CHAPTER TWO - NO EVIL STEPMOTHERS HERE

 

Connor sat up in bed, gulping air greedily to stop the burning in his lungs. At first, he could see nothing but a sheet of white. The whiteness transformed into dazzling sunlight. It was spilling in through the floor-to-ceiling windows in his bedroom. He’d forgotten to shut the shades when he’d stumbled home last night in the early dawn hours.

 

He was in bed; safe in his own bedroom in his father’s house in the town of Reach. No, not Dad’s home. Its Lily’s, his mind automatically corrected. It was his stepmother’s mansion, bank accounts, and company. And in a way, he was Lily’s, too, until he turned 25 in two years. His father’s will had specified quite clearly how the Ramsey family fortune was to be maintained and guarded until Connor somehow miraculously matured at 25-years-old. Connor had laughed when he found out. Everyone had thought he’d be upset to have his stepmother in charge of the family fortune, but Connor was actually glad. Lily wasn’t the evil stepmother immortalized in countless stories. She was --

 

-- standing at the side of his bed.

 

Connor jerked away in surprise, his bare back colliding with the wooden headboard. It slammed against the wall. He winced knowing it had probably left a dent in the plasterboard.

 

Her voice was soothing as she said, “Connor, its okay. It’s all right. It’s just me.”

 

“What are you -- what are you doing here?” Connor asked, shocked that unlike the dream, his mouth was dry as dust.

 

“I woke up when I heard you screaming,” Lily said.

 

Woke up? And then he saw how she was dressed. Her blonde hair done up hastily. A red silk robe wrapped around her slender body. He was very aware at that moment that he was wearing only a thin pair of boxers. The sheet over his lap suddenly felt all too insubstantial. Lily’s elegant white hands were still on his shoulders. It was her touch that had stopped him from falling, that had caught him and brought him back.

 

“You were yelling and begging to wake up. God, that doesn’t really describe it,” she said.

 

“Sorry if I woke you. It was just a nightmare,” Connor rasped. A nightmare. Right, just a nightmare. Jesus, another one like that and I’ll never sleep again. Connor looked over at the clock on his bedside table. It was only 7:30 a.m. He had gotten in at around 5 a.m. Less than two hours sleep. He groaned.

 

“I’m the sorry one. I wish I had been able to wake you sooner,” she said.

 

“I’m just glad that you woke me at all.” Connor waved her off. He couldn’t stand it when she was so close, because the longer she remained near him, the more he found himself looking at her in a way he shouldn’t. Of course, as soon as he thought that, he had to look at her.

 

Connor’s eyes fixed on the ‘V’ of pale flesh at her throat. He knew that she was bare beneath the robe the way it clung to her curves. Connor’s cock stirred and he mounded the sheets over his lap. He purposefully turned away from her and looked out the window instead. He needed to get in control of himself before he stood up.

 

She’s naked because Stefan was over last night. That thought should take the edge off.

 

Connor’s father, Richard, had barely been cool in his grave before Lily had taken Stefan to bed. But Connor understood why. Richard hadn’t been the loving type and Lily had been withering away without affection for over two years.

 

Can’t help but hate the guy though. Stefan’s like a fucking cardboard cutout of a man. Nothing’s real about him. Including his “feelings” for Lily. The bastard doesn’t deserve to breathe the same air she does. But Connor was sure that Stefan got to do much more than just breathe in her presence. Got to stop caring who she’s sleeping with. It’s not you. It’ll never be you.

 

This was Lily. She was the only family he had. His Uncle Grant didn’t count. Grant was scum. Connor wouldn’t ruin the only family connection he had because of sex. Sex was easy to get for him. Hell, even love was easy to get. But he wasn’t capable of feeling both lust and love back for many people. Only he did feel those things for Lily.

 

Slight problem is that she was supposed to be in the do-not-fuck, do-not-lust-after, do-not-pass-go-and-collect-$200 categories, Connor thought with a sigh. He could love her, but he couldn’t have her. But still he found himself watching her avidly and feeling his arousal burn hotter and hotter within him. Like now.

 

A lock of Lily’s hair fell from the messy bun she’d twisted it into. She tucked the stray hair back behind her ear then sat gingerly on the edge of his bed. He could feel the warmth of her body against his thigh. He should have shifted away from her, but instead he relaxed against her. She laid a hand on his bare shoulder, her thumb rubbing a slow circle along his collarbone. His cock stirred against his thigh.

 

“Connor, how long has this been going on? You sounded as if you were being ripped apart,” she said.

 

“Awhile,” Connor answered. Sixty fucking nights. Every time I close my eyes its there. But if I tell her that she’ll really worry. “It’s nothing. Really. Nothing.”

 

“Anything that can make you sound like -- like that, isn’t nothing.” Her fingers tightened their grip on his shoulder and his cock twitched.

 

But suddenly her touch reminded him keenly of the dream. The rancid fruit taste flooded his mouth and he could almost feel the tentacles’ blubbery texture brushing against his skin. He wiped his lips with the back of his hand, hoping to stem the need to puke. He tried to shift his shoulder out from her hand, but she didn’t let go. Again, just like the dream. He shuddered; wasn’t it bad enough that he had to live it every night, did he have to remember it during the day, too? The only plus was that the nausea had made his arousal taper off and he wouldn’t have to worry about her seeing his hard-on.

 

“I’m worried about you, Connor,” Lily said with that earnest, searching look lighting her face from within.

 

Connor shut his eyes for a moment, savoring her words and the caring behind them, but at the same time, he thought, You shouldn’t care about me. It’s dangerous. I’m dangerous.

 

Only he didn’t know why he felt that way. He just knew that part of him needed Lily to keep her distance even while an equally strong part of him wanted her near.

 

“It was just a dream. Probably caused by the drugs leaving my system. They can give you nightmares, but it’s worth it for the rush,” Connor said, tilting his chin up defiantly. Perhaps evidence of his past and present transgressions would make that loving look in her eyes go away. If only it were the drugs. I’ve been stone cold sober for weeks.

 

Her hand left his shoulder and the loss of her touch was like a blow to his stomach, but then she was cupping his face, making his eyes meet hers. Blue. Her eyes are so goddamned perfect blue.

 

“Not working, Connor. I’m going to be here no matter what you do. That’s what families do. You’ll believe me in time,” she said.

 

She suddenly stood up and her robe parted more, showing the swell of her breasts. Connor tucked his hands under the blankets, because if he didn’t he would reach for her, tumble her down on his bed and cover her with his body. He ached for her.

 

“Stefan is probably waiting for you,” Connor said, keeping the sneering to a minimum as he said the other man’s name. “You should get back to him.”

 

“Stefan? Oh, well, no, he’s not.”

 

She blushed and made a nervous twist of her hand at her throat. Her fingers were searching for the string of pearls she always had on, the ones he had gotten her for her last birthday. But even she didn’t wear those to bed. Though the thought of her naked with only the single strand of his pearls around her throat made his blood race again and he shifted the blankets up to give his lap more cover.

 

“Where is he?” Connor asked, eyes narrowing.

 

Lily’s gaze left his face as she answered too casually, “He left. He left last night. He wanted to be home to see Jeremy and Julie off for school.”

 

“He was never worried about being a good dad before. What’s the change?” Connor asked. He refrained from making air quotes with his hands as he described Stefan’s sudden parenting ambitions.

 

She did a one-shouldered shrug, her eyes flicking to him then away again. She was trying to hide that Stefan’s absence had hurt her.

 

“So even after what happened with Grant, Stefan just had to go home and leave you alone?” Connor’s voice shook and he clenched his hands into fists.

 

Grant was Richard’s younger brother. The black sheep of the Ramsey family. If he wasn’t falling for a con, he was perpetrating one. Up until five days ago, Grant had been staying with them since the funeral to “help out.” In truth, he’d been there to sponge off his dead brother’s money. That and to stalk Lily. Five days ago, when Grant had thought he and Lily were alone and unlikely to be interrupted, he’d forced Lily back against the wall in the dining room, rucked up her dress and cruelly thrust his fingers inside of her. Grant’s idea of seduction. If Connor had not come home early, if he had not come looking for Lily, if he had not heard the one gasping cry she made before Grant had covered her mouth with the palm of his hand … I would have done a hell of a lot worse to Grant than just kicked him out on his ass.

 

Lily’s shoulders drooped slightly. “I’ve had more than enough time to recover. I’m not a wilting flower that needs someone here to hold my hand every minute of the day.”

 

“You should have told me he left. I would have,” Connor broke off. He hadn’t been here last night. He’d been out at the clubs, hoping that the swarm of people and thumping music would keep him awake and the dream at bay. Besides, even if he had been home, what would he have done? Offered to spend the night with her? He said lamely, “I would have been there for you.”

 

“That’s sweet, Connor. But unnecessary. I’m fine,” Lily said with that false light lilt to her tone, which told him she was anything but.

 

“Don’t lie to me, Lily,” Connor said, frowning. “You don’t have to lie to me.”

 

Another twist of invisible pearls, but then she stilled as their gazes met. “Connor, I’m the one that should be taking care of you. Not the other way around.”

 

“Funny, I thought that family was supposed to take care of each other,” Connor said as he got out of bed, clad only in his too thin dark gray silk boxers that clung to him like a second skin. Luckily the anger, like the nausea earlier, had tamed his erection. Was he imagining it or did her eyes skate over his muscled abdomen then quickly skitter back up to his face?

 

Her cheeks were flushed and she laughed a little too brightly. “All right. We’ll take care of each other.”

 

“Perfect,” Connor said.

 

“Well, I should let you, let you – ah, get yourself together,” Lily stammered and turned towards the door.

 

She was looking at me.

 

He didn’t know what possessed him at that moment to stop her. His hands were suddenly on her shoulders. His chest was just a few inches from her back. The heat from their nearly joined bodies felt like a furnace. She froze and gasped. But she didn’t pull away and he made his grip feather light so that she knew she could break it at any time.

 

“Stefan doesn’t deserve you,” Connor said, his voice lowering. “My father didn’t deserve you either.” Her hair tickled his cheek as he leant closer to her.

 

“Connor,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

 

He felt the thin trill of arousal coil in his belly just from her voice saying his name.

 

“Don’t forget your worth, Lily,” Connor said and released her.

 

She stood there for a long moment before she stumbled to his bedroom door. She held onto the door jam, her knuckles white from the strain.

 

“I’m trying to do what’s best for you. I want to do what’s best for you,” she said and then she was gone.

 

Connor puzzled at her words with the scent of her perfume clinging to his skin.

 

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