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“No underwear today, and no touching yourself when you get back to your room. I’ll know if you have.”

“Jensen, I’ll leak through my dress. I?—”

“Better get a handle on yourself. If you manage all the above, then I’ll put my hands on you tonight.”

“Wha—”

“I don’t want to make you beg for me, Katherine. Just be a good girl, and I’ll give you what Tom could only watch on his phone.”

CHAPTER TEN

JENSEN

The number of times I’ve wanted to trace my hand over her dress and check if she’s wearing underwear. It’s only been a couple of hours since I had her naked in my bedroom.

It's unhealthy.

Zach, James, Adam, Jack, and I stand next to Jon as we watch Felicity take the few steps up the short aisle, Khalid’s “Better” their chosen soundtrack.

Jon wobbles as his fiancée, dressed in a sleek and silky ivory gown, her hair down and around her shoulders, comes to stand by his side.

But I can’t keep my eyes off the blonde woman in emerald as she takes Felicity’s small white peony bouquet and holds it with hers. Her hair is partly pinned, the rest cascading around her shoulders, stopping in the center of her back.

Today there’s a look of innocence about her that grounds me as I stand in a similar place to where I was once left humiliated and rejected. For the first time, I catch myself thinking about what it would be like to take it slow with Kate Monroe, to savorthe way she would melt and yield beneath my touch. I don’t do tender, and I don’t open my heart up to anyone, ever. But the way I want to share truths about myself with her, not even my own sister knows…that’s some scary shit.

Once again, she’s barely made eye contact with me, yet that still hasn’t stopped me staring every chance I get.

Jon and Felicity opted to keep the ceremony short and simple with a relaxed afterparty, and as the bride and groom take their first kiss as newlyweds and make for the aisle, my body hums with anticipation for the next twenty seconds I’ll get to spend with Kate by my side.

Unlike yesterday, she doesn’t roll her eyes when I hold out my arm for her to take. Instead, her palm grips my bicep firmly.

Seizing what might be one of my only opportunities, I lean toward her. “Did anyone ever tell you that it’s not cool to upstage the bride? Especially when you’re the maid of honor.”

She side-eyes me cautiously. “I’m wearing the same as Luna and the other bridesmaids.”

“Are you?” I reply. “I hadn’t noticed anyone else.”

Coming to a stop at the end of the aisle, we wait as Jon and Felicity pose for a couple of pictures.

Inconspicuously, I run my hand down her side and over her hip, and she shivers in response. “No underwear. Good girl,” I croon before I break away and I head over to shake Jon’s hand.

KATE

“Mrs. Felicity Morgan. It suits you perfectly.”

My best friend chuckles. “Never did I think I’d get married again. Just goes to show, you find the right man, and anything is possible.”

“Totally true,” Luna agrees, glancing over at Zach, who’s sitting with Jon and Jensen. We all changed out of our formal wear after the ceremony and into more relaxed evening clothes. Jensen looks delicious in a white shirt, sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and pale gray chinos. His pants stop just above his ankle, and he wears tan loafers.

Good Lord, he’s hot.

My body vibrates with anticipation for tonight. Am I really going to go through with this and sleep with him?

Hate sex. That’s what this is.

“Kate?”

“Huh?”