And I'd be lying if I said I don't need a moment, too. It'd be all too easy to crawl into the bed with her and fuck her until she's screaming in pleasure, but one step at a time. My cock is hard as steel, but I'm a grown fucking man. I can wait.

"Laurie," I start, before I lose my grip on my self-control. "I'm going for a run, okay? I'll see you when I get back."

She pushes herself up, still shaky. "You won't stay?"

"We both need some time, I think." I drag my hand through my hair. "This isn't simple."

"I guess you're right," she says, looking away.

"It doesn't change anything. We'll talk when I get back." I grab my discarded shirt off the floor and tug it on as I head for the door. "Have a good afternoon, baby. I'll see you soon."

"Yeah," Laurie murmurs, still not meeting my gaze. "You too."

I step into the hall, shutting the door behind me. My mind is reeling as I try to make sense of what just happened.

Laurie is a woman I've obsessed over for months, but now, she's also my stepsister. And I just ate her pussy.

The thing is, there is a hell of a lot more I want to do to her. I just have to make sure she's on the same page with me about how messy this can possibly get.

I should have been better, should have resisted more, but now that I've had a taste of Laurie Cartwright, I've fallen right back into full-blown addiction.

5

LAURIE

As soon as Adam closes the bedroom door, I bolt up, grabbing my panties and fleeing to the bathroom. I slam the bathroom door behind me and lean against it, pressing my hands to my cheeks in a vain attempt to cool down.

What is wrong with me?

I glance at my reflection in the mirror, stomach sinking when I see how sexed up I look. My hair’s a little mussed, my cheeks are flushed, and my eyes are bright with…something. Frustration? Embarrassment? Lust? Probably all three.

The muscles in my lower stomach are still jumping from the hard-as-hell orgasm Adam just gave me. But it's not just the orgasm making me spiral, or the way he handled me. It's the look in his eyes. The heat and hunger there wasn't something I imagined. And when he said, "I take care of what is mine.”

Fuck.

That's what made me come. Not just the physical things he did, but the fact that I wanted him to take care of me in every possible way. Even calling him Daddy was hot as hell. He seemed so serious, so totally focused on my pleasure and nothing else.

And then he left. Telling me we both needed time to think. He's not wrong. Things are all tangled up with our situation. My mom, his dad. Ugh. It's all so weird when I think too hard about it.

I jump when my phone buzzes on the bathroom counter, and I lunge for it, desperate for a distraction. It’s a call from Elise, my old friend. I answer immediately, hoping her dramatics will drown out my own inner chaos.

“Laurie!” Elise’s voice is bright and bubbly as always. “I’m throwing a party tonight at the Sullivan house. You have to come.”

The Sullivan house is her parents’ estate, but from the gossip I picked up from my mother, her parents have been spending most of their time in Hawaii these days. "What's the occasion?"

"No occasion! It's summer, and it's Friday. That's reason enough to celebrate."

I bite my lip, hesitating. Adam said we'd talk when he got back. But I can't deny that I'm hurt. He ran off and left me after something so intense. Even if his reason made sense, it still sucks.

I'm taking too long to answer, so Elise continues, “Please tell me you’re not still hiding out in that giant house like some kind of recluse. You need to get out, have some fun. Forget whatever—or whoever—is bugging you.”

“Fine. What’s the dress code?”

“Something fabulous, of course. You’ve got two hours. Be there or be square!”

I hang up and toss my phone onto the counter, staring at myself in the mirror again. Elise is right. I need to get out of this house, away from Adam, away from my stupid, swirling thoughts.

But as I head back into my room to find something to wear, I can’t stop wishing I’d been just a little braver back on the bed. Maybe if I pulled him off the floor so he covered me with his hot, hard body...