The Girl's Got Secrets (Forbidden Men 7)

“Hell, no,” I growled. “My libido doesn’t control me that much. I could’ve waited longer.”

She crinkled her brow, surprised...and yet confused. “Then—”

“It was because you felt so familiar.” I leaned forward and set my forehead against hers. “Like I did know you and you knew me; I just didn’t understand at the time that there was a reason for that. But I also hooked up with Elisa without needing to really talk to her because I was already getting the companion part of a relationship I was craving...from Sticks. Your alter ego fulfilled my emotional need, so the only thing left that I wanted was the intimacy, and then you delivered that too, so really...you gave me everything I wanted most. I just couldn’t figure out it was all coming from the same person.”

“Damn it,” she sniffed and wiped at her nose as more tears slid down her cheeks. “You’re going to for

give me, aren’t you?”

“Yeah, I am.” I smiled and cupped her face so I could wipe the tears off her cheeks with my thumbs.

She squeezed her eyes closed and bowed her head. “But I lied to you. I—”

“Stop,” I murmured softly before letting out a big sigh and rubbing my hands over her weary face. Then I watched more tears spill down her cheeks and could only shake my head.

Taking her fingers, I gently urged, “Please stop crying.”

She shook her head. “I can’t help it. I’ve cried pretty much this entire month since meeting you, and I never cry this much. How did you turn me into such a freaking watering pot?”

I shook my head. “I guess Nazareth really knew what it was talking about.”

Sniffing, she frowned at me before saying, “What? That Love Hurts?”

A smile bloomed across my face. “See. You got my music joke. I love that. I love that you get me. How the hell could I not forgive you?”

“Because I totally don’t deserve it,” she babbled, tears still falling down her cheeks. “I was so wrong.”

All I could do was shrug as I pulled her in for a hug and kissed her hair. “Who’s to say I wouldn’t have done the same thing in your shoes? You told me how much you’d longed to be in a band and how no one ever gave you a chance. Honestly,” my lips quirked, “it was kind of ingenious how you managed it. And I was there to see how it snowballed into a bigger lie, so I know you didn’t do anything with any malicious intent. I know you never meant to hurt or trick or—”

“What about Elisa?” she blurted.

I froze, still sore about that. But still...unable to regret it. “What about her?” I asked huskily.

“That had to be my biggest deception of all. I mean, you pretty much told me how to catch you. You said you liked to pursue. And I totally didn’t mean to wake up the hunter in you, but I knew—”

“I thought you said you just couldn’t resist me and my mystically powered mouth,” I cut in, grinning until I made her blush.

“Yeah,” she muttered, rolling her eyes. “That’s exactly what happened, too, you way too amazing bastard, you. But you also told me you wanted to get to know a woman before taking her to bed, and I didn’t let you do that. I made you go through another one-night-stand, even though I knew you hated them, and I—”

My chuckle shut her up.

“Why the hell are you laughing?” she demanded.

“Because,” I shook my head, “you’re so cute, trying to defend me against yourself.”

“But—”

“No. Shh.” I pressed my mouth to hers, and yep, it worked. Shut her right up. And tasted good too. I wanted to go deeper, kiss her more, but there was one more thing to say before I lost myself to the pleasure that was Remy Curran.

“I don’t regret it,” I promised her. “Any of it. Now are you going to stop trying to argue with me about this, woman? Or are you going to accept it and come home with me already so I can show you my surprise, and then make love to you for the rest of the afternoon?”

She blinked once, then twice, her brown eyes wide with hope before she murmured, “Okay, take me home with you.”

I came awake to lips pressing their way up my spine. Every few inches, teeth would nip and a tongue would lap up the sting. Then warm palms smoothed over my flesh from behind and swooped around to the front, cupping my breasts.

“Mmm,” I hummed my delight, keeping my eyes closed because I was half afraid this entire afternoon of nothing but naked time with Asher had all been a dream. Naked on the couch, playing Call of Duty, naked in the kitchen fixing survival snack food together, naked in bed, working our way through a new box of condoms...just pleasantly naked. “That feels so...good.”

“Does it?” Asher’s voice filled me before he leaned in and kissed the sensitive bare spot right behind my ear. “Then you should really stay here while I’m gone so I can pick right back up where I left off when I get back.”