Something Forbidden Read Free Page A

“You know what? I’m going to need to get a new dress for this wedding. Nothing I own will do.”
    “You’d look good in a paper bag,” I said, the teasing gone. “You’re beautiful, Katie, and you’re all I’ll ever need.”
    “There’s need, and there’s want.” She left the statement hang, then added: “And besides, I’m always looking for an excuse to buy a new dress.”
    ****
    As it turned out, her dress wasn’t as scandalous as she’d teased, but it was new. Long and black with a cowl neck that showed a wider expanse of freckled skin than normal, it was also very sexy. She hesitated at the foot of the stairs, her toes pointed inward as I drank in her curves.
    “Is it too much?” she asked, then immediately answered her own question. “I knew it was. I’m going to change.”
    I caught a glimpse of her back as she turned retreat upstairs. The sleek material hugged her voluptuous body, thin and tight enough to suggest she was either wearing a thong, or wearing nothing at all.
    “Wait, Katie,” I said before she could get away. “I don’t think it’s too much at all. It’s sophisticated, like you.”
    She turned, regarding me over her shoulder. Her red hair was up in a high twist, so she didn’t need to turn much. “You sure?”
    The dress had a slit up the back, too, her nylon-encased leg parting the black material. I wondered if she was wearing pantyhose or thigh-highs. Katie wasn’t one for fancy hosiery, but she’d been known to break out the sexy stuff on special occasions.
    “I’m sure. And besides, we need to get going or we’re going to be late.”
    Katie paused, weighing her options. She hated to be late. That she even considered changing now was a testament to her uncertainty. In that moment, I thought about all the other men watching her. I wouldn’t be the only one checking out her ass out and wondering if she wore anything underneath. That confusing tingle ran up my spine—the one that suggested arousal, even when it was so wrong.
    “Okay, you’re right. But I’m going to grab a shawl,” she said. “Just in case it gets cold.”
    “Want me to help you find it?” I offered with a lusty grin.
    Katie shook her head with a laugh. “We’re going to be late—remember, horn dog?”
    ****
    I’m sorry, but here’s a confession: wedding ceremonies bore me. I love the entrances and the exits, but everything in between is really for the two getting married—and maybe God, if you believe in that sort of thing. When I get bored, my mind tends to wander, and with Katie dressed the way she was and Nadia looking extra stunning all dolled up, it wandered into a pretty dirty place.
    My first thought was about my own wedding and a younger Katie. She was just twenty-one at the time, beautiful in a cuter way, her intellect more book-oriented than worldly. I remember watching her walk down the aisle, resplendent in her long, white gown. I remember wondering how in the hell had I convinced a woman like that to marry me, and our convoluted history flashed before my eyes.
    I’d met her for the first time when she was just 16. Even then, I’d figured she was way out of my league, and not just because she had a boyfriend who looked like a Ken doll. I’d been invited by a friend to his neighborhood picnic on the 4th of July, and having nothing to do, I went along. I remember striking up a conversation with her as we waited on the second batch of hot dogs, and being surprised that I could talk to her like an adult. We talked about bands we both liked (that I didn’t think girls her age listened to), about politics and foreign affairs. I had to claim ignorance on a few pieces of subject matter I didn’t know a thing about. We even talked about relationships, and how I was beginning to suspect there wasn’t a girl I could hold on to. I still remember her saying to me, “You’re all right, Max Callahan. I hope you find someone as cool as you.”
    I didn’t see her again for three more