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  Slowly, our pace eased, and we made it to the middle of the pool, just sort of bobbing around and swimming leisurely rather than the intense workout from a few minutes before. My heart was pounding in my chest, but that was as much the proximity of Paxton as it was the physical exertion I had just put forth.

  I leaned against the side of the swimming pool, relaxing my body and allowing my legs to float freely. It was no accident that they were splayed wide, just like I didn’t think it was an accident when his hand found its way between my thighs.

  His fingers dipped into the side of my swimwear, and he made a low growl in his throat as his fingers slid right into me. I was wet and ready for him, and I shot a furtive glance around the pool to check for anyone who might be around. The staff was nowhere nearby, and my dad was either in his office at work or his home office. We had the place to ourselves, so I pumped my hips to encourage him to go deeper.

  He swam a bit closer, until our bodies were pressed together, and his hand snaked around my back. He pressed me nearer to him as his fingers continued to leisurely explore my pussy. I turned my head to meet his gaze and pressed against his hand, letting every bit of my desire for him showing in my expression.

  “You have such a tight, hot little pussy, don’t you, Mia?”

  With a small whimper, I nodded. It certainly felt tight around the two fingers he was thrusting in and out of me in mimicry of what his cock could do.

  “Do you taste as good as you feel?”

  Again, I nodded, though I had no idea, of course. I simply wanted to encourage him to put his mouth between my legs, so I could feel his tongue squirming around in my slit. I wanted to do all sorts of things with him, the sorts of things I had never done with anyone before.

  Of course I’d had sex, and even some passably good sex with guys my own age, but there were things I had never done. I’d never let someone tie me up, because the trust wasn’t there. I’d never done anal play with anyone, and I had never been spanked. Just silly, sexual fantasies I indulged in while masturbating, but had never found a partner with whom I really wanted to share the experiences.

  Until now. Until Paxton.

  He continued to pump his fingers into my opening, and his thumb swirled around my clit. I rode his hand frantically, at the cusp of coming when he suddenly stopped. I wailed my displeasure as he withdrew his hand and slid a few feet away from me.

  “Do you want more, sis?” He said the last word with a sarcastic smirk and wink, letting me know he felt no sibling feelings toward me, just as I didn’t for him.

  Responding, I took a moment to straighten my bikini pants so they covered my labia before slipping closer to him. To my frustration, he dodged a few feet away again. “You know I do.” I tilted my head, speculating on his motives. “Don’t you? Or is this some kind of game?”

  “Yes.”

  I glared at him, his ambiguous answer doing nothing to clarify his intent. “So why are you doing this?”

  He shrugged halfheartedly as he lifted himself out of the pool and grabbed a towel from one of the loungers. “You know where to find me, and all you have to do is ask.”

  As he sauntered off, my eyes widened with surprise as I tried to absorb his words. What exactly did he want from me? Did that mean he wanted to fuck me as much as I wanted to fuck him? Was I supposed to go tell him that? God, I didn’t know what he wanted exactly. All I knew was my pussy was on fire, and I had to come. With another furtive look, I slipped my fingers between my legs and brought myself off.

  Thankfully, I hadn’t made any verbalization, because my cunt was still twitching around my fingers when I heard the sound of my name. Like a guilty child, I pulled my hand from between my thighs and turned around to face my father, hoping there wasn’t a trace of satisfaction on my face to show what I had just been doing—or what I had been doing with my stepbrother in the pool just a few minutes before. “Hey, Dad,” I said with a small smile.

  He looked tired and worn, and I knew business kept him up late into the night. He hadn’t said anything to me personally, but I had inferred money troubles were the root of why he had worked so much lately, even though Laura was sick. She seemed to understand, though I didn’t. Money was important, and I liked having our house and our lifestyle, but Laura wouldn’t be here much longer, and it seemed like Dad was wasting the remaining days with her.

  He knelt down carefully, staying several feet away from the edge of the pool. “I saw you with that boy.”

  Boy? I frowned. “You mean Paxton? My stepbrother?”

  My father grimaced. “He’s hardly that, is he? Once Laura dies, he won’t be anything to either one of us.”

  I gasped. “What? You’re just going to cut him off and ignore him after his mom dies?” That was so heartless. He’d be alone in the world, because he and Laura were the only biological family each of them had. His father had died long ago, and both sets of his grandparents were gone, so he would essentially be an orphan. I knew he hadn’t really been part of our family for the last eleven years, but it seemed so cruel just to cut him off and not have anything more to do with him.

  Apparently, my dad didn’t share that twinge of conscience at the notion. “He wrote us off a long time ago.” That was all he said about the estrangement, but he added, “You should stay away from him.”

  My frown deepened. “Why do you want me to stay away from him?”

  “He’s probably still heavily involved with drugs, and he’s a bad influence. I don’t want him filling your head with all kinds of lies and nonsense, so just stay away from him.”

  My glared deepened, and anger buzzed in my stomach on Paxton’s behalf. My dad was clearly judging him unfairly. “We don’t know what he’s been doing the last eleven years, and for all we know, he wasn’t ever involved with drugs. You’re being too harsh.”

  His glare matched mine. “However you feel about how harsh I am, I’m giving you an order. Stay the fuck away from Paxton Marsh, or you’ll get hurt.”

  I gasped at my father’s tone and the dictate. He’d never been one for laying down the law, and he’d always seemed to trust my judgment. When I had a problem, it was true I usually went to Laura, but I had assumed she would share my issues with my dad, and he offered his input to her. Perhaps I had been wrong, and she had never involved him in the process.

  This side of my dad was unsettling, but there was no way I was going to agree to that edict. “He’s in our house, and he’s family, at least for however long he’s here. You’re being horrible to him for no reason, Dad.” My eyes narrowed as a thought occurred to me. “Are you the reason he ran away?”

  My dad shot up, stiff and straight, a cold glare on his face. “Just listen to me, and that’ll be the end of it. I don’t want to hear anymore speculation or talk about Paxton Marsh, and I want him gone the day Laura dies.” Without another word, he spun on his Italian loafers and strode across the concrete toward the garage area. He must be headed to the office.

  Shaking my head at his behavior, I got out of the pool, wrapped myself in the towel, and made my way back to my room. After a quick shower and change of clothes, I was ready for the day. I didn’t want to intrude on Paxton and Laura, so I decided to go shopping instead. It had been a while since I’d had a chance, and I needed to get away from this place to clear my thoughts.

  Mostly, I needed to figure out what the heck was my dad’s problem, and why he was telling me to stay away from the man he should view as my stepbrother, not some kind of threat. As far as I was aware, no one else knew Paxton and I were flirting and had indulged in some touching. He should have no reason to fear having Paxton around me, and as I drove into the city, I couldn’t help wondering if he really was the reason Paxton had fled as a younger man.

  If so, what could my father have done that was so bad to make Paxton leave home and never look back, not even for his own mother? I didn’t really want to know the answer, I decided, as I distracted myself with racking up a few hundred dollars on my dad’s cre
dit cards.

  7

  Paxton

  I spent most of the day with my mother, though she was asleep more often than she was awake. The few times she had been coherent, we had talked lightly, and I had caught her up on what was going on in my life now. I had shied away from the unasked question in her eyes, because I couldn’t tell her why I had left all those years ago.

  Maybe if she had been in good health, and in a position to act on the knowledge, I would have told her. Instead, finding out her husband was an abusive asshole was nothing she could change, and it could only make her last days worse.

  My stomach rumbled as I stepped into the kitchen, the scent of roasting meat having drawn my attention. My appetite soured at the sight of Mia and Dirk sitting at the table together. I started to turn, still not speaking to Dirk. I had no intention of doing so if I could help it. I hesitated, looking back when a chair scraped behind me.

  With a growl of irritation, Dirk had pushed back his chair and now held his plate, using the other door to exit the kitchen. It surprised me the pretentious prick had been sitting in the kitchen instead of in the dining room, where he had always insisted we eat family meals before.

  The few times he had bothered to join us, that was. He’d always been a workaholic, or perhaps just a pussyhound who used work as a camouflage for his other activities. I didn’t know, but I knew I had been relieved for every hour he wasn’t in the house—unfortunately, he had come home nearly every night.

  My stomach was still twisting from the memories, and I pushed them away as I turned back to the table to join Mia. She looked annoyed, but I soon realized it was with her dad and not me.

  “I’m sorry, Paxton. I don’t why he’s being such a jerk.”

  I just shrugged it off, having no intention of wasting any further time talking about him. Instead, I took the empty plate she’d set for me and filled it with some kind of…thing. “What is this?”

  “Beef and noodle casserole.”

  Carefully, I took a bite, and it was terrible. “You pay the cook for this?”

  Mia’s cheeks flushed, she looked down slightly. “It’s her day off. I made it.”

  Way to fuck that one up, man. “It’s not bad.” Except it was. If it wasn’t bland, it was over-seasoned every other bite. Still, I choked down as much as I could, which was a little more than a fourth of a plate and barely enough to take the edge off my hunger.

  It was only when I realized she wasn’t eating either that I finally stopped. “Something wrong with your appetite?” A quick glance at the pan revealed only two other slices had been removed, so she certainly wasn’t on her second.

  Suddenly, she burst out laughing. “It’s awful, isn’t it?” She pushed away her plate, and I did the same gratefully.

  “Here, let me make you something,” I offered. I could see her surprise, and I was determined to impress her. After living alone for eleven years, I was more than competent in the kitchen, and I saw no need to waste money on someone to come clean my house or feed me. A lot of times, I wasn’t even home in my small apartment, since I was on the road and forced to eat out, but when I was home, it was an actual home to me.

  I made her chop vegetables, and soon we had a respectable stir-fry on our plates instead of the horrible casserole. To my gratification, she ate seconds, as did I.

  “You certainly have to take over the cooking the nights the cook is off.”

  She said it so easily, and my heart stuttered. It implied a certain permanency to this arrangement that didn’t exist. Once my mom passed on, I was out of here, and I had no reason to return ever again. Still, I liked the idea of having some kind of future connection with her, though the thought of staying in this house for any other reason than my mom’s sake was enough to rob my appetite. I set down my fork and watched her finish the last few bites of her second plate, not speaking.

  Finally when she was sated, she pushed her plate away and folded her hands on her tummy. It was adorable, as though she had overfilled herself, though I couldn’t imagine her tummy being puffy or distended in any form. Except maybe pregnancy. For some reason, the idea of her stomach swollen with a baby, my baby, made my cock hard. It was a strange fucking reaction, because I had already decided long ago that I’d never have kids. Certainly not with my stepsister.

  “What was this morning about?”

  I arched a brow. “What do you mean?”

  She tipped her head slightly, giving me a dirty look. “You know what I mean. You almost made me come, and then you left. What is it you want from me?”

  “I think you know by now I’d like to fuck you, right?”

  She nodded, her eyes shining with eagerness.

  “I get the feeling you’d like that too?” I reached out to trail my index finger down her forearm, making her shiver at the contact.

  “You know I would. After last night, you must know that.” Her cheeks flushed pink, and I realized she was a little embarrassed by her vibrator performance against the wall.

  I wanted to laugh, but I didn’t, because I didn’t want to hurt her feelings. I wasn’t making fun of her. I just admired her moxie, that she had done something like that to get my attention even though it discomfited her.

  “You also know that no one would approve of us hopping into bed together.” I chose my words deliberately, underscoring it would be nothing more than physical coupling. There was no relationship or future between us, and she had to understand that just as much she needed to consent to the physical relationship.

  She hesitated for a moment, looking as though she might want to argue. Finally, with a small sigh, she nodded her head again. “Yeah, I get that. Most people would still consider us siblings, even though we haven’t seen each other for eleven years and were never all that close to start with.”

  He nodded. “Exactly. So that’s why if and when we fuck each other, you’re going to be the one to ask for it. I’m not going to bear the guilt all by myself, or be the one who gets the blame if someone finds out about us. It’s an equal endeavor, and we’re both into it equally, or it doesn’t happen.”

  She bit her lip, and it was such a sexy sight that I wanted to stretch over to take that flesh between my own teeth and nip lightly.

  “All I have to do is ask?”

  I leaned back in my chair, crossing my arms over my chest. I guessed maybe I was going for intimidating, because I wanted her to know what she was getting into. I’d rather she chicken out now than later. “That’s all you have to do, if that’s what you want.”

  She hesitated for a long moment, and then she pushed her chair back and stood up. She walked around the table, pausing beside me, and leaning down so her mouth was near my ear. “Please, will you fuck me?”

  Without waiting for an answer, she shimmied out of the kitchen, her hips swaying in a hypnotizing fashion that made my dick press hard against the zipper of my jeans. It was all I could do to sit there for a long moment instead of running after her like a pathetic puppy dog.

  Instead, I spent a few minutes cleaning up the kitchen and stopped in to see my mom again for the night. I was disgusted at the sight of my stepfather sitting at her bedside, and we traded glares, but I didn’t speak to him, and he didn’t speak to me. I told my mom a brief good night and slipped out of her room before heading down the hallway to my own.

  I hesitated at my doorway, trying to decide if I should be reluctant about approaching Mia’s room. Should I be agonizing over this decision, or trying to do the right thing?

  No doubt, I shouldn’t keep on going to her room, and I certainly shouldn’t tap on the door and enter without permission. I most certainly shouldn’t close the door behind me and lock it as I leaned against the wood to see what awaited me. Thankfully, I’ve already established I’m not the kind of guy who does the right thing on a regular basis, or I wouldn’t have discovered her sweet little surprise.

  Her room was dim, though she had lit several candles to provide illumination. She waited for me on her be
d, wearing a gauzy white négligée that hid absolutely nothing. Her body was as gorgeous as I’d thought it would be, and I couldn’t wait for a leisurely inspection of her cunt before I ate her out.

  As I drew nearer to the bed, I was surprised and intrigued to see some of the things waiting for me. Furry handcuffs, nylon and Velcro straps that attached to the bed, and a variety of sex toys, including a selection of differently sized butt plugs. I was completely on board with the idea, as long as they were all for her. None of that shit was going in my body. I stopped near the bed, arms crossed over my chest to stare down at her. “What’s all this?”

  She tipped up her chin, and her tone was brave, but I could see her uncertainty and a hint of fear shining through underneath. “I thought maybe we could play some games.”

  “More games?” It seemed like it had been a series of games since I came here. Was it really just yesterday? Already, my life in Vegas felt like it was fading to a distant memory, and I should have panicked at the thought, but having Mia spread out before me in practically nothing, a selection of kinky toys at my disposal, did a whole lot to ease the concern.

  With deliberate movements, I undressed, aware of her eyes on me the entire time. I didn’t rush through the process, but I didn’t drag it out either. I wanted to be naked, and I wanted to be inside her. Eventually.

  When I was naked, I sat on the edge of her bed, lifting the fur handcuffs and the nylon straps. Which one did I want to use on her? The idea of having her hands cuffed behind her back, on all fours with her head against the pillow and her ass in the air, was certainly appealing, but then so was the idea of strapping her to the headboard, splayed wide, and her body open to me. With a small twinge of regret, I set aside the handcuffs and leaned forward to attach the straps to the headboard.

  She watched me, her eyes slightly dark with trepidation, but mostly she was just vibrating with excitement. She was a kinky girl, and I liked that. After attaching the straps securely, I cupped the back of her head and grasped her hair to pull her closer.