Page 108 of Imogen

His pupils darken as he steps closer. “Rules?” he rasps, eyeing me up and down.

“Rules,” I agree. “If my dad outright asks us if something is going on, we tell him.”

His hands run over my hips. “Any more rules?”

I lean into him. “We get to have sex whenever I want.”

A small whimper slips free as he lifts me up, and my legs go around his waist. “I can live with those rules.”

I kiss the corner of his mouth before pulling back to meet his gaze. “Then take me to bed.”

He slams his mouth against mine and carries me inside. As the door slams shut, my pulse spikes because there is no going back now.

I wouldn’t want to, even if I could.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

Ben

Staying away from Imogen tonight has been harder than all the years I avoided getting close to her. Now I know how she feels, how she smells, and how she sounds when I make her moan. Since I’ve gotten all of her, I never want to go back to brief greetings and a few words of conversation. Not when I’ve gotten a side to her that she rarely gives anyone outside of family.

We’ve spent the past couple of weeks getting to know each other and exploring each other’s bodies. The only two days we spent apart were Christmas and the day after Boxing Day, since her cousin, Lily, went into labour at Christmas. They welcomed her home by throwing a Christmas dinner, since it was her favourite time of year. The rest of our time, we’ve spent together. It’s the first holiday I’ve had where I’m not working other jobs to keep myself busy. This time, I have a reason to be home.

I never thought I could have so much of someone yet still want so much more. I hate being apart from her, which is why I’ve not been able to stay away. The fire she ignites in me only grows stronger. And tonight, celebrating the New Year with our family and friends, it has me wishing it was just us.

The Carters open the lower half of their club nearly every year to family and friends. And Evan’s invitation extends to our family, so the place is packed and pumping.

And my woman stands out like a beacon. She has on a black glittery dress that looks simple from the front, but at the back it lowers to the tip of her arse. If she moved just right, you’d see her crack. She wears her sexuality like armour and doesn’t even see it. Her smile lights up her entire face, and when she laughs, she laughs hard and can be heard over the music.

Stefania jabs me in the shoulder and I pull my gaze away from Imogen. “Can I help you?”

She rolls her eyes. “Is there something going on between you and Imogen?”

And here comes the first lie. “No. Why would you ask that?”

“Because you have barely taken your eyes off her all night,” she answers and lifts up a serviette. “You might want to wipe your chin. You’re drooling a bit.”

I snatch the serviette away and throw it on the table. “Fuck off!”

“Mio figlio, we don’t speak to your sisters like that,” Mum warns.

“Sorry,Mamma,” I grouch.

“I’m going to dance,” Stefania announces. “Maybe you could loosen up and ask Imogen to dance. I mean, if Reid Hayes doesn’t get there first.”

I glare at her because I know what she’s doing. And Reid doesn’t stand a chance. “I thought you were going to embarrass yourself on the dance floor?”

“Arsehole,” she mutters, and gets up to join our sisters on the dance floor.

Mum picks up her red wine. “I thought you to be a better secret keeper than this. What I don’t understand is why you and our Imogen are keeping it a secret.”

“Mamma…” I swallow, because I can’t lie to her. I’ve never been able to lie to her. “You can’t tell anyone.”

She cups my cheek. “Sweet boy, I’m overjoyed by the news, but why are you intent on hiding it? I’ve been waiting for this moment for a very long time.”

“We want to keep it private until we are ready to announce it. You know about the promise I made to Evan.”

She removes her hand and clucks her tongue. “And you made that promise as a boy. You are a man now and Imogen is a woman. You can both make your own choices. I’d be disappointed in Evan if he didn’t approve of the two of you.”

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