Obsessed

His eyes go distant. “I don’t know, I could’ve…lit candles?”

I laugh so hard my sides ache and I roll away from him. He growls and grabs my shoulders, pulling me back to him.

“I meant to mention it,” I say. “I got distracted.”

He runs a thumb across my lower lip. “Keep looking at me like that and I’ll distract you again.”

“Already?” I say, startled. “Don’t men need some time to recover?”

His lips quirk up. “Are you calling my bluff?”

I slide my fingers into his hair. How does every part of him feel so good? “I’m sure I’ll be in need of distraction in, say, a couple of hours?”

“One hour,” he says, sounding wounded.

“I might be the one who needs a couple of hours, you know.” I look around to find my underwear.

Peter wraps me up in his strong arms and pulls me back against his chest. “Stay.”

“Just for a minute. I need to clean up.”

He nuzzles his face against my hair. I can feel the rise and fall of his chest as he breathes.

I feel so safe with him.

I want to stay for longer than the night. I want to know what it feels like to walk into a room with Peter as my plus one. I want to plan my future knowing that Peter will be in it. I envision what it would be like if I walked down the stage at graduation and Peter was in the audience, cheering me on.

I want that. I want everything.

I roll away from him and stand up. I can’t ask him for everything. He’ll think I’m a clingy crazy person. He only invited me over to help me hide from my stalker.

A shiver runs through me, and it’s not a pleasurable one. My stalker is still out there, waiting for me.

But he can’t have followed me here. He can’t know I’m at Peter’s. I have to believe that. If I don’t, I’ll lose my mind.

Chapter Six

Peter

Emily is in my bed. I can’t wrap my head around it. She looks good lying there with her hair all tangled, and now that I’ve cleaned up, all I want to do is rejoin her.

“Are you going to sleep?” she asks drowsily.

“Yeah,” I say. “In a minute.”

I get my phone and set my alarm for my usual 4 a.m. wake up, then reconsider and move it back to a couple of hours later. The station will survive me coming in on time instead of early.

I get into bed next to Emily and inhale her scent. She smells like fresh vanilla beans. I want to eat her up.

Fuck. I’ve just had sex with Emily.

The ping ponging in my brain is relentless as I vacillate between joy and horror. She’s incredible. She used to be my step-sister. She’s everything I could ever want in a woman. She’s so far off limits it’s not funny.

More than that, she’s scared and vulnerable. I should have told her no. Have I taken advantage of her? It sure didn’t feel like taking advantage when she was tearing my clothes off.

God, I want to fuck her again. I should never lay another finger on her for both our goods.

I fall asleep, the turmoil still raging in my mind.