Filthy Vows - Alessandra Torre Page 0,72

glanced at the bedside clock. “Five minutes to impress me.”

“Damn, a time limit.” He rolled off the bed and stood. “Way to make it challenging.”

“Take longer than that and I’ll be asleep.” I yawned.

Six and a half minutes later, I was in a curtained box of mismatched sheets, the fabric draped over the headrest, tucked in a dresser drawer and bungee-cord tied to a dining room chair. A flashlight was cupped between us, extra blankets and pillows added to the bed, and the effect was innocent and sweet. Which was funny, considering everything that had happened in this room tonight.

“What do you think?” He pressed a kiss to the top of my head and pulled me tighter against his chest. I sank into his hold, my eyes closing as I inhaled the scent of him. He smelled like me, like sex and cum and champagne. But also, like home. Comfort. Strength.

“I think it’s the best fort I’ve ever seen in my life. You definitely win fort king, despite going over the time.”

“Will you be my fort queen?”

I smiled against his chest. “Is that a proposal?”

“It is. And look.” He brought something out from underneath the blanket. “I even have a ring.”

I laughed at the paperclip, bent into a circle, with a crooked mass of metal at the top. “Wow. Where did this come from?”

“To be honest, it’s the only reason I missed my deadline,” he said soberly. “It took almost two minutes to make. But I couldn’t risk another proposal without a ring.”

“I love it.” I worked the ring onto my bare right ring finger and admired its glow under the flashlight’s weak beam. “And I love you.” I turned my head and took a gentle kiss.

“I love you too, my fort queen.” He smiled and brushed the hair away from my face. “So,” he said hoarsely. “What now?”

“You mean with this? Like what we did tonight?”

“Yeah.” He pulled me higher on his body, then wrapped one leg around me.

“I don’t know,” I admitted. “Did you enjoy it?”

“Yeah. I don’t have to ask if you did.” He grinned down at me. “So what does that mean for us?”

“That’s a good question,” I played with the ring. “I guess we’ll figure that out as we go.”

“I think we filled Aaron’s sexual quota for the year.”

“Ha.” I leaned my head against his shoulder. “He handled it well. How super awkward is this going to be tomorrow morning?”

“I’ll be there. It won’t be awkward. I’ll make a joke and break the ice.”

I groaned. “No jokes, please.”

“I have one I’ve been saving just for this occasion. It’ll be perfect. I promise you’ll laugh.”

“Tell me it now and I’ll see if I laugh.”

“It won’t be funny now. It has to be authentically worked into conversation.”

“I can pretty much guarantee it won’t be funny then.”

“Look, this is why I didn’t want to do a threesome.”

“What do you mean?”

“If I wanted to disappoint two people, I’d have just had dinner with my parents.”

“Please tell me that wasn’t the joke.”

“I can see the edges of your mouth turning up. You gotta admit, it’s funny.”

I pinned my lips together to hide the smile that really wanted to come out. “It’s super lame. We wouldn’t have laughed at that.”

“That’s okay.” He kissed the top of my forehead. “I got another one. It’s almost as good. I’ll whip that one out.”

“Please don’t whip anything out. I think I’m stocked up on bad jokes and penises for the week.”

He lowered his head and gently nibbled on my neck. “You know, it was really odd, watching him with you.”

I waited for more, my hands skating across his damp chest.

“It was so fucking hot, watching you. But also, so…” he paused, and I could see him searching for the right words. “It was like this possessive heat rippled through me. I wanted to shove him away from you but also hold you down while he fucked you. It was like a battle of emotions going on inside of me, and each side was pouring more gas on my arousal. I thought I was going to nut the minute you put your mouth on his cock.”

Despite my sated state, his words sent a curl of pleasure through my body. I’d never felt so sexual before. So fearless. So desired. I stretched, then rearranged myself around his body, forming a tighter fit against his muscles.

Easton settled back against the pillows, his hand gently running through my hair as he flicked off the flashlight and set it on the bedside table. I closed my eyes and tried to understand what all of this meant for us.

I had loved it, more than I had expected to, and my mind clicked through every fantasy I’d recently enjoyed, assigning real scenarios to them, with Easton and I in each. I tried to shut off my mind and block out the images, tried to enjoy this moment with my husband. The sated stretch of my muscles, the contentment in my loins, the pleasure still tingling through my body.

Could we go back to a normal life? Could I be a normal wife? Could we have a normal marriage?

Or had everything just inexplicably changed?

The issue was, I wanted more. A lot more. And in that dark tent, in the sound of my husband’s deepening sighs, I felt my sexual wings unfurl, their muscles tensing as if in preparation for flight.

It took me a long time to fall asleep and when I did, my dreams were full of pleasure and dominated by Easton’s possessive and heated stare.

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31

Do you want more of Easton and Elle?

I’m excited to announce that I’m writing another novel in their marriage! Twisted Marriage is coming in October.

Twisted Marriage is available for preorder now.

If you’d like to go ahead and read the first chapter, it is available here.

Please note: This chapter will end in a cliffhanger for some readers. Please avoid it if cliffhangers annoy you.

Acknowledgments

Thank you to Jason Bell, who weathered my many questions about baseball, injuries, and high maintenance rookies. I hope you never read this book.

Thank you to Tricia and Yulanda, for reading each scene as it was written, and for your feedback, suggestions, and love for these characters. Tricia, you were beside me with every step of this novel, thank you for being the best PA and friend a woman could want.

Thank you to Marion Archer for her fearless edit and enthusiasm for this novel. Your timeliness, insight and professionalism never cease to amaze me.

Thank you to Sommer Stein, who created this beautiful cover while dealing with the most unhelpful and wishy-washy author on the planet.

Thank you to Amy and Tijuana for your beta reads - you are both the cream of the crop of beta readers and all of your catches, suggestions and questions helped me whip this baby into proper shape.

Thank you to Laurelin Paige and Kate Stewart, who convinced me to write another novel in this world.

Thank you to Torreville - my online reader group. Your enthusiasm for this book from the very beginning allowed me to really trust the concept and dive into the story, no holds barred.

And the biggest and best thank you goes to my husband. Without you, I would never have written a single word. I would never have known the true bond of romance, and I wouldn’t be able to create stories that show it. Thank you for your continual inspiration, support, and love.