Page 35 of Corrupt Obsession

“Tucker!You can’t say that!”

“Why? It’s true. You have nothing to be self-conscious about. They’re just jealous because you’re a knockout.”

Her heart leapt when he patted her butt. She glanced around self-consciously, but there was no one around to witness Tucker’s inappropriate PDA. Tucker felt like her first “real” boyfriend. Tobias and the others she briefly dated had been more friend than boyfriend, but Tucker made it clear from the start that he wanted much more. He kissed her on their first date and wasn’t embarrassed to touch her in public. It was exciting and thrilling. She allowed him to go further than anyone else, though she hadn’t goneallthe way. The fact that she considered allowing him to be her first was shocking when she’d vowed to save herself for marriage. But with her sexual frustration mounting, Tucker was a much-needed, healthy outlet she could indulge in without feeling guilty.

Tucker led her toward his Bronco parked in the back corner of the mostly empty lot and opened the passenger door for her. When she made no move to get in, his eyes narrowed.

“You know what my dad said.”

Tucker made a terrible first impression when he sped through their neighborhood after picking her up. Dad hadn’t ordered her to break up with him, but she wasn’t allowed to get in a car with Tucker. If they wanted to meet up, someone had to pick her up or drop her off.

Tucker rolled his eyes. “I swear, I won’t speed again.”

“If my dad finds out I got in a car with you, I’ll be grounded for life.”

“He won’t find out.”

“Jesse will tell him.”

Tucker glanced at his watch. “He won’t finish practice for another hour. I can bring you back before he’s finished. He won’teven know you left campus. You can say you were in the library the whole time.”

Her insides twisted. This was just the sort of thing Dad had lectured her about—her boyfriend encouraging her to lie and break the rules. All the males in her life unanimously disliked Tucker. Her father, Jesse, and her guy friends had protested the moment they started dating, but they didn’t see what she did.

Tucker’s band played a set at a concert she and her friends attended this summer. They hung out after, and the rest was history. Tucker was so different from everyone she knew. He had big dreams of becoming a rock star. She loved listening to him talk about music and his plans to travel the globe. Being around someone who had such large aspirations made her reexamine her own future. He was free, liberated. Not bound by the constraints of religion or the weight of family expectations. Being near him made her feel like she could be a different person… But she wasn’t willing to break all the rules just yet.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t want to lie to Jesse or my dad,” she said.

Tucker didn’t do a good job of hiding his irritation.

“You’re lucky you’re hot,” he growled and tugged her toward him and boxed her in the open doorway of his car. “You’re driving me crazy.”

“I don’t,” she began, but was cut off when his mouth covered hers.

He kissed her deeply. She was dimly aware of her backpack falling to the ground as he pressed himself against her, so she couldn’t fail to feel his erection. She gripped his shirt as the space between her legs pulsed.

“Don’t you want me?” Tucker panted as he brushed kisses over her cheek and gripped her ass.

“Of course I do,” she whispered and tipped her head back to give him better access. God, she needed to be touched likethis. She was starving, burning up. There were so many desires trapped inside her. So much she wanted to set free, so much she wanted to experience.

Guilt cut through her carnal desires. Good Christian girls didn’t let their boyfriends put their tongues in their mouth or let them touch their butt. A good Christian girl would stop this and walk away. She stayed where she was. She hadn’t been a good Christian girl for a while now. On the surface, not much had changed. She attended church, had the same friends, and continued to be a dedicated student. But no one knew the dark secret she shared with her stepbrother.

Jesse’s visits continued. He hadn’t been put off by her dating, as she’d hoped. They presented a wholesome image to the world while he crept into her room at night, and she pretended to be asleep. She hated that no matter who she dated, Jesse was still in the forefront of her mind. But she finally had a boyfriend who didn’t treat her like a princess or a good girl. Tucker treated her like a woman, giving her the opportunity to act on her pent-up desires.

“You feel so good,” Tucker rasped as he gripped her breast.

She arched into his touch.

“God, you’re so hot for me. Let’s get out of here.”

“I can’t,” she said breathlessly and glanced around, reason asserting itself now that he wasn’t kissing her. “We can’t do this. Somebody might see! I have to…”

In a sudden move that took her by surprise, he picked her up and carried her to the back of his Bronco and pinned her against the cool metal.

“Now, no one can see us,” he said huskily.

She stared at the surrounding trees, which gave them a false sense of privacy, before she looked back at Tucker, who was staring at her with a determination that made her tense. “Tucker, I can’t…”

“You’re not ready to give me your cherry yet,” he said impatiently. “But I can give you a preview of what you’re missing.”

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