He surged inside her, and his cock was harder than ever, almost hurting her until the shaft started twitching. As he let loose the first spurts of release inside her, she climaxed again, holding onto him as she came.
Afterward, they rolled together with his arms around her, his legs tangled in hers. She struggled to find a normal breathing pattern as her heart slowed back to its usual beats per minute. She was the same person she had been just a little while ago, but she felt completely different. Ambra turned her head to kiss his chin. “Is it always that amazing?”
He gave her a small smile. “It was pretty amazing, wasn’t it?” His grin grew. “You know what would be even more amazing?”
She shook her head. “I don’t think there can be anything greater than that, Ethan.”
He chuckled as he ran his hand down her side, laying his hand across her flat stomach. “I think it’d be pretty amazing if you married me, Ambra. I want you to be my wife so I can officially stake my ownership, and you can mark me as your territory.”
She stared at him with eyes wide from shock. Could he really be proposing already? They had rushed back into things, and there hadn’t possibly been enough time to get to know each other again.
One session of fabulous sex, combined with an afternoon of reconnecting, wasn’t a solid enough foundation upon which to build a life or commit to a future just yet. She opened her mouth to say those things as diplomatically as she could, but her words were even more shocking than his proposal. “Yes, I’ll marry you, Ethan.”
Epilogue
Ethan had bailed out Cartwright Consolidated as promised, and though Philip had been resistant to the idea to start with, he had soon accepted his son’s intercession. Perhaps the news of their engagement had brought him around more quickly—or more likely, the ultrasound picture she’d shown Philip when he’d continued to resist help and tried to push the merger/marriage idea.
On the afternoon he’d walked her down the aisle to marry Ethan, Ambra had learned the reason for their falling out had been Phillip’s determination to keep the company unchanged. He had been opposed to Ethan’s resolve to bring them into the future with streamlined manufacturing, new marketing, and a leaner fiscal division.
In his stubborn pride, Philip had sent away his only son, and he’d confided his regret to her that he hadn’t been able to compromise or find a way to reconcile with Ethan without admitting he was wrong. She had been relieved to know she hadn’t been the cause of their rift.
That event had been months ago, and they were all gathered again for a new family occasion, though this one had a much smaller guest list. Tired, but glowing with happiness, Ambra watched Ethan hand their new daughter to her stepfather. Philip beamed at Heather before proclaiming, “She’s the most beautiful baby since her mother.”
Ambra smile, warmed by the praise. “Thanks, Dad, but you didn’t know me as a baby.”
Philip shook his head. “It doesn’t matter, my girl. You’re my daughter as much as Ethan is my son—though I’m glad not legally, since you two got married.” He chuckled before his expression morphed to one of contentment. “Now you’re a Cartwright in name too. Most importantly, there’s her.” He looked down his granddaughter, seemingly lost in her unfocused blue eyes.
Ethan came to stand by Ambra’s bed, bending to brush a kiss across her mouth. “You did well, my love.”
She sighed, allowing herself to feel a little of the exhaustion sweeping over her. “That was probably the hardest thing I’ve ever done, except maybe those three years I lived without you.”
He winced. “Don’t remind me what a fool I was to make us be lonely for three years.”
She took his hand, pressing a kiss to the back of it. “It’s okay. You were right, you know. I loved you, but I was also just eighteen, and I wouldn’t have been ready for a serious relationship. You were right to give me a chance to grow up some. The time apart was miserable for both of us, but if you had accepted me the night I came to you, chances are we wouldn’t have made it, and we wouldn’t be here now.”
He darted a glance at their daughter before looking back her, all the love he felt obvious in his brown eyes. “I guess some things are certainly worth the wait.”
******
Owned
Knox, ex-soldier and sheriff’s deputy, is a man used to being in control. When it comes to his stepsister, he wants to own every inch of her, but he’s tried to do the right thing and not pursue the need to possess her. Forget his good intentions, because Claire’s wicked teasing is driving him to the breaking point. Soon, she’ll know exactly what it means to belong to a man like him.
Chapter One
Knox barely bit back a moan when Claire sashayed into the kitchen for breakfast that morning. He kept his eyes glued to his bowl of oatmeal, though it was nowhere near as interesting as the long expanse of leg revealed by her short T-shirt and skimpy cotton panties. “Goddammit, Claire, put on some fucking clothes.”
She gave him a look full of innocent sweetness. “It’s so hot, and you’re the only one here. Why should I bother? It’s not like your dad and my mom are home. They’re off somewhere in Europe, probably not dying from the heat like we are here near Savannah.”
He growled low in his throat, clenching his fists together. It took everything he had not to lift his petite little stepsister off her feet, slam her on the table, tear the clothes from her body, and sink his cock deep inside her until she was screaming his name. Fuck, she was trying to kill him. A glance at his watch revealed he was going to be late for his shift if he didn’t leave soon, and it was a relief to have a reason to rush out, especially with her walking around so brazenly in that skimpy outfit.
His chair scraped the floor when he shoved back harder than necessary to get to his feet. As he slammed on his deputy’s hat, he glared at her. “Next time you’re in front of me, wear some damn clothes, or you’ll be sorry.”
She licked her lips, her eyes not betraying any fear, and it was clear his warning had done no good. “I am wearing clothes, dear stepbrother. Would you like to see me without them?”
With another growl that passed for words, Knox turned and stormed from the kitchen, slamming the front door behind him as he made his way to the police cruiser. She was trying to kill him, or drive him out of his mind. Didn’t she understand she was the reason he had fled to the military seven years ago? Could seemingly innocent Claire grasp how the dark urge he’d had to possess her, to claim and control her, had terrified him?
At twenty years old, he hadn’t known how to deal with the dominant side of himself, especially when the object of his obsession was his sixteen-year-old stepsister. From the time their parents got married the year before, she had been all he could think about. It had gotten to the point he’d wanted to beat every man who looked at her to a bloody pulp, and he’d been on the verge of telling her exactly how he felt.
Worse than that, he’d wanted to storm into her bedroom to show her how he felt. Night after night, he’d lain in his bed in the room next to hers, his hand stroking his cock while he fantasized about tying her up and eating her pussy until she screamed his name.
He’d known something had to change. The fantasies were becoming obsession, and he’d started planning how to make it happen. She had been too young and off-limits. That was clear, so he had chosen the only out available to a man without a college degree. The Marines had been glad to have him, and they had served him as well.
In the military, Knox had learned to hone his need for control, and he had harnessed his darker urges, or so he’d thought. He’d even managed to have a few “normal” relationships with women, though he’d be lying if he didn’t admit most of them had turned to Claire in the dark. Tall or short, curvy or skinny, black or white, it hadn’t mattered. In the dark, they all became blonde-haired, petite temptresses with curves that welcomed a man’s hands and hips meant for holding during a lusty fuck.
It had been his intention to retire from the Marines after tw
enty years, hoping by then she would have had time to get married, pop out a couple of kids, and his obsession would have died. Unfortunately, an IED in Afghanistan had changed his plans, derailing his goals.
With nowhere else to go, he had come home to recover and rebuild his life. It hadn’t been so bad the first few months, when his dad and Miranda were there to act as a buffer. The pain of his injury had also kept him focused and on track, keeping him from doing anything he might regret to or with his sweet stepsister.
Unfortunately, their parents had gone on a summer-long cruise just a couple of weeks ago, and the pain from his injuries wasn’t nearly as bad as it had once been with physical therapy and an occasional pain pill to help. In fact, he had healed well enough to work as a sheriff’s deputy, and while he was supposed to be enforcing the law, he couldn’t help thinking about all the bad, bad things he wanted to do Claire.
The worst part of all, she seemed to want him to do them. Oh, he wasn’t crazy enough to think she would want him to tie her up, pull her hair, or do any other dark things his body urged. She clearly shared an attraction with him though. It had been hard enough to resist her when he was certain she was oblivious to him in that way. Now that he knew she saw him as a desirable man, it was much harder not to claim her.
He just had to be strong. He reminded himself of that as he stopped at the police station and went to work for the day. No matter how much he wanted Claire, she was still his stepsister and still off-limits.
***
Almost as soon as Knox had left the house, Claire ran back to her room and fumbled in her nightstand for the vibrator she kept there. Just the sight of him could make her hot and horny in seconds. She was dripping cream down her legs by the time she lay down on her bed, pulling aside her panties so she could stroke her clit with the vibrating tip of the fake cock.
It was a poor substitute for the one she really wanted, the one she imagined was long and thick and would stretch her in a way no man ever had before. Everything else about him was big and larger-than-life, so surely his dick was too.
She masturbated as she imagined it was him taking her, his lips instead of her hand against her nipple as she plucked the bud with her fingers. She wanted her stepbrother now even more than she had when she was younger.
It had taken one look for her to fall hopelessly in love with her new stepbrother. At fifteen, she’d been bowled over by her sexy older stepbrother, and she had felt nothing remotely sibling-like for him. She was amazed he hadn’t realized she had a crush on him. Then again, it wasn’t that surprising, since Knox had gone out of his way to avoid her then just as he did now.
Her womb clenched, and her sheath convulsed around the vibrator as she groaned his name. “Knox.”
Why couldn’t it be him instead of the plastic and silicone toy? Right, because he didn’t seem to be aware she was a woman. She didn’t know how else to get his attention, since her subtle flirting didn’t seem to be working. Even baring her body as she had this morning hadn’t seemed to sway him other than he’d demanded she put on more clothes.
Perhaps she was misreading his signals, and he really wasn’t attracted to her at all. If that was the case, her continued attempts at seduction would do nothing besides piss him off and make him uncomfortable. After everything he’d been through the last year, she didn’t want to hurt him, annoy him, or make things awkward.
Still, she couldn’t give up without a fight. They were older now, and there was no legal reason they couldn’t be together. When she’d been fifteen, and he had been nineteen, it had made sense that there was a barrier between them, other than his own lack of interest. She had dreamed from afar, and her heart was broken when he’d announced he was entering the Marines.
Now, he was back home and apparently planning to stay in Stanley, since he had a job with the Sheriff’s Department. She had no plans to move anywhere else, since she was running the general store for their parents and would likely inherit it in a few years when they finally decided to retire completely.
She wanted more than just a quick fuck with Knox, though that certainly had its appeal. Mostly, she just wanted Knox to look at her and see a woman instead of his scrawny stepsister.
Did he even realize she had grown up during the last seven years, since his departure when she was sixteen? She was twenty-three now and ready for the next life stage, including a permanent relationship. Even if he wasn’t interested in anything long-term, just the idea of having him even for one night was enough to make her rev up her vibrator and go for round two.
Chapter Two
When Knox let himself in that night, the house was quiet, and there was a note on the refrigerator telling him he had dinner in the microwave. He warmed it up and ate standing over the sink to avoid making a mess in the freshly cleaned kitchen. It was nice coming home to a spotless house and a home-cooked meal, making him think domestic thoughts that were at odds with the normally darker tone of his sexual needs.
Try as he might, he couldn’t reconcile the idea of a domesticated home life with his sexual appetites. It was difficult to imagine a sweet, loving wife, who was also a lover that allowed him to take the dark liberties with her that he wanted.
After finishing his dinner, he put the dishes in the dishwasher before heading down the hallway to his room. He thought about taking a shower, but decided he was too tired. Knox began unbuttoning his uniform shirt as he nudged open his door with his elbow.
He was a few steps in the room when he realized something was off. Maybe it was his military and police training that had honed his instincts, or perhaps he was simply tuned in to Claire, because he quickly recognized her scent and realized she had been in his room.
Since he did his own laundry and cleaning, she wouldn’t have a reason to enter his sleeping space. His eyes scanned the room, almost immediately homing in on the lacy panties draped across his pillow. With a frown, he walked toward the bed, reaching down to pick up the panties.
He hissed slightly when his fingers brushed the wet crotch. Knox was unable to resist the temptation of bringing the delicate lace to his nose. He inhaled deeply, memorizing the scent of Claire’s arousal, which fueled his own.
With fumbling fingers, he undid his gun belt and uniform pants. His cock strained for escape, and he let it free from the cloth with a small groan. His hand was a poor substitute for her tight pussy, but he desperately needed release.
With a grunt, he wrapped the material around his fist and slid the damp panties up and down his rigid erection. What was she doing to him? He was a hair’s breadth from marching into her room and fucking her.
He imagined she was picturing hearts and flowers and dutiful worship of her body when they made love the first time. Except he didn’t make love. Knox fucked, and he did it hard and forcefully. He took what he wanted, and he wanted her more than ever after her aroma had filled his senses. She had no idea what she was unleashing with this little stunt, and only the thought of terrifying her held him back.
Instead, he settled for coming on her panties, marking them with proof of his arousal and release. With a nod of satisfaction, he tucked his shaft into his underwear, but didn’t bother to refasten his belt or zip his pants as he moved quietly from his room to hers.
The moonlight through the thin curtains highlighted her body, revealing she was sprawled with her legs open, a miniscule crop top and tiny panties her only garments. He smothered a curse as he tiptoed to her bed and prominently lay the soiled underwear on her pillow in exactly the same position she’d left them on his. They would be the first thing she saw when she woke up.
***
Claire stretched and yawned as her eyes opened. The sight of her panties returned to her made her stomach dip with disappointment. She had been certain that would prompt him to come to her last night.
As she rolled out of bed and reached for the lingerie to put in the laundry hamper, her eyes widened at the slight stickiness. She turned the panties in her hand and saw the faint trac
es of white dried onto the black lace.
Stroking her thumb over it, she couldn’t help grinning at the realization she had gotten to him. Maybe not as much as she’d hoped, but she was breaking down his reserves. He had used her panties to masturbate—the pair she’d worn while doing the same less than an hour before his shift ended.
She briefly considered putting on more clothes, but discarded the idea as she tossed the underwear into the hamper in her bathroom before padding to the kitchen. Claire barely bit back a grin when she saw his look of irritation when she entered. “Good morning,” she said with a bright smile as she went to the cabinet.
Straining for the top shelf to reach the cereal boxes, she allowed a small smile at his faintly audible groan. As she continued reaching, his chair scraped, and he was standing behind her a moment later. Striving for an innocent expression, she turned her head to look up at him. “Could you please hand me the Corn Flakes?”
Knox rubbed up against her as he reached past her for the box. His cock pressed into the small of her back, and she was certain he buried his face in her blonde strands to inhale her scent. She shivered at the feel of their bodies touching, almost forgetting to take the box he extended.
His lips were so close to her cheek that she could feel them ghost across her skin. She sighed softly, tensing with anticipation when he angled just a bit closer.
“Knock off the shit, Claire.”
The words were like being doused with ice water, and she stiffened. She shot a glance at him, surprised to see tightly leashed anger instead of desire in his expression. Bending her head forward, she hid her face behind her hair and didn’t look at him again as he turned away from her.
She didn’t look up until she heard the front door close a few minutes later, and tears tried to gush from her eyes. Staring at the unwanted box of cereal, she blinked several times. Defeat filled her, and she had to accept it was over. He’d withstood even her most blatant attempts, and while the fact he’d masturbated on her panties before returning them confused her a bit, she knew he wasn’t going to give in to the attraction simmering between them.
Alphas: A Stepbrother Romance Collection Page 9
