AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“What happened with him?” I asked. I knew it wasn’t my business to pry into, but I couldn’t stop myself. Dream wasn’t my stepsister anymore, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t still intent on looking out for her.
She frowned again, glancing away as if she wasn’t sure she wanted to get into it.
“It’s kind of a long story.”
“I’m not in a hurry.”
With that, she took a deep breath and went into it. She told me about how controlling Adam was, how he kept her on a short leash and barely let her leave his sight. And then she told me about how he cheated on her over and over, acting like it was no big deal. She explained the fight they’d had, the one where he’d slammed his fist into the wall and scared her enough to make it obvious to her that she needed to leave.
By the time she was done, I was furious, my jaw working, my teeth clenching. I had to use all my restraint to keep my rage in check. Last thing she needed was more anger. For a hotheaded guy like me with a hair trigger, however, keeping it pushed down was no small task.
“It’s over,” I said. “You’re back, you’re here with friends and family. Whatever shit went down in Chicago, you don’t have to worry about it now.”
She smiled. “I’m glad. Knowing I’ve got friends close at hand…”
“You’ve definitely got that.”
Dream sighed. “And to know that you support me – that’s another thing.”
“Through thick and thin.”
She smiled at me. “My mom’s got a different take. She thinks I’m crazy to have gotten rid of a guy who could’ve provided for me. I mean, as if I want some guy to just give me his credit card and let me spend my days having brunch or whatever. She acted like I should’ve sucked it up because he’d be able to provide ‘all the things I needed in life’.”
“Except for the important stuff,” I said. “Like happiness and trust. And partnership.”
She nodded eagerly as she turned to lean her shoulder on the wall and face me. “You get it. Mom doesn’t, but you do.”
For a moment, I considered commiserating with her about my dad, telling her about all the boneheaded things he’d done to show that his priorities were as screwed up as it gets. But I didn’t. She was smiling, and I didn’t want to dampen the mood. Not to mention the fact that sharing my feelings about stuff like that wasn’t exactly my favorite thing to do.
As she stood there under the starlight, looking gorgeous as ever, there was something else on my mind – something other than talk.
I wanted to kiss her. Just imagining my lips on hers was enough to send a rush of blood to my cock. Maybe it was the booze making my head all muddled, but I could swear from the way she looked at me, the way she was inviting me with her body, that she wanted it as much as I did.
What would happen if I were to do it? Would she hate me? How many lines would I be crossing, lines that I wouldn’t be able to step back over?
Dream shivered and wrapped her arms around her body.
Without thinking, I stepped closer to her and wrapped my jacket around her shoulders.
“Thank you, but you didn’t have to--” she said.
“No, I did. You’re cold.”
I didn’t move away from her, I was staring down into her beautiful eyes
She didn’t move back either.
“Well, whatever happens, I’m glad you’re back,” I said. “Always good to have people who you can count on around.”
Not only did she not move back, but she inched closer. She was so close, in fact, that her nipples grazed against my chest each time she took a deep, full breath. I felt like I was losing more and more control by the second, like there was nothing to do but kiss her.
Either way, I wasn’t imagining things.
I had to stay strong. I couldn’t give in to what I wanted. Once I tried to kiss her, there’d be no going back, and there was a damn good chance it’d cost me one of the most important relationships in my life.
“I’m glad I’m back, too,” she said. Dream flicked those hazel eyes up at me, and when she did, I knew I was in some major trouble.
Whatever was going to happen next, it felt out of my hands.
