What the fuck is wrong with me, sneaking into my stepdaughter’s room to fuck her?

That’s some next level fucked up shit. I wake up early the next morning, kicking myself and yet still not regretting anything that happened. I get a little hard just thinking about her perfect body under my hands, the way she writhed and moaned and could barely keep herself silent. I actually don’t know how Julia didn’t hear us and come bursting into Sydney’s room, but it seems like we got away with it.

This morning I have even more difficult business to attend to. I quickly dress and clean myself up before finding Julia down in the kitchen, getting ready to leave for work.

I banish all thoughts of Sydney from my mind. I don’t let myself think about her up in her room right now, half naked and sleeping, her body taut and ready for me. I could so easily sneak in here, spread her legs, and wake her up with my tongue against her delicious little clit...

“Connor?”

I blink and look at Julia. “Morning,” I say.

“You’re staring at the coffee like you want to make love to it.”

“I love coffee,” I say quickly, pouring myself a cup.

She gives me a weird look, hefting her bag onto the counter. “You’re up early.”

“I wanted to catch you before you left.”

She frowns slightly. “What about?”

“I went and visited your brother yesterday.”

I sip my coffee as she studies me. She keeps her face carefully composed, but I can see the cracks in her armor. She’s very unhappy that I’d go out and do that behind her back. Frankly, she’s probably pretty fucking pissed, but it’s okay. She won’t let herself lose control. If there’s one thing I can count on with Julia, it’s that she’ll maintain her composure no matter what.

“Why would you do that?” she asks me.

“Because you’re not taking his threat seriously.”

“I’m taking it as seriously as it needs to be taken,” she says, her expression flat.

I shake my head, sipping my coffee to get a second to think. I have to approach this delicately or else she’ll back off and push me away. I can’t let her think that I’m undermining her control over this situation. I know the kind of person she is, and I’ve had commanding officers just like her. Sometimes, people like her can be very competent, but if they’re wrong about something, it’s hard to change their mind.

“Maybe it was a mistake,” I say, playing to her ego. “You’re probably right. But I did record the conversation.”

That interests her. She leans against the counter. “What did you say?”

“What I said isn’t all that interesting. It’s what he said that you’ll want to hear.”

“Send me the recording,” she says.

I grin at her. “Yes, ma’am.” I snap a little salute.

“Please, Connor. I don’t have time for this. Just send me the recording and I’ll judge whether it’s worth getting upset over or not.”

“I’m not upset, Julia. But I am concerned.” I step toward her, wanting to get the full weight of this. “I need to protect you and Sydney.” Julia’s face flinches at the mention of her daughter’s name, and my stomach drops.

“You need to keep playing your part,” she says. “Convince my father that you’re a great man and that I’ve turned over a new leaf. Nothing else matters.” She stands up and shoulders her bag.

“Your brother is dangerous,” I say as she heads toward the entrance. “It’s not going to go away on its own. You have to know that.”

“I’ll listen to the recording,” she says. She reaches the door, waves, and leaves, shutting it behind her.

I stand in the kitchen for a second staring at the door, going over what just happened in my mind.

As soon as I said Sydney’s name, it was like I pinched her or something. She flinched and grimaced, though I don’t know why exactly.

But I can guess. She knows that I want her daughter and she’s probably aware that her daughter wants me too. I don’t know if her distaste for that relationship stems from her desire to achieve her goals, or if she genuinely thinks that I’m not good enough for her daughter. Frankly, it’s probably a little bit of both.

She might be right. I might be no good for Syd. She probably needs a guy more her own age, someone who can share her experiences with her. She doesn’t need a man like me taking her, using her body, making her feel things she never imagined. Maybe it’s all too fast and too soon for Sydney.

Maybe her mother is right and I’m making a huge mistake. Doing what I did to her outside yesterday was a pretty big deal and a major risk. I don’t know what kind of surveillance Evan has this house under, and he could be watching it every second of the day. It’s totally possible that he has some serious drones flying around up there, videotaping everything that goes on out here.

I wasn’t sure that he’d go so far, but now I am. After yesterday I’m sure that man will use every single resource at his disposal to discredit me and Julia. He’s going to intimidate and threaten, and eventually he’s going to do something even more drastic.

I have to be ready for when he does. Because I have this strange, blossoming attraction to Sydney, but I don’t know what to do with it.

I head upstairs, trying to figure out what I’m going to do with myself. I get on my phone and send Julia the recording, hoping that actually helps, but not sure if it will.

* * *

I don’t hear from Julia all day. I work out around noon, which is when Sydney typically goes outside for a swim. I try not to stare at her as she walks through the kitchen but I can’t help myself. Instead of jumping her, though, I work my aggression out on the weight bench.

She doesn’t come up to me, which only makes me want to approach her more. After what happened last night, I know we should talk about it, or at least acknowledge it. I snuck into her room in the middle of the night and fucked her rough. I don’t know if that was crossing a line for her, or if that’s something she’s going to want me to do more often. I don’t even know if I think it’s right and good for me to follow through on these feelings.

I work out for an hour, pushing my limits a little bit, and I’m pretty exhausted when I head out into the kitchen for a protein shake. As I’m mixing it up, I catch sight of Sydney out by the pool, almost as if by mistake.

But I know it’s not a mistake when I stare at her. She’s wearing sunglasses, and her skin looks incredible in the high afternoon sunlight. She’s stretched out, one knee in the air, wearing a white bikini that’s beyond fucking sexy. I force myself to look away, chugging my drink, before grabbing my shirt and heading outside.

I should leave her alone. But I can’t help myself. I hope that I’m tired enough that I don’t just instantly take her by the hips and tear her bathing suit off. I wrap my shirt behind my neck and I realize that I’m fucking impatient for her.

She lowers her sunglasses when I sit down on the chair next to her. “You look sweaty,” she says.

“Just worked out.”

“I can tell.”

I smirk at her. “I thought you wanted to get out of the house more often.”

She smiles right back. “I thought I wasn’t supposed to.”

“Good point. Do you get tired of sitting out here all day?”

“Not really,” she says. “And I bet you don’t mind it one bit.”

I look at her for a second, my smirk deepening. “And why do you say that?”

“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe you’re in there, working out, thinking about me half naked out here.”

“Maybe,” I say. “And what are you thinking about out here?”

“You,” she says, not looking away.

I lean toward her. “You like playing dangerous little games, don’t you?”

“You’re the one sneaking into my bed in the middle of the night.”

“True. But I didn’t hear you complaining.”

“No. You didn’t hear much of anything.”

I grin at her. “Because I had my hand over your mouth.”

“And your cock in it.”

I’m hard as fuck and I can tell she’s blushing, but she’s not looking away. I can’t believe how straightforward she’s being, and it’s taking all of my fucking willpower not to do something right now. She’s practically begging for it. Her skin is glistening in the sunlight and I know she’s dripping wet just thinking about what we did last night.

But I have to get myself under control.

“Careful,” I say. “I’m not sure you can handle much more, girl.”

“Maybe,” she says, blushing deeper.

“That little pussy sore this morning?” I ask, trying to push her buttons. “I bet it is. Not used to having a cock like mine.”

“Maybe,” she says, and I can tell it’s working.

“But I don’t think pain bothers you all that much.” I lean in and whisper in her ear. “That’s why you like it when I fuck your little cunt nice and rough. You want me to beat that pussy up until you scream.” I lean back and grin at her.

She’s bright red, and not from the sun. “Maybe that’s true,” is all she can manage to say.

I laugh, shaking my head. “Relax. I’m teasing you.”

“Oh yeah, of course,” she says, smiling at me. I can tell she’s turned on. Her breathing is coming faster and deeper, and I think her nipples are starting to show through her top.

“Last night was good, really good,” I say. “But you know. We have to be—“

“Careful.” She finishes for me. “I understand.”

“Good.” I lean back in the chair, looking out over the pool. “Don’t you have any guys your age?”

She hesitates a second before answering. “Not really,” she admits. “I’ve had boyfriends. But mostly everyone I know went to school and never came back.”

“You could meet someone, if you wanted.”

“I don’t know,” she says, shaking her head. I’m surprised by how vulnerable she seems, and by how much I want to protect her.

“Sure,” I say. “Plenty of guys would trip over themselves to even talk to you.”

“Maybe. But it’s not like I can go to bars to meet them.”

I smile slightly. “That’s right. You’re underage. I forget how old you are sometimes.”

She gives me a look. “I forget how old you are, too.”

I laugh. “Okay, fair enough.”

“How old are you exactly, anyway?”

“Thirty-nine,” I say.

“Wow. Do you remember when Stonehenge was built?”

“Like it was yesterday.” I grin at her. “Joke all you like, but my age is just a sign of my maturity. I know things you can’t even guess at.”

“Yeah? Like what?”

“You got a taste of it last night.”

She blushes again. “I thought we were being careful.”

I shrug. “I can be reckless sometimes.”

“Yeah, well. So can I, but that’s because I’m young.”

I laugh again and push her shoulder slightly, playing around with her. “Okay, look at you with the insults.”

“I got more where that came from.”

“Oh yeah? Try me.”

“You’re so old, Father Time is your brother.”

I grin. “That’s bad.”

She shrugs. “So is your gray hair.”

I laugh and run my fingers through my hair, which is decidedly not graying. “Ouch.”

“See, you can’t keep up, old man.”

“I can definitely keep up.” I lean over toward her, gently pushing my fingers into her side. She starts laughing and squirming, pushing me away.

“Oh my god, you are NOT tickling me!”

“Not tickling,” I confirm. “Torturing.”

She gets up and tries to get away, but I follow her. She doesn’t get far before I wrap my arms around her and grab her, lifting her into the air.

“Get off, you beast!” she says, laughing and squirming.

“This is revenge,” I say, heading toward the pool.

“No!” she says, eyes wide, understanding what I plan on doing. “Don’t!”

“If we go down, we go down together,” I say, and I jump into the deep end with her.

We splash into the water, making a nice wave. I surface, grinning, and she comes up next to me.

“You asshole!” She splashes me with a big grin on her face. “I didn’t want to get my hair wet.”

“You poor thing. You probably thought I was too old to pick you up.”

“I was surprised to see you out of your wheelchair.”

I make a face. “We both know I only need a walker.”

She laughs and swims over to the ladder. I watch her as she climbs out, wringing her hair out, water dripping off her skin.

She looks over her shoulder and catches me looking at her. “Asshole,” she says with a smile on her face. She walks over to her chair, grabs a towel, and wraps it around her body.

“Don’t cover up on my account,” I say, swimming over to the ladder.

“I’m going inside. Have fun drying off out here alone, old man.”

I climb up and out of the pool and catch her wrist before she can walk away. I pull her toward me and press my lips against her ear. “It’s Daddy, not old man,” I whisper before letting her go.

She looks at me for a second, biting her lower lip, and then quickly turns and walks back inside. I watch her go, my cock hard as hell, before sitting back down in my chair in the sun.

Goddamn, that girl drives me wild. I don’t know where all of this comes from, but she makes me feel so free again. It’s like I never got older, never went through all the shit I went through in the SEALs. It’s like I’m an innocent young man again, before growing up and becoming what I am not.

She brings that out in me, and it’s like a fucking gift and a curse. She knows as well as I do what this thing between us means, or at least can mean if we let it. If we keep lowering our guard, something is going to happen between us, and it’s going to be hot and fast.

I don’t know what that thing can mean. The age difference is a serious concern on top of everything else that’s happening.

As I dry off in the sun, I know that I need to take a big step back. As I realize just how much I’m enjoying being around her, I can’t help but see the danger that’s developing right in front of me. If I follow down this path, with everything that’s happening, I’m going to ruin her.

I can take care of myself. I don’t care about that. But I do care about protecting her, and I used to take that role seriously. I’m a guardian, a fucking security guy. I’m supposed to make sure my clients are safe, not put right in the line of fire, which is what I’m doing if I keep pursuing Sydney this way.

I have to step off. And the only way to do that is to distract myself, though I don’t know how, considering I’m stuck in this house with her.

I cross my legs, put my hands behind my head, and close my eyes. I spend the next ten minutes trying not to think about her until I end up falling asleep, my shirt spread out over my chest, the sunlight on my face.