I swallowed hard. I had nothing to go with but the truth, so I let it all out. "I... wanted you to see my body."

"You wanted me to see you naked."

"Yes."

"Why is that?"

I was trembling at this point. I wrung my hands in an attempt to keep them still. "I... I wanted you to touch me."

"I'm not supposed to touch you. You're well aware of that."

I nodded. "I just... needed to feel it. I've needed it for so long, Liam-" My voice broke off, and my eyes fell in shame to the floor. I had done myself a disservice by staying with Ethan all those years. He was my first everything, and yet I'd never really felt a thing with him. I had thought for so long that he was the one. My mother loved him and admired his WASPy family. My friends called him Prince Charming. He was only twenty-six when he sold his first start-up for a cool two million dollars and decided to make me his wife. But I felt no pleasure around him. I felt more pleasure thinking about my stepbrother than I did while having actual sex with Ethan.

"I'm sorry, Liam," I finally exhaled. "I just wanted to know what it felt like to... feel good. To feel satisfaction."

Liam tipped my chin firmly up. "And did you find out?" I locked my knees at the sight of his anger. It was as sexy as it was intimidating, and it turned my legs into jelly.

"Yes."

"How good did you feel last night, Sasha?"

"Better than I've ever felt in my life."

"Did you like taking my cock in your mouth?" he asked. When I nodded, his lip curled. "Say it."

"I liked taking your cock in my mouth."

His strong grip spread to cup my jaw. "You realize that I'm your stepbrother, right?"

"Yes."

He backed me up against the wall. "You realize that this is wrong, baby. Don't you?"

"Yes."

"I had one rule I said I'd never break, and you forced me to, Sasha. I felt fucking out of control. I'm the person who wants to take care of you, and if I had taken advantage of you, I couldn't live with myself."

"You didn't, Liam. And I'm sorry."

"Don't be." Gripping my face, fixing his glare on mine, Liam grabbed hold of my flimsy neckline. I gasped as he ripped it down, exposing me again. He stared into my eyes as he grabbed my breasts, roughly fondling them, sucking sharp breaths in between his clenched teeth as his fingers kneaded and massaged. I was frozen, paralyzed with shock and arousal as Liam's hand tore the thin cotton clean off my body, tossing it aside like some worthless rag.

"Just know," he muttered, sliding his rough hand down the front of my shorts and into my panties. His hand on my jaw grew firmer as I moaned, feeling his fingers stroke the length of my soaking wetness.

"That I was never going to break that seal, Sash. I'd have no control around you, and I knew that." Liam slid his fingers inside me, soaking in my wide-eyed look as my walls pulsed with instant need around him.

"I was going to keep all those urges locked away," he murmured, his thrust picking up speed. "But you opened up Pandora's box, and now I know." He pinned me up against the wall as my legs gave out. "Now I know how those perfect tits feel in my hands. I know how those pretty lips feel wrapped around my cock. And I know just how fucking tight this little pussy is."

Liam pressed me hard against the wall as he thrust his fingers in and out of me with ruthless abandon, muttering the sexiest filth an inch from my face as he got me to come. The orgasm ripped from my lips. He clamped his hand over my mouth, snarling with satisfaction as hot pleasure shot straight to my core, crumbling me against the wall.

"And all I can say is if you think that feels good, just you fucking wait till I bury every inch of my cock inside you," Liam growled, smoothing my palm over his hard-on. I moaned and writhed, craving it so desperately inside me.

"You want it?"

"Yes," I panted, gasping weakly as he threw me onto his bed. I barely landed on my stomach before he pulled me to the edge of the mattress and tore down my shorts. I clutched the sheets, sensing his rising palm without even looking. I cried out when I felt Liam bring it down in a hard spank on my right cheek.

"I'm going to have fun punishing you for that little stunt, Sasha," he smirked, his voice hoarse in my ear as he lay on top of me. I felt the weight of his body on my back and heard the metal jangling of his belt buckle. With a heavy drop, his erection fell hot between my thighs. My panties still on, Liam started thrusting.

"Would you like to know where I intend on fucking you?"

"Yes, please."

"I'm going to fuck you against the window for everyone to see." He thrust against me between his every answer. "I'm going to fuck you in the stairwell. I'm going to fuck you in the backseat of my car while we're on the way to the gym. I'm going to fuck you in my office with the door open. I'm going to make sure everyone hears how loud I make you scream my name, Sasha."

"But they know..." I moaned deliriously as he flipped me onto my back and rubbed my pussy over my panties, jerking off as he hovered over me.

"What do they know, Sasha?"

"I'm your stepsister. That you're not supposed to..."

"You're right. I'm not. And I wasn't going to, but you decided to make that choice impossible for me last night, and I'm not one to take half-measures. So if I'm fucking you, Sasha, everyone is going to know it. I don't hide my choices, and I'm sure as shit not going to hide you anymore if I don't have to. Now push those perfect tits together," he demanded. I obliged, and he slid his silky cock between my breasts, thrusting powerfully and groaning down at me with every long stroke.

"You don't know how long I've wanted this body, Sasha. You have no fucking clue."

I've wanted you for longer, I wanted to say, but sensation was rocketing to my clit as Liam pumped furiously, using my body just as I wanted him to. I moaned, pushing my breasts together, molding them tighter to his shaft as I felt him swell even harder between me. I watched in awe when he finally jerked his cock and, with a roar, came all over my breasts, drawing back to growl and admire his thick, pearly handiwork.

"You have no idea how many times I've fantasized about this image." He cupped my right breast and rubbed a drop of his seed over my hard nipple like a lush body cream. My jaw dropped. I couldn't help but love the way he staked his claim on me. It was simple, carnal, and easily the sexiest thing I'd ever felt.

"I'm going to do everything I've ever dreamt of doing to you, Sasha," Liam muttered. "Do you hear me?"

"Yes."

"Good."

I bit my lip, so overcome with dizzy satisfaction that it barely occurred to me that I looked completely obvious walking out of Liam's bedroom. My cheeks were flushed, my hair was a mess, and since he had torn my top off, I was wearing one of Liam's T-shirts. Luckily, A.J and Max had already left to probably get food, since they ate about twelve meals a day, and Jenna had predictably followed, leaving Aria alone in the living room, twiddling on her phone until she glanced up. One look at me, and her jaw dropped.

"What just...?" Her eyes flicked to Liam as he came up behind me. From the sound of it, he was only just pulling up his zipper.

"Oh my – halle-fucking-lujah!" Aria screamed before bursting into a bunch of giddy squeals and proceeding to embarrass the ever-loving shit out of me. "Liam! Did you two just...? Omigod, you have no idea how long she's wanted this, Liam! Since the day she walked in on you at the dinner party!"

The look he gave me suggested that he had no idea that had ever happened. A dirty smirk spread across his lips, and as my cheeks burned, I shook my head, trying but failing to get used to this bizarre new reality. I was fooling around with my stepbrother, my best friend had just found out, and the rest of the world was about to as well. I had to laugh.

At least until I thought about my older sister, Riley. I had never told her about my feelings for Liam because she was the first to declare her love for him, meaning she had dibs if our parents ever divorced. But she was married now, so it couldn't be a big deal, right? Of course, my mother would probably still lose her mind. Liam's father, too. Shit.

Suddenly, I remembered why Liam and I were so very wrong together. I wanted it. I was certain I needed it, and honestly, I didn't regret a second of it. But in my heat, I had briefly forgotten how much chaos would come with it.

"Come on, let's get something to eat," Liam murmured to me, his hand on the small of my back as he ushered me out the door. I smiled at him despite my racing pulse, walking out and forcing myself to giggle with Aria as I reminded myself that it was all on me. I was the one who had opened Pandora's box.

After getting lunch with our friends, I didn't see Liam for the rest of the day, which was pure torture, especially considering the way his fingers had brushed my thighs under the table all afternoon. I was worked up and ready to feel his hands all over my body, but unfortunately, he held off on the sex, and I knew exactly why. He was an absolute animal in the bedroom. He only ever gave his all, and there was no giving his all in the gym if he'd already given it in the sack. That was why he generally slept with his girls at night. Train, eat, fuck, sleep. Repeat. He and his friends were all the same way, and I'd known it for ages. If I wanted him, I'd have to wait until evening, when he got back from the gym.

And that sucked. A lot. Luckily, I had a job to distract me. Not so luckily, I worked with the person I least wanted to find out about me and Liam: my sister.

Riley and I had pooled our savings last year to open our gastropub, The Queen. The Queen's Lounge, really, but everyone called it The Queen. It was a cozy fifty-seater in a not-so-glamorous part of SoHo, close to the tunnel into Jersey. It was all we could afford, and we weren't sure it would bring in much business, but we became an instant hit when Liam started coming with the guys from the gym. After training, they'd swing by to grab a bite and a beer. Women caught on quickly that The Queen was the unofficial bar of the city's top MMA fighters and trainees, and suddenly, they were coming in hordes. And with the pretty girls came the men, so before we knew it, Riley and I were set.

"Am I all tan and beautiful?" Riley asked, tossing her newly highlighted hair when I walked in. "I was on the beach like every day for the past two weeks."

"Lucky you," I smirked. "And here I was fixing the ice machine on my own because our repair guys went on vacation too."

"Oh, shut up. I know Liam fixed it for you," Riley snorted, fluffing her hair in the mirror behind the bar. It was true. I'd tried for days to fix the ice machine, but the second Liam noticed my struggle, he went back there, shed his hoodie, and got to work. He was in one of his simple white T-shirts and had just come from the gym, freshly showered, but he got quickly hot and sweaty again, prompting all the girls on my staff to gather round, watching and drooling without shame. I couldn't blame them-I was among them. I just disguised my ogling better.

"So, how have you been enjoying our favorite bad boy, Liam?" Riley asked, cocking a sharp eyebrow at me through the mirror. My heart stopped for a second.

"What do you mean?"

"A month into living with him, and you haven't killed each other yet. I'm shocked."

"Oh." My shoulders relaxed. "Well, we've always gotten along."

"Yeah, but I figured you'd get sick of hearing him fuck bimbos every night, and I figured he'd get sick of just... having you there."

"How nice of you to say."

"What? He's hot and single, you're weepy and heartbroken. Who wouldn't imagine that you'd be a total buzzkill?" Riley grinned. I snorted, rounding the bar to polish the wine glasses that had just come out of the kitchen.

"I'm thoroughly over Ethan, but you can assume whatever you want."

"Oh, Sash, don't get so defensive. We're all here for you, sweetie. Ethan was your first love and your first everything. It's gonna take a while for you to get over him and all that... wild, rowdy missionary sex." She could barely finish the sentence before bursting out laughing. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry. You should never tell me about your sex life ever again. I'm just not to be trusted."

I smiled, acting good-natured to hide the fact that I was sweating over my sex life as of last night. Once boring, it had become hotter than hell in barely twelve hours. "Alright. Very funny," I said, offering a grin. Any other day, I would have been at least a little salty about the remark, but I didn't care now.

Riley put her hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes at me. "Something's different," she said, disappointment tinged with curiosity. I paused mid-rack.

"What do you mean?"

"You usually get all pouty and wounded when I talk about your shitty sex life."

"I guess I'm growing up?"

"Doubtful. I think you're fucking someone," Riley said, her eyes getting wider. There was no way she knew, but my heart was already beating faster. "Oh God, no, that would be so wrong," she muttered, clasping a hand to her mouth. "Sasha." She stared at me, eyes so wide I thought they might pop out of her head. "You're fucking that chubster who delivers the napkins!"

I let out the breath I was holding. Never had I been so relieved to be accused of sleeping with some random guy. "Riley, I... no. I'm not sleeping with him. Or anyone." Not a lie. I hadn't had sex with Liam. Not yet.

"Oh my God, yes you are! I watch you two flirt all the time! You were just too embarrassed to hook up till I was out of town!" Riley gasped, bouncing on her heels with her signature over-the-top excitement. "Oh my God, Sash. That is so cute. Seriously, don't be embarrassed. A lot of girls like big bellies. I mean, Trav's getting a bit of a beer gut," she stuck out her tongue as she spoke of her husband. "But I still love him. Even though he was a boring asshole the whole vacation. He's starting to get so damned lazy," she muttered under her breath, almost to herself. There was a pause. "But at least he doesn't look twelve months pregnant like your little fuck buddy!" she cackled, doubling over again.

"Oh-kay, Riles." Our staff was starting to trickle in, so I just stretched my lips into a tight smile and shut up, hoping to stop the conversation before they could hear.

"Don't worry, girl, I'll keep your secret," she winked. I gave a thumbs up, not wanting to get into this. I knew she'd drop it eventually, and she did, because shortly after opening, we were slammed and I had to come out of the office and get behind the bar.

"I see you've got the seats roped off," a pretty redhead called over the counter, nodding at the three seats at the end of the bar we kept reserved every night for Liam and the boys. "When do the fighters get here?"

"Oh," I smiled, still getting used to the fact that we were practically a tourist attraction thanks to Liam and his friends. "I'm not positive they're coming by tonight, but if they do, it'll be past 9PM."

"Then we'll be here past 9PM!" Red declared, toasting her Cosmo before turning to relay the info to her friends. They squealed in excitement as Riley came up behind me with a groan.

"I hate how these little sluts come here just to ogle Liam," Riley muttered, running a credit card. "It's pathetic."

"What's pathetic about it? He's every girl's type, and they're giving us business."

"I just don't want him sleeping with groupies. He's better than that," Riley muttered. I raked my bottom lip between my teeth. I didn't know what constituted a groupie, but if it was a girl who actively chased a guy, then I was a total groupie for Liam.

Riley glared at me. As usual, she misinterpreted my silence. "Don't get all quiet, Sash. Just say it."

"What?"

"You think I'm jealous because you think I still have a crush on Liam. Which I do not."

Except you do. Riley had claimed since marrying Travis that she was no longer attracted to Liam, but every time she got drunk enough, she slurred on about how she'd divorce Trav in a heartbeat if our mother split from Liam's father, Vic. "I mean, look at Liam. Look at those abs. Look at that ass. Am I not a woman? What am I supposed to do? Not want to fuck him? I'd let him do whatever he wanted to me. Just fucking look at that man." It was always unbridled, nonstop, and hilarious. I'd have to hustle Riley into another room so she didn't say anything loud enough for others to hear.

"You're just protective of him. Like he's protective of us," I said, lying to end the conversation. I hadn't told Aria about last night yet, and all that pent-up scandal was still bouncing at the tip of my tongue, desperate to come out.

"Yeah. I'm just protective of him. I love him," Riley murmured, overpouring a beer as she gazed out the door. I tried not to overanalyse the look on her face. I didn't have time anyway-the bar kept filling up.

It only got worse when Liam rolled in with A.J, Max, and a couple other guys. The usual ruckus followed, our regulars and bartenders chanting "Cage Kings," the name of the gym that produced so many warriors we watched during fight nights. We wore our Cage Kings T-shirts and blasted the volume on the flat screens. Even regulars who didn't watch MMA became fans after enough visits.

"There are my boys," Riley grinned, sliding pints across the bar as they took their usual seats.

"Lookin' good, Riles," A.J said.

"I got tan! You noticed?"

"Always." He tossed her a wink. Liam smirked, exchanging a look with me.

"Good workout?" I asked casually, trying to mask my nerves. He wouldn't take his eyes off me, and my pulse spiked as he leaned back, lingering over the T-shirt clinging tighter than usual to my breasts.

"A little distracted today, but decent overall," he said, that crooked grin melting my brain.

"Distracted? Why?" Riley cut in. "Thanks for saying hi, by the way." She leaned over the counter, presenting Liam her cheek, which he kissed.

"You okay, sweetie? What's got my big, strong man so distracted?"

Max and I exchanged looks. He and I seemed to be the only ones who noticed the blatantly flirtatious way Riley spoke to Liam. She wants him, he mouthed. I smirked, wiping droplets from his wet hair and sliding him a pint, mouthing back, oh yeah.

"Is it a girl?" Riley pressed. Liam gave her a generic answer, and I froze, catching his mischievous eye.

"Actually, Riles, yeah. It's a girl," he said.

My heart stopped. I shot him a warning look, but he grinned wickedly and didn't look at me. Riley gasped.

"No way. You finally developed feelings for one of your little groupies?" she asked scandalously. "How the hell did that happen, King Playboy?"

Liam laughed, leaning over the bar, his bite-able shoulders stretching the cotton of his white T-shirt. "It's one of those long-time-coming situations," he said, eyes gleaming at me.

Riley slapped her hand on the bar. "No! You? Holding in feelings for that long? Shut your mouth!"

I bit my lip, feeling the heat of A.J and Max's stares. They didn't know for sure about us, but now they definitely suspected something as they watched me blush, shake my hair into my face, and busy myself with glasses.

"Are you hearing this, Sash?" Riley grabbed my arm. "Liam says he's been in love with a girl for like, ten years and didn't start doing anything till now. Total bullshit, right?"

I shrugged casually, trying to look unfazed. "Could be true," I murmured.

"It is," Liam said, staring at me. I forced myself to stay outwardly calm.

"So, like, what, you used to date her and she got away?" Riley asked, dying of curiosity. Liam sipped his drink and let out that low, sexy laugh.

"I never dated her. Never so much as touched her till last night. But it was well worth the wait," he grinned before wincing and shifting in his seat.

"A.J! Please don't talk about my stepbrother's hard-on in front of me," Riley scolded, though she secretly enjoyed guessing Liam's size.

"Sorry. Thought it'd be a crowd pleaser," A.J snorted, nodding at the girls behind us, who were undoubtedly eavesdropping.

"Clearly someone's getting laid tonight. What about you?" Riley asked Liam, pressing aggressively. Max shot me that look again-damn, she's thirsty.

Liam cocked an eyebrow. "What about me?"

"You going to fuck this girl tonight?" Riley asked.

"I'd like to," he said. He grinned. "I could do it now. She's in this bar."

"What?" My heart stopped. Riley shouted. I stood behind her, shooting daggers at Liam and shaking my head as subtly as possible.

"Liam! Where? Which one is she? Show me now!"

"She's right next to you," he grinned, reveling in my panic.

"Which one? Where?"

"The one with the tits, Riles."

"Liam," I hissed, cheeks flaming. Max read the situation immediately. Guilt and shame washed over me. I hadn't even thought about the repercussions of us-what would happen if people found out.

"Oh my God, is it that one?" Riley pointed at a model-esque blonde.

"She's not even that pretty!" I mouthed at Liam to stop, but he only laughed. He was punishing me, enjoying every second of my torment.

"Nah. Not that one, Riley. The brunette. Five-foot-five. Light brown eyes. Fuckin' face of an angel," he said, describing me perfectly. Riley remained clueless.

"Shouldn't be that hard, Riles," Liam said as I white-knuckled the rail. "She's easily the hottest girl in the room." Hurt flashed in my sister's face. Liam's gaze snapped to me. "And no matter how pissed she is at me tonight, I'm going to make her come harder than she's ever come in her life."

You fucking asshole.

"I have to change the keg," I muttered, rushing away from the bar. Liam was toying with me, and as much as I'd done the same to him last night, tonight I was pissed. Fucking with Riley to get a rise out of me was messed up. I really shouldn't have put it past him. He wasn't afraid of telling Riley about us, but he knew I was. I yielded to her because it was easy. She was bullheaded and dramatic, and I realized I couldn't let her find out. Fear, shame, and fury boiled in my veins as I headed to the back.

As long as I was at the bar tonight, Liam was going to tease me.

So instead of changing the keg, I walked out, hailed a cab, and got the hell out. But as the cab pulled away, I had no idea Liam wouldn't let me escape that easily... and that the next time I saw him, everything between us would change.