By the time I wake the next morning, it’s nearly midday. I slept in my make-up, and my eyes are desert-dry. My dress is bunched up around my waist, but thankfully the one thing I managed to remove was my shoes.
I groan, straining to look at my phone. I have messages from Maisie, Hannah, and Millie, who all want to know how I’m doing. Maisie is asking for photos. I haven’t taken any yet, but I should. I’m supposed to be making memories here, and memories without photos are much more fleeting. I may need pictures of my gorgeous stepbrothers to keep me warm on lonely nights in the future.
I listen out for sounds around the house, but it’s pretty quiet. Maybe I’m one of the first to wake, which would be weird because I definitely drank the most last night, and I’m pretty sure that the boys all have more stamina when it comes to alcohol than I do.
Ugh. I really need a shower and to clean my teeth.
I pull my robe over my dress and grab my bag of shower things. It would be so much easier if I had a private bathroom. The door to the bathroom is closed, but it’s silent inside. I twist the handle and open the door; my eyes still bleary with sleep.
I should have knocked.
Jefferson is standing by the shower cubicle as naked as the day he was born. He has a plush towel in hand, but nothing covering a body that has me weak at the knees in a second. But it’s his cock that has my eyes practically bugging out of my head. It’s long and thick, the kind of cock that you see in porn movies. It’s huge, and it’s not even erect. Well, not when I first lay eyes on it.
I don’t know how long I stand staring at it. My mind seems to have short-circuited. Maybe because I’m dehydrated and still foggy-brained from too many Red Devil cocktails. Maybe because Jefferson looks like a Greek god, and it’s been a while since I laid eyes on a man even half as perfect. All I know is that by the time my eyes tear themselves away from Jefferson’s huge cock and meet his gaze, there’s a strange smile on his face. His hand goes to cover the family jewels but doesn’t really achieve the desired effect. Even behind his huge ball-catching palm, that cock is still visible, and it’s definitely getting hard.
‘Wow,’ I say, looking impertinently at a dick that could turn my insides into soup, just the way I like it.
‘Maybe knock next time,’ he says.
‘Maybe lock the door next time.’ The image of Jefferson naked is one I’m going to enjoy in my mind until I die. His skin is so perfectly tan, muscles so thick and drool-worthy that a person could spend hours just running their hands over everything without getting bored. Oh, God, my mouth is watering. I’m like a slavering dog with a steak in its bowl.
I take a step backward into the hallway as Jefferson begins to cover himself with the towel. Damn, I’m sad to see all that goodness concealed.
A head appears around a doorway further down. ‘Morning,’ Anderson says. Jefferson appears behind me, with that tiny, fluffy towel around his waist.
‘Sara got an eyeful.’ He passes me without looking back, strolling down the hall as though he knows I’m lusting after him like a bitch in heat. He walks with the swagger of a cowboy on the body of the almost pro-ball player that he is, and I watch it all, hungrier for a man than I’ve ever been, and that is saying something.
‘You didn’t lock the door?’
‘Force of habit,’ Jefferson says.
I’m still grinning, but Anderson gives me a look of sympathy. ‘We’ll try to be more careful. Won’t we Jefferson?’
Jefferson twists the doorknob to his room and disappears inside without a word. I guess he’s not planning to be careful at all, and that’s fine by me.
I disappear into the bathroom, locking the door and checking it’s secure five times. Me walking in on a naked man is one thing, but a sexy man finding me shaving my legs in the shower is less appealing.
Jefferson is an arrogant shit.
He kisses me twice, blames me, accuses me of flirting with Carson, causes a scene, puts a dampener on an evening which could have been more fun if his moody self hadn’t overwhelmed it, and then he acts as though getting a look at his cock was my aim all along.
He really is incorrigible and totally fascinating.
With the fire of desire in my veins, I wash off all of last night with a vigor that leaves my skin pink and my hair wild. Well, wilder than usual. I wrap my towel around myself and decide to carry my robe. If Jefferson wants to strut round in nothing but a towel, then I will too.
The hallway is quiet, though, and I make it back to my room without bumping into a soul. When I’m dressed in my leggings and slouchy Eastern varsity shirt, and I’ve tamed my hair and applied some make-up, my growling stomach forces me downstairs.
I pad quietly to the kitchen, my bare feet not making a sound on the carpeted stairs and hardwood floor of the hallway. I’m almost there when I hear voices coming from the den. The door is ajar just enough for me to catch something that makes me stop in my tracks.
‘She showed me this picture.’
‘What kind of picture?’
I lean in to listen more closely, straining to make out who is talking. I’m still not quite able to work out who is who from voices alone.
‘A photo of her best friend. She’s in a…what did she call it…a poly relationship with her five stepbrothers.’ So that’s definitely Brayson, and he’s telling his brothers about Maisie.
‘Poly relationship. You mean she’s dating them all?’
‘That’s what Sara said.’
‘Wow. That’s…’ Whoever is talking pauses as though he’s lost for words.
‘Messed up,’ someone finishes.
‘Sexy as hell,’ someone else adds.
There’s a ripple of laughter, then a pause of silence.
‘Why did she show you?’
‘That’s it. I don’t know. We were talking about that show, and she brought it up. I didn’t think anything of it until she…kissed Jefferson last night…and kissed me.’
‘She kissed you too?’ Jefferson’s voice is sharp, maybe with anger, maybe with jealousy. Either way, my stomach flips.
‘Yeah,’ Brayson says. I can tell from the way he says the word slowly that he feels uncomfortable admitting it.
‘Do you think she was trying to tell you something. Do you think she wants the same thing?’
‘She was all over Jefferson, she kissed me, but it was quick…’
‘And Carson.’
‘That wasn’t anything,’ Carson says. ‘I was trying to avoid getting approached by a girl from college. Sara was my cover.’
‘She looked very happy being your cover.’
‘We were just messing about. That’s all.’
‘I didn’t think it at the time, but now I’m sure she told me about her friend for a reason.’
‘Shit. I mean, I know we’ve gone there in the past…remember that girl…’
‘Yeah, I remember. She was as horny as hell.’
‘She wasn’t the only one.’ There’s another ripple of laughter, and I move closer, wanting the hear the details. I can’t believe they’ve shared a girl before. I guess that it’s not as unusual as I thought. It shouldn’t affect me the way it does, but my heart starts to flutter. This really could be a possibility for us.
‘But that was a one-night-stand. That was fun. Sara’s Steve’s daughter.’
‘Exactly.’
‘You can’t tell me that you haven’t been thinking about her, though?’
‘Thinking and doing are two different things.’
‘Jefferson’s done more than thinking. And Brayson.’
‘It was a mistake.’
‘I haven’t seen you like that in a long time.’
‘There was nothing to see.’
‘Why the fuck are you so touchy all the time?’
‘She showed me the picture because she wants us to think about her that way. She wants the same thing as her friend,’ Brayson says.
‘With us?’
‘That’s the only explanation.’
‘But what about her dad. What about Steve?’
‘I guess that isn’t a factor for her…it’s not like they’re close.’
‘Not yet.’
The rustle of clothes as someone stands jolts me back. I can’t get caught listening like this, although I’m glad I heard what I did. They suspect they know what I want, and that just makes this whole thing so much easier.
I know I’m not imagining the pull between Jefferson and me. He felt it too, for sure, but he denies it was anything more than a drunken kiss. That same pull exists for me with all my stepbrothers, and now I know for sure that they’ve been thinking about getting me naked. I’m pretty sure that their reservations will drop away if they think it’s a genuine possibility. Men might have morals, but they’re easily corruptible when it comes to sex. The drive to fuck is just too urgent, too desperate. I know because I feel that way too.
I fast-walk the rest of the hallway into the kitchen. It’s empty, but there is a note on the counter with my name on it.
Sara, help yourself to anything you fancy. Love Amber x
My stepmom really is lovely. I open the fridge, searching for some milk. I raid the cupboards, finding some sugary cereal. I decide to make a sweet black coffee too because my brain really needs a jumpstart.
When I’m done preparing, I take a seat at the counter. I’m chewing on my first bite when I hear footsteps in the hallway. Brayson appears in the kitchen doorway.
‘There you are,’ he says, no hint of anything left over from the conversation with his brothers. ‘How are you feeling?’
‘I’ve felt better.’ I take a sip of coffee, my left temple throbbing.
‘You did drink a lot.’ He smiles broadly as though he’s forgotten about our kiss. I bet it’s still tingling on his lips.
‘Those Red Devil cocktails should come with a warning.’
‘They do!’ Brayson chuckles, fixing himself a glass of water and gulping it down.
‘Yeah, well, I’m not very good at heeding warnings.’
He places his glass on the counter. ‘So, are you up for a trip today? There’s another lake near here. It’s a big hangout for Lawson students.’
A trip to the lake with my stepbrothers sounds amazing, but I can’t just disappear with them when the whole purpose of my stay is to spend time with my dad. ‘Where’s Steve?’
‘He’s had to go for an appointment. They’ll be back later. Mom said we’ll get take-out and watch a movie together later.’
So I guess I’m free for a lake trip after all. Something about all this feels a little like the nudge of fate, and I’m not one to look a gift horse in the mouth. ‘Okay. That all sounds good. Thanks.’
‘Great.’ The light gray of Brayson’s eyes leave everything he’s thinking a total mystery. Is he thinking about the photo I showed him and what it could be like for us all to be in that same position? Is he wondering if I want to fuck him?
‘Wear a swimsuit and bring a towel. I’ll go get some snacks and drinks to take with us.’ Maybe he’s imagining me in a swimsuit.
‘Sounds good. I’ll be ready in around twenty minutes.’
‘Perfect.’
Brayson leaves the kitchen, and I carry on munching my breakfast, praying the coffee will help my head, and imagining what this afternoon alone with my stepbrothers will bring.
