Total pages in book: 25
Estimated words: 23355 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 117(@200wpm)___ 93(@250wpm)___ 78(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 23355 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 117(@200wpm)___ 93(@250wpm)___ 78(@300wpm)
The muscles in my lower stomach are still jumping from the hard-as-hell orgasm Adam just gave me. But it's not just the orgasm making me spiral, or the way he handled me. It's the look in his eyes. The heat and hunger there wasn't something I imagined. And when he said, "I take care of what is mine.”
Fuck.
That's what made me come. Not just the physical things he did, but the fact that I wanted him to take care of me in every possible way. Even calling him Daddy was hot as hell. He seemed so serious, so totally focused on my pleasure and nothing else.
And then he left. Telling me we both needed time to think. He's not wrong. Things are all tangled up with our situation. My mom, his dad. Ugh. It's all so weird when I think too hard about it.
I jump when my phone buzzes on the bathroom counter, and I lunge for it, desperate for a distraction. It’s a call from Elise, my old friend. I answer immediately, hoping her dramatics will drown out my own inner chaos.
“Laurie!” Elise’s voice is bright and bubbly as always. “I’m throwing a party tonight at the Sullivan house. You have to come.”
The Sullivan house is her parents’ estate, but from the gossip I picked up from my mother, her parents have been spending most of their time in Hawaii these days. "What's the occasion?"
"No occasion! It's summer, and it's Friday. That's reason enough to celebrate."
I bite my lip, hesitating. Adam said we'd talk when he got back. But I can't deny that I'm hurt. He ran off and left me after something so intense. Even if his reason made sense, it still sucks.
I'm taking too long to answer, so Elise continues, “Please tell me you’re not still hiding out in that giant house like some kind of recluse. You need to get out, have some fun. Forget whatever—or whoever—is bugging you.”
“Fine. What’s the dress code?”
“Something fabulous, of course. You’ve got two hours. Be there or be square!”
I hang up and toss my phone onto the counter, staring at myself in the mirror again. Elise is right. I need to get out of this house, away from Adam, away from my stupid, swirling thoughts.
But as I head back into my room to find something to wear, I can’t stop wishing I’d been just a little braver back on the bed. Maybe if I pulled him off the floor so he covered me with his hot, hard body...
I shake my head again. “Nope, nope, nope, nope. Not going there.”
Still, as I pull out a black dress that hugs every curve just right, I can’t help but wonder if Adam will notice when I slip out tonight or if he’ll even care.
An hour later, I zip up the black dress, the smooth fabric leaving little to the imagination. I turn side to side in the mirror, fluffing my bright blond hair over one shoulder. My dark blue eyes stand out, framed by just enough eyeliner to make them pop, and my lips, painted a deep red, curve in a satisfied smile.
Objectively, I look good. But no matter what outfit, hair, or makeup I have on, I feel hollow, almost. Like all this is for show, a shiny shell to distract from what’s actually going on inside.
Which is a whole hell of a lot of feeling for Adam Lawson, the only man I've ever wanted.
And my stepbrother. Dammit.
Elise and Adam are both right. I really need to get out of this damned house and get some space.
The click of my heels echoes through the empty house as I descend the stairs and head towards the marble foyer. I have no idea if Adam is even home, and as much as I want to go looking, I've sworn to myself that I won't. Tonight is about getting him out of my mind, at least for a time. I can't do that in the same bedroom where he ate me out, or sitting in the living room with him watching soccer, just a few feet away.
I need to do some living to clear my head, and I almost make it to the front door when I hear his voice, low and oh-so-close behind me. "Where do you think you're going?"
He sounds curious, but there's a distinct unhappiness beneath it. I whirl around, startled, and find Adam standing at the base of the stairs, his arms crossed over his chest. His eyes sweep over me, and I swear they widen for a split second before narrowing into something sharp and possessive.
Oh, it would be so easy to saunter up to him and loop my arms around his neck. Instead, I tell him the truth, even as heat flares in my cheeks. "Out."
“Like that?” he asks, gesturing vaguely to my dress.