I sat at my brother's kitchen counter while he told me all about his so-called relationship with Harper. Or, as he liked to call her, Anne. Why the hell did he call her that? I had no idea. I also had no idea why I couldn't get the blonde seductress out of my head. It had been three days since I last saw her at the engagement party. Three days since she told me about her arranged marriage situation with Ryan. I wasn't surprised he didn't tell me about it himself; he always wanted me to think he was the perfect brother, the perfect son, and now, I guess, the perfect husband, too.

We had been estranged for most of our lives—only seeing each other on special occasions or holidays. We never really fought or anything—we just had the misfortune of growing up on different continents. When Harper clued me in the three rules of their semi-open relationship, one of them hit a little close to home with my own rule.

After spending most of my life seeing failed relationships and marriages, I was not on the commitment train. I never treated women badly; I just made sure they knew upfront that it was going to be a one-time thing. I never slept with the same woman twice. Because, let's be honest, that's how you catch feelings. I still believed that. I even reminded myself of that little fact a few days ago, while I took pleasure from Harper's soft, warm body...multiple times. 

Each time I took her, it felt like I was just sampling what was to come. I couldn't get enough. What was it about her? When I woke up the morning after to a slight stinging in my back, I noticed the sexy vixen scratched the fuck out of it. When I thought back to that night, I recalled when she dug into my skin as I continued to thrust inside her. She had begged me to never stop.

One time, I reminded myself, even as I reached reached for Ryan's phone while his back was turned. She hadn't given me her number, and it would seem odd if I asked Ryan for it. 

I don't know what it was about her that left me craving more. That night we spent together was the best sex I've ever had in my life. And I've had a lot of sex. And no matter how good it was, I honestly never gave it, or the woman for that matter, a second thought. But after that night with Harper, she was all I could think about. That night re-played in my mind countless times. I remember how soft her skin was, how it felt when I was inside her, and the way my name sounded on her lips when she came.

Fuck. I'm thinking about it again. I was also hard as a rock now. After I saved her number in my phone, I put Ryan's back just as he turned to finish saying, "-then I proposed. She said yes. Can you believe it?"

No, I couldn't actually. She was way out of his league on so many levels. "That's awesome. So, you love her a lot then?"

The poor prick could never lie worth a damn, so this was a little test I was conducting. "Oh, yeah. So in love, bro."

Fucking liar, I thought as I started to send a text message to her.

Me: Hey, princess. How are you?

I smiled when her reply was almost instantaneous.

Harper: Who is this?

I scoffed as I read her message. Someone was being coy. Well, she was going to pay for that.

Me: You know who I am. And if you want to keep pretending you don't, I don't mind refreshing your memory in long extended detail.

It was about two minutes before she replied this time—and her reply made me smile.

Harper: Hi, Jackson. I'm fine. You?

Good girl.

Me: I'm good. Listen, I need you to meet me for dinner on Friday at 7.

Harper: I can't do that Jackson.

I knew she was going to say that.

Me: It wasn't a request, Princess. We need to talk. Don't worry, it will be in a public place.

Another few minutes trickled by.

Harper: What if someone sees us?

I smiled at her instant reply.

Me: They won't.

Harper: Text me the address.

I slipped the phone back into my pocket and looked back to Ryan.

"Sorry, mate. What was your question?" I asked.

"I asked if you were texting another one of your conquests."

"Absolutely, brother. Absolutely."

Even though I said the words, and I wanted to believe them, Harper Lewis felt like anything but a conquest.

I flipped the dinner menu over for the fifth time as I waited inside at the restaurant for Harper. I had shown up fifteen minutes early—something else I never did, but I wasn't going to think too much of it. Nor was I going to think too much of the fact that I'd read this menu twenty times. In my defense, it kept me from staring at the door waiting for her to come in.

I had spent the drive to the restaurant thinking about what exactly I was going to say to her. After all, I did know what I wanted to do to her. But, unfortunately, that wasn't what tonight was about.

I heard the sound of the restaurant door opening, I looked up and everything around me disappeared. She was wearing a dark blue dress that hugged all of those luscious curves of her body, curves that I had enjoyed with my mouth only a few nights earlier. She had her hair up tonight in a ponytail which gave me a delicious view of her neck. If her goal was to get me to want to fuck her in the middle of this restaurant--Mission accomplished.

She found me immediately and I rose from my chair as she took a seat across from me. She immediately started reading the menu without even looking up at me—"Well, hello to you too, princess," I said.

"Hi," she replied, still looking at that damn menu.

"Are we going to spend the evening without making any eye contact?"

She finally looked up at me and let out a long breath. "I'm sorry. Today's been kind of a rough day and being here with you is kind of... Nerve-wracking."

I was surprised by her honesty. She did seem troubled about something other than this dinner. "It's okay, Harper. You don't have to be here if you don't want to be. I don't want to add to your stress."

She considered this for a few moments. I knew she made up her mind when I saw some of the tenseness leave her shoulders. "No. It's okay. I can use the distraction."

I would love to distract her any day of the week. Perhaps, with other things rather than food. Where the hell are these thoughts coming from?

"So, what did you want to talk about?" She interrupted my thoughts and I was grateful for it.

I smiled at her question. Right to the point—but I didn't expect anything less from her. "What are we? Animals? Can we at least eat first?"

A small laugh escaped her, and it seemed to relieve more of the tension she was feeling. After the waiter came and took our dinner order, my eyes met hers.

"I have to say, you do look rather delectable tonight."

Her cheeks flushed pale pink—and I liked it.

"Thank you," she said as she took a sip of her drink.

"So, do you want to talk about your bad day?"

She gave me a wry smile. "We both know how the night ended the last time I told you about my bad day."

"Yes," I said in a low voice, "but I have no intention of taking you to my bed tonight."

I can tell from the look in her eyes, not to mention the sound of her crossing and uncrossing her legs, that she was probably soaked right now.

I flashed her a grin that said, Gotcha before asking, "Now, tell me what's bothering you."

"Just normal wedding bullshit. Asking friends to be bridesmaids. Going dress shopping. It just feels like a big lie."

"It is a lie, Harper."

Once the food came, she seemed to cheer up a bit. We talked about random things and she even had me laughing at one point. Once the server took our plates, I ordered ice cream sundaes for dessert and gave her a serious look.

"So, the reason I wanted you to meet me tonight, besides enjoying your amazing company, is that I have an offer for you."

By the look in her eye, she knew what I was going to say next. But she remained silent as I continued, "I know you're worried about the rules you and Ryan have—and I respect that. My offer to you, oh delicious one, is that we continue fucking."

I knew she liked when I used those dirty words. They sure seemed to work in my favor the other night. I watched her cheeks flood with color again.

"Why?" She asked as she held my gaze.

"For the same reason I know you'll say yes. Because the sex is fucking amazing."

"It's too big of a risk, Jackson. Someone could find out."

Not if I had anything to do with it. "How? I'm not going to say anything and I know you're not going to say anything."

"Doesn't it bother you that I'm engaged to your brother?"

I raised a brow. "Princess, according to you, the two of you agreed to an open relationship. He's probably shagging someone else right fucking now. So, no it doesn't bother me. What bothers me is that my own blood doesn't know how to please a woman properly."

She laughed at that and then said, "I don't know..."

"How about this. I'm going to give you two weeks to think about it. If you decide this is something you want to do, I have a few terms of my own. First, if we do this, neither of us fucks anyone else." The thought of another man fucking her drove me mad. "And second, your rule about not catching feelings still applies. I'm pretty sure we're both in agreement there."

"What if Ryan wants to have sex for some reason?"

"He doesn't count." Things might get a little obvious if she suddenly stopped sleeping with him.

I could tell by her expression that she was actually considering my proposal—just as I hoped she would.

She let out a long breath and gave me a smile that instantly made my cock hard.

"Two weeks it is," she said.

The one thing I didn't tell her, was that during those two weeks, I was going to tease her and flirt with her to the point where there was no way she was going to say no to me.