“That’s not a no.” I reach up and brush my thumb over her skin, alcohol and lust making me even bolder than normal. The pink beneath her skin gets more intense. “I bet you blush all over your body, don’t you?”

“Monroe,” she says it like she’s pleading with me, but she leans in a little, pressing her cheek into the palm of my hand. “Bride.”

“You know as well as I do that this handfasting doesn’t mean a damn thing beyond politics.” I try to keep the bitterness out of my tone, but alcohol loosens my tongue too thoroughly.

“Still…”

I can’t stop staring at her mouth. I hadn’t meant to actually get tipsy—or even to get her tipsy. I simply thought a change of pace would be enough to get things rolling. Apparently I underestimated tequila. Too late to go back now. “I would really like to kiss you.”

“We shouldn’t.” She licks her lips. “But, uh, I’d really like you to kiss me. Just this once.”

Just this once? Over my dead body.

“Hey, Grandmother.” I speak without looking away from Shiloh’s pretty face. “You have somewhere around here where we can have a private conversation?”

The old woman snorts. “Don’t try to butter me up now, blondie.”

I dig out my wallet and throw far too much cash onto the bar, alcohol and desire making my hands clumsy. “How about now?”

She eyes the cash and jerks her thumb toward a tiny door in the back corner. “Employee bathroom. Key is on a hook next to the door. Do not fuck up my space.”

“Yes, ma’am.” I grab Shiloh’s hand. “Just this once,” I lie.

“Just this once.” She lets me tow her around the bar and back to the narrow door. I find the key and unlock it, and then we’re through. The room is tiny, barely large enough for a toilet, a sink, and a mirror. It’s perfect.

Shiloh pulls the door shut behind her. She blinks those big eyes at me. “This changes nothing.”

“Of course.” Another lie. I know myself well enough to recognize that one taste of this woman won’t be nearly enough. Knowing that touching her will drive Broderick out of his fucking mind is only part of the attraction. The truth is that she’s grown on me, and I want to find out if I was right that first night, if she tastes as sweet as she looks.

Shiloh doesn’t hesitate. She sinks her fingers into my hair and kisses me. She tastes like tequila and goes to my head twice as fast. I grab her hips and push her back against the door. It’s supposed to be a smooth move, but I stagger a little, and she ends up straddling my thigh.

Well, this works even better.