Liza didn’t want to take off the ring. Nibbling a piece of bacon, she noticed Paul hadn’t been quick to remove his either. It was a cheap gold band, clearly, and she wouldn’t be surprised in the least if her finger turned green within a day from it, but it meant something.

Sure, Paul was wildly attractive, and their sexual chemistry was off the charts. She shivered in memory of their time in the shower. Yeah, they had chemistry, but they always had.

Back when they were younger, though, they’d had more than that, too. He’d been her one solid and dependable relationship. For the longest time, they’d exchanged letters and messages online. He understood her. Hell, some of her favorite memories with him didn’t involve sex whatsoever—she remembered sitting in their treehouse and doing crossword puzzles for hours. They’d tried to bake cookies and burned them. Hell, he’d helped her with her homework.

They’d been friends, too, and she’d valued that once. But just like he’d grown and changed sexually, had the man changed, too? She wanted the chance to find out. She wanted to be with him. Although married seemed to be a bit of an abrupt leap, it still placed them together until they resolved the whole mess.

Did she want it resolved? No, that was a stupid question. Of course, she didn’t want to be married to a man who was practically a stranger.

Right?

She snagged another piece of bacon and continued to stew over the whole matter. It wasn’t like there was someone else she’d rather be married to. For years, she’d compared every man in her life to Paul, so she couldn’t work up any enthusiasm to be upset over it being him.

Well, other than the fact that he was her stepbrother now. Which made their situation particularly tricky.

Her phone beeped and she choked on the bacon in surprise. Paul raised one eyebrow. “You okay?” he asked.

“Fine,” she muttered, taking a quick sip of her water. She grabbed the phone and saw her mother had texted her. “My mom wants me to meet her by the hotel pool.”

His phone beeped, and he glanced at it before saying, “They could’ve saved their time and just texted one of us.”

She rolled her eyes, since there was no way for their parents to guess they’d be together after mind-blowing sex, but she didn’t correct him. “What are we going to do?” she asked, twirling the gold band on her finger. “Like, how do we even explain this?”

Paul leaned forward, catching one of her hands. “For one, we don’t know for sure that we’re actually married and it wasn’t just a novelty service. Before you ask me but what if it is, I’ll say that we need to deal with one problem at a time. For now, we go on about our day as normal.”

“I’m not sure there is anything normal about waking up married to your stepbrother,” she pointed out, but his hand was on her knee. Just his touch in such a simple place sizzled her system to life.

“Wear a skirt,” he recommended as he stood.

“What will a skirt do to resolve the situation?” she asked, flustered as he stood over her. The bathrobe he’d put on after their shared shower was coming a bit loose, and she was distracted by his body revealed by the soft fabric. Just a slice, a tease of what was beneath if she simply tugged on one end of the knot holding it on him.

Pulling her to her feet, he looked into her eyes with a small smile. “It won’t resolve the situation whatsoever.” His hand slid inside her matching bathrobe, fondling her breast before giving her nipple a harsh tug. “But it is easy access. I find I want more of you, my sweet Liza. And I don’t want a lot of barriers between us. Do you?”

She swallowed hard, allowing her body to drift into his arms. “Not really,” she admitted.

“Skirt, pool, parents. We’ve got this. We can do anything together, remember?”

As his mouth closed over hers, she couldn’t think of a single reason to disagree.

---

To say that meeting with their parents was uncomfortable was an understatement, but she reminded herself that regardless of whether or not their own quickie vows were legal, she was a grown woman. Any decisions she’d made, bad or good, were her own and not ruled by parental consent.

Then again, admitting she’d married her stepbrother to her coworkers and friends could prove more than a little awkward. Sighing, she shifted in her seat. Her mother noticed and smiled slightly. “You never could take much of the sun, Liza-love.” The nickname was childish, but she couldn’t correct her mother, so Liza simply shrugged. “Thank you both for joining us for breakfast, but we’re planning on having some alone time today. Can you guys find something fun to do for the rest of the day? We could always get back together later for dinner…”

“They always did get along so well,” said Paul’s father. Liza had just sipped the fruity concoction they’d ordered for her, and she nearly spit the drink all over everyone. Paul’s brow went up, and his smile teased her for her reaction. “Thank you both so much for joining us to celebrate our special day. I know this whole thing might feel rushed, but Kaitlyn was the one woman I could never forget. When you get to be our age, and you find something special, you don’t want to waste another day apart. Hopefully, one day you kids will find something similar.”

Paul regarded Liza carefully, and she couldn’t make herself look away. She’d already found something special, and apparently taken vows to promise ‘til death do you part. Would she stay married to him, if it turned out to be legal?

Ridiculous. People didn’t just fall into bed with people they hadn’t seen in years and decide to spend forever together. She put the drink down and tried to fake a smile for her mother’s sake.

Once their parents had fled, she turned to face Paul more fully. He’d scooted his chair nearer to hers and was sucking on an ice cube. “So, do you think we can do what they suggested?” she asked him.

His smile was slow, and a frisson of awareness trickled down her spine. “I have some ideas of how we can occupy ourselves, but I have to ask again… do you trust me, my Liza?”

Toying with her necklace, Liza licked her lips. “Yes, master,” she managed.

“Spread your legs under the table,” he ordered.

Glancing around at the busy poolside area, she realized no one was paying them any particular attention, but any one of the random people might be a friend of her mother’s. The table in question was covered with a white tablecloth, so it wasn’t like anyone would see her spread legs, if she did obey…what harm could it do?

She hadn’t worn panties, hoping he’d realize her daring at some point during the day. Slowly, she obeyed him, relaxing back into her chair a bit as she separated her knees. “Done,” she said, but he probably already knew as his hand was on her knee.

When he took the hand away, she shuddered in disappointment. But then he took the ice cube out of his mouth. “You wouldn’t,” she whispered.

The ice cube trailed up her leg, starting at her knee. By the time he touched it to her overheated slit, it was wet from melting its way across her flesh. Her whole body shook in a shocked shiver, and she shifted to try to adjust to the temperature change.

“Don’t move,” he reminded her. “Everyone is looking at you.”

The ice numbed her flesh, causing almost pain on her skin. Every time she thought it might be too much, he’d sweep in with his hot thumb and stroke her flesh.

When he thrummed his fingertip against her clit, she parted her legs a bit more, allowing him more access. Her face was on fire, her breaths unsteady, and she had to work hard not to move. Not to rock into that melting sensation between her legs.

“You like that, don’t you? Even though you’re sitting there with ice melting between your legs, you like the way your heat is being rubbed right here in public. Admit it, my Liza.”

His voice alone was enough to make her moan, and a passing member of the staff cast her a suspicious look. “Yes, master,” she said, not caring who watched.

“You want me to do more, don’t you? You’d let me fuck you right here, in front of everyone, wouldn’t you, my greedy little Liza?”

Another shudder shook her body. The ice was nearly melted, just a tiny shard of chill while his fingertips were so hot and insistent. The cadence and tone of his voice had her struggling to sit still, to resist rocking and jerking as he urged her passion higher.

But then he pinched her clit between two fingers, the movement startling in her haze of lust. “Paul,” she whimpered in complaint.

“You didn’t answer me, greedy creature. Answer me, would you let me fuck you right here in front of everyone?”

“Yes, master,” she whimpered.

“Stand up,” he ordered.

She couldn’t, not with her legs shaking. But his hand was removed from between her legs, and she needed more. Needed him. Finding the strength, she stumbled to her feet, not surprised to see the wet spot on her skirt from the melted ice cube. “Yes, master,” she said.

He stood as well, taking her arm and bumping her breast with his fingertips as they walked side by side. “We need to find out if those quickie vows were real or not,” he said.

She shot him a quick glance before frowning. “You got me all hot and horny and now you expect me to focus on the business end of our relationship?”

His smile was slow, and heart wrenchingly familiar. There was so much of the boy she knew in the man facing her that it made her pulse thready and fast. “Haven’t you heard, my little Liza? Anticipation is half the fun.”