Stepbrother's Gentle Virgin Seduction

Emma curled into the corner of her bed, knees drawn tight to her chest, mascara streaking down her flushed cheeks. The house was too quiet. Their parents had left that morning for a long weekend at the lake, and the silence only made the ache in her chest louder. She had just hung up with Ryan—her boyfriend of six months—after he’d told her, in a flat, bored voice, that he was tired of waiting for her to “put out.” Then he’d laughed and said he’d already found someone who would.

The knock on her bedroom door was soft, almost hesitant.

“Emma? You okay in there?”

Caleb’s voice. Low, rough around the edges from too many late nights and not enough sleep. She didn’t answer, but the door creaked open anyway. He filled the frame—six-two, broad shoulders from years of manual labor after dropping out of college, dark hair falling into his eyes. At twenty-two he looked older than he was, especially when he was worried.

He took one look at her tear-stained face and stepped inside, closing the door behind him.

“Shit, Em. What happened?”