by Claire Adams
“But?” she asked.
“But, nothing. You looked past things you shouldn’t have, and he took that for granted. Instead of taking the time you gave him to improve, he took advantage of your kindness. That’s on him,” I said.
The waiter poured her another glass of wine, and she chugged it quicker than I’d ever seen. I was nursing my second glass myself, but by the time we got our salads, she was well into her third.
That’s when I realized work was not going to be talked about at all.
“Your father would be proud of you, Stella,” I said.
“He hated Greyson,” she said. “He’d be ecstatic right now.”
“I wasn’t talking about that,” I said. “I was talking about the woman you’ve become.”
For the first time that night, her eyes rose and connected with mine. Her wine was paused mid-air while she studied me from across the table, but all I did was sit back and cross my leg over my knee.
“You’re beautiful, Stella. You’re full of life and intelligence. You’re successful and well-educated. You’re passionate and driven, and all of those qualities would be things your father would boast about with his friends if he were still here,” I said.
“You think so?” she asked.
“I know so. You paid for your own education with scholarships and work on campus. You came out with little to no debt and did what you had to do to pay it off. You took on your own house sooner than anyone else in your close circle of friends. You are so financially sound and responsible, not to mention quick on your feet,” I said.
“Quick on my feet?” she asked as the waiter poured her another glass of wine.
“Intellectually,” I said.
“Well, so are you. You know things that blow even my mind sometimes. And I have to admit, you’ve impressed me with the way you’ve stepped up to run the company. I honestly thought you would just drive it right into the depths of hell. But you haven’t. You’ve surprised me, Christian,” she said.
“Thanks. I think,” I said, grinning.
“Do you really think he’d be proud of me?” she asked.
“I know he would be, and do you know how I know?”
“How?” she asked.
“He told me. Time and time again, before that man passed, there would always be a way he’d work you into the conversation. He’d talk about the incredible woman you were growing into and how you deserved better than Greyson. He’d talk about the lives you were saving and the things you were doing to help better this city that he loved so much. Pride glowed in his eyes whenever he spoke of you. And I got to see it every single time I talked with him.”
Tears fell from her face, and I reached over to take her hand. It was something she needed to hear, whether she was willing to listen or not. Stella had been my stepfather’s pride and joy, and there was nothing anyone could do, not even that asshole Greyson, that could take that away from her.
We ate our food while we reminisced about childhood memories, but I had to help her out to my car. By the time dinner was over she had practically polished off a bottle of wine by herself, and I figured she needed to sleep it off with someone there to help her if she needed it. She fell asleep in my car as I was driving us back to my house, but she woke up when I tried to get her out of the car.
“Where am I?” she asked groggily.
“We’re back at my place. I figured you could just crash here. You’re pretty tired, and I want to be here if you get sick,” I said.
“I’m fine,” she said, slurring her words. “Just fine.”
“Come on, Stella. Let’s get you inside.”
I picked her up into my arms after I unlocked my front door. I saw the confusion on her face as we walked through the door of my home, and I laid her on the couch before the question flew from her lips.
“Don’t you live in an apartment?” she asked.
“I call it an apartment, yes. It’s technically a townhome.”
“You call your townhome an apartment,” she said. “Why?”
“Don’t know. Just do, I guess.”
“Wow. A business and something that isn’t a dinky studio apartment. I guess people change,” she said, yawning.
I chuckled at her as I covered her body with the blanket behind my couch, and I dipped down to wipe the hair away from her face. Her eyes had already fluttered shut while I watched her shoulders rise and fall with her breaths, and something inside of me drew my lips to her forehead. She looked so peaceful and so happy with her cheeks flushed the way they were, and everything inside of me wanted to kiss her delicate forehead goodnight.
But, I pulled back before my lips made contact, and ventured up to my room.
I peeled the suit off my body and tossed it onto the chair beside my bed as my mind whirled with what just happened. She was my stepsister, for crying out loud. I couldn’t fucking feel this way about her. No, we weren’t related, but we grew up like we were. We fought and bitched and grew apart as siblings do.
I couldn’t kiss my stepsister. That wasn’t right.
But, I had wanted to. I couldn’t stop staring at her all evening, especially after catching a glimpse of the true Stella while we were shopping this week. When she stormed into the office upset at Greyson, I felt a surge of pride in my ability to protect her. When she had appeared in the doorway earlier this evening, I felt a tug in my gut at how luscious she looked.
I had wanted to kiss her, but I didn’t.
“Why the hell didn’t I kiss her?”
I flopped down on my bed and groaned before I slung my arm over my face. What the hell was happening to me? Why was I feeling this way for Stella? Why the fuck didn’t I just kiss her and get it over with? I’m sure if I did, my entire body would reel with disgust, and that would be that.
I just needed to prove to my body that this isn’t what it wanted.
“Maybe I just need sleep,” I said with a groan.
But then, I heard my door slowly creak open. My arm slipped from my eyes as I stared up at the dark ceiling, and I listened as my door latched quietly behind the moving figure. I knew exactly who it was, but I still wasn’t willing to admit it to myself. Stella was creeping into my room. And she was looking for me.
It was only when I felt her slip into bed beside me that my entire body began to thunder with electricity.
“Stella?” I asked.
“Yeah?”
“Are you alright?” I asked.
“I’m not sure,” she said.
I turned around and faced her. In the moonlight, I saw her light green eyes dancing between mine. My hand reached out and brushed a small strand of hair behind her ear, and it caused her hand to fall lightly onto my hip. I shivered underneath the cool, soft touch of her palm, and she scooted herself so close I could feel her heart pounding against my chest.
“What’s happening?” she asked.
“I don’t know, Stella,” I said.
And when she leaned her lips closer to mine, I closed the distance before I slid my hand to the back of her neck.
Chapter Sixteen
Stella
His lips tasted like the dinner I couldn’t remember. His hand slid to the back of my neck, cradling me close against his body, and for the first time, I felt fully comforted in the arms of a man. I slid on top of his body, feeling his muscular chest flush against mine, and my body heated up as his hand caressed down my back.
His touches were light and hesitant, debating on touching the boundary my body was so willing to cross.
My tongue danced in the depths of his mouth as his hands cupped my ass. I couldn’t help but grind against him, feeling his strong legs thrust up into me while his cock grew larger and larger against my clothed pussy. His tongue slowly grazed the roof of my mouth, pulling a moan from my throat. His hands moved up my body as his nimble fingers expertly unhooked the bra that was in the way.
But when he slipped it down my arms, I sat up on top of him so he could see all of me.
; His eyes devoured me in his hungry gaze. I watched those beautiful blue eyes darken, like a roaring storm coming in from the Atlantic, and his hands reached up to massage my puckered nipples.
My breaths turned to pants as he rolled my breasts around in his hands. My hips moved against him as his cock throbbed between my legs. Christian raised up, capturing my lips with his as his hands pressed against my back, and all I could do was melt into him as he slowly turned me over and sunk my back to the bed.
Suddenly, his lips got hungry. The light kisses he sprinkled all over my face turned rougher as he moved down to my neck, sucking on my skin between his teeth. My panting turned to moans, tumbling from my lips with every bite he placed on my neck. My hands were everywhere as they ran over his taut skin, pulled tightly over the twitching muscles I could feel underneath my fingernails.
“Christian,” I said breathlessly. “Please.”
He kissed down my body before he ran his tongue around my nipples. I could feel myself dripping into my panties as his hands caressed every inch of my skin. He found places I’d never been touched, nooks and crannies that had been unexplored by a man’s tongue. He ran his tongue along my waistline, smirking against my skin as I jumped, and all the while his fingers worked my panties off my body.
I wanted to feel his tongue against my legs. I wanted him to part my pussy folds and lick me into next week. I wanted to ride that face I’d grown to adore over the past few days, and I wanted to feel his strong arms pin me to the bed as he fucked me stupid.
But, he stayed the course. He bit and sucked and nipped, kissing the indentations he left along my skin as he trailed down my body. I dug my feet into the bed as he kissed my pussy lips, smiling when I bucked into his mouth. I felt my body burning underneath his fingertips as they massaged my thighs, and I gripped the sheets of his bed as I waited for his assault.
“Christian,” I moaned. “Don’t make me beg.”
“But it would be so much fun,” he said.
“Fine,” I said.
I ripped myself from underneath his body and swung my legs over the bed. My body was hot with want I couldn’t explain, and my heart was broken from a man who couldn’t give two shits less. I could feel my juices dripping down my thighs while my body shook on the edge of his bed, but I wasn’t in the mood to play games.
I’d been teased for two years, and I was done with that game.
“Oh, no you don’t.”
Christian growled behind me before his arm wrapped around my body. He tossed me back to the bed, my body bouncing in the air, and I felt his cock land against my thigh. His precum splattered onto my skin as he sunk between my legs, his lips crashing down onto mine as our teeth clattered together. I could feel his cock throbbing against me as my pussy grew wetter for his body.
For his touch.
For him.
“I’m on the pill, if you’re wondering,” I said, my lips fluttering against his.
“That is honestly a question I never thought I’d want you to answer,” he said.
I slid my arms around his neck before I pulled up and drew his earlobe between my teeth. His entire body faltered, his face collapsing into the crook of my neck, and for a split second, I could feel him breathe something into my skin.
“You’re beautiful,” he said.
He slid into me, peeling me apart with the thickness of his cock, and my jaw unhinged in sweet release for him. His dick pressed against all the areas inside me that started in motion a sweet tingling, rubbing me in ways that set my body on fire. He set a furious pace, pounding his hips into me as he pumped his dick in and out of my pussy. The sounds alone made me claw at his back, but the way his body shielded me from the world was intoxicating.
I felt safe in the arms of the man plowing my body into his mattress.
I hooked my legs around his waist as my pussy began to flutter around his raging cock. My body sucked him deeper and deeper into me as his panting turned into grunts, and I bit down into the chiseled meat of his shoulder while his rippling abdomen was sweating against my stomach.
“Holy fuck, Stella,” he breathed.
“You feel incredible,” I said.
He dropped down onto my body and pounded between my legs, his cock throbbing against my walls as we both chased our releases. His hand cupped the top of my head, guarding it as I inched closer to his headboard, and I reached up to capture his lips as my pussy began to clamp around his cock.
“Oh, shit. Oh, shit. Oh, shit,” Christian chanted.
“Please, don’t stop. I’m so close. Please, Christian. Please. Christian. Christian. Oh. Oh, my.”
I released his lips and fell to the bed, my body twitching and quaking in orgasm as his dick sheathed itself into my pussy one last time. I felt him lurch inside of me as my walls drew him closer, and I parted my legs further so I could feel more of him.
He dropped onto my body as his sweat drenched my skin, but none of that mattered to me. We heaved together as we breathed each other’s air, and I could hear him chanting my name in my ear like a whispered prayer as he filled me to the brim with the cum my pussy was pulling from him.
Never had I felt this beautiful in the arms of a man before, and I smiled before I pressed small kisses into the side of his neck.
He pulled his dick from my body, and I could feel our juices spewing out onto his bed. He collapsed beside me, his chest still panting for breath, and he laced his arm around my body and pulled me close. His eyes were already drooping, and his breathing was already evening out, and I watched him closely as he slowly fell asleep beside me.
And then I realized what had just happened.
I had fucked my stepbrother.
I felt panic rise in my throat as his breathing turned into light snores. I felt him crusting on the inside of my thighs as my legs slowly regained their stability, and I blinked to make sure it was him beside me.
Christian.
My stepbrother.
The man who’d just been gifted the family company.
And he had just fucked me senseless.
I slowly pulled myself from his arms and slid my body down onto the floor. Tears burned behind my eyes as I picked up the pieces of clothing that were scattered along his floor, and the only thing I could think about was the bratty little dickhead I’d grown up with. Christian, the little boy that would never leave me alone when I was younger. Christian, the slacker idiot in high school who never had to work to get the good grades.
Christian, the boy I’d called my stepbrother for years.
I had fucked the man that little boy had turned into.
I put on my clothes as I walked down the hallway, and by the time I got to his front door, I was slipping on my shoes. I was fully sober despite the four glasses of wine I’d had at dinner, and my mind was swirling with questions and things I didn’t understand.
When in the world did I start feeling this way about Christian?
Why the fuck didn’t we talk about work during dinner?
Why the hell had Christian taken me somewhere so nice?
Why in the world did I dress as if he would?
What the hell had I just done?
I grabbed the rest of my stuff and threw open his front door. I didn’t care if I didn’t lock it behind me, and I didn’t care if it woke him up. All I knew was I couldn’t stay here. I couldn’t face him in the morning knowing what we’d done. I’d just fucked my business partner, I’d just fucked the man whose company I was trying to usurp, and I’d just fucked my stepbrother.
What in the world would my father think of me now?
Chapter Seventeen
Christian
I stretched my arm across the bed and expected to feel her there. I expected my hand to flutter across that soft, pliable skin I couldn’t keep my tongue off last night. I expected to thread my arm around her waist and pull her close before I buried my nose deep into that jet black hair before I snuck my leg in between hers.
I expected to feel the closen
ess of her body as we woke up together.
Instead, I found the bed empty. My eyes popped open, and I looked around the room, but none of her clothes were to be found. Suddenly, every single memory from last night came flooding back to my mind, and I was painfully aware of what had happened.
I had slept with my stepsister, and I had wanted her there when I woke up this morning.
She had looked radiant last night. From the way her clothes draped around her curves to the way we talked easily with one another, it was incredible. We had discussed nothing about work and had opened up to one another in a way I had never experienced growing up around her, and I was excited to be shown that part of her.
I saw the part of her that reveled in the beauty of a sunset. I saw the part of her that needed a little bit of alcohol to forget things. I saw the part of her that wasn’t perfect, that needed something to ground her to reality.
I saw her vulnerability, and it made her shine in ways I don’t think she realized.
I sat up in bed and stretched before I swung my legs over. My thigh rested upon a crusted spot on my bed, the only evidence I had of what happened last night. I couldn’t blame her for leaving, but it felt empty without her here. The room smelled like her. The bed had her scent. I bet if I went downstairs and sat on that couch it would puff up residual smells of her the moment I crushed the cushions.
My house had easily soaked her up, just like my body had.
I had wanted to wake up to her. To enjoy breakfast and laugh alongside her in my kitchen. I hadn’t been ready to let go of her yet. I felt that we still had a great deal to enjoy with one another.
I had wanted to wake her up with my head buried between her legs. I didn’t have time to show her that part of me last night.
What I did know was we needed to talk. I needed to make sure she was alright, and if I knew Stella as well as I thought I did, I had to reassure her this wouldn’t affect the company. While I wasn’t under the impression she was still attempting to take it from me, this would be something that could spiral her back to that train of thought.
