Page 54 of Forbid It

“Is there a reason you’re snooping through my wardrobe?” a voice drawls from behind me.

All at once, the box I hoped was sturdy starts to tilt and I’m free-falling from a considerable height. My stomach swoops as I tip closer to the floor, but strong arms grab my waist. His hands almost encompass my waist, his fingers catching on the material and bunching it around my abdomen, his index fingers inches away from my bra. Robbie slides me back to my feet, my back pressed to his chest and I tilt my head to him.

“I wasn’t snooping, I was helping…” I trail off as Sammy darts out the room. “He was looking for something.”

“Is that right?” Robbie asks, eyebrows raised and a grin playing at his lips.

I shove at him playfully before crossing my arms across my chest. “You’re the one with a penchant for closets.”

Robbie licks his lips, his eyes darkening. “If you wanted to snoop, you could have asked.”

I scoff and gesture to the wardrobe. “There’s barely anything in there of yours.”

“Oh, so you’ve already snooped.”

“Of course I did. With your nephew as chaperone.”

He nods, sticking his tongue in his cheek. “You need one?”

“Isn’t that what you’re doing?”

His hand is still on my waist. His thumb is now playing with the hem of my cropped tee. “I’d be a terrible chaperone, trouble.”

I’m frozen, locked in his heated stare as his thumb runs across the goosebumps spreading across my body.

“Rob,” a voice calls from the hall. “Did you find that pump?”

Robbie steps away from me, stretching up into the shelf I couldn’t reach, his back muscles flexing through his tight t-shirt as he grabs Sammy’s mystery item from its hiding place.

“You ready to come down now?”

I blow out a shaky breath.

I nod. I guess I’m doing this.

23

ROBBIE

I have the thirty seconds it takes to walk from my bedroom door to the kitchen to get my hard-on under control. I grit my teeth and try to discreetly tuck my erection into the waistband of my shorts as Cassie follows me down the stairs, concentrating on anything other than the feel of her tight body under my hands.

By the time I get to the bottom of the stairs, I think I have it under control. As long as I don’t look at her with her fresh face and riot of curls held together with a clip that could so easily be tugged free, I’ll be fine.

Her nails lightly scratch my back above the waistband of my shorts, grabbing my shirt and tugging me to a stop, and all my hope is lost.

“Are you sure about this?” Her wide green eyes are staring up at me as she pulls her plump bottom lip between her teeth. She glances at the door to the kitchen where I know my family are gathered. “It’s not too late for me to call a car.”

And send her back to her parents? Not happening.

I reach my hand behind me, tugging her fingers free from my shirt. “They’re not that scary, trouble. You’ll be fine.”

“I’m not scared,” Cassie grumbles, but she lets me tug her further down the small corridor.

I’m clutching onto her fingers like she’ll run away any second. I relax my hand, but she catches hold of my pinky finger as if she doesn’t want me to let go either.

I shoulder open the kitchen door, stepping through the doorway. “Everyone, Cassie. Cassie, everyone.”

Thankfully, I briefed Iwan and Gwen before Cassie came down so they know not to do the weird ‘oh-my-god-there-is-a-celebrity-in-the-kitchen’ bit and my dad wouldn’t know Cassie from a model in the JD Sports catalogue, so everyone is acting like this is a normal occurrence. As if I often bring international pop stars to my family home out of the blue.