Chapter 3: Buried Flames

Olivia Parker

"Mommy will call you every single night, okay? This is our little adventure trip with the new toys and games."

Noah hugged me tight at the secure apartment door. His small arms wrapped around my waist. I kissed the top of his head and forced my voice to stay light even as guilt twisted in my chest. He nodded with eyes bright over the secret spy games the nanny promised. This kept him safe from the Hayes world alongside any resemblance questions after that magazine.

I left Los Angeles with him two days ago. We flew into New York together but I dropped him off here with the trusted nanny Margaret Bennett recommended before heading to the funeral alone. With one last wave I slipped out and headed straight to the funeral. My simple black dress already clung to my skin from the New York humidity.

And getting there….

The church felt cold and heavy as I slid into the back pew. William Hayes had been kind to me all his life. Sadness pulled at my heart for the man who treated me like a daughter. I kept my head down but then Ethan walked in. His sharp grey eyes locked onto me instantly across the rows. My breath caught. So he could still recognize me? Oh! This is what I've been avoiding. Fuck! I hate this place already.

I observed him closely. Now he looked broader and more commanding in his tailored black suit. His jaw set hard. The fated mate pull slammed into me without a prior notice. Heat flooded my core. My nipples tightened on the fabric. I pressed my thighs together tight while the eulogy droned on. Memories crashed over me. The memory of his hands, of his mouth and the manner at which he used to claim me. I bit my lip hard to stay quiet but wetness already soaked my panties.

I shifted in the pew and crossed my legs. My pussy flooded with wetness. I tried to focus on the service but my eyes kept drifting back to Ethan. He stood tall at the front. His shoulders looked even wider now. I squeezed my thighs harder. The ache between my legs grew worse. I remembered his thick fingers stretching me. My breasts felt heavy under the dress. My nipples rubbed against the fabric with every small movement. I wanted to touch myself right there. I gripped the edge of the pew instead.

After the burial everyone gathered at the Hayes mansion for the will reading. Ethan sat at the head of the long table. His presence dominated the room. I stayed near the door ready to leave for my hotel right after. The lawyer cleared his throat and began. William had known about Noah all along. My stomach dropped as the clauses spilled out. I must reside in the Hayes mansion for thirty days alongside any immediate family to unlock the full benefits. Funding for my design firm expansion. A trust for my child. Everything I had dreamed of. Refusal meant it all went elsewhere. Ethan shot up from his chair as fury flashed in his eyes.

"This is insane," he growled. His voice came low and dangerous. "You can't force this on us, you know?"

The lawyer shrugged. "Your father's conditions are clear, Mr. Hayes. Both of you are bound if you want the estate."

Ethan's gaze burned into me. I felt exposed, horny and furious all at once. My body reacted despite everything. My thighs grew slick as I shifted in my seat. The family murmured but no one challenged the document. I signed the papers with shaking hands. And it dawned on me that I've been trapped. Like? This is a fucking trap.

I stood up fast after the papers were done. "I need some air," I muttered and walked out of the room. My heart pounded hard. I checked my phone quickly and sent a short message to the nanny to confirm Noah was okay. He replied with a photo of Noah playing happily. Relief washed over me for a second. I headed toward the temporary room arranged at the edge of the estate grounds.

Footsteps echoed behind me on the path. I turned. Ethan staggered forward clearly drunk. His shirt hung half open with his muscular chest bare and glistening under the moonlight. He looked wrecked. Grief and whiskey mixed in his grey eyes. "I know you," he slurred loudly while closing the distance. "You're that girl. My stepsister. The one who disappeared. My friend. My everything. Where the hell did you go, Olivia Parker?"

I backed up toward the room door. My keys fumbled in my hand. "Ethan, stop. You're drunk... Go back inside."

He followed me right in as I opened the door. His big frame filled the space. The door clicked shut behind him. "You don't get to run again," he muttered. His voice sounded rough. He stepped closer. "Seven years. You left me with nothing but questions. Tell me why."

My pulse hammered in my ears. The fated mate pull surged stronger than ever. His bare chest plus the scent of him made my breasts feel heavy and aching. I tried to push him back but my hands lingered on his warm skin. "This is a mistake. We can't do this, Ethan."

Ethan grabbed my wrist and pulled me against him. "Feels like you want it too." His free hand traced my hip. I moaned softly despite myself. My body betrayed me completely. Wetness dripped down my thighs now. He noticed. A dark smirk tugged his lips. "Still my little stepsister slut, aren't you?"

I shoved at his chest but it turned into a grip. Anger, longing and guilt warred inside me. "You believed her lies. You let me go." Yet my voice broke and I rocked forward. I pressed my aching nipples against him.

He kissed me then hard and full of seven years of pent-up need. His tongue pushed inside my mouth and exchanged saliva with me.

Then he kissed down my neck and then sucked one of my nipples into his mouth. He licked and sucked hard, pulling on it while his hand squeezed my other breast. I moaned and held his head there, pushing my chest up to his face.

"Fuck... Ethannnnn….." I screamed out loud.

His mouth felt so hot and wet and then he switched to the other nipple and sucked even harder, flicking his tongue fast until both my nipples were stiff and shiny with his spit.

He kept sucking and biting gently on them, making me squirm under him. Then his hand moved down between my legs. He rubbed my pussy slowly at first, spreading my wetness all over my folds and then he teased my clit with his thumb, rubbing it in slow circles until I was breathing fast.

“Fuck... Please,” I begged.

Ethan Hayes pushed two thick fingers inside me. I gasped and grabbed his shoulders. He started fingering me deep, curling his fingers and stroking that spot that made my legs shake.

“Slut, see how you’re so wet for your big brother,” he growled. That word should have offended me but it instead turned me on more and I moved my hips to meet his fingers.

He kept sucking my breasts while his fingers moved faster in and out of me. The wet sound was loud and dirty. I was dripping all over his hand. He added a third finger and stretched me open, pumping them hard while his thumb kept rubbing my clit.

I was moaning loudly, my hips moving on their own, fucking myself on his fingers. He kept sucking and biting my nipples, sending shocks straight down to my pussy. The pressure kept building and building until I felt like I was going to explode.

Ethan stood suddenly spinning me around and bending me over the bed. His cock hard and thick rubbed against my folds. "You ran once. Not tonight." He thrust in raw and deep in one stroke. I screamed in pleasure stretching around him. He pounded into me from behind gripping my hips hard. Each slam hit perfectly. "Take it, Olivia. This is what you left."

I pushed back to meet every thrust lost in the taboo heat. I came hard, shaking and moaning his name. My pussy pulsed around him. Ethan followed right after filling me with hot spurts. His body slammed against mine until we both collapsed and tangled on the sheets.

For a moment everything felt dangerously addictive. The hate melted into something deeper.

And as we lay there breathing hard Ethan suddenly stilled. He traced a finger over my stomach with narrowed eyes and whispered hoarsely, with his blinking eyes.

“This body... It feels like it remembers me too well. Tell me the truth right now, Olivia … What the hell did you hide from me when you ran?”