Theo thrusts into his stepmother's Friend. A secret that has been going on for months, Penny had snuck him away from a pool party over the summer and now here they were on halloween. Penny was here watching a movie with Sam, and somehow managed to sneak her way up into Theo's bed.

Theo's laugh came out half-strangled, a sound he tried to swallow against Penny's throat. "You're going to get us killed. She's literally downstairs."

Penny's fingers curled into the hair at the nape of his neck, tugging just hard enough to make him hiss. "That's the point, baby. You think I snuck up here during a horror movie to have a *polite conversation*?" She rolled her hips beneath him, and the wet heat of her pressed against his length made his vision blur at the edges. "Now shut up and fuck me before your stepmom decides to check on us."

He caught her mouth in a kiss that was more teeth than tenderness, one hand sliding down to grip her thigh and hitch it higher around his waist. "You're evil," he breathed against her lips.

"And you're hard as a rock for your stepmom's best friend," she shot back, grinning. "Who's the real villain here?"

Theo's answer was a low, rough laugh that turned into a groan as he sank into her again—slow, deliberate, watching her face the whole time. Penny's head fell back against his pillow, her red-lipsticked mouth falling open on a silent gasp. "God, yes. Right there."

Somewhere downstairs, a door opened. Richard's voice rumbled through the floorboards, indistinct but unmistakable, calling for Sam. Penny's eyes flew open, and for one suspended second they both froze—him buried inside her, her legs locked around his waist, the whole house holding its breath.

Then Theo grinned, crooked and reckless, and started moving again. Slow. Deep. Each thrust deliberately timed to the silence. "He's looking for her," he whispered, lips brushing her ear. "Not us."

Penny bit her lip so hard she tasted copper, nails raking down his back. "You're going to be the death of me."

"Probably," he agreed, and picked up the pace. The headboard began to knock against the wall in a rhythm that was definitely not subtle. Penny clamped a hand over her own mouth, eyes watering with the effort of staying quiet, and Theo watched her come apart beneath him with a satisfaction that was almost smug. "That's it. Take it. Don't make a sound."

Her body clenched around him, a shuddering, silent release that dragged a choked noise from his own throat. He followed a moment later, burying his face in her neck to muffle the groan as he spilled into her, hips stuttering, the heat of it flooding through him like a confession.

For a long moment, neither of them moved. Then Penny's phone buzzed on the nightstand, screen lighting up with a text from Sam: *Where did you disappear to? Movie's almost over.*

Penny's laugh came out breathless and wicked as she peeled herself off Theo, her sleek bob askew and her red lipstick smeared at the corner of her mouth. "Well, that's one way to spend a horror movie." She smoothed her dress down with practiced efficiency, the fabric sliding back into place like nothing had happened at all. "You stay here. Let me handle the stepmom."

Theo watched her from the bed, propped on one elbow, looking entirely too pleased with himself. "You're not going to make it two steps before she asks where you went."

"That's why I'm telling her I was looking for the bathroom," Penny said, already padding toward the door on silent feet. "The guest bath. Which is on the opposite side of the house from your bedroom. I'm a professional."

She paused at the door, hand hovering over the knob, and glanced back at him with a grin that was pure mischief. "Also, you might want to open a window. You smell like sex and bad decisions."

Theo's crooked grin widened. "You love it."

"I love the thrill," she corrected, finger raised. "There's a difference. One of us is going to get caught, and it's not going to be me." She cracked the door open a sliver, peering down the hallway. The sound of the TV drifted up from downstairs—the movie's tense, string-heavy score punctuated by Sam's occasional commentary. "Coast is clear. Don't text me. I'll text you."

She slipped through the door, and for a moment, it was just the soft click of her heels on the hardwood and the distant hum of the house. Theo flopped back onto the pillows, staring at the ceiling, his heart still hammering in a rhythm that had nothing to do with exertion and everything to do with the near-miss.

Then—

"Theo!"

Penny's voice, sharp and low, from just outside the door. She pushed it back open, eyes wide, one hand pressed flat against her chest. "She's coming up the stairs. She's coming up the stairs right now."

Theo sat up so fast the world tilted. "What? Why?"

"Because I'm an idiot and I told her I heard a weird noise up here," Penny hissed, already scanning the room like a cornered animal. "I panicked. It was the first thing that came out of my mouth."

Footsteps on the stairs. Slow, unhurried, the familiar cadence of Sam's heels.

Theo looked at Penny. Penny looked at Theo. The window was closed. The closet was a walk-in. The bed was unmade and very obviously so.

"Get under the bed," Theo whispered, already scrambling to his feet.

Penny's eyes darted to the bed, then to the window, then to the walk-in closet—and she was already moving before Theo finished his sentence. She dove past him, her heels skidding on the hardwood, and disappeared into the dark mouth of the closet just as Sam's footsteps reached the top of the stairs.

Theo shoved the closet door mostly shut, leaving a sliver of darkness that would have to be enough. He could hear Penny's breath, fast and shallow, somewhere behind the hanging jackets. He could also hear his own heartbeat, which seemed to have taken up residence in his throat.

"Theo?" Sam's voice came through the door, warm and teasing, that low drawl that made everything sound like a secret. "You alive in there? Penny said she heard something weird up here."

He looked down at himself—still naked, still very obviously not alone, the sheets twisted into evidence. His briefs were somewhere on the floor. His jeans were somewhere else. There was a condom wrapper on the nightstand that might as well have been a billboard.

"Yeah!" His voice cracked, and he cleared his throat, scrambling for the jeans. "Just—uh—dropped something. All good."

The door cracked open, and Sam's honey-blond head poked through, hazel eyes scanning the room with that particular mischief that meant she was already suspicious. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Halloween," he said, too fast. "Got me in the mood for—for scary stuff. Jump scares. Freaky." He pulled the jeans on, hopping awkwardly on one foot. "You know how it is."

Sam's eyes did a slow sweep of the room—the twisted sheets, the jeans half-on, the way Theo's chest was still heaving like he'd just run a marathon. Her smile widened, all warmth and mischief, and she leaned against the doorframe with her arms crossed. "Uh-huh. 'Freaky.'" She let the word hang there, savoring it. "Well, I'm not judging. You're a grown man. If you want to spend Halloween scaring yourself silly, that's between you and your—" she gestured vaguely at the mess— "ghost."

Theo's laugh came out strangled. "Right. Yeah. Ghost. Very scary."

Sam's eyes crinkled. "Just make sure your *ghost* doesn't leave any ectoplasm on my good sheets. I had those dry-cleaned." She tapped the doorframe twice, a little goodbye, and pulled the door mostly shut behind her. "Movie's almost over. Don't stay up too late."

Her heels clicked down the hallway, unhurried, and Theo let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. He stood there, jeans half-buttoned, heart hammering, until the sound of her footsteps faded into the living room downstairs. Then he turned to the closet. "You can come out now."

The closet door creaked open, and Penny emerged looking like a woman who'd just watched her own funeral get called off. Her sleek bob was a disaster, her dress twisted sideways, and her red lipstick was smeared across her chin. "She bought it?"

"She bought it." Theo ran a hand through his hair, which did nothing to help. "She thinks I've got a girl up here. She didn't even check the closet."

Penny's eyes went wide. "She didn't check the closet."

"No."

"Because why would she?" Penny said slowly, a grin spreading across her face. "Why would Sam Whitmore check her best friend's hiding spot?"

Theo's mouth went dry. "Penny."

"What?" She was already smoothing her dress down, all business again. "She's downstairs. She thinks you're up here with some mystery girl. She's not going to find me." She paused at the door, glancing back with that wicked grin. "And even if she did, what's she going to do? Tell your dad? Tell me to leave?" She shrugged. "She'd never believe it."

Downstairs, Sam's voice floated up, warm and teasing. "Penny! Movie's over! You better not be raiding my husband's snack stash again!"

Penny froze, one hand on the doorknob. Theo watched the color drain from her face. "She's—"

"Looking for you," Theo finished, a slow grin spreading across his face. "In the kitchen. Where you're supposed to be."

Penny's eyes darted to the window, then back to the door. "Shit."

Theo caught her wrist before she could twist the knob, spinning her back against the door with a thud that was probably louder than either of them wanted. His hands found her hips, fingers digging into the fabric of her dress, and he dipped his head to the curve of her neck, mouth hot against her pulse. "You can't just say that and walk out."

Penny's breath hitched, but her grin stayed sharp. "Watch me." She pressed a hand flat against his chest, holding him at arm's length, though her fingers curled into the fabric of his shirt like she couldn't quite let go. "Sam's waiting. And I've got a story to sell about a ghost that lives in your hallway."

"The ghost who fucks like a demon?" He ducked his head, catching her mouth in a kiss that was all tongue and teeth, and she melted into it for exactly three seconds before she pushed him back.

"The ghost who's about to get us both killed if you don't let me go." But her hand slid down his chest, past his stomach, fingers brushing the waistband of his jeans. She let them linger there, just long enough for his breath to catch. "I'll need your cock again soon," she murmured, the words low and filthy against his lips. "Maybe tomorrow. Maybe tonight, if you can sneak out after they're asleep."

Theo's jaw tightened. "You're going to kill me."

"That's the plan." Penny winked and slipped out the door, leaving it cracked just enough that he could hear her heels clicking down the hallway, her voice floating back in a perfect, practiced sing-song. "Sam! Found it! The weird noise was just the pipes—this house is ancient, you really should get someone to look at that."

He stood there, jeans half-buttoned, heart slamming against his ribs, and tried to remember how to breathe. The sheets were still twisted, the room still smelled like her, and somewhere downstairs his stepmother was laughing at something Penny said, completely unaware that her best friend had just been in his bed.

His phone buzzed on the nightstand. A text from Penny: *You owe me a new pair of panties. These are ruined.*

Theo stared at the screen, a crooked grin tugging at his mouth despite everything. He typed back: *Worth it.*

Downstairs, the front door opened, and Richard's voice boomed through the house. "Sam! Where's the remote? I can't find the remote!" Sam's answering laugh was warm and easy, and Theo heard Penny's voice join in, bright and innocent, the three of them settling into the easy rhythm of a family he was supposed to be part of.

He closed his eyes, leaned his head back against the wall, and let out a breath that was half relief, half something else entirely. The ghost in his room was gone. But he had a feeling she'd be back before the night was over.