Instead of sitting down, I stood behind it. As he brought his drink to his lips, I wished he’d poured one for me.
“A month ago, he got paroled,” he said. My body tensed as my brain tried to assimilate those words. “It’s been six years since they sentenced him. If Raffaella had pressed charges for abuse earlier, he might have gotten more time, but he was only sentenced for his crimes against Noah… She was hurt, but the worst of it was when she jumped out the window and a shard of glass injured her. He wasn’t blamed for that. It seems he had friends in high places and got his sentence reduced. What I’m trying to tell you is, he’s out, and Raffaella’s scared he’ll try to get in touch with her. I found out not long ago, and I was angry. She should have told me before. We need to keep our eyes open for anything strange… I don’t think he’ll try anything, but I’m worried still. Raffaella’s terrified. She’s been having nightmares every night, and she doesn’t want Noah to know he’s gotten out. You need to keep the secret.”
“How can he be out? You can’t do anything?” I asked, feeling deeply unsettled. That madman could be trying to hunt down his wife and daughter that very moment, and I didn’t know how Noah would react if she saw the man from her nightmares again.
“I tried to get a judge to file a restraining order, but since we don’t have any evidence of him trying anything, it’s been impossible. Probably we’re overthinking it. He’s in another country. I doubt he would come all the way to America. Still, we should keep on our toes, especially for Ella’s sake…”
“Agreed. You take care of your wife, and I’ll take care of Noah,” I said, serving myself a drink from the bar.
I could feel him staring into me from behind.
“Son…please tell me you haven’t hooked up with your stepsister,” he said, closing his eyes.
Shit…was it that obvious?
“I just want to take care of her, Dad,” I said, downing my drink in one go.
“Look, I don’t know what you two have got going on, and I don’t want to know, but please, I beg you, don’t do anything idiotic. It’s hard enough to keep Raffaella from losing her mind with what’s going on. The last thing I need is to learn you’re hot for your stepsister.”
I hated him treating our relationship so blithely.
“I’m not hot for her, Dad… I love her. And I promise you, I won’t let anyone lay a finger on her.”
He nodded.
“Be careful, Nicholas.”
I left the office, and just as I did, my phone rang: Noah.
“What’s up?” I asked. She was supposed to be in class. What the hell was she doing calling me?
“Nick…you’ve got to come get me,” she said in a strange voice.
“Why? Are you okay?” I asked, getting in the elevator and going down.
“It’s just… They suspended me for the rest of the day.”
* * *
I smiled as I picked her up out front of the school. She ran over to my car, so adorable I couldn’t help but kiss her even before she told me anything about what had happened.
“You threw a strawberry shake at her head?” I asked, cackling. “For real?”
“I don’t know what happened,” she admitted. “But I don’t care, either. She deserved it. Don’t judge me. I had something inside me I had to let out.” She put on her seat belt, and I pulled out, laughing.
“You think anyone will be home?” I asked a minute later.
“Probably. Why?”
“Because I want to make love to you so bad right now, I think I’m going to explode.” I wanted her with an intensity that frightened me. I put a hand on her thigh and started pushing up her skirt. Her skin was soft.
“Two can play at that game, right?” she said, and it took all the self-control I had not to crash into the car in front of me. Noah undid her seat belt and came close. Her hand rested on my knee while she planted her lips on my neck.
“Come on, now, Freckles,” I said when I felt her tongue on my ear. “I can’t drive and do this at the same time.”
“You started it.” Her hand glided up my leg while she nibbled at my neck and jaw.
I stopped her hand when it got to what it was looking for.
“Get out,” I ordered her, eyes burning with desire.
“I think I’ll pass. The last time you told me that, you left me standing in the middle of the road.”
“Get out or I’ll do you right here,” I threatened her.
She returned to her seat. When I saw she wasn’t listening, I got out myself, walked around to her door, and pulled her out.
“You’re not thinking of doing it here?” she asked, looking at the cliff and the seaside behind us.
I ignored her and pushed her into the door of the car, forcing her to wrap her legs around me.
She arched her back and closed her eyes. I kissed her ear, her jaw, anywhere there was bare skin. I wanted to see her, and with one hand I unbuttoned her shirt completely.
“Did I tell you how much this uniform turns me on?” I said as I kissed her breasts.
“You and every other guy on earth,” she sighed.
Noah and her sarcastic sense of humor. I squeezed her tighter, and she sighed louder now. Fortunately, we were alone.
“Now I’m going to make you mine again,” I said, looking her in the eye.
“You are mine, and I’m yours,” she said, returning my stare. “I love you, Nick.”
“And I love you, Precious,” I said, sinking into her and enjoying how she responded to me. “I love you like crazy,” I said, as I clutched her tightly and we attained the most profound pleasure known.
* * *
We spent the rest of the day at the beach, lying on the sand and getting to know each other better.
“Who gave you your first kiss?” she asked, lying on her belly with her head resting on her hands. She was young; she was beautiful. I had to struggle not to touch her every second.
“You, obviously,” I responded, watching the wind tousle her hair and the sun redden her cheeks, making her freckles more visible.
She rolled her eyes.
“I’m serious,” she said, ignoring a lock of hair that kept blowing into her eyes. I stretched my hand out and tucked it behind her ear.
“You really want to know?” I asked. “Fine, but you’re going to laugh… It was Jenna.”
“No!” Her eyes widened like saucers. “No way! Are you serious?”
“We were kids, she was my neighbor and only friend, and we just wanted to see what it felt like… I thought it was weird, she thought it was gross, and she said she’d never do it again.”
Noah cracked up. I was happy to know it hadn’t bothered her. That kiss had meant nothing to me: Jenna was my friend, one of my only true friends.
“What about you?” I asked her, uncomfortable, not wanting to imagine Noah in any other guy’s arms.
“Well, when I did it I wasn’t that little, so I didn’t swear I’d never do it again… Actually, I liked it.”
“So who was it with then?” My attitude was a little more serious than I would have liked, but she either ignored or didn’t notice my tone.
“It was with the lifeguard from the public pool… He was super hot, and we hooked up in the emergency room.”
I grabbed her and pulled her on top of me.
“So you liked it, huh?” I said, trapping her so she couldn’t move.
“I loved it,” she admitted, and I realized she was making fun of me.
“You like torturing me?”
“Honestly, I think it’s hilarious, yeah,” she admitted, smiling and making me kiss her until we were both out of breath.
“I’m going to have to teach you what it means to actually torture someone,” I said, bringing my lips close to hers but without touching. I slipped my hand down her leg, watching the desire grow inside her. When my fingers were in the pit of her knee, I stopped and then brought them back up her thigh while my other hand unbuttoned her shirt and I kissed the soft skin of her stomach.
Then I stood up, leaving her there with her cheeks flushed, dying from unfulfilled longings. It took her a few seconds to realize what I was doing. She looked at me like an abandoned dog.
“What the hell?” she asked, exasperated.