Too bad I could no longer kill him and blame friendly fire.

And Lilly, Lilly, was calling back to the geeks, wishing them good luck on their flight, whatever the hell that meant. Very tired of her paying attention to men who were not me, I smacked her hard enough to shut her up.

She gasped and choked on a moan.

A moan that did bad, bad things to my self-control. As did having her ass right next to my face, and her breasts pressed up against my back. “If you know what’s good for you, you’ll shut up, lie still, and pretend you’re not there.”

“Did you seriously just spank me?”

I didn’t bother to answer.

She squirmed on my shoulder, holding on to my shirt. “You can’t just—argh.”

“Yes.” She’d broken off because I did it again. Spanked her. I did it one more time. “I can.”

This time she didn’t even bother to hide her moan. Apparently, not-so-innocent Lilly liked a good spanking. That was something I could have—should have—gone the rest of my life without knowing. Especially since now I couldn’t think of anything else but doing it again, with her completely nude this time, as I took her from behind.

She breathed unevenly, clinging to my shirt with both hands. “Jackson.”

Juggling her on my shoulder, I easily unlocked my truck and opened the door. Without warning, I unceremoniously dumped her into the passenger seat. She didn’t even bother to complain this time. “Buckle up, little girl.”

I slammed the door in her face.

As I walked around to the driver’s side, I took a deep, calming breath—followed by another. My dick was primed and ready. It had been ever since she’d let out that first sexy-ass moan. There was no denying it anymore. No trying to pretend I could reason with my libido, or rely on my self-discipline to keep my hands off her.

It was wrong on so many levels, but…

I craved Lilly Hastings.

I slid into my seat, not glancing at her, trying to remind myself that she was my stepsister, not some faceless, nameless woman I could wham, bam, thank you, ma’am. As I settled in, she buckled her seatbelt. “So, what now? Are you going to take your ‘little sister’ home, tuck me in, and give me a glass of warm milk to help me sleep? Maybe read me a bedtime story?”

My hands twisted on the steering wheel as I made one last-ditch effort to regain control. Around her, it just didn’t seem possible. “You’re not my sister.”

“Oh yeah?” she taunted, leaning forward and twisting toward me. Her new position provided me with a generous view of her cleavage. “Prove it.”

Seven years in the military and resisting her was the hardest battle I’d ever faced. I started my truck, the roar of the engine my only answer.

“Yeah,” she said, crossing her arms. “That’s what I thought.”

Still not answering, I pulled out onto the road, doing my best to ignore how the moonlight seemed to make her skin glow. She was drunk, and belligerent, and I’d be damned if I rose to the bait tonight.

But I wanted to.

“Oh, so we’re doing the silent treatment?” She snorted. “I never was any good at that game. I like talking too much.”

“I hadn’t noticed,” I said drily, unable to resist.

“Whatever,” she said, clearly not buying it. “Why did you come tonight?”

“Because I was informed my ‘little sister’ was drunk off her ass and ready to be the night’s entertainment for three guys.” I turned the wheel, glowering at the red light that stood between me and getting her home. “What the hell were you thinking?”

Lilly leaned back in her seat and looked at me as if I was the crazy one. “That I wanted to have some fun? That it’s my body and therefore it’s my decision who I ‘entertain’? If I want to have sex with a guy, it’s my choice, not yours or, or, anyone else’s!”

I stepped on the gas way too heavily, trying to outrun my jealousy. “You wanna fuck three guys at once? Be my guest. But don’t do it while you’re too drunk to know what you’re doing. Those guys could have done anything to you, and you wouldn’t even have known. You wouldn’t have been able to fight back.”

She had the nerve to shrug. Shrug. “I wasn’t in any danger from George or the other boys. We had an agreement. Besides, I’m not drunk.”

“Bullshit.”

“Not bullshit,” she snapped back. “Contrary to your beliefs, I’ve been taking care of myself for quite some time, and I’m not some lightweight who can’t handle her drink. I wasn’t drunk, and I wasn’t going to go home with them. But if I was, it’s not any of your business. I’m just your ‘little sister,’ remember?”

I swallowed hard. “You’re not drunk.”

“I’m. Not. Drunk.” She clutched her knees. “And you carrying me out of the bar like a caveman was…was…”

I waited for her to finish.

She didn’t.

It didn’t take long for me to figure out why. She looked out the window, pressing her thighs together, and I knew—I just knew—that she was trying to ease the ache inside her. The ache that had my name written all over it in bold letters. “What was it, Lilly?” I asked, even though I knew I shouldn’t. “Was it annoying? Irritating? Or was it…hot? Sexy? Did it make you want more?”

Slowly, she turned back to me, mouth parted, chest heaving. “You really want to know?”

No. Maybe. “Hell, yeah.”

For a minute, I didn’t think she was going to answer. She stared straight ahead, her nails digging into her thighs as if holding on for dear life. “It reminded me of last night. You made your feelings perfectly clear about our interlude, but it’s all I can think about. All I can think about is you, and how good you made me feel, and how I want to feel that way again.”

I shouldn’t have asked. I shouldn’t have—“How did it make you feel? When I touched you? Made you come?”

“Amazing.” She rubbed her palms on her legs. “It made me want more. So much more.”

“Me, too,” I admitted.

“Why act this way, then?” She shifted toward me, folding her leg under her ass. Something in her expression told me, if I gave her even the slightest bit of encouragement…I’d be frantically looking for a place to pull over while she climbed into my lap. And damned if I didn’t want her to. “Why act like you don’t want it to happen again? Like you wish it never happened at all?”

“Because it shouldn’t have,” I said quickly. “It shouldn’t.”

“I don’t agree.” She clasped the buckle, clearly about to undo it. “Let me show you why.”

“No.” I shook my head, staring straight ahead at the road. We were almost home. “Leave it on.”

Her fingers hovered over the clasp. “You’re not wearing yours.”

“Yeah. I know.” I pulled up to the stop sign one street down from our house. In just a few seconds, she wouldn’t be buckled down. In a few seconds, I would have to rely on my dwindling self-control to keep us apart. In other words…we were screwed. Or we would be. “And to answer your question…I’m not willing to risk it with you. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

She watched me, still holding on to the seatbelt. “Who said you get to choose whether I get hurt or not? I’m all grown up now. Stop trying to make decisions for me.”

I couldn’t help but think we were talking about more than seatbelts. That we were talking about us. At least, I was. Pulling into the driveway, I turned the wheel even tighter than before. “What’s wrong with wanting to keep you safe?”

“Daddy has been limiting my choices in the name of keeping me safe all my life. I’m done with that.” She undid her seatbelt. I watched her out of the corner of my eye, heart racing. “You carried me out of the bar and spanked me. Want to know how that made me feel?”

Shit. I flexed my jaw. I needed to say no. Needed to send her running. Needed to—“Lilly…Damn it, I already know, but I want to hear you say it. Say it.”

She leaned over the center console, and her perfume teased my senses. If she touched me right now…that was it; we’d be off to the races. Only a paragon could resist her now. And I already established I wasn’t one.