The second my shirt leaves my body, his palms encase my face and his lips press against mine. My brain tells me to stop him, that I’m too angry for this to continue, but my body says otherwise. The increasing pressure between my thighs convinces me that I need this, that I need the release he can give me to make me forget.

Kissing down my neck and over the swell of my breasts, his fingers fiddle with the clasp of my bra before the cool air surrounds my sensitive skin. The fabric has barely touched the floor and his mouth is on me. His tongue circles around one peaked nipple while he pinches the other with his fingertips.

I’m panting just from that alone, and I can’t help but moan when he releases my nipple with a pop and runs his tongue down my stomach then along the edge of my waistband. Heat pools between my legs as I think about having his tongue against me.

My button’s popped open before my skirt and panties get pulled down my thighs and dropped around my ankles.

“Sit back on the desk.”

I do as I’m told, the coldness of the wood making my breath catch.

Grabbing my ankles he spreads my legs wide open and stares down at me. “Beautiful,” he groans before leaning forwards and licking the length of me.

The sensation has my arms trembling and threatening to give way behind me.

He licks and sucks until I’m trying to back away from him. Knowing what I’m attempting to do, he wraps his arms around my thighs and pulls me right to the edge of the desk. His tongue plunges inside me and I break. I scream as my release races through me. Tingles erupt from my core and run all the way to tips of my fingers as I pulsate around him.

I throw my head back and fight to catch my breath as my release begins to subside.

“Fucking hell.” Pulling my head up, I find him staring up at me. My feet are on his shoulders and his eyes run over every inch of my exposed skin.

He places a kiss to each ankle before he drops them and pulls me to him. Wrapping my legs around his waist, he carries me over to the bed before gently lowering me down. His lips find mine and he kisses me for the longest time as his hands continue to roam my body, driving me crazy and getting me ready for another release.

Part of me doesn’t want to give him anything. I want to punish him for lying to me, but as the minutes pass it becomes clear that I need him inside me and I’m only punishing myself by holding back.

Running both of my hands down his back, I ensure my nails scratch as they go. A deep groan rumbles up his throat and my thighs squeeze together as the memory of his hot mouth assaults me once again.

When my fingertips hit fabric I run them around to the front and tease him through the denim.

“Fucking shit, Summer,” he grunts. The sound gives me the confidence I need to take what I want.

Once I’ve got the button undone, he helps me out by pushing his pants down his legs a little, allowing me the access I need.

Pushing him onto his back, I throw one leg over his waist before staring down at him.

“Have you uh...got any condoms?”

It takes a second or two for my words to register. Disappointment floods his face as realization hits. “No.”

I almost throw caution to the wind and sink straight down on him. I’m desperate to feel him inside me but knowing we’ve already been reckless, and after experiencing my first false alarm, I can’t do it.

Crawling down his legs, I go for my second option and wrap my hand around the base of him, sucking him as deep into my mouth as he will go, all the while cursing myself for allowing my shot to run out.

“Come and get in bed,” Harrison says from the doorway to the bathroom. Our eyes connect in the mirror, his pleading with me. I know I shouldn’t have been intimate with him. I knew it would lead to him thinking everything was okay, but the second he touched me I was powerless to put a stop to it. I might be angry at him, but I still love him, I still want him. That’s not changed.

I understand why he did what he did, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt that he’d keep his own children from me.

Dragging my eyes away from him, I stare at my own reflection and wonder how at only twenty-one I’ve managed to find myself married and in another country with two almost teenage step-kids. This really was not the life I was expecting to have.

“Summer, stop. Everything’s going to be okay.” His body heat warms my back as his hands creep up under the white shirt he was wearing earlier and come to rest on my belly.

“I know,” I whisper.

“Then come to bed. You need to get some sleep.”

I allow him to pull me from the bathroom and I crawl under the sheets when he pulls them back before resting my head on his chest, the events of the previous day still running rampant in my head.

“Who were you texting?” Harrison suddenly asks.

There was no way I could switch off and fall asleep when he did earlier, so once I knew he was asleep I slipped out of bed, grabbed a pad and a pencil from my bag and started sketching. I needed something to help clear my mind. When my phone went off, I was surprised to see Mom’s name staring back at me. Swiping the screen, I couldn’t help but smile when I saw her words.

I had no idea if calling her earlier was the right thing to do, but I’m now so glad I did.

“My mom.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, I needed to talk to her after…” I trail off.

“I’m so sorry.”

“I know you are. But you repeating it doesn’t really help. You still lied to me.”

“I know…I just…ugh. I don’t know what else to say. I didn’t do it to hurt you. I was just trying to do the right thing. But—”

“You fucked it up. I know. I’m just going to need a little time to get used to the idea.”

“I can do that,” he says. His arms pulling me tighter to him as his lips press into my hair.

“Let’s get out of here,” Harrison says the second I step foot out of the bathroom the next morning.

“Oh…uh, yeah sure,” I stutter. I’m not sure if I’m ready to leave the safety of this room yet and be thrust into everything I tried to run away from yesterday, but I guess there’s no time like the present to properly meet my newly acquired step-kids. My insides quiver with nerves. How can I be a stepmom at twenty-one?

After drying my hair, I gather the small amount of stuff I brought with me as I attempt to keep my anxiety from bubbling to the surface.

“They’re going to love you. Stop worrying,” Harrison says when we’re pulling down our street. The journey this far has been in silence. I think he’s giving me the time he promised, but this feels like anything but him giving me time. I’m about to meet the two reasons for all this drama.

I’d love to say I share his confidence, but I’m struggling slightly. I keep trying to put myself in their shoes. How could they possibly like me? I’m better suited to being their sister than their stepmom.

I follow Harrison into the house that had started to feel like a home. But as I walk down the hallway towards the kitchen, I can’t help but feel like everything’s changed.

“Good morning,” he sings as he rounds the corner.

“Dad,” I hear two excited voices say before the sounds of chairs being pushed back.

“Hey, kiddos.”

Walking in behind him, my heart swells when I take in the scene in front of me. Harrison’s got his arm around each child’s shoulders as he smiles down at them, his love shining brightly in his eyes.

“Alfie, Cass, I’ve got someone I’d like you to meet.”

My stomach drops as everyone’s stare turns to me. My heart races and my temperature soars.

“This is Summer, my wife.”

It’s like time slows down as Alfie’s lips curl up in a smile so like his dad’s it makes my heart ache, while Cassie’s frown clouds her beautiful face, her eyes getting harder with every second that passes. Oh boy, looks like I’ve got my work cut out for me.

“Hi, Summer. It’s nice to meet you,” Alfie says politely. His posh British accent melts my heart more than his dark eyes and cheeky smile already have.

“Cassie,” Harrison prompts.

“Hi,” she spits before removing herself from her dad’s arms and sitting back at the island.

The room’s silent as every set of eyes looks between Cassie, me, and then Harrison.

“Cassandra,” he warns. “Be polite.”

“It’s fine,” I try to argue, but the look he pins me with stops me.

They stare each other down for a few seconds before she mutters, “It’s nice to meet you.” It’s anything but sincere but I think it’s the best I’m going to get.

My stomach churns with dread as she turns her focus on her plate. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Harrison’s shoulders drop in disappointment.

Stepping away from his dad, Alfie walks up to me. “Just give her some time. She’ll come around,” he whispers, sounding much older and wiser than his twelve years.

“Thank you. I’m looking forward to getting to know you both.”

“You’d better be quick. I’m sure we’ll be shipped off to Madrid soon, then school will start.” He rolls his eyes before walking away.

My chin drops but I’ve got no response. The disappointment is written all over his face. Harrison’s words from last night come back to me about wanting them to live with him and attend a different school. From what Alfie just said, I think I want the same thing.

“You okay?” Harrison asks, his arm coming around my waist.

“Yeah,” I whisper unconvincingly.

“She’ll come around. Just give her some time,” he says, thinking it’s Cassie’s reaction to me that’s caused the color to drain from my face.

“I know.”

“Come on, it looks like Danni’s made waffles.”

I feel sick the second Cassie turns her back on Summer. I bite back my immediate response to drag her back here to greet her properly, knowing that my hormonal daughter just needs a little time to get used to the idea. Shouting at her isn’t going to help right now. She needs to see that Summer’s not just a fling for me. She needs to understand that we’re a family, and this is how it’s going to be from now on.

Placing my hand in the small of Summer’s back, I guide her towards the island so we can join the twins and Danni for breakfast.

I was nervous as fuck the entire drive here. Not knowing how Alfie and Cassie were going to react to Summer had apprehension racing through me. Something told me laid-back Alfie would be okay, but Cassie has a little of her mother in her.

I can’t help the smile splitting my face as I look at the three most important people in my life all sitting having breakfast together.

“We’re spending the weekend as a family,” I announce as every set of eyes turns to me. “Summer wants to walk down Royal Mile and see Buckingham Palace—”

“And she gets what she wants,” Cassie mutters under her breath. But unfortunately for her, it wasn’t quietly enough.

“That’s enough, Cassie. We’re going to do something for everyone this weekend. What would you two like to do?”

“It’s Chelsea vs. Arsenal tomorrow. I’d love to go,” Alfie says excitedly. I want nothing more than to agree but as I look between Summer and Cassie I can’t help but think leaving them together could be a bad idea.

“I need a new school bag, and I’m not going to any bloody football match,” Cassie says.

“Language, young lady.” Her response is to just roll her eyes at me. Her attitude resembles Rebecca’s more and more—one of the many reasons I hate them spending time with her. I don’t need her raising a little mini-me. One Rebecca is more than enough.

After thanking her for keeping an eye on the twins overnight, Danni disappears back down to her flat. She hot-footed it out as soon as she could; I don’t think she wants to be stuck in between Cassie and me if things kick off.

“Right, go and get ready. We’re going out in thirty minutes.”

“Do we really have to?” Cassie complains.

“Yes.”

She begrudgingly heads upstairs and I’m not stupid enough to think I’m not going to have a fight on my hands to get her to come around to the idea of having a new stepmum.

“We can do Buckingham Palace another day. I’m not bothered,” Summer says once we’re alone.

“No. Like I said earlier, we’re doing something for everyone this weekend.”

“What are we doing for you?”

“Spending the weekend together. There isn’t anything else I need.”

Stretching up on her tiptoes she presses her lips against mine. “You’re too cute.”

“I’m anything but cute, beautiful. Are you ready for this?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” she admits, slipping her feet into her trainers, looking about as apprehensive as I feel.

The day is pretty much as I expected. We walked around the city, Summer’s eyes darting everywhere as she took everything in while Alfie and Cassie trailed behind us. Alfie looked bored but tolerant whereas Cassie looked downright pissed off the entire day.

“I thought we all got to do what we wanted today?” she sulks as I let us into our house later that evening.

“I said this weekend, not today.” I rustle her hair but she shrugs me off and goes to climb the stairs. “Where are you going?”

“To hide.”

“I don’t think so.”

“Haven’t we already had enough forced family time?”

“Not even close. Go and get changed, do whatever, but be back down here in thirty minutes.”

She rolls her eyes at me and continues up the stairs. I get a sympathetic look from Alfie before he follows, hot on her heels. I can only hope he’s on my side and talks some sense into her.

Summer’s busy making coffee when I fall down onto one of the stools in the kitchen. “She’ll come around,” she says, sounding a lot more confident than I feel.

“Cassie’s just as stubborn as her mother. We’ve got our work cut out.”