Page 18 of Play It Sinful

“Stepsister.” I feel the need to make that very clear, especially after all the naughty things I did to her. “But thanks for letting me know.”

“No worries. Are you leaving?”

“Yeah. I’m a bit tired. I’ll see you at practice.” I turn to his date. “It was nice to meet you...”

“Oh shoot. I’m such an idiot,” Jesse chimes in. “This is Riley, my girlfriend.”

“Nice to meet you, Riley.”

“Likewise. Take care.” She smiles.

I force a grin to my face just to be polite, but the moment they enter the party, my smile vanishes. I should be thankful that Ashley found a reliable ride home, but I’m far from relaxed. I can’t believe we hooked up. As if our relationship wasn’t already explosive enough.

Truth be told, the most troublesome aspect of what happened isn’t the fact that I fucked my stepsister. It’s my desire to do it again.

CHAPTER 7

ASHLEY

Sean has been blowing up my phone for a week now. He called, left voice messages, and sent an endless string of texts. I didn’t reply to any of them. I don’t know what he wants me to say. I’m livid that he was responsible for those mind-blowing orgasms. He wasn’t only sexy as hell, but he was charming and attentive. Those are qualities he never showed me, which only makes me more pissed. He isn’t a twenty-four-seven asshole. That special treatment is reserved only for me.

I’m determined to put that colossal mistake behind me, and schoolwork helps. My classes are demanding, and if I lose focus and fall behind, it’ll be a bitch to catch up. The added stress would normally give me anxiety but, thanks to my new art classes, I’m able to get that under control. Doing anything creative with my hands centers me. My favorite mediums are oil on canvas and pottery. Both are super messy, and my clothes are suffering for it.

I was lucky to bump into Blair Westwood on my way out of the party. She’s in one of my classes. I didn’t make the connection that she was Ryder’s younger sister until she mentioned him in the car. I’m happy that afterwards, Scarlett and Kadence didn’t ask me too many questions. I guess they’rejust as overwhelmed with their academic load as I am, and gossiping isn’t their priority. If they asked for details, I’d have to lie to them, because there’s no way I can tell them about Sean. That secret I’ll take to the grave.

This morning, I went the art supply store, which is paradise. I have art studio class twice a week, and I need to start working on my term project ASAP.

Chris wasn’t happy when I applied for the arts program at Hannaford U, and naturally, Mom was on his side. He doesn’t believe anyone can make real money from art. It didn’t help my case that I’m not sure yet what I want to do with my art degree. As a compromise, I agreed to pursue a double major and added a business degree to my academics. It’s more stress, but now I don’t feel guilty about spending Chris’s money buying all the art supplies.

When I park in front of my dorm building, it's clear that I’ll need more than one trip to bring everything up to my room. Since my roommate hasn’t been around the whole week, and most of her stuff is gone, I can only assume she moved in with her boyfriend. I can put all my new stuff on her side of the room. If she shows up, I’ll have to rethink my storage situation, but for now, I won’t worry about it.

I grab all the bags first, since they’re on top. The easel and canvases I’ll get next.

I’m about to turn around when I sense someone behind me. The campus is relatively safe, and it’s morning, but I’m a petite woman, so I don’t take my chances. I pivot fast, ready to use my heavy shopping bags as weapons.

“Hey.” Sean smiles.

My heart jumps to my throat. “What the hell, Sean?”

His smile vanishes. “What did I do now?”

“You scared the shit out of me.” My heart has returned to its place, but it’s beating much faster now, and my face is warm.Not only was I not expecting to be ambushed by him, but I also wasn’t expecting him to look this good. I’ve always been aware that he’s attractive, but now I can’t control how my body reacts to him. This is annoying.

“Sorry. Do you need any help?”

If he were anyone else I know, I’d gladly accept. “No thanks. How did you find me?”

“It wasn’t that hard. You’ve been avoiding me.”

“No shit.”

“Avoiding me won’t change anything.”

I narrow my eyes. “It might not change the past, but it’ll make it easier to forget. I don’t know why you want to talk to me so badly.”

He runs his fingers through his hair. “If you had picked up your phone, you’d know. Come on, Ash. I promise I’ll leave you alone if you give me five minutes.”

Ash. He’s never called me by my nickname before. It does something to my insides, turning them all mushy. Ugh. I’m an idiot. He’s not going to give up. I might as well use him for something.

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