CHAPTER 7
The morning dawned bright and jolting as I looked beside me in the king sized bed and found Brett curled up beside me. I stared at him as I remembered the second time I’d been with him in this house, hot and rough compared to the first time. I got up and went into my bathroom as I stared in the mirror and caught the scattered markings on my neck.
“Oh my God,” I murmured as I took a deep breath. I pulled on the robe from the night before and went down to make coffee and think. I sat at the table from the night before, sipping my drink and breaking things down in my head. Brett was my mom’s husband, a vow that should be taken seriously. I just knew her and the way that she looked for men with money to take care of her. Marriage was a big step, but Brett was handsome, and I could see why she’d cling to him, but did he want that? They knew one another a few months at best when they married, and I was curious to know what came over him.
I jumped as I heard a cup hit the granite counter and looked over to see Brett. He was dressed in some sweats, and he poured coffee in before looking at me. “Morning.”
“Good morning,” I replied as I tapped the table nervously. I didn’t know what to say or do. “Can I ask you something?”
“Yeah,” he replied as he sipped the coffee.
“Why did you marry her?” Brett looked stricken as he stared out of the window and I just watched him.
“She made me laugh when I met her. Your mom is a beautiful woman and a catch for any man…but then I saw you at the restaurant. I had no idea,” Brett told me as he stared at me. “It took everything I had not to react to you. It took everything I had not to wrap you up in my arms.”
“That night was a mess.” I ran a hand through my messy hair and frowned. “She was so mad at me, and I couldn’t eat. All I could do was drink.” I stared at him. “Did she suspect anything?”
“Just that it was you being a daughter that didn’t like your surprise, I gather. She didn’t guess what was really going on,” Brett assured me as I looked into his face. “She’d never guess that, Larisa. It’s too crazy.”
“Yeah.” I nodded blankly. I had officially knowingly slept with my stepfather as well as my best friend and I pushed the reality away. “She’ll be home tomorrow. What do we do?”
“Do you feel like this more than just the sex?” Brett asked me as I looked down at the table. “If so, I’ll leave it alone and do my best with her.”
I was torn, but Cole was out of my life in that way as well as a possible friend. I enjoyed being with Brett, at least so far. He was older, but there was a spark between us. “Not entirely.”
“Okay. We see what happens,” Brett said as we sat stiffly in our chairs.
I napped that day while Brett went into the office for a while. He told me that he’d pick up some dinner on the way home before he kissed me softly. Brett was so tender with me, and I watched him leave as I licked my lips. I could still taste the coffee on his lips.
I drove around town for a while for some fresh air after I showered, running into a few shops to distract myself from what was happening. I loved my mom in the sense of obligation, and I knew that what I was doing was wrong. It just felt so good.
I left one of the stores with a bag full of new lingerie and shoved it into my passenger seat. Driving home, I pulled into the driveway and got out before I headed upstairs and dumped the bag on the bed.
Over dinner from a popular Thai place that night, Brett and I talked further. He told me that his son was coming in a few days after not having seen each other for a little while. He was off to college much like me and even in the same state, so he was close.
We got distracted by each other after the meal, and I made love to Brett on the couch with a blanket underneath us as I rode him hard and fast. He held me close, sucking my nipples into his mouth as we came together. I pressed against him as I let out a deep breath and reminded myself that we were sleeping in separate rooms tonight. Mom wasn’t due home until later, but we didn’t want to get caught, not like this.
I went up into my room and slipped under the covers as I took a slow breath. My body was still on fire, and I pressed my thighs together as I bit down on my bottom lip.
I slept fitfully and just kept going back to sleep until late into the morning, I knew that Brett had gone to work and I suspected that Mom would wake me up when she arrived home, which she did. There was a knock at my door, and I looked as it opened and she peered inside of my dim room, finding me buried under my covers. “Still sleeping?”
“Just lazy. It’s nice not to have something to study or a class to go to,” I responded as she stepped inside, looking flawless. “How was your trip?”
“Very productive,” Mom replied as she looked around my room thoughtfully. “I haven’t been in here for quite some time.”
“Yeah, it looks the same as it did back in school.” Mom nodded and ran a hand through her smooth hair pulled into a low bun. “I am going to take a shower. Do you want to go out to dinner tonight, just the three of us? You can get to know Brett better since last time was so terrible.”
I didn’t want her to know how well I knew him. “Sure, that will be fun.” No, it wouldn’t.
Mom left, and I turned back over in my bed, feeling sick to my stomach. God, I wanted to talk to Cole, but I’d heard nothing from him since that last text. I couldn’t tell him all of this, ever. He would hate me more than he already did, though I was doing well at that myself.
I dragged myself out of bed after a few hours of dozing and showered before I pulled on some tights and a plum dress before slipping my feet into boots. I knew that Brett was home since I could hear them talking, but I didn’t want to go downstairs until I had to. I questioned everything from my hair to my outfit until there was a knock at my door. “Larisa, are you ready?”
“Yes, Mom. I’m coming,” I told her as I walked over and opened the door. She looked stunning in a black dress with heels, and I wondered why Brett was with me. I wondered if he’d regret everything now that she was home.
We walked down the stairs together, and I saw Brett standing in the kitchen in black slacks and a white shirt with a blue tie hung around his neck. He looked so gorgeous, and I stopped and stared for a moment as Mom glanced down at her phone. Brett looked up, and our eyes met for a moment as I frowned gently. He was beautiful beyond words, and I thought back to that first moment when our eyes met in the bar, knowing that then it would be an incredible night.
It was, then and now.
I don’t know how I got through dinner, apart from wine and watching him. He spoke well, showed his intelligence and wit as he kept us both mesmerized. I saw the way that Mom looked at him, but it wasn’t with love. It was the same way I did and the idea of them together later turned my stomach as I set the glass down on the table. At least she was past having more kids, a thought that made me stare at Mom. Was she?
“Larisa, are you okay?” I blinked as she stared at me and nodded as I sipped the wine.
We finished the meal, and I watched as they walked ahead to the car. He was holding her hand loosely, and I took the sight in before he turned his head and met my eyes. There was a heat there that made me shiver as I followed them and I bumped into someone as I blinked. “I am so sorry,” I said as I turned to look at the guy that I bumped into.
“That’s okay. It was worth it,” he told me as I looked into dark eyes and the cheekbones of a model. “Have a great night.” I nodded and said something similar to him as I turned to follow Brett and Mom to the car as he stalked forward with his shoulders set.
“Are you okay?” Mom asked as he unlocked her door and opened it as I passed them to get to the back.
“Of course. I just remembered that I have some work to do in the office when we get home.” He replied as he stared forward and I dropped my gaze to the ground.
Later that night after Mom was asleep, Brett told me how jealous he was of that guy with his mouth between my legs.