I’d found a beautiful family, something I’d always wished for, but they were not mine to keep. They could never be. A serious relationship with Rayden would never work, not if a piece of my heart still belonged to his father, and the reality that with each beat, it grew stronger scared me. When had I become adept at fucking up my life? The day I couldn’t stand up to Thomas Crawford and decline his offer to join him in Boston, it seemed. I forced my attention back to the game.
Only once during the rest of the evening did Drake share a smile with me that was remotely sexy. Rayden fell off to sleep on my lap, and another half an hour later, I called quits but stayed there to watch Kyra and Drake’s constant joking until my lids drooped. Not wanting to wake Rayden, I placed a cushion behind me and watched the flames for a while.
I opened my eyes to find Drake’s gentle gaze on me. More surprisingly, he sat with his back against a couch, a book in his hand and my head in his lap. Was I dreaming? If yes, why was he looking down with eyes that devoured me? So real and so intense.
A slow smile spread across his lips. “Hi,” the husky whisper was too real for a dream. He shifted slightly.
All too aware of the hard muscle beneath me, I balked and moved to get up, not sure how I’d ended up there. Drake shook his head and gestured to something with his chin. I glanced down. Rayden was asleep diagonally to me with his head on my thighs. Opposite me, Kyra slept with her head on Rayden’s legs. How the hell had we dozed off in the exact position, we’d played. Unsure whether to wake Rayden so I could get up, the decision was taken away from me.
“Stay, please,” Drake mouthed, then stroked my hair.
His gentle fingers roused goosebumps and immediate memories of me in his lap in front of the fire, his fingers in my hair as he leaned down to kiss me. Without thinking, I snagged my bottom lip between my teeth. His eyes flicked to mine, heat darkening those grays orbs. A growl rumbled low in his chest. I squeezed my thighs at the predatory hunger in his stare yet couldn’t help my widening smile at how I affected this man. I’d experienced his playfulness, and strangely I wanted to bring it out of him again.
Before I could stop myself, I grinned. His brow shot up, aware I was cheeky, and he couldn’t do anything about it. My gaze dropped to his full, pink lips embraced by that salt and pepper scruff. I remembered the sin both had created on every inch of my skin—the rough scratch followed by kisses smooth like chocolate. Hot color flamed my cheeks. When our gazes met again, heat pooled low in my belly, and I forgot to breathe for a moment. I looked away. As though he knew what I was thinking, he flexed his cock, and I covered my mouth to hide my gasp.
“How long have we been sleeping?” I tried to focus on anything but the cock so close to my mouth. Once more, memories of that thick fullness jerking against my tongue, probing the back of my throat, spilling hot cum as he came, flooded my panties. I licked my lips, struggling not to squeeze my thighs.
As if reading my mind, amusement curled his lips. “Long enough.”
Rayden stirred. The second he pushed up onto his elbow, I sat up. I had to get away from Drake. His kind of control was enviable. And my kind of arousal, insatiable. I burned in places only he’d touched, leaving recollections I craved. The knowledge scared me for the simple reason that I’d grow restless knowing he was so close. How long would I be able to resist? The definitive question being, would I be able to resist.
“We fell asleep?” Rayden yawned, breaking through my reflections. He stood.
The room was beginning to get way too heated, and the longer I remained there, the more I feared I’d want Drake. “Yes.” I shot to my feet too quickly, and a touch of vertigo made me wobble. Hands on my hips kept me from falling. When I glanced back, Drake stood behind me. He dropped his hands, and I darted a look at Rayden. He was still stretching and hadn’t notice. God, I hated this panicky state I’d descended into. I needed a reprieve. I left the room before any further conversation began.
Drake
WATCHING SIA WITH RAYDENwas becoming harder with every passing second. I’d tempted fate by kissing her in the kitchen. Idiotic, but I couldn’t resist. Yet, I don’t think my willpower had ever been tested as much as it had tonight. Several times during the game of monopoly, not only had I risked glances at Sia, I’d almost pulled her into my arms when she was dozing off. Kudos to my resistance levels. Only, Sia rolled off the cushion she’d placed under her head, and it took every ounce of effort to keep my hands to myself when she moved on her own and settled her head on my lap. Surprisingly, Kyra joked about how comfortable my lap was that even Sia wanted to try it. If my daughter only knew to what extent Sia had already tested it, she would’ve probably killed me on the spot.
“You okay?”
I turned to find Tamara at my rear, her inquisitive expression back in place. I grinned despite the cloying irritation sitting at the bottom of my stomach. She moved to stand with her back against the railing, her eyes on me while I faced the view of the estate currently cloaked in the moonlight. We stood on the living room balcony. Hoping to chill some sense into my frazzled state of mind, I sought it out after Sia and Rayden retired for the night. It did nothing. No amount of cold could freeze the flames Sia’s smile alone blazed.
“I’m fine,” I said at length.
“Dammit, Drake, I’m your sister. Talk to me.” She put up her hand to stop the shake of my head. “Something’s eating you from the inside out. I can see it.”
