The Rules

By Stasia Black

She's the one person I can never fall in love with...

A car door slams in the driveway.
We both freeze. Still tangled together, still breathing hard. The dryer rumbles beneath us like it's trying to rat us out.
No. Not now.
"No," Harper whispers. "No, no, no, no."
I can feel her heart pounding against my chest. Another door slam. Voices-Mom's laugh, Silas's deeper one behind it.
Our parents are back. Early.
The basement suddenly feels smaller. Hotter. The warm, reckless bubble we were in starts collapsing under the weight of reality.
Harper's hands are still under my shirt. Mine are still on her skin. Neither of us moves.
"They're early," she whispers, eyes wide, lips still kiss-swollen.
I should step back. I should untangle my stepsister's legs from around me and put actual feet of space between us before we get caught like this.
I don't.
For three more pounding heartbeats, I kiss her deep again, lingering in the way her tongue tangles urgently against mine, memorizing the exact way her legs feel wrapped around me right now-
Before I force myself to let go.
Pulling back is the hardest thing I've ever done.
And the way her fingers catch in my shirt at the last second-like she doesn't want to let go either-nearly kills me.

Note: this is book 1 of a duet. Book 2 coming soon

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0GK8ZB2V7
• ISBN13: 9798245948713
• Release Date: January 2026
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 536 Pages
• Weight: 1.16 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 5.0" x 8.0"