Page 36 of Stand Your Ground

I wanted to knoweverythingabout this woman.

But just as quickly as she’d let me in, her guard snapped back in place.

She drank her wine on a shrug. “Now, let’s start.”

Livia wrapped her hand around my wrist then, dragging me toward the living room. I barely got another sip of my wine and set the glass down before I was stumbling after her.

She pressed her hands into my chest when we made it to the couch, sending me back into the cushions with awhoosh.

“Pretend I’m a girl you invited over and now you want to fuck me.”

“Trust me,” I breathed, eyes skating over her. “No pretending required.”

Get to Work

Livia

My heart was racing as I took back the reins and shoved Carter onto his couch. It was only a moment that I’d lost control, but it was enough to have me shaken.

How the hell could this man tell that something was off with me within minutes of me walking into his home?

It was difficult forMavento figure out when I was in a mood. It usually took her at least an hour to see through my mask.

But Carter had picked up on it immediately.

And even more surprising, I’d told him what was wrong.

I could have easily said nothing when he asked. I could have told him he was crazy, he was seeing things, and he didn’t have a fucking clue about me the way he thought he did.

But the fact that he’d seen me so clearly, so quickly, had completely fucking thrown me.

It’s your eyes.

I guess it shouldn’t have surprised me that my eyes were giving me away, considering how my sister’s phone call had plagued me the last few days. I hadn’t seen her in years, mostly because I always had an excuse —work is too crazy, I don’t have enough vacation time, I’m out of town when you want to visit, you know I can’t come to Christmas.

The truth rested in the fact that it was too painful to be with my sister, and so I just avoided it at all costs. We textedand talked on the phone every now and then, but even those interactions typically sent me into a spiral of sorts.

Now, my baby sister was getting married.

And I had to decide what to do with her invitation.

It would be one of the biggest days of her life, one I always imagined I’d be a part of. I wanted to be there for her. I wanted to celebrate her union.

But I couldn’t stomach the thought of being back in Long Island, or even in the samestateas my parents.

I didn’t want to think about it — especially not right now.

I took a breath that would have seemed normal to anyone on the outside, but for me, it was all I could do to calm myself down and get back to focusing on the task at hand.

“Now that we’ve gone over whatnotto say when she shows up at your door,” I said to Carter, asserting my dominance over him as I stood and stared down at him on the couch. “Let’s talk about what to do once she’s inside.”

I sat down next to him then, crossing my legs, the heel of my boot sliding up his shin. The way he reacted to me with a little shiver already had my mind clearing.

“The wine and music and lights are a great start,” I said. “But it’s body language from here. You can’t be tripping all over yourself. Relax. Let her knowshecan relax.”

I waited until he took the cue, leaning back on the couch and tossing one arm around the back of it so it was draped around me, too. He leaned in a little closer, shifting his weight so he was angled toward me. Then, he crossed one ankle over the opposite knee.

“Good,” I said. I felt the tension in my shoulders release now that I was back in control. “Now touch me.”