Penelope's POV
I shouldn't have said yes.
I should've just gone home after the picnic, taken a cold shower, locked my door, and scrubbed Andrew from my thoughts.
But here I am.
Standing outside his apartment door, my heart slamming against my ribs like it wants out. My hand hovers over the doorknob, and I hesitate—not because I'm uncertain.
Because I am.
Certain I want this. I want him.
Certain I've never felt more alive or more reckless.
The door opens before I knock.
Andrew stands there, barefoot, wearing black joggers and a fitted grey tee that clings to every sculpted line of his chest. His hair is a mess, damp like he just ran a hand through it one too many times. Maybe he showered.
Or maybe he's just as wrecked from today as I am.
His eyes rake over me. "You came."
I step in without answering.
The air between us crackles, and the silence louder than anything either of us could say. His place smells like cedar and clean linen. But what i smell is danger and desire.
"Lock the door," he murmurs.
I close the door.
And then he's in front of me, not touching me—yet. Just watching, like he's deciding where to begin.
"I thought you said we needed to stop," he says quietly, his voice dark and low.
"I lied."
He stares deep at me. His gaze, dangerous and my breath catches.
Then his hand slides to my waist, pulling me in slow. "You always lie so pretty, Penelope."
"You always make it hard not to."
"Then don't try."
And just like that, his mouth is on mine—hungry, hot, dangerous. His hands roam on my body with practiced ease, but his every touch feels like it's the first time. Every kiss tastes like a promise we shouldn't be making.
I should stop him.
But i lose all reason as he push me against the wall. He turns me around, pinning me against the wall.
"Stand on your toes" He instructed.
"Okay"
His mouth descends on the back of my neck, kissing and sucking on my skin as if his life depends on it. I moan, my body heating up from the pleasure.
He turns me back around to face him. Then he kiss me and I kiss him back with the same intensity as his hands finds it way under my top. When his fingers graze over my nipples, I moan into the kiss.
Then he breaks the kiss. He carefully removes my dress, then my bra, leaving me in just my panties. His mouth descend on my skin once again. His mouth, moist against my skin ignites sparks in my body as his mouth finds my nipples. Squeezing my breasts with his hands as he sucks on my nipples. I moan loudly, pleasure taking over me.
He stops, then his eyes rake over my body.
"You are beautiful."
I blush.
Then he carries me to his bed, placing me gently in the middle. He undress himself and leans over me. He takes my lips again, moving to my ear, he bites my earlobe as I cry out his name in pain and pleasure.
"Andrew, please."
He just continues his assault on my body as he sucks my nipples and his hand moving down to my belly. Then he stops.
Looking up at my face, he gently removes my panties.
"You are fucking wet, Penny."
Then he lowers his head as he sucks on my clit. Sucking, biting and driving me to the edge when he starts fingering my pussy.
"Ahhhh I'm cumming." I cry as he sucks and finger me. And when I fall apart, he licks off all of my pussy juice. Then he place his dick in the of my pussy, he thrust in and out slowly. Deep and hard.
I gasps as he thrust faster.
He turns me over, fucking me from behind and I come apart for the second. He pulls his big dick out and drives it back in my pussy, deeper and harder.
He pulls out again and turns me over.
"Suck my dick." He instructed.
I hold his dick and wrap my mouth around it. He groans when his dick hits the back of my throat as he found his release. His semen fills my mouth and I almost gag but I swallow it and lick every drop of it.
He pulls his dick out with a pop as it softens.
He pecks my mouth, "You did great."
Later, tangled in his sheets and breathless from the sex we had, we lie side by side. Neither of us speaks. The silence is no longer safe.
I look over at him. "Nick knows."
His body tenses. "No, he suspects. That's different."
"He's not stupid, Andrew."
"He's also not ready for the truth." He shifts, propping himself on one elbow. "And I'm not ready to stop seeing you just to keep him comfortable."
I sit up. "It's not about comfort. He's my brother. He trusts me—he trusts you."
"I never asked him to."
That stings. I pull the sheet tighter around me, not because I'm cold, but because I suddenly feel exposed in more ways than one.
"You're not taking this seriously."
"I'm taking you seriously," he shoots back. "I just don't care about the rules that were made before this thing between us ever existed."
My heart skips.
This thing.
This thing has a name now?
Before I can answer, his phone buzzes on the nightstand. A message flashes on the screen.
NICK: Mom's freaking out. Call me. Where the hell is Penny??
I pale.
Andrew grabs the phone, reads it, then looks at me. "You didn't tell them you were coming here?"
"I said I was going to Clara's."
He whistles low. "So now you're lying to your whole family for me."
"No. I'm lying to protect this—whatever the hell this is."
He sits up now, jaw tightening. "Then maybe it's time we stop sneaking around."
"What are you saying?"
"I'm saying I'm tired of hiding. You and me? We're not some accident, Penelope. We don't feel like a mistake."
I stare at him, stunned.
And terrified.
Because a part of me agrees. The other part is screaming that if Nick finds out, if my mom finds out—this whole thing could blow up in our faces.
But Andrew's eyes are clear and sharp with a quiet kind of certainty.
He reaches for my hand. "Let me take you out. A real date. Not behind trees. Not after everyone leaves. Not in secret."
I hesitate.
The urge to say yes is strong.
But the fear of the fallout is stronger.
"I'll think about it," I whisper.
He lets go of my hand, and I feel the loss in my bones.
****
The Next Morning
I sneak in just after sunrise, tiptoeing into the kitchen like I'm seventeen again and missed curfew. My hair is a mess, my heels in my hand, and guilt swimming in my chest.
But Nick's already there.
Coffee mug in hand.
Waiting.
He doesn't look surprised.
He doesn't even look mad.
He looks… disappointed.
Which is worse.
"Fun night at Clara's?" he asks casually, sipping his coffee like he didn't just almost send me into cardiac arrest.
I freeze. "Yeah."
"Cool. I called Clara."
Shit.
I swallow. "Nick—"
He puts the mug down with a loud clink.
"You're seeing him, aren't you?"
Silence.
I don't lie.
I don't deny it.
I just nod, slowly.
Nick shakes his head, jaw clenched. "Unbelievable."
"I didn't plan this," I rush out. "It just… happened."
"Did it happen the first night you got back? Or were you already hooking up before that?"
"Don't," I whisper. "Don't talk to me like I betrayed you."
He laughs, bitter. "You didn't just betray me. You betrayed Mom, the whole damn family—"
"This has nothing to do with Mom! This is between me and Andrew."
"You don't get it, do you?" he snaps. "Andrew is my best friend. He was supposed to be loyal."
"And what about me?" I shoot back. "Do I get a say in who I fall for? Or am I just supposed to stay single forever to protect your feelings?"
His eyes flash. "You could've fallen for anyone else, Pen. Not him."
My voice softens. "I didn't choose him. It just happened."
Nick looks at me, and something in his expression cracks, like he's not angry anymore, just… hurt.
"Tell me this is just a fling," he says. "Tell me it's going to end soon."
I can't.
I don't.
Because it's not a fling.
It never was.
"I don't know."
****
Later That Day – Andrew's POV
I stare at my phone.
No texts from Penelope.
Not since last night.
Something tells me Nick knows.
Something tells me I just set fire to every bridge I had.
But when I close my eyes, all I can think about is the look on her face when I told her I wanted more. When I told her I wasn't sorry.
I meant every word.
Even if it means losing Nick.
Even if it means blowing up this illusion of a "perfect" family.
Because Penelope?
She's worth it.
Every secret. Every risk.
Every consequence that's coming.
And I have a feeling they're coming fast.