Free Stepbrother, Mine #2 by Opal Carew Page A

witnessed that. But what happened after you saw us? Did you go out to your prom after all?”
    She shook her head. “I went up to my room and just stayed there until morning.” Sobbing her heart out.
    Mason pursed his lips and nodded, probably figuring out the latter part.
    “You know I struggled with my attraction to you back then,” he admitted. “Being with Maria gave me a way to alleviate that yearning.”
    So it wasn’t just the one time.
    Dana’s heart sank at the thought that he could so easily escape his desire for her, which meant it had only been a physical attraction, nothing more.
    He lifted the tray from his lap and set it on the bed beside him, then sat on the side of the bed.
    “Dana, I think it’s time we had a little talk.”
    “About why you said I don’t meet your needs?”
    “That’s right.”
    A low trilling sound caught his attention and he picked up his cell phone from the bedside table and glanced at it. His lips tightened and he glanced at Dana again.
    “It seems this conversation will have to wait. I have to go meet someone.”
    “Now? But—”
    His sharp gaze spiked through her and she fell silent.
    He stood up and, totally naked, walked to the bathroom. Once the door closed, she couldn’t help herself. She hurried to the bed and picked up his phone and glanced at the text he’d received.
    Need to talk to you at once. It’s urgent. Meet me at Le Noir right away.
    It was from Maria.
    *   *   *
    Mason walked into the stodgy club, with the oak-paneled walls, elegant crystal lighting fixtures, and heavy wooden furniture. He stepped into the private room Maria had reserved for them, then closed the door behind him. Maria, dressed in an elegant, tailored jacket and matching skirt in dark blue silk, sat on a leather sofa, a decanter of white wine in front of her. She held a tall, stemmed crystal glass in her hand.
    “There you are, Mason.”
    “Hello, Maria.”
    She placed her glass on the round table in front of the couch, then stood and walked toward him, smiling. “Surely I get a kiss.”
    He leaned in to kiss her cheek, but she turned her head and pressed her lips to his, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him close. As her tongue glided into his mouth, he grasped her hands and tugged them from his neck, then pressed her away from him.
    “That’s not really appropriate, Maria.”
    “Really? We used to do far more than that.”
    “Yes, before you became my stepmother.”
    She laughed. “Ah, it’s inappropriate to give you stepmother a kiss, but fucking your stepsister is quite acceptable.”
    He frowned. “How do you know about that?”
    She rested her hand on his upper arm. “Mason, we both knew it was inevitable.”
    He walked to the leather chair facing the couch and settled into it, not willing to play this touching game with Maria. “I asked how you knew.”
    She strolled back to the couch and poured him a glass of wine. She handed it to him, then sat down again.
    “Still playing the maid, I see,” he said.
    She smiled seductively. “I’m willing to play a lot more with you. I’m sure the staff could bring me a maid’s costume pretty quickly and we could replay some of our finer moments.”
    “None of our moments were fine, Maria,” Mason said grimly.
    She leaned forward. “That’s not true, Mason. Some of my finest moments were with you.”
    He almost thought her eyes looked a little misty at those words.
    “And surely you are at least a little thankful at how I helped you survive your lust for your little stepsister. How would you have gotten through that time without me?” She picked up her wine and took a sip.
    “Which leads us back to the question of how you know about Dana and me.”
    She sighed and leaned back against the couch. “Is it really so hard to guess? The dim-witted little brat put her picture up on that website, offering her innocence to the highest bidder.” She raised an eyebrow at Mason. “You really didn’t think