, altogether breathlessly, “You’re a damned bossy lay.”

He nuzzled my neck. “Like you don’t love it.”

“Just observing.”

He chuckled, the noise slithering over my skin in a satisfying way, then I gasped as he abruptly not only pulled out of me, but me out of bed.

His hand in mine dragging me toward the bathroom, he said, “Shower.”

I smiled and replied.

“Okeydokey.”

“After we do that, I have to return something I’ve stolen.”

Now at that, I entered the bathroom grinning.

Thirty-Two

THE CONSERVATORY

I sat in the Conservatory with one of Aunt Louisa’s diaries in my hand, my legs crossed, my foot bouncing.

Update.

Clearly Portia and Daniel were in the throes of an epic make-up fuck session. They hadn’t been seen all day, and to my text to ask her how she was, Portia replied, Talk later, Daph. We’re busy. She ended that with five kissy face emojis, and if I didn’t get the gist, an eggplant and a peach.

No.

My sister would never grow up.

I found that heartening and worrying at the same time.

Ian and I would be doing much the same thing, however, if he hadn’t set a late morning meeting with his dad to talk about the title handover.

So, although I’d read a bit of what Louisa wrote about Lord Walter and Lady Anne (and yes, they seemed a true love match), mostly my mind was on what was happening with Ian and his dad.

It seemed he’d been gone forever, and I was worried.

When he emerged from the plants about two minutes after I had that thought, I was no less worried.

“Looking at your face, I don’t really have to ask how it went, but still, I’m going to ask. How’d it go?”

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