Page 59 of Stepbrothers

“In here,” she said, retrieving her keys from her purse. She rammed them into the lock of the door that led up to her flat, jiggled it twice because it often stuck, then pushed it open.

The musty smell of damp hit her, and with it, so did embarrassment.

Maybe Parker will presume it’s the rain.

“Thanks for dinner.” She stepped into the dry to escape the fat falling raindrops.

He crossed the threshold, standing close in the tiny space at the base of the stairs. “It was my pleasure.”

She inhaled his scent and felt small standing next to him. His shoulders were broad, his chest wide. His suit jacket and hair were peppered with rain that sat like tiny jewels.

“Clarice,” he said, cupping her cheeks. He drew his face closer to hers.

“Yes?” She swallowed.

His dark eyes flashed, and he seemed to be trying to see into her soul.

“You have become special to me, to us, so quickly. We could never have predicted this.”

“No…neither could I.”

“Are we special to you?”

“You’re certainly…unique.”

“In a good way?”

She nodded. “Yes.”

He smiled, but it was only brief, because then his mouth touched down on hers. A gentle kiss to start with, but the moment she responded, he upped the intensity.

He slanted his head to deepen the kiss and found her tongue with his.

She clung to his shoulders and closed her eyes. Lost to him. She’d spent all evening gazing at his mouth. Remembering his kiss. Remembering how he’d fucked her. Remembering the taste of his cock.

“Goddamn it, you turn me the hell on,” he murmured. He slid his hands down her body and gripped her ass. He snapped her closer. “I want you.”

Her body hummed with desire. Her pussy clenched, and her nipples poked at her bra. “Upstairs,” she said, pulling back and staring up at him. “Let’s go upstairs.”

“Yes.” His voice was gruff, and he released her to shut the door.

Quickly, she went up the steep set of stairs, for once not caring how worn the faded pink carpet was. Instead, she worried that her flat was in a terrible state, but only for a moment, because then she felt him close behind her and remembered the lust in his eyes.

He wouldn’t notice. What man would?

Once again, she fiddled with a temperamental lock then pushed the door open. But as she did so, movement on the kitchen floor caught her attention. “Oh shit!”

“What is it?” Parker stepped in front of her as though shielding her from imminent danger.

“There’s…” Shock gripped her. “There’s a mouse, over there. Bold as brass.” She gulped and resisted the urge to scramble up high. Its bald tail was long and disgusting. It was staring straight at her with beady black eyes as if she were the intruder.

“Bloody hell,” he muttered.

He stepped forward, and the creature scampered to the right then disappeared beneath the standing oven.

Clarice hugged herself and suppressed a shiver. “I suspected there was a mouse behind there, but that’s the first time I’ve actually seen it.”

“It’s not healthy to have rodents in your home. I’m pretty sure they spread diseases.”

---