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  Noble Romance Publishing, LLC

  Forbidden Fruit

  ISBN 978-1-60592-384-0

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  Copyright 2011 Rosalie Stanton

  Cover Art by Fiona Jayde

  Edited by Ruby Green

  This book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in part by any existing means without written permission from the publisher. Contact Noble Romance Publishing, LLC at PO Box 467423, Atlanta, GA 31146.

  This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. The characters are products of the author's imagination and used fictitiously.

  Blurb

  Ashlynn Sweeney has been in love with Reese for ten years, which would be no problem if he were not her stepbrother. Being near him is unbearable, but Ashlynn likes to think she plays it cool, and his living on campus definitely makes life easier.

  When Reese comes home for spring break, Ashlynn does her best to avoid him. Yet temptation’s hard to resist, and discovering the object of her affections masturbating to pornography is about as tempting as it gets. Though she flees before they can lock eyes, Ashlynn finds Reese isn’t about to let her off that easily. Instead, he suggests they watch the rest of the movie together.

  Ashlynn’s low on options. She can either face the forbidden with her head held high or brace herself for uncomfortable family gatherings. Either way, her life’s about to change

  . . . she just doesn’t know how much.

  Acknowledgments

  Thanks to my editor, Ruby, for her insight and suggestions. Also, endless thanks to J.A.

  Saare for being an awesome crit partner. I don’t know what I’d do without you.

  Dedication

  To Sarah. You are an effin’ poet. Don’t forget it.

  Forbidden Fruit

  By Rosalie Stanton

  First official day of spring break. Ostensibly, nothing had changed in the house, but the air felt different. Alive. Electric. Ashlynn likened it to the sensation she experienced before giving an interview, or facing a class full of students during oral presentation week.

  Granted, the world seemed different whenever Reese was around. Her stepbrother normally left within five seconds of walking through the front door, but he'd come home from the dorms on Friday and spent the night. If that weren't enough, he'd then shocked the crap out of her by staying through the weekend. Usually, he hit the road with his friends for excitement, alcohol, and scantily clad women. But for whatever reason, he hadn't followed his usual script.

  Reese—even his name tasted delicious--was home.

  Home, rather than anywhere else. Home, where Ashlynn, two years his junior, still lived with her mom and Reese's dad. Where she spent most of her free time trying to keep her thoughts as far from Reese as possible. Right now, sharing a roof with him again for however long, she couldn't shake the fantasies so easily.

  Perhaps he would stay throughout the entire break. Here. Alone with her.

  How should she feel if he decided to stay? She loved having him home almost as much as she dreaded it. People said girls matured faster than boys did, but Ashlynn didn't think that meant crushing hard at age nine, from the moment she laid eyes on him. Childhood crushes were supposed to have an expiration date; they weren't supposed to grow into an unhealthy obsession of catastrophic proportions.

  His absence had made the past two years more tolerable. Although she missed him, Ashlynn had an easier time focusing on her own college preparations and social life with Reese away at school. She could pretend to show mild interest whenever someone asked her out, which happened often. Ashlynn Sweeney had been blessed with classic girl-next door looks--strawberry-blonde hair, a curvy hourglass figure, dimples and a winning smile—and she appeared invisible to no one except the one person whose attention she most craved.

  But that craving was wrong. Reese had been her brother for over a decade now, and lusting after someone the law declared "family" violated all kinds of social norms.

  Still, she missed him when he was gone, even if she had no idea what to do with herself when he came home. For the last few days, she'd wandered around in a stupor, trying to come up with something dazzling to say to him, and feeling lame whenever he asked her a question and she had to struggle for a coherent thought.

  Today, the folks had vacated the premises; Ashlynn and Reese were alone.

  Well, Ashlynn wandered the house alone. Feeling lame. Reese remained in his bedroom. Avoiding her. Being cool Mr. College and likely chatting up some skanky sorority bitch.

  Ashlynn sighed, pausing in her trek down the hallway to cast a forlorn glance at Reese's bedroom door. Not a morning guy, he'd stay in there until at least three o'clock.

  She'd better find something to do. Something beyond wishing Reese would look at her and see anything but his annoying brat sister.

  And God, she hated the word "sister." She and Reese shared zero strands of DNA. Their parents had married one another: end of story. Granted, Ashlynn hadn't minded. She'd loved Reese immediately, just for the wrong reasons. Reasons that would never cross Reese's mind.

  Ashlynn turned to continue downstairs, but something caught her ear. She paused once more. A voice? A nearly indiscernible sound, so soft she thought she'd imagined it. The sound came again.

  A very womanly moan.

  "Oh, you gotta be kidding me," she muttered, turning on her heel. If Reese had brought a date into the house right under her nose . . . .

  Though, she reminded herself, Reese had every right to his personal life. He couldn't know his stepsister secretly pined after him. His high school parade of girlfriends had all seen his room at one point or another. Ashlynn had endured more than one tearfully sleepless night, imagining him with other girls. Really, her stepbrother had every right to bring someone over. Hell, Ashlynn could bring home someone, too. They were both legally adults, after all. The time for sneaking around had officially passed.

  On closer inspection, though, Ashlynn noted a definite absence of real-life girly sighs coming from Reese's room. The womanly sound she'd heard came from the television, which shouldn't surprise her. Reese was a healthy, red-blooded male and she knew he had a penchant for jerking it whenever the mood took him. When they had actively shared a roof, she had lurked outside his bedroom during his private time.

  Listening in was a sick fetish, she knew, but nothing got her hotter than hearing his faint whimper and moan, her mind conjuring images of what her eyes couldn't see.

  Apparently, old habits die hard.

  "I'm sick," Ashlynn murmured, wandering toward her stepbrother's door. "I need help, because I'm sick."

  As she drifted closer, the sounds on the television became more prominent, and the cheesy music and the heavy moans left little room for mystery.

  Porn. She'd never watched porn, but she had enough street knowledge to know what it sounded like. Plus, and more to the point, her eavesdropping had long ago revealed Reese loved porn, although she'd never caught him actually watching any.

  Perhaps he kept the sound muted to spare the folks' sensibilities. He had not muted it today.

  He also hadn't closed the door all the way.

  Just walk away. Turn around and walk away.

  But she couldn't walk away. Reese's door stood cracked open, which meant for the first time, she could sneak a full peek at what kept her up at night. Nothing kept her from pressing an eye to the crack, her wide, eager gaze landing immediately on her stepbrother's faultless form. The scraggly kid she'd thought cute in a funny way had grown into a model of male perfection: toned abs and well-roped muscles in a body that didn't dwarf her like her past few boyfriends. He fed fantasies just by existing.

  Ashlynn gl
anced quickly at his cock, and bit the inside of her cheek to keep from squeaking. Her actions didn't seem too incriminating if she didn't outright gawk. Right.

  Telling herself lies didn't excuse spying on a stark-naked Reese as he beat himself off.

  She'd peeked. She'd spied. Might as well go all in. She looked again, and this time her gaze held. He was long and thick, as she'd always thought he'd be. At once, the puzzle pieces she'd hoarded from glimpses stolen over the years formed an all-out, Technicolor visual.

  He didn't take the time she would with his strokes, were she given the opportunity. Rather, his movements seemed bloodless, almost bored. Reese probably sought a quick release, wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am, while waiting for whatever plans he'd made for the day to take shape. Were she between his legs, the story would have a different ending. She'd do her damnedest to make it long and memorable.

  She'd show him how she felt in a manner that left nothing to the imagination.

  Bloodless or not, rushed or not, Reese's hand pumped his cock toward orgasm.

  Ashlynn bit back another whimper. She pressed her thighs together. Heat laced through her body, centering on the apex of her legs. Fantasies were one thing—seeing a fantasy realized, even from afar, had her trembling, and buzzed on something more than just arousal.

  Liquid warmth pooled between her pussy lips; her heart hammered and her temples pulsed. She needed to see more. She needed to be closer. She needed a thousand things.

  On the screen, some blonde on all fours got pounded from behind while her mouth worked on another guy's dick. Ashlynn licked her lips. In all honesty, she should have first considered the sounds were from a smut film rather than jumping to the conclusion he'd brought a woman over. She would have chastised herself if Reese hadn't warped her attention. The way he pulled and moaned, the way his hand closed around the tip of his cock before again sliding out of sight. He was so . . . .

  "Beautiful."

  She didn't mean for the word to escape, but escape it did.

  Reese immediately stopped, and reached for the remote with his free hand.

  "Ashlynn?"

  She fled. Okay, so thundering away from the scene of the crime probably wasn't the best idea, but the mind reacted in a funny way to panic. At the time, she only knew she needed to get out of there and pronto. How much noise she made didn't matter until later.

  She had a feeling "later" would come sooner than she liked.

  * * * * *

  Surely, everyone in the neighborhood could hear her heart pounding. How should one act in these situations? The protocol probably didn't include sitting at the island in the kitchen, nursing a cup of tea, and pretending her blood didn't race when she heard Reese's heavy steps plonker down the stairs. Then again, any sufficiently comprehensive rulebook would include, in the long list of no-nos, watching her stepbrother jerk it.

  God, she was pathetic.

  "Morning," Reese said cheerily, flashing a grin at her and making his way to the cupboard. Damn boy. He hadn't even the decency to clothe himself fully. He wore only a pair of sweats that rode low on his hips, leaving him naked from the waist up. If the waistband of his pants rode just an inch lower, she'd see dark hairs at his groin.

  Gah. Reese's wiry muscles did her in. He fought for his body, too. At least he had while they shared a roof. Since he'd maintained his killer shape after moving out, she supposed the early-morning runs were still on schedule, and who could blame him?

  Reese was a walking testament to how much working out did the body good.

  Oh God. So yummy.

  Ashlynn lifted her cup to her lips, murmured a response, then slurped the rest of her tea down in a hurry. The raspberry flavor had seemingly disappeared with his entrance.

  "Where are the folks? Haven't seen them all weekend."

  "Gone," she said. Her face felt aflame. "One of their spontaneous road trips. No idea where they're headed this time."

  They did that often, her mother and step-dad. Impulsive whims helped keep their romance alive.

  "Would've thought they'd stick around to see yours truly," he observed.

  Ashlynn shrugged. In truth, no one could have suspected Reese would stay longer than his customary five seconds. They couldn't be blamed for assuming this time wouldn't be different.

  "Mmm," Reese murmured. "So . . . we have the house all to ourselves."

  Ashlynn swallowed hard and nodded. "Looks like."

  "Do you have any plans today?"

  Go somewhere far, far from here. "No," she replied. "Frank, ah, your dad mentioned that you have a presentation in your Psych class. Since you're still here, I figured you wanted to get work done. I'll make myself scarce and give you some time to . . . you know, work."

  She emphasized your more for her benefit than his. At the moment, it seemed very important to draw a line marking where their relation to each other existed. As in, on paper only. Not in real life.

  Reese snickered. "This early on break? Unlikely."

  "Oh, well—"

  "Wanna take in a show?"

  Ashlynn made an exaggerated face and shook her head. Alone in a dark theater with Reese for two hours? She couldn't possibly keep from touching him. And that thought paved a road to utter and complete badness. "Nothing good is out," she volunteered, with complete accuracy. Their one horse town cinema rarely hosted anything worth watching.

  "Wasn't thinking we'd have to go anywhere," Reese replied. "Got something we can watch right here."

  Ashlynn's mind flickered back to the film, and heat flooded her cheeks. Sure, he'd caught her watching him masturbate, but he'd certainly not make her sit through that with him . . . would he?

  One look into his twinkling blue eyes sealed the deal. He so would.

  Crap, she was toast.

  At any rate, this would be the ideal place to intervene and fess up all her crimes just to spare herself further humiliation. Yes, Brother dear, I did happen to see you beating the bishop, but it was honestly your fault for not shutting the door all the way. Really. Now can we agree never to mention this again?

  By the way, I'm in love with you.

  Yeah, that'd go over well.

  "I'm not really in, ah, a movie-watching mood," Ashlynn said, casting her gaze southward, her cheeks burning.

  "Oh, come on, Sis."

  She glanced up at his tone.

  Reese's brows perked with challenge. "You never do anything fun."

  "That's not true." At least, she didn't want it to be true. "I do plenty of fun things."

  "You turned nineteen three months ago."

  "What does that have to do with anything?"

  "Just reminding you, you're overdue for a celebration."

  "I went to dinner with Mom."

  He rolled his eyes. "A real celebration. Or a break, at least."

  "A break from what?"

  "The burden of being you." Reese grinned. "Come on, Ash. Sit through a few minutes."

  "Of what?"

  "I'm sure we'll find something interesting."

  Her nerves lit with awareness. Reese would never let her off the hook without torturing her in return, and he'd want to make her as uncomfortable as possible to coax a confession from her. A few minutes of porn with her gorgeous, drool-inspiring, panties-drenching stepbrother?

  "Just a few minutes?"

  He nodded. "Let's say five. Five minutes."

  A few minutes. Okay. Inhale, exhale. "I-I can do five minutes."

  Reese drew back with a smirk. "Right then," he purred, tossing her a careless wink before practically sauntering toward the door. "Meet you in the den in five. Oh . . .

  and Ashlynn?"

  She swallowed hard. "Yeah?"

  His gaze raked down her body, and for the first time she became completely aware of how not much she wore. She hadn't yet changed, so she sat in all her typical morning attire: a longish tee that hit her knees and nothing but her incredibly boring panties underneath. Her nipples saluted him through the veil of cotton. Ashlynn
wet her lips and fought to keep from pulling the collar of her t-shirt forward. Any sudden movement seemed unwise and would do little more than attract attention she couldn't afford to attract.

  Erect nipples or not, she saw no earthly reason her "blahness" should attract that look from her stepbrother.

  Especially considering the stepbrother part.

  Wrong, wrong, wrong.

  "Formal dress is definitely optional," he said.

  And then he disappeared, tearing up the stairs and leaving her in a state of near panic.

  Was he teaching her a lesson, or was this for real?

  Ashlynn expelled a deep breath. Only one way to find out.

  * * * * *

  By the time she worked up the courage to enter the room, Reese had already claimed his seat on the couch. After much soul-searching, Ashlynn had decided to take his invitation to heart. She hadn't changed clothes, though she'd considered throwing on everything from jeans to a snowsuit to avoid the awkwardness of formal dress optional. In the end, though, she'd decided to make this her game. If he wanted to teach her a lesson, well, he'd have to find a more inventive way of watching porn. She was a mature, sophisticated nineteen-year-old—with admitted voyeuristic tendencies—and not some granny with a heart condition. She could do this. She could so totally do this.

  "Take a seat," Reese said, patting the empty space beside him.

  Ashlynn licked her lips and did as instructed. So what if her heart pounded? She could get through this. Five minutes, he'd said. Three hundred seconds, which sounded a lot more reasonable than five minutes. She decided to start a backward count to cue her exit.

  "You look nervous," he said.

  "I'm not," she replied, much too quickly to be anything but nervous.

  One of Reese's eyebrows drew up to a perfect dome. "Something on your mind?"

  "Nope."

  "You sure?"

  "Absolutely positive." Ashlynn waved at the television. "Let's get this show on the road. I have things I want to do today."