Page 34 of The Forever Promise

“What? No.” I shook my head.

“Security kept a close watch on your room, and I had cameras installed, of course. But I wanted to ask.” He didn’t look at me.

“You really think I’m like that? That I’d just hop into bed with someone else?” I felt as though he’d slapped me.

“No, but I worried that someone would try. You’re a beautiful girl, Chloe. A desirable one. And I wanted to know if anyone had tried anything, so that I could kill them.”

“Bryce.”

He had the decency to shrug and look a little sheepish. “I’m just kidding. Kind of.”

“I don’t understand you. Like I said, you’re the one who sent me away. I don’t know why you’d even care if I was with someone else.”

“I care because you’re my wife. You’re still my wife.”

I took a deep breath. I needed to askhimsomething, but the last time we’d discussed the topic, it had ended badly. “What about you? Were you…with anyone…while I was gone?”

“Of course not.” He said it as though it were ridiculous.

“It’s a fair question.” I knew that Felicia Jones had been to the house—what if she’d taken advantage of my absence? “I know that what’s-her-face is still hanging around.”

What’s-her-face.Like I didn’t know her name. Like I hadn’t fantasized about scratching her eyeballs out!

Bryce grunted. “I don’t care.” His tone indicated the subject was closed for discussion. He turned back to me. “So you haven’t been with anyone, and I haven’t been with anyone.”

I prayed he was telling the truth; he seemed to be. I sure was. “Right.”

“And you’re contractually obligated to sleep with me whenever I want.”

I nodded.

“And like you said earlier, it’sjustsex.” He turned toward me, his gaze hungry. “We can do whatever we want, here in our bed. Alone, without the photographers. Can’t we, Chloe?”

I nodded again. I felt like he was hypnotizing me.

He trailed his fingers down my bare arm again, causing sparks to fly. “So I’m going to ask you again. What do you want?”

“I want to know…” The room was suddenly very, very hot. “I want to know whatyouwant.”

He flashed me the lopsided grin that I loved. “Iwantedto have sex with you in the clearing today. And on the beach. And on the boat tonight. And in the woods. And I want to take you right now.”

He lowered his face to mine and kissed me.

When our tongues connected, I felt an electric shock down to my core. Bryce was confusing the hell out of me, leaving me dizzy and breathless, but when he touched me, when he told me he wanted me, nothing else mattered. Not even the emotional whiplash he kept leaving me with.

His erection poked at me. In spite of my best intentions, I almost died of happiness.

“Since we can’t have sex in the woods or on the boat tonight, we’ll have to take action. I can’t go that long without having you—I’d end up bending you over the table at the restaurant. And we can’t have that, can we?”

“No…?” But was it really the worst idea?

Bryce rolled on top of me, his hard length pressed in between my legs. “We have this afternoon. So I want to know…do you want me to touch you?”

He thrust against me, his erection rubbing me through his sweats, and I whimpered. “I know that I can, Chloe. Per our contract, I own you.”

He kissed me again, our tongues lashing. He thrust some more, and I moved against him, arching my back, desperate for more contact.He owned me.Fuck yes, then take me!

I knew it was bad that I felt that way. I knew it was wrong and that I’d pay for it dearly. But I was already burning for him. There was no way to stop it.

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