Passion consumed Zander. Hisstiff dick throbbed for the one person he should never desire. He wanted his stepsister and he was going to have her.
All of her.
As soon as he signed the credit card receipt, she slid toward the edge of the booth. “Thanks for dinner. I wish you hadn’t paid.”
“It was my pleasure.” He’d become addicted to her smile.
“Ready to get out of here?” she asked.
“More than ready.”
Once outside, Zander sucked down a lungful of cool, evening air. His insides were on fire. Savannah had unleashed something raw and primal he hadn’t known existed. Tamping down on those overwhelming desires and emotions was taking all of his willpower.
“Thank you,” he said, as they walked to the Jeep.
“For what? You paid for—”
Unable to stop himself, he threaded his arms around her, pulled her close, and kissed her. This time, he didn’t hold back, and thrust his tongue into her mouth. He wanted to taste her, explore her, worship her. Her moan turned him harder still, but when she pressed herself flush against him, he deepened their embrace and tightened his hold.
The kiss continued, the intensity of their passion stealing his thoughts and consuming his ability to think clearly. He couldn’t get enough of her. But he had to stop. Had to get a grip on his actions and wrangle his emotions under control. Panting, he slowed them down, dropped one more lingering kiss on her lips, before severing their fiery connection.
“Oh, my God.” Breathing hard, she slid into the passenger seat.
As he walked around the vehicle, he exhaled a sharp breath before jumping in. He sat beside her, gazed into her eyes, but he had no words. Not a one.
She spoke. Her voice was hushed and he hung on her every syllable. And all she did was give him the name of her hotel, but her words floated in his head like a song he’d been waiting his entire life to hear.
He plugged the name into his map app and drove. The chilly air whizzed around them, cooling his overheated libido. Zander’s hard-on had lasted for most of the evening. But he wasn’t focused on relieving himself. He needed Savannah in ways he couldn’t process. The tequila and the beer hadn’t gone to his head, but the rush of being around this addictive woman had turned him into a drunken fool. He wanted her the way a tree needs sunshine, a dog needs human companionship, a living soul needs oxygen. And that scared the absolute fuck out of him.
Decades earlier, he’d forced himself to depend on no one, but the longing to pull her close, to touch her, to keep her by his side, would not go away. He’d hoped the alcohol would dull the ache. It had exacerbated it.
When he stopped at a light, he kept his eyes glued to the road and his hands cemented on the steering wheel. If he glanced in her direction, he’d pull over and take her on the side of the road, condom be damned.
And she deserved a hell of a lot more than that. She deserved his best.
He parked in the hotel lot. They each grabbed a camera bag and he slung his overnight bag over his shoulder before setting off toward the entrance. Logic and rules swam in a murky sea of brackish water.
“Tilly said I could crash in her room.” That was his last, desperate attempt to squelch his taboo desires. To behave like a man with a moral compass and not one determined to bed his stepsister.
“Good idea.”
His chest tightened.Dammit. He didn’t like how quickly she’d agreed. But they were doing the right thing. Behaving like mature adults with common sense. They entered the building and she acknowledged the front desk clerk as they passed by.
“I have to check in,” he said.
“Tilly’s all checked in,” she replied. “I took care of everything when I got here.”
“So, you’ve got her room key?”
As she tapped the elevator button, her lips curved in a sly smile. “Sure do.”
They entered, the doors closed, and she slid her gaze to his. He dropped his overnight bag, pinned her against the wall of the elevator and kissed her. Greedy and searching, their tongues thrust and tangled.
Bing.
The doors slid open, but he couldn’t stop. The switch had been tripped, the need to be with her overpowering. She ended the kiss, nudged him back, and sauntered out as if that mind-blowing kiss had never happened. He collected his bag and followed.
Of course. Savannah and Tilly are rooming together.Energy surged through him.
