Royally Not Ready(33)



“Do you have any others?”

She shakes her head, and then she drags her finger over the wood of the table when she says, “I do have something else that I’m not sure if it matters or not.”

“Tell me. I need to know everything.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, we need to be aware of everything. The worst thing you can do is not divulge information and then we’re surprised later.”

“Okay, well, my nipples are pierced . . . and so is my clit.”

Uh . . . what?

My eyes snap to hers to see if she’s serious, and when I see that there’s not a hint of humor in her expression, my cock hardens immediately.

Like a goddamn rock.

Her clit?

Her actual clit is pierced?

Fucking hell.

My mouth waters at the thought of it. A tattoo, a feisty spirit, her love for family, and now this . . . she, hell . . . she’s everything I’d want in a woman. But she’s not for you, Keller. Not. For. You. This is for Theo. For Torskethorpe. “Well, um—”

“I’m not sure if the pierced nipples are going to be an issue,” she says while I try to keep myself from panting. “I know no one will see my clit, but you know, I’ve had a few one-night stands back in Miami. Not sure if anyone would care to say what’s going on down there, but I figured I should lay it all out there. I’ve also had sex on a balcony, and on a car in an empty parking lot. On the beach once. The back of a movie theater—don’t worry, it was an R-rated movie. Uh, in a bar bathroom, in a restaurant bathroom, in an aquarium bathroom—something about all that water got me randy. I’m also known for a good skinny-dipping. I’ve streaked twice, and I also always wear thong bikini bottoms.” She cringes. “I don’t think there are any pictures, but thought I’d give you a heads-up since everyone has a camera in their pocket now. Oh, and I also went to a sex club a couple of times. I never did anything, I just watched.”

I dig my fingers into my thighs. Her litany of confessions is like a shot to my libido with every single one. I attempt to control the desire ripping through me, screaming at me to throw this table to the side and pull her onto my lap. I’m a sexual man, someone who thrives off dominance, and from the sounds of it, she would be the quintessential woman for me. There aren’t many women here that I’d pursue. Although I’m not high-profile, given my job, I need to ensure I’m discreet and professional. Not for you, Keller. Do not forget your place here.

“Is my sexual history going to be a problem? I hope not. But I can assure you, no sex tapes or naked selfies, which I know seems off-brand for me. But I never partook in recording myself despite being intrigued by the whole act of fucking in front of the camera. I’ve always been very into my sexuality, but I’ve also been smart about it. Well . . . for the most part. The public sex was risky, and sure, maybe someone could recognize me from the sex club, but I never paid for a membership. I was just dating this one guy, a millionaire in Miami, and his kink was sex clubs. I was into it. But we always had a mutual understanding that what we did together was between us.”

I drag my thumb over my jaw. “Was he your Dom?” My mouth waters a second time, waiting for the answer.

Her crystal eyes flash up at me through her thick lashes. “He was,” she answers almost breathlessly.

Fuck. My cock strains against the zipper of my black jeans as my mind reels with what she would look like, on her knees, waiting for my command . . .

“Are you involved with anyone at the moment?” I choke out.

She shakes her head. “No. I’m free . . . ripe for the taking.”

She wets her lips again, and fuck me, I’m moments from grabbing her by the back of her neck and seeing how serious she really is about being “ripe for the taking.”

I want to take her.

I want to grip her jaw, part her mouth open, and claim her.

And from the look of it, she wants the same thing.

How the hell did we go from training to this? Where the air grows heavy between us, the unsaid swirling around, wrapping like a vise around my will, squeezing so tight that my hand itches to reach out . . .

Knock. Knock.

Lilly and I both startle as Brimar walks in, clueless about the tension, and says, “Supplies have been delivered to an undisclosed location. I’m going to go pick them up. Lara will be here.”

“Okay,” I say before clearing my throat and shifting around, my erection painful as hell. When he shuts the door, I pull on the back of my neck, trying to get myself together. “We, uh, we should move on.”

“Yes. We probably should.”

But when I meet her gaze again, her smirk tells me everything I need to know. She knows exactly how uncomfortably charged that conversation made me. And knowing her, she’s not going to let me get away with it that easily.





Chapter Nine





LILLY





“Brimar is so good at cooking,” I say to Lara as we take a walk together along the rocky coastline.

It’s been a long day in that tiny, stone-walled room with Keller.

It’s been a long day of staring at his handsome face.

Listening to his dreamy voice.

Watching how the muscles in his jaw twitch when I say anything sexual.

Meghan Quinn's Books