Strong fingers clasp my jaw and turn me back toward his probing gaze. “What’s with the mice?”
Another terrified tremble quakes through me. His frown deepens as he studies me.
“When I lived with Mom, our trailer was infested with them. I was terrified.” I close my eyes but quickly reopen them when I think I hear a squeak. “To this day, I hate them.”
His expression softens, and a smile tugs at his lips. “Then we’ll get a cat, Wonderland. To keep the mice away.”
And just like that, Canyon makes everything better.
Am I stupid to hope and pray for this feeling to never go away?
A future with Canyon seems too good to be true. There’s so much stacked against us—we’ve only begun to see each other in a romantic capacity, we’ll be stepbrothers soon, and we’re still so young.
But…
There’s no denying the way he consumes me entirely.
It intensifies with each passing second at a reckless, furious pace.
Later, at breakfast, tension fills the air. I catch Carrie’s gaze lingering at my neck, and I begin to wonder if Canyon left any visible hickeys. Absently, I rub my fingers over the flesh, heat flooding to my cheeks. Canyon smirks before eating a bite of his cereal. I discreetly flip him the bird.
Ryan clears his throat, making both Canyon and I flinch. But, rather than glaring at us as though he’s caught on to what we’ve been up to, he sends Dad an imploring look. Dad sets his fork down and nods, forcing a grim smile.
“I spoke with my attorney this morning,” Dad says, voice tight with nerves. “I didn’t tell him all the details about Colin’s visit, but I asked his advice on how to keep him away.”
Carrie’s mask of confusion has Ryan briefly filling her in on his visit and admitting that he shot the guy who attacked me. Her face is ashen by the end.
“He doesn’t think,” Dad continues, “that there are many options for us to legally keep him away unless he specifically does something. The most we can do is hope he gets a clue and backs off.”
“And if he doesn’t?” Canyon practically growls.
I shudder at the thought of Colin visiting again.
“Alis is old enough,” Dad says, his voice hard. “An adult. Free to make his own decisions. If he doesn’t want to see Colin, he doesn’t have to. Ever.”
An adult.
Free to make my own decisions.
Canyon’s penetrating stare is on me, peeling me apart, stroking tender parts inside me, reminding me of our pillow talk last night and this morning. His promises. A future.
I don’t want to give up Dad to have Canyon.
I want to have them both.
Maybe it’s possible. Canyon makes me believe that it could be.
His foot brushes against mine beneath the table, sending electric currents rippling through my body. I’m momentarily transfixed by his hot stare, caught in a vacuum that’s nothing but him. His expensive, masculine scent that’s now marked all over my room and bed. The expressive, passionate glint in his powerful blue eyes. Full, sexy lips that quirk up on one side when he’s amused.
Soon, Dad and Ryan make it back to their favorite subject—the wedding. Carrie and Canyon remain quiet, both of them still stung by the idea of our parents marrying. For their sake, I wish it wasn’t happening, but I’ve never seen my dad so happy before. Selfishly, I want the Voss kids to soften to the idea of them getting married so the light, excited energy that radiates from my father these days continues.
Why can’t I have my cake and eat it too?
Leon watches me from across the table, a curious expression on his face. I try not to squirm under the intensity of it. He’s my closest friend, and yet I still haven’t told him about Canyon and me. But, because I know him so well, I can tell he suspects something. For one, a few weeks ago, Canyon wouldn’t be caught dead at my lunch table. Now, he’s sitting beside me, carrying on a lively conversation with Naomi, who’s seated across from him. Each time Canyon’s thigh brushes against mine, my dick twitches, and my face heats up.
“Motherfucker,” Canyon mutters under his breath. “I swear to God I’m going to put my fist through his teeth.”
I follow his gaze to where Damon, Gage, and Cain are sitting. Damon’s shoulders are hunched, like he’s a kicked puppy, while Gage laughs like an idiot. When Gage catches Canyon staring at him, he hooks a thumb in Damon’s direction and mouths something that looks a lot like, “He fucked your sister.”
Canyon starts to stand, but I grab the back of his shirt, yanking him back down. His head snaps my way, a murderous scowl twisting his features. For a second, my stomach does an uncomfortable flip, remembering that this look filled with animosity used to be pointed at me. A smile chases away his anger, and his eyes drop to my lips. I lick them, noticing how his nostrils flare in response.