Everything at the banquet is tedious and boring. There are speeches, toasts, more speeches, more toasts, and frankly the guy with the wine doesn’t come around nearly often enough.

Everything except Aurora, that is. She’s anything but tedious and boring, though to make matters worse, I can’t shake the filthy thoughts I’ve been having ever since earlier, when I found out about her orgasmless state.

Well, I’ll be honest. I’ve been having the thoughts for a while now. Ever since she graduated boarding school a few months back and suddenly showed up in Naralta again, and I ran into her while on a state visit.

Once upon a time, Grayson’s little sister was a gangly, awkward kid. Cute, but all braces, glasses, and tripping over her own feet.

I’ll just say that Aurora’s grown right the hell up, and I’ve been thinking dirty, dirty thoughts since the first moment I saw her this summer.

But it’s today that they got filthy. All I’ve done since that moment is come up with a mental list of ways I could make her come. Some of them are pretty innocent — with my tongue, for example — while others are decidedly not.

Licking a girl to orgasm is amateur stuff. It’s when she screams your name with your cock up her ass, coming until her legs shake, that you’ve mastered your craft.

And I like to think of myself as a master.

If only her big brother wouldn’t murder me — maybe even literally.

* * *

Speaking of Grayson, it’s another hour or two before he finally pulls me aside. The throng of people is slowly moving from the banquet hall to the ball room and he says something quickly to Ella before grabbing my sleeve and tugging me toward a service hallway.

“Hey!” I protest. “This is my best tuxedo.”

Grayson doesn’t react to my joke, his face solemn as ever.

“You heard what my sister said today. By accident.”

I clear my throat.

“Hard not to.”

“Just forget it, okay? The poor kid was really embarrassed, and she doesn’t need scumbags like you or Kieran or Beckett sniffing around her,” he goes on.

“Grayson, I would nev—”

“Cut the crap, okay, Declan? I’ve seen the way you look at her, and believe me, I know the shit you get up to. Hell, I know better than anyone else.”

I clear my throat and put on my very best lying face.

“Grayson, relax. Aurora’s just your kid sister. She’s cute and everything, but we practically grew up together. Come on,” I say, praying I convince him.

He just raises one eyebrow.

“Besides, I can get my dick wet anywhere. Anywhere. You know that.”

This time, he smiles. At least that last thing I said didn’t have to be a lie.

“So tonight I’m gonna see you leaving early with some girl who’s not my sister, right?”

I just laugh.

“You know, you could still come out with us sometimes,” I say.

“Declan, I’m not gonna cheat on—”

I wave my hand in the air.

“Not that part,” I say. “Just the part where you come have a drink and hang out with us. Then you can go home early and leave more girls for us.”

“That actually doesn’t sound too bad,” he admits. “Now that the christening is nearly over, I think I might actually have a chance to catch my breath, and Stefan has started sleeping through the night, so I can probably get away as long as I give Ella a night off, too...”

I reach out and clap his shoulder, relieved. I fucking lied, and I lied hard.

Just your kid sister. Yeah, right. She’s just his kid sister, and I’ve just been jerking off thinking of her sweet lips around my cock for weeks now.

Grayson turns to leave the service hallway, and I follow, already fighting yet another erection, only now it’s not Aurora’s mouth on my cock I’m thinking of.

It’s my tongue in her cunt, legs spread wide for me, back arched, both her perfect little tits in my hands as she begs me to make her come.

Stop it, I tell myself. At least stop it while you’re around nearly everyone either you or Aurora know.

Think about it all you want later, for God’s sake.