Stepbrother Forever: A Stepbrother Romance (30 page)

“Okay.” I don’t want to leave,
but I know I should. We’ve played it safe all night and it’s been great. I
don’t want to ruin it.

Jayson takes his keys and walks
to the door, holding it open for me. We step up to the elevator and press the
button.

“I really had a great time
tonight, Jayson,” I say. “I think I really like you.”

“Thanks. I
know
I really like you.” He winks at me. “Tonight was perfect.”

We step inside the elevator
when it arrives, press the button for the lobby, and lean against the wall next
to each other, staring ahead. As we start to descend, he turns toward me.

“I’m sorry, Ashley.”

“For what?” I ask.

Jayson steps in front of me and
takes both of my hands in his. He pushes them against the elevator wall next to
my head and presses his body against mine. He looks into my eyes for a split
second before he kisses me, passionately prodding my lips open with his tongue.

I instantly give in, I don’t
have time to think, and even if I did, I still would have let him. Our tongues
entwine. I feel him getting hard against me and I kiss him deeper, full of
desire.

The
ding
of the elevator reaching the lobby snaps us out of our
embrace. Jayson backs away and straightens himself out. I fix my hair quickly
and try to look as casual as possible. I look at Jayson—his cheeks are flushed
and his lips swollen, and I know I must look the same. He’s looking straight
ahead with a smirk on. The doors open and I giggle as we step out into the
lobby.

Jayson takes my hand and leads
me out to the awaiting town car. He opens the door so I step in and slide over,
which seems to be becoming our routine. He gets in behind me and closes the
door and the car starts heading to my apartment. I look at Jayson and start
giggling like a school girl.

“What’s so funny?” he asks me,
feigning innocence.

“You.” I answer smiling, “What
happened to taking things slow?”

“It was only a kiss. I remember
you told me you only kiss on the first date. I figured we were in the elevator,
so it was like a safe zone.”

“A safe zone?” I repeat with a
snicker.

“Yes. Nothing else could have
happened in the short ride—and we were leaving my apartment, not going to it.
So I knew a kiss wouldn’t lead to anything else.” Jayson says, sounding pleased
with himself. “In the elevator, that is.”

“Wow. You really thought that
through.”

“Not really. But I had to at
least kiss you, Ashley. You’re a hard woman to resist.”

“I’m glad you did,” I reply
softly.

The car slows down as it
arrives at my building. Jayson and I are looking at each other, our eyes filled
with desire.

“Now it’s time to go home and
get some sleep.” Jayson tells me, turning away to open the door and step out of
the car. I follow behind him, and we are once again standing in front of my
building.

“Thanks for dinner.” I smile up
at him. “And dessert. I had a wonderful night, Jayson.”

“I had a great night too,
Ashley,” he replies. Jayson leans over and kisses me gently on the cheek.
“Sweet dreams.” He makes those two words seem so… dirty.

“You too,” I reply. I don’t
want him to leave. I want him to come up to my apartment and make love to me
again. “Come home with me tonight,” I say quickly as Jayson turns toward the
car. He looks back at me and smiles.

“Not tonight. I don’t want you
to regret anything in the morning. We’re supposed to be taking it slow,
remember?” Jayson reminds me, smirking again. “I told you I wouldn’t let
anything happen, Ashley, and I meant it. Trust me, I wish I could, but I’m not
that kind of guy anymore. Now, can you go into your building so I know you are
home safe?”

“I guess so,” I reply, turning
to walk inside. “Thanks for taking me home and making sure I’m safe.”

“Of course. Plus, it gives me
one last look at that gorgeous ass before I leave,” he adds, sounding like
himself again.

I roll my eyes and smirk at
him. Then turn again toward my building. Knowing that he is watching me, I add
a little strut to my step until I open the door and get inside.

This man is driving me crazy—but
in a good way. I am still wearing a smile as I get into bed. I have no more
doubts—Jayson has won my heart.

JAYSON

Chapter 16

Holy
shit, I need a cold shower,
I think to myself as I ride in
the town car back to my apartment. I have never held myself back like
that—never had to.
Ashley, you are one
special woman, but I am going to fuck the shit out of you when our day comes.

Jesus Christ, talk about blue
balls. I guess this is what love is all about? Doing whatever it takes to makes
someone else happy?

I know I could have had Ashley
tonight. She flat-out asked me to come back home with her. But I need her to
feel secure and know she can trust and believe in me when I say I only want
her—and I do. Ashley is the perfect match for me, someone I know I can spend
forever with and never get bored. She is beautiful, smart, funny, and
everything I could ever want in a woman.

I really don’t know how much
longer I’ll be able to restrain myself, though. The sexual banter between us is
one thing, but when Ashley is straight-up asking for it, it takes every ounce
of strength I have to hold back. I don’t know when it will be the right
occasion, but we have to give it a little more time before we give into our
desires. She needs to be sure of me, and of us.

I haven’t even thought about
anyone else since we met at her mom’s house. Ashley is always on my mind, and I
honestly hate waiting to see her again each time we part. Matt even noticed and
started making fun of me at work. He swore he wouldn’t tell Dad that the woman
I am getting all wrapped up in happens to be his girlfriend’s daughter, and I
trust him. That’s not going to stop him from giving me a hard time about it, though.

Dad and Cynthia will know at
some point, but not until Ashley is ready—not until there is something serious
to tell.

Between keeping our
relationship a secret and abstaining from sex, there is a lot of unspoken
physical tension between us. Being involved in something so taboo makes it that
much hotter, and I actually enjoy the challenge and this new game we are
playing. It will only make the prize that much sweeter.

ASHLEY

Chapter 17

It took me hours to fall asleep
last night, and I woke so early this morning. I’ve been sitting on the couch
with my feet up, slowly sipping my coffee, lost in thought.

Jayson really got my panties in
a knot, to say the least. I can’t believe I actually asked him up to my
apartment last night! I mean, I can—I was so hot for him—but we’re not supposed
to be screwing around at all.

That kiss was just too much. As
soon as he put his mouth on mine I felt my body turn to Jell-O. He could have
done anything he wanted to me and I would have let him. It’s not just physical,
though—I really like him. We had so much fun together last night. It was
probably the best date I’ve ever had.

I send Rachel a text to see if
she’s awake and free. She answers right back, so I call her.

“Hey, Rach,” I say when she
answers.

“What’s up, girl? What are you
doing calling so early?” Rachel asks.

“Haven’t talked to you in a
couple of days. Just wanted to say hello,” I reply. I do want to say hi, but I
also want to talk about Jayson. “What’re you up to?”

“Not too much, the usual. Have a
class in and hour, so just getting a few things done at home before I go.
What’s new with you?”

“Not too much here,
either—except I had the best date ever last night.”

“Really? With who? Jayson?”

“Yes, Jayson,” I reply in a
dreamy tone. “We had such a great night together, Rachel.”

“So, I guess you guys did the
deed again?” she asks. I can hear her smirking through the phone.

“Actually, we didn’t. We had
dinner and went to his place for dessert, and all we did was kiss. I tried to
get him to have sex with me and he refused.”

“That’s different. He didn't
seem like the kind of guy who would say no to a hot chick,” Rachel replies. “I
guess maybe he really does like you, Ash. Why were you asking him to have sex,
anyway?”

“We said we would take it slow,
but our kiss was so intense. I would have ripped his clothes off his back if we
weren’t in the elevator,” I answer.

“Easy, girl. If you’re supposed
to take it slow, he did the right thing. Remember, good things come to those
who wait. No need to rush.”

I sigh. “I know, it was just…
hot,” I say in a breathy voice. “He even mentioned getting married one day. I
mean, it was just in passing, but it’s nice to know he thinks we might have a
future together. I know I’ve fallen for the wrong guys in the past—repeatedly.
But this one is different. He may have been a player before, but I know he
cares for me now. I was being guarded, and we are still being cautious, but I
know he is for real.”

“I don’t know, Ash. Maybe he
really will be the one. Who knows? I wonder what Cynthia will say.” Rachel
adds. I know she’s smiling on the other end. She knows my mother well enough to
know she will not be pleased.

“Mom’s not going to be happy
about it, but if we have something worth telling her about, she will have to
get used to it,” I say, defending my new relationship for the first time.

“I just hope I get to be there
if and when you tell her,” Rachel laughs. “I have to get going now, Ash. I’m
really happy for you. You sound pretty excited about this guy.”

“Thanks. I am. Talk to you
soon,” I reply, ending the conversation.

I love talking to Rachel. I can
always be open with her. I wonder if I’ll really have the nerve to tell my
mother and then tell her to deal with it. I guess I’ll have to cross that
bridge when I come to it. For now, I have a long day of work ahead and I need
to take a shower and start getting ready.

Just as I’m about to get up off
the couch, my phone vibrates. It’s a text from Jayson.
Did you have sweet dreams last night like I told you to?
I smile.
Straight to the point, as usual.

Once
I finally fell asleep I did. Thanks for asking,
I
respond.

Why
couldn’t you sleep?
he asks, although I’m sure he knows the
answer.

Someone
left me all hot and bothered. I had to cool down for a while.

Funny,
same thing happened to me last night,
he writes back.
I really like you, Ashley. I want to see you
again—soon.

I
really like you too. I’m working doubles the next couple of days, though.
I insert a sad face.
I can let you know
when I get off—maybe I can at least call you.

Any
time you want to get off, you can call me,
Jayson
responds, adding a smiley face. I laugh out loud.

Thanks,
talk to you later. Have a great day,
I write back.

You
too,
he replies, and our conversation is over.

I’m in an even better mood now.
Even without hearing his voice, knowing Jayson woke up thinking of me made my
whole day.

____________

I get to the restaurant right
on time and it’s already busy when I arrive. I immediately jump into the swing
of things and I’m on my feet right through lunch and into the early afternoon.
When I finish with my last table, I get a light lunch from the kitchen, fill a
tall glass of iced tea, and go sit down to take a break before the dinner
crowd. I take a few sips of my tea before I start eating, relishing the feel of
sitting down for the first time in hours.

I pull out my phone and see
another text from Jayson:
Still thinking
of you.
It makes me smile. I haven’t had time to really think about him
since I got here, although he seems to always be in my head somewhere.

Thinking
about you too,
I write back, and then start eating my
lunch.

Jayson doesn’t answer, so I
assume he’s busy at work. I read through some articles on social media and
finish my lunch, then clean up and get my section ready for the dinner crowd.
There’s hardly any down time today as the dinner crowd starts coming in early
and continues until the end of my shift. I’ve had such a hectic day, but
counting my tips at the end of my shift makes it’s worth it. I finish cleaning
my tables and resetting for the next day. I don’t feel like hanging around
tonight, so I say goodnight and head home.

It’s already pretty late when I
arrive at my apartment, so I don’t want to call Jayson. I take out my phone to
put it on the charger and see I had a missed call from him an hour ago. I
decide to send him a text so if he’s sleeping I don’t wake him.
Saw you called. Late night, sorry,
I
write and send. My phone rings almost immediately after. Of course, it’s Jayson
and I smile.

“Hello,” I answer, sounding
happy and much more lively than I feel.

“Hey, beautiful,” Jayson
replies. It sounds like he may have been sleeping.

“I hope I didn’t wake you.”

“It’s okay. I’ve been waiting
to hear your voice all day.” He sure knows how to make a girl feel good.

“Thanks. It was crazy today.
Sorry I couldn’t call earlier. I don’t want to keep you up, though. Want to
call me tomorrow?” I ask.

“Sure. I have a meeting before
work, so I’m leaving pretty early. I can call you at lunch,” he answers.

“Sounds good. Sweet dreams,” I
say, bringing an end to the conversation, even though I don’t want to.

“They will be very sweet now
for sure. Goodnight,” Jayson says and we end the call.

I plug my phone in and get
showered and ready for bed. I am in a great mood all over again. I love how one
short conversation and hearing Jayson’s voice can change my entire frame of
mind.

I climb into bed and as happy
as I am, I can’t help feel a little lonely. I know I like Jayson. I feel like I
can trust him. I don’t want to take things slow—I don’t need to. That one night
was all I needed to realize my feelings and his are real. It might be crazy to
feel head over heels already, especially about a known ladies man, but stranger
things have happened. I fall asleep with these thoughts crowding my head.

______________

I wake in the morning and go to
the kitchen to make coffee. I see my phone on the counter indicating I have a
text message.
Have a wonderful day today,
beautiful,
Jayson wrote very early this morning.

I can’t wait to see him again.
I wish I didn’t have to work again today.

I go about my morning routine
and decide I should look through the class schedule. Now that I have a little
more motivation to get back to working “regular” hours, I feel more determined
to at least start making an effort. If I wasn’t working nights, I could spend
more time with Jayson. It may not be the most mature reason to start looking,
but I’ll take whatever incentive I can to get the ball rolling.

I make notes on what sounds
interesting and decide I should probably meet with my advisor again before I
enroll in any more classes. I look up his information and send him an e-mail
asking to make an appointment.

I finish my coffee and get
dressed for work. I’m out the door with enough time to enjoy my walk to the
restaurant without rushing. I get there just before the lunch rush and am set
up and ready when the first of the crowd begins filing in.

I’m thankful for another busy
shift, but I know Jayson should be trying to call me about now and there is no
way I can take his call. I figured that would be the case when we spoke last
night, but didn’t want to make a big deal of it. I’m disappointed I won’t get
to speak to him, but I’m too busy to think about it.

I’m delivering coffee to one of
my customers when I think I see Jayson out of the corner of my eye. I assume my
mind is playing tricks on me, but when I look up again, there he is.

Jayson is sitting at the bar
with a lunch menu in his hand and I see him talking to the daytime bartender,
Brooke. She is looking at him like most women do—like she wants to tear off his
clothes and ride him like a pony. Maybe I’m exaggerating, but she is definitely
flirting.

I find myself about to get
jealous when Jayson catches my eye and turns toward me, completely disregarding
Brooke for a moment. He gives me a smile and a little wave just to let me know
he’s there. He understands I can’t leave my tables to come over and talk now. I
smile back and try to focus on my customers, which is difficult knowing Jayson
is watching me.

I notice Brooke walk back to
bring him a drink and take his lunch order, paying less attention to him now
that she knows he’s here to see me. I’m serving the few tables I have left,
hoping they finish up so I can spend a few minutes with Jayson on my break
between shifts. I keep sneaking glances at him and see he is playing with his
phone and drinking an iced tea. Brooke delivers a burger to him at the bar and
I catch her dramatically leaning over to set his plate down and give him a nice
view of her breasts. He doesn’t pay her any mind so I give her a silent
fuck you, bitch,
in my head. I can’t
remember the last time a guy made me jealous and I like Brooke—but I can’t help
my reaction.

Jayson is working on his burger
and I’m bringing the check to the last of my tables. I clean my section and
reset it so all I will have left to do once they pay is this one table. I order
a club sandwich from the kitchen so it will be ready when my table leaves. They
eventually pay and get up to leave and as soon as I thank them I quickly clear
and clean the table. I go to the bathroom to wash up and then to the kitchen to
get my lunch. I walk over to the bar and sit next to Jayson, who only has a
small portion of his lunch left.

“Fancy meeting you here,” I say
as I place a napkin on my lap.

“I tried to call but realized
you were probably busy. I thought I would come down here on my lunch break to
see you for a few minutes, instead,” he answers, dipping a fry in ketchup and
stuffing it into his mouth. “Besides, I miss you.”