Loving my friend's father

Claire's POV

I glared at my brother, not ready to release the slice of cake.

"Richmond," I called in a warning tone.

He smiled wickedly, sighing his spoon into the cake.

"Don't you dare!" I warned, but he was prepared, running away from the spot before I could catch him.

He had the last piece of cake. And it was mine. He ran off to his room.

"Richmond!!!" I yelled, but he only laughed, making me more defeated than angry. That was supposed to be my dessert. For goodness sake, he had eaten all the cake.

Dad was laughing and gently pushed a glass of juice on me. I grabbed the glass and drank it.

"You have to be quicker than him next time," Dad said, and I rolled my eyes. I packed the dishes and took them to the kitchen.

I washed them and walked to my room, briefly stopping to kick Richmond's door.

"Good night, Dad!" I yelled from the staircase.

"Good night honey," my dad replied.

I walked up to my room and shut the door. Being the only daughter of my dad and the lovely princess of the house I had the coziest bedroom. It was large and painted in soft powdered blue and peach.

It was the typical girly room with many accessories and things only girls would understand. I had a dressing table, a large mirror and a small purse mirror which served more use than the larger one.

A medium-sized box of makeup kits and some jewelry boxes decorated the room. I loved to be neat, and everything had its place. My laptop lay on my bed open, and I went to close it.

I placed it on the table and stretched out on my bed. My mind drifted to Rawl Benett. He was the man I had been crushing on for years since I was sixteen. He was my best friend, Vanessa's father.

I couldn't stop my feelings for him no matter how hard I tried. Every Time I was around him, I would stare and look away before he caught me. His fine, neatly trimmed beards made my hands itchy to touch, and those lips were always dreamy.

He was a fine hunk of a man, and those grey eyes always made me lose. "He's just so perfect," I mumbled.

Memories of the time he made me laugh when I was sad flooded my mind. I covered my cheeks in my hand as they turned warm.

"Why does it have to be so hard?" I murmured. "I love you but I can't be with you. You don't even notice me. You probably look at me as your daughter."

"Ugh, just my luck to fall for my friend's father," I said, rubbing my hand on my face.

My hands fell to my sides on the bed and I sighed. "I shouldn't be thinking of you."

Thinking of him made me shudder delightfully, and I closed my eyes, smiling.

My eyes flashed open as a faint knock came on my door. "Ugh," I groaned softly and went to open the door.

"Dad, shouldn't you be a..." the words caught in my throat as I stared in shock at the pair of eyes looking back at me. What was he doing here?

"Rawl," I gasped.

"Hey," he responded.

"Oh my God! Did anyone see you coming here?" I asked, searching for anyone behind him.

Satisfied with seeing no one, I pulled him into the room and shut the door quickly. I held my chest, panting and my gaze fell on him.

"What are you doing here? It's late!"

He smirked and walked closer to me. "I thought you wanted me around," he answered.

"I did but not like this. How do you even get past the door? Did Dad see you?" I asked.

He leaned closer, pushing me slowly to the wall. "I may have used the spare key. And no, I was careful enough not to be seen. I wasn't expecting to be so lucky," Rawl said, smirking.

My heart pounded faster in my chest, and my cheeks turned hot.

His fingers touched my chin and lifted my face to meet his gaze. "Look at me, Claire. You have gorgeous eyes," he said.

His eyes darted to my lips. "And those lips," he said, moving his thumb to caress my bottom lip.

"Rawl," I whispered and his lips brushed mine. My heart raced wildly at the touch. "I..."

"Shh," he said. "Don't say anything."

His soft lips mine, awakening the butterflies dancing in my stomach. I had never imagined it would be this beautiful. My lips moved against his.

I wrapped my hands around his neck, wanting more. He broke the kiss, and I felt disappointed. I looked up at him, my heart racing.

I watched him lick his lips and my legs shivered. He leaned in, giving me goosebumps as his warm breath touched my neck. "You're so beautiful, Claire," he whispered.

His fingers traced my jawline and I shivered. "I wished I had done this sooner. I'm not holding back anymore," he said.

"I love you, Claire."

"Rawl, do you mean it?" I asked, my voice whispering.

"Yes, baby," he replied.

"You don't know how long I have waited to hear those words," I confessed, touching his face.

"I love you, Rawl."

I wrapped my arms around him, pulled him closer and kissed him.

"I want you, Claire," he whispered after breaking the kiss.

"I want you too, Rawl."

"You're mine. Only mine!" His deep voice growled softly, and he leaned in, his lips brushing mine as I suddenly woke up.

"Rawl," I whispered, looking around to see an empty room.

I sat up quickly on my bed, moving the sheets off my body. I scanned the room, wondering what had just happened.

I kept looking around my room. I ran to the door and stopped once I noticed it was locked from the inside, which I could have only done.

"What just happened?" I asked. "He was right here. And we...kissed." I was with Rawl. How did I end up back in my bed?

I raised my fingers to touch my lips. It had felt real. Wasn't it?

Claire's POV

Sighing, I walked to my dressing table, opened the drawer, and pulled out my diary. I walked back to my bed.

I started to write. "Dear diary, I had the craziest dream. A steamy one of me making out with Rawl. Yes, I know. I shouldn't be thinking of him. He's my best friend's father, and I have kept it to myself all these years. I don't know how long I can continue acting like I don't care about him. What should I do? Should I tell him? But Vanessa would kill me. I don't know if he feels the same. Who am I kidding? He doesn't feel the same way. I'm his daughter's best friend. I'll try to forget him. I just hope I can."

I closed my diary and sighed. "Why do I have such luck?" I murmured.

A knock came on my door, and my eyes widened. "Hey, Claire. Open up!"

"Oh, crap," I thought. That was Vanessa's voice.

"Hey, Claire. Are you in there?" she asked again, and I quickly got out of bed.

"Yes, just a minute!" I answered and rushed to the door, but I stopped, remembering the diary on the bed.

I ran back to my bed, grabbed the diary, and made a quick guess on where to put it. "Claire, what's taking you so long?" she asked, still knocking on the door.

"Are you hiding something? Oh my gosh! Is it your new boyfriend? Open up. I want to see him. Pretty please," she begged, and I pulled my drawer open, throwing the diary inside.

"Coming," I said and locked the drawer. I exhaled and opened the door.

"Hey," I greeted.

"Hey," Vanessa said, smiling. She peeled through the open space and pushed me aside, stepping into the room.

"Where is he?" she asked, searching the room. She moved the curtains and bent down to look under my bed.

"Where's who?" I asked.

"Him? The guy you're hiding. Your boyfriend. Where is he?" she asked.

"Huh?" I answered. "Vanessa, are you sure you're okay?"

"There's no way I'll have a guy in, and Dad won't kill him," I responded. She kept searching and finally nodded.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. So, tell me what the hell was taking you so long to answer the door!"

"Um," I said, smiling nervously. "I was sleeping. I didn't hear you knock the first time."

"Uh-huh," she muttered. "I had this nice dream," I squealed.

"About a guy?" she asked excitedly. "Who is he? Your crush? Ooh, this is going to be good."

Immediately, I froze. I couldn't tell her what the dream was about, or she'd kill me. How do I tell my best friend I was having full-blown sex with her father in my dream?

"I...um, well..." I stuttered. She looked at me, waiting for the story with excitement.

"Claire!" Richmond yelled. I heard footsteps climb up the stairs, and he appeared.

"Oh, hi, Vanessa," he said.

"Hi, Rich," Vanessa replied. I watched Richmond blush, and I rolled my eyes.

"Not today," my brain rang.

"Ahem," I cough, bringing him back from his delulu land.

"Um, oh. Yes, Claire. Dad wants you down for breakfast," Rich said.

"You should join us too, Van. We made extra," Rich continued.

His smile grew annoyingly larger, and his eyes sparkled, which I didn't like either. He kept looking at her, and she smiled.

I kept watching them both. As usual, Vanessa was oblivious to his feelings, and I could only imagine his pain when he found out she had a crush on the handsome captain of the college soccer team.

"Sure," she replied and walked toward the door.

"Are you coming, Claire?" she asked and turned to me.

"Yeah, I'll be right there. I just need a minute," I replied.

She nodded and continued walking downstairs.

Richmond followed her, but I pulled him back by the collar.

"Hey, what is wrong with you?" he asked, struggling to free himself.

I let him go and crossed my arms, watching him.

"What?" he asked, noticing my gaze.

"What did we discuss about looking at her like that?" I asked, moving my hand to my waist.

"Hey, come on. You only said not to act on it. There's no harm if she realizes..." he started, but I cut him off.

"If she ever realized you like her, that would be the end of you being all cozy. She's older than you," I complained.

"I know, and I don't care," Richmond answered.

"Oh, you're going to care when she avoids you. Geez, Rich. I don't know why you want to end up heartbroken. She's totally not into you, and she sees you as her baby brother," I lectured.

"Ugh, please. You're just being a pain. She's not like that," he argued.

"Yeah, sure. I guess you know my friend better than I do," I replied.

He sighed and scratched his head. "What do you want me to do?" he asked.

I walked closer to him and touched his shoulder. "Just play it cool. Don't expect too much and don't hurt yourself. Okay?"

"Okay," he answered. "We should go now. The food will get cold."

"You go ahead. I need to clean up," I said.

Rich covered his nose. He was always dramatic. "Now that I think of it, you stink. No wonder the room smelled different."

"Rich, don't you dare," I warned.

He smirked and took a step backward. "I'm just saying, sister. It does smell like the sewer in the room."

"Rich," I breathed. "You're so dead!"

I chased him around the room with a slipper, missing every throw because he was too good at dodging.

"Stay still so I can hit you!" I yelled.

"No way. Do you want me to smell awful too?"

And I lost my mind. I grabbed the broomstick beside my bed, and his eyes widened in shock.

He opened the door as I chased him and flew down a flight of stairs.

"Richmond!!!" I yelled from my room. "I'm going to kill you!"

"Sure, sis. After you wash up. Brush too; I almost saw Grandma, and she wasn't happy to see me," Richmond replied.

"Rich, leave your sister alone," I heard Dad say, with Vanessa giggling.

I closed my door and shook my head, smiling wickedly. He was going to get it from me sooner or later.

I rushed down a few minutes later after washing up and changing into new clothes.

"Great, you're just in time for breakfast. I had everyone wait until you got here," Dad said, and I smiled.

Then I noticed someone. He turned to smile at me, and I froze. What was he doing here?

Claire's POV

My eyes wouldn't look away no matter how hard I tried.

"Why did he show up today of all days? I could have worn something better. Darn it! Was he here for a while? Why didn't Vanessa tell me? Oh no..." I thought.

"Claire. Claire!" Dad called, and I turned my gaze to him.

"Are you okay, sweetie?" he asked.

"Yeah, sure," I replied.

My gaze turned back to Rawl at the table. I hadn't thought he would be here.

"Are you sure, baby? You look like you saw a ghost," Dad said, putting the pot of food on the table.

"I'm fine, Dad. I thought I forgot something," I replied, and went to take a seat.

"Hi," I said shyly to him and smiled at Vanessa, not wanting to look suspicious.

"Good morning, Claire," Rawl responded, making the butterflies in my stomach dance.

"I...I didn't know you were coming," I said.

"He wasn't. He just arrived a little while ago, and your dad asked him to stay," Vanessa replied.

"Ouch," I groaned, rubbing my leg. Something had kicked my leg from under the table, and I knew who it was.

I glared at Richmond, and he smirked. That devil just had to be my brother.

He leaned in and whispered, "Forgot something, huh? Or... you got startled? Seems I'm not the only one catching feelings."

I snarled and was ready to bite him, but he was prepared. "I don't think that's a great idea. You wouldn't want to mess up in front of your crush now, would you?" he asked, and I gulped.

"Buzz off," I whispered.

"Only if you pay me," he said, and I frowned.

"In your dreams," I replied.

"Uh-huh, I think it'll be interesting to see how long you can handle it when I tell everyone what you're thinking," Rich responded.

I knew my brother. He wasn't someone to dare anyone and not follow through.

"Fine, how much?" I asked. "So you can leave me alone."

"Fifty bucks," he said.

"Over my dead b..." I argued.

"Um, Dad," Richmond said, getting Dad's attention.

"Yes, Rich. Do you need anything?" Dad asked, and my heart rate rose.

I immediately kicked him, and he groaned. "Ouch!"

"What's wrong with you?" Dad asked.

"Fine, I'll give it to you. Just shut up!" I warned.

Rich smiled and rubbed his leg. "Could you pass me the soup, please?" he asked, and Dad moved it closer to him.

I let out my breath and started to serve my portion. I kept avoiding Rawl's gaze and focused on eating my food.

"It's good to see you again, Claire. Vanessa told me you're in your final year at the university," Rawl said, and I felt my body shiver at the tone of his voice.

Why did his voice have to be so deep and charming?

"Oh, yes," I answered, feeling the heat rise to my cheeks.

"Yes, Dad. She's doing great in the art department, and we'll be graduating on the same day next month," Vanessa chimed in, and I couldn't be more grateful.

"Oh, really? That's great. Shawn, you have a graduate now," Rawl said, praising my dad.

"Yeah, I couldn't be more proud of her," Dad replied.

"Ewww, all this love is choking," Rich said, making a salty face.

"Best you die now so we'll forget about you," I replied.

"And miss out on making your life hell? No," Rich responded, and I scoffed.

"You two are at it again," Vanessa said.

"She's always a pain," Rich responded, and I slapped the back of his head.

"Say it again," I warned and continued eating while everyone laughed.

I kept stealing glances at Rawl as I ate my food and looked away just before he could catch my gaze.

I was the last person to finish eating, as always, and did the dishes.

Rich and Vanessa argued about a series in the living room while Dad and Rawl played chess.

I washed the plate, smiling as I remembered my dream. I giggled, washing the dishes softly, imagining I was touching Rawl's body. I was in ecstasy, and my mind drifted farther away.

"Claire," I heard a familiar voice, and I slowly opened my eyes.

"Claire," he called again, and I turned to see Rawl standing beside me.

"Oh my," I gasped and dropped the plate. It shattered on the floor, and I panicked, looking for the broom like a madwoman.

"Here, let me do it," Rawl said, taking the broom and starting to sweep.

"Oh no, don't. It's my fault. Let me do it," I begged.

"Nah, it's fine. Finish what you're doing, and I'll help you," he said.

I opened my lips to argue, but he continued. "You looked like you were thinking of something. Are you tired?" he asked, and I gulped.

"Um, no. I...I was just, um, dreaming," I answered.

"Dreaming?" he asked, paying attention to me. "About what?"

"About your lips on my skin," my brain sang. "Those strong hands on my body."

My gaze slowly moved to his hands, and I swallowed at the sight of his thick veins.

"Oh my God. What would it take to get you to hold me? I wish those kisses were real."

"Claire," he called.

"Um...yes," I stammered, looking around nervously.

"I...I was dreaming about school. I missed having the lectures and my friends."

What the hell are you saying, Claire? You have no friends except Vanessa. Miss school? You freaking hate school. If only I didn't need the certificate.

"You must be quite popular at school?" he asked calmly, sweeping the floor.

"Not really. I just prefer not to draw a lot of attention to myself," I answered.

He swept the broken plates into the dustpan and dumped them in the trash bag by the door.

I cleaned the last plate and placed it in the dish rack, then washed my hands. I started to leave, still trying to avoid his gaze when I slipped on something and fell.

I closed my eyes expecting an impact but nothing came. My eyes slowly fluttered open and met his gaze. I had never known his eyes looked this lovely up close. His warm strong hands held my body in place and the butterflies began to dance in my stomach.

Suddenly, I heard footsteps and it was too late. "Hey, Claire, what's up with your brother ?" Vanessa's voice halted the moment she saw us.