Book 1: Wanting My Stepson

Chapter 3 —- Alone for fifteen minutes

Vivian's POV

The highway miles had dragged on like a slow, agonizing fever, stretching the limits of my sanity with every passing mile marker.

For the last two hours of the drive, neither of us had moved so much as a single millimeter. Robert remained pressed flat against his passenger door, his jaw clenched so hard the muscle ticked continuously, staring fixedly out his window as if the passing trees held the secrets to the universe.

I sat stiffly on his lap, my back barely brushing his chest, trying to pretend I wasn’t acutely aware of the steady, heavy rhythm of his breathing. The silence between us in the front seat was so thick, so heavy with unsaid things, that every deep breath he took felt like a physical touch against my spine.

I had never been more relieved in my entire life than when Lucas finally pulled the heavy SUV off the highway and into a dusty, isolated rest stop surrounded by towering, dark pines.

"Alright, stretch break," Lucas announced, throwing the car into park and turning off the ignition. The sudden silence in the cabin was deafening, replacing the low hum of the engine with an immediate, suffocating stillness. "Bianca and I are going to run into the station to grab some bags of ice and use the restroom. Vivian, do you want anything?"

"No," I said, my voice barely audible over the console. My throat felt completely dry, parched from hours of shallow breathing. "I'll... just stay here."

"I'll go with you, Uncle Lucas," Bianca said, already swinging her door open and stepping out into the road.

"Don't run off, Robert," Lucas added, glancing back as he unbuckled his seatbelt. "Keep an eye on the car. We’ll be back in fifteen minutes."

"Sure, Dad," Robert murmured, his voice incredibly low, almost vibrating through his chest and straight into my back.

The heavy car doors clicked shut. I watched through the dusty windshield as Lucas and Bianca walked side by side toward the small, wooden convenience store, their figures shrinking before finally disappearing behind the dark glass doors.

And just like that, the car went entirely quiet.

The weight of being completely alone with him crashed down on me instantly, making the air in the cabin feel twice as thick.

I knew I should get off him. I knew I should open the passenger door, step out onto the road, stretch my legs, and put some physical distance between us.

I needed to breathe the cold mountain air. But as I made a cautious movement to shift, I realized the hem of my sundress was still folded dangerously high around my hips, riding up past mid-thigh from the frantic scrambling earlier.

If I tried to stand up now or slide off him, the light fabric would inevitably twist and pull, exposing me completely to the wide-open windows and the dusty, empty rest stop.

‘I can't move,’ I told myself, clutching desperately at the excuse to soothe my screaming conscience. If I try to climb off him, the dress will catch. It'll look incredibly suspicious if someone walks by or if Lucas looks out the window of the store. It's much safer to just stay put. Just stay completely still.

So I stayed. I remained draped over his lap, the bare, sensitive skin of my thighs still fused to the rough denim of his jeans, absorbing his heat. I was fighting a losing battle against the liquid warmth pooling deep beneath my thigh, my heart hammering so violently against my ribs I was terrified he could hear it.

"Vivian."

His voice was a low, rough rasp in the quiet cabin. It was the first time he had spoken my name since we had left the driveway of our house, and the sound of it sent a violent shiver straight down my spine.

I kept my eyes fixed straight ahead on the dashboard, my hands gripping my own knees as I tried to stop the subtle trembling in my fingers. "We shouldn't talk about it, Robert. It was... the bumpy road. It was an accident."

"An accident?" Robert asked quietly.

Behind me, I felt the shift in his posture. He didn't pull away or try to create space. Instead, he leaned slightly forward, his broad chest pressing heavier against my back, his breath hot and ragged against the sensitive skin of my neck.

"You didn't pull away when the road smoothed out," he murmured, his voice thick with a sudden, daring confidence that sent a wave of panic and thrill through me. "Your body didn't think it was an accident?"

A rush of heat flooded my cheeks, a mix of sheer terror and unadulterated desire. I twisted around on his lap, turning my body to face him as much as the cramped space allowed, my chest heaving. "That's enough, Robert. You're my stepson. I was just... startled. We both were. It doesn't mean anything, and you know it."

"Doesn't it?" Robert's dark eyes locked onto mine.

They were dilated, fierce, and completely stripped away the fragile web of lies I was trying so hard to spin. "You've been watching me, Vivian. I've felt your eyes on me for months. And just now, on that dirt road... you wanted me to touch you. You wanted it just as bad as I did."

"I did not!" I gasped, my voice trembling as I tried to summon a maternal, stern authority I didn't possess. "You are crossing a line, Robert. I am married to your father, and this… this is a massive mistake. We are going to sit here, we are going to be quiet, and we are going to forget this ever happened."

"I don't think you can forget," he whispered, his gaze dropping to my lips.

Before I could even process his words or push him away, Robert’s hands shot out, one wrapping firmly around my waist and the other around my neck. With effortless, terrifying strength, he pulled me flush against his chest, completely erasing the last remaining inch of space between us.

"Robert, let go…" I breathed, but the protest was entirely empty, dying in my throat.

My hands instinctively flew to his broad shoulders to steady myself, my fingers digging deep into his cotton shirt and the hard muscle beneath. I looked up, my blue doe eyes wide with a mixture of fear and anticipation, only to find him leaning in, his eyes dark with intent.

His lips claimed mine in a sudden, bruising kiss.

It was like a match thrown onto gasoline. The moment his warm lips pressed against mine, my remaining defenses crumbled into absolute ash. He tasted like rain and pure, forbidden temptation. A soft, breathless whimper escaped my throat as my eyes fluttered shut, my hands sliding up from his shoulders to tangle in his hair, pulling him closer as the last of my resolve shattered.

The sheer power of his grip on my waist rooted me, his tongue hot and demanding as he completely took control of the kiss, driving me crazy.

He pulled back just an inch, his lips brushing mine, his breath hot and ragged as our noses touched.

"Was that an accident, too?" he murmured against my mouth, his voice dripping with dark satisfaction.

I couldn't even think, let alone form a coherent sentence. My head was spinning, my body burning, and every instinct I had was screaming for him to pull me back in. I tilted my chin up, silently begging for him to kiss me again, to take me deeper into the dark abyss we had just stepped into.

Just as his grip tightened on my hips, ready to slide his hands back under the hem of my dress, Lucas' voice thundered.

"What the fuck!"