Page 72 of Forbidden Kisses

"Yeah, I don't know how that happened. I came home and lay on my bed to read and must have zoned out. I even dropped my Kindle on my chest.”

“Then go back to sleep.”

“No, if I sleep now, I’ll wake up at three o'clock in the morning What's wrong? Did something happen with Jeremy? Does he not want to sleep? You could try persuading him by saying that Mr. Beagles is going to visit him in his dreams."

"You know about that?" I said, stunned. He’d lost Mr. Beagles years ago.

"Yeah. One day, he told me that sometimes he dreamed about him, and then I made up this whole thing that Mr. Beagles is out there somewhere and visiting him in his dreams. So the more he sleeps, the more he’ll visit him."

"You’re amazing," I said, and that was the honest-to-God truth. Jeremy had had many nannies, but none had taken the time to understand his worries and come up with ideas to comfort him. I didn't want to ruin this for him.

And yet, Riley and I needed to talk.

"Riley," I said.

She groaned. "You don't have to say it."

"You don't even know what I was about to tell you."

"Something about how this can’t happen because you don't want to have to sneak around with me in bathrooms or outside them. And, most of all, because this would be complicated for Jeremy."

I closed my eyes. She was right. I was going to say a variation of that. But now that she'd said the words, they all felt like excuses. Nothing that wouldn't be manageable.

"I want you, Riley" was all I said.

She gasped. "Oh wow. That did not go the way I thought it would."

"Everything you said is true," I admitted, putting my hand on the railing and looking down, "but I still want you." I paused and then added. "I need you."

"Really?" Her voice was a mere whisper.

"I don't know how it happened. I just know that it's true. Of course it's complicated, but I'd never forgive myself if I didn’t at least tell you this."

"Well, tell me more, because I definitely like what I'm hearing. I'm not dreaming, am I?"

"You're so fucking not. If I were there, I’d prove it to you. I'd touch you until you’d beg for me."

She giggled. "Well, now I know I'm not dreaming because I never have dirty dreams."

I sucked in my breath. The idea of her having dirty dreams was enough to make me hard. I groaned.

"What was that?"

"We should talk about this face-to-face."

"Oh, okay. What do you propose?"

"A date," I said.

"Really? But how? When?"

I swallowed hard. "My youngest brother wants to take Jeremy away for the weekend on Friday.”

"Okay, then, Friday it is," she said. "In a minute," she called out.

"What's that?" I asked.

"My roommates want to talk to me."