Page 73 of Outlaw Heartstrings
My cock snaps to attention. “What was that?”
“N-nothing.” She drops her gaze to her lap.
I find myself scooting closer to her, lowering my voice. “Well, I’m sure that books are fun and all. But they could never live up to the real thing.”
“Are you sure?” she asks wryly. “Because, let me tell you—some of my books getintense.” She fans her cheeks with a napkin.
I wag my head, finding myself leaning closer to get a whiff of her sugary scent. “The feel of somebody’s skin on yours…The weight of another person’s body on top of you…The sounds…The smells…The tastes. Yup. Books could never capture that.”
Alba shifts where she’s sitting on the bench next to me, and I don’t miss how her thighs clamp together a little tighter. Fuck—she’s getting turned on. But can I blame her? I’m breathing all over her, whispering in her ear, practically telling her that I want to fuck her.
Suddenly, she slaps my shoulder and scoots away. “Yeah, well, books also don’t get you pregnant.”
I flinch. “Touché.”
Alba faces me, offering a delirious little smile. “Dammit, Easton. Stop looking at me that way. You’re making me feel like maybe Ishouldgive that stupid dating app a try.” She laughs.
My back stiffens. “Dating app? What dating app?”
Alba shakes her head and takes another bite of pie. “Long story short—my friends downloaded a dating app onto my phone while we were all drunk and goofing around during girls’ night.”
“Well, why didn’t you delete it?” I ask with a frown, my voice a little too rough and demanding for the occasion.
She shrugs. “I don’t know. I guess I’m starting to feel…curious.” Her eyes flit guiltily to my mouth before dropping to her lap.
“Curious?” I question her.
“About all the things I’ve missed out on over the years. I didn’t exactly do a lot of exploring in my early twenties, and now I’m creeping closer to thirty. I don’t want to be an old, lonely lady in a few years. Jagger’s already bugging me about getting a kitten, and I know it’ll be a gateway to cement my cat lady status.”
I nod slowly, the wheels spinning in my head. “So, you want to do some ‘exploration’ then?”
“I guess…Yeah. Sure, why not?” She sets down her fork and starts picking at her fingernails. When she lets out a big sigh, I can tell she’s got more on her mind. “I love Jagger more than life itself, and I don’t regret a single sacrifice I’ve made for him. But every once in a while, in the back of my mind, there’s this lingering reminder that I never got to experience…life, lust, intimacy. You know, the kind of intimacy I read about in romance novels. Sometimes I worry that it might be too late.”
I don’t need the porch light on to tell me that her face is beet red right now.
“It’s not too late,” I say, sounding more confident than I have any right to.
“It’s not?” she says with a disbelieving laugh.
“No, it’s not…” I declare.Then I suck in a breath. “Because you’ll do it all with me.”
“What?!” Her shriek is loud enough to spook the dogs down the street. They start barking in the distance.
“You and me,” I say confidently, “All those things you’re curious about doing, you’ll do them with me.”
“Do you hear yourself?” she hisses at me. “Do you hear how crazy you sound?”
“Alba Anderson, you listen to me,” I say, unable to control the bossy tone in my voice. “I don’t want you putting yourself in dangerous situations with strange men from dating apps just because you’re curious. That wouldn’t be safe for youorfor Jagger. So you’ll work out all your curiosity with me. While I’m here in Fairy Bush. I’ll answer all your questions. I’ll teach you things you’ve never tried. I’ll fulfill your fantasies.”
“My fantasies…?” She swallows.
“Yes. Each and every one of your fantasies, Alba.” I hold her gaze, trying to keep the gravel out of my voice. “We’ll role-play. We’ll do whatever you want.”
“You…you’re my sister’s ex…” she hisses at me.
“I’m not your sister’s ex,” I say through a wince. “Raya and I hooked up exactlyone time.Almost a decade ago!”And at this point in time, I don’t give one flying fuck about Raya and her opinions.
“But that hook up produced something permanent—a child. You said so yourself.” Alba’s eyes are wide and round from behind her glasses.
