Chapter 78: Yes!
Carmen
"That feeling... that need... that desire..." he began.
I lifted my head, forcing myself to meet his eyes, only to realize he was already staring straight at me like he had been waiting for me to look up. His gaze didn’t waver. Slowly, deliberately, he raised his fingers to his lips, brushing them across as I swallowed hard.
It was torture.
Every second stretched thin, my body still aching from where he had stopped, still caught in that unbearable space between wanting and having.
"...that feeling like you’re on the edge of something you might never reach?" he continued, his voice quieter now, heavier. "That’s what I feel when I look at you."
My breath hitched.
"Right now," he went on, his tone dropping into something rough, something that settled deep in my stomach, "I want to push you against this table and take you."
My heart slammed against my ribs. He didn’t look away. Not even for a second.
"...not with my hands or my mouth," he added, stepping closer, his presence closing in on me again. "I want to hear you moaning... begging for more."
His fingers lifted, brushing lightly over my exposed skin, circling my breasts in slow, deliberate motions that made me arch instinctively.
"But my desires are just as important as your own," he whispered.
A soft gasp escaped me before I could stop it.
Every nerve in my body was still lit, still desperate for what he had started and refused to finish. I wanted his fingers back between my legs. I wanted to stop thinking entirely.
But I couldn’t bring myself to beg for it.
"All you have to do..." he murmured, his voice lowering further, something almost vulnerable threading through it now, "...is say yes."
His eyes held mine, searching no, pleading, in a way I hadn’t expected from him.
"I’m clean," he continued quickly, like he needed to make sure there were no excuses left. "If you want Mae to use condoms, I will. We’re not dating anyone—"
"...you’re my stepbrother," I cut in, my voice softer than I intended. Even to me, it sounded weak and he knew it.
"...you could also be my half—"
"We are not related. Trust me," he said flatly, without hesitation. "I know my father. He’s a much bigger asshole than yours."
Despite everything, a small, incredulous breath left me.
He wasn’t joking.
"It would just be sex," he continued, his tone evening out, controlled again but the intensity never left his eyes. "Just sex. We’re adults. We’re not expecting anything else from this."
I knew that. I agreed with that.The problem wasn’t me.
Even if I fell for him, which I wouldn’t, couldn’t, I could handle it. Nico was the variable I didn’t trust.
He was unpredictable on his best days. And right now... this wasn’t his best.
I watched him lean in again, his hands sliding over my bare skin, his touch firm, grounding, claiming.
"I don’t know..." I admitted, my voice quieter now, more honest than before. "I’ve never actually gone all the way."
The words hung between us. It should have been enough. A reason to stop. To slow down.
Instead, his expression changed—something like hunger sharpening his features.
I reached down instinctively, trying to pull my underwear back into place, clinging to some sense of control. I barely got it halfway before he caught my movement and stopped it.
Then, without warning, he pulled my pants off completely, a sharp gasp left me as I stared at him.
"But you’ve used toys, right?" he asked, his voice different now—more focused, more intense.
I hesitated.
"That’s not—"
"This would be just like that," he cut in smoothly. "I’ll follow instructions."
Before I could respond, he lowered himself.
My breath caught as he dropped to his knees in front of me, his gaze flicking up to meet mine one last time before his mouth found my chest.
His lips closed around me, warm, firm, his tongue moving slowly, deliberately.
I gasped, my back arching instantly, my fingers gripping the edge of the chair.
The sensation was overwhelming, too much and not enough all at once.
His eyes stayed on my face. Watching.
His hand slid down again, moving between my legs, pressing against me through the thin fabric of my underwear but stopping there. Not going further.
It was maddening. Every movement was too slow. Too controlled. Like he knew exactly how to push me to the edge and keep me there.
I licked my lips, dragging in a sharp breath, my body trembling under the weight of it.
"Yes," I heard myself say.
The word slipped out before I could stop it. Before I could think.
For a second, I expected him to move faster—to tear the rest away, to finally give me what my body had been begging for. But he didn’t.
He smiled instead. Slow. Dangerous.
His teeth grazed lightly over my nipple, sending another jolt through me as his eyes locked onto mine.
"I need you to be sure, Carmen," he said.
My fingers slid into his hair without thinking, gripping, pulling him closer, pressing him harder against me as another breathless sound escaped my lips.
"What other answer are you looking for?" I asked, my voice unsteady.
His tongue moved again, slower this time, deliberate, drawing another arch from my back as I pressed him closer, unable to get enough.
He seemed to enjoy that.
To feed off it.
But just as my eyes fluttered closed, just as I started to lose myself again, Suddenly, I was lifted.
A startled gasp tore from me as I found myself thrown over his shoulder, the room tilting.
"I’m half naked!" I snapped, trying to twist enough to look at him.
He only chuckled.
Instead of heading toward the door, he moved to the bookcase, reaching out to pull a lever I hadn’t even noticed before.
A hidden door slid open.
I blinked, trying to make sense of it as he walked through without hesitation.
"You could have just—" I started.
A sharp smack landed against my ass.
I gasped, more from shock than anything else, even as heat flared through me.
"When you said yes," he said firmly, his voice carrying that same dangerous edge, "you agreed to everything."
He paused just long enough to emphasize it.
"Everything."
"Put me down," I huffed, though the fight in my voice had already started to fade. "I can walk."
A few steps later, he did.
I landed on the bed with a soft bounce, my breath catching as I looked up at him.
He was already unbuttoning his shirt.
Fast. Impatient.
My heart started racing all over again.
"We could bathe first?" I offered, a flicker of hesitation creeping back in.
He just chuckled.
Low. Unbothered.
The shirt hit the floor.
"We can do that after."
His belt followed.
Then he stepped closer.
I shifted slightly on the bed, half on, half off, unsure of where to put my hands, my thoughts, anything.
"Worried?" he asked.
His eyes searched mine again, more carefully this time, like he was looking for something specific.
"About what?" I asked, holding his gaze.
He leaned in slowly, his hand coming up to the back of my neck, fingers tightening just enough to pull me closer.
Our breaths mixed.
"Exactly," he whispered.
And then his lips were on mine again.
