Later that evening, she sat on Nate's lap on the couch in the living room, with a movie playing on TV, and recounted Lance's visit to her office. At first, Nate was angry that Lance would presume so much, and a little frightened of what Lance might do or say.
"I know what you're thinking, Nate." Lizzie looped her arms around his shoulders and kissed the tip of his nose. "I was thinking the same thing when he first came in."
"What?"
"That he was going to threaten to tell on us." She wrinkled her nose at the phrasing but Nate knew what she meant. "But I remembered that he'd never met anyone in our family, probably wouldn't have a clue who our father is or anything."
"How can we be sure of that? I mean, he knows my full name."
"So?"
"So, Whittenberg isn't exactly a common name like Smith."
Lizzie shrugged again. "True. If he'd wanted to extort money or something, I think he would have just come out and said it. Or he'd have come by to do that right after he discovered the truth."
"You think so?"
"Sure. Why wait to cash in?"
Nate snorted and shook his head. "I think you're right. Lance doesn't need the money anyway."
"No?"
"No. He made some sound investments with the money his grandfather left him and he's pretty much set for life." Nate smiled at her. "Hell, his grandkids will be set for life, too."
"Wow." Lizzie looked off into space over Nate's shoulder. "Maybe I should call him up and see if he'd like to give it a go again."
Nate sputtered in mock outrage and tickled her sides until she shrieked with laughter. They struggled for a few seconds but Nate could feel Lizzie give up. She loved play-wrestling with him and having him pin her down or pull her arms behind her back. Nate didn't mind indulging her in something that was so much fun for him as well.
He grabbed her wrists and pulled her arms low behind her back. She met his gaze, her eyes dark and shining with desire. He leaned close enough that they could feel each other's breath but he didn't kiss her. She moved her chin up, trying to bring their lips together but Nate pulled his head back out of reach.
"Nate..." she whined and tried again.
Nate tightened his hold on her wrists and held her back. Instead of giving her a kiss on the mouth, he dropped his head and brushed his lips on her neck. She let out a sigh and dropped her head back to give him room. He smiled against her skin and pressed a hot, moist kiss to the fluttering pulse just under her chin. Then he pulled back.
She looked down at him, blinking her eyes. "Why'd you stop?"
"Did I stop?"
Narrowing her eyes, she strained forward, tugging at her arms. "Nate. Don't tease me."
"Maybe you deserve to be teased."
"Why?"
"Because of all those naughty texts you sent me today." He brought their faces close together, nose-to-nose. "And the pictures."
Her mouth tilted up at the corners. "Naughty? Me?"
"Yes, you."
She giggled, a bright sound that always lifted Nate's spirits. He'd had a long day at the office and when Lizzie had first told him that Lance came to see her, his immediate reaction had been panic. He'd been afraid that she'd say she couldn't do this with him anymore and that she was going to move back in with Lance. A few minutes later, without her even having to explain, Nate realized how foolish his panic had been. Still, the adrenaline that had dropped through his body in a rush now left him feeling light-headed.
"My naughty little sister," he murmured and kissed her.
She moaned against his lips.
Only in the quiet solitude of the house could they say things like that and feel no shame or fear. While wrapped up in each other's arms, hot and aroused, they could say whatever they wanted, whatever they felt, and never worry about what might follow.
What followed was quiet and yet, they could each hear the pounding of their hearts. They could feel the tremor in their touches and knew that love fell from their lips with every breath. Words didn't need to be spoken in such moments as these.
Some time later, he lifted her into his arms and carried her upstairs to bed. She was almost limp in his grasp and had only enough strength to keep her nose rubbing over the skin of his neck. As he got them both into bed, he kissed her face all over, tenderly returning her kiss and her whispered words of love as she drifted off to sleep.
He watched her face in the dim light of their room. Her dark lashes made little half-moons on her pale cheeks. Her lips were pursed, like always as she slept. The dark swirls of her hair spread across his pillow and hers. Nate picked up one strand and rubbed it between his thumb and forefinger. He pressed it to his lips and whispered three more words to her. She smiled in her sleep and nestled closer to him. Nate opened his arms and held her close to his chest, smiling when she didn't stop moving until her nose was against his throat.
Yes, he loved making love to her and loved how they made each other feel. But he loved her smile, her sweet heart and he loved her, the woman, more than life itself and would give up anything to make her happy and to keep her in his life.
Otherwise, life just isn't worth living.
****
EIGHT MONTHS AGO
If Lizzie had turned up wearing nothing but fishnets and high heels, announcing her intention to join a traveling drag queen revue, Nate would not have been more surprised. Her kiss turned him inside out and would have knocked him on his ass if he could move. Shock kept him frozen in place as Lizzie moved her lips on his.
She stopped after a few seconds of him not responding and stared, tears filling her eyes. "Nate, I--"
Her words broke something inside of him. Maybe the last of his restraint. Or sanity. He grabbed her arms and brought their lips back together. The shock was gone, erased by a hot rush of adrenaline and pounding desire. That she was his sister faded to the back of his mind and he wrapped her in his arms. Her lips parted on a moan and he shoved his tongue inside to slip and slide around hers.
And just like that, they were entangled. Their arms were tight around each other and their mouths locked together. Nate rubbed his hands up and down her back, squeezing when he got to the top of her beautiful ass. She shifted closer, as if it was even possible. He felt like she was already crawling inside of his body.
His blood was on fire and his skin tingled everywhere. Where he touched Lizzie, the tingling intensified and every time her tongue pressed to his, he felt his groin tighten. If they continued this way, he was going to come in his pants like an adolescent boy. Then Lizzie pressed her pelvis to him and he groaned.
He lifted his lips from hers and looked into her face. She was flushed and her breath puffed over his lips in short bursts of warmth. He had to kiss her again. After that one, he needed another. And another. Then he turned them around so he could push her back against his desk. She threw a hand out to brace herself and it wasn't until then that he realized how forceful he'd suddenly become.
With her whimpering moans filling his ears and her other hand tugging at his hair, Nate was going out of his mind. He jerked her hand out of his hair and held it at her side. With his other hand, he started to pull up her skirt. She watched his face, her eyes dark with the same desire roaring through his blood.
He managed to get his hand under the black fabric and bit back a moan at the feel of her silky smooth skin. She wrenched her hand from his grasp and reached between her legs, where he was tracing lazy, wide circles on the inside of her thigh. She closed her fingers around his and pulled them up. All the way up to where she was warm and so wet for him.
They kept their eyes focused on each other's face the entire time. While he stroked her once and again over the damp fabric of her panties. When he slipped two fingers beneath the silk and her skin, they both caught their breath, but never looked away from each other's eyes. Nate stared into her beautiful face and fell in love with the way she looked at him.
He leaned close and captured her lips in another passionate kiss as he started to stroke her. He lapped at her mouth, tasting and teasing her while he rubbed his knuckles up and down her wet lips. She gasped and twitched beneath his touch and he reveled in it. He fell in love with making her twist and move under his touch. From that moment on, he vowed to always be the one to make her move and sound like this, to undo her.
"Nate, please." She moaned and pulled her lips from his. Her head fell back as he pressed further beneath her panties. He wriggled his fingers between her lips, delving inside and he dropped his head to her shoulder as he felt the first squeeze of her body around his. Before she was lost to her climax, Nate took his fingers out and struggled to get his pants off. It was tricky since he didn't want to stop kissing Lizzie to do it.
She rose to meet his kisses, her legs closing around his hips and pulling him close to her. He kissed her, nibbling at her lips and sucking her bottom lip between his teeth, all while trying to push his pants down. At last, he was free, his hard cock in hand. She reached for him, her little fingers closing around his stiff length and he pumped his hips into her hand.
"I need to be inside you, Lizzie."
She nodded and brought her hands up to his shoulders. He grasped her hips to lift her to the desk where she was at the right height. He reached under her skirt, pushing the black material up and away. Then he all but ripped her panties down her legs and without another thought, plunged his cock into her body.
For a moment, they stopped. They held still and struggled to catch their breath. This whole time, they'd barely looked away from each other's eyes. Nate couldn't stop staring at her. He'd never be able to look at her the same way again. Or himself. He stared into her blue eyes and fell in love.
He moved then, bringing their bodies together before sliding back. He did it again and smiled when her breath caught. Her hand crept up his shoulder to the back of his neck. Nate bent his head and kissed her. She kissed him back, a little gasp escaping her when he moved again. She bit down on his lip and he stopped moving for a second.
"Nate..."
He squeezed his eyes shut, blocking out the pleading look in her blue eyes. And he started to fuck her then. He dug his fingers into her hips to hold her steady as he pounded into her.
God, she felt good. So perfect and snug. He wanted to freeze this moment, the way she looked, the sensation of his stiff length sliding into her body. He wanted to stop time right here and never change the way they were looking at each other. All because he knew in the back of his mind, even through the rush of his impending orgasm, that when this stopped, nothing would ever be the same again.
