DIKIRA MISKIN SAAT REUNI

LANA

I stared out the cab window as the Miami streets blurred past. The air conditioning was barely working, and my thighs stuck to the fake leather seat. I’d just landed from my dad’s place up north, and this was the start of another summer with Mom. Same routine every year since the divorce. I live with Dad during the school year, then pack a suitcase and fly down here for two months. I was tired, a little jet-lagged, and still carrying that heavy feeling in my chest that wouldn’t go away.

My boyfriend broke up with me exactly one month ago. He was my first real boyfriend, my first love, my first everything. We had been together for almost a year. Then one night he just said it straight to my face: I was boring in bed. I didn’t move enough. I didn’t moan enough. I just laid there like I wasn’t even into it. Those words still sat heavy in my stomach. I hadn’t been attracted to any guy since. Not one. I figured maybe something was wrong with me. Maybe I really was just boring.

The cab finally turned onto Mom’s street and stopped in front of the familiar two-story house with the palm trees out front. I paid the driver, pulled my suitcase out of the trunk, and dragged it up the steps. Before I could even knock, the door swung open.

“Lana!” Mom shouted. She grabbed me and hugged me so tight I could barely breathe. “My baby girl is finally here! Look at you. Come inside, it’s burning hot out there.”

She took my suitcase and rolled it in. The cool air from the AC hit me and I let out a long breath. We walked straight to the living room and dropped onto the big sectional couch. Mom sat right next to me, holding my hands, smiling so wide it made me smile too even though I was tired.

“How was the flight? Tell me everything,” she said. “Your dad made sure you had everything you needed? You look a little worn out, honey.”

“It was okay. Long but fine. Dad’s good. He’s seeing somebody new, I think. School finished strong. I’m just glad to be here.” I squeezed her hands back. It felt good to talk to her. Really good. I hadn’t realized how much I missed this.

We kept chatting. She told me about her new job, how the neighborhood was changing, how she finally fixed the backyard. I told her about my classes and the friends I made this year. We laughed about stupid stuff from last summer. For those fifteen minutes it felt normal. Just me and Mom catching up like always. No heavy feelings, no breakup talk. I wasn’t ready to tell her about that yet.

I was in the middle of answering her question about what I wanted for dinner when I heard heavy footsteps coming down the stairs.

I looked up.

A man walked into the living room. Shirtless. Grey sweatpants low on his hips. He was tall, built solid with wide shoulders, thick arms, and a chest that looked like he lifted weights every single day. Sweat glistened on his skin. My eyes went straight to the lines of muscle on his stomach and the way those sweatpants hung so low I could see the deep V cutting down toward his crotch.

My heart slammed hard against my ribs. I forgot how to breathe. My mouth went dry. Heat flooded my face and shot straight down between my legs so fast it scared me. I had never felt anything like this before. Not with my ex. Not with any guy I’d ever seen. My nipples got hard under my bra. I pressed my thighs together without thinking. What the hell was happening to me?

He stopped when he saw me. “Oh shit. I didn’t know we had company. My bad.”

His eyes stayed on me. Not a polite glance. He looked me up and down slowly, taking in my legs, my chest, my face. The look made my stomach twist and my pussy throb at the same time. I couldn’t look away.

Mom stood up from the couch with a little laugh. “Dominic, this is my daughter Lana. She just got here from her dad’s place.”

Dominic walked over. He stopped right in front of us. His eyes were still locked on me. Then he reached out, put his hand on Mom’s ass, and gave it a hard, loud smack. The sound cracked through the room. Mom giggled and playfully pushed his chest.

“Behave,” she said, still smiling.

He smirked, glanced at me one more time, then turned and walked back up the stairs. I watched every muscle in his back move as he went. My heart was racing so fast I felt dizzy. My panties felt wet. Actually wet. From just looking at him. From one look and one spank on my mom.

I sat there frozen, trying to catch my breath. My hands were shaking a little. I crossed my arms over my chest so Mom wouldn’t see how hard my nipples were. The heat between my legs kept pulsing. This was wrong. This was so wrong. He was with my mom. But my body didn’t care. It had never reacted like this to anyone.

Mom sat back down next to me like nothing had happened. She was still smiling, completely relaxed. “That’s Dominic. My husband. Your stepdad. We got married last fall. I wanted to tell you in person instead of over the phone. He’s been excited to meet you, Lana.”

I stared at the empty staircase. My throat felt tight. My mind was spinning so fast I could barely form words. Stepdad? That man was my stepdad? The same man who just made my entire body react in ways I didn’t even know were possible. The same man whose handprint was probably still stinging on my mom’s ass.

“Stepdad?” I finally said. My voice came out quieter than I wanted. A little shaky.

“Yeah,” Mom said, patting my knee. “He’s great. You two are going to get along just fine. I know it.”

I nodded slowly, but inside my chest everything was chaos. My pulse was still pounding between my legs. I could still see his chest, his stomach, the way he looked at me. I had never been this turned on in my life. Not once. And it was my mother’s husband. This was only my first hour here.

And I already knew nothing about this summer was going to be the same.