Alex's P.O.V.

I love Ice Skating, but I'm enjoying it even more with Stella.

I can't believe the girl I thought I would hate, I like her company. Not even liking her company, I'm doing things with her that I never did with any girl before.

I used to take them to my bedroom, not to my favourite spots, making them sit in my car.

But Stella isn't the type of woman I slept with. She is different. Also, if I want to take her to my bed, I can't. She's my stepsister. A forbidden fruit.

For the first time in my life, I like a woman. God knows why she has to be my stepsister.

Right now, as she falls on me during Ice Skating, I freeze. She's on top of me, her body presses against mine, and for a few seconds, time seems to slow down. I can feel the heat radiating off her, her breath mixing with mine as our faces hover inches apart. Her wide eyes lock onto mine, and I swear my heart skips a beat.

As she lies on top of me, I can feel every inch of her body against me—her soft curves, her hands gripping my arms to steady herself. I'm lying on the ice beneath me, but my body is on fire.

My mind goes completely blank except for one overwhelming thought: I want to taste her.

Fuck! Get a grip, Alex.

God, I shouldn't be thinking this. She's my stepsister. This is wrong. So damn wrong.

But her lips are right there, and I can't stop staring at them, so soft and tempting. If I just leaned in a little closer, I'd get to know how her lips taste. Every cell in my body is screaming at me to give in, to just take her lips, feel her skin, and grind myself against her until the tension between us snaps.

Damn! I never felt such a strong desire for a woman before in my life. It's so intense.

My dick is already hardening in my pants, and I curse myself. Not now. Not here. I can't lose control like this. But the way she's looking at me, the way her body feels pressed so tightly to mine, it's taking everything in me not to give in to the urge building inside.

But I need to control myself.

"You okay?" I ask, pushing away my forbidden desires.

She nods, still a little breathless. "Yeah... I think so."

Finally, she moves away from me and sits beside me. I don't know if I'm relieved or disappointed that her body isn't pressed against mine anymore.

She pushes her hair out of her face, her cheeks flushed from either the fall or something else. I can still feel the warmth of where she was touching me. I've never been this affected by someone before. But Stella... Stella is different.

After standing up, I help her rise, taking her hand in mine. "Well, you did say if you fell, you'd take me down with you."

She chuckles, her hand still gripping mine as she steadies herself on the ice. "Guess I kept my word, Mr Blackwood."

I let out a laugh, but it's forced. I can't let her see how much she's affecting me, how much I want her. It's not supposed to be like this. But every time I'm with her, it gets harder to resist.

Stella drives me crazy.

***

As we settle down at a small cafe next to the rink, the adrenaline from ice skating still buzzing in my veins, I watch Stella as she sips her coffee, her eyes bright with excitement. She's still glowing from the fun we had, and I smile.

God! I'm smiling too much. What is happening to me?

Suddenly her phone rings, and as she glances down at it, her expression changes.

"Sorry, I have to take this," she says quickly, standing up and stepping away from the table. "It's my boyfriend."

My heart skips beating.

Boyfriend? She has a boyfriend.

I watch her walk a few feet away, her back turned to me as she answers the call. I can't hear what she's saying, but the smile on her face, the way she laughs—I feel a rage building inside me which I never felt before.

I clench my fists under the table, trying to focus on anything, but the jealousy is driving me insane. I'm getting mad. So mad that I want to burn the entire world.

Why does she have a boyfriend?

I know I shouldn't care. It's not like I have any right to feel this way. But knowing there's some other guy out there who gets to be with her, who gets to make her smile like that, is eating me alive.

I force myself to look away, staring down at my coffee like it holds the answer to all my problems. But it doesn't. Nothing does. Because the truth is, I want Stella in ways I'm not supposed to.

When she finally comes back to the table, I've put on a neutral expression, but inside, I'm still fuming.

"Everything okay?" I ask, keeping my voice casual.

"Everything is so great. My boyfriend is coming with my friend tomorrow, and we'll go on a trip." She tells me, getting over-excited while I grip the table tightly to control my anger.

I nod, forcing a smile onto my face. "That's great."

She sits down before taking a long sip of her coffee. "So, what's next on the tour? I'm really enjoying it."

I let out a breath, my jaw tightening. I can't stay here, pretending everything is fine when all I can think about is some other guy touching her, tasting her lips, making her laugh, holding her the way I want to.

It's hard. I fucking can't pretend that I'm fine. I must release this anger somewhere before I do something which I regret later.

"I have to go," I say abruptly. "I've got match practice at college."

Her face falls and the excitement in her eyes dimes. "What? We were having fun. Can't you cancel it?"

No, we can't have fun anymore. Not today. Never.

I shake my head, standing up. "It's important. Next time, maybe."

She frowns, her eyes filled with disappointment. "Right. Next time."

I grab my jacket and head for the door, not waiting for her to follow. My head's spinning, my chest tight. I need to get out of here, away from her and the way she's making me feel.

As we walk in silence back to the car, all I can think about is how badly I want to be the one she's laughing with on the phone. The one who can taste her lips and feel how soft her body is beneath her clothes.

And I hate that I can't be.

Fuck! I should've kept myself away from Stella. I'm a big idiot.