Page 41 of Forbidden Desires

“But it was fun while it lasted,” she whispers sleepily.

I flick on the blinker, turning out of town toward my ranch. “We ended up in this mess.”

She sighs, then turns her head, looking out the window. Before long, her breathing grows heavy, and it becomes obvious she’s fast asleep. The rest of the car ride to my place is peaceful. Every few minutes I glance over at her, checking to see she’s still breathing. She messed with my brain tonight, made me think things I never wanted to consider—her with someone else. I’m not sure what to do about it in our current circumstances, but I know no man is ever touching her again. I’ve made my mind up on that.

I pull my truck into the ranch, dust kicking up behind me, as I kill the engine. Glancing over at Gisele, she is sound asleep like a newborn kitten, all curled up and cute. Wondering what in the world I’m supposed to do with this sleeping beauty now, I run a hand through my hair. I should have taken her home to her place. I know I should have.

She’s going to wake up with a head pounding louder than a church bell on Sunday morning. Serves her right, though, for throwing back extra-strong cocktails all night.

The ranch is quiet. This is my favorite time of day. No one around bothering me, just the night sky full of stars. I wish I could bring her out here and show her this place properly, I think she would love it. I scratch my head, thinking about how to get her inside without waking her up. Should’ve figured she’d fall asleep right there in the passenger seat.

I swing open my house front door and then mosey around to where she’s nestled in. Cracking open her door, I undo her seatbelt and scoop her up into my arms. She’s light as a feather and snuggles into me. Carrying her through the house, I make my way to my bedroom.

When I messaged Emerson earlier to let Gisele’s housemates know where she is, I said she’d be sleeping off her bad choices on the couch. But in her current state, I don’t fancy leaving her alone. She could choke on her own puke, and I won’t have that on my watch. So, I lay her down gently on my bed.

I go through my things to find a T-shirt she can wear to sleep in. Can’t have her snoozing in that sparkly, sequined number. I’m sure it wouldn’t be comfortable. When I come back, she is perched at the end of the bed, looking disoriented.

“Where am I?” she asks, combing a hand through her tangled hair.

“I brought you home.”

“To your place?” she asks, confused.

“I wasn’t taking you to yours in your current state. Told you Paisley was trouble.” She doesn’t argue, just takes the shirt I fetched and starts fussing with her zipper.

“Can you help, please?” she says, turning her back to me.

I lend a hand as she wiggles out of the sparkly dress of hers, and she tosses the shirt over her head. It’s downright huge on her, but it’ll do for sleeping in.

She turns back toward me, all sleepy. “Thank you for rescuing me again.” She smiles, and it’s the prettiest thing I have seen in days. She’s so beautiful, and now she’s all soft and sleepy and in my room. It takes everything in me not to act on my urges.

“If you’d listened to me in the first place, you wouldn’t have found yourself needing rescuing,” I chide, still peeved she let herself get so fucking drunk.

“But it’s so much fun watching you save me.” I catch the sarcasm in her voice. She gazes up at me, her big blue eyes of hers all droopy. “I hate that you’re my boss.”

“I ain’t thrilled about it either, sweet pea.”

Her hand skates up my arm, playing around. “If you weren’t my boss, I would kiss you right now.”

She’s a real temptress, fucking with my head in the worst way possible. She knows how much I want her, and she’s making it impossible. “You’re drunk, Gigi,” I warn, trying to keep a level head. She needs to go to sleep before this gets any more out of hand, and so do I.

She starts messing with my hair, running her fingers through it, her big blue eyes looking up at me, melting my insides. Lord, why’s she gotta be so irresistible?

“I still know what I want. Didn’t want to go home with Mason,” she says, watching me close, her teeth biting into her bottom lip. “You’re the only guy I want, Brody.”

I swallow hard, her words hitting me in a way she probably doesn’t even realize. Fuck, she shouldn’t have said that. I drop my head closer. Taking in her sweet scent, it’s darn right intoxicating. I know I’m playing with fire, but she’s just so fucking hard to resist.

Next thing I know, she’s moving in, pressing her lips to mine, and for a moment, I let her kiss me. I even fucking kiss her back—it’s been what I’ve wanted from the first time I laid eyes on her in that conference room. But I know this is an impossible situation. And since I’m the one who’s supposed to be keeping it together, I pull away from her.

“Time for sleep,” I tell her, hating myself but knowing it’s for the best. I want her but not like this.

“You’re no fun.” She pouts.

I move away from her, pulling back the comforter so she can slip under the sheets. She makes herself comfy, and I turn out the bedside lamp. Stripping down to just my boxers, I slide into bed beside her, lying back and closing my eyes.

“Go to sleep, Gigi,” I say, still feeling her eyes on me.

“It’s a little hard when I know you’re half naked next to me,” she sasses.

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