SUMMER

I THINK HE’S BAFFLED.

He certainly looks baffled. And still turned on, despite the orgasm we both just experienced. God, it had felt so good to take the reins and have my way with him. That he even allowed it is a huge moment for us. He doesn’t seem comfortable in ever letting me have even an ounce of control when we’re together like this. He’s in charge.

Always.

The cuddling hadn’t been a ruse either. I’d really wanted to just lie there with him and snuggle for a few minutes. Silly, I know, but who do I ever get to snuggle with? No one. No one has held me like Whit just did in so long. It felt good. Being in Whit’s arms, wrapped all around him, felt…

Like I belonged. With him.

He’s currently frowning, his mind blown I’m sure, and I kiss him again, my lips clinging to his as I breathe in his breaths, inhaling him. Like I want to keep him forever.

“You confuse me,” he murmurs against my mouth, his hands wandering, lighting me up despite what just happened between us.

“You confuse me too,” I say, kissing him, parting my lips for his tongue’s entry.

His hand clutches the back of my head, his fingers tightening in my hair in that familiar way of his. He’s back. In command. In charge. His kiss is ferocious, his mouth demanding, his tongue thrusting much like his cock does inside of me.

He commandeers my body, taking over and flipping me until I’m lying on my back, his body pressed on top of mine. “Did you like it?” I ask him breathlessly.

“You drive me out of my mind.” He thrusts against me, his mouth attacking my neck. My chest. My breasts. He sucks my nipple into his mouth, his hands wandering along my sides, and a wave of euphoria fills me at his touch, his damp lips and wet tongue. He lifts his head, his intense gaze meeting mine. “Watching you fuck me like that…”

I smile. It’s true. I fucked him, and he’s always the one who fucks me. The shift in power was deliberate. “You liked it.”

“I fucking loved it.” He grabs my hands and pulls them above my head, holding me captive as he stares into my eyes. “I don’t want you to leave tomorrow.”

I frown, my eyes fluttering closed when he thrusts his cock against me. He’s already so hard again. A shift of our hips and he’d be inside me. “You said I should.”

“I take it back.” He kisses me, his mouth on mine as he says, “I want you to stay.”

He enters me at the same time I open my eyes. A moan leaves me when he strokes, deep and slow, pulling almost all the way out before he slides back in. He keeps his pace lazy, doing to me what I just did to him and oh my God, it feels so good.

Whit keeps my arms pinned above my head with one hand, working his hips as he grips my side with his free hand. I wrap my legs around his waist, anchoring myself to him, sending him deeper. He changes positions, angling his body so he can hit a particular spot that has me seeing stars and his languid strokes are forgotten. He fucks me in quick, deep jabs, pounding me into the bed. The box spring squeaks rhythmically, the sound of our skin

slapping together filling the room just before he goes completely still and spills inside of me with a deep, shuddery groan.

I don’t come. I wasn’t even close, but it doesn’t matter. All I can think about is what he told me.

I don’t want you to leave tomorrow. I want you to stay.

And how good those words made me feel.

 

 

“Wake up, sleepyhead!”

A soft object lightly hits my head, snapping me awake. Instinctively, I pull the duvet up to ensure I’m covered. A figure stands by my side of the bed, and I blink to clear my vision.

It’s Sylvie. Her eyes are bright, and there’s a mischievous twist to her lips as she observes me.

I glance to my right, feeling a surge of panic at the idea of her catching me naked in bed with her brother, but he’s gone. I reach out and feel the cold sheets.

He’s been gone for a while.

“Reaching for your secret lover?” she asks knowingly.

I ignore her, sinking back into the pillows and pushing my hair from my face. “What time is it?”

“Almost ten. You must’ve been really tired to sleep this late, especially since you went to bed early.”

I don’t rise to her bait. “I guess so.”

“I thought you were going to sleep with me last night.” She pouts playfully.

“I was, but I left because you were snoring.” Her mouth falls open. “I don’t snore.”

I laugh. “Yes, you do.”

“Oh.” She frowns. “How unladylike of me.”

I decide to give her a taste of her own medicine. “Hasn’t Spence mentioned that to you before?”

Sylvie sniffs, lifting her nose. “I haven’t spent enough time with Spence for him to know my sleeping habits.”

“That’s a fancy way of saying you haven’t slept with him yet,” I tease. She taps my shoulder with a pillow I hadn’t noticed she was holding. “Come on, spill the beans. What exactly have you and Spencer done?”

“Nothing. That’s the issue. I want something to happen, but he’s always hesitant,” she says dryly. “I think he’s scared of my brother.”

Whit is definitely intimidating. But last night, he wasn’t. In my bed, he was almost… sweet.

“I see you’re getting lost in your thoughts. Stop thinking about him.” Another pillow tap, this time on my head. “You missed the family breakfast.”

My stomach growls on cue. “I’m starving.”

“We can grab a bite before we go shopping.” She hesitates briefly. “While we were eating, Mother suggested Whit invite Leticia for Thanksgiving dinner.”

My appetite fades. “What did Whit say?”

“He refused. He doesn’t want her here.” Sylvie sits on the edge of my bed, making it bounce. “Then Mother suggested I send you home. She said, and I quote, ‘you make her uncomfortable.’”

My stomach twists painfully. That woman is terrible. But I guess I can’t blame her for not wanting her former husband’s mistress’s daughter in her home for the holidays.

“Whit told her no. You’re staying. They argued about it.” A small smile plays on her lips. “Over you.”

I stay silent, absorbing her words. Yesterday, he might have fought for Leticia to stay and me to leave. What changed? A night of cuddling? I find that hard to believe. “Whit and I—”

“Are together,” Sylvie finishes for me. “He also told Mother.”

“What?” I gasp, my eyes wide. “He didn’t.”

“He kind of did.” Sylvie shrugs. “He said you were his guest too and that he wouldn’t send you back to school to spend the holiday alone. You’re staying. He shut her down every time she tried to argue. It was entertaining.”

“I’m glad you enjoyed it,” I say, my mind racing. “Where is he now?”

“With our father. Whit just went to his office. They have some business to discuss.” Sylvie’s gaze is sharp. “I think it’s about you.”

“Unlikely.” I roll my eyes, refusing to get my hopes up. Sylvie might be exaggerating. Whit might treat me badly next time. That’s his usual pattern. Passionate one moment, awful the next.

Why would he change?

“Want to go shopping with me?” Sylvie asks. “Or are you going to hang around outside Daddy’s study and wait for Whit?”

She sounds a bit jealous, which is new. “I’m your guest,” I emphasize. “And I’d love to go shopping.”

Her smile is genuine. “Great. Get ready, sleepyhead.”

I notice she’s fully dressed, while I’m not. “Um…” “What?”

“I need a few minutes. I’m uh…” I gesture to myself. “Not decent.” Sylvie laughs. “Are you naked under those covers, Summer?” My cheeks heat up. “Maybe.”

“So he did sneak into your room last night.” Sylvie stands up, heading to the door. “I asked him, but he denied it.”

“He did?” I ask quietly.

“Yes, but he blushed just like you are now, so I knew he was lying.” She glances back. “I won’t tell. Your secret is safe with me.”

I certainly hope so, I think after Sylvie leaves.

It scares me, though, how much she knows. She could tell his parents, everyone at school. She knows what Whit and I are up to.

She could ruin my life with a snap of her fingers. Whit could ruin my life too, with my stupid journal he won’t give back.

I take a quick shower and throw on some clothes, leaving my hair in its natural messy waves. Despite my mother’s preference for it straight or curled, I apply some mascara and think it looks good today.

I’ve made mistakes, said things I regret, and that’s okay. We make mistakes because we’re human, right?

I blink at my reflection, thinking of one mistake in particular. The fire that night.

It was my fault. I’m the reason Yates and Jonas are dead. I don’t mourn my stepbrother, which makes me feel worse, but I do miss Jonas. He was a good man.

Good to me. And my mother, despite everything.

Standing straight, I put my mascara away, telling myself to stop thinking about it. I can’t change the past. I have to live with it.

No matter how hard it is.

Grabbing my coat, I step out of my room and close the door, stopping short when I see Sylvia Lancaster in the hall, as if waiting for me. Our eyes meet, and her dark blue eyes narrow as I approach.

“Good morning,” I say, forcing friendliness. “Slept in late, I see,” she says coolly.

I stop before her, taking her in. She’s draped in pale pink silk, and I wonder if she’s going somewhere. I stand taller. I won’t let her intimidate me. “I was tired.”

“I’m sure, considering you were with my son all night.” I open my mouth to deny it, but she cuts me off with a shake of her head. “My son does what he wants and who he wants. It’s no surprise that you two are involved.”

Her voice drips with disgust.

I don’t know how to respond. Her pleased expression shows she’s happy with my silence.

“You’re not the first, and you won’t be the last. But somehow you’ve convinced my children to spend time with you, though we all know the truth,” she says.

I’m taken aback by her insinuation that I’m a bad person. “And what’s that?”

“That you’re a whore, just like your mother.” She raises an eyebrow, waiting for me to deny it.

But I don’t. What’s the point? She’ll think what she wants.

“This wouldn’t normally bother me. My daughter bringing home her latest plaything, who happens to be sleeping with my son. Everyone tangled in each other’s lives, which is normal. You’re all in school together. You’re attractive. Why wouldn’t my son be interested? And Sylvie’s starved for attention. Everyone’s tired of her games, and you’re new. Easy to manipulate. It’s obvious.” Sylvia’s gaze rakes over me, and I feel myself shrink.

“That’s not true,” I say quietly, swallowing the lump in my throat. “You don’t understand.”

“I understand perfectly,” Sylvia says tightly. “Your mother was naive, dazzled by my husband’s looks and charm and wealth. My children are the same. Charming, beautiful. Just as my husband seduced her, Whit—and even Sylvie—seduced you. You’re too blind to see it.”

“See what?”

“The Lancaster family uses people for their own gain. Pleasure. Entertainment. You’re a toy they’ll grow bored of. Whit will have to do his duty with Leticia. She’ll marry him someday, you know.”

I lift my chin. “Yes. Whit told me.”

Her eyes flicker with surprise, but otherwise, she doesn’t react. “Then you know your place with him.”

“My place?”

“Yes. You’re temporary, my dear. A fun little affair. The dirty girl who lets him do whatever he wants because he’d never ask the future mother of his children to do…whatever you two do behind closed doors.” Her tone is snide. Knowing.

The blood drains from my face, my knees weak. My head spins, and I brace myself, praying I don’t faint. How does she know what Whit and I do? He wouldn’t tell her how depraved our interactions are. But she is his mother.

Maybe she just knows.

“So enjoy being his mistress. Once he tosses you aside, Sylvie will too. She’s loyal to her brother.” Her smile is cruel as she walks past, bumping my shoulder. “Have a lovely day shopping with my daughter.”

I turn and watch her go, my lungs tight. I can’t breathe.

My phone buzzes in my pocket, and I grab it, hoping it’s Whit.

But it’s Sylvie.

Where are you? Meet me downstairs; the car’s waiting!

With shaking fingers, I reply.

I’ll be down in a minute.

She can wait. I have some searching to do first.