Total pages in book: 32
Estimated words: 30980 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 155(@200wpm)___ 124(@250wpm)___ 103(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 30980 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 155(@200wpm)___ 124(@250wpm)___ 103(@300wpm)
But then my gaze falls on a picture Derek has hanging on his refrigerator, and I pause. The photo, years old now, shows them at Disneyland. It’s just a fucking picture, but I can’t shake the feeling that Derek is watching me defile his sister. In his kitchen. All at once, the realization of what I’m doing washes over me, and I run a hand through my hair.
“What is it?” Sierra asks.
“Yeah, we can’t do this.”
“What? Why?”
“I’m sorry, Sierra. It’s just that you’re Derek’s sister. I can’t. I just can’t.”
“Slater—”
“I’m sorry.”
I turn, grab my things, and dash out of Derek’s place, leaving a stunned Sierra in my wake. I want nothing more than to finish what we started. I want nothing more than her. She has gotten under my skin in ways nobody has before, and I enjoy being around her. And I want more of that. I want more of her. But I know Derek isn’t going to approve. He’s always been protective of her, and I know he thinks nobody is good enough for his little sister.
Me, perhaps least of all.
8
SIERRA
“That did not just happen,” I say.
I sit on the counter where Slater left me, dripping wet, still hot, totally and completely baffled by what had just happened.
“What the fuck?”
Sliding off the counter, I pace my brother’s apartment, getting angrier and more frustrated with every passing second. Of course, I’m angry at Slater for leaving me hanging like that. But irrationally, I’m angry at my brother, even though he’s not here, for getting in the way of something I want. And I want Slater. I have for a really long time, and to get so close to having him, only to be shut down because of the specter of my fucking brother infuriates me.
I let out a howl of outrage and stamp my foot on the floor. Monty hops up on the counter and stares at me with the sort of judgmental expression only a cat can give you. He doesn’t care about my frustration. He only cares about me giving him a treat. Which I do. It’s not Monty’s fault I’m seething and stuck in a pair of panties that are soaked through.
“What should I do, Monty?”
The cat says nothing. Still seething, I run into the bedroom and strip off my panties and throw them into the hamper. There doesn’t seem to be a point in putting on another pair right now since all that’s going to accomplish is ruining another pair. Besides, I don’t need to wear panties to go down and give Slater a piece of my mind. Which is what I’m going to do.
I leave my brother’s condo, slamming the door behind me, then angrily march over to Slater’s place and bang on the door. Part of me thinks he’s not going to answer and just hide from me. I raise my hand to knock again when the door flies open. I’m so surprised for a moment, I just stand there gaping at him like an idiot.
“What the hell was that, Slater?” I say none too quietly.
With a frown, he reaches out, grabs me by the shoulder, and pulls me inside, quickly shutting the door. It’s almost as if he’s afraid somebody will hear me. Folding my arms over my chest, I stare at him, my heart pounding and anger flowing through my veins.
“What the hell was that, Slater?”
“Look, you’re Derek’s kid sister. I can’t… We can’t—”
“The hell we can’t.”
“Sierra—”
“I’m a grown woman, in case you haven’t noticed.”
“Trust me, I’ve noticed,” he says. “But I’ve known you since you were a child—”
“So?”
“I’m ten years older than you are—”
“So what?”
He sighs and runs a hand through his hair. “Look, this isn’t about the sex. If that’s what this was about, that would be one thing. But I like you. A lot. More than I expected to. And I know your brother will never approve—”
“I don’t give a damn what my brother does and doesn’t approve of,” I cut him off. “This is my life, and I’ll be with whoever I want to be with. My brother has no say in that.”
“You know how your brother is.”
“I don’t care about Derek here. This is my life. And he doesn’t get a say in how I live it.”
“I’ve known you almost your whole life—”
“Again, so what?”
“Doesn’t it feel strange to you to be doing this?”
My arms still folded over my chest, I stare at him through eyes narrowed to slits. I’m so frustrated and angry that I can barely breathe.
“Let’s make this simple,” I seethe. “Do you like me?”
“I’ve already told you I do.”
“Do you want me?”
“I think that’s obvious,” he replies. “But your brother—”
“Forget about Derek. He doesn’t get a vote here. And if he truly cares about us, all he’s going to want is for us to be happy,” I tell him. “But all that matters is how you feel about me. Because I know how I feel about you.”