He hurries out of the shower, dries off, and quickly dresses to answer the door. I’m too curious to stay put so I do the same. By the time I make it downstairs, there’s a uniformed cop standing in my living room.
“Cole?” I say, alarm chasing away my intoxication. “What’s wrong? Is Savvy okay? Travis?”
He cuts his eyes over to Eric and then back at me. “Actually, I was coming to check on you. One of the neighbors called in. Said there was a sexual assault happening by the dumpsters.”
Heat floods my cheeks. I know they’re crimson and giving me away, but I play it off like it’s from the shower. Shaking my head, I flash Cole a confused look. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Was it the beer bros?” Eric demands. “They’re always drunk. I’m sure they saw it wrong.”
Cole ignores him, stepping closer to me. “It was Troy. He said you were yelling. Specifically said it was you, but unsure who the man was. Said there was an altercation and then it looked like you were getting raped.”
I blink several times, scoffing. “What? No.”
Troy is a bastard. Ever since I denied him when he asked me out, he’s been a prick to me. Suddenly, he’s worried about my wellbeing. Unreal.
“Can we speak alone?” Cole asks, voice low.
“No,” Eric bites out. “You may not.”
Cole’s jaw muscle ticks. Again, he ignores him, imploring me with a stern gaze. “Is everything okay here?”
I realize this is getting out of hand and fast. If I don’t fix it, there’ll be trouble for the both of us.
“I swear to you,” I say to Cole, “everything is fine. We were playing a game. Drank too much. Things got silly.”
Cole relaxes a bit. “Keep bedroom activities to the bedroom and you won’t have any problems.”
My skin burns hot. He knows Eric is my stepbrother and obviously knows we’ve been having sex. It’s humiliating, but I’d much rather him know that information than thinking I’ve been taken advantage of.
“Will do,” I croak out. “I’m sorry.”
“Take care.”
He leaves and I breathe a sigh of relief. Eric scoops me up as though I weigh nothing, carrying me up the stairs to my bedroom. Once we’re under the covers and cuddled together, he runs his fingers through my hair and sighs.
“We should sleep this shit off,” he says softly. “I’m clearly an idiot when drunk.”
I squeeze him and kiss his neck. “Good idea.”
Frosty hops up onto the bed and plants himself on Eric’s stomach. Clearly, he agrees.
I wake up naked and sore. Some time in the middle of the night, we scared off the dog, because we couldn’t keep our hands offone another. Eric fucked me and slept most of the night warming his cock inside me. I’m sore everywhere, but it’s a good kind of sore that makes me smile.
Until I hear voices.
Eric isn’t in bed, but that’s not unusual. He likes getting up early and making breakfast for me. But, he doesn’t usually entertain guests. I quickly throw on clothes, slip into the bathroom to pee and freshen up, and then head downstairs to see what the commotion is.
Oh my God.
Why is our family here?
My little sisters are playing with Frosty and showing him all the presents with their names on them. I blow them a kiss in greeting before heading into the kitchen where the voices are coming from. The space feels small with all three of them standing in there. Mom is at the stove with Eric, helping him with breakfast. Mike is trying to figure out the coffeemaker.
“Morning, sleepyhead,” he says, abandoning the machine to give me a side hug. “Can you make this work? I need more caffeine.”
He kisses the top of my head and releases me so I can get some coffee going for us. I’m tense and confused as to why they’re here. It’s not like them to drop by unannounced.
Mom and Eric are in their own little world, chatting quietly about ingredients. It’s always been their thing. Mom loves cooking and shared that love with all of her kids. Eric was always the most studious when learning her tips and tricks.
