I came back from university after a year away, and the excitement was practically vibrating through my skin. Mom had picked me up from the airport. The second we walked through the front door, I spotted my stepdad on the couch. The moment he saw me, he shot up, throwing his arms wide with a beaming smile.
I tossed my purse at the nearest chair, made a beeline for him, and jumped, wrapping my arms around his neck and my legs around his waist.
It was how I’d hugged him since I was little. Even though I was twenty now, old habits die hard, and it was the only way I knew how to show him how much I’d missed him.
I love him, and he loves me. Ever since he stepped up to fill the void my real father left, he’s been my rock. I remembered him carrying me on his shoulders through the park, making me feel like the tallest girl in the world.
He was the guy who pulled all-nighters to help with my homework, chased away the monsters under my bed, and always kept a hidden bar of chocolate in his pocket just to make me smile. He was more than a stepdad; he was my protector, my confidant, and the person I trusted most.
I was thrilled to be home, and so was he. But between my weight and the sheer force of my jump—which caught him completely off guard—his knees buckled. He tumbled backward onto the couch, taking me down with him. I didn't let go. I held on tight, laughing into his shoulder as the familiar scent of his cologne wrapped around me like a cozy blanket.
With the way I landed, my core settled dead center over his fly. My skirt rode up, covering my ass and bare thighs, but leaving my legs draped over his hips. I could feel the heat of his body radiating through our clothes.
I wasn't his little girl anymore. I’d grown into a gorgeous woman, well-endowed in all the right places, with heavy breasts and a plump ass that I knew turned heads.
My breasts pressed flush against his chest, but I didn't care. If anything, I leaned in closer. When he grabbed my waist to steady us, it felt different. His hands were huge, fingers splayed across my back, sending an electric spark straight through me.
The chemistry between us was thick. I felt his heart hammering against mine, wondering if he could tell how my body was reacting to him. The way his eyes darkened wasn't the look of a father; it was the look of a man seeing a woman.
It was a forbidden pull that made my breath hitch, making my skin tingle everywhere he touched me. I knew it crossed the line, but the thrill was intoxicating. I loved it.
I knew I should act my age and climb off, but I stayed put, eating up the friction and the closeness. Mom had taken a seat on the sofa right beside us, kicking back and smiling. She looked thrilled watching us together, clearly seeing nothing but a wholesome reunion between father and daughter. She was completely blind to the fire sparking between the two people she loved most.
"I missed you so much, Daddy," I breathed, smiling into his eyes. My voice dropped lower than I meant it to. I let my fingers play with the hair at his nape, watching his jaw tighten.
"I missed you too, baby," he replied. His voice was husky, vibrating through his chest and into mine. "The house was dead quiet without you. I was climbing the walls."
"Did you really?" I teased, tilting my head. "Or were you just glad to finally get a break from your spoiled princess?"
"Never," he murmured, his hands sliding an inch lower on my hips. "I'd take your noise over the silence any day. I’ve been counting down the days until you walked back through that door. You look... different, Isabella. College life suits you."
"Different how?" I whispered, leaning in until our noses brushed.
"You've grown up." His gaze dropped, blazing a trail down my neck to linger on my cleavage just a second too long before snapping back to meet my eyes. "You’re definitely not the kid I dropped off at the dorms a year ago."
I tilted my chin, gazing up at him through my lashes. "I'm still your girl, aren't I? Or are you scared you can't handle me now?"
A chuckle rumbled deep in his chest, the vibration traveling right where our bodies touched. “Always,” he whispered. His hand came up, catching a stray curl that had fallen across my cheek and tucking it behind my ear.
We stayed like that, locked in our own world, completely tuned out to everything else. I ate up the way his hands felt on me, the way his chest rose and fell against mine, and the heavy heat building between our laps.
I was about to complain about my nightmare flight when I felt something hard poking my core through the fabric of his trousers.