Hard: A Step-Brother Romance (19 page)

What
the fuck was I supposed to do now?

Take
money that shouldn’t have belonged to me and live some worthless life beside a
pool? Grab some shitty nine-to-five to occupy my days?

All
the damn opportunity in the world, and the one thing I wanted was gone.

Now
I knew how Shay felt.

Shay
.

Fuck.

I couldn’t
face her. How many men had the
honor
of telling their women they were
weak?
Unfit
.

Unworthy
of the SEALs. Unworthy of her.

What
the fuck was I supposed to do?

The
front door slammed shut.

The
windows shook with it, scaring the absolute bejesus out of me.

My
heart just about stopped. The little library didn’t have a secondary exit to
escape, not unless I wanted to climb up the fireplace. I abandoned my Kindle and
dove over the couch—like the fraying afgan Gran knitted for me would protect me
from goblins in my closet and intruders bursting through my door.

I
grabbed the remote and reared to throw.

Bags
thudded against the floor. I peeked at the door.

Christ,
it was just Zach.

And
he was…stripping.

Zach
peeled his shirt off. His shoes kicked off next.

I
swallowed. Pressing
hard
against the seam of his jeans was just the sort
of trouble I knew he’d bring back from D.C.

“You’re
home.” I gripped the couch. Suddenly, I was
very
aware that I stole one
of his shirts to sleep in…and conveniently forgot to wear any pants or panties
while I snuggled into a steamy book. “I wasn’t expecting you tonight.”

“Take
it off.”

I smirked,
picking at the shirt. “I didn’t think you’d mind if I borrowed it.”

“Take.
It.
Off
.”

Oh,
Lord.

His
tone. That voice. The twitching muscles, rugged scars, and the devilish swirls
of ink coating his chest.

Zach’s
presence was enough to undo me. Combine that with the naughty book I read?

I wasn’t
looking forward to sleeping alone tonight. Now I doubted I’d get any sleep at
all.

But I
hadn’t expected to welcome him home from D.C. on my knees. In fact, I planned
on avoiding him as best I could. It wasn’t that I didn’t like him staring at
me, studying me as I curled the shirt over my hips, across my navel, and over
the swell of my breasts.

All
I
wanted
was for him to stare at me. To touch me. Kiss me. Hold me.

Stay
with me.

The
shirt dropped to the floor. The cool air tickled over my skin, tightening my
nipples beyond arousal and into a painful throb. Only his mouth could soothe
them.

A
single word stripped my defenses and clothes. His command was issued with SEAL
authority and masculine desire.

“Come
here.”

How could
anyone
resist? I’d never deny a man so powerful and sexy and charming
and just…perfect. Too perfect.

My
stepped padded close, slow and steady, letting the curve of my hip sway to
tease his hungry gaze. I shouldn’t have encouraged this. A night with him was just
another mistake.

But
letting him get into my heart was worse.

I
ignored every reasonable expectation for myself and touched the fierce ridges
of his abs. The fear of losing him faded. He cupped my breast and soothed the
ache inside of me.

I wasn’t
following my head. Hell, I wasn’t even following my heart. I acted on need. Selfish,
stupid, terrible desire. I never should have wanted this man. Embracing him
would end in heartache and misery.

I
tried not to let him close.

Our
bodies touched.

I meant
to ignore my feelings for him.

He
kissed me.

I wished
I could hate him.

But
I didn’t. Couldn’t.

And
what I did feel scared me.

His
kiss turned ferocious, and his grip on my breast fierce and possessive. He squeezed,
and I fell against him.

Even
the little sting of pain felt good in his palm.

He released
my nipple to tangle his fingers in my hair. I didn’t expect him to jerk my head
back. I gasped as the nip against my throat was anything but playful. He
clapped his free hand against my ass and dug in. Zach pressed me against him.

And
growled.

“I want
you. Right here. Right now.”

I
rocked with shivers and shudders and excited tingles. My body answered for me,
but I still purred for him—something vulgar and profane that hardened the bulge
pressing into my belly.

Zach
pushed me to my knees, but he batted my hands when I launched for his zipper.

“On
your back.” His words struck deep into my core. “Spread those legs. Show me what
I missed while I was away.”

What
the hell came over my charmer?

And
why did I love it so damned much?

I
did as he asked, resting on my elbows and spreading my legs in a way I never,
ever
exposed myself to anyone…except the man who had seen, tasted, and experienced
it all before.

I trembled.
He saw
everything
. Every little quiver of the mocha petals, every
shining slickness that became
unbearable
under his gaze.

This
was so naughty. Something about Zach stirred me to do things I never did
before. I loved the rush of heat even if it burned through my resolve. I wanted
to let him go, to fight whatever twisted feelings I had for him.

I
had to deny my attraction for my
step-brother
.

A step-brother
who kicked away his jeans.

Sunk
to the ground.

Pulled
my legs apart and laid me flat as he drew my hips to his mouth.

“You
have no idea how much I need this,” he said.

I
had a good idea. My core clenched as his breath brushed over my clit.

“I
thought I’d go crazy before I tasted you again. Fuck, I need you.”

Did
he not see how wet he made me? His words and demands and body had me wiggling
over the carpets like a hyper puppy. I needed him too.

“Happy
to help,” I whispered.

I
reached my arms over my head and stretched out, letting his thick fingers grip
my sides. His mouth fell upon my slit and sealed over my swollen nub.

It wasn’t
a tease. It wasn’t gentle. Zach devoured me—sucking, licking,
feasting
on everything far too sensitive for his rush of aggression and the brush of
stubble from his chin.

My
heart pounded. Every little gasp encouraged him. I jerked away as he got
rougher, but he liked that. Zach gripped my hips and dove in deeper. I moaned
as his tongue slipped within me, lapping the cream he couldn’t reach. I
whimpered as he spread my thighs wider and shoved a finger into my tightness.
He drew more and more honeyed slickness into his mouth.

And smiled.

My
God. This man absolutely worshiped my body. I could do nothing but tremble as
he completely dominated me. He took his fill and explored what he wanted.

I begged
for more.

His finger
worked deep inside, pumping against the little sensitive spot within me. I
slickened with excitement. He eagerly lapped every bit of me and more.

“Zach…”
My voice wavered. He brought me to the brink so suddenly my heart forgot to
beat. Shock seized my body. I gasped for mercy, but he didn’t stop. The bastard
increased his movements, thrusting his finger deeper, harder, faster, until I cried
out in a constant whimper of delirious pleasure.

“Come
for me,” Zach said. “I wanna watch you come, Shay. You have no idea how bad I
need to make you come.”

I
had a damn good idea. A second finger joined his first, and my desire coated
him in a slickness that might have been embarrassing if he weren’t so damned
eager for me to make more of a mess. I bucked my hips as he captured my clit.
He suckled it between his teeth.

I
moaned, blending his name with everything and anything I ever felt for him.

He
didn’t notice.

He
fixated on my slit, staring at my tightness as his pale fingers disappeared
into my clenching core. I arched, and the orgasm crushed me in a quick,
crippling, beautiful agony. I gripped the carpet in a helpless shudder. Zach
didn’t stop. He pistoned inside me.

One,
two, three quick bursts and I was lost.

I
collapsed against the floor and gasped his name over and over until he hauled
me up and silenced my mews with his mouth.

He tasted
of me, and I fucking loved it. I flicked my tongue against his and clutched at
him as hard as I could.

“I’m
not done with you yet.” His words whispered a delicious threat over me. “You’re
mine for the night, Shay. Fuck, the whole weekend. I’m going to fuck you until
you can’t hold yourself up anymore.”

“Then
what?”

“Then
I’ll fuck you some more.”

Zach
skipped flirting. He radiated pure sexual aggression. That was fine. No more
games. No more hesitations. I just had to know.

“What
did the doctor say?”

He
tossed me to the carpet, pushing me to my knees. “Didn’t say. We’ll hear later.”

He
didn’t want to talk about it, and I wasn’t able to listen. Tremors still rocked
my body, but the instant the hot shaft of his cock rested against my thighs, I
needed more.

He
grunted, pushing my head down to the floor so I’d present myself to his
thickening cock. I shivered. He was
wild
. Desperate for me. He pressed
his hardness against my entrance and groaned.

“You’re
so fucking perfect. I’m going to fuck you like a damn animal and just forget
everything. I want you, Shay. You want me?”

More
than anything. I’d deal with the regrets and complications between us later.
Now only one thing existed in the world, and it was as
hard
as it had
ever been.

“Please,
Zach.”

He
didn’t slip inside. He crashed. Bottomed out after one perfect strike within my
core with all the ruthless strength I expected from a practiced, rutting
warrior.

I
loved every single inch of it.

He
pushed me, pressed me into the carpet, laid over me with the crushing weight of
his body. Zach thrust inside me until I filled with everything he gave.

It drove
the air from my lungs and the sanity from my mind.

More
.

I
bucked my hips but Zach needed no encouragement. He gripped my curves and held
me still as his cock slammed ever deeper. Each conquered inch shuddered us in
perfect pleasure.

He
pinned me to the floor. If he kept me trapped beneath him, I’d worship the
ground he walked on. But he didn’t need to hold me down. I’d never escape from
his hands, his weight, the slamming aggression of a godly cock.

I never
wanted to part from Zach.

That
much I was willing to admit. That much he already knew.

That
much I proved with every grateful moan. His body claimed mine, and I took his.
In that moment, nothing about what we did could be wrong. He wasn’t my
step-brother. He was a man—someone strong and sexy and absolutely devoted to my
pleasure.

And
me?

I was
just as weak for him. No defenses. No fighting. His passion overwhelmed me, but
I already spent every hour apart from him thinking of his body, needing his
voice, stealing his shirt to wrap myself in his dusty scent.

Now
I had him. Zach’s arms clenched around me, pulling me against his chest as his
cock rammed inside me. I clung to his strength, opened my legs to his need, and
whimpered his name as my head fell to his shoulder.

Harder.
Desperate. Zach buried himself in me like he had something to prove, like I
didn’t already know how powerful and amazing he was. He was my ideal
man—strong, unyielding, and wanting my pleasure as badly as I wanted to give
him his.

“Shay…”
His voice rasped, rough and dark. “I gotta come.”

“God,
yes.”

His
hand flicked low. He slapped my clit to hear my gasp and savored my tight
flinch. Then he rubbed it hard against his fingers. I jerked and twitched, but
he only grunted, thrusting harder to earn the catch in my voice as I cried out
his name.