Too Hot to Handle: A Forbidden Romance

By S.E. Law and S.C. Adams

Patty:

My boyfriend is a schmuck. Brian literally slapped a VR headset on while I was in the middle of talking to him and ignored me like I was a piece of furniture. He was deaf, dumb and blind to the world, except for the stupid video game he was playing. But I got my revenge …

… because while Brian was engrossed in cyberspace, I made love to his father!

Oh yeah. Gary’s nothing like his son. The construction foreman is huge and burly, with broad shoulders like rocks, a chest made of granite and a huge hammer that that makes me wail. Even better …

… Gary’s all about giving it to me hard, rough, and real.

But how do I tell Brian? After all, I’m dating his dad now and soon …

… my ex is getting a baby half-brother, courtesy of me!

This is a follow up to Inked With Love. In this tale, we meet Zoe’s best friend, Patty. Patty’s had her share of hijinks in the past, but things get too hot to handle when she meets a demanding older man. After all, Gary doesn’t play games, and that means Patty’s pregnant with his baby because he *wants* it that way. No cheating, no cliffhangers, and always a HEA for my readers. All of my books are standalones and can be read in any order.

• Language: English
• Publisher: S.E. Law Romance Author
• Release date: May 31, 2022

Book preview

1

Patty

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"O h, it’s you. Hey Patty. Yeah, come on in," Brian says in a listless voice while holding the door open.

Unsurprisingly, my boyfriend doesn’t spare me a glance as I stroll into the house he shares with his dad. Instead, before I even take off my coat, he’s already back on the couch with his virtual reality headset firmly in place. The headset is a black helmet that resembles something a motorcyclist would wear. It’s fully enclosed, and evidently, Brian’s already lost in his own world again as his fingers jab at a console he’s got clutched in his palms.

I sigh and sit on the couch next to him while looking around. Brian still lives at home, so instead of inhabiting a small, barely decent apartment like me and nearly every other college student we know, he gets to live in a gorgeous house. The living room is probably my favorite room in this entire place. The ceiling is arched, which makes it look that much bigger, and there are three huge couches and two chairs, all of which happen to be the most comfortable furniture that I’ve ever had the pleasure of resting my ass on. Then there’s the massive flat-screen TV that’s hung up on the wall that’s a huge 96-inch monstrosity. I think it’s way over-sized, but I do admit that it makes movie night really special.

But much good the luxe furnishings are doing right now because Brian’s jabbing away at his console while making weird firing noises with his mouth.

Pew pew pew! he whispers harshly. Pew! Gotcha!

I roll my eyes. God, this is so awful and sometimes, I can hardly believe we’re dating. But I know I should be grateful that Brian’s with me because he’s genuinely cute. My boyfriend’s got blue eyes, light brown hair, and a nice smile. Of course, he’s still more of an adolescent than a man, so he’s thin. Actually, my boyfriend’s scrawny even, with arms and legs that look like they could break.

But then again, I’m not exactly the feminine ideal, if you know what I mean. My eyes are brown and my hair is brown too, and not brown/brown in a Cindy Crawford glamorous way. I’m just brown-eyed and brown-haired in a very ordinary, even mousy, way. My body is…well, I’m on the bigger side, let’s say. I’m definitely not skinny, which seems to be what most of the guys at my community college prefer. What happened to that body-positive motto strong not skinny? Well, when it comes to dating, it seems most guys haven’t gotten the message yet.

But there are lots of things to be grateful for in life. I just started my first year at Great Falls Community College a few months ago, and it’s been amazing. I’m majoring in mycology, which is the study of fungi, and it sounds gross but it’s actually really interesting. I’ve dreamed of becoming a microbiologist since I was in middle school, and I’m lucky GFCC even has this concentration.

But I have to say that the college dating scene wasn’t what I expected. I don’t know, I just thought the guys would be deeper. Like they’d want to meet a girl with brains who enjoys talking about current events, not to mention art, politics, and culture. Someone who doesn’t just gab on and on about cheerleading and the latest episode of Real Housewives all the time.

Sadly, I was wrong. I went out on a few dates that were lackluster, to say the least, and then I met Brian. Really, he isn’t a bad guy, he’s just a bit distracted sometimes with his gaming. It’s annoying, but I also don’t want to throw myself out there in the dating pool again either because that would be utterly wretched.

So, how was your day? I put on my best smile as Brian lifts his headset for a moment. I wait for his answer, only to receive a slight grumble in response. Okay, so my boyfriend isn’t much of a talker.

After a few moments of silence, I clear my throat and decide to tell him about my day instead. Well, mine was alright, but one of my professors is being absolutely ridiculous. He assigned two huge projects at once and they’re both due in the same week, which I think is going to end in disaster. I doubt anyone is going to turn either of them in on time, which is only going to piss him off and then he’s just going to take it out on the whole class—

Brian lets out a grunt, seizing upon a small disk. Then he inserts it into his console and glances my way.

That’s crazy, he agrees. Who would have thought? College is insane, right? But before I can reply, he’s slipped the helmet back on and is playing a new game now that entails karate chops in thin air. I shy away from him on the couch, trying not to get hit. What is this? Double Dragon, the 3-D version?

Then things escalate, meaning that my boyfriend leaps up and starts punching and kicking the air like a madman.

Brian? Brian, what are you doing? You’re going to knock over that potted plant!

I honestly feel like I’m going crazy right now because my boyfriend’s obviously more into virtual reality than he is into me.

It’s a new kickboxing game! his voice comes, muffled from within his helmet. Motherfucker! he screams, dodging from side to side before kicking the air again. What a fucking pussy, I’m not going to lose to some pathetic asshole who doesn’t know the difference between a jab and a right hook! Then Brian pushes his helmet up for a moment, and I see that he’s red and sweaty. Anyway, this game just came out yesterday, so I was up all night trying to purchase it. There was so much demand that I had to monitor the sales site, but I managed to get it before it sold out. So I’m a little busy now, as you can tell. Take that, you pussy! he screams while dropping the helmet back in place.

Are you serious? I let out a disbelieving laugh. Brian, I was right in the middle of talking and you just— I cut myself off with a gasp as I lean back quickly, narrowly dodging a kick to the face. I know he can’t see anything with the headset on, but I can’t help but feel as if that was too much of a coincidence. If he wants me to shut up, he should just say that instead of delivering a vaguely-threatening slap.

I roll my eyes, letting out a quiet ‘hmph’ as my boyfriend continues screaming all kinds of curses and slurs. At this point, Brian’s jumping around the living room like a boy on a pogo stick, and it’s just so insane to see.

I sigh again. To be honest, I can’t believe this is happening to me. Doesn’t Brian have any manners? Even if I weren’t his girlfriend, I’m still a guest, right? Then again, I don’t even know why I’m so shocked right now because it isn’t as if this is the first time that something like this has happened. We hardly ever talk because Brian’s always too distracted with his VR games to hold a full conversation, so actually, I should have expected this. Still, it’s just as disheartening now as it was the very first time it happened.

You know, you could at least let me finish my sentence next time? Maybe you could even let me get two whole sentences out before you put on your helmet? I ask in a soft voice, knowing my boyfriend can’t hear.

That’s when a low chuckle startles me in my seat. I turn quickly and see Mr. Hickman, Brian’s dad, sitting at