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She was awake instantly, her body simultaneously curling in on itself and moving away.

“Adeline, it’s me. Lars. You were having a nightmare.”

Shallow breaths punctuated the air, her chest rising and falling quickly. She was terrified.

“It’s okay. You’re awake and you’re safe.” I leaned over to put on the nightstand lamp. It was dim enough that it shouldn’t wake Mabel.

Adeline wiped at her face, drying tears.

“Hey, what’s going on?”

“J-just a bad dream.” Her breathing was coming more evenly now, but I didn’t believe her. Sure, maybe she was embarrassed to have someone wake her up in the middle of the night—Adeline was on the shyer side when she wasn’t bossing me around—but something seemed off.

“Are you that frightened of me?”

“You? No, not at all. I feel safe when you’re around.”

“Except you had a nightmare even though I’m in the same house, making you feel safe?”

“You can’t always control your dreams.”

Tell me about it. “What was it about?”

“I-I can’t remember.”

Another lie. “Did something happen to you, Adeline? Something that made you feel unsafe?”

She burst into tears and covered her face with her hands, her shoulders shaking. I couldn’t stand it a minute longer. I pulled her into my arms and held her close to my chest.

“Tell me, sweet thing. What happened?”

“It’s nothing. It’s over. I-I’m fine.”

I rubbed her back. “Clearly you’re not. What’s over?”

“Greece. It was stupid. My fault, really.”

“Someone hurt you?”

“I was mugged.”

Fuck. “How bad?”

“Just a couple of slaps. A busted lip. He didn’t even get anything.” She pulled back to look at me. “Could have been worse.”

Sounded like enough, but I understood what she meant. It could have been so much worse. Anger ripped through me, and I banked it with effort. Adeline’s comfort was all that mattered in this moment.

“You were alone?”

She nodded. “Walking home from a bar to my hostel. I’d left Rosie behind—it wasn’t her fault.

She came along a few minutes later and scared the guy off.

He wanted my purse and Lars, I-I froze. I couldn’t believe it was happening and when I should have been giving him what he wanted, I lay on the ground like a fool. Taking his punishment.”

“This is not your fault. You were in the wrong place at the wrong time and if I could get my hands on this fucker, he would know exactly whose fault it was.” I continued to rub close circles over her back. “Your dad never mentioned it.”

Silence.

“You didn’t tell him? Or anyone?”

“They’d only worry.”

“Well, of course they would. But that doesn’t mean you get to keep it to yourself.”

She stared at me with wet eyes. “I made the call. I don’t think it was wrong.”

Now wasn’t the time to argue with her, but God, I wanted to.

“Your parents adore you, y’know that?”

“I know. But I’m also the one they feel a bit sorry for. Silly Adeline, bumbling away with no plans. I really don’t want to contribute to that narrative.”

I understood wanting to counteract your family’s expectations, but other than Kershaw feeling extra protective of Adeline because she was his daughter, I didn’t understand her concern. She was young, not yet sure of herself. No one would critique her choices.

My hand was still on her back, where I realized now that it was touching her skin, bare and hot, and I really should leave before I made a fool of myself.

“You okay now?”

“I will be.” Then quieter, “Could you stay a while, until I fall asleep?”

Damn. “Sure.”

She lay back down, then pulled the duvet back.

I stared at the spot beside her like it was a pool of lava.

“Lars, you’ll freeze. I promise I won’t jump you.”

I gave a nervous chuckle. She wasn’t the problem. On a steeling breath, I turned off the light and twisted my body to lie down beside her.

She faced me, her eyes shining in the darkness.

“You want to talk about what happened? It might help.”

She paused a moment, then said, “Rosie’s a bright star.”

I wasn’t sure how that was relevant, but I remained silent, letting her marshal her thoughts.

“When we were traveling, she attracted tons of attention. Rightly so, she’s always the life of the party.”

“But you felt a little dimmed by comparison?”

“Yes. I can’t believe I’m saying that. When we traveled, there were always guys buzzing around and I was usually the third wheel or forced to make small talk with some guy’s best friend.

I got that a lot in college—people interested in me because of my father or brother—and now it was happening on my travels.

I love her, but sometimes I’m envious of how easily she makes friends. Has guys crawling all over her.”

I stroked her cheek. The idea of guys crawling all over Adeline did not sit well, but I also hated that she had self-esteem issues that left her thinking she wasn’t worthy of having guys crawling all over her.

She went on, a slight hitch in her voice.

“I don’t even want that. Casual sex, or the idea of it, doesn’t appeal much.

I see my mom and dad, and I want what they have.

We joke about it—the Great Love Story, Trademark.

But it’s beautiful to see. Comforting. Only, to even get that far, I’d have to attract someone, which is hard to do when you’re cowering in the corner. ”

I was tempted to mention that Theo and Elle had started with a one-night stand, a very casual beginning, but that probably wasn’t the point.

“How does this relate to getting mugged in Greece?”

“Oh, just that not wanting to cramp Rosie’s game made me a little reckless. Going off on my own. It wasn’t her fault, and she feels terribly guilty about it. Also, sometimes I just want me-time, and that kind of introversion makes it hard to make an impression on someone.”

“Adeline, you are no less beautiful or attractive than Rosie. You have this quiet strength that shines off you. You’re amazing with my daughter.

” You’re amazing with me. “Everyone brings something different to the table so comparing yourself to a friend—or teammate—is never going to make you feel better. What you should be doing is focusing on your strengths.”

“Wallflower. Undecided. DUFF.”

“DUFF?”

“Designated Ugly Fat Friend. Except I know I’m not ugly or fat. Maybe nondescript and … meaty?”

I wanted to shake her. “Right, because I fantasize about nondescript and meaty all the time.”

She stiffened. Huh, big mouth strikes again. Seconds ticked by painfully slowly.

I broke the strained silence. “I shouldn’t have said that.”

“Maybe we should talk about it.”

It was the last thing I wanted to talk about, but I couldn’t deny her, not after she’d been so honest about her feelings of inadequacy.

“What I did was inappropriate, Adeline.”

“But you did it all the same, Lars. You thought about me while you … jerked off.”

Adeline

The darkness made it easier, this shield of shadows. Or at least I thought so until the silence stretched taut enough to break, and I held my breath for the moment Lars would cut this discussion off at the knees.

He answered simply. “I did.”

“Why?”

He sighed, his breath a warm puff against my lips. “Do I have to spell that out? Or how wrong it is?”

“Yes, and not sure I care.”

His thumb grazed my cheek. “You are so fucking beautiful.”

My heart clattered like a wild thing, and I didn’t know how I managed to keep my response so cool. “So that answers one question.”

His lids went to half-mast. “You’re the fantasy of any guy, Adeline, but you’re also my teammate’s daughter, my kid’s nanny, and at least a decade younger than me. All those things are outside the lines but also the forbidden is …”

“Sexy,” I murmured.

“Yeah. It is. You are. The taboo adds an extra element to the fantasy. None of this can go any further than my fevered imagination.”

My entire body rebelled at that conclusion. I placed a hand on his chest, splayed my fingers to take in more. I needed him to know that this wasn’t one-sided, despite those earlier claims that my crush was history.

Because it clearly was not. I had it bad for Lars Nyquist.

“So you get to use me to get off and I can only … listen?”

I don’t think I had ever been so bold in my life. If I didn’t take this chance, I might never have another one.

“You weren’t supposed to listen.”

“And you weren’t supposed to be thinking of me while you touched yourself.” Point to me.

Adeline Kershaw, Debate Champion, Senior Year, come on down.

“This can’t happen.” His palm curled around the back of my neck, in direct contradiction to his words.

“Doesn’t seem fair.” I placed my hand over his and pulled his palm to my lips, where I applied a kiss to his warm, rough skin. “You get to come. And I get shown the door.”

I flicked my tongue over his thumb, watching and listening with satisfaction as his breath caught. Little kitten licks. So bold, so naughty. Could I go further? Should I?

I didn’t need to. The leash on his self-control finally snapped.

“Christ, Adeline.”

Holding my face, he dropped his lips to mine, covering my mouth forcefully.

Nothing gentle about it, just pure, white-hot need.

His beard scratched against my chin, the sensation sending shivers through me.

I gasped and that parting of lips gave him the access he needed.

He licked into my mouth, and I clutched at his upper arms to stay upright, even though I was lying down.

I felt him hard against my belly, then harder still as his hand cupped my ass and cleaved me close.

I moved my leg around his thigh, cradling his body, drawing him closer to my aching core.

The kiss streaked through me, lighting every neural pathway, setting my blood aflame.

It was thunder and lightning and a storm of desire that I couldn’t have imagined in my wildest dreams.

He groaned. Pistoned his hips. Thrust his erection, barely contained in boxer briefs, against my pussy. Embarrassing dampness flooded my panties, the heat of him driving me higher. His mouth continued to devour. I couldn’t help my moan.

He stopped and drew back, hand still on my ass, the other holding my head still. In the half-light, he looked stunned. Incredulous.

“This. Can’t. Happen.”

The words fell like blows. After a kiss like that, how could he even think them never mind give them voice? Deep down, I knew there were all sorts of reasons why this shouldn’t happen, but none seemed to take precedence over the one that pounded in my brain.

You don’t do it for him.

Here I was throwing myself at him. Trying to seduce him, as if I knew what the hell I was doing.

The guy was wrecked after the week from hell, forced to live with a stranger, and I was taking advantage.

So he said my name while he came—big deal!

He clearly wasn’t interested in me as anything more than a convenient stand-in for a jerk-off.

I slipped his possessive grasp—or tried to. His hand was still clamped on my ass, his hardness imprinting on me, ensuring I would be useless for any other cock.

“Y-you’re right. I don’t know what I was thinking.”

“Adeline,” he rasped. “This isn’t personal.”

Of course it was. He was rejecting me because of who I was. Nothing more personal than that.

“You should go.”

Still, he stayed, leaning his forehead against mine for a long moment, that was both lovely and excruciating. Finally, he whispered, “I’m sorry.”

He slipped out of the bed like a thief and with one last check on Mabel, left the room. I lay back against the pillow, my forearm over my eyes. At least no more bad dreams would haunt me tonight.

You would have to fall asleep for that.