“It’s fading and it doesn’t hurt anymore,” she said with a smile that didn’t meet her eyes.

“I’m a fuckup, Sienna. The bruise on your arm proves that. I shouldn’t get to breathe the same air you do.” I stopped myself before I said anything more. I wasn’t ever going to get over that bruise. It was going to haunt me long after it faded away. “And I’m sorry. About the kiss. It was uncalled for, and I shouldn’t have.”

She tensed up beside me, but only for a moment. Then she relaxed her shoulders and crossed her legs, and damned if that wasn’t fascinating. “Probably not a good idea. You’re right.”

So she agreed. We shouldn’t have kissed. “I don’t want things to get awkward with us.”

She nodded. “Me neither.”

“So, we can just be friends. Or family. We’re family.”

She nodded again.

She didn’t feel like family. I watched as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, and I wanted to reach out and see if it was as silky as it looked. I’d missed that opportunity when I’d been eating her alive. My hands had gone from her face to her ass. I should have felt her hair.

“I know I’m, uh . . . not very experienced. I don’t . . . I mean, Dustin was the only one I, uh . . . I did anything with. So I was curious. I haven’t been kissed in a long time.” She shut her mouth and closed her eyes tightly. She was trying to explain her reaction to me, but the fact that no one had touched her in six years was a little more information than I could handle.

How was she so untouched? I knew she’d said she didn’t date, but, hell, how’d she get release? After having sex before, she’d want it, right? Need it?

“Not even any one-night stands or friends with benefits?” I asked.

She blushed and shook her head, but wouldn’t look at me.

“You don’t need it?” I needed to shut the hell up. This was not a conversation you had with someone who was your “family.”

She shrugged. “Not really. I mean . . . I never understood what the big deal was.”

What? Holy hell. My sixteen-year-old brother hadn’t been experienced enough to do it right, apparently.

“You’ve never had an orgasm?” I asked before I could stop myself.

Her blush deepened and she didn’t respond.

Did that mean . . . she got herself off? Motherfucker! Why was I thinking about this? This was not helping me defuse my Sienna lust. The idea of slipping my hand into her panties and bringing her pleasure was so damn tempting.

“You do it yourself,” I said, supplying the answer for her and knowing I needed to shut the hell up.

She pressed her lips together and closed her eyes tightly again. Bingo. She played with her pussy. Damn, that image was gonna give me some serious shower time later.

“Let’s not talk about this, okay?” She reached for the door handle, but I wasn’t ready to let her go. The desire to smell her was too much. I tugged her over to me and buried my head in her neck and inhaled. Fuck, she smelled good. So damn good. She also sounded good.

Her body leaned in to me and I wanted it. More.

“You smell good, baby. Real good. I bet that pussy smells even better,” I whispered in a growl as I slid my hand between her legs. She let out a small cry.

Fuck, fuck, fuck. I wanted her. I wanted to hear her as she orgasmed. I wanted to see her play with herself. Was she bare, or were there curly red hairs down there to tease me?

“Dewayne?” she breathed, her chest rising and falling so fast that her cleavage taunted me. She’d always had the best damn tits.

“Yeah, baby?” I replied, running my nose up her neck.

“Gretchen is watching us,” she said, and that was the wake-up call I needed. Shit. I had forgotten where we were.

I moved away from her, missing the smell and heat of her on my hand. I needed to get laid. She was screwing with my head. But first I wanted to go beat off to the image of her touching herself.

“I, we, this, um . . . I should go,” she said, and moved away from me.

I couldn’t argue. She should go before I gave in and attacked her again.

She opened the door, and I managed to remember what I had wanted to ask her. “Tomorrow night I’ll bring dinner. I’d like to visit Micah,” I said.

I didn’t say I wanted to see her, but I did. I so fucking did.

She nodded. “Of course. You can take him out if you want to. You don’t have to stay at my house. I trust you with him.”

She was giving me an out. I wasn’t taking it. As hard as it was getting to keep my hands off her, I wanted to see her too. “I’ll bring dinner. And you’ll eat more. Because nothing on your body is fucking average, Sienna. Understand that. You’re perfect. Too damn perfect.”

Her mouth opened slightly, and then she closed it and quickly got out of my truck. I sat there and watched her as she got into her car and buckled up. I waited until she pulled out of the parking lot before leaving. I didn’t even look Gretchen’s way.

SIENNA

“More,” I whispered into the dark room. “Please, Dewayne, I want more. Do it harder,” I begged. My eyes were closed tightly as Dewayne held his body over me, sliding in deeper and deeper. I lifted my legs up his back and buried my face in the pillow beside me as I cried out from how good he felt. How beautiful his body was as he worked over me. His naughty words told me how sexy I was and how good I felt.

I worked my fingers harder, letting the fantasy play out until my body shuddered with release. It was the same fantasy I had been using since Dewayne had walked into my house the first day we’d returned. It was getting more and more detailed. Like tonight, he’d told me I smelled good as he tasted me and ran his tongue where no one’s had ever been.

I was getting worked up again and I needed to sleep. Fantasies of Dewayne could go on for hours. I had no shame in the darkness of my room. He was here with me, and I loved everything he did. When he’d asked me today if I pleasured myself, I was sure it was all over my face. I couldn’t get away from him fast enough.

Him knowing he starred in my nightly playtime would be humiliating.

The fact that I got off on the fantasy of him inside me was interesting, since until Dewayne’s return to my life I’d normally fantasized about other stuff. The act of actual intercourse had never held that appeal for me. But the idea of Dewayne being over me and between my legs made me hot and bothered. Maybe I was just old enough to enjoy it now. I’d been so young then.

My phone dinged and I reached for it. No one ever texted me this late.

Dewayne: You awake?

Why was he texting me? Oh God, had he known somehow that I had just used his body to pleasure myself?

I let my finger hover over the phone keys a moment, then finally gave in and replied.

Me: No

Dewayne: Are you in bed?

What was he asking that for?

Me: Yes

I should ignore this.

Dewayne: Do you sleep naked?

Okay. Wait a minute. This was not us being friendly. And I couldn’t handle him doing this hot-and-cold stuff.

Me: What do you want? This conversation is going in a bad direction.

He didn’t reply right away. I thought for a moment my scolding him had made him back off. Then my phone lit up again.

Dewayne: I know. I’m sorry.

That was it. Why did I feel so disappointed?

Dewayne: It’s just if you’re gonna play with yourself I want to know. I want to see it. Or at least you can tell me about it.

Holy crap. The tingling between my legs startled me. He was only texting me and I was reacting to him. I should turn off my phone and forget this conversation. Tomorrow he would regret it and push me away. He was probably drunk.

But maybe he wouldn’t remember it . . . maybe.

Me: I’ve already taken care of that.

I pressed send before I could stop myself.

Dewayne: Motherfuck. Do it again. Tell me about it. Or let me FaceTime you and watch your face. God, let me watch your face.

Oh wow. He was drunk. He had to be. This was not careful Dewayne.

Me: I don’t think that’s a good idea.

Dewayne: I know it’s a bad idea. But damn, Sienna, you’re driving me crazy. I just want a little taste. If you’d spread those legs for me and let me taste you just once, then we could be friends. I just need a taste, baby. I know it’s gonna be sweet.

Oh. My. God.

I stared at the phone in my hand and my whole body trembled. Maybe I could FaceTime him. If he kept talking like this, I was going to beg him to come taste all he wanted.

Me: I don’t know what to say.

Dewayne: Let me FaceTime you and watch you touch that pussy I want to fucking bury my face in.

I was a goner. This was too much. I wanted this, as dumb as it sounded.

Me: What happens tomorrow?

Dewayne: We keep being friends and forget we did this. Just give me this tonight. I need something. I’ve spent way too much time imagining it. I need visuals.

Okay. One time. I could do that. We would forget tomorrow. I stood up, went to close Micah’s door, then closed mine before coming back to bed.

Me: Okay.

My phone rang almost instantly. It was a FaceTime call from Dewayne Falco.

Oh shit. I couldn’t believe I was going to do this. It was so bad. But exciting. And I trusted Dewayne. I had always trusted him.

“Hello,” I said, looking into Dewayne’s eyes. The glow of lamplight illuminated his face. I was in the dark.

“Turn on a light. I need to see you.”

I wasn’t wearing makeup, but I guess he’d seen me like this before. I reached over and turned on the lamp beside me.