The Wrong Brother's Temptation novel Chapter 37

Sienna

I stared at the message.

Was I stalling? No. Definitely not.

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But then she didn’t know I had already tried talking to him and it ended with us making out passionately and a broken door.

I wasn’t going to tell her that because she would scream her head off and demand every tiny detail that a small, selfish part of me wanted to keep it just to myself like a little treasure.

The fact that my heart started racing every time I thought about seeing Connor had nothing to do with it.

The feel of his lips on my clit and the way he took my name…

Nope. Not thinking about that.

I looked back at my phone and saw another text from Jane.

Jane: You’re totally stalling.

I ignored her and dialled Connor instead because Maria wasn’t letting me go and I needed a way out. Aaron was definitely not the one I wanted to seek help from.

The phone kept ringing and I worried he wasn’t going to answer.

I stared at it for a second, my heart doing that annoying racing thing again, before he finally answered.

“Can’t survive five minutes without me?” He asked.

“Shut up. But before that tell Maria to stop with these dresses. I am done.”

He chuckled, and the sound did things to my insides that were completely inappropriate.

“Why should I?” Connor asked dryly.

I frowned. “Are you okay? You sound weird.”

“Yep.” He replied tersely.

“You don’t sound fine. You sound like you’re… I don’t know. Off.”

“I said I’m fine, Sienna.”

The sharpness in his tone made me bristle.

“Okay, well, maybe you could tell Maria to stop pestering me. It’s not our anniversary…” I said and realized

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Chapter 37

what I had said.

“Sienna.” His voice took on a warning edge. “Just do what Maria says.”

“I’m trying!” I protested. “But she keeps…”

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“If you don’t wear what she asks you to,” Connor interrupted, his voice dropping to a low, husky tone that made every nerve ending in my body stand at attention, “I’ll come over there myself and ensure you wear what I want you to wear.”

I froze.

“What?”

“You heard me.” His voice was pure sin, dark and promising and completely unfair. “And trust me, Speckles, what I’d choose for you would be much more risqué and bold than whatever Maria’s picked out.”

Oh Goddess.

My mouth went dry.

My heart started racing for entirely different reasons than before.

Scandalous images flooded my mind almost immediately–Connor’s hands sliding up my thighs, his fingers hooking under the fabric of a dress, slowly pulling it down while those dark eyes watched my every reaction. “I…” My voice came out strangled. “You can’t just say things like that.”

“I just did.” I could hear the smile in his voice now. “So what’s it going to be? Are you going to listen to Maria, or do I need to come help you get dressed?”

The intensity of his words, the promise in his tone, and the absolute certainty that he meant every word crashed over me like a wave.

My brain short–circuited.

“Okay,” I managed to squeak out. “Okay, I’ll… wear whatever Maria says. No arguments.”

“Good girl.”

The praise sent heat flooding through me, and I had to press my thighs together.

He was not playing fair. But then he never had.

“I have to go,” I said quickly before I said something embarrassing like “I dare you to”

“See you downstairs, Speckles.”

He hung up and I stood there for a moment, phone still pressed to my ear, trying to remember how to

breathe.

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“Everything alright, dear?”

Maria’s voice made me jump.

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I spun around to find her watching me with knowing eyes and a small smile.

“Yes! Everything’s fine! Totally fine! Why wouldn’t it be fine?”

I was babbling.

Cool it, Sienna!

“So… what’s next?” I said, forcing my voice into something resembling normal.

Maria’s smile widened, and she turned back to the wall of dresses and pulled out one more option, and this time, when I saw it, I understood why she’d made me try on so many others first.

She held a silver and shimmery dress that caught the light like it was made of a thousand tiny stars. The fabric looked impossibly soft, and the design was elegant without being overdone.

It had a high neckline that would keep me from feeling too exposed, but the back dipped enough to be interesting instead of being scandalously low.

And there was a thigh high slit that would show off my leg when I walked.

“This one,” Maria said firmly. “This is the one.”

I took it from her, running my fingers over the fabric.

It was beautiful.

“Okay. Let’s try it.”

I slipped out of the boring green dress and into the silver one.

Maria zipped me up, and I turned to face the mirror.

The dress hugged every curve perfectly, the fabric clinging in all the right places without being tight. The slit showed off my leg without being obscene, and when I twisted to see the back, it looked elegant and sexy in equal measure.

“Absolutely perfect.” Maria breathed.

“It’s… it’s really nice,” I managed.

“It’s more than nice, dear. It’s stunning.” She gestured to the settee. “Now sit. We need to do something with your hair and makeup.”

“Oh, I can just…”

“Sit.”

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The command in her voice reminded me why Maria had been head housekeeper for twenty years.

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She efficiently pulled my hair into an elegant updo that left a few soft tendrils framing my face. The makeup was minimal with a light foundation, some subtle eyeshadow that made my eyes look bigger, and a soft pink lipstick that made my lips look fuller.

When she was done, I looked in the mirror and barely recognized myself.

I looked… really good.

It was completely at odds with how I felt anxious and confused and still thinking about Connor’s hands and mouth but at least the outside looked convincing.

“There,” Maria said, stepping back to admire her work. “Now you’re ready.”

I stood up, smoothing down the dress and trying not to fidget.

“Thank you, Maria. Really. I know I was being difficult.”

“You weren’t difficult, dear. You were nervous.” She smiled warmly. “But there’s nothing to be nervous about. You look beautiful, and Connor’s going to love it.”

The mention of Connor sent another flutter through my stomach.

“I should… I should probably go find him.”

“He’s waiting for you just outside,” Maria said, her eyes twinkling.

“He is?”

“He’s been pacing that hallway for the last ten minutes.”

Connor was outside the door already?

I took a deep breath, squared my shoulders, and walked to the door.

My hand hesitated on the handle for just a second and then I opened it to see him in the hallway, truly waiting for me.

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Chapter 38