Page 34 of Forged

The jet lifts smoothly into the air, the city falling away beneath us as Austin shrinks into a sprawling grid of lights and shadows. For a moment, the sensation steals my breath.

Then he speaks. “My family has run a business for decades. We work in a few areas, shipments, property, people.”

That tells me everything and nothing at the same time. This man is frustrating.

I lean back in my seat, crossing my legs, letting the hum of the engines fill the space between us.

“That’s still not an answer.”

The seatbelt light goes off as a ding echoes through the cabin. Lars unlatches his belt and leans forward, taking my hand. “We both probably have a few secrets, but I don’t want tonight to be an inquisition. I want to spend time with you, and I want to spoil you. Will you let me?”

I watch him for another beat, then nod once. “Okay,” I say.

Something settles low and warm in my chest—equal parts thrill and warning. I’ve made a career out of reading men. Their tells, their weaknesses, their blind spots. And sitting here, suspended between cities with a man I don’t fully understand, I realize something unsettling. I don’t know where Lars fits on my board yet.

I run my thumb across the back of his hand. “This feels reckless.”

He smiles, then scoots forward, unbuckling my seatbelt. His hands grip my hips, lifting me from my seat, then into his lap tostraddle him. My dress pools at the top of my thighs as my legs settle on either side of his.

A satisfied sound leaves him as I settle into him. He runs his hands up and down my arms, and while the friction is warm, his touch causes my skin to pebble.

Finally, his eyes settle on mine, his hands come to my jaw, forcing my gaze to focus on him. “I’m usually a man who thrives on control. But with you, Bella, I want to be reckless.” He pulls my lips to his in a single kiss. “So, let’s forget the world tonight. Just you and I, okay?”

I should question this, should dig deeper on who this man is, but right now, with his cock inches away from my pussy and his eyes pleading, I just can’t seem to give a damn.

“You and I.”

His lips curl into a sweet smile, and his eyes brighten before his mouth crashes into mine with a force that steals my breath. The kiss turns molten instantly. Our tongues sliding, lips bruising, the kind of heat that makes thought impossible. His hands grip my hips hard, then they’re everywhere—up my sides, over my ribs, sliding beneath the hem of my dress like he’s starving.

When his palm curves over my breast, I swear the jet drops out of the sky.

A low sound breaks from him, something ragged and involuntary, and he drags his thumb across my nipple through the thin fabric. My back arches automatically, offering more, needing more. His mouth steals another kiss from me, deeper, hungrier, like he’s two seconds from fucking me right here in this seat.

I tear my mouth from his just long enough to breathe, my voice a whisper against his jaw.

“Technically,” I trace his lower lip with my tongue, slow enough to make him swear under his breath, “we’re on our way to dinner.”

I lean in, brushing my mouth against his ear. “So, if you really wanted to,” my hips roll once against his cock, “youcouldfuck me.”

The growl that leaves him is pure frustration and directed entirely at me. He fists the back of my hair, tugging my head back so I’m forced to meet his eyes.

“Bella, don’t tempt me—unless you’re ready for me to forget that I’m trying to be a gentleman,” he growls.

And judging by the way my pulse throbs, I absolutely am ready for him to forget his stupid rules. But the way he looks at me—starved, conflicted, reverent—tells me he isn’t ready to.

I kissher one last time before I lose all control. Her mouth lingers against mine, and it takes everything in me not to pull her back down and finish what we started.

I press my forehead to hers, breathing hard, trying to force air back into my lungs. My hand drifts to her jaw, thumb stroking just beneath her lip—a slow drag that steals my focus.

“I’m going to be a good boy and tell you to stop,” I manage, voice rough with restraint. “Because if I take you right now, Bella, you won’t be suitable for dinner.”

Her eyes darken, pupils blown wide. I want her. I want her so fucking desperately. I trace her bottom lip with my thumb, memorizing the shape of the temptation of her mouth.

I whisper, “Your lipstick would be ruined,” allowing my voice to enter that dangerous place reserved just for her. My hand slides down, over her sternum, her stomach, lower until my palm settles between her thighs, thumb pressing lightly over the lace-covered heat I want so badly.

“And these pretty panties would be ruined. Seeing as how Idon’t have a condom right now, you would be resigned to spend all evening feeling me drip from this tight little cunt.”

Her entire body shivers in the most beautiful way from my words. I press my thumb against her clit and her mouth parts in a gasp.