Held Accountable

Shawn Alff is head-over-heels for his accountant, Ryan Keely, but they hit a wall when no family ties turn up—no matter how far back she digs. Four generations in and still nothing. The two of them hunch over the chart anyway, chasing that twist that’d make their hookup legit taboo. There’s talk of some long-ago relatives who got close, yet they never married, so Ryan stays firmly out of step-sister territory. Taxes end up the only thing holding them together. Shawn toys with the idea of Ryan squeezing him for filthy favors, swearing it’s the only way he won’t get nailed come audit time. She shoots it down fast—crossing that line would wreck the trust they share, and even then it’d still feel like fake taboo anyway. Then she drops the real bomb. He’s getting audited for sure, but her step-brother’s IRS pull can make the whole headache vanish—provided they bend some very personal rules. The moment she says it, he sees pure hunger in her eyes and realizes an ordinary guy like him doesn’t stand a chance against a step-brother.