Stepbrother Forever: A Stepbrother Romance (31 page)

“That’s sweet. It’s barely been
thirty-six hours since I saw you. You can’t miss me that much.”

“I know. It’s crazy. I never
thought I would be that kind of guy.”

“I have that effect on men,” I
reply in a sarcastic tone.

Jayson smirks. “Maybe. Or maybe
it’s that I know I can’t have you so I want you that much more.”

I blink. “Wait. So once you
have me, then the thrill is gone and you’re done?”

“Absolutely not. I’ve already
had you, remember? I just want more. Plus, you’re a pretty cool chick to hang
out with, so you have that going for you too. And you’re gorgeous. Should I go
on?” he asks, making me giggle a little as I take another bite of my sandwich.

“Not now, but I’m glad you
appreciate my many winning qualities. So, how has your morning been?”

“Pretty long already. Morning
meeting, lots of paperwork—nothing too exciting. This is definitely the
highlight of my day,” Jayson tells me finishing his burger and taking a swig of
his tea. “Are you off tomorrow?”

“I am,” I answer. “Too bad you
have to work.”

“I’m getting a lot done today.
Maybe I can arrange to leave early.”

“If not, I can see you after. I
was kind of missing you too, to be honest,” I admit. “I’m glad you came in for
lunch.”

Jayson smiles. “Me too.” Brooke
brings his check over and smiles at us when she places it down.

“I got this one,” I say,
reaching for the bill.

“No, you don’t,” Jayson tells
me, grabbing it first.

“All right, then, but that’s
silly of you,” I reply. “I’m sorry, but I have to get back on the floor. I’m
not supposed to break for this long.”

“That’s okay. I have to get
back to the office, anyway. You can call me tonight. I don’t mind if it’s late.
I liked talking to you before I went to sleep last night. Made my dreams pretty
sweet.” He winks at me as Brooke returns his check for him to sign.

“Cool. Then I will call you
later,” I respond, stepping off the bar stool. “Thanks for coming.”

“See you later, beautiful,”
Jayson says and he walks to the exit, quickly glancing back and shooting me a
smile before walking out the door.

Jayson made my entire day by
stopping in. I love that he wanted to see me enough to take the time to come
by, more so that he’s not afraid to show it. He could play hard to get if he
wanted or not let me know he cares so much, but he’s not and that makes me like
him that much more.

I bring my plate into the
kitchen and go back to the bar to get my drink. Brooke catches my eye and walks
over.

“Who’s the hottie?” she asks.

“He’s my boyfriend.” I answer,
calling Jayson that for the first time. I don’t even know if it’s official, but
Brooke doesn’t need to think otherwise.

“Oh, good for you. Well done,
he’s super-hot,” she replies, wiping the bar down.

“Thanks. I think so too,” I say
and leave it at that. We’re friendly, but not close enough to get into too much
more. I also saw the way she was looking at Jayson. It makes me feel more
protective than usual. I wonder if that’s something I’ll ever get used to—being
with a man who women are always ogling.

It isn’t long before the dinner
crowd starts shuffling in. I’m back in my work groove but I can’t shake Jayson
from my thoughts. I don’t want to wait anymore. I want to take our developing
relationship to the next level. I liked calling him my boyfriend and I feel
pretty sure now that he would love to have me as his girlfriend. It was his
suggestion to slow things down, but he did it for me. It may only be a couple
of days since we had our talk, but I know what I want now. I believe in him and
feel secure in his feelings for me.

The night drags on, even though
the restaurant is busy and I’m thankful I only have a couple of tables left
before I can start closing out for the night. I begin cleaning my section and
doing whatever I can to speed things up so when they’re done I won’t have much
left to do. Both tables order dessert and coffee and I’m sure my tips will
reflect my lack of patience.

I just want to go home and call
Jayson. I miss him, even though he was only here a few hours ago. Plus I want
to tell him how I feel and see what his reaction is. I sense that he won’t want
to let things move so quickly for fear that I will have second thoughts. I have
to make him believe that I won’t.

After what feels like an
eternity, my tables are finished and their bills are paid. I clear them off and
reset once again and I’m ready to go home. I say a quick goodnight to everyone
and disappear out the doors.

I walk quickly to my building,
wave to the doorman, and impatiently press the elevator call button several
times.

I sit down and pick up my phone
to call Jayson and put it back down at once. I can’t call him. I need to talk
to him face to face. I need him to know that I’m absolutely certain with how I
feel. I take a few gulps of my water, pick my purse and phone back up, and
leave.

_______

I walk the short distance to
the busy avenue my street crosses with and hail a cab. I arrive at Jayson’s
building just over ten minutes later. I pay the driver, take a deep breath, and
get out.

I stand outside for a couple of
minutes to collect my thoughts and try to figure out exactly what I’m going to
say. I know the general idea of what I want to tell him but haven’t really
planned anything specific. I wish he didn’t have a doorman so I could just
surprise him at his door, but I guess coming here at this time of night will be
enough of an ambush.

I walk inside and give the
doorman my name and Jayson’s apartment number. He calls to let him know I’m
here and get the okay to let me up. He hangs up the intercom then gives me a
smile and bids me goodnight.

The elevator is already waiting
on the lobby level so I get in. On the ride up, my anxiety kicks in. I hope
this isn’t the dumbest idea ever. I also hope Jayson doesn’t mind me stopping
by unannounced, but I have the feeling he won’t. I’m still not sure how I’m
going to start the conversation, but I feel confident something good will come
to mind when I see him.

I arrive at the eighteenth
floor and the doors open. I walk toward Jayson’s door and just as I’m about to
knock, it opens.

Jayson is standing in the
doorway and my jaw drops at the sight of him. He looks like he just stepped out
of the shower and is wearing nothing but a pair of gym shorts. I’ve seen him
without clothes before, but that was different. We were already in the heat of
the moment, so I didn’t get to give his body the full attention it deserves.

His chest is solid and covered
in muscles that lead down to toned abs. His waist is lean and outlined by the
Adonis lines that lead down to his manhood. I continue to work my eyes down, but
he interrupts.

“Did you come by for a reason,
or are you just going to stare at me all night? Either way is fine with me.”

I look up and my cheeks flush.
I grin nervously. Maybe seeing him in person was not the best idea.

“Sorry. I just wanted to talk
to you. I hope it’s okay that I came over unannounced. I just didn’t want to
talk on the phone.”

“Would you like to come in?”
Jayson asks, opening the door wider.

“Sure. Yes.” I’m completely
rattled. He looks delicious and I think I’m going to have a harder time than I
thought coming up with what to say. I step inside and Jayson closes the door
behind him.

“Is everything okay, Ashley?”
he asks me. I think it’s a combination of me surprising him like this and my
lack of speech that are making him nervous now.

“Yes.” I answer. “I just… I
wanted to tell you how I feel and thought it would be better to say in person.”

“This doesn’t sound good.”

“No! It’s nothing bad. I just…”
I break off. I wish he had some more clothing on. I really can’t think straight
with him looking like that.

I look up at him and lose all
control. I may have come here to talk, but suddenly I have nothing to say.

I lunge forward and wrap my
arms around his neck. I tilt my head up as he looks down, and before he can say
anything, I plant my lips onto his. I kiss him passionately, parting his lips
softly with my tongue.

Jayson puts his hands on my
waist and pulls me closer into him. He slowly moves them up my torso and over
my breasts, then settles them on my cheeks. He
 
pulls me closer, kissing me deeper. I
unwrap my hands from around his neck and place them on his shoulders, gliding
them down his thick upper arms and over his muscular chest, feeling every part
of his body I can. I slide my hands further down until they are resting on the
edge of his shorts. I begin to ease them down over his hips, but Jayson breaks
our embrace and backs up.

“Hey. We can’t, Ashley. I’m
sorry,” he breathes. “Trust me, I want to…” He looks down at his erection.
“…but we shouldn’t.”

“We should,” I insist. “That’s
what I came here to tell you.”

Jayson laughs. “That you want
to have sex with me? I already know that.”

“No,” I sigh. “That I like you.
A lot. That I want a relationship. That I don’t need to take it slow—I know for
sure now.”

“It hasn’t been long, Ashley. I
would never do anything to hurt you, but I need you to be positive you can
trust me. I don’t want you to rush. I don’t want to ruin what we have going for
us.” Damn him for being able to think right now.

“I’m not rushing,” I reply. I
really want to scream “just fuck me already!” but I don’t think that will get
the point across the right way. “I have thought of nothing else for days. I
believe your feelings for me are true. I trust you. I care for you, and every
minute we’ve spent together has been amazing. What else is there to wait for?”

“Only if you’re sure, Ashley.
You know I don’t want to stop this right now, but I don’t want to lose you over
it, either,” Jayson admits.

I look up into Jayson’s eyes.
“You won’t. I promise.”

“You’re sure?”

“I am,” I say almost in a
whisper. I feel as if I’m promising so much more to him at this moment.

“So you’re mine now, right?” he
asks with a sly smile.

I nod at him. “Yes.”

Jayson grabs hold of my hair
and pulls down, exposing the nape of my neck. I gasp as he kisses and sucks on
my flesh, working his way up.

“Tell me you’re mine, Ashley. I
need to hear you say it,” Jayson whispers into my ear.

“I’m yours, Jayson,” I reply in
a small voice.

Still grasping my ponytail,
Jayson begins to kiss my neck again, more aggressively now. He’s pulling my
body by my hair, forcing me to take small steps backwards as he continues to
suck on my neck and under my chin. By the time he reaches my lips I am backed
up to the row of his floor-to-ceiling windows. Jayson quickly turns me around
so I’m facing out, overlooking the city as he kisses the back of my neck.

I feel Jayson grasp the hem of
my t-shirt and he crouches down. He starts lifting my shirt up and kissing and
sucking his way up my back as he does. His hands glide slowly over my arms as
he pulls my shirt up over my head, and then over my hands and drops it to the
floor. Jayson uses one hand to unhook my bra and instead of taking it off,
pulls that too up my arms, caressing me as he slides it up. He keeps my bra
around my wrists and twists it tight enough to keep my hands together, pressed
against the window, holding them up with one of his strong hands. He wraps his
free arm around me, pressing his body up against mine. I feel how big and hard
he is through his shorts as he begins to kiss my neck again.

Jayson cups my breast with his
free hand and whispers in my ear, “I’ve imagined fucking you so many different
ways. I can’t decide what to do first.” He tweaks my nipple between his fingers
and pulls it firmly. I moan and he spins me back around to face him, still
gripping my hands that are entwined over my head. Jayson looks at me with a
mischievous smile. He kisses me hard on the lips and grabs my breast in his
hand. He is pushing his body into mine as we continue to kiss, our tongues deep
and warm in the other’s mouths.