Page 6 of Forbidden Impulses

Bad Annie!

"What's so important on that phone of yours, anyway? Is that the reason you've been missing dinners with us? Got yourself a boyfriend, missy?"

The instant he says the words, he seems to regret them, if the way his mouth falls open is any indication. "Shit. Sorry. That was inappropriate, and none of my business."

A small part of me wants to tell him I wouldn't mind making it his business, but I push that part down as deep as it can go before shaking my head at him.

"Nope. No boyfriend. I was actually texting Suzie."

At this, he burst into laughter. The sound of it warms me in ways I don’t like admitting. "Aren't you two normally glued at the hip? Why on earth would you need to text her anything?"

I shrug, trying to step away from him again. Standing this close to him is hard enough without having to look at his face, and see it light up the way it does when it fills with mirth. This time he lets me move away, and the teensy devil on my shoulder tries to tell me he seems reluctant to do it. Not that I dare listen to her anymore.

"We've got pizza plans tonight. I was telling her weneed to change the pizza plans to pizza and dancing plans."

Montgomery frowns at that, the attractive lines on his face deepening as he stares down at me with a thoughtful expression on his face.

He seems to battle with something before shaking his head and taking a step away from me. "Whatever you decide to do, be careful. And maybe see if you can get Ethan to go with you."

Without another word or glance, he turns on his heel and storms away toward the kitchen, leaving me wondering what the heck I'd said that was so wrong. Had Suzie maybe not told him about the change in dinner plans yet?

I focus back on my phone and open up the text thread with Suzie again.

Annie

Put on a sexy dress. You, Ethan and his hottie fiancé are taking me dancing.

Her response pings on my phone by the time I make it to my room and have my bathing suit off and in the hamper.

Suzie-Sue

This! This, Annie-belle, is why you're my best friend. I'll get Ethan on board. I'll have pizza delivered so we can eat with the dads and then Ethan can fetch us.

I stare at my phone screen for too long, before realizing there is no way I was getting out of dinner tonight. It would just be too weird. Plus, it was just pizza anyway, right?

I sent her a thumbs-up, a kissy face and a dancing girl before locking my phone and jumping in the shower.

Time for the dance-girl preparations to get started.

Chapter Five

Annie

Do you know what you shouldn't do when you're still heartbroken, dealing with asshole parents, and have no discernable life plan whatsoever?

Go out and get drunk. Nuh-uh. That's definitely a bad idea. I'm sure of it. It's also a super-duper bad idea to sneak away from your best friend's brother and his fiancé when all they're doing is trying to protect you from your drunk self.

I mean, I know these things. I do. I promise.

But not when I'm drunk me. For sure not when I'm sad, mopey me. When these mes take the wheel, I might turn into a different kind of girl altogether and do a few stupid things. Now that I think about it... That's how I hooked up with Daddy Jackson.

Huh.

Maybe I should just not drink altogether.

This thought depresses me even more as I hiccup and plant my ass onto the sidewalk outside the club Suzie andI demanded to be taken to. Neither of us had ever been there. Me for obvious reasons, Suzie because it opened while she was abroad with me.

Ethan and Cole weren't too happy with our choice, but one look at both of our pouts got us the win and they drove us the forty-five minutes it took to get here. It's a busy place, and slightly less fancy than I thought a club calledHipwould be. But the music was loud, and the drinks weren't too watered down, so we could have fun, and I could get a pleasant buzz on.

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