Page 49 of Forbidden Fruit
She groans and runs a hand through her tangled hair. “Seriously? Are we just going to ignore the giant, screaming elephant in the room? You know that you’re engaged. To my sister. And this… whatever this was, was supposed to be a one-time thing. Get it out of our systems, remember?”
I sit up. “Technically, it was three times. And I’m pretty sure we still haven’t gotten it out of our systems.”
“Calvin, be serious.”
“I am being serious.” I lean forward, my arms braced on my knees. “If you want to walk away, if you tell me you’re done, I’ll let you go. But if there’s even a part of you that’s still curious… still wanting, then come back to bed.”
She looks like she wants to argue, but the fire drains from her eyes and is replaced by something that looks a lot like heartbreak. “It doesn’t matter what I want. This is wrong. So, so wrong.”
“Maybe,” I say. “But we already crossed that line. No point in pretending we didn’t. We might as well keep going until we completely get it out of our system.”
Her jaw clenches. “So what? You’ll just bounce between me and Abigail? Is that what you’re saying? That’s disgusting, Cal.”
She storms for the door, but I’m faster. I reach for her wrist, gently stopping her. “Blair. Stop.”
She doesn’t fight me, but her back is rigid, her breath shallow.
I step in front of her and lift her chin until our eyes meet. “I’m not that kind of monster, Blair. Believe me when I say, if I’m fucking someone, I’m only fucking them.” She looks at me with confusion and maybe distrust on her face. And I can’t even blame her.
Her expression softens slightly. “You’re telling me your sex life with Abigail is…”
“Nonexistent,” I finish, and it’s the truth. Whatever Abigail and I have, it’s pure professional. “I would never do that to either of you, Blair.” My fingers trail slowly down her jaw, grounding her, anchoring us both in this moment. “You need to know that.”
She searches my face, her defenses faltering. “You promise?”
“You have my word, Peach.” I brush my thumb over her cheek.
She doesn’t say anything, not with words. But her body speaks, leaning into me, seeking something even she can’t name. The air between us thickens, tension stretching taut, no longer sharp but heavy with need. Longing.
Her breath stutters as she presses her face into my chest, as if hiding from the truth she’s already surrendered to.
“God,” she says in the barest whisper. “This is the worst thing I could do… but I don’t know how not to want you.”
Her confession threatens to crack something wide open in me. But I don’t let it. I can’t let it. Because if I do, and open that door, I’ll hurt her. That is the last thing I want to do.
This has to stay simple. Just us getting each other out of our systems. Just sex.
So, I swallow the storm inside me and cup her cheek, making her look up at me. And fuck me, Blair is beautiful. Not in a loud, attention-demanding way. She’s soft. Gentle. The kind of beautiful that creeps up on you and guts youwithout warning. Her eyes are wide, her lashes impossibly long, and her mouth, God. Those full, pink lips, made to be kissed until they’re swollen.
I push all that down and keep my voice light, casual. “How about this? What do you want to do today?”
Her gaze flicks from my left eye to my right, then down to my mouth, like she doesn’t know where to land. Like she’s trying not to say what she really wants.
“Anything you want to do,” I offer, gentler this time.
She bites her lip, then sighs. “I need to work on Abigail’s dress and edit some videos for my channel… but maybe later we could see a movie?”
“Sure. I don’t have a movie theater room, but I can take you out, anything you want to watch.”
“Hmm… oh, if they’re showing it, can we watch the Barbie movie?”
I blink. “You want to watch a kids’ movie?”
Her head snaps up, eyes narrowing. “It’s not a kid movie. It’s about feminism, existential crises, and plastic shoes that don’t fit… It’s important.”
“Something tells me you’ve already watched it more than once.”
“That’s beside the point. It’s a good movie.”
