“No, I’m not.”
“We slept together.”
Best night of my life. “Yeah, so?”
“So?” Her voice shrilled. She clenched her fists. “Did you know?”
“Know what?”
Her kissable lips pouted. She had no idea how sexy she was, even when poised to attack.
“Did you know that our parents got married?” She didn’t let me answer. “Did you know I was your step-sister? Was this just some sick, twisted game?”
“It’s not a game.”
“Great. I’m a fetish then. You son of a bitch. You should come with a warning.” She drew an imaginary square around my face. “You could be the poster child for the sexual predator list.”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa.” I held my hands up. “I’m no predator.”
“Then what was the other night? You deliberately found me. Don’t tell me I was some random notch on your bedpost.”
I chuckled. “Baby, you broke my bedpost.”
“Screw. You.”
And she was off again. I stepped in front of her before she made it to the door, careful to keep my namesake out of range of her kick.
“Do you want to know what I was thinking that night?” I asked.
Shay really wasn’t in a conversational mood, but she wasn’t holding anything sharp. No clear and present danger. Unfortunately, the most passionate woman I ever met was armed, locked, and loaded with her sights aimed for our family jewels or the space between my eyes.
“I came to the bar and saw a beautiful woman who looked upset and alone,” I said. “I thought someone stood you up. I really only hoped I’d grab your number.”
Her arched eyebrow said more than she revealed, but at least I could imagine her unspoken words were polite. She crossed her arms.
“Can you look me in the eyes and say you didn’t know I was your step-sister?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Oh, don’t sass me. I’m not in the mood.”
“Shay, I didn’t realize you were my sister. Not until…”
I didn’t mean to say that, but I stumbled headfirst into the enemy trenches. She bristled.
“Until…?”
I flashed the dimples. “…Until I was balls deep in you. But who in their right mind would stop then?”
She didn’t implode on the spot. A good sign.
“That is exactly my point.” Shay poked at my chest. I was sure she imagined the abs she accidentally stroked beneath. “Who in their right mind would…would…” Her hands covered her face again. “Oh my god, I had sex with my brother.”
“Step-brother.”
“I’ll let you do the talking when we’re crashing outside the pearly gates.”
I sighed. “Come on, Shay. Harmless mistake.”
“Which time?”
Uh-oh. “Which time what?”
“You and Sergeant Hard were balls deep plenty of times that night. When did you realize who I was?”
Once, I navigated through hostile territory with no radio communication, ammunition, or GPS while under heavy fire. That was less dangerous than her question. I rubbed my head.
“Uh.” No sense lying. “The first time.”
“The first—the first time?” Shay fell silent. Her eyes—the most perfect mocha darkness—stared at me, wide-eyed. “You…we…spent all night together! And you didn’t tell me! You didn’t even try. God, you’re a pig! I can’t believe I ever let you touch me.”
She moved to escape. I made the reckless decision to grab her hand. She spun to slap, but I took that hand too, pulling her close.
Today, she smelled of lilacs. Another lock of ebony hair slipped from her pony tail and caressed her soft cheek. She fumed, practically shaking from anger, but the heat pooling in me transferred to her. I leaned in and lowered my lips to hers so that I might have whispered an apology or stolen another sin.
“A piece of paper says we’re family,” I said. “Just a stupid marriage license. You’re still you, I’m still me. We had a good time. Don’t ruin it with guilt.”
“I’m not guilty, I’m pissed.”
“Don’t be pissed either. We had fun.”
She didn’t believe me, but, Christ, did I want to prove it to her. It’d be too easy for me to haul her up, wrap her legs around my waist, and slam her against the wall.
And she’d love it. Beneath the anger? I recognized a girl more ashamed of her sexual inhibition than anything a marriage certificate dictated about our formal relationship. Her hint of shame—the embarrassment of a good girl who never went home with strangers, never let them kiss and lick and fuck her, never believed she’d have the night of her life grinding against a cock harder than steel—that drove me fucking wild.