"It's definitely not easy to share a parent." She snuggled close again. "At least we have each other." The words slipped out before she could stop them.
Tristan made a soft, dark noise and leaned down to kiss her hard, almost punishingly, before he spoke. "We do have each other, and you can't ever leave me again. Do you understand?"
It was in that moment that she saw it in his face: the panic in his eyes and the tension bracketing his mouth. He'd been wounded when she'd called off their relationship. It seemed ironic that she'd gone into this thinking she'd be the one to get hurt, but instead, she'd been the one causing him pain.
"I understand. I'm sorry, Tristan." The words caught in her throat and choked her.
He brushed at her cheeks, and her cheeks heated when his fingertips come away wet with tears. Tristan made a teasing tsk noise before he pressed another fervent kiss to her lips.
"So you and Mum will go shopping. What am I supposed to do while you're gone?"
She rolled one shoulder in a small shrug. "Bond with my dad?"
His rich laugh warned her. "Not blood likely, darling." He was still shaking his head with apparent amusement. "I'll plan something so you and I might have time alone. How does that sound?"
Pretending to think about it for a minute, she finally nodded and then flashed him a grin.
"Sounds nice."
"Excellent." He stole one more quick kiss before he slipped out of her bedroom so they wouldn't be seen together.
That was the most important thing. Not getting caught together by their parents. Stepsiblings shouldn't be seen making out, and definitely not having hot, dirty sex, either … and she and Tristan had done both.
Dad would kill us both if he found out …
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
As always, there are a lot of people to name and thank in the journey of making a book, from the first word to the final editing. I want to thank Madeleine, my editor, for making Tristan and Kat's story have that amazing, sexy sizzle, and whose editorial comments always make me laugh in the best way. I owe a huge thanks to my fans and my street team, and to everyone who picks up my books and gives them a try. I also want to thank my parents, who drop everything to hash out character arcs and story plots with me when I'm in the "creation" mode of coming up with a new story, so I can get the book just right. Last but certainly not least, the amazing team of Forever Yours, who help promote my books and share them with the world!