Page 22 of Bride By Initiation

Fiona goes quiet, her eyes turning to slits.

"Oh, geez. I'm just joking. You don't have to glare at me like that," I say.

"Out of all the men in this city, you bring up my brother? And how do you know he's into spanking?"

"I don't. It's just a joke," I lie.

"It doesn't sound like a joke. It sounds like you know more than you should," she reprimands.

"Ugh. Fiona, come on. I was joking."

She softens her tone. "Seriously, is something going on between you and Sean? If it is, will you tell me? I don't want to be lied to."

I groan. "I swear. Nothing is going on between Sean and me. You know we wouldn't do that."

She gives me a look like she doesn't believe me.

I continue, "It's true. I've never even kissed your brother, so don't worry. He's not spanking me anytime soon."

She cringes. "Ew. It's disgusting to even think about you two together."

"Is it?" I question, and once again, I shouldn't have opened my mouth.

She freaks out. "Oh my God. Please tell me you two are not hooking up."

"We're not," I reiterate, holding up my hands defensively.

She takes a sip of wine, then warns, "It's a horrible idea. You both get bored too easily. It's a total sinking ship!"

"I know. I know. Neither Sean nor I can maintain a relationship for very long. Trust me. We're never going down that path," I claim.

"You were with Zach for a while," she points out. "I thought maybe this time it would be for good."

I scoff. "I was eighteen when we started dating the first time. I definitely shouldn't have opened that door again. There's a reason people break up and the merry-go-round doesn't go anywhere. So my longevity with Zach when I was younger doesn't count."

She nods. "Okay. Zach aside, you and my brother don't keep anyone around. If you ever hooked up, you would have your fling, get bored, and then you two would never be friends again. I'd be in the middle and lose my bestie. It would totally suck!"

I lean closer, teasing, "Or, we could live a long, happy life, and I could be your sister-in-law." I bat my eyelids.

Her face falls. "You two are hooking up, aren't you?"

"No, silly." I slap her leg, then add, "Stop asking me if I'm hooking up with your brother. I'm not hooking up with him."

"Okay, because that wouldn't be good if you weren't friends anymore. You know that, right?" she frets.

"Yes, Fiona. I know the repercussions of wrestling naked with your brother."

"Ew," she spouts, wrinkling her nose.

I laugh. "Stop worrying about a situation that is never happening, and tell me more about what the issue is with Marcus. Is he that bad in bed?"

She puts her hands over her face, then widens her fingers to look at me. "He's not bad. He's just not..."

I toss out, "He's small?"

She lowers her voice, admitting, "He could be bigger, but his size isn't the main issue. I mean, a guy can be average and still rock your world."

"They can?"

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