Page 2

Ryker

Flipping the pancakes, I whistle low and grab my cup of coffee. A pitter patter of footsteps has me grinning, thinking of last night. Mary hasn’t wanted sex in months, which I understand for the most part. Her job is mentally and physically exhausting, so I’d been surprised when she was up for it.

“I’m making your favorite. How many do you want?” I ask, looking over my shoulder and stiffening. The lanky teenager in my kitchen is not who I expected to see, and then I nod slowly, just barely remembering Mary’s younger sister moving in with us. Something about their mother kicking her out and getting fired from her job. I thought it was happening this weekend. Then I want to hit myself, remembering it’s already Saturday. “Sorry, I thought you were Mary.”

Her cheeks flush and I know how ridiculous that sounds. Mary is shorter with a head full of golden, silky hair, and she’s a bit curvier. Stassie is a whole foot taller with dark curls draping down her long torso. The leggings and band t-shirt are tight on her body, and personally I’m a little worried she’s not eating as much as she should be. But I keep the opinion to myself, knowing their parents aren’t the best. I clear my throat, waving the spatula toward the stove. “Do you like pancakes? Mary likes them with cinnamon and nutmeg.”

She shifts on her feet, her arm slung around her stomach and she holds onto her elbow. “Sure, thanks.”

I nod toward the table. “Take a seat. I’m almost done. You want anything to drink?”

Stassie shakes her head, moving silently to the chair at the small kitchen table. We need to get another since it’s usually only Mary and me.

Archibald comes pouncing in the next second, circling around her foot while meowing. Grabbing a can of his food, I chuckle. “He’s probably hungry. Mary usually feeds him when she gets home from work, but she got off a little early last night.”

She frowns, her eyebrows knitting together. “Mary’s home?”

Turning back to the stove after setting down Archibald’s bowl, I move the last few pancakes to a plate and carry the mound of them to the table.

“Yeah, they must have had a slow night or something,” I say, glancing at my bedroom in a weird state of confusion. It’s quiet. Usually Mary has a soft snore while she sleeps, and I try to recall the shape of her body when I left the bed. But I barely paid attention as I got up and showered before coming to cook.

I grab the syrup, another set of plates, and forks for both of us, and sit across from Stassie.

She gives me a small smile. “Thanks for this. I don’t usually have food first thing in the morning, so this is nice.”

“Of course, this is your home now too. Whatever I can do to make you feel relaxed in the space, at home. Let me know.”

She chokes on the bite she just shoved in her mouth as she struggles to clear her throat. I get up and grab a water, handing it to her as she wipes away a stray tear under her eyes.

“You okay?”

Stassie nods. “Just peachy. I’m fine.”

I sit back down, and we eat in silence for a few moments.

Mary comes through the front door, stripping out of her scrubs and bundling them in the hamper next to it. I watch in horror as she pads over to us, barefoot in her sports bra and undies. She smiles at her sister.

“You look well rested. Find my diffuser okay?” Mary asks, opening the fridge and grabbing the coconut water she usually downs after coming home from work.

Stassie’s cheeks are bright red as she glances at me and then nods. “Yup. It was exactly where you said it was.”

Mary tosses the empty bottle in the trash and then kisses me on the cheek as she passes by. “Smells good. Thanks for cooking for her. I’m going to try to grab some sleep after I shower. I'm exhausted. I’ll catch you two later.”

The silence in the kitchen is tangible as I piece together that my girlfriend never came home early from her shift. That my girlfriend never crawled into bed. That I didn’t have one of the best fucks of my life with my girlfriend, but with her nineteen-year-old little sister.

“Just so there’s no mistake…it was you last night?” I ask, my voice low even though I know Mary can’t hear us over the running water in the shower.

Stassie nods once, her dark hair hanging forward and shielding me from seeing her face. She stuffs another bite into her mouth, her eyes on the plate as I stare at her. My appetite is gone, and I struggle to think or even breathe as I lean back in my chair.

“Why didn’t you…say something? Stop me?” I finally ask.

Stassie swallows down her food and grabs my coffee, taking a large gulp before setting it back down. Her blue eyes rise to meet mine and she shrugs. “I just…froze.”

“You froze?” I can’t hold back the anger in my voice. It’s not her fault, and a part of me is worried I hurt her, but I also thought I was fucking my girlfriend.

Stassie scowls, narrowing her gaze at me. “Well you didn’t give me much time. Have you ever heard of foreplay?”

I rear back, a different type of indignation roaring inside me. “You were plenty wet enough.”

She rolls her eyes. “Thank god for biology. My vagina did all the work for you.”

Licking my lips, I shake my head and squeeze my eyes shut for a second. I’m not going to attest to my skills in bed with someone who shouldn’t even have a clue about the size of my dick. “I—whatever. That doesn’t matter. Did I…hurt you?”

Before I think not to, I study her body, looking for any signs of discomfort. But I’m hit with the memory of the way her breasts molded perfectly in my palms, how soft her stomach was when I held onto her and pushed my cock in. I drag my gaze away, focusing on the fridge, the same fridge that has photos of Mary and me pinned under magnets. Overwhelmed with shame, I can’t stand to look at them and redirect my focus to the floor.

Stassie clears her throat, pulling her shirt away from her stomach and shrugs again. “I’m a little sore, but that has more to do with your…” Her hand waves toward me and my big cock twitches at the praise. I stand suddenly, needing to get away from her and the way I react around her.

“Just give me a minute.”

She stands and grabs my arm. “Wait, Ryker. I think—look, it was an accident. And obviously a one-time thing. I won’t tell her. Please don’t tell my sister, I have nowhere else to go if she kicks me out.”

I soften at the pleading in her eyes. Without thinking, I turn and pull her into my chest. Her arms wrap around my waist, and I try not to focus on how perfect she feels here. She’s only four years younger than Mary and me, but nineteen is still young in my mind. We’ve had a life of differences between those years. “She wouldn’t kick you out. Honestly, I think she expected you to move with her last year.”

Stassie sighs. “I wanted to, but I also didn’t want to burden her. She deserves to have her life without taking care of me.” She pulls away and looks up at me. “That’s why I think we should just forget last night ever happened, and keep it a secret between the two of us. If anything it’s more my fault. I should have spoken up because why would you think anyone else is in your bed but your girlfriend?”

I swallow past the lump in my throat at the nonchalant brokenness in her voice. Mary doesn’t speak a lot about her parents, but I know even two years later, her first reaction to anything is to apologize and place blame upon herself. I squeeze Stassie’s arm affectionately. “A secret then. It won’t happen again.”

Her bright blue eyes blink once and widen as they stare up at me. “Right, never again.”