Page 26

Sheridan stared at her in stunned silence for several frantic heartbeats until the buzzing of the phone in her hand brought her back to earth. Unidentified caller scrolled across the screen. Who could be calling Finn? She remembered the call he’d received several weeks ago.

Dad gets a lot of calls where no one is there.

“Hello?”

Whoever was on the other end hesitated before a gravelly male voice asked, “Who’s this?”

“Who is this?” Sheridan countered.

The line went dead. A fission of alarm raced up her spine. She bounced up from the chair.

“This”—she held up the cell phone—“is staying home from now on. If Finn ends up in detention again, it won’t be because he’s scrolling through his phone.”

Hattie let out a happy bark when Alek stormed into the house an hour later.

The dog must have sensed his foul mood because she swiftly picked up the remains of the stuffed shark she was in the midst of dismembering and hightailed it up the stairs.

He followed her, depositing his overnight case and his equipment bag in his room with a loud thump.

“Is that helping?” Sheridan asked from the doorway to her bedroom at the other end of the hall.

He leaned a shoulder against the doorframe. “Not really.”

She mirrored his pose. “What happened with the headmaster?”

Alek scoffed. “Lots of promises and ass-kissing.”

One corner of her mouth kicked up. “I guess it pays to be a professional athlete.”

“Not when people use me as a weapon to harass an innocent kid.”

It was the wrong thing to say, judging by the way her face crumpled.

“Maybe this wasn’t the best idea,” she said, her voice was barely audible from where he stood.

He closed the distance between them in six strides. His hands landed on her shoulders, and he gave her a little shake. “Don’t say that. Don’t ever say that.”

“But what if it’s true? If our being here is throwing you off?”

“Now you’re just being ridiculous.” It nearly killed him, knowing he’d been thinking the same thing days before. Because it was bullshit. It was a cockamamie excuse for him having an off game.

Or four.

She shook her head. “We went ahead with this situation because we both want what’s best for Finn.

I’m worried it might have been too drastic a change for him.

He’s being assigned the blame for something he has no control over.

Not only is it taking an emotional toll but his health is being impacted, too. ”

A lick of panic coursed through him. “Is something wrong with him?”

She waved him off. “Forget I said anything.”

“Hell, no I’m not going to forget it.” He tightened his grip on her shoulders. “Tell me what’s going on.”

She swore softly. “I promised not to.”

“Too bad. Tell me now, Sheridan.” He towed her forward so that her body was nearly flush against his.

“He’s been wetting the bed,” she mumbled against his chest.

Alek took a moment to process what she’d said before his body relaxed. “Is that all?” He barked out a relieved laugh.

She slapped her palms against his chest. “It’s very serious, Alek. Especially to a second-grade boy. It would kill him if he found out you knew.”

He wrapped his arms around her and pressed his lips to the top of her head. “You’re right. I’m sorry Finn has to deal with this.”

“Yeah, well, he’s not the one who has to wash his sheets every day.”

Alek reluctantly took a half-step back from her so he could tilt up her chin and look into her eyes. “You are doing an amazing job with Finn, Sheridan. I hope you know that. He may not appreciate you the way he should now, but I know he will later on in life. I promise.”

She sniffled a few times before she nodded. “I spoke to Collin on my way back from the school. Our case is on the docket. It should be all sorted out by the end of the month.”

The announcement had his gut tightening up.

“Alek, I know we said we’d stay through the season, but I think Finn and I should go sooner.”

He’d taken body checks that hurt less than her words did.

“No.” He wrapped his arms around her more tightly.

“Alek—”

“No!” He pressed his mouth against her ear. “Do you hear me? That is not happening.” He breathed in her scent—vanilla and fresh rain. “I need Finn here. In my house. I need that damn jock-thief of a dog in my house.”

He repositioned his hands so that they framed her face. Her eyes were wide and luminous with unshed tears.

“And I need you,” he forced himself to admit. “You have no idea how much I need you.”

Once the words were out, his body took over. His lips found hers, taking advantage of the surprise that allowed his tongue to sweep in. She tasted like honey and something he couldn’t quite name, but he knew he liked it. Knew he wanted more. He groaned into her mouth as his body grew tight.

His hands left her cheeks to skim over her shoulders and down her arms. He could feel her body growing warm beneath the cotton of the workout top she wore. She gasped when his thumbs homed in on her nipples.

He maneuvered her against the wall, pinning her between his thighs.

She countered the move with her nails against his scalp.

Their teeth scraped together as each of them battled for control.

Alek let his fingers sneak beneath her top.

The contact with her bare skin had his cock jumping against her belly.

Her head fell back when he broke the kiss, giving him full access to the tender skin covering the throbbing pulse in her neck.

“Christ, Sheridan,” he whispered against her skin.

Sheridan?

Sheridan!

What the fuck was he doing?

He jumped away from her. “Shit, shit, shit. Sheridan. I shouldn’t be doing this to you. I’m sorry.”

The confused anguish in her eyes was nearly his undoing. But then she narrowed them to slits as she stalked toward him. She pounded a fist into his chest. It was a lot less than he deserved.

“Don’t. You. Dare,” she hissed. “You better listen up, Alek Bergeron, because I’m only going to say this one last time. I. Am. Not. Your. Little. Sister.” She punctuated each word with a slap to the chest. “I am a full-grown woman who deserves to be treated like one,” she whispered.

She pressed her palms to his chest, sliding them north so her fingers could wrap around the back of his neck. Her eyes never left his, mesmerizing him as she tilted his head downward so his mouth was a hair’s breadth away from hers.

“And I have needs, Alek,” she murmured against his lips. “I’m really tired of waiting for you to notice.”

The breath sawed through his lungs, and his junk was so tight he thought he might explode with want. He was filled with as much pride as desire, too. Sweet Sheridan, the most non-assertive person he knew, had finally taken control and boldly asked for what she wanted.

In doing so, she’d called him out on the excuse he’d been hiding behind ever since he’d laid eyes on her again.

Of course, Sheridan Cobert was not his little sister.

She was his kryptonite. When she stretched up on her toes to swipe her tongue over his lips, he was a goner.

Funny thing about that? Alek didn’t mind one bit.