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“Foster,” I said, reaching for him, totally prepared to beg shamelessly at this point.
He grabbed my hands and rubbed his thumbs over the top of them. “Get dressed, angel. It’s time to go home.”
And though it was obvious from the erection pressing against his slacks that he was impossibly turned on, too, I could see in the hard set of his jaw that there would be no swaying him. I’d broken his rules, and now we both would pay the consequence.
Disappointment settled over me like a cold, wet blanket.
Punishment sucked.
TWENTY-NINE
Sitting in the car on the ride home was its own kind of torture. Foster was quiet, leaving me to my riotous thoughts. Plus, my ass and back hurt, every bump in the road jostling my flaming skin. If I’d hoped that the pain would distract me from being so damn turned on, I’d been wrong. Instead, it reminded me of how it had felt being bound and marked by Foster, how he’d looked standing there, holding the crop—a sexy, powerful predator in that lush garden. My muscles clenched low and tight. Goddammit. I shifted in my seat again.
He gave me a sidelong glance. “You okay over there?”
“Don’t taunt me, Foster,” I said, my chin tipped up, my tone exceedingly polite.
He reached over and gave my knee a squeeze. “Not taunting, angel. Only making sure you’re not hurting too badly.”
I sighed, sagging into the seat at first and then remembering quickly that leaning forward was much more comfortable. I straightened my spine. “I’m okay. I really am sorry about the lie, for what it’s worth.”
He pulled onto the interstate, checking his rearview mirror. Somehow even watching him drive a car was revving my internal engine tonight. Those long fingers wrapped around the steering wheel, the confidence with which he maneuvered his car, the long stretch of his leg flexing when he pressed the gas. God, I was freaking hopeless.
“No need to apologize again,” he said evenly. “You handled the consequence. Consider it forgiven and forgotten.”
I blinked at his matter-of-fact absolution. “Seriously? Just like that. Forgiven and forgotten?”
He glanced over at me. “Yeah, of course. Why wouldn’t it be?”
I peered back out at the road, taken aback by the mere concept. “Because that is so not how it works in my family. Even when we completed whatever the punishment was, nothing was ever forgotten. And forgiveness—well, that’s only given out for small stuff. Otherwise, forget it.”
Foster’s frown appeared in my peripheral vision. “Is that why you’re afraid to tell them about staying here?”
I smoothed the hem of my dress with my fingers, not wanting to look over at him. “I tried to tell my dad the other day, and I froze up. He’s going to freak, and I . . . well, I don’t know if this could turn into one of those unforgivable offenses.”
“And what happens when it’s an unforgivable offense?”
I shrugged. “Could mean he doesn’t t
alk to me for a while, could mean worse. He hasn’t spoken to my sister since she was a teenager.”
Foster’s frown cut deeper. “What happened?”
“She got pregnant at sixteen and had an abortion. He kicked her out and basically disowned her.”
“Jesus, and he hasn’t talked to her since?”
“No, and he expects me, my brothers, and my mother to follow that edict, too. Andre and I don’t listen, but my mother does.”
Foster shook his head, sadness marring his features. “Your dad has a living, breathing daughter out there in the world and won’t speak to her. It seems so shortsighted and petty even if she did make a mistake. You know what my parents would give to see my sister again?”
I reached out and grabbed his hand, the catch in his voice making my chest tight. “I’m sorry, Foster.”
He laced his fingers with mine. “I’m sorry, too. I didn’t realize how big of a deal it was going to be to break the news to your family. I shouldn’t have been so hard on you for lying to me about it.”
“No, you were right. I should’ve been honest with you about it. I didn’t want to come across like a little girl afraid to tell her daddy something.”
His gaze slid over to me as he pulled into the parking lot of our building, and his mouth lifted at the corner. “Believe me, Ms. Medina, you should have no concerns about me seeing you as a little girl.”
