Page 69 of Resist

He shakes his head.

I take a step toward him. He takes a step back, clutching the box behind his back with both hands.

“Hand it over, Mr. Blackwell.”

He grins. “You want me to change my name to Blackwell?” He squeezes his lips together and wiggles his head from side to side. “I don’t hate it.” His eyes are dull, though. The smile is empty, brittle, and doesn’t quite reach them.

Shit. Does he really want me to change my name? Even though it’s a play pretend marriage?

He must see something on my face because he shakes his head. “Neither of us has to change our names. It’s a short-term agreement.” His face softens, which settles some of the anxiousness swirling in my stomach.

He tries to back himself toward the bathroom, reminding me of the package in his hands.

“Show me what’s in that box, Sterling. Don’t make me come over there.”

His eyes flicker with amusement. “That’s a very tempting idea, Corabelle.”

Ugh. The way his voice drags across my name makes my body tingle.

“Hand it over, or show me what’s inside.”

His face heats again, an adorable blush blooming in his cheeks. “It’s nothing. It’s a gag joke.”

“An actual gag?” Knowing our friends it could go either way.

He rolls his lips together. “No, but not far off. It’s a...” He drops his voice like he’s in the theatre. “Toy.”

Now my face warms. “What kind of toy?”

I can’t take my eyes off the fairly large box in his hands. Curiosity makes my skin itch.

“It’s nothing.”

“Sterling.” My voice is sharp. “If it was nothing, you’d have no problem showing me what’s inside the box.”

He works his bottom lip between his teeth. He heaves out a sigh. “Okay. But I was trying to protect us all from this...” He waves his finger back and forth between us. “Pent up sexual energy. We’re not supposed to be getting it on anymore. The cleaning closet was the line in the sand. This... this isn’t a good idea.”

He has a point, but I still want to see it. “Where was thatrestraint in the elevator on the way up to our room?” I have a point too.

His eyes plead with me not to go there, but now I can’t ignore it. I snap my fingers. “Give it to me.”

He passes the box my direction, clearly uncomfortable about whatever’s in it.

I place it on the bed, running both hands over the smooth top before I catch the sides and lift off the lid.

The toy inside is the same color as the box. It’s a black harness next to a strap on. A long, girthy, textured dick. There’s a bottle of lube tucked into the tissue paper. I pick up the dildo and point it at Sterling. “What’s the big deal? You don’t like being pegged? It’s no problem. Different strokes for different folks, right? That’s the beauty of the kink world.”

He’s looking at me like he’s physically in pain. “I love being fucked in the ass.”

Christ. I wasn’t ready for his dirty mouth. It has a priority line to my pussy, and it was already wet to begin with.

Tenet number one. Tenet number one. No more sexual activity with this man. Blurring the edges between real and fake isn’t good for either of us.

He stares at the toy in my hands, then back to my face. “You ever pegged someone before, Corabelle?”

I nod, salivating at the idea of gliding this toy into Sterling’s ass.

Tenet number one. Tenet number one. Tenet number one.

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