Step-Lover (5 page)

She turns and I quickly get changed. When we’re done, we load up our towels and head out. We’ve just reached the patio when a low whistle catches our attention. We both turn to see all three brothers sitting on the patio. It’s Blade who catches my attention. He’s wearing a pair of dark swimming shorts and nothing else. He’s staring at me, his eyes intense, and his jaw tight.

“You guys wanna join?” Mel calls out.

“Hell to the fuckin’ yeah!” Ripley cries, leaping up.

“Jesus,” Blade mutters.

“Ain’t my brother,” Brody adds.

Ripley joins us and we all turn, walking down past all the houses until we see Bryce and a group of people standing by another jetty. There are three across the whole lake. When he sees us, his eyes light up and he runs over. I notice he too is wearing only a pair of swimming shorts. He looks good. “Hey there. Didn’t know if you’d come.” He greets when he stops. “You ladies look great. Come and meet my friends.”

We follow him down to the group of people he was standing with. He introduces them all, but there are too many for me to catch their names. I smile and wave, and Melanie giggles like a flirtatious schoolgirl. I love that about her. There’s never a time when she’s not laughing. Bryce heads over to me until our bodies are touching, side by side.

“How’d you like your first night?”

I smile up at him. “It was great. It’s beautiful out here. I’m jealous that you live here all the time.”

He grins. “Yeah, it’s certainly not a hard life.”

“Ohmigod,” a gorgeous blond girl breathes. “Check out the hunk coming this way.”

“Make that two.” A raven beauty sighs.

I turn and see Blade and Brody heading down the path. My cheeks burn as my eyes slide over Blade’s body. His skin is bronze and smooth, stretching over rippled muscles. My eyes flick to Brody and I’m surprised to see he’s equally as ripped. The only difference between the two is Brody has tattoos covering his chest and stomach. I can’t make out what they are, and I don’t want to stare too long.

“’Sup.” Blade grins at the girls and they all giggle.

Great.

The blonde, who I think is named Peyton, sidles over to him. She’s flashing a killer smile that’s to die for. Her yellow bikini is as bright as her. Her long, golden hair is flowing down around her back. Damn her. She’s gorgeous.

“Hi. I haven’t seen you around here before,” she breathes, looking up at Blade.

“Just visiting,” he murmurs, smiling down at her.

God damn him for being so fucking beautiful.

“My name is Peyton.”

He takes her outstretched hand. “Blade.”

“Ohhh.” She giggles and I roll my eyes. “That’s such a cool name.”

“Your step-brother is a charmer,” Bryce mutters.

“Yeah,” I grunt. “Don’t I know it.”

“And are you two staying together?” Peyton asks, looking from me to Blade. Well, it’s clear Peyton has a brain, because she obviously saw us come from the same house. Check one for her.

“Oh no,” Blade says, burning me with his intense gaze. “Aria over there is my step-sister. Isn’t that right, Sissy?”

I cringe, and he must notice because his face cracks into a wide smile.

“Let’s go for a walk,” I say to Bryce, turning and batting my eyelashes up at him.

He grins. “Sounds good to me.”

“Mel, you okay?” I yell out.

Melanie is watching Brody, who has found a spot by the lake and is staring out. Her face is soft, as if she wants to go over and sit by him. I can’t help the warm smile I give her. She likes him. She’s drawn to him. Maybe she’ll be able to get him out of his shell. At the sound of my voice though, her gaze turns to me, and she beams. “Fine here. Off you go. And behave; don’t forget those condoms I gave you. Safe sex, honey.”

I want to throttle her until I see the scowl Blade has aimed in my direction, then I decide I’d much rather squeeze her brilliant cheeks. I hook my arm through Bryce’s and notice his cheeks are red. Sweet.

We walk off down through the path I was on only yesterday. Bryce is easy to talk to. He tells me about his life here and his family. He works at the local marina, fixing boats and unloading. He’s charming and he’s easygoing. I like him. He’s a good distraction.

“What about you?” he asks as we weave through the shrub surrounding the path.

“I’m starting pre-med when school goes back.”

He stares down at me, shocked. “Wow, that’s impressive.”

I shrug. “I always wanted to help people.”

He nods, clearly impressed. “Good for you. I would have loved to have been smart enough to pull that off.”

I scoff and wave my hand. “I have no doubt you are.”

He flashes me a charming smile. “Listen, I know we’ve only just met, but I really hope you make it to the party tonight.”

My lips tip up in a half-smile and I tuck a lock of stray hair behind my ear. “I think I’d like that.”

He nods, pleased. “Good. Now, are you keen for some fun or what?”

He offers me his arm and I take it with a smile. “Oh, bring it on.”

CHAPTER SEVEN

THEN – ONE YEAR EARLIER

My fingers tremble as I slide them down my body and lift the hem of my dress. Mystery Guy stares at me, his eyes lusty. He’s wearing only a pair of jeans, and his gorgeous body is on display for me as I lift my dress up and slide it over my head. When I’m in my bra and panties, I watch with burning cheeks as his eyes travel down my body and a low hiss escapes his lips.

“Fuck, you’re gorgeous.”

I flush and cross my arms over my chest. He quickly stands, gently removing them. “Don’t cover up, darlin’. A body like yours should never be hidden.”

“There’s a donut.”

He jerks back and looks down at me in confusion, brows furrowed. “Pardon?”

“A donut, right there.” I point to my belly where it kind of looks like a mini donut around my belly button.

He chuckles and reaches down, stroking a finger over the tiny bit of fat I can never get rid of. “Darlin’, that ain’t a donut. What that is, is fuckin’ real.”

“Real?” I scoff. “Yeah, real fat.”

He grins down at me. “Tell you somethin’ . . . no one wants to fuck a stick.”

I raise my brows. “A stick?”

“Yeah, a stick. You have curves; there ain’t nothin’ wrong with that.”

I flush. “Oh.”

“So stop talking and kiss me, because I can’t stand to stare at you one second longer. It’s killing me.”

With a small smile, I step closer until our skin touches. His body is hard, and against mine it feels hot and totally arousing. He reaches around and tangles his fingers into my hair, then he kisses me. It’s slow at first as he coaxes me to get closer to him, pressing my body against his. Then, when his arm is firmly around my waist, that kiss becomes scorching.

I whimper against his mouth as he grinds against me, his denim-clad erection pressing right against my clit. I gasp as the friction creates pleasure, and that pleasure shoots deep into my belly as he rubs against me. He pulls his mouth from mine with a groan and reaches around me, unclipping my bra. He lets it fall and his eyes drop to my aching nipples.

“Going to suck you right there,” he breathes.

His head lowers, but his arm stays around my waist. He captures my nipple between his lips and he sucks it deep. My knees feel as though they’re going to give way and I have to clutch his arms to prevent just that. He sucks and nips until I’m shaking and gasping his name. Then his hand moves down and he takes hold of my panties. His body goes down with them, until he’s on his knees in front of me.

I press my hands over my face, horrified that I’m fully naked and he’s looking right at my sex.

“Hey,” he calls.

I don’t move my hands.

“Look at me.”

I peek through my fingers at him, and he’s looking up at me with a stern expression on his beautiful face. “Drop your hands, darlin’.”

I slowly lower them.

“Do you think you’re not beautiful?”

I swallow and shake my head slowly. I know I’m beautiful. I’ve never been the girl to hate myself. I’ve always appreciated what the good lord gave me.

“Then why are you covering your face?”

“I’ve never had anyone . . .” I swallow and stare down at myself. “. . . see me like this.”

He reaches up, running a finger around my belly button. “Then I consider myself the luckiest fuckin’ man in the world, because you’re gorgeous.”

Gosh.

There’s a good chance I’m going to get a crazy, stalker-like obsession with this man.

“Now,” he murmurs. “I’m going to put my mouth right here.” He strokes a finger over the outer lips of my sex. “Are you good with that?”

I whimper. It’s all I’ve got.

He grins. “I think that’s a yes.”

He takes my hips and pushes me back towards the bed. Gently, I lie back as he takes my knees and spreads them apart. Then, before I have the chance to protest, his mouth is between my legs. My whole body stiffens as he moves his lips softly over my thighs and outer lips before plunging his tongue into my depths. Oh. My. God. I’ve heard about this, I’ve read about this, but never, oh lord never did I ever think it would be so amazing.

His soft tongue is like torture against my clit, and a low burn starts building deep in my belly with every exquisite suck. I arch my back, whimpering and gasping as that burn gets hotter and hotter, until I’m ready to explode. Then he pulls away and a strangled cry escapes my lips. “I’m going to put my fingers inside you; get you ready. You okay with that?”

I nod. I don’t care what he does, as long as he keeps sucking me the way he was.

With a chuckle, he goes back to devouring me, only this time he gently slips a finger inside me. It’s uncomfortable, but not painful. He swirls that finger, stretching and preparing, then he slips another one in, too. I tense and shift as the level of uncomfortable goes up just a touch. He stills his fingers, still sucking my clit, until I’m ready to explode again.

Then he gently begins pumping his fingers in and out of my damp sex. I can feel how wet I am, and I don’t even care. That burn has erupted into fire and I’m hanging on the edge. With one more thrust of his fingers, I come. I come so hard I scream and my world seems to disappear for a small moment. When it comes back, I’m panting and everything inside me feels as if it’s been wrapped in candy and tied with a pretty bow.

I’ve never felt so good in my life.

Mystery Guy moves up and positions himself over me. He stares down at me with those intense eyes, and his jaw is so tight I can see the muscles bunching. This is hard for him. He’s ready. I’m ready.

“I’m ready,” I whisper.

He nods. “Yeah, I think so.”

I swallow as he positions his cock between my legs. When it presses to my opening, I arch and gasp. Wow, he’s big. I close my eyes as he gently pushes the tip in. His hands frame my face and his forehead is now pressed to mine. I know it’s taking all his power and strength to go slow. He inches in a little more and I gasp as a burning pain radiates through my lower belly.

“You okay?” he rasps.

“Yes,” I whisper.

He nods against me and pushes in a little more. I cry out this time and my hands shoot up to clutch his bulging arms. The muscles flex beneath my fingers. It hurts. I won’t sugarcoat it. I didn’t expect it to be rapturous pleasure, but god, I didn’t expect it to hurt so much either. He’s gentle, though, slowly pushing inside me, easing me into every inch.

“Fuck, you’re so damned sweet,” he growls. “Are you hurting, baby?”

Baby.

God.

“Y-y-y-yes, but don’t stop.”

“Nearly there, darlin’.”

He inches in some more and I clench my eyes shut. I hold my breath as he sheaths himself fully. He stays still for a long moment, letting me adjust to the burning sensation now consuming my entire lower belly. I know how hard this must be for him, so after a moment, I whisper, “Move . . . you can move.”

He exhales loudly and slowly pulls out, pushing back in a little quicker this time. I close my eyes and keep my jaw tensed as gradually he picks up speed. He doesn’t go fast—he just keeps a steady rhythm as he rocks inside me. The pain subsides after a moment, and shimmers of pleasure peek through the surface. It’s not enough to make me orgasm, but I don’t mind. Having him over me, inside me . . . it’s fucking beautiful.

He kisses me softly as his body rocks inside me and my entire body arches, just wanting more. I want more of his hands. His mouth. His body. Hell, just him. His breathing quickens and ragged rasps escape his lips as he moves inside of me. “Fuck, I’m going to come.”

My whole body spasms with those words and I moan as I cling to him.

“Jesus,” he bellows, and he stills inside me. His body shudders as he releases his pleasure, and mine begins to tingle with awareness. I made him feel that good? It might not have been that pleasurable for me, but to see how good it made him feel does something to me. It makes me feel warm inside, tingly even.

I can only imagine how amazing it’s going to feel when it doesn’t hurt.

~*~*~*~

NOW

“Oh my god,” Melanie cries. “I love this song.”

We’re at Bryce’s party and we’ve both had one too many beers. We’re out on the front lawn, dancing to a song that’s pounding out of the speakers. There are only about twelve of us, and everyone is watching Melanie and I with amusement. We’re the only ones with enough balls to get up and dance.

After a few minutes, Bryce decides to grow a pair and he gets up, joining me. We laugh and wiggle, but when his hands find my hips, things quickly go from fun to serious. I bite my lower lip and swallow, turning to face him. He’s looking down at me with a hungry expression. Okay, well, it’s safe to say Bryce likes me. No matter. I think he’s pretty cool himself.

“I didn’t know you danced.” I grin, letting him work our hips to the music.

“I’ve been known to bust a move here and there.”

I laugh softly and put my arms up around his waist. Alcohol swims through my body and I close my eyes, laughing loudly as Bryce swings us about. It’s times like these, when I’m free, that some of the pain in my heart leaves. I believe that maybe, just maybe, I might have the chance to live a normal life.

“Come to my room,” Bryce whispers into my ear.

Oh boy.

“Bryce . . .” I say.

He cups my jaw, moving our hips together. “I like you; it’s one summer. What can it hurt?”

I stare at up at him. Sure, Bryce would probably be fantastic in bed, but I didn’t come here to be a summer slut. I came here to have fun with my best friend, and apparently to get to know my step-brothers. “Look, you’re great . . . but I barely know you.”

His eyes soften, which isn’t what I expected. “You’re right. At least let me kiss you. I’ve been wanting to all night.”

I smile and nod. He leans down and brushes his lips across mine. Melanie cheers and claps her hands, and I can’t help but smile against Bryce’s lips. Our kiss deepens, and his hands start wandering south of my hips when he’s suddenly pulled off. I catch a glimpse of Blade, before I’m being spun around and marched in the opposite direction.

“Hey!” I cry, pulling out of the hands that are holding my shoulders.

I spin to see Blade behind me, his face an angry mask. “What the hell are you doing?”

“You’re drunk; he’s tryin’ to fuck you. We’re going home.”

“Since when did you become my father?”

He flinches, but leans down close. “I’m not your father, sweetheart, I’m your fucking brother.”

I shove him so hard he takes a step back. “You’re a fucking pig, do you know that?”

His eyes flash, but I turn back towards Bryce. “I’m sorry,” I call. “I’ll call you tomorrow, okay?”

He nods, flashing me a quick smile. Melanie gives me a
what the hell
kind of look, and I shrug. Blade pushes me back towards our house before I even have the chance to argue any further. When we’re in the darkness, I spin on him. “You have no right to do that.”

“I’m just doing my brotherly duties and looking out for my sister.”

“My god,” I screech, stumbling backwards. “Stop using that fucking word. You’re not even related to me.”

He chuckles in the darkness.

“Where the hell did that nice guy go?” I mutter to myself, before turning and storming towards the house.

He catches my arm before I’ve even taken three steps. “What did you say?”

“That guy—you know, the one I met that weekend. Where the hell did he go?”

“He was just trying to get into your pants,” he fires at me.

I flinch. “You’re a pig.”

“And you’re fuckin’ naive. Did you honestly think we’d fall in love and I’d stick around? Jesus, I was bein’ so nice because you and I got along and I wanted in your pants.”

I swallow back the hurt that rises up in my throat. That hurts, those words . . . they sting. I’m silent for a minute, then I whisper, “So that’s it? You think it’s a great big joke that you stripped me of my virginity and then left?”

He sighs. “Fuck me,
no
, I do not think it’s a joke. I liked you, we got along—it was fun but Jesus, Aria . . . that’s all it was. Fun.”

I nod, even though he can’t see me in the darkness.

“Yeah, well maybe fun is what I’m looking for here. Bryce seems the perfect type to give it to me.”

I turn and start walking back towards the house. Blade follows me. “He’s a pansy.”

I snort. “And you’re an asshole. I don’t see the difference.”

“You’re really just going to sleep with him to get back at me?”

I spin around and charge at him, shoving his chest. “Don’t you flatter yourself, you arrogant jerk. You might have meant something to me back then, I might have even hurt over what you did, but I don’t care about you anymore. I’ve moved on. What I do is my business.” I shove him again. “It isn’t yours.”

His hands lash up and curl around my wrists and he hauls me against his body. “You and I both know you’re not over it, Tulip.”