“Seriously?”

I laugh. “Seriously.”

“Okay,” he says. “Why?”

“Why what?”

“Why do you love tulips?”

My heart aches. I love tulips because my dad gave them to my mom the night he died. He came home from work and surprised her. They weren’t her favorite flowers, there was no special occasion—he just picked them up from any old store, but they made her smile, and in turn, they made him smile.

“My mom loves them,” I say, giving him no more.

“Fair enough.”

I pinch his skin softly. “Your turn. Tell me something no one else knows about you?”

He rolls back, taking me with him until I’m half positioned over his body. “I have a problem.”

“A problem?” I question. “With what?”

“I hate underwear.”

I burst out laughing. “Say again?”

“Underwear. I hate it.”

“You hate underwear?”

“Yep. It’s all tight and restricting.”

“So you don’t wear . . .” I swallow and look down. “. . . underwear.”

“Nope.”

“Never?”

“Never.”

I look up into his gorgeous eyes. “You’re a strange man.”

“Yes, I am.”

“Okay,” I say. “Now that’s out of the way, I think we need names.”

“Names?”

“Yeah, fake names. I’ll pick yours; you pick mine.”

His body shakes with suppressed laughter, before he says, “We can’t just give our normal ones?”

I grin. “That wouldn’t make this as fun as it is. We can give our real ones at the end.”

He smirks. “Make sure you pick a name you’re happy screaming when I’m deep inside you again.”

I flush. “Okay then.”

His eyes grow lusty and he curls toward me. “You go first.”

“I think I’m going to call you . . .” I stare at him. “Dante.”

“Dante?”

“Yeah, you look like a Dante. Someone seductive and mysterious.”

He laughs. “Okay. I’m going to call you Tulip.”

I smile, warmly. “Tulip?”

“Yeah. It’s a beautiful flower, simple but it stands out over all the rest. You’re all of those things.”

Swoon.

“Okay then, Tulip it is.”

“Okay, Tulip. I’m done talking.”

He reaches up, curling his fingers around the back of my neck, and then he pulls me down and kisses me.

~*~*~*~

NOW

I stumble out of my room towards the bathroom. It’s midnight, I’m still half drunk, and I’m still not sure enough of the house that I can find it easily. I slam into a few walls, muttering a few choice words before I finally reach it. Just as I stretch my hand out, the door flings open. I topple forward and land against a warm, hard chest. Two arms go up and curl around my shoulders, and then I’m being slammed back against the wall.

“You following me, Tulip?”

Blade.

His body is pressed against mine and I’m flat against the wall with nowhere to go. “Ah, I needed to pee. It’s midnight . . .”

He leans down close and damn, damn, damn he smells amazing. His skin is so warm against mine. So freaking warm.

“I haven’t been able to sleep. Do you want to know why?”

“Not really,” I squeak.

“This is why.”

He jerks his hips and his cock presses right between my legs. I gasp and try to squirm backwards, but I can’t move. He’s got me pinned against the wall and now his cock is right there, and god dammit, I like it.

“Blade, stop,” I whisper.

“This is wrong,” he mutters, rotating his hips.

“Blade.”

“Forbidden.”

He thrusts and his cock slides right over my clit. I gasp and my fingers curl into his biceps. I don’t know if I want to push him away or pull him closer.

“But fuck, I want to put my cock inside you so fucking bad, Tulip.”

Oh no.

Oh yes.

“I’m fucking aching to feel your pussy squeezing my dick.”

Oh. My. God.

Heat floods my sex and I want it, I want it so bad. I close my eyes. No . . . this can’t happen. My mom . . . it’d destroy her.

“Please let me go,” I breathe. “We can’t be doing this.”

“No,” he says grinding against me to the point my body is winding up and pleasure is shooting through my limbs. “We can’t.”

“Blade,” I gasp.

“Can I make you come like this?”

“Please.”

“Please what?” he hisses.

“Please, oh God . . .”

His cock is creating the perfect friction. It’s so fucking good. I don’t want him to stop. Shit, yes I do. I do want him to stop. He’s your step-brother; don’t be so . . . oh God . . . he feels so good. His body is so hard. Shit, I’m going to come . . . I can’t . . .

“Blade,” I gasp as I explode against him.

He makes a pleased, rumbling sound and then suddenly he’s gone. It takes me a moment to realize that he’s jumped back because a door has opened and Jack is just stepping into the hall. I press my hands against the wall, trying to look calm. It takes a lot to control my breathing. There’s still an amazing burn between my legs that is really hard to ignore.