I hand him a beer and crack mine open on the counter. “Well, what is it?”
“She’s right, you know,” he says simply. “Having your step-sister work as the maid? Questionable at best.”
I shrug and take a swig of my beer. Better to just de-escalate than to turn this into a big argument.
“I’ll find us a real replacement. How’s that?”
Reaching for my cell, I move to pass him, but he places a firm hand on my arm. “That is all that’s been happening, right?”
My chest tightens. He’s looking at me with those eyes he’d give me when I was a kid and he knew I’d broken one of his countless rules.
But he can’t know about what Joan and I have been doing. He hasn’t even been here. And why would he suspect?
“I don’t even know what you’re talking about, Dad,” I reply, lying my ass off.
I pull my arm back and head for the door. Alicia is still whispering to Joan. Even with her voice hushed, I hear her hiss, “Youwillbe returning to the convent. I am the one you listen to, nothim!”
Joan’s eyes flicker to me as I pass, and her mother turns and gives me the death stare. So much for a nice family reunion.
This is bad. Alicia is pissed, and Dad seems to suspect that Joan and I have been up to something—which of course we have.
I motion to her before stepping outside, then go around to the patio and sit. A few minutes later, she appears from the backside of the house.
“I had to sneak out!” she whispers. “Mom’s watching me like a hawk.”
Her eyes are filled with light—an energy that sparks my soul. I rise from my chair and sweep her into my arms, pressing her against the wall as I envelop her lips with mine.
My eyes close as I kiss her, breathe in her scent, and drink in her body with my hands. I can’t get enough. I’ll never get enough.
I feel wetness on her cheek and pull back. Tears spill from her eyes. “She wants to send me away,” she sobs. “Away from…you.”
Shaking my head, I run my fingers through her hair. She’s like a treasure in my arms. How could I live without her warmth? Her scent?
“I won’t let that happen,” I tell her. “You belong to me, Joan.”
Her eyes flutter as she looks up at me. Using my thumb, I wipe away a tear as it falls down her cheek.
“Because I signed the contract?”
I chuckle, my heart beating faster as the connection between us swells. I curl my arm around her and pull her body close.
“No.” I shake my head. “Because I’m the only one who truly understands you.”
“Yes,” she whimpers, more tears pooling in her eyes. “Don’t let her send me back there.”
I lean in and kiss her, savoring the sweetness of her mouth. “I love you, Joan. No one is going to send you away. You’remylittle nun. No one else’s.”
She giggles, and I feel myself getting hard against her belly. I need her.Now. But the parents are home now, and the office is full of the staff.
“We’re getting a hotel. I need to have younow.”
“Amon—”Joan gasps, looking past me. I turn and see something that causes my stomach to drop.
Alicia, peeking around the corner of the house, her eyes fixed on us.
I instantly let go of Joan and back off, but it’s too late. She’s seen us. She knows.
I brace myself, ready for confrontation. But to my surprise, she simply vanishes. A few seconds later, I hear the sound of the door closing behind her.
