“I’m with them.” She takes off before I can protest the thought.
Instead, I take a seat across from my dear sister, with her wild and wooly red hair that seems to grow toward the ceiling when she’s angry. It’s always been a great barometer of her temperament for as long as I can remember as is mine. I hate that my hair of all things gives me away. It’s ridiculous, is what it is—about as ridiculous as this impending conversation.
“Still a virgin?” She flashes a wry smile. With Lex a smile is never just a smile—especially not a quick one. It’s always a precursor of darker things to come, like getting my phone taken away or sent to my room. Only—would you look at that—I’m not nine anymore. I’m twenty.
“My hymen is still intact. Would you like to have Axel’s brother inspect it for you?” I shoot her a look. “Oh yes, sister, I can word wrestle with the best of them.”
Her lids spring wide. Her level of revolt is so far off the charts I’m pretty sure any moment now we’ll all be treated to my sister’s gray matter as it splashes over the ceiling.
“No, I would not like to ask Axel’s brother to perform an exam anywhere near your hymen.” She leans in hard. “He’s nearly twice your age!”
“Please. He’s ten years older than me, and I’m twenty.”
“Exactly!”
I stare down my sister a moment. Lex has always been a worthy opponent in a fight, but this afternoon she’s proving to be a master.
“Is that what this is about?” I slide my coffee out of the way and lean in to meet her. “You’re afraid he’s too old for me? Are you afraid he’ll let me in on the secret of life? Afraid he’ll give me herpes?” I hadn’t really considered that last one. Come to think of it, I’m completely in the dark when it comes to Shep’s sexual history.
“No,” she growls so low and animalistic that at least three different patrons turn to stare. “I’m afraid he’s going to break your heart.”
“My what?” I spike up in my seat as I try to wrap my head around this new level of insanity. “Lex, you and I know my heart has been on both lockdown and on ice ever since Mom took off. My heart is the last thing you need to worry about.” I wave it off as the insignificant organ it is. “Now, get to the good part. You have any tips? Any erotic positions you want me to try out? Should I do my yoga stretches before we get down to business?”
Lex chokes on her coffee, inadvertently barking like a seal in the process. If there is one thing I have always enjoyed, it’s egging my sister on to the point of misery. How can I not? Believe me, everyone in here will be entertained for the rest of the year once she gets going. The gesticulating limbs are the icing on the cake—and—here they come.
“You will not have sex with a man who is legally my brother.” She wags her finger wildly.
And as much as I’d like to be entertained right along with the masses who are currently rapt at attention, in no way do I want her vocalizing anything further.
“Would you keep it down? You’re embarrassing me!” I whisper-shout as loud as I can. “What’s the matter with you? Since it bears repeating, I’m twenty. And, unlike Sunday, I know where the condoms are and where they belong.”
Her gaze dips to the table a moment, her affect growing serious. “I see.” Lex’s tone is softer as if I’ve offended her on some level. “Do you love him? Or does that ice cube around your heart prevent you from experiencing such a human emotion?”
My mouth opens as if it were an easy answer.
My God, do I love Shep? I tick my head back a moment, stunned at what could be. I mean, of course, I like him. He’s adorable and deplorable all at the very same time, and that takes a real talent, believe you me. But love? The big L? My heart thumps erratically as if it were answering all on its own.
“Yes,” I mouth. Mostly I say it because I’m pretty sure it’s the right answer, and I don’t care if I’m in a classroom or Hallowed Grounds—if there’s a pop quiz involved, I’m going to ace it. “Yes, I love him.” My skin prickles with excitement with the lie. “I’m in love with Shepherd Collins.” A small giggle works its way up my throat, and Lex glares at me and looks as if she’s about to be sick at the very same time. “I L-O-V-E Professor Collins.” I bring my fingers to my lips at the delightful yet slightly skewed epiphany—and a part of me doesn’t feel as if it’s skewed at all. Holy shit. I blink several times as if struggling to wake myself from a dream.
“All right, I get it,” she snips. “Does he feel the same way about you? Has he said those very words?”
I scan my memory, trying to find a single moment where Shep might have used the L word in front of me and come up empty.
“He’s not there yet, but he’s close,” I offer foolishly. Close? As in almost in love?
“That’s like being a little bit pregnant. You either are or you aren’t.” She glances back down at her chest and I pick up a little hostile resentment, but this time it seems to be flowing in the opposite direction.
A breath hitches in my throat. “My God, Lex!” I pull her hands forward. “Are you and Ax having a baby?” I try to catch her gaze, but her eyes are elusive as she studies the rows and rows of Whitney Briggs stamped mugs stacked on a sales rack to our left. “Oh—” My voice grows small. “You want to be, right?” I take in a horrified breath. “Did you lose it?”
“No, no,” she moans and squeezes her eyes shut tight a moment. “You’re right. I want to. Axel and I have been trying and to no avail.”
“I’m so sorry.” I bite down on my bottom lip. “Is there anything I can do?”
“No, there’s nothing you can do,” she snips so quick she sounds like a villain from a Disney cartoon. Those huge arched brows don’t exactly help the situation either.
“If it makes you feel better, I can check Shep for his virility and get back to you on that.” Lex and I have always dealt with tough issues through humor. Sarcasm was a delicacy not to be missed in our home. And, more often than not, we’ve laughed our way through every one of those aforementioned issues.
Lex glowers at me in lieu of a response. “Don’t you dare bed that boy in the name of my future child. It’s heresy.”
“Fine.” I fold my arms defiantly across my chest. “I’ll bed him in the name of West Virginia. Are you seeing a doctor about your fertility?”
“What’s this West Virginia nonsense?” Lex isn’t having it. She senses a coital connotation there somewhere, and she’s not leaving until it’s firmly under her pointed stiletto.
“You first.”
“Fine. No, I’m not seeing a doctor. I might in the fall. You know, well after Sunday has her baby.”
“Right.” I give a little shrug. “I guess that has to be hard.” Tears come to the party, and suddenly my heart is thawing out far too fast all in the name of my sister. “You know I want the best for you. I want all of your wishes to come true. And if that means having a baby, I’d drop out of school just to carry it myself.” I give a sly wink. “I guess bedding Axel would be somewhat close to what I’m after. If I have to take one for the Maxfield team, I will.”
She groans as if she might vomit, and two people grab their drinks and run out.
“Do not make me laugh. And for the love of God, do not make me cry. Nobody is bedding a Collins around here but me.”
“Duly noted. I’ll deliver the blow to Shep’s man parts myself. I’m sure he’ll find the priesthood a refreshing change of pace.”
She wrinkles her nose at me. “Did they ever catch the person who killed that guy you found?”
“No, why?” I’m more than suspicious of my sister’s change of pace.
“Good.” She pinches a tight smile. “It assures me that you can get away with murder in Hollow Brook.” Those toxic green eyes bear hard into mine. “I predict there will be another homicide in the very near future. Shepherd Collins is a dead man.”
She picks up her coffee and stands to her feet. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to find his brother. It just so happens I’
m ovulating.” She gives me a gentle kiss on the cheek before sashaying out the door with as much energy as she most likely charged in with.
My sister is wary of Shep breaking my heart.
As if.
And, ironically, my heart wrenches at the thought.
My God, I think I really do love Shep Collins.
The summer heat has certainly put a wicked spell on me.
Shep picks me up right from the Black Bear, and we hit a taco drive-through, another for burgers and fries in addition to a couple of Neapolitan shakes, then yet a third drive-through as we collect two dozen donuts for good measure. One can never consume enough carbohydrates just prior to a major cardio workout.
“Is this what you usually do?” I ask as we schlep our cholesterol-laden haul up the walkway to his rental home. “Make a bodily offering to the carb gods before the big event.”
“Before, after, and during.” He presses his hand gently into the small of my back as we hit the porch. Shep unlocks the key in one svelte move, and the door yawns open.
Just as I’m about to take a step forward, he blocks me with his arm.
“Hold on.” He leans into the house and sets the fast food bags down.
“Don’t tell me chivalry is dead. I’m all for equal rights, with the exception of doorway privileges and that whole women and children first rule in the event of a natural disaster.”
Shep stretches that sexy grin across his face. His stubble is so thick I cannot wait to rub my hands all over it—among other things. His dimples dig in deep, and my stomach falls straight through to middle earth. His eyes gleam with wicked intent, blue flames ready to take me down and singe my very soul. I say burn, baby, burn.
“I’m glad you feel that way about chivalry,” he says, swooping me off my feet and into his arms, and I nearly dump all the donuts over my head in the process. Both Shep and I let out an agonizing cry over that one.
“Screaming in unison?” I muse as I tighten my death grip on said box of delectable delights. Shep and I took our time picking out our favorites, and in no way can I risk my glazed raspberry filled donut rolling its way down the street. “Is that required for the night, Professor Collins?” I can’t help but incite that naughty schoolgirl routine. It’s too delicious not to. Besides, it’s impossible to take Shep seriously as my superior. Shep is and has always been my equal in every way. Not one person has ever been able to dish it out just as good as I can give it—and I pray that tonight is no different.
A rumbling laugh percolates through his chest as we crest the entry and he kicks the door shut with his foot. “Screaming won’t be required. It’ll be necessary. But if you want to get started early, feel free to howl, mewl, bark at the moon. I’m ready for whatever noises you want to bring to the party.”
“I’m bringing it all, and then some. In fact, I’ve got a few surprises in my bag of tricks.” My feet scissor through the air as he sets me down.
“Bag of tricks,” he says as he hauls the bags brimming with food to the table. “Now, see there? That’s a first.” He points at me with a fry before feeding me a bite. “I knew I could count on you to be full of surprises. I promise that I have never been with a woman like you.” His arms find themselves naturally around my waist, and I can feel my cheeks heat with color as he holds me like this, calls me a woman.
“Hey,” he whispers as he brushes a kiss over my lips, and my entire body ignites like a tinderbox. “You look stunning tonight, you know that?” He pulls back and examines me. “At any point—I don’t care what’s happening—you have the full authority to pull the plug.”
“Thank you,” I whisper, my voice suddenly threadbare and near tears. I clear my throat and get ahold of my bearings. “The plug? Will that explain the string in your panties?”
He groans out a laugh. “I walked into that one, didn’t I?”
I wrinkle my nose at him while we dive into the fast food bags as if we were readying to climb the Himalayas. We inhale everything in sight, sending greasy wrappers to the ceiling in haste. Shep and I polish off a couple of donuts a piece for dessert, and suddenly moving doesn’t feel like a good idea.
I’m pretty sure a well-seasoned whore would have advised against the two bean burritos and sugar-laden balls of bliss I so eagerly downed. But the raspberry jelly was still warm, so I can’t be blamed for my need to inhale and annihilate. It was practically expected of me. I’m so full that if Shep says he’d rather watch a shoot ’em up marathon on The Man Channel, I might just acquiesce.
What am I saying? I’m about to have sex with Shep! I’m about to shag Shep—commit coitus with my favorite partner in crime—sleep with the man on Hollow Brook’s most wanted list—and he with me. Does it get any hotter than that? I think not.
“You’re quiet,” he says, nodding us into the kitchen, and my mouth falls open with surprise as I take in an entire line of bottles behind him filled with all things lethal. “I thought we could do a little taste test beforehand. And I do mean tiny.” He frowns at me, and those dark brows slice right through my solar plexus. Shep is so drop-dead gorgeous. He has the ability to melt me with a simple look. Of course, I’d never tell him that. His ego would swell unnecessarily, like a marshmallow in the microwave. “Try not to swallow.”
“Ha! I’ll remember that for later.” I make a face as I begin to pour a healthy inch into the bevy of wineglasses Shep has set out.
Shep heats up a vat full of honey on the stove, and I dip the tip of my finger into the heated goo and moan as the sticky sweetness hits my lips.
“So delicious! Nothing like that store-bought crap. Where did you get this?”
“Hollow Brook Hives. Grown and bred right here in town. I thought it might be more to your liking.”
I take another lick and moan right through it once again. “You do know what I like, Daddy.”
He winces. “No daddy.” He shakes his head as he adds a dollop of honey into each of the glasses and we begin our tasting spree.
“Huh,” I say, feeling a slight buzz building regardless of the minuscule amount I drank. I tried to take Shep’s advice and wet my palate and nothing more—but the aftereffects feel all the same. “I don’t know.”
He shakes his head. “It’s not right.”
“What are you going to do with all this liquor, Shep? It’s enough to outfit a stellar bar, but the last thing Hollow Brook needs is yet a third toxic watering hole for the coeds and frat boys alike to migrate to.”
His cheek flexes, and I’m right back to melting. “My brother offered to buy it off me.”
My wrists lock behind his neck as I fall into those watery blue eyes. “Nice.” I can’t help but shed a dark laugh as I say it. I’m past the food, the booze, way past ready for my dessert. “I think we need to move the party to the bedroom.”
Shep whisks me off my feet, and I can’t help but giggle like a ten-year-old on the merry-go-round all the way there. In my defense, the entire house is spinning.
He flicks the lights on, and I gasp at the sight.
“Shep,” I whisper as he lands me lightly to my feet. “Oh my God, it’s beautiful.” Blush pink rose petals are sprayed over the bed in the shape of a heart. There’s a smattering of them all over the floor and on the nightstands. “You didn’t have to do this. Thank you.” But my heart rages in my chest as if cheering him on. A part of me believes he very much needed to do this.
“You deserve it.” He quickly lights a row of candles on the dresser, another sprinkling of tall cylindrical wax pillars set in the window soffits, and I swoon at the sight.
“Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine this.” I shake my head in wonder as I head over to his closet. I open the door and turn on the light, exposing what seems to be a never-ending room. “What is this? A portal to another realm? One look at this place and I think every girl at Briggs would have a closet-gasm. Me included.”
“Try to save the gasms for later.” He finishes lighting the room up with an incandescent glow and join
s me. “What’s up? You want to sniff my underwear? I’ll give you a hint. That’s not how this works.”
“Very funny,” I say, heading to his neatly organized ties. Everything in Shep’s closet is immaculately coordinated, suits on one side, everyday clothes on the other. I carefully pull a smooth red tie from its home before stealing its gold neighbor as well.
Shep wraps his arms around me from behind and buries a kiss in my neck. “Italian silk. You have very expensive taste.”
“You must be rubbing off on me, seeing that I’ve never had two dimes to rub together.”
He runs kisses all along my temple, my cheek. “You’ve always been a quick learner.”
“Oh, I still am.”
“Good.” He pulls back with those sleepy eyes thick with lust for me. “Because I plan on rubbing off on you all night long.”
I spin in his arms and move us back to the bedroom by way of a heated kiss. I help evict his T-shirt, and he’s quick to remove my little black dress. Much to his delight, I’ve donned nothing underneath. Confession: I did a quick removal of the non-matching, very much non-sexy panty and bra duo that paid homage to dingy days gone by. I figured this way we could cut to the candle-lit chase.
He turns off the lights in the room, and only the flicker of the aforementioned flames cast their luminescence over the vicinity.
“I think one of us is a little ahead of the game.” I spin him around and bind his arms behind his back with that svelte gold tie. I googled the hell out of sailing knots and then watched a million YouTube tutorials on how to do it myself until my eyes and fingers bled. “There’s no way you’ll be able to free yourself from these silk chains. I’m practically a skilled S and M mistress by now.”
“Things I like to hear.”
I graze his ear with my lips, and he gives a slight shiver. “And, apparently, things you like to feel.” I slip the red tie around his neck and lead him back toward the bed. Carefully, I get on my knees and unbuckle his pants, striping them off along with his boxers with my teeth.
And, my God, obviously, I did not think this through because Shep is giving me a foot-long salute with the likes of nothing I have ever seen before. I just sit there staring at it like a deer in the obscene headlights.