Forbidden: A Sinful Shares Romance Read online

  Robert chomped on the inside of his cheek to stop the laughter dying to break free. Ron scooted away pretty quickly after that.

  To say he was shocked when Kristal wrapped her arm through his and hugged him close was an understatement.

  “Promise me”—she chuckled—“that you’ll beat him at the next field day. As I recall, he lacks the coordination to do the wheelbarrow race.”

  Well, she was certainly spot-on about that. Having mail order muscles didn’t make the guy anything but bulky. You either had grace and coordination naturally, or you didn’t. Ron didn’t. Next to calling him out in a dance off, the wheelbarrow was the next best thing.

  “I’ll try my hardest,” he told her with grave mockery—as if they were discussing critical world affairs. “You know what would help, though?”

  Confusion spread on her face. “No. What?”

  “If you would squeeze your butt into your old cheerleader’s outfit and provide inspiration from the sidelines.”

  She looked at him as if he was speaking an alien language. And then she cracked up laughing.

  “Oh, now there’s a pretty sight,” she scoffed. “Me and my fat ass trying to do a high kick.”

  He gasped and made a horrified face. With a hand on his chest, he shook his head and tut-tutted. “Don’t be dissin’ dat ass! I’d pay good money for a private show.”

  “Yeah, yeah. You’re in charge of my purse, remember? And take care of the popcorn. I need to find the ladies’ room.”

  Boom. And just like that, she dashed off.

  He watched her go with a half small smile. They were flirting, and while not quite at the point of being outrageous or over-the-line, it was enough to really shake things up.

  Not sure how he liked flying without a plan, Robert contemplated what was left of the evening. How far should they push, and what happened after that?

  Chapter Four

  It was not that things were moving too fast, Kristal concluded. It was that things were moving at all.

  They were next door to the theater complex at a gourmet, old-fashioned ice cream parlor huddled over a small red and white striped bistro table, demolishing a sundae for two.

  “Say that three times, real fast,” Robert said with an amused snort. “Marvelous Max Master of Mystery, Marvelous Max Master of Mystery.”

  She giggled and cleaned a glob of chocolate syrup off her spoon. “Wait till you meet him. He takes his magic seriously. Harry will love it.”

  “Dad wants to take Harry to the Magic Castle in Los Angeles. Something about a week-long program for junior magicians. Mara made all the appropriate Mom noises. It was pretty funny.”

  “Have you made up your mind yet? About the Harry Potter thing?”

  He grunted and scooped up an enormous spoonful of ice cream. “I’m not telling you anything.”

  “Oh, nice try. Just so ya know,” she pointed out with a grin, “my mom told me that Dave came by to measure the doorway.”

  Robert’s confused, befuddled expression made her smile. “Why?” he innocently asked.

  “Because, you kook, when he’s in full Hagrid costume with shoe lifts and everything else to make him look like a giant, it’s hard to navigate stuff like doors and cars.”

  “Oh. Shit. I wanted it to be a surprise. Dave agreed right away when I asked. He says doing kid parties is more lucrative that being a teacher!”

  “Well, it’s brilliant. Having Hagrid show up on a motorcycle with a cake and Harry’s Hogwarts letter is nothing short of inspired.”

  “Well, it’s a big day when a boy turns eleven.”

  They smiled at each other and nodded. Kristal started to laugh and said, “If Pops wins the Magic Castle battle, then you and I get the Wizarding World trip.”

  “Oh, lord,” he drawled. “You, me, and Harry set loose at Universal? Cha-ching!”

  “There goes the savings account!”

  Her spoon clinked the bottom of the sundae bowl. With a dramatic pout, she jabbered, “The saddest sound known to man. Bottom of the bowl.”

  He offered a half smile. She liked him with his glasses on, but there was something different about Robert when he wore his contacts.

  “My saddest sound is anything that makes you unhappy.”

  “Then my evil plan is working,” she teased.

  There was a flash of heat in his expression, and the corner of his beautiful eyes crinkled when he chuckled. “You had me at hello. No, wait. You had me after the shin whack.”

  “And you, Mr. Peyton, have never seen my underwear.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Nice try.” Kristal smiled. God, he was really cute when he was being playful.

  Whoosh! And just like that, a horrifying thought filled her mind. “Oh, my god. Robert. Shit.” Nervous tension made her choke on the words. “Do you think Ron saw us kissing? He did, didn’t he? Fuck.”

  Ron was one of those guys she and Izzy called Napoleons. Didn’t matter how big his muscles got or the size of his bank account, guys like him suffered from terminal small man syndrome. Izzy’s small man narrative included a lot of bullshit about Alphas and Omegas, but Kristal saw things differently. Guys recognized when a superior male entered their midst. It was that simple. Jealousy of Robert and a desire to drop an ego-driven smackdown practically guaranteed Ron would shoot off his mouth if he got the chance.

  It didn’t matter one little bit what people said about her—she could take it. But tongues wagging at Robert’s school wouldn’t help his career. On the precipice of throwing in the towel to save his reputation, the words she wanted to say were struck silent by Robert’s reaction.

  “Yeah. Fuck him. The way I see it? I was with a hot chick, and he wasn’t! It’s kind of pathetic for a lone dude to be getting off watching what a couple does on a movie date. Smacks of desperation.”

  He thought she was hot? Hold up. Kristal chewed her lip and considered this new piece of information. How the hell was she supposed to react? She felt like a yo-yo. They’d always been so comfortable with each other—that part felt like a smooth and easy glide. It was the free fall and stopping jerk each time the carnal reality of her feelings came into play that was making it hard to think.

  Instead of playing it cool and letting his comment slide, she reacted like a kid. “You think I’m hot?” The blush and giggle weren’t planned. Neither were the words. She was flying without a net.

  Robert’s eyebrow-wagging grin and mockingly lecherous gaze boosted her laugh. “Give it a rest, babe. You know damn well your celebrity doppelgänger is Kate Upton right down to the beautiful face and sinful body.”

  “I don’t see it,” she drily informed him. Kate was a beauty, yes. But she didn’t have Kristal’s worries—like an audacious ass and an extra twenty-five pounds.

  His hand moved slowly until their fingers threaded, and with a squeeze, he murmured, “You have nothing to be worried about.”

  “Says the man who works out five days a week.”

  He looked genuinely affronted and gasped. “I do not.”

  She patted his hand and shook her head. “Yeah, nope. Can’t let you get away with this one. Pops told me you dropped a wad of cash on a piece of exercise equipment. Stashed in an empty bedroom, I believe.”

  His sexy chuckle as he sat back made her stomach do weird things.

  “Shit, Kristal. I’ve got so many snappy comebacks for your comment that I don’t know where to start.”

  That was when it hit her. They were already in a relationship. And not because their parents got married or they shared a brother. Robbie was the best of her best friends. She turned to him for everything. To share a laugh. As a shoulder to cry on. When she was uncertain and when she needed a co-pilot. They had to tread carefully. Losing this closeness would kill her if them playing with matches turned out to be a bad idea.

  The very point her conscience was trying to make hit home with scary accuracy when he lost the amused chuckle and sat forward with haste.

  �
��I know you so well,” he murmured. “Kristal, honey. Look at me.”

  Crying was an appalling but very real possibility. She loved him, and it was far too late to change that, but the real fear that being together would destroy what they had was the one thing she couldn’t deny.

  “Oh, fuck Robbie. What are we doing? I can’t lose you,” she stammered in a painful whimper. “It’d flat out kill me.”

  He sighed heavily. “C’mon.” Standing, he dropped a tip for the busboy and got up in her face with his demanding bullshit. “Let’s go.”

  Completely flustered when he hurried her from the table, she felt at sixes and sevens and floundered to keep up. At the door, she remembered her purse and was about to run back to the table when Robbie held up the bag before practically shoving her onto the sidewalk.

  It was so unlike him to be brusque or grumpy with her. She didn’t like the feeling. Not one bit.

  “Why are you mad at me?” She wrenched away from him after they were clear of the entrance and took up a belligerent pose with her hands on hips and wearing a confused scowl.

  “Don’t say another word,” he growled. “Just get in the car.”

  Her face showed him what she thought of his high and mighty bullshit.

  In typical Robbie style, he scoffed and kept right on. “For someone who’s so damn concerned with what everybody thinks, starting shit in a public place is a little much.”

  “I’m not starting shit!”

  He arched a brow. “Wanna yell that a bit louder?”

  “Goddammit,” she grumbled. Putting her head down, Kristal stomped toward the parked car, muttering the whole way about men being clueless bullies. Arriving at the passenger door, she whirled around to face him only to be startled by his closeness.

  Feeling defenseless, she put both hands on his chest to push him away, but he only moved closer. Resting his hands on the car on either side of her, he effectively had her trapped. The electricity in the air made the hair on her neck stand up.

  A twelve-alarm meltdown wracked her body when he shifted his hips and pressed his pelvis into her soft curves. Thinking about Robbie’s penis was one of those things she’d avoided, but with him making a point by forcing the issue, Kristal quickly drew a forceful black line through the functional term and cracked open her secret stash of naughty words.

  The presence of Robbie’s very firm cock pressed against her changed everything.

  “We need to get a few things straight,” he snarled. “So drop your sexy ass into the car before I throw you on the ground and end this crap.”

  “Excuse me?” She grunted. He was either one hell of a demanding and very hot alpha, or he was in serious need of a hard shin kick. Her fingers crossed, hoping that option one was the correct one.

  He leaned into her and gave a suggestive thrust. “If the hard ground isn’t to your liking, believe me, babe, a standing slam fuck is behind door number two.”

  His eyes glittered with something that made her blood turn to molten lava. This was a side she’d never seen before, but she was willing to beg for more. Oh lordy, was she ever!

  Pleading for more wasn’t the same thing as being a wimp, or a prude, so she shot him an eyeful of feminine shade right before sliding her hands up his chest and wrapping her arms around his neck. She answered his pelvis thrust with a wicked shimmy and a smirk. He looked so shocked Kristal almost laughed.

  “My inner bad girl likes this manly man thing you’ve got going on.” She said it for effect and added a playful giggle at the end. He responded by grabbing a handful of her ass and laughing in her face.

  “Oh, great.” He chuckled. “My girl likes to push the envelope.” He bodily moved her to the side and yanked open the car door. “Now, sit the hell down before I teach your bad girl a lesson.”

  There was nothing she could do except cackle with amused laughter as she slid onto her seat. She shut up in a hurry, though, when he bent down and leaned across her to fasten the seat belt. He was deliberately invading her space, and she liked it. Very much.

  Before pulling away, he gave her a quick, demanding kiss. “I’m going to get in the car now, and you’re going to shut up and let me talk.”

  She started to tell him where to go, but he sniggered, shut her door, and walked around the car to his side. She watched him the whole away with a smile. The guy was a looker, and he carried himself like someone who wasn’t afraid of life.

  The thought made her lady parts tingle. A serious case of hungry, hungry pussy was turning her world upside down.

  What Kristal needed was a strong hand and quite possibly a serious spanking. She was like a bottle rocket—perfectly fine in your pocket until lit and then a barrage of furious sparks shot in every direction. So many that he had no hope of addressing each one. But he knew her. Eventually, her insecurity and fears would trip her up, but he would not allow those to run his life. Or hers. Now that the obvious was out in the open, he was even more convinced they were as entitled to happiness as a couple regardless of how uncomfortably Brady Bunch their family unit appeared.

  Employing an old but effective ploy, he was midsentence and starting to pontificate as he slid into the driver’s seat. As he expected, she had her yammer setting dialed to high and thought she’d meet him head-on.

  Ha! Fat chance. If they were going to do this, then dammit, they were gonna do it right.

  “We could continue to pretend this isn’t happening, or we could stop kidding ourselves. I’m for stopping the kidding, and I think you are too. So, instead of playing a lot of games or wasting time by being secretive, here’s what we’re going to do.”

  She was too fucking adorable, sitting there blinking like a confused owl. The way her eyebrows bumped closer when she squinted was classic discombobulated Kristal. Her luscious mouth formed several words, but no sound left her lips. He liked her befuddled expression. It made him feel something. Something warm and greedy building inside.

  “It feels like a waste of time to dance around each other and toss out word bombs. We’re pretty good at that shit, wouldn’t you say?”

  He didn’t wait for her response and plowed ahead.

  “No more games,” he proclaimed.

  She giggle-snorted. He scowled. The giggling snorts got louder, and her finger pointed in his face.

  “Is that the Julius Caesar voice you use with your class?” She howled with laughter. Mimicking an obedient gladiator, she lowered her voice to growl, “Hail Caesar,” and pounded twice on her chest.

  Oh, lord. What was he going to do with her?

  Unable to keep a smile at bay, he gave her an exasperated headshake followed by a sigh. “You’re killing my ego, babe.”

  This only made her laugh more until she was rocking in her seat, alternately slapping her knees and pointing at him while his car filled with her amused insolence.

  “Just remember later that you asked for this,” he warned a second before his lips taking hers cut off the giggles. A couple of heartbeats later, her laughter turned to moans.

  There was no slow buildup. No brushing lips. With the teasing over, it started fiery, turning hotter until their tongues went through the steps of a passionate and demanding dance. At some point, deep in the throes of this kiss, the outside world fell away, and it was just them.

  His hand cupped the side of her face and slid to her neck. The rapid thud of her heavy pulse was evident beneath his fingers. Warmth seeped into every corner of his body. She tasted like the chocolate and pineapple from their decadent sundae. Savoring her lips became the only thought in his otherwise passion drunk mind.

  Desire crashed into him with such force he started to shake with need. He’d kept his longing for her on such a tight leash that he nearly went under once his desire was set loose. Everything about being with Kristal felt right. This was the point he hoped to make before the night was over. Having it happen in his car when they were in the middle of a mini-spat was something of a surprise, but he was taking her surrender as a major st
ep forward.

  They weren’t kids anymore even though that was how they were behaving. Making out in a car was one thing. Attempting anything more intimate was just asking for trouble. It was a miracle he had enough control to stop at a kiss.

  She was warm, soft, and compliant when he finally drew away for the last time. Though he was sorely tempted to initiate another round, common sense returned when he remembered where they were.

  A primitive impulse he’d never experienced before sent gruff words flying from his mouth. “I’m the last man you will ever kiss.”

  His tone got a reaction from both of them. He felt empowered. As though for the first time, he knew what it was to be a man.

  Her eyes went wide. He grinned. Then she bit her lip and blushed like a goddamn virgin. When she nodded before shielding her eyes, Robert felt like unhooking his safety belt so he could get out of the car, beat his chest, and stomp out the rhythm of a primal mating dance.

  Kristal Devin belonged to him. Only him.

  “We’re going to your place where I’m going to kiss you into a coma.”

  As expected, a quiver of unease flashed in her eyes. He had no trouble reading her, and the reaction was the one he wanted. Showing her right from the start that this was different—that he was different—was important to him.

  “That’s all we’re going to do. Kiss.”

  She snickered and made a disbelieving face. He smiled into her beautiful eyes.

  “Okay, my bad girl. Settle down. There’s no way our first date ends with us in bed. Nope. That’s not how this is going to play out. That doesn’t mean there won’t be some over the clothes groping,” he told her with a wolfish snigger. “But darlin’, we have a ways to go before bare skin and fingers get acquainted.”

  “We’re really going to do this?” she asked in a barely there murmur.

  He studied her face for a moment, and after sensing only nervous hesitation, he breathed a mental sigh of relief. His heart did a warrior dance like he’d seen a bunch of guys do in a school assembly. Mash up of Haka hula, and hip-hop. Very cool.