Page 50 of By Invitation Only

I nodded. “Yeah, or they can’t afford to become members like her.”

“Right…”

“I mean, she’s brought women here before, but she usually just likes to have fun.”

“Or she doesn’t want to start a serious relationship because of you.”

“What?” I asked and blinked. Was that true? I’d always assumed Carrie was happy playing the field.

Peyton shrugged. “I’m not sure what I would do in her position, but I have to imagine it’s hard to get serious with someone if you don’t have an endgame because you aren’t able to pursue one. Especially since your marriage is a secret.”

Had I been cheating Carrie out of happiness? Was I a selfish douchebag?

“She’s never said anything to make me think otherwise.”

“Maybe because she can’t?”

“I’ll talk to her. Worst case, I try to become a citizen. I’ve had my Green Card long enough.”

“Okay, so your marriage is a sham. What else?”

What else?

I wanted to kiss her—badly—that was what else. So I did. I leaned forward, my lips falling upon hers. She didn’t pull away, so I slipped my tongue out, seeking approval. She opened, and I finally got my taste of her. It was a mixture of mint and champagne, and it tasted divine. I cupped her cheek and threaded my hand in her loose curls. My hand brushed against the tie of her halter-top dress.

Fuck, I ached for her.

“That’s what else. Every fucking time I’ve seen you since last month, I wanted to feel your lips against mine again, gorgeous,” I said when I needed to breathe.

“I’ve wanted you to,” she replied as she slowly opened her eyes.

“You always gave me a hard time,” I reminded her.

“I had to.” She chuckled. “I was hurt.”

I palmed each cheek and looked directly into her soul. “I would never do it on purpose. I’m truly sorry for Carrie opening her mouth.”

Peyton looked down at our laps, not saying anything.

“Can we forget that part of the night happened and see where this will go?”

She looked back up, my hands still cupping her cheeks. “Where this will go?”

I smiled. “Now that you know my secret, we can have one together.” I kissed her lips softly and then dropped my hands only to grab hers again.

“Booker. It’s bad enough we have a thing here. Are you talking about outside of the confidential walls of Sensation?”

“No one has to know. If I can be married and no one knows, I’m sure I can keep our relationship a secret.”

“I don’t know…” Peyton trailed off.

“I want you, Peyton. I want you badly. Our jobs shouldn’t prevent us from pursuing this.”

“We both went through a lot of schooling and a vigorous bar exam to become attorneys. Are you sure you want to risk it?”

“For you? Yeah, I do.”

“If you really want a relationship with me, why not withdraw from the cases we have against each other and do things the right way?”