“So?” I repeat. “They’re getting married. Husband and wife. Stepmother and stepfather. Which would make us…”

  I don’t say it.

  I’m not sure I even can.

  “Step—”

  “No,” I say, not wanting to hear him say it, either. “Don’t say it. Please don’t say it. It’s just so…”

  He smirks. “Hot?”

  I grimace. “No! Wrong! It’s wrong!”

  “You know, for some people, that’s kind of the appeal,” he jokes.

  “This isn’t funny, Riley.”

  “Oh, come on. It’s a little funny.”

  “No, it’s not.” I cross my arms, giving the neighbor’s houses a quick look to make sure no one’s watching. “This is the worst thing that’s ever happened to me.”

  “You’ve lived a very fortunate life if that’s true,” he says. “This isn’t that bad, Tish.”

  “Well, it feels not good. It’s… it’s not fair.”

  “I know.”

  “We just met. And last night was...” I pause, truly unable to find a word that covers it. “I really wanted to see you again.”

  Riley pauses. “We still can.”

  “No, we can’t.”

  “So, our parents are getting hitched.” He shrugs. “It has nothing to do with us. It’s not like we grew up together. We met as adults, just like they did.”

  “It’s not that simple,” I say. “You don’t understand.”

  “Make me understand, then.”

  “My mother raised me all by herself,” I say with a sigh. “She came here to Small Town with nothing but a beat-up old car and a bassinet. She was sixteen years old. For as long as I can remember, she’s always put me first. She’s worked so hard, sacrificed so much to give me a good life. And now? Now that she’s finally done something just for her...” I shake my head. “This is her chance to have the family she’s always wanted. So, I’m sorry, Riley, but I can’t take it away from her.”

  Riley nods slowly, every word carrying a heavy weight on his shoulders, too. “So, you want to go get that drink now?” he asks again.

  “Yes,” I answer, exhaling hard.

  9

  RILEY

  Well, this sucks.

  I expected tonight to play out differently. I thought dinner would be awkward, which... it was. But not you-just-slept-with-your-new-stepsister awkward.

  Married, Dad? Really?

  As much as I’ll probably dwell on that later, I throw my focus toward the pretty girl sitting across from me now.

  Tish Travis.

  I’ve been looking forward to this since I kissed her goodbye this morning. And I had plans. We’d share a drink. Get a little flirty. Maybe a little handsy. Then, downstairs we’d go again, and we’d continue where we left off.

  Now... well...

  My plans haven’t exactly changed.

  Tish, however.

  She’s not gazing at me across the table, her pretty eyes bright with booze. She’s sitting back, her drink barely touched, her arms crossed defensively. Eye contact comes sparingly. A wrinkle has formed between her eyebrows.

  “Tish,” I say, my voice soft beneath the hum of the surrounding crowd.

  She glances over at me. For the slightest of moments, the girl I met last night looks back at me, but then she’s gone again. “Huh?” she asks. “Sorry, I’m just...”

  “Shocked?”

  “Yeah,” she says, the word a squeak in her throat. “Sort of. Should we tell them?”

  “Tell who?”

  “Our parents.”

  “About what?”

  “About…”

  “Last night?” I ask.

  She nods.

  “No.” I shrug. “Why would we?”

  “I don’t know.” She leans forward, collapsing her elbows onto the table. “Shit, I don’t know what I’m thinking. Ignore me.”

  I smile. As if I could. As if anyone could look away from a girl as beautiful as she is. Especially after they’ve heard her sing. Heard her laugh. After they’ve tasted her.

  “Tish,” I say. “Look at me.”

  She tilts up, but keeps the bottom half of her face obscured behind her hands.

  “It’s going to be okay,” I say. “You know that, right?”

  That adorable wrinkle forms once again between her brows. “Is it?” she asks.

  I nod. “We had sex last night.”

  She jolts in her seat, her eyes darting for eavesdroppers. “Riley,” she scolds.

  “It was hot, incredible sex between two consenting adults,” I continue. “Nothing to be ashamed of.”

  “I’m not ashamed.”

  “We didn’t know. How could we have known? They chose to not tell us until now. So, really, this is their fault.”

  She snorts, showing that cute smile.

  I lean forward, wanting it to stay a little longer. “You’re well within your rights to freak out,” I say. “I am, too. Believe me, I am. But it doesn’t change how I feel about you.”

  Tish lowers her hands. “It doesn’t?”

  I shake my head. “Look, if you want me to, I’ll back off. I’ll move on. But I told you this morning that I wanted to see you again, and I meant it. I still do.”

  She briefly closes her eyes, her shoulders sinking a bit. “I hate this,” she whispers.

  “So do I.”

  “It’s stupid that I even feel this way. It was just a one-night stand, for god’s sake. I barely even know you!”

  “You know plenty.”

  “I didn’t even know your real name last night.”

  “My name is Riley,” I say.

  “Your name is Richard,” she says.

  “My dad’s sex trophy is named Richard. My name is Riley. I’ve never gone by Richard in my life.”

  “Okay, your name is Riley,” she says. “You’re a bartender. You play guitar. You grew up in Pleasant Place.”

  “See? You know a lot.”

  “That’s nothing.”

  “Well, what else do you want to know?” I ask. “Ask me anything.”

  Tish eyes me as she sits back, her arms crossing over her chest. “Why did you drop out of school?” she asks.

  “Hated it,” I answer.

  “What’d you hate about it?”

  “Everything.”

  She cants her head.

  “Everything,” I repeat. “The classes were bullshit. The other students were assholes. I was only there because my father wanted me there and I wasn’t about to torture myself to make him happy, so I left.”

  “What’s your mother think?”

  “She’s dead.”

  Tish blinks. “Oh.”

  “It happened a long time ago,” I add as her face fills with sympathy. “Don’t sweat it.”

  It takes a moment for the pain to leave her eyes. When it does, she nods and takes a sip from her drink. “What’s your dad do?” she asks.

  “I told you. He writes code for some software company.”

  “Why did he need a decorator? My mother said he was a client of hers. She’s an interior designer. So, why did he need a decorator?”

  I think a moment. “His company just moved offices,” I consider. “Maybe they hired her to spruce the place up. I don’t know. Ask him.”

  Tish stares at me again, her pretty blue eyes soft with more questions. “What did you and your father say when we left the room earlier?” she asks.

  I shrug. “He asked what I thought. I told him it wasn’t any of my business what he does.”

  Tish cracks a smile. “Damn.”

  “What?”

  “It’s just… your relationship with your dad seems way different from mine with my mother.”

  “We weren’t always like this,” I say, staring at the table between us. “Some families just aren’t meant to stay together forever.”

  She lets that sit for a second, then her head tilts slightly. “What do you think?” she asks. “About the wedding, I mean.”

  I pause, letting my answer pass through a filter or two before reaching my throat. “I think it really fucking sucks,” I answer.

  “Yeah.” Tish nods. “So do I.”

  A silence drifts between us, broken only by the various sounds throughout the bar. Other people laughing. The old jukebox. The crash of billiard balls slamming against each other.

  As I reach for my glass, Tish snatches her off the table, too. She tosses the rest of her drink back in a single gulp and slams the empty glass back on the table.

  “You’re right,” she says. “This really fucking sucks.”

  “Yeah, it does,” I say.

  “And yeah!” Her voice rises suddenly. “It’s their fault!”

  I pound the table once with my fist. “That’s right!”

  “A little warning would have been nice.”

  “Very nice.”

  “I mean, if I had known we’d only have one night, I’d have...”

  Her mouth closes fast, and she sits back in her chair.

  “You would have what?” I ask, desperate to hear the rest of it.

  She hesitates, a touch of blush filling her cheeks. “Nothing,” she says.

  I smile. “If I had known we only had one night,” I say, “I would have done a whole lot more.”

  A roar of laughter across the bar makes Tish flinch. She shakes it off, then her eyes drift back to me. “Me, too,” she says, barely above a whisper.

  “Yeah?”

  “Well, yeah. I mean…” She shrugs noncommittally. “If you know you’re only going to be at the Kiss County Fair for a single night, you’re gonna make an effort to go on all the rides, right?”

  “Right.”

  “So, you know…” She presses her lips together. “If we had known, then obviously we’d have spent more time in certain areas of the park.”

  “What are we talking about here?” I joke. “The Carousel or the Tilt-A-Whirl?”

  “Bumper cars,” she says, smirking. “The kind without seat belts.”

  “Nice.”

  “Not that it matters.” She sits back, looks down. “We just had one night.”

  “Did we?” I ask, these words slipping right through all my filters.

  “Yes,” Tish says. “Our parents are getting married, Riley.”

  “Not yet. We still have two days to get this out of our systems before forever holding our peace.”

  She frowns, but it softens quickly. “You’re not serious.”

  “Oh, I am.”

  “We shouldn’t,” she says, fiddling with her empty glass. “I mean, what if we do this again and…”

  She goes quiet, but I know what she was about to say.

  What if we do this again and… it’s still not enough?

  I extend a hand across the table. I rest it on her wrist, her fingers stiff against her glass. “I think it’s worth a try,” I say, my fingertips sparking from the contact, from the undeniable connection we share. “Don’t you?”

  Tish doesn’t move. Only her chest rises and falls, her eyes locked on our hands. Moments pass by in a blur; people around us talking and laughing and fading by.

  Just as I’m about to admit defeat and pull my hand back, Tish nods.

  “Okay,” she says.

  My fingers flinch. “Okay?”

  She pushes the empty glass away. “Okay,” she says, her eyes full of resolve. “Let’s do it. Let’s get this out of our systems.”

  Oh, damn.

  I move to stand and get the hell out of here immediately. “All right,” I say. “Let’s go.”

  “But...” Tish says, stopping me. “We have to agree — right now — that no matter what happens, it’s just tonight.” She locks eyes with me, staring hard. “When morning comes, we’re...”

  “Family.”

  I expect a grimace of some sort, but she nods. “Yes,” she says. “We’re family.”

  I nod as well, fully in agreement. In theory, anyway.

  Who knows how I’ll really feel in the morning?

  Tonight, I just want her.

  10

  RILEY

  Last night, Tish tasted of sin and sour mix.

  Tonight, she tastes mostly the same... just with a lot more sin.

  There ain’t nothing like the forbidden girl.

  Each kiss is deeper than the last. Each touch blazes with a fire that wasn’t there before. The heat of the night before still vibrates between us, and I’ve no doubt that we’ll still be able to feel tonight’s heat tomorrow morning.

  “Riley,” Tish says, the softest of whispers temporarily silenced by her trembling hand pushed against her mouth. “Keep going...”

  As if I’d ever stop.

  But I do as she begs, leaving the slow trail of kisses down her body as I go. Naked and quivering on my bed, Tish combs her fingers through my hair, her nails rolling along my scalp, urging me further downward. I lick her skin, knowing that it’ll be the last chance I have to taste her in this way.

  I take my time, wanting to commit it to memory. Every whimper and gasp, every blissful moan on her tongue.

  “Riley!” she whispers sharply the moment I roll my tongue over her clitoris, wet and throbbing. “Oh, god...”

  I suck harder, flick faster, enjoying the view. Her back arches as her entire body shakes. Her breasts heave, her nipples carved into sharp points.

  Fuck, she’s gorgeous.

  The most gorgeous woman I’ve ever had in my bed, that’s for sure.

  “Tish,” I say, tasting her name as I plunge my tongue deeper into her sweet cunt. “I need you.”

  “Yes,” she says, an aching gasp.

  I shift her legs off my shoulders as I move onto my knees. Grabbing her by the waist, I pull her closer, my erection resting against her mound. Not wanting to risk any further family drama by knocking her up, I grab the condom waiting for us on the bed and quickly put it on.

  “Riley,” Tish whimpers, her legs spread open wide, her nether lips glistening wet. “I need you, too.”

  I don’t need to be told twice. I push my cock into her, enjoying the way her inner walls instantly tighten around my shaft. I groan at the squeezing warmth, the temptation to spill already taking hold. But I’m not about to end this night so quickly.

  I want to hear her moan for as long as possible.

  I fuck her slowly, deeply, my fingers digging into her hips as I thrust. She reaches down to touch my hands, holding on, her knees rising to hook over my shoulders.

  “Yes,” she whispers, her mouth fallen open. “Yes, fuck, don’t stop...”

  With my cock buried deep, I drag a hand along her belly, pushing my thumb down to rest on her clit. She instantly shudders, her abs flexing, her toes curling next to my ears. A jumble of slurred words pours off her mouth, and I chuckle, somehow still able to translate it.

  Harder.

  Faster.

  Deeper.

  More.

  I give her what she wants, focusing on her pleasure over my own. She rewards me with a full-body smile, her delicious, tight pussy pulsing along my shaft as I fuck her, the bed rhythmically hitting the wall. I doubt anyone upstairs can hear that; not that I would care even if they did.

  I don’t care who knows she’s down here.

  I don’t care about our parents or their silly little wedding.

  I saw her before I even knew about them.

  And I don’t want to give her up.

  “Ri—”

  The name breaks on her lips. Her body curls from head-to-toe as the orgasm rips through her. I thrust in deep and hold it there, needing to feel the tight, wet rush of heat along my cock.

  “Fuck,” I breathe, the feeling almost too much. “You are so...”

  Beautiful.

  Perfect.

  Words can’t describe her, so I let it linger, the words lost beneath her quivering mewl.

  “Riley,” she says once she’s caught her breath, her hands reach out to touch my abs. “Don’t stop...”

  I chuckle. “You can hardly even move,” I say playfully.

  She hums playfully, licking her lips. “Don’t gotta,” she simply says, her hands tapping against my abs as if to draw me closer.

  I lean down, my cock still buried deep. I give her a kiss on the mouth, her lips warm and pliable. “Think you can handle being on your hands and knees?” I ask.

  Tish’s eyes flutter open, and she smiles. “Maybe,” she teases. “Why do you ask?”

  “You know damn well why,” I say, kissing her hard. “Flip over. Show me that ass.”

  Tish kisses me back, her tongue searching for mine. I offer it happily and we neck for a little longer, her body still quivering from climax. Then she lowers her legs and I shift back, letting her turn over onto her hands and knees before me.

  Oh, Christ...

  This woman will be the end of me, for sure.

  Looking down at her perfect heart-shaped ass, I run my hand along her spine before gripping my cock and guiding it home again. So deep, so tight. A simple thrust and I know I won’t last much longer.

  With hands on her hips, I fuck her steadily, quickly, the sound of my body clapping against hers echoing all around us, adding to the rough smack of the bed against the wall. A third sound grows; the sound of Tish breathing hard, each exhale dripping with a delicious moan. I grunt and groan in response, my balls tight from pleasure, from the need to come. A need I can no longer fight against.

  Giving one last hard thrust, I come hard, staying deep. My entire body flexes, my fingers digging into the flesh of her hips hard enough to leave bruises. Tish doesn’t seem to mind, though. She purrs with delight, her inner muscles so tight around me she can surely feel every throbbing spill inside the condom.

  Fuck the damned condom. What I wouldn’t give to feel her raw, to fill her and claim her as mine.

  Leaning down, I kiss her along her spine. I touch her curves, loving every trembling inch of her body in front of me, a body she so willingly gave to me again, for the last time.

  I frown at that thought, but I stay close to her as she gently rolls onto her side, needing a break. I collapse beside her as well, my arms curling around her, pulling her close so I can kiss every inch of her skin within reach.

  After a minute, she laughs.

  “What?” I ask.