But she’s not waiting. Her hands are working at the buttons of my shirt now, surprisingly deft, and I should stop her. I know I should stop her. But then her palms are flat against my chest, her fingers spreading, and?—
Jesus.
Jesus Christ.
I catch her wrists. Try to. She twists free and slidesher hands down to my belt instead. She’s my stepsister, and her hands are now on my belt. Alarm bells ring somewhere distantly in my head.
Off-limits.
“Harper, hold on?—”
“Do you have to argue about everything?” she pants, and there’s heat in her voice, challenge. “Is this a debate thing? I’m trying to get youlaid, Caleb. Isn’t that what guys want?”
Her fingers work my belt buckle. The metal clinks. She gets it open and?—
Every nerve ending in my body lights up.
God yes.
Lust slams through me with devastating, embarrassing intensity. My body knows exactly what it wants, screaming at me to shut up and let this happen, to stop thinking and justfeel?—
I catch her hand. Stop her before she can go further.
“Whoa. Wait.” I’m breathing like I’ve run a marathon. “Not so fast.”
She frowns, confused for half a second. Blinks down at me. Then understanding clears her expression, and she actually smiles—this satisfied, almost predatory smile that makes my stomach flip.
“Oh. Right.”
She leans over, still straddling me in a way that’s making coherent thought basically impossible, and digs through her backpack on the floor.
The shift in her weight. The way she moves. I have to close my eyes. Have to press my head back into the pillowand grip her hips to steady both of us and try not to think about how close we are to?—
She rights herself, triumphant.
“Ta-da!”
A condom. Shiny foiled square.
My eyes snap open. My heart hammers against my ribs.
Holy shit. She wants to—right now. She actually?—
“Harper—”
“I know.” She rips the packet open with her teeth—with her teeth—and my brain short-circuits completely. “Don’t worry. I’ve got it covered.”
She reaches for my jeans again. This time, when her fingers brush the skin just above my waistband, my whole body jerks.
She pauses. Looks down at me with something hungry and pleased in her eyes.
“Unless you don’t want to?” Challenge in her voice. “Is that it? You don’t actually want this?”
Off-limits.
“No. I—fuck. I want—” I can barely get words out. Can barely think. “Can we just... can we slow down? Please?”
“Slow down?” She rocks her hips slightly—probably not even on purpose—and I nearly lose my mind.