-Sienna-
The sound of the front door clicking shut cut through the garage like a gunshot.
Jaxon and I froze.
We were still pressed close, breathing hard, our skin damp from what we’d just done.
Not a mistake.
Not an accident.
A choice.
A terrible, perfect, irreversible choice.
"We have to move," I whispered. My voice shook.
He gave one short, tight nod.
We scrambled. I yanked my jeans up, fumbling with the button, my fingers slipping. My hands wouldn’t stop shaking. He pulled his shirt over his head so fast the hem caught on his hair.
The heat from a minute ago was gone, it was replaced by something sharp and electric. Fear.
"Go. Your room. Now," he said, low and urgent.
"What about you?"
"I’ll stay here. I’ll say I was getting something from the car. It’ll look normal."
Normal.
We were so far from normal I almost laughed.
I just nodded. My bra was on the floor, I snatched it up and bolted for the side door that led into the house. My heart hammered in my ears. The hallway was dim, the air warmer than the garage. I moved quick and silent, taking the stairs two at a time, holding my breath at every creak.
In my room, I shut the door, locked it, and slid to the floor with my back against it.
The cold wood against my skin felt like relief. My body was still buzzing, every nerve alive.
Flashes of him and the moment few minutes ago kept hitting me, his hands, his mouth, that look in his eyes that made it impossible to breathe. Then came the other feeling. Fear. Hot, sharp, choking fear.
From downstairs came voices of my dad’s and Jaxon’s. Low. Calm. Normal. I couldn’t make out the words. That made it worse, somehow.
My phone buzzed in my hand.
Jaxon: Are you okay?
I stared at the screen. Was I?
I’d just had sex with my stepbrother in a dusty garage under one bare lightbulb… and almost been caught.
No. I wasn’t okay.
Me: I don’t know. I can’t breathe.
The dots appeared instantly.
Jaxon: Come to my room. Now.
My heart jumped. Go to his room? After all that? I’d just gotten out.
Me: Are you crazy? They’re right downstairs.
Jaxon: They’re watching TV. They won’t move for hours. Please. I need to see you.
I stared at the lock on my door. My brain said stay here. But my body already wanted to move. The thought of leaving things unfinished in that garage was unbearable.
I turned the lock slowly.
The hallway was still. The faint sound of the TV drifted up from the living room. Every step toward his room felt louder than it was.
I stopped at his door. My hand hovered over the knob. I breathed in once, deep, and pushed it open.
He was sitting on his bed, phone in hand. The glow lit his face, his eyes finding mine instantly.
He patted the space beside him.
I closed the door, crossed the room, and sat. The mattress dipped under my weight.
The air was heavy. Tense. Like the garage, but quieter.
"I can’t believe we did that," I said softly.
"I can’t believe we didn’t do it sooner."
I looked up at him. "What are we doing, Jaxon? What is this?"
"I don’t know," he admitted. "But I can’t stop thinking about you."
"I can’t stop thinking about you either. It’s making me crazy. I’m so confused."
"It’s okay to be confused." His hand found mine. His fingers slid between mine like they belonged there. "But don’t lie to me. Don’t lie to yourself. You felt it. Every bit of it. The way you look at me… the way you fight me… it’s all part of it."
"Part of what?"
"Part of us. This." He gestured between us. "This messy, screwed-up, perfect thing."
He tugged on my hand until I leaned closer. His palms cradled my face. The kiss he gave me this time was slow, deep and soft, like we had all the time in the world. I melted into it, into him, into the part of me that didn’t care about consequences.
"I want you again," he murmured against my lips. "Here. In bed. Where we can take our time."
I nodded before I could think. My fingers were already at his shirt.
The room was warm, dim. The sheets were soft when he pulled me onto the bed. This time there was no cold wall, no rush. My hands traced the lines of his chest, my mouth finding his skin. He shivered under me. I filled my mouth with his dick as he moaned.
"Sienna…" My name came out of him like a prayer.
I moved back up to kiss him. Our hips rocked together in a slow, steady rhythm. He rolled me onto my back, his weight solid and grounding. He inserted his fingers into my pussy as he sucked my neck and used his other hand to fondle my breast.
I started dripping like crazy making muffled moans.
When he inserted his dick inside me, this time it was deep and unhurried. Every move was deliberate, as if he wanted me to feel every second. His mouth stayed on mine, and the world outside his room faded away.
The release came softer this time, but it wrapped around me like heat, leaving me shaking and breathless.
We lay tangled in the sheets afterward, my head on his chest. His heartbeat was strong and steady under my ear.
"We can’t do this again, Jaxon," I whispered.
He stilled. "What?"
"We can’t. If we get caught or they find out, my dad will lose it. This is insane."
His jaw tightened. I could feel it under my hand.
"Is that what you really think?" His voice was quieter now, but sharp. "After all that? You want to pretend it never happened?"
"No! I’m just… I’m scared. I’m so scared."
"So what? We’re supposed to go back to hating each other? Back to fighting over dinner? That’s not happening."
He pushed off the bed, fast and angry. The sheets pulled with him.
"Jaxon, don’t…."
"No." He looked at me, his eyes hard. "You wanted fire, Sienna. Now you live with the burn. There’s no going back. Not for me. Not for you."
He grabbed his sweatpants, yanked them on, and walked out leaving me in his bed, heart racing, his words burning in my head.