“Yeah, sorry, my back’s a little sore from cleaning. Can we take a break?”
“No breaks, silly girl. You’re under my control.”
“I wish I was under your control,” she mumbled to herself.
“What was that you said?”
“Nothing,” Allison giggled nervously. “Tell me what you want me to do now.”
Chapter 3
Retiring to her bedroom that evening, Allison felt a sense of contemplation and peace overcome her.
“I have to be a big girl about this,” she thought to herself.
“He is my stepbrother. I need to get over this. I will get over this. It will all be okay.”
She stepped out of her sticky clothes and into a clean slip to sleep in.
“I think I should read tonight. That will definitely calm my nerves.”
A tall bookshelf regally stood in the corner of her room, filled top to bottom with books collected over the years by Richard and Max. There were ones about wars and the universe and computer science.
Skimming for the perfect bedtime read, Allison read over some of the titles. Her eyes stopped on one, Venus in Furs, and she held it in her hands. “Oh… God.”
Her book searching was interrupted by a knock. A muffled voice behind the door called to her. “Allison? May I come in?”
Allison walked over to her bed and sat down on the comforter, quickly running her fingers over her hair. She cleared her throat. “Yes, come in!”
Max crept the door open and slid his body through the crack. He closed it behind him quietly, as if the house was full of sleeping souls he didn’t wish to disturb.
“Hi,” he said.
“Um… hi?”
“What are you doing?” he asked, still leaning against the closed door.
Allison held up the book she was holding. “Oh, you know. Just getting ready to read and go to sleep. Maybe a book will relax me after cleaning all day.”
He read the title silently and shook his head.
“You really want to read that? It’s pretty steamy. Not really a good thing to read right before bed.”
She shrugged her shoulders. “Whatever.”
Max motioned a hand to her bed. “May I come sit down with you?”
Patting the seat beside her, Allison welcomed it. “Yes, please join me.”
Max’s legs made a dent in the comforter, and she could feel the heat from his core even a few feet away. He smelled of perspiration and musk from working all day, and it intoxicated her. She inhaled his scent like an addicting chemical, allowing the fumes to sedate her mind.
“I wanted to come in here and commend you,” he said.
“You’ve been taking my orders like a champ. I just want to keep my father’s house nice while he is gone.”
“I can understand that,” said Allison. “It’s no problem, really.”
Max continued. “My father is quite an amazing man. Have you noticed the minimal staff here? He doesn’t believe in having many staff members cleaning up after him. He built his company on his own, he likes to do things on his own. That’s why I entered the military ten years ago. He didn’t believe he should pay for me to go to school. No one paid for his education… so I enlisted in the army at eighteen years old…”
“Anyway, I felt I’ve been a bit harsh on you. I hope you can understand, I’m just trying to teach you things. My father told me to take care of you, but I want you to know how to take care of yourself.”
Allison fiddled with her thumbs as she listened to Max, unsure of the best response.
“It’s okay. I can take care of myself. I am twenty three, you know.”
Max patted her leg, and her skin tightened into goose bumps.
“I’m sure you can, Allison. I know you’re grown up, but there are things you don’t know yet.”
The touch from Max’s rough hand was a feeling Allison wished wouldn’t end. She wanted so badly for his hand to work its way up her leg and find her trigger, wet and feverous, his fingers working quickly and in perfect rhythm until she’d release a euphoric explosion.
He’d climb on top of her, Allison’s back on the bed, and she’d lightly explore his body with her hands, delicate and tender.
Allison’s arms grew colder and her fingertips stung with electricity. She gazed at Max’s profile, awake from her daydream, noting how his chin protruded so harshly from his jaw, and she wondered how good a kiss from him would taste.
It took every amount of control she had to restrain herself from leaning over and finding out.
Lines appeared in Max’s forehead as he thought for a moment through a coy grin.
“What do you think our parents are doing right now? Making love under the stars on an exotic beach?”
The unexpected comment made Allison laugh, and a snort escaped, prompting her to cover her face in embarrassment.
“Oh, yuck! I don’t want to think of my mother that way!”
Max nudged her playfully. “Come on, you know it’s probably true.”
“Probably. But still… gross.”
Standing up and stretching his arms in the air, Max yawned and checked the time. “It’s getting late. I should go to bed.”
“I wish you’d come to bed with me,” she thought to herself.
“Goodnight, Allison. I will see you in the morning bright and early. I’ll have something planned again.”
Chapter 4
Allison had a dream that night and she was able to see the entire map of Max’s unclothed body, his sunny skin bright and firm, her eyes and hands and mouth getting to travel every inch.
They were standing in the grass under the summer sun, and she dropped her dress to allow Max to return the behavior to her balmy skin, his rough hands once again meeting the silk of her shoulders and arms. She shook in longing.
“You are so milky and soft,” the dream Max moaned. She cradled his face as he propelled in and out, harder and rooted, their hips clenching. Allison felt ecstasy building, she climbed closer and closer as he propelled, and she dug her nails into his hips as she screamed with her climax coming close.
Dream Allison was about to release when a sound disrupted the moment, and the dream vanished quicker than it had appeared.
Allison shot up in her bed. Her ears adjusted to wakefulness and she searched for the sound. What was it, and where was it coming from?
It was Max outside her window in the yard with a lawnmower. He was mowing the tall grass around the vegetable garden’s fence, shirtless and red. Allison checked the time; it was seven in the morning.
She quickly got dressed and ran outside to meet him and she was greeted by the hot, humid air of summer morning.
“Good morning, Max!” she called to him.
He stopped the lawnmower and looked up, squinting at her standing in the doorway. He produced a towel from his back pocket and dabbed his face until the shine from his sweat had vanished.
“Hi there. Did you come out here to help me?” he asked.
“I… uh… not sure. What all do you want me to do?”
Max laughed.
“Don’t worry. I’m almost done with this. By the way, I heard from our parents today. They’re in Italy, doesn’t that sound nice right about now? Definitely beats melting out here.”
“It sure does,” said Allison. She could perfectly picture herself and Max in Italy, drinking coffee together at a café, touching legs under the table, dressed in their nicest clothes that would soon end up being thrown onto the floor. She wanted it so badly.
Max picked a water bottle up off the lawn and dumped the remaining amount of water on his head to cool down.
She watched him and folded her hands together. “He is your step brother. Stop it.”
Max headed to the door where she was standing and smiled at her.
“I’m going to hop in the shower. Would you maybe want to go for a walk after? My dad has some nice walking trails on the property a few acres back. They’re in the shade, too.”
“Sure,” said Allison. Anything sounded better to her than the regular chores she’d been doing for a few weeks straight. She was ready for real time with Max, not concocted time from pretending to be inept at daily duties.
“Great,” he said. “I won’t be long. I made coffee, too, if you want some. It’s in the kitchen.”
He vanished into the house, and Allison remained on the porch, her heart giddy and anxious. Max seemed kinder to her that day, less intense and sharp with his words.
Perhaps he was softening with each day farther and farther from his military training, or perhaps he truly was beginning to enjoy her company. Whatever the case was, Allison was pleased and wished for it to continue. She liked hearing Max’s voice in a gentle tone, not barking orders or correcting her wrongdoings.
She entered the cool, dry house and poured herself a cup of coffee as she got ready for the morning.
She picked out a light blue dress to wear with comfortable shoes and she tied her hair back. Sipping her coffee and humming nonsensical tunes as she got ready, Allison relished in her pleasant, relaxed mood.
The shower shut off and a shadow of Max wrapped in a towel scurried past her door to his own bedroom. Allison wasn’t able to make out much of what she saw, just a rough outline of his large upper body and arms. She wanted more.
Allison tip toed down the hallway and could hear as Max was getting ready, opening drawers and random scattered footsteps. She knocked on the cracked door.
“Just a minute,” he said. “I’m not fully dressed yet.”
Allison swallowed and held her breath, dropping her arms to her sides to resist the temptation of pushing the door open, only to reveal a half-dressed and disheveled Max. She knew it was best to not see. The mesmerizing longing to know his taste was slowly driving her mad, and the last thing she needed was more fuel for the fire.
He at last opened the door, his eyes shifting up and down for a moment before saying, “Well, you look nice.”
Allison smiled and touched her dress.
“Oh, thank you.” She couldn’t help but notice her cheeks swelling with pink delight.
“Let’s go then,” he said. “It’ll be our nice activity before I make you work again later.”
“More chores?” she groaned.
They headed down the staircase, Max a few steps ahead, and he turned around, giving her the most playful smile she’d ever seen on him.
“I didn’t get days off in the military. I don’t want to hear you complain.”
A few acres behind the backyard, a paved path wound through evergreen trees to the point that Allison forgot they were even still at home as the walk progressed about half a mile.
It was much cooler in the shade, she felt relaxed and free. It was the most she’d ever heard Max open up.
“So, Allison, why did you go to school for fine arts?”
She shrugged, as she didn’t quite know the answer herself.
“I don’t know. I thought I wanted to work at an art museum. Maybe a gallery. I like art, but I didn’t want it to be too specific. I know someone like you probably wouldn’t fully understand that.”
Max lowered his eyebrows quizzically. “Someone like me?”
“Yeah, I mean, you don’t really come off as the artist type to me. You’re just so… I don’t know. You’re a man’s man!”
“There is a lot to me you don’t know yet,” he said.
“I like a lot of things. Sure, I like that the military taught me discipline. But I’m not made of stone.”
Allison suddenly felt badly. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to be presumptuous.”
“It’s alright. I’m used to it. I know how I can come across.”
They continued their walk, Allison admiring the sun poking through the green branches, admiring the conversation she was sharing with Max.
“Well,” she continued. “I like learning from you.”
Max laughed in astonishment. “Really? I thought you hated me waking you up at six in the morning most days! You kind of clumsily work through the assignments sometimes… no offense.”
“I guess I like spending time with you.” Allison paused. Shock and disbelief overcame her. She felt shame at what she’d said, hoping Max would not read into it or scold her or fall silent for the remainder of the walk.
There was a moment of no talking, until finally he said, “Oh, yeah? I like spending time with you, too.”
Relief. Allison exhaled alleviation. “Really? You do?”
Max started kicking a pebble on the path, watching it skid across the pavement until he’d catch up and kick it again, over and over.
“Sure. You’re feisty. You ask questions. You infuriate me sometimes, and I think you need more structure, but it would be lonely without you here.”
“Likewise. I’d be so bored and alone. I’ve never met anyone like you before, Max.”
“I guess I’ve never really met anyone like you either.”
Without thinking, Allison’s hand subconsciously branched out and touched Max’s hand, barely making a grip on his index finger.
“Allison!” he snapped in his familiar, officer voice.
She gasped and released the hold, brushing her hand onto her blue dress as if she’d touched a forbidden treasure.
“I’m sorry. I don’t know why I did that. I wasn’t thinking. I’m really sorry.”
“It’s fine,” he said more calmly. “This is where you and I differ. You don’t always think things through. These are the things I have to teach you.”
Growing more visibly upset, Allison huffed.
“I’m not a child, Max. Don’t treat me like one. Our parents didn’t ask you to baby sit me.”
Max sensed her discontent and stopped her on the path. He took her hands into his fondly until she began to calm down. He said gently, “No, but they asked me to take care of you. I am a man of my word. Now, are you okay? We can forget the whole thing.”
“Yes… I am good.”
He released her hands. “Good, now, can we continue our walk? We have about a mile left till we reach the house again.”
Chapter 5
Max used his father’s credit card to purchase groceries for dinner that night on the condition that Allison cooked it. She’d never made much more than spaghetti or grilled cheese before, but decided to give it a go.
Max assigned her to cook brown rice with vegetables, an easy dish he felt she could manage.
“I don’t expect you to screw this one up,” he said. “And if you do, I have Pizza Land on speed dial.”
“Have faith in me!” she defended. “I’m not that terrible.”
Max brought over the box of rice and set it next to Allison on the counter.
“Prove it then.”
Looking at the box of uncooked rice then back at Max, Allison decided to come clean.
“You know, Max. I’m really not as incompetent as you think I am. I was mostly just faking it.”
“Faking it? How so?”
Allison began tugging at the cardboard flap on top of the rice box in nervousness.
“I guess it was a lot of acting. I was actually completely capable of all the things you asked me to do. I mean, really, did you think I was that clueless when it came to cleaning gym machines?”
He brought over the zucchini and tomatoes and cocked his head to the side.
“I guess not. But why would you fake something like that and waste both of our time?”
“Kinda going back to what we were talking about earlier… it was nice having company. I mean, it was nice having you as company.”
Max looked at Allison, unsure of what to say. He dug through a drawer and pulled out a small knife, scooting it close to her empty hand on the counter.
“I see. Here, can you start cutting tomatoes? I’ll get the water boiling.”
Allison picked up the knife and started dicing the tomatoes as told. They were handpicked by Max earlier in the day from the garden, a moment she wished she coul
d have watched.
She imagined him hovering over the vegetables with dirt on his arms and face, yanking at the ripe ones, gritting his teeth in the mid-day heat.
Her imagination deepened with the thought of herself joining Max in the garden, him feeding her fruit and allowing the juices to drip from her chin to her breasts, and as she got lost in her mind, her hand slipped and the knife cut her index finger.
Stepbrother: Forbidden Cravings: Stepbrother Romance Boxed Set Page 11