Page 110 of Wicked Sin

“Me too,” says Hailey.

Three of us.

“He made me the best banana split ever,” I confess. “For breakfast, after we had a fight. And then makeup sex. It was really awesome.”

Hailey grins. “Cole brought me ice cream when I was having my period. Ice cream is such a good move, more men should know about it.”

“Remember when Scott brought me cupcakes to try and woo me after we broke up?” Ali leans in. “The way to our hearts is clearly through sugar.”

I think of what Luke said. Safety. “Sugar and security, maybe. We need our men sweet and tough at the same time.”

Hailey blinks. “Yeah, that’s probably true. Have you ever dated a guy like Detective Vasquez before?”

I shake my head. “Have I ever dated before? For real? No. But the men I went out with in D.C. weren’t anything like him. I didn’t know he was what I needed until he found me.”

“Need is such a powerful word,” she murmurs. “Be careful.”

“I will. I am.” I take a deep breath. “If we don’t work out, it’ll be okay. He’s giving me something amazing right now, and I will always hold that close. As awful as it’s been to be so scared—and I still am, don’t get me wrong—this has also been a weird time of getting to know myself better than I ever thought I would.”

“You’ve changed so much.”

“Not completely,” Ali hastens to add, shooting Hailey a look that saysbe nice. “He’s good for you, but you are good all by yourself.”

I haul my little sister into a tight hug. “Shut up, you. You’re so fucking smart.”

She giggles inside the circle of my arms. “Language, Taylor.”

I flop back on the couch, laughing. “That’s what Luke says, too. Then he threatens to spank me.”

A shocked silence follows.

I realize I’ve said too much.

And I start laughing even harder.

Hailey starts in with me, then Ali finally joins in until tears are running down all of our faces. “Sugar, security, and spankings,” she finally wheezes. “It’s the magic recipe for the perfect man.”

“I don’t need to know that about my baby sister,” Hailey says. Then she pauses. “But she’s not wrong.”

I don’t know why I’m shocked. I’ve learned so much about healthy sex in the last three years—and then even more in the last three days from Luke—that I know even straight-laced good girls like my two sisters might be into happy, kinky sex in private.

But for so long, I’ve felt like a freak with them. The dirty one, the slutty one. The whore. The fuck up.

And now my tears aren’t from laughter. My shoulders shake, and Ali wraps herself around me. Hailey grabs tissues then takes up vigil on my other side, but I can’t stop the sobs from racking my body.

After what feels like ages, they pull away, but their arms are replaced by two others. Luke is suddenly in front of me, his body warm and strong against mine. I fall into him, snotty-faced and swollen-eyed.

“I’ve got you,” he growls into my hair. “It’s okay.”

Leaving the hotel is a blur.Luke tells us about the arrest. My sisters promise they’ll be at the courthouse in the morning for support, and then he ushers me downstairs, holding my hand tightly in his.

His car is parked next to the valet station this time. No need to hide at the service entrance. He gives a twenty to the kid working there. “Thanks, man.”

“No worries, officer.”

I feel so wrung out, like I’m empty and drained.

At the next red light, Luke squeezes my knee. “It’s okay.”

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