Page 26 of The Forever Promise

“Do you know when they’ll start?”

He shrugged. “Soon.”

He didn’t take his hand off my leg, and slowly, a fire spread through me.Holy hell.No matter what I thought or what Ishouldthink, Bryce’s touch undid me every time. I wanted him in a way that made me ache. It was a want beyond reason, beyond common sense, beyond what I considered “safe.” I was not safe with this kind of need.

I’d vowed to fight it. And yet, as he gently stroked my thigh, all reason went out through the top of the open-air jeep.

“Are you ready to go off-road?” Bryce grinned at me.

“Sure!” Any distraction from the growing throb between my legs would be welcome.

Bryce veered off the dirt road into the forest, following a grassy trail. He released my thigh, wisely using both his hands to maneuver the jeep over the bumpy terrain.

“See? I told you.” He was still smiling. “I know how to drive this thing.”

“Of course you do.” It seemed Bryce was good at everything. It was both handy and downright annoying.

We continued to cruise through the dense forest. A mixture of birch, pine, and fir trees, dead and alive, flew by in a blur. Bryce eventually slowed down as the trees thickened along the trail. The large jeep rumbled over the bumps, handling them with ease, as we came to a small clearing. Bryce slowed to a stop and turned off the motor. “You can usually see deer here.”

“Cool.” I’d never seen a deer in real life.

Bryce unbuckled himself, then me, his hands lingering on my skin. When he pulled away, I shivered.

He leaned back against his seat, settling in as we watched the small clearing. “Thank you for being a good sport at the meeting this morning. I know it’s a lot.”

“It was nice to meet your brothers,” I offered.

He snorted. “I can’t believe Olivia told them they have to get married soon. They’re going to mutiny.”

“Why don’t they want to get married?”

He pulled his sunglasses down and stared at me. “My brothers? Jake’s allergic to commitment. He has a new girlfriend every six months, then he breaks up with her. And so on and so on.”

“What about Colby?”

“Ha! Colby only ‘dates’ strippers and bad girls. And he doesn’t actually date them if you know what I mean. There’s no way he’s ever going to settle down. He’s twenty-seven, but he acts like he’s still in his fraternity.” He scrubbed a hand across his face. “My father is behind this, I know that for sure. It’ll be interesting to see if they give in to him.”

I wanted to ask,Like you did?But our arranged marriage seemed like a bad subject to broach at the moment.

“As for the rest of what was said…” Bryce’s voice trailed off as he looked away. “I know it’s going to be a lot on you. On us. But we can do it, can’t we?”

He reached for my hand. In spite of my best intentions, I was eager to take it. “Yes, we can.”

“Good.” Bryce turned his gaze back on me. “Then… Can you please come here? We have some unfinished business.”

We stared at each other for a beat, the silence of the forest heavy between us.

“Yes.”Yes, Sir.My self-control had fled, along with all my good intentions. I moved out of my seat and slid onto his lap.

“There you are,” he whispered in my ear. “Right where you belong.” With that, he trailed his fingers trailed down my exposed skin. I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

“I have something for you, Chloe.” His voice was hoarse. “Do you want it?”

I felt him pressed against my backside. Hard, throbbing, insistent.God, give me strength.

Was there any way I could resist him?

“Chloe?” He was waiting for my answer.

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