“Maybe not at first.” He muses. “But once they see that it’s not a phase and that there’s way more to it than just hooking up, they’ll have to come around.”
I hope so. “Before you say anything to Scott,” I tell him, playing with the blond stubble that’s starting to grow on his jaw. “We need to be sure that Lev and Ares agree with this plan. If we face our parents, we should do it together.”
He nods. “Yeah. But I just wanted you to know that I’m done being afraid of what Dad will think. I’m sorry I almost walked away from you the night of our parents’ wedding.”
I think back to that night, when Chance didn’t dare come into my room as we had planned, after his father told him and Ares that he expected them to treat me like a sister.
“But you didn’t.” I whisper. “And I don’t blame you for not wanting to rock the boat back then. We didn’t know that our attraction would turn into the real thing.”
“I know.” Chance agrees. “But I feel bad that I didn’t stand up to Dad back then.”
I pull him closer. “You shouldn’t. I really don’t blame you.”
“I love you, Zara.”
“I love you too.” He whispers.
Maybe we shouldn’t kiss on our doorstep, but I know my mom is going to be sitting at the kitchen table at the opposite end of the house. Her morning routine is a cup of coffee and checking the local news on her tablet.
Chance’s lips are soft and warm.
His minty breath mingles with mine when he coaxes my lips open with his tongue.
“Hmm.” Her murmurs, sucking on my bottom lip. “I don’t want to go to practice right now. I want to take you to your room upstairs and have breakfast in bed. Possibly naked.”
I play with the short hair at the nape of his neck. “That sounds good, but you’re forgetting my mom. She’s waiting for me in the kitchen.”
“You’re right.” He groans. “And the only reason that would make Coach Harrison excuse someone from practice is death. So, I really need to go.”
“Go, then.” I chuckle. “I don’t want to make you late.”
“One last kiss for the road?”
Chance’s kisses are so addictive that I can’t refuse his request, and I melt against his muscular body.
Chance
“What the fuck?”
Heather’s shocked voice makes me almost crawl out of my skin, and Zara and I jump away from each other faster than if we had gotten electrocuted.
I close my eyes, inhaling a fortifying breath before turning around to face my childhood friend and next-door neighbor.
A part of me hopes that Heather isn’t really here but just a figment of my imagination.
Of course, I’m not that lucky, and I find myself staring at her angry glare.
“Heather, what are you doing here?”
That was the wrong thing to ask. “Me? I came over to tell my best friend about my night, and since I’ve heard that she was feeling under the weather, I came bringing some throat lozenges and painkillers, and my mom is putting some chicken soup in the crockpot for later.” She says, lifting the bag with a local pharmacy logo in her hands. “The real question is what are you doing with your tongue down your sister and best friend’s girlfriend’s throat? And don’t bother trying to feed me some bullshit about a dare this time. You were full on making out on your doorstep.”
Fuck.
There’s no way out of this but telling Heather the truth, at least about me and Zara, and hoping that she doesn’t tell Diane Pullin.
I don’t know if Dad and Kelly will ever be able to accept that Ares and I love our stepsister and intend to be with her, with Lev in the picture, too. This might be too much for them as it is. The one thing I know for sure, however, is that if rather than hearing it from us, they hear it through the gossip mill, it’ll be a million times worse.
“Heather,” I begin, fighting to keep my tone calm and cautious. “I’m not going to tell you that this isn’t what it looks like, because it’s exactly what it looks like.”
