“You forgot to leave me a glass slipper last night,” a familiar, deep voice said close to my ear.

  Closing my eyes for a moment, I sighed, then turned to look at Trev Hughes. I’d hoped to avoid him the rest of this weekend. Last night, he’d given me a moment to escape, and I’d taken it. I shouldn’t have, but when I had gotten the chance, I’d bailed. I liked him. He made me laugh. I’d been honest when I told him that I thought we could be good friends. He wasn’t at all what I’d expected after being around his father. In the end, I had known that allowing him to flirt with me was wrong. Our parents were dating. He just didn’t know.

  I turned to study him. Just like last night, I was struck speechless by his shocking gray eyes, outlined in thick black lashes. Ridiculously full lips made me want to touch them and see if they felt as soft as they looked. His black hair was just long enough on top to have a sexy, messy look. Tanned skin—which hinted that he spent more time outdoors than in—a firm jawline, and wide shoulders all created a very nice profile package. He wasn’t in a tux today, but he was still devastatingly beautiful.

  “Waiting on that excuse, Cinderella.”

  “Can I just apologize?” I asked.

  He shrugged with a serious expression. “I don’t know. Might require more than that.”

  Unable to keep the grin from spreading across my face, I took the bait. “What would that be exactly?”

  He cut his gaze from the track to me, and then he winked. “Oh, Gypsi, you shouldn’t give me that kind of power.”

  I laughed.

  “I’ll go easy on you,” he said, leaning down to me, then tapped his cheek with his finger. “One kiss.”

  Putting my lips on him was too tempting. He had no idea what he was asking for. But it was just his cheek. What harm could that do? It wasn’t like I was in Florida. We were miles away. This was safe. There was no danger in my past stalking me here. Besides, he was hard to tell no. I turned toward him, and with the heels on my feet, it just took me lifting up a little to reach him. Closing my eyes, I leaned in to make it quick. I gasped, and my eyes flew open when soft, warm lips met mine. When I moved away from him, his gray eyes locked on mine. I wished he hadn’t done that.

  I watched as he slowly licked his lips, as if savoring the taste. “Damn, that’s sweet. Like a fucking lollipop.”

  This guy. He was too much. I had to keep my head straight. Even if our parents weren’t dating, I was trouble, and he had no idea how much.

  The sound inside the room rose, and people began moving to crowd in behind where we were standing. The intercom system announced the Churchill Downs race. Trev moved in behind me, as if keeping others from getting too close.

  “Do you have a favorite?” he asked.

  Smiling, I knew my answer would throw him. “Shakespeare,” I replied.

  He would think I’d looked him up and I was giving him this answer to flirt. When, in reality, I didn’t know the name of any other horse in this race.

  His lips curled up slowly at the corners in a way that made my stomach flutter. “Did you do some research last night, Lollipop?”

  Lollipop? I wasn’t sure I wanted to be called anything but my name. But then again, Lollipop was nothing like princess. I shivered, remembering things I tried to forget. That was behind me. I would move on and be stronger for it. Shoving those memories as far back in my head as I could, I focused on the here and now.

  “Why would I do that? I was the one who ran off.”

  Keep that ego in check, Trev. I’m not going to stroke it. You’re wasting time with the wrong girl.

  “And I’m still wounded. Another kiss might make it better.”

  I laughed. If only wounding this man’s ego was that easy.

  A loud horn went off, and I turned my attention back to the track. The race had begun. I grabbed the rail in front of me as the energy in the room began to build.

  “Which one is Shakespeare?” I asked, wishing I had paid more attention to Garrett earlier.

  “Did you bet on Shakespeare?”

  If he only knew how ridiculous that question was for someone with my lifestyle. He assumed I had money to bet on horse racing.

  “No,” I replied with a laugh. “I don’t bet. But I do want him to win.”

  “And why is that?” he asked, oozing of swagger that I was sure got him laid easily.

  I shrugged, leaning in to see the horses rounding a corner.

  “That one.” He pointed, caging me in with his body as he leaned over me. “The one in the lead.”

  “Maybe I should have bet,” I teased.

  The speaker’s voice caught my attention. “And it is going to be Shakespeare to win.”

  The cheers went up inside the mansion, and I clapped my hands, then turned to hug Trev, caught up in the moment.

  “If I kiss you, will I get slapped?” he asked.

  I moved back away from him, but he didn’t take his hand from my waist.

  “Most likely,” I replied but smiled to soften the warning.

  He sighed with a look of mock defeat. “You going to tell me why you wanted Shakespeare to win?”

  “Why? Did you want another horse to win?” I asked.

  He smirked and studied me for a moment. “Come on, Lollipop. Let’s go down to the winner’s circle.”

  Part of me wasn’t ready for him to know who I was. Having him flirt with me felt nice. Mom and I always traveled so much that it wasn’t until this past year that I’d had a real relationship with a guy. One that lasted six months. Pushing thoughts of Tyde out of my head before I went to that dark place, I focused on Trev and what had to be done. We could be friends, but even with that, I’d have to be careful. For all our sakes.

  Three

  Trev

  Damn, she even smelled good. I leaned down a little closer and inhaled. I swore it was like a cupcake—or was it vanilla and lavender? Whatever it was, I liked it. I wanted more of it. She could pretend she hadn’t gone back to her hotel and googled me last night, but she’d given herself away with the fact that she knew Shakespeare was a Hughes horse. Maybe whoever she was here with had told her.

  And who was that exactly? She’d run off before I figured out what man had brought her. He’d better be some fucking old dude. Both times I’d found her, she’d been alone and completely secure with that. Another thing I liked about her. She didn’t need people around her. She was fine with being alone. There was something badass about it that turned me on.

  My dad was already at the winner’s circle with some new blonde I hadn’t met. I’d seen her on his arm last night. He’d mentioned a new girlfriend and wanting the family to meet her. Guessed this was going to be our meeting. He’d brought her to Kentucky. She must have come on a different plane. She hadn’t been on ours. Had he let her fly commercial? I found that unlikely. It was getting serious if he was introducing her to us, which meant she had probably gotten here on the smaller private jet. I might be getting a new mom soon. It had been a while. I guessed it was about time.

  “Trev.” Gypsi said my name so softly.

  I dropped my gaze to her upturned face. “Yeah, Lollipop?” I asked, suddenly distracted by her biting her bottom lip. I wanted to bite it. Lick it. Suck on it. Like the damn lollipop I knew she tasted like.

  “I need to tell you something.” She was looking at me almost apologetically. “I should have told you earlier.”

  I didn’t like where this was going. Especially with that look on her face.

  “Yeah?”

  Please don’t let her be fucking married or some shit like that. Let this be one of those stalker things. Like she knew who I was and had set this all up. I’d be okay with it. She could stalk me all she wanted. I’d let her stalk me right into my bed.

  She opened those sweet pink lips again.

  “Gypsi!” a female voice called.

  She winced and whispered, “I’m sorry.”

  I didn’t like those words. Something was about to fucking blow up in my face. I could feel it. Which sucked. I liked her. I wanted this one. Well, I wanted to fuck her. Several times. In many different ways.

  “Son,” my father’s deep voice said, “I see you’ve met Gypsi.”

  My eyes stayed locked on Gypsi as she gave me a tight smile. What was going on? She knew my dad. I was almost afraid to take my eyes off her. Last time I had done that, she’d fucking disappeared.

  “Did you see the race? I wish you’d come down here with us. It was incredible!”

  I turned then to see who was talking. Pausing, I stared at my dad, then at the woman on his arm. The woman he was holding close to his side. Possessively. I glanced back at Gypsi, then at the woman, and I saw it then. The resemblance. It was impossible not to notice.

  Well, damn. My dad was dating her sister.

  That had to be it. They looked too much alike. Gypsi was by far the better-looking one, but they were definitely sisters. What did this mean exactly? Was it weird? I mean, they were sisters. It wasn’t like she and I were related. Fuck, I needed a moment to work through this.

  “I did,” Gypsi replied in a soft voice.

  “Fawn, this is my youngest son, Trev,” my father said. “Trev, this is Fawn Parker.”

  I managed a nod, wanting to get the introductions over with so that I could get back to discussing this with Gypsi. Was this why she’d said we were going to be good friends? She’d known who I was, obviously. The good friends thing was still bullshit. This didn’t mean we couldn’t fuck. Sure, when Dad moved on—and he would—it would be fine. I wasn’t looking for a relationship. More like a hot fling with sex. Lots of sex. In many different positions. The things I wanted to do to this girl.

  “It’s nice to meet you, Trev. Where did you find Gypsi?” Fawn asked.

  I gave her my Hughes charm and smiled. Didn’t need her to know I was mentally fucking her little sister. I needed this woman to like me. Which was a first. I typically didn’t give a shit if Dad’s women liked me. “Uh, yeah, well, we met last night. But”—I glanced at her, not sure if she wanted them to know she’d kept who she was a secret, feeling the need to protect her—“we didn’t realize the connection until today. I saw her up in the mansion.”

  Dad seemed pleased. “Now that you’ve met, why don’t you show her around? Introduce her to people. This is their first derby. I’m sure she’d like to be around some people her own age.”

  I nodded. Thank you, Dad. I never thought I’d feel like I owed him one. This was a unique experience. It made up for the fact that I’d lost her last night so that I could go handle an issue with security.

  “Her hotel suite is on the opposite side of the hall as yours. In case we get separated at the end and she needs a way back, make sure you get her there,” he told me.

  She had been so close to me last night? What the hell?!

  I managed to keep a casual expression on my face. “Yeah, sure. I’ll take care of her.” In many, many ways before this night ends, if I’m lucky.

  Fawn’s gaze was on Gypsi’s. I could see the silent question in her eyes. I looked down at Gypsi just in time to see her give a small nod. The fucking smile that broke across my face was hard to control. Gypsi had just given me the nod. Hell yeah.

  “There’re the Houstons. I want to introduce you to Melanie. You’ll like her,” Dad told Fawn and then led her away.

  I turned to face Gypsi and raised an eyebrow in question. “You knew all along,” I accused her.

  She pressed her lips together and looked truly sorry. Maybe I could play off her guilt, and it would help with getting my mouth between her legs later.

  “I should have told you. I was about to, but then they showed up.”

  “When you ran off from me last night, did you know I was across the hall from you?”

  She shook her head, eyes wide. “I had no idea, I swear.”

  The fact that we had wasted a night already bugged me. We’d need to make up for it tonight. After I worked my magic. Still pulling the guilt angle, I let my appreciative gaze travel down her body. All the way to the strappy heels on her small feet.

  “The man who bought your clothes was my dad.”

  I liked that. I could live with it. Hughes money had dressed her. Yeah, I fucking liked that a lot. But it did make me wonder why he had bought their clothing. He typically bought the women he dated jewelry, took them to exotic locations. He didn’t normally hand over the Black Amex until he got engaged to one. Then, she would fill her closet on his dime. Yet Dad had already dressed this one and her sister. Not that this mattered to me. It was just different.

  She nodded.

  The smile that stretched across my face was inevitable. Pretending like I was upset with her was pointless. I wanted her naked and in my bed—or any bed, or a sofa, or a fucking floor. Maybe a table. The wall or the shower.

  “Since I’m in charge of showing you around and taking care of you …” My added emphasis wasn’t missed on her.

  She rolled her eyes.

  “I thought for sure you’d stop the flirting once you knew,” she said.

  Was she crazy? It would take a hell of a lot more for me to give up my plan to get her naked.

  “Lollipop”—I reached for her waist and pulled her closer to me, and her eyes went wide as she looked up at me—“it would take a lot more than the fact that my dad is dating your sister to stop me from convincing you to let me have those sweet lips.”

  There was a flicker in her eyes that bothered me. It wasn’t what I had been trying for here with this pull her close and talk smooth thing I was laying on thick.

  She gave me a serious look. Not what I wanted to see. “Fawn isn’t my sister, Trev.”

  I frowned. Okay … so I was confused. They looked too much alike. As if Gypsi was a younger version of the other woman. I shook my head, not sure if anything else made sense in this situation.

  “She’s my mom.”

  I stood there as those words sank in. Mom? How the hell did her mom look like she was thirty years old? How old was Gypsi? Fuck! Had I been hitting on a minor?

  I stared at her, waiting for her to laugh and tell me she was joking. She didn’t.

  I dropped my hands and took a step back, needing to get enough distance that her scent didn’t cling to me. Driving me insane. “How old are you?” I asked, feeling like I’d been fucking kicked.

  She blushed slightly. “I’ll be twenty in a few months,” she said softly. “My mom had me when she was seventeen.”

  Not a minor. She sure as hell didn’t look like one. Thank fuck I didn’t have that standing in my way. But our parents were dating … and Dad had dressed them. That was serious. He might be keeping this one.

  What did this mean for my future chance of getting between those mouthwatering legs?

  Jesus Christ, I needed a drink. No, I needed the whole damn bottle.

  I wanted her. Any man who laid eyes on her would want her. But leave it to my dad to make this fucked up. Screwing up my life every chance he got. Because as hot as she was, fucking someone who could be my future stepsister was too twisted of a situation. You couldn’t have a fling with someone who might move into your house. When it was over they didn’t go away. And the way Dad had been looking at her mom … FUCK!

  Four

  Gypsi

  I had to give it to him. Trev sure could switch roles on a dime. It had taken him a moment to process things, and then a smile returned to his face, and he began introducing me to people. Acting like we were the friends I’d said we would be. What I hadn’t bargained on was the loss I felt. It stung a little. I should be relieved. He wasn’t making this weird. This was all my fault anyway. I should have told him the moment he introduced himself last night. Enjoying his flirting and letting my own imagination think about things that could not happen—it was stupid.

  After introducing me to Saxon Houston, his best friend, he excused himself to go speak to someone he had seen in the distance. I watched him walk away as if he couldn’t get away from me fast enough. Which, again, my fault.

  “He might be gone for a few,” Saxon told me.

  I turned my attention back to the guy he’d dropped me on and dashed.

  “Hughes Farm doesn’t have a horse in the next race, but Moses Mile, my family’s stables, does. Come on up close with me and watch. I can give you some Horse Racing 101.”

  That sounded like a great distraction. Sax held out his hand for me to take, and I slipped mine in his as I stood up from the cushioned sofa I’d been left sitting on.

  “Want another drink?” he asked me as he reached for the empty mint julep glass in my hand.

  I shook my head. “No thank you,” I replied.

  For a guy who had just been left with a strange girl to entertain, he was being nice about it.

  Saxon took the glass and put it on a tray. “Let me know if you change your mind.”

  “Thank you.”

  He gave me a smile that caused dimples to appear. I hadn’t expected those. His strong jawline and the scar on his left cheek made him appear more rugged. The dimples seemed to wipe that away completely. As did his warm brown eyes. Saxon wasn’t Trev level of hot, but he was attractive. At least with him, I wasn’t entertaining perverse thoughts.

  “Rig is running in this next race. I’ll point him out as soon as they’re let loose,” he told me.

  “How many races do you have horses in today?” I asked him.

  “We had one earlier, and we have two more after this one, but one of those isn’t our horse. It’s a horse we board. We don’t have a horse in the Kentucky Derby race. We had hoped Lava Run would get a spot, but he didn’t. Hughes Farm has Cohiba racing in it though. He’ll be hard to beat.”