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  We make it back to my place in no time and Vaughn never lets me help him with the bags. I finish the candy bar just as we walk in and he goes straight into the kitchen.

  “Was it good?” he asks as he drops the bags down onto the counter.

  “It made me hungrier, I think,” I huff, falling back onto the sofa. I didn't do much moving around today because all I really did was study. Still somehow I feel worn out, at least in my head. I should probably get back at it.

  “Watch TV.” He walks over to the coffee table and picks up the remote. I never watch the thing and only turn it on sometimes so the house isn't so quiet.

  “I should study.” I look over to my backpack that’s on the floor.

  “Rest your mind.” He flips through the channels and stops when he lands on The Mummy. I perk up as he sets the remote down and goes back into the kitchen.

  “This is my favorite movie,” I say, more to myself than to him.

  “I figured you’d like that one. It’s why I picked it.” I glance over at him and see he’s unloading the groceries.

  “Why?” I ask. I turn to watch him instead of the movie, and who can blame me?

  “Between all the history books and what I saw on that Kindle of yours.”

  “You looked at my Kindle?!” I shout like he’s been digging through my underwear drawer.

  “There’s nothing wrong with a little romance.” He turns to look at me with a smug smile. “Do you write?” His question catches me off guard.

  He’s a lot better at reading me than I realize. Vaughn plays the laidback brother with a carefree attitude and jokes, but he doesn't miss a thing. I think part of it might be an act, like when a woman plays dumb to get more information out of someone.

  “I want to,” I admit, feeling shy now. “I mean, I have written some but—” I shake my head. “Never mind.” I turn back toward the TV.

  I’m a history major with a minor in English. I love to read and write and I’ve read everything I can get my hands on since I was a kid. I was always drawn to history.

  “Historicals.” Vaughn steps in front of the TV, blocking my view. I hadn't seen him move. “That’s what you’ve written, right?”

  I shrug noncommittally even though he’s right.

  “Don’t shrug it off. That’s fucking cool. You should let me read some of it.”

  “You want to read it?” I snort, but his face doesn't change. It’s not playful and there’s no smirk pulling at his lips. He’s serious.

  “I’ll think about it,” I give in.

  I’ve never let someone read something I’ve written that wasn't for work or school. Not even Collins. She knows I dream of writing, but I figured I’d end up doing research or working for a museum of some kind, maybe even a library. One of my professors actually offered me a job after graduation but I turned it down. My plans were always to go back to Collins, but now she isn't there anymore.

  “You think about it while I cook.” This time I see his cocky grin. “But I always get what I’m after,” he finishes before giving me one of those killer winks and walking into the kitchen.

  I have a feeling he’s after more than reading my stories. The problem is this is real life. A man like Vaughn could leave me broken hearted since happily ever afters aren't guaranteed.

  Chapter Five

  Vaughn

  “How could you do this to me?” Berkley moans as she rubs her belly.

  I laugh as I set the last dish on the drain and wipe down the counter. She’s laid out on the couch pretending to be unable to move while I clean up the kitchen.

  “You didn’t complain when you had it in your mouth.” Her eyes pop open and I wink at her before she scowls at me. “It’s okay if you like it.”

  “I would say something just as smart-mouthed back to you, but I’m too stuffed with good food to be witty.” She throws her arms over her head dramatically as she stretches and points her toes. Her couch is so tiny even she hangs off the edge of it and can’t lie on it fully. There’s only one bed in this studio flat and there’s no way either of us could sleep on that couch comfortably.

  “So, about the sleeping arrangements.” I dry my hands and walk over next to her and wait. After a moment she tucks her feet and makes a small space for me to sit down.

  “Wait, you’re staying in my apartment?”

  I laugh and cock my head to the side. “Where did you think I was going?”

  She shrugs and then looks around as if the answer will pop up. “I guess I just thought you’d get a hotel or something.”

  “You trying to get rid of me?”

  She rolls her eyes but I see the tinge of pink in her cheeks. “No.”

  “Not after that dinner, right?” I feel the grin pull at one side of my mouth and she tries to hit me with a pillow. I grab it from her and lean in close. “You’re not kicking me out, and I don’t trust anyone but me to keep you safe.”

  She swallows before she raises her chin in defiance. “Awfully sure of yourself, aren’t you?”

  “I’m sure that no one is more concerned about your safety and well-being than me.”

  “That’s where you’re wrong.” She licks her lips and I follow the smooth silky trail the moisture leaves behind. “My sister cares about what happens to me.”

  “Oh sweet thing, I know she does.” I lean in and tuck a lock of hair behind her ear. “But I have no plans to ever take my eyes off this body of yours, so where you go, I go.” She looks up at me through her lashes as I lean in a little closer. “Believe me, Berkley, you’re not going anywhere.”

  “So if you’re not leaving, where are you going to sleep?” I feel her breath against my lips as I move just inches from her.

  “I think we both know the answer to that question.” And instead of kissing her like my body is screaming for me to do, I place my lips next to her ear and whisper. “On your sofa.”

  She playfully smacks my chest and I sit back on the couch, giving us both some much needed space. Jesus Christ, the air between us has a magnetic pulse like there are bolts of lightning crackling between us.

  “There’s no way you can fit on my sofa. You’re huge.” When her eyes roam down my chest, then dart away, all the blood in my body flows to my cock.

  “So you’re giving me your bed?” I tease her, and it earns me another smack.

  “Not a chance. I can't even sleep on this thing, and believe me, I’ve tried.”

  “Will you let me cuddle with you if I promise to be good?” I give her my best innocent look but she pretends to be annoyed as she gets up off the couch.

  “Fine. But you better not snore.”

  “I don’t think you’d notice if I did.”

  She looks back over her shoulder at me and narrows her eyes. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “Only that you’re cute when you talk in your sleep.”

  “I do not!” Her mouth falls open and she looks around for something to throw at me, but by the time she grabs a pencil I’ve got a pillow up to block it.

  She laughs with me and then tries to cover a yawn.

  “Come on, let me put you to bed. You’ve had a long day.”

  “I’m not a toddler. I can manage to get into bed on my own,” she says, but doesn’t stop me from following her.

  I go over to my bag in her room and grab a shirt out of it. “Here, you can wear this.”

  She looks at it for a quick second and doesn’t protest as she takes it from me and goes into her bathroom. I hear the water running and a few moments later she comes out fresh faced and wearing my shirt. Her hair is down and over one shoulder, and damn, she’s never looked more beautiful. I can see her eyes are tired and she’s probably stressed from all of the travel these past few days and then studying and oh, that threat on her life hanging over everything. More than anything I want to be able to give her a little peace, so when she slides into bed and under the covers I kick off my shoes and move my hands to my belt.

  “What are you doing?�
�� Her eyes widen as she watches me unfasten my pants and take them off before folding them neatly and placing them on the chair.

  “Getting ready for bed.” Her eyes roam over my chest just before I take off my shirt and drape it on the chair too. “Don’t worry, sweet thing, I’ll sleep on top.”

  Her lips part a little as I climb onto the bed and tuck the covers around her. She’s frozen solid for a second until she realizes what I meant as I make sure and wrap her up. God, this is almost worse than me just spreading her legs and going to town. Somehow the innocence of this is intimate and deeper than a lust-filled frenzy. Don’t get me wrong, I would love to see how soft her thighs feel on either side of my face, but this is so much closer than that.

  “It’s in the bedside drawer,” she says to me softly, and then I’m confused.

  “What is?”

  “The red notebook. That’s the latest story I’ve been working on. It’s about a woman who travels to Egypt in search of an ancient tomb and ends up falling in love with her guide.”

  Even in the soft lamplight of her room I can see the deep color of her cheeks. She tucks her chin and burrows into the blankets as she closes her eyes and pretends to be asleep. I give her this out because she may not want to face the fact that she trusted me enough to tell me, but she did tell me. She bared just the slightest bit of her most precious secret and I won’t belittle that by making a joke.

  Instead I lean down and gently kiss her forehead, then turn over and open the drawer. Inside is the red notebook and a couple of pens beside it, along with a black zipper bag. I touch the zipper, wondering what’s inside, and then realize the outline is the exact size and shape of what can only be a dildo. Did she mean for me to see this or did she assume I wouldn't know?

  The base of my cock tightens as I get harder and try to hide my obvious erection just as I run my fingers over the black pouch. What would if feel like to use this on her? Could I get her off as fast as she can do it herself?

  I feel her move just a little on the other side of me and decide to pack those thoughts away for later. Like when I’m in the shower. I grab the red notebook and get comfortable.

  From the first page I’m not only captivated because it’s Berkley’s writing, but because she’s an incredible storyteller. I love the heroine and how adventurous she is and even how she plays hard to get. I can see so many similarities between her and Berkley and I wonder if it’s intentional. At first, I have a lot of questions, but the more I read, the more I forget about the incredible woman beside me who wrote it and I’m simply enthralled by the story that’s unfolding.

  Before I realize it, Berkley is fast asleep beside me and I’ve devoured the whole book in a matter of hours. I was so consumed with what would happen next that I lost track of everything else. Is this what reading romance is normally like?

  I close the notebook and set it on the side table, my thoughts and feelings spinning. I want to know if there’s going to be another book and what happens to them after they leave Egypt. I also can’t tear my mind away from the filthy sex scenes she wrote and I’m so turned on it’s painful. I have to roll over on my stomach and grind my cock into the mattress for some kind of relief. Fucking hell, the things that she wrote have me turned upside down and I’ve never felt so much all at once.

  How can I sleep like this, with all of these emotions going through my head? I stare at her and the flutter of her lashes as she sleeps and I wonder if she’s dreaming of me. Would she ever be so desperate for me like the heroine in her book was for the hero? God, what could I do to her to make her need me like that?

  My desperate fingers inch across the blanket to her and trace the curve of her shoulder all the way down to her hip. My hands ache to hold her, to feel her, to pull her against me. I want to roll on top of her and cover her with my weight as I kiss her slowly and tell her how I want a night in the desert with her just like in her novel. That I want to make that story real and give her the happily ever after that she deserves.

  I know I should roll away from her and keep my hands to myself. But I’ve come this far, why stop now?

  Chapter Six

  Berkley

  I don’t have to open my eyes to know where I am because his rich, sweet scent surrounds me. I don’t know how Vaughn pulls off smelling both manly and yummy but he does. It’s a scent that will forever be branded into my mind and does things to me.

  At least when I’m awake I can try to hide the way he makes me feel. But last night my body betrayed me and now I’m sprawled on top of Vaughn’s big body and using him as my bed. I don't want to move but I’m not sure I could with his arms around me holding me in place. I wonder how long I’ve been like this.

  I don’t know if it’s him being here or because I’m so worn out but last night was the best night of sleep I can ever remember having. My brain feels more settled today and the information I've been poring over these past few days has sunk in. I’m relaxed and have peace of mind that everything is going to be fine.

  When I shift a little on top of Vaughn, I gasp. His cock slides along my clit, and even though we both have underwear on the sensation is so damn good. The shirt he gave me to wear has ridden up and my bare stomach is pressed against his. God, he feels good all over.

  The throb between my legs grows and I wonder if he’s awake. I blame this on the fact that I can’t remember the last time I got myself off. With everything going on it’s been the last thing on my mind. I normally do it every night before bed. I did it so I wouldn't try to date until I was done with school and I could handle my needs until then. But right now I don't want to handle them. Oh God, I bet Vaughn saw the toy in my nightstand when I told him about my book.

  This time Vaughn is the one to shift and his cock slides across my clit again. I stifle a whimper but my lady business is throbbing with need. To my complete shock, his hand moves to my ass and grips me tightly. He presses me down into his hard length, and God, it feels so good.

  “I’ll give you what you need,” he whispers. “You don’t even have to say it. Just kiss my chest.”

  Fuck, how did he know I wouldn't be able to find the words to say it? I’m too shy to ask and I know I’d end up saying something smart and ruining the opportunity. I hide behind my smart mouth even though I’m usually bold in speaking my mind. This is unsteady ground for me and a step into the unknown.

  Without thinking or weighing the consequences, I turn my head and kiss his chest.

  “There you go, sweet thing.”

  His fingers dig into me as he easily guides me up and down his hard length. My shirt rides up farther, maybe with a little bit of help on my part. My bare breasts are freed and press into his warm body so that we’re skin on skin.

  “Fucking hell,” he grits out.

  At least that’s what I think he says. My mind spins as moans pour from my mouth and my orgasm pushes down on me. It’s been too long since I had one and this is so different. So much better than my fingers or the toy in my drawer could ever do. This is a real man between my thighs getting me off, and not just any man either. This is the one who takes up every spare thought I have when my nose isn't shoved inside a book.

  My panties stick to me as my arousal slicks the inside of them to the point that I’m drenched. My orgasm is right there and ready to break free at any moment.

  “Berkley.”

  He growls my name and the sound is a rumble from deep inside his chest. It’s filled with so much desire that it sends me over the edge and my whole body jerks with pleasure. I call out his name as hot waves roll over me and my eyes close tight. I shake with the power of it and gasp against his chest, unable to catch my breath. Okay, maybe what I gave myself before wasn't a full-on orgasm, because that is something else altogether. Jesus, I was only dry humping him. What would it be like if I actually had his cock in me?

  My heart races in my chest for a second as I think about it. What does this mean for us?

  Before I can let my mind play catch-up, Vaugh
n rolls us over and his body moves on top of mine. I feel the sticky wetness between us and I wonder if he got off too.

  “Vaughn,” I say softly, unsure where we go from here.

  We shouldn’t be doing this at all. He’s my brother-in-law. He’s going to be in my life forever. My sister’s having his brother’s baby. We’ll be forever connected if this all goes wrong.

  “Get out of that head of yours, Berkley. With me that’s not where you need to be.”

  “But—”

  He cuts me off and my lips part for him as he kisses me slow and sweet. Our tongues tangle like we’ve done this so many times before. For a moment I think this isn’t our first kiss because it’s so familiar and comforting. How is that possible?

  “You want sleep or food?” he asks when he lifts off me a little.

  “Both,” I say with a small laugh.

  “Then sleep. I’m going to shower and make you food. Then you can hit the books.” I nod in agreement and he kisses the end of my nose before pushing off the bed and walking to my bathroom. I roll onto my side and watch him go and it doesn't feel awkward. I still don’t know what this means, but I know I don’t regret what just happened. Not when I feel this good.

  “Get out of that head, sweet thing,” Vaughn shouts from the bathroom, making me smile.

  I pull the blankets over my head while my body still buzzes with pleasure. I’m smiling as I close my eyes and fall back to sleep for a little bit.

  When I wake up, it’s to a kiss on my lips. “Food’s almost ready.”

  “Mmkay,” I say, feeling a little shy. This time he kisses the tip of my nose and shakes his head. He yanks the blankets off me in one quick move and I sit up in protest. “Hey!”

  “We’re headed for the endzone, sweet thing. Up with it.”