Just One Inch

“No way,” I said firmly. “There’s still three weeks before the final, so do your own reading. Besides, why don’t you study at your boyfriend’s? Does he not have a desk or something?”

“Because he wants me to be his hostess,” she whined. “We go out almost every night, I swear it’s a job unto itself. But Tina,” she confided. “Tonight I’m meeting his dad and brothers,” she said with a dramatic air. “For someone who’s engaged, it’s about time I met his family,” she added, pouting.

I sighed again. Jenna was onto another adventure, complete with fancy dinners and beautiful clothes. Meanwhile, I was just having dinner with our Mom again. Okay, fine. A date is a date. I had an hour to get ready before driving up to the city.

“Listen Jenna,” I said. “Just be careful okay? You’ve told me nothing about this guy, you’ve missed a ton of class, and it’s weird, okay? Everyone at school is wondering what’s going on since you disappeared off the face of the earth.”

“I just have a private life, okay?” she snapped. “Butt out Tina, I’m fine.”

I sighed again and headed up the stairs. What could I do? I started changing and bracing myself for a tête-à-tête with Mother.

6

Jake

The brunette was like a startled deer, her caramel eyes wide, almost quivering at the sight of me. He curls were riotous, streaming about her shoulders, and she was wearing a flannel dress. It was definitely her. The girl from the party, the one who I’d had the amazing sex with, was at this family dinner.

“Mom?” asked Jenna again, staring at an older woman sitting next to my dad. “What are you doing here?” she demanded in a rush, her eyebrows beetled as her face turned an unflattering shade of red.

The older woman was gracious and elegant, a genteel, older version of Jenna. Her blonde hair was swept back and she wore an expensive suit, laying one hand gently over my father’s.

“Jenna, I should ask the same thing,” she purred smoothly. “Harold was going to introduce me to his sons tonight … but evidently you already know one of them,” she said, nodding at me.

Before I could react, a familiar deep drawl interrupted from behind us. “Heya fam,” grinned Matt from behind us, his black hair damp, his smile disarmingly friendly though sharp as a razor. He stared blankly at Jenna before turning to the older woman.

“You must be Mary,” he growled before leaning over to give her a kiss on the cheek.

I was fucking stunned. This woman was my dad’s fiancée and also Jenna’s mother? Even more unreal, Tina was here for some reason … the brunette of my wet dreams making an appearance in the most unlikely of places. What the fuck? Seriously, what the fuck?

Jenna stuttered like a stuck lawn sprinkler before my father stood up, taking the reins. Harold wore an expensive suit, but fancy clothes can’t hide that he’s a bear of a man, a man who works with his hands as a successful general contractor. “Mary, Tina, Jenna,” he said courteously, nodding at the women. “Meet my rascal sons, Jake and Matt. Although it seems there’s some intra-family dating going on here,” he said with a deep chuckle.

Holy fucking shit. Tina was Jenna’s sister? The woman I’d fucked senseless at the party was going to be my sister-in-law? What the fuck was happening?

The brunette looked just as mystified, her eyes wide but observant, her lips trembling oh so slightly. Those luscious pink lips … their pale curve and slight glisten made me tremble, my body hardening immediately. How it felt to see those lips envelop my stiff cock …

But I was shaken out of my trance by Jenna, pouting and rattling at my arm.

“Jakey,” she said. “My mom is evidently getting married to your dad, so we’ll be step-siblings,” she said with a sneer of disgust. “But whatever, it’s not like we’re related or anything. In fact, we’re all adults so no one can tell us what to do,” she tossed off breezily, shaking her blonde hair over a shoulder. “Jakey’s already bought me a five-carat stunner. See? Check it out,” she said, waving the ring beneath her mother’s nose.

Tina went completely still at the sight of the massive rock on my fiancee’s hand. Her expression betrayed nothing but a hot flush crept up her cheeks and her breathing quickened. Before I could interrupt, Mary murmured her approval.

“Well Jenna honey, it looks like you’ve done well for yourself. Jake and Matt, please take a seat,” she said graciously. “Harold, where are your younger sons? I’d love to get a look at them too, and see if they have my other daughters in tow,” she added mischievously. “The world is so small that maybe Karina and Callie have flown out from New York. Who knows? It’s already been a day of surprises,” the blonde said with a wry smile for the group.