Book 1: Wanting My Stepson

Chapter 2 —--- Feeling you

Vivian’s POV

Thirty minutes into the drive, Lucas turned up the radio, his loud, off-key voice joining Bianca’s in a duet that filled the cabin. They were completely lost in their own world, laughing and enjoying the scenery.

I, on the other hand, was trapped in a state of high alert.

Robert was solid beneath me. Unbelievably solid. Sitting on his lap, I could feel the hard, defined lines of his thighs, and the steady, heavy rhythm of his breath against my back. It was a dizzying contrast to Lucas, whose touch had grown cold and distant long ago. Ever since that night I’d seen Robert through his bedroom door, so powerful, so full of a raw passion I’d forgotten existed, I had been drowning in thoughts I shouldn’t be having. And now, in this cramped front seat, there was nowhere to hide from them.

I tried to focus on the passing trees, letting the cool wind from the half-open window hit my face, but the heat radiating from Robert was overwhelming. Every time he shifted even a fraction of an inch, my heart did a dangerous flutter.

“Hang on,” Lucas suddenly called out, tightening his grip on the steering wheel. “We've reached the rocky area.”

Before I could brace myself, the SUV hit the scattered rocks, shaking violently as we drove onto the uneven, bumpy dirt road.

My body jerked, swaying helplessly to the left as the heavy vehicle bounced. Just as I started to lose my balance and slide toward the door, two large, warm hands reached out, wrapping firmly around my waist to steady me.

The moment Robert’s palms pressed against my sides, a jolt of pure electricity shot straight up my spine. His grip was strong, holding me securely in place, but his touch felt like branding irons. Any quiet composure I had spent the last half hour trying to maintain vanished in an instant.

"Oh!" I gasped, my hands instinctively reaching to the side to keep myself upright as the car hit another deep puddle.

The violent bounce threw my weight completely back against him. My back pressed flush against his broad chest, and our hips collided with an agonizing friction. The car continued to pitch and roll, forcing us to shift against each other with every single bump. My heart was hammering so loudly in my chest I was terrified he would feel it through his ribs. I clenched my jaw, my fingers digging into the fabric of the seat, completely overwhelmed by the proximity.

"Sorry, Robert," I breathed, my head tilted back just enough that the scent of his cologne; cedarwood and fresh rain, filled my senses. "It's... really rough back here."

"It's... fine," his voice came out strained, low, and completely rough.

Up front, Lucas remained completely oblivious, navigating the rocky path. He had no idea. He couldn't feel the sudden, heavy silence that had settled over the passenger seat, thick enough to cut with a knife.

Suddenly, the SUV hit a massive, jagged bump. The sudden jolt threw me slightly upward, lifting me off his lap for a split second. The movement caught the hem of my light sundress, pulling the fabric up past my knees.

When I crashed back down, there was no barrier left. The bare, sensitive skin of my thighs slammed directly against the rough denim of his jeans.

The raw, unshielded heat of the contact made my breath hitch in my throat. Every nerve ending in my body flared to life. I felt him go completely rigid beneath me, his hands tightening on my waist until my breath caught.

"Whoops, sorry about that one, guys," Lucas muttered casually, spinning the wheel to navigate the last of the rocky patch. "The road gets a little washed out around this bend."

The violent bouncing finally stopped as the SUV transitioned back onto the smooth path of the highway. The engine settled into a steady, rhythmic hum, and up front, Lucas went right back to drumming his fingers on the steering wheel, completely oblivious.

But in the passenger seat, the silence between Robert and me had completely transformed. It was thick, heavy, and vibrating with an unspoken hunger.

I sat frozen, barely daring to breathe. Because of that last massive bump, my dress had ridden up past my knees, and there was no longer any fabric separating us. The bare, sensitive skin of my thighs was pressed directly against the rough denim of his jeans.

The cool air from the dashboard vent hit my face, while a suffocating, liquid heat radiated from where our bodies met underneath my thighs.

‘Pull the dress down,’ my mind screamed. ‘Move.’ ‘Adjust.’ ‘Do something.’

But I couldn't move. To shift now, to reach down and smooth the fabric, would be an admission of what was happening. It would draw attention.

Worse, a part of me didn't want to break the contact.

My heart hammered so violently against my ribs I was terrified Robert could feel it pressing against his chest.

Robert’s hands were still wrapped around my waist, his grip firm and unyielding. For a long, agonizing minute, neither of us moved. We were completely rigid, suspended in a high-stakes game of chicken.

Behind us, Bianca shifted in the back seat, rustling a bag of chips. "Uncle Lucas, how much longer until the campsite?"

"About three hours, kiddo," Lucas replied smoothly, checking his rearview mirror.

My breath hitched. In the mirror, Lucas’s eyes swept over the cabin. If he looked down, just an inch, he would see my bare legs draped over his son's lap. I instinctively tensed, but Robert’s fingers tightened on my waist, a silent, grounding pressure that kept me still.

Then, the car took a long, sweeping curve to the right.

As our bodies naturally swayed with the turn, Robert didn't pull back. Instead, he leaned slightly forward, his chest pressing heavier against my back. I felt the ragged, uneven puff of his breath hit the sensitive skin on my neck, sending a violent shiver down my spine.

Slowly, his hands began to shift.

His palms slid downward from my waist, the movement deliberate and cautious. My eyes fluttered shut as his hands trailed down the curve of my hips. The fabric of my dress wrinkled slightly under his palms, rustling softly over the hum of the engine.

Every inch felt like a ticking bomb.

I swallowed hard as I realized he was testing me. He was waiting for me to object, to flinch, to call out to Lucas. But my voice was trapped in my throat. I bit down on my lip, my knuckles turning white against my own knees as I leaned back, completely surrendering to his touch.

His fingers reached the hem of my dress.

There was a brief pause. A moment of hesitation as his hands rested on the edge of the fabric. And then, with an agonizingly slow, light stroke, his fingertips slid past the cotton barrier, making direct contact with the bare skin of my thigh.

The heat of his fingertips against my bare skin was so intense it felt like a physical shock. My toes curled, and my entire body trembled under the sheer weight of the risk we were taking.

His fingers began to slide upward, closing in on my inner thighs. Just as he was about to press his fingers…

"Hey, Vivian," Lucas’s voice cut through the air like a blade.

The sound of my husband's voice was like a bucket of ice water, causing the spell to shatter.

Robert’s hands vanished from my thighs, retreating so fast it was a miracle the sudden movement didn't shake the entire seat. He pressed his back hard against the leather, his chest heaving silently behind me as he tried to regulate his breathing.

I scrambled to react, my hands flying down to yank the hem of my sundress over my knees, smoothing the fabric down with trembling fingers. I forced my eyes open, staring straight at the windshield, my face burning so hot I was certain the glass would fog up.

"Yeah?" I managed to choke out, my voice sounding incredibly thin to my own ears. I cleared my throat quickly, trying to sound like I had just been dozing off. "Sorry, Lucas, what was that?"

Lucas glanced over at us, his brow furrowing slightly as he took in the rigid, frozen postures of his wife and his son. "I asked if you wanted me to pull over at the next rest stop so you two can stretch. You look incredibly stiff over there. Robert, you're practically pressed into the doorframe."

"No," Robert said quickly, his voice a low, rough rumble that he tried to smooth out. "No, I'm fine, Dad. Just... trying to stay out of Vivian's way."

"Right," Lucas muttered, shaking his head with a light, oblivious chuckle as he turned his attention back to the road. "Well, let me know. We’ve still got a long way to go."

Beside me, the music kept playing, but the quiet space between Robert and me was practically humming with static. We didn't touch again for the moment, but our bodies had already betrayed us.