The hot water felt so good when I sank down the large bath. It spilt over the edge, and I grimaced, hoping I hadn’t ruined Euan’s bathroom carpet.

My body felt relaxed, and my mind, for the first time in a long while, was untroubled. Every one of my muscles still relished in the pleasure that had ridden through them, and my skin still tingled with the ghost of Euan’s touch. 

Just as I lay my head back and closed my eyes, the bathroom door opened and Ebony stood grinning at me.

“My girl finally gave up the goods.”

“Shh,” I hushed her quickly, holding a finger to my lips. I didn’t want to know how she knew I’d had sex with Euan.

“Ahh, fuck off. Frank’s hearing’s not that good anyway.”

I froze. “He’s here?”

She nodded and plonked herself down on the toilet seat. “So is your momma and Sally.”

“What’s going on?”

She shrugged, and I slid further under the bubbles when her eyes found my tits, and she grinned.

“Well they’ll have to wait, this bath is sooo good on my muscles.”

“It’s all the sex that’s good for your muscles, Elsie, not the bath.”

I poked my tongue out at her and gestured for her to hand me the towel.

She smirked, picking up the towel, and placed it over the other side of the bathroom. “Fetch it yourself, babe.”

I scowled at her but smiled. “Okay, you wanna get an eyeful? Is that what you want?”

Her eyes widened when I slowly rose and stepped out. She thought I wasn’t going to climb out of the bath naked in front of her.

Her eyes feasted on me as I stood in front of her, the bubbles that clung to my wet skin not covering much.

“You have one hell of a body,” she whispered.

It seemed Euan had opened something up inside me, because for the first time, I was turned-on by the hunger of my friend, and when she reached out and trailed her finger around my wet nipple, my legs started to shake.

“You know it’ll be good, Elsie. We can give you so much pleasure, me and that man of yours.” She stood up and cupped the whole of my breast, her long fingers gentle as they stroked over my skin. “My tongue at your clit and my fingers in your arse, while Euan fucks that tight pussy of yours.”

“Oh God.” I couldn’t seem to breathe as the image of her promise filled my head.

My eyes slid closed when she bent and sucked my nipple into her mouth, and I had to hold onto her head to stop myself from falling over.

I jumped back and grabbed the towel when the door opened, and Tehni barged in.

“Hurry the hell up, Sister. Frank’s getting impatient, and the glares rolling between Euan and him are becoming scary.”

I laughed, concentrating on Tehni and keeping my gaze away from Ebony. I was still trembling from the forbidden desire she raised in me. Euan had given me my first ever orgasm, and the thrill of it had seemed to unleash a need in me that I wasn’t used to. Life wasn’t about pleasure; it was about duty and obligation.

Frank had been right. This was all a distraction, and it had to end.

Although, as I followed my friends down the stairs, I wasn’t sure if I wanted it to end.

 

***

 

“Peter has found out about your mother,” Frank stated as we all sat around Euan’s table.

I blew out a breath, pretending that I didn’t know, and looked to my mother. “Has he approached you?”

“No, but he posted this to me.” She handed me a birthday card, signed from Peter to her.

“It’s your birthday?”

She shook her head, waving off my concern. “It doesn’t matter about that, what does matter is Sally and me now have to go into hiding until Peter is brought down.”

My heart ached. I’d only just got them both back in my life, and now they were leaving again.

“That’s the reason we’re all here, to say goodbye.”

I nodded. Even though it hurt, I still understood they had to do this. It was the safest option, and if I couldn’t see them for a while, it was better than them being dead.

Inhaling deeply, I closed my eyes when she embraced me, storing the feel and smell of her to my memory banks.

“This will be over soon, Elsie, and then we can concentrate on getting to know one another again.”

I nodded, pulling back and giving her a broad smile. “I’ll make sure it’s over soon, Mum.”

She gasped, tears rolling from her. “It’s been so long since you’ve called me Mum. I never thought I’d hear it again.”

“And you’ll hear it so many more times.”

I hugged Sally hard. “Take care of her, sister.”

She nodded. “I’ll see you soon.”

“I promise.”

Ebony slid her arm around my shoulder when Tehni and Frank escorted my mother and Sally to their new home. “They’ll be back soon.” She gave me a soft smile and wiped away a stray tear that trickled down my cheek. Her gaze hardened, the desire that had simmered previously still lingering in us both.

“Something I should know?” Euan asked, making me jump.

I stepped back from Ebony and shook my head. “No.”

The way he stared at me with a smirk told me he didn’t believe me, and I changed the subject.

“We need to make a start on all this Peter shit. The sooner we get the bastard, the sooner I get my family back.”

“Together,” Ebony offered.

“You want to help?”

“Of course. I have a small assignment, but other than that, I’m all yours, Sister.”

As we descended the stairs into Euan’s den, she pressed up against me and whispered in my ear, “I really love to go down, Sister.”

I rolled my eyes but licked my lips at the lust she had suddenly created in me. I couldn’t stop picturing the scene she had described. Euan, her and me. All of us fucking.

I was in so much trouble.

It would be hard to keep Frank from knowing I had slept with Euan, but I worked with Ebony, and we were often in Frank’s presence. Hopefully, he wouldn’t catch the looks Ebony gave me or the innuendo that stumbled from her. Or, even, the desire I now reciprocated.

All in all, I was doomed. And bloody stupid.