“I’ll always want you.” His fingers outlined my dick print and a moan slipped out.
Biting down on my lip, I practiced restraint and didn’t lean into his touch.
“Donuts,” I panted. “Coffee.”
It was a reminder as much as it was a plea. I needed him to stop kissing me if I was going to get anything done.
Rico pecked my lips once more then opened the door. “Drive safe, Soul.”
My head was still fuzzy when I walked down all three flights of stairs to the Jeep outside.
Harlow was on the water on her paddle board and Christian was still sleeping in the guest room.
All four of us were separate but together and that made me happier than I’d been in a long time.
Nine years ago, all our lives had changed. And I couldn’t prove it yet, but I had a feeling this summer would change everything too.
Like the First Time
I shouldn’t have been hard watching my stepsister walk up the beach and back to my house. But after the conversation I’d had with Soul and the memories that flooded me shortly after, I was a lost cause.
I couldn’t help but notice every little thing about her as she approached the back of my house, carrying her board in one hand with her paddle in the other. The teal leash was still secure around her ankle, but my gaze quickly abandoned the bottom half of her in favor of obsessing over my new discovery. “When the fuck did she get those?” I asked my bottle of alkaline water as footsteps hit the floor behind me.
I was standing at the kitchen window, watching Harlow with no shame, but my jaw grew slacker the closer she got to the house.
“What?” Christian grumbled behind me, voice thick with sleep and something else I didn’t have the attention span to decipher right now.
Right now, every modicum of attention was laser focused on the horizontal bars visible beneath Harlow’s bikini top.
The triangular scraps of her bathing suit barely covered her chest and they did a damn good job showcasing the piercings I didn’t know existed until a minute ago.
“Fuck.” I was never getting rid of this hard on. My dick was already tucked into the waist band of my shorts. It was either that or rocking tented pants to the breakfast table.
Warm precum hit my lower stomach and I held back a groan. There were a lot of things wrong with me, but lusting over my stepsister in a bikini was high on the list.
Thankfully, she chose that moment to disappear under the house to stow her board. A second later I heard the outdoor shower come on and relaxed a fraction. Until I remembered I wasn’t alone in the kitchen and turned my head to see Christian at the table, staring into the void.
He wasn’t on his phone or focused on anything but his hands in front of him.
If I asked him what was wrong, he would give me the same bullshit lie as last night. I knew whatever it was had less to do with him being tired and everything to do with our new houseguest.
Seeing him uneasy fucked with me.
Christian had always been quiet and to himself. But when he was obsessing over something, his poker face failed him every time.
My lust took a backseat to making sure he was good as I walked over the cool tile to close the space between us.
Before I sat down, I kissed the side of his head and pulled out the chair directly beside him.
Christian and I had never been more than friends. Our relationship was nothing like my relationship with Soul. But I thanked God every day I didn’t end up with men in my life who didn’t value platonic affection.
“Tell me what’s bothering you,” I prompted instead of asking.
He inhaled sharply and glanced at the door like he was waiting for Harlow to make an appearance. When a few seconds passed without that happening, he leaned back in his chair and said, “Just obsessing over old shit.”
With another heavy breath, he scrubbed a hand over his face and tore his eyes away from me.
“I know I should move on like you and Soul did, but every time I see her, it comes rushing back. I don’t know how to get over that night. I don’t know how to get over her.”
