Promised (The Promised Series)

it isn’t fair to put Linc through this, even if I’ve been up front with him about everything. But right now, I can’t stop myself from being selfish. I want to spend every moment I can with him until I’m forced to walk down that aisle. I know it’s not enough time to satisfy my need for Linc, but forever wouldn’t be enough either. So I have to settle for what I have.
    I’m going to need these memories to get me through a lifetime of being married to a man I don’t love.
    The kitchen door opening pulls me out of my tormented thoughts and I spin around in time to watch Linc cross the room carrying two plates of salad. He went all out tonight, replacing his usual faded jeans with a pair of black dress pants, his normal white t-shirt is now covered by a light blue button-up shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and his usual pair of black boots finish the look, but I can tell they’ve been freshly scrubbed. Watching the way he moves, so sure and steady, knowing strength hides beneath those proper clothes, makes me wish I could slowly strip the clothes from his body and trace my fingers over each muscle until I have every inch of him memorized.
    I look away to hide the heat that takes over my cheeks at my thoughts. When did I become such a hussy? I’m going against everything I’ve ever been taught. A good gypsy girl should never hold hands, kiss, or be alone with a boy. And she definitely shouldn’t be having the dirty thoughts I’m having about Linc right now. I’m a freaking hussy! A dirty freaking hussy!
    I sneak a look back at Linc. He’s standing by the table, watching me as he pours the sparkling apple cider into our champagne glasses. I see the love he has for me clearly etched on his face. We haven’t said those words, but I know he does as surely as I know I love him.
    He’s worth the tarnish to my good girl reputation.
    I walk directly to him, take the bottle out of his hands and place it on the table. I take his face in my hands and pull his mouth down to mine. My tongue slides across the seam of his lips and he opens his mouth to offer me what I want. I slip into his mouth to join our two tongues together in a sensual dance. His hands grab my waist and pull me so we’re touching from hip to head. I feel every hard ridge of his body, and I do mean every hard inch. And still, I can’t make myself pull away. I want to stay connected to him like this forever, or the next five months. Or at the very least, all night.
    He pulls back and I swear to God I whimper like a baby at the loss of his body against mine.
    “How’d you know what I planned for dessert?” He asks, breaking through my sex clouded thoughts and making me laugh.
    “I thought I was bringing the dessert.”
    “Oh, you brought the dessert alright and it was…”
    “Sweet.” I complete his sentence for him.
    “I was going to say hot, but sweet works too.” He says around a grin, which happens to be ten times better than his drop you to your knees gorgeous smile because his lips are swollen from kissing me.
    “What’s for dinner?” I ask as I change the subject, hoping dinner will rid my brain of the very bad thoughts I’m having about his lips.
    “Salad first, then I have steak and roasted potatoes with asparagus. And even though your dessert was much better, we have sprinkle cupcakes to finish the meal.”
    At the mention of sprinkle cupcakes, my eyes light up and I make an O face. Those little cakes of sugary goodness are my greatest weakness and better than any anti-depressant on the market.
    “Can we start with dessert?”
    ********************************************
    Ok, I was completely wrong about dinner stopping the dirty thoughts. If anything, it increased them by a trillion. We made it through the salad and main course fine, but as soon as he brought out those cupcakes, I was a goner. And I haven’t even touched my own! The first swipe of his tongue against the white icing froze me solid. Or I guess a better description would be, melted me to a puddle in my seat. Needless to say, it was hot ! I ignore my own cloud of deliciousness to take in the sexy floor show that is Linc.
    He takes his time licking the icing around the edge of the cupcake before he finally peels away the wrapper and takes that first, satisfying bite of the moist cake inside. A few crumbs stick to his bottom lip and his tongue darts out, making a painfully slow swipe to catch them.
    OH.
    MY.
    GOD!
    I wish I could be a