He unwrapped a condom and looked into my eyes as he put it on. I reached up to run my hand against his length, and he caressed my legs—slowly spreading them apart.

  Sliding his hands between my thighs, he aligned the tip of his cock with my pussy.

  “Grab the headboard,” he whispered.

  “Now?”

  “Right now.”

  I raised my hands above my head and gripped the metal frame behind me.

  He smiled and leaned over me, trailing long, wet kisses against my neck and my breasts—swirling his tongue against each of my nipples.

  Positioning himself over me, he kept his eyes on mine. Then he slowly entered me inch by inch.

  “Ahhhh, Corey...” I cried out at the unfamiliar pain, gripping onto the headboard as he buried himself even deeper.

  Stopping when he was halfway inside of me, he whispered. “Do you want me to stop?”

  I shook my head.

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes...”

  He stopped anyway and pulled out of me, completely catching me off-guard.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Making this better for you,” he said, smiling. “We’re going to do this another way.” He stood up, and then he slid his hands under my legs—pulling me to the edge of the bed.

  He lifted my right leg around his waist, and then he entered me again—much slower this time, and the slight pain of him filling me was laced with a side of pleasure I’d never felt before.

  When he was completely inside of me, he whispered, “Wrap your other leg around me.”

  I obliged, and seconds later he lifted me up and carried me to the couch. Keeping me still on his cock, he sat down and gripped my hips, slowly rocking me against him.

  “Is this better?” He kissed me.

  “Yes...”

  He sucked my nipple into his mouth and groaned before returning his mouth to mine. He kept me locked in his arms for what felt forever—moving me back and forth against him, torturing me with his kisses, until he reached his own release.

  Ending our kiss, he whispered to ask if I was okay.

  I couldn’t answer yet.

  “Hayley?” he said my name again.

  “Yeah?” I looked at him.

  “Are you okay?”

  I nodded. “Can I say something right now?”

  He smiled. “You’re going to do it whether I say yes or no.”

  “I always wanted my first to be you.”

  COREY: TODAY

  (Present Day)

  Anchorage, Alaska

  I KISSED HAYLEY’S LIPS as she rolled over in bed, looking completely exhausted from her second orgasm. I stared at her as she slept in our cabin, feeling part guilty for lying to Jonathan about where I was this weekend and part stunned by how addictive sex with her was.

  We’d only managed to visit three out of the twenty coffee shops on my list because she’d slipped her hands down my pants in the middle of a coffee roasting demonstration and I’d immediately brought her back to the room.

  We hadn’t left since.

  “Corey?” She stirred, struggling to open her eyes.

  “Yes, Hayley?”

  “I’m glad you were my first.”

  “You told me that on the plane.” I kissed her lips.

  “I always wanted it to be you. And I—” Her voice trailed off, and I smiled.

  She’d said those lines numerous times tonight, and I was now convinced she was simply talking in her sleep.

  Tucking her under a blanket, I got up from the bed and walked into the cabin’s living room. I took a seat near the fireplace and picked up my phone—pulling up an email I’d avoided all week.

  SUBJECT: YOUR PARENTS. Please see attached. (Send check digitally)

  WHY COULDN’T THEY COMMIT a felony this time?

  I signed my name on another digital check for the Youngstown, Ohio Police Department, shaking my head at the recent charges. Weeks after I’d bailed them out of the public urination and criminal recklessness charges, another casino sent footage of them stealing petty cash from a gift shop.

  Their total take was ninety–seven dollars and five cents, far less than the two thousand I was being asked to pay to restore the cash register and keep their records clean. Far more than what I was willing to give after today since they continued to do this to themselves.

  I made sure the amount on the check was written properly and sent it to the police department’s bank with my phone. Then I left the chief a voicemail before sending him an email.

  SUBJECT: THE WALTERS.

  Chief Tomlin,

  I’ve sent the funds to your department’s account regarding the most recent matter. If another matter like this should occur within the next six months, please book them into your facilities and make notes of it on their records.

  I’m done.

  Corey Walters

  Chief of Cybersecurity

  Cyber Security, Data Protection, & Trusts

  “COREY?” HAYLEY STEPPED into the room, wrapped in a blanket.

  “Yes, Hayley?”

  “Who were you talking to?”

  “Ohio police. It was about my parents.”

  “Oh.” She walked over to me and sat in my lap. “You still talk to them?”

  “Only when necessary,” I said dryly. “Birthdays, holidays, and whenever they ask me to bail them out of jail. But after today, it’ll just be birthdays and holidays.”

  “Do you think you’ll ever forgive them for how they treated you?”

  “I have forgiven them for that.” I held her close. “It’s how they’re treating themselves that I have yet to get over.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “It means that hurt people are in so much denial about their own pain, that they can never see how they’ve fucked up everyone else around them.” He looked at me. “You don’t have to forgive your mom until you’re ready. You know that, right?”

  She nodded. “I know.”

  “And you don’t have to cut up the flowers every time she sends them to you, either.” I ran my fingers through her hair. “It hurts you to do that, and you know it.”

  “It does.” She let out a breath. “I’ll stop, but that doesn’t mean I’m giving her a chance.”

  “Take as long as you need.”

  She clasped my hand and looked at me. “Can you do me a favor since today will be our last official day here?”

  “Depends on what it is.”

  She smiled. “Can you look at the past business plans for my café, and compare them to the shops here to help me see where I went wrong?”

  “Only if you agree that you won’t distract me with your addictive sex until I’m finished looking at everything.”

  She blushed. “I can’t promise that.”

  “Then how about we fuck now and do the work later?”

  She practically jumped out of my lap and led me back to the bedroom.

  COREY: TODAY

  (Present Day)

  San Francisco, California

  One week later...

  “TO MY BEST FRIEND, my best man, and the only man I’ve ever met who values honesty as much as I do.” Jonathan raised a glass into the air and smiled at me. “How’s that for my speech?”

  “You don’t have to give a speech at my awards ceremony, Jonathan.” I smiled as I shut the door to my office. “You’re just there as a guest in my honor.”

  “Oh.” He laughed and set the glass down on my desk. “Well, congratulations on being named San Francisco’s Top Tech Man of the Year for the sixth year in a row. How does it feel?”

  “Worthless.”

  “Ah.” He smiled at me. “You know what that means, don’t you?”

  “That they need to start giving this award to someone else?”

  “No.” He laughed. “It means you’ve accomplished most of what you’ll ever accomplish in life. Now it’s time to share it with someone. Maybe you should stop messing around and start seeing someone seriously.”

  “I am seeing someone seriously.”

  “Right.” He rolled his eyes. “Who?”

  Your sister. I cleared my throat before answering. “We’re still in the so-called beginning stages. If we get serious, I’ll introduce you two to each other.”

  “Fair enough.” He held up his hands in surrender. “Well, I was just stopping by to tell you congratulations on the award. Should I ask for a favor I need now or after you get back from lunch?”

  “Never would be better.”

  “So, I should go for now?”

  “Sure, Jonathan.” I laughed. “Go for now.”

  “I think Hayley is dating someone,” he said, his tone completely darker than it was before. “Actually, I know she’s dating someone.”

  Guilt rose up in my throat, and I tried to keep my voice calm. “Does that bother you?”

  “Yes and no.”

  I poured a glass of water and avoided looking at him. “How so?”

  “On the one hand, Hayley is still gullible,” he said. “She’s a hopeless romantic, and I don’t want her to get hurt. I know it’s inevitable down the line, but she needs to focus on herself right now. She’s a terrible ass employee, so the quicker she can earn enough to go back to chasing her own dreams, the better.”

  “And on the no hand?”

  “If the guy is decent, which I’m pretty sure he isn’t since she’s hiding this from me—” His voice trailed off, and he clenched his jaw. “So, I guess it’s a yes. Yes, her dating someone I haven’t vetted does bother me. So, can you do me a favor?”

  “Already done. Yes, murder is a crime and even you, Jonathan Statham would go to prison for it.”

  “Funny.” He laughed. “Can you just figure out who the guy is and get back to me about it?”

  “You want me to spy on Hayley?”

  “You’ve never had a problem doing it before.”

  I rolled my eyes. “That was different. You were trying to figure out what to get her for Christmas, and I already told you her recent reasons for requesting all those off-days was because she really wasn’t feeling well.”

  “So, do I need to get someone else in your department to do this?”

  “No.” I couldn’t risk that at all. “I’ll get on it and let you know as soon as I find out.”

  “Great.” He headed for the door.

  “That’s the real reason you came down here, isn’t it? I asked. “It wasn’t about the award?”

  “It was both.” He looked genuine. “Unless you want me to invite you to join Claire and I for a boat ride this afternoon.”

  “Never. No offense.”

  “None taken.” He smiled as he left my office, and I swallowed a growing lump of guilt.

  HAYLEY: TODAY

  (Present Day)

  San Francisco, California

  DRAFTED MESSAGE: You looked sexy as hell at the San Francisco’s Top Tech Man of the Year Awards last night. I got wet watching :-)

  DRAFTED MESSAGE: I really love the pink flowers you sent to my office today, as well as the other flowers every day this week. Signing them “Your Chum” is a very nice, secret touch...

  DRAFTED MESSAGE: You probably don't remember me saying this, but I’m pretty sure that you were my first kiss. Did you know that?

  DRAFTED MESSAGE: I hate that my brother is starting to walk into my office a lot more often to catch who I’m talking to, and I’m glad he never suspects anything when it’s you :-)

  DRAFTED MESSAGE: I know I just left your place hours ago and we had sex all morning, but I still want more.

  SENT MESSAGE: Can you come over right now?

  HAYLEY: TODAY

  (Present Day)

  San Francisco, California

  ANGELA MET ME AT THE elevator early one morning and grabbed my hand, pulling me into an empty hallway.

  “Where the hell have you been?” she asked.

  “What do you mean?”

  “You missed the stockholder’s meeting yesterday.” She shook her head. “That’s the most important meeting we have every quarter, and your absence was noticeable.”

  “I’m sorry,” I said. “I guess I must have lost track of my time this weekend.”

  Images of Corey bending me over my office couch and making me beg him for more suddenly crossed my mind. Do you want me to fuck you harder? Say it...

  “This weekend?” She looked at me in utter disbelief. “Hayley, today is Thursday. Yesterday was Wednesday.”

  “And the day before that was Tuesday.” I smiled. “At least I showed up for my presentation this morning, right? Everyone clapped.”

  “Everyone always claps.” She rolled her eyes. “Anyway, your ‘losing track of time’ for the weekend excuse won’t work, and Mr. Statham is very angry with you. So, I’m just being a good coworker and letting you know that he’s been seething all week.”

  “On a scale of one to ten, what is he right now?”

  “About a fifty.”

  Fifty? I swallowed. My brother’s wrath was like no other, and I couldn’t believe that I’d been so caught up in Corey that I’d lost track of that many days.

  “He didn’t seem that upset during my presentation this morning.” I paused, looking back on the way he’d eyed me the entire time. “Oh, no. Wait, the person he was glaring at the whole time was me. Wasn’t it?”

  She nodded and handed me a cup of coffee. “He told me to send you straight to his office when you arrived. Good luck.”

  I sighed and made my way to his office, knocking on his door. “Mr. Statham?”

  “Come in, Hayley,” he said, his voice tight.

  I took a deep breath before stepping into his office. I smiled at him once his eyes met mine, but he didn’t smile back.

  “Have a seat.”

  “I think I’d be better off standing.”

  “Sit. Down. Hayley.”

  I immediately plopped down in the chair in front of his desk.

  He tapped his fingers against the wood and glared at me, slowly shaking his head. Then he let out a breath. “First, let me say, that I never thought you would be this bad at your job.”

  “You think I’m bad?”

  “You’re fucking terrible.” He held up his hand, making it clear I wasn’t supposed to interrupt him right now. “You barely show up to work, you’re late for meetings, your work is subpar, and Angela has covered for you almost every day.”

  “Now, let’s be one hundred percent honest with each other.” He put his hand down and leaned back in his chair. His expression softened, and I could tell he was torn between being angry as hell and laughing about my bad work ethic. “Do you think I won’t fire you because you’re my family?”

  “I think you won’t fire me because your fiancée won’t let you.”

  “What makes you think Claire has any control over what I do with my company?”

  “Because she does,” I said, wanting to believe it was true for my case. “I’m not being lazy, Mr. Statham. I promise. I’m still adjusting to this city and working here. And to be fair, I redid all those reports hours after you marked them up. You’re just being extra hard on me because I’m your sister and you know it.”

  “Okay.” He shut his folder. “Who’s the goddamn guy?”

  “What guy?”

  “The guy that turns you into a blubbering idiot at every board meeting. The guy who fed you that bullshit line about me being extra hard on you. I put an eighty-thousand-dollar bonus clause in your contract just for showing up to work every day. I’m pretty sure that means I’m being the most lenient with you.”

  “Did you just call me a blubbering idiot?”

  “You have forty-eight hours to re-do that mess of a presentation you gave this morning. And since you don’t want to tell me who this man is, I’m going to find out and then I’m going to—”

  “Have a few words with him, i.e., ruin his life,” I said, sighing. “You really have to wonder why I never tell you who I’m dating anymore?”

  “So, you are officially dating someone.”

  I stood up. “Is there anything else you need from me today? I have a thirty-page presentation to redo per the CEO’s ridiculous request. Word around the office is that he’s an ass.”

  “He’s also brilliant and extremely sexy.”

  I rolled my eyes and walked out of his office.

  COREY: TODAY

  (Present Day)

  San Francisco, California

  FORGET “GOING TO HELL.” I’m flying there drenched in gasoline.

  I held Hayley’s hand as we walked into a secluded restaurant outside of the city, as a hostess ushered us into a private suite that overlooked the ocean. I’d wanted to take her on my yacht today, but her brother had blocked that idea at the last minute. He’d asked to take his fiancée on it for a day trip so he could “see what type of yacht she prefers for the long-term.” He’d even wanted me to come along, to show her everything the boat was capable of, but I couldn’t be around him for longer than twenty minutes these days. The guilt of keeping a secret from him, especially this type of secret, was becoming unbearable.

  “What are you thinking about, Corey?” Hayley looked up at me.

  “Nothing important.”

  “You promise?”

  “No.”

  “But you’ll tell me eventually?”

  “I will.” I kissed her forehead.

  “Wow,” she said, leading me over to the windows. “We’ll have to come here again and spend a weekend in those villas near the shore.”

  “Your brother owns those.” I laughed. “Those are vacation rental cabins.”

  “Oh, yeah.” She shrugged. “I forgot about those. Why didn’t you try to tell him that I should live in one of those instead of living with you?”

  “I did.”

  She laughed and playfully hit my arm.