Page 65 of Last Chorus

His fingers tickle my palms lightly. “To me, you’ve always been emotionally volatile.”

I snort. “Yeah, well, it’s kind of new to me. Generally speaking. Iwasplanningon spending a few days hanging out before propositioning you, but I overreacted to, um, Aubrey.”

“What the hell does… Oh, shit. Were youjealous?”

“Ha-ha, so funny. Laugh it up.”

I try to tug my hands free, but he merely tightens his grip. The mirth on his face fades to earnestness.

“I’m not interested in Aubrey or dating anyone. Even if I was, it wouldn’t have factored. Your body is my Roman Empire, Evangeline. I’d have dumped anyone for the chance to be inside you again.”

Air leaves me in an unattractivewhoosh.Wilder smirks and taps a knuckle to my chin, closing my mouth. That knuckle then grazes over my hot cheek. His eyes follow the path of his hand before he lowers it back to his lap. With a sigh, his expression turns grave.

“If you’re staying, if we’re doing this, we should setsome boundaries. What happened last night—howit happened—can’t happen again. I told you I’d never hurt you, and then I did. I’m so sorry.”

I immediately shake my head. “I’m fine, really?—”

“You’re not,” he growls. “The whole time we’ve been sitting here, you haven’t been able to stay in one position for more than ten seconds. I was beyond rough with you. Fuck, I—” He shakes his head. “I can’t believe you didn’t leave in the middle of the night after what I did.”

I stay composed with effort, rolling my eyes and shrugging. “So I’m a little sore. Have you seen your dick? It takes some getting used to. But if you think I regret coming so hard I squirted, you’re out of your mind. I forgot how awesome it feels. By the way, is your washer big enough for the comforter on your bed? If not, I can soak it in a tub.”

He blinks rapidly, clearly trying to juggle the pieces of his exploded brain.

“Um, yes. It’ll fit in the washer.”

I reach up and palm the side of his face. His eyes sharpen.

“I regret pushing you last night, but only because it caused you pain.” I smile as much as I can. “Also, despite my historical difficulty with them, I promise to respect whatever boundaries you set. Can we talk about them over breakfast? I’m starving.”

He scans my face, eyes full of tenderness and wonder. “Of course.”

Taking my hand in his, he presses a kiss to my palm. An answering pulse in my core makes me hiss and snatch my hand back.

“Don’t turn me on right now. I need another twelve hours of recovery time and at least three magnesium baths.”

His smile begins in his eyes—my favorite sunrise.

Standing, he offers me a hand. “In the mood for a burned bagel?”

I want to sob.

I laugh instead.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

wilder

Ican’t believe Evangeline is finally eating my food—not the horrible first attempts she was sweet enough to pretend to like years ago, but good, seasoned food. When I set the plate down, her first words were, “This is too pretty to eat.” One bite changed her mind.

I was pretty confident she’d enjoy my Eggs Benedict. What I hadn’t anticipated—and probably should have—was that she’d make eating it look borderline pornographic. I’ve been taking distracted bites off my own plate, barely tasting them, while staring at her like a perv. She’s so into the food she hasn’t noticed.

In the last ten minutes, I’ve entertained a hundred depraved fantasies, all of them centered on stuffing something else in her mouth. Hearing what sounds shemakes. Replacing the hollandaise she licks off her lips with cum.

When her plate is clean—and I meanclean—she seems to finally realize I’m sitting across from her. Her cheeks turn a delicious, apple red shade.

“That was really good, thank you,” she mumbles from behind a napkin.

My grin has a life of its own. By the way her eyes narrow, she can glean its source.