Falling Softly: Compass Girls, Book 4 by Mari Carr & Jayne Rylon Page A

room and never look back.
    Something in his face must have clued her in. She froze too. Then started talking at lightning speed, her voice pitched a full octave higher. “Oh my God, Viho. You’re not joking, are you?”
    He shook his head.
    “Does Jake know?” She looked horrified. “He doesn’t, does he?”
    Viho shrugged. “My mom always swore he didn’t, but I didn’t believe her. And now she’s dead, so I can’t exactly revisit the subject.”
    “I’m so sorry, Viho.” She hugged him, then canted her head as she tried to make sense of the impossible. “So if you came here to find him, why haven’t you told him who you really are?”
    “Whoa. Hang on. I didn’t do this on purpose. Hell, I was trying to stay far away. That’s why I wasn’t on the main road to start with. Except the engine locked up and…well, you know the rest.” He couldn’t help himself—Viho gathered Sterling into his arms and held her. It soothed him to have her close. No matter what happened now, at least he didn’t have to carry his burden alone.
    Sterling seemed content there, rubbing his back and hugging him in return.
    He finally had his secret out in the open and the world hadn’t ended.
    Yet.
    “I can’t believe this,” she whispered. “I promise I won’t say anything, but, Viho, I think you should tell him. He would want to know.”
    “He never came for me. All those years. It would be awkward. He chose not to be part of my life. Who am I to make him pick differently now?” Viho hated the rasp in his voice.
    “I get that he’s your father, but I know Jake. He would never have given up the chance to have a family of his own. My mom tells stories…” Sterling cut off.
    “Yes?” Viho had to learn more.
    “Uh, this is kind of weird.” She snorted. “Hate to break it to you, but your dad and my mom used to get it on.”
    “What?” He pulled back enough to catch her wry grin.
    “Yep. Wild monkey sex, I’m pretty sure. It’s not like I asked for details, but there’s a crap ton of winking and nudging going on between my aunts when they talk about it.” She shook her head as if to clear it of the thoughts. “Remember, I told you Jake worked on the ranch before my dad came back from New York? Our parents kept each other company. Your dad has always seemed a little…broken. Distant. Now I think I know why. I still don’t believe he knows you exist, but I bet he loved your mom something fierce.”
    “Oh yeah, so much that he forgot all about her and screwed your mom a bunch instead of chasing after my mom?” He didn’t mean to hurt Sterling, but she flinched as though he’d slapped her. Before he could apologize, she countered.
    With logic and something more primal.
    “Are you saying you can’t understand using sex to make yourself feel better?” she whispered as she kissed the side of his neck. Simultaneously, her hand snuck to his crotch and began to massage his limp cock, which responded to her manipulation despite the potent turmoil churning inside him. Maybe more because of it. “Don’t lie to me, Viho. Who do you think it was you fucked that day in the middle of nowhere? How can we blame our parents when we both did the same thing?”
    He made some non-distinct sound. It was the best he could do when she scraped her teeth over his jaw.
    “In fact, I’d like to do it again. Right now. You know, in case you’ve forgotten how cathartic it is.” She unfastened his pants, dipping her fingers beneath the waistband of his underwear to tease the lightly furred skin beneath. “I want to take away your pain. Or at least distract you from it.”
    Somehow he was sure she didn’t mean the throbbing in his cut finger, which escalated in sync with his rising blood pressure.
    “How can you?” he asked as he allowed himself to run his fingers through her hair. She was right—the gesture did make him feel better. Less lonely.
    “By making love to you right here, right now?” Standing on her