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Later, I heard from one of his friends that he’d been with herbeforeshe was eighteen, and it was the final straw in our already bad relationship.
I wasn’t my dad. That much I knew. I was half his age and a better person.
But thethoughtmade me rethink my choices. I’d made a promise never to touch my best friend’s little sister while she was underage and kept true to that. It didn’t matter that I meshed better with her than anyone else. It didn’t matter that I found her gorgeous for way too long.
I wasn’t going there.
But she was in that damn low-cut sweater, and I couldn’t stop myself.
I’d been lost in lust, but the way I talked to her was nothing like the friendship we’d fostered over the years. I wanted to be like a brother to her, but the way my mind betrayed me was one of the reasons I was up at night.
And now,thiswould stick with me—in more ways than one. I could already tell I wanted her again, even though I shouldn’t. Sure, there wasn’t technicallyanything wrong with this, but I had a feeling Nick wouldn’t be thrilled.
While he would never tell hernotto date anyone, he certainly made it known when he didn’t think someone was good enough for her. And I had a feeling he would have the same opinion about me.
I could lie, but I refused to do that to him. He was my best friend, always there for me when the only family I had walked away. I’d kept my growing attraction to Stella to myself because I knew he was protective over her.
The fact that I slept with her when she hadn’t even been eighteen for six months didn’t make me look good.
It wasn’t illegal, even if she hadn’t been eighteen, because the gap had to beoverfour years in Tennessee, and we were under that by a month.
But it still feltwrong.
She didn’t feel wrong, though. The sex had been the best of my life. It was wild in a way I could have only imagined, and I would love to do it again. I’d noticed her as she grew up, but she was always too young.
She wasstilltoo young, but I could only hope I wouldn’t get in too much trouble with Nick over it.
“I’m gonna go to my room,” Stella said as we pulled in. Her smile was catlike. “You can join me.”
“I should probably catch up with Nick first,” I said. “Especially since he’s home from work.”
“Okay.” She stood on tiptoes and pressed a kiss on my cheek. “I’ll be waiting.”
Even with my guilt, my body reacted to her. God, I wanted this.
I shouldn’t.
I waited until Stella was in her room and let out a long breath of air.
Time to face the music.
Nick was in his room, watching TV after a long day. He’d been working extra to save up for a place he and I could share once we both graduated next semester. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with my life after college, and I needed a place to live while I figured it out.
My job at a local outdoor store paid three-quarters of the posted rent for most apartment complexes around here, but it wasn’t enough. Nick didn’t have to offer to live with me at all since Mr. and Mrs. Summers would let him continue living at home, but I was more than grateful that he did.
“Hey,” Nick said. “How was the party?”
“Fun.” I cleared my throat. “Stella was there.”
He frowned. “She was? She isn’t the partying type. Who invited her?”
“I didn’t ask.”
“Was there alcohol?”
“Yes, but she didn’t have any. She was sober the whole time.”
“Good,” he said, giving me a half smile. “She’s not like me, at least. I don’t think Mom and Dad could have handled that. Neither could I, now that I think about it.”