Auctioned on Valentine's Day: A Second Chance Stepbrother Romance

by Amy Brent

  I wondered again why he worked just like I was sure he needed to know why I participated in that auction. I wasn’t prepared to explain myself over that. It was supposed to be a night and then life was supposed to move on. Fate was such a tricky beast.

  I don’t know when I finally fell asleep, but I woke up to the sun streaming through the window. I blinked and then remembered where I was and more importantly, what happened last night. I blushed, reaching for a shirt to pull on so I could open the window and air the room out a bit. It got hot in here last night.

  I dressed and walked into the kitchen, smelling coffee. I turned to walk in and noticed that Sebastian was getting a cup as I paused. He was so gorgeous. He set the carafe back, and I walked forward as he looked up at me. Sebastian pulled out the cream for the coffee and I smiled weakly. I poured a cup and added some to the cup, stirring slowly.

  “Did you sleep well?” I asked him as he shot me a dark look.

  “Not really.” I sipped the coffee and swallowed it gratefully. Looking around, I frowned. “Is everyone gone?” He nodded.

  “Lucy went shopping and Dad is at work. Your mom should be home soon from yoga. How long will you be with her today?” His voice sounded anxious, and I closed my eyes for a second.

  “I don’t know. I can’t cut it short, Sebastian. I don’t see her that often.” My voice was low and strained.

  “I know that,” he said as I looked at him.

  We had about an hour to ourselves before Mom danced in through the garage. She found us in the living room far apart, watching TV.

  “Hello, darling.” She leaned down to hug and kiss me, looking amazing before she glanced at her stepson.

  “Good morning, Sebastian.” He nodded at her as she looked back at me. “I need to shower but we can get lunch after that. Catch up?”

  “Of course. I took one earlier.” I took one with Sebastian earlier, letting him fuck me against the wall.

  “Great. Give me a bit.” She left the room, and I looked at him. “That should not have happened.”

  “We can resist one another,” he told me as I rolled my eyes. He had a point. I moved to get ready for lunch, slipping on leggings and a dark pink hoodie. I didn’t have any makeup here, but that didn’t matter. I’d already impressed the only person I cared about. I walked back into the living room after lacing up my shoes to find Mom waiting in jeans and a soft purple sweater, taking in the last of a talk show.

  “HI,” I greeted her as she looked up with a warm smile. I glanced around, wondering where Sebastian was but scared to ask.

  “Let’s go. There’s the sweetest little bistro in town.” She turned off the TV and went to get her purse and keys from the kitchen counter. I followed silently as she got into her new Lexus SUV. Mom chattered about the town and places that I’d like as memories of Sebastian filled my head. I blinked when we stopped and looked over at my mother, who was looking at me with a curious gaze. “Where were you? I don’t think you heard a word I said.”

  “I’m just tired. It was hard to sleep last night.” I told her as she nodded.

  “Are you up for lunch?”

  “Yes, of course. I’m fine,” I assured her as I forced a smile. We got out of the car and walked into a little restaurant with a Paris theme as Mom greeted the hostess with familiarity. We were seated in the corner at a bistro table and both ordered water.

  “Are you seeing someone, Emery?” Mom asked as I nearly dropped my glass.

  “No. Why do you ask?”

  “You have that look in your eyes. The one that shows a woman is thinking about someone. I’ve never seen that before with you.” She smiled as I felt panic flood me.

  “I’m not, Mom. I am just thinking about the future.” I tried to brush it off, and she stared at me.

  “I want you happy,” she told me as I wondered how much she meant that. Would she support my being with Sebastian when she was still just getting to know him?

  “I am.” We ordered some lunch, and she told me a bit about her daily life with Phil. He was a nice man, and she was happy, making me reach across the table to cover her hand with mine. “I am so glad that you found him, Mom.”

  “So am I. I know that you miss Dad and I do as well. It took me some time to get where I am now, but I’ll never forget him.” She assured me as I looked at her with tear-filled eyes.

  “He’d want you happy, Mom.”

  We went to a spa after lunch for pedicures and massages. I enjoyed the day but kept wondering where Sebastian was and what he was doing. I thought about how we’d drive back to the city together but meet up for another night together. I worried about what this might be and how it might end.

  We returned to the house after a few hours and I glanced around immediately. I didn’t see Sebastian until I looked out back to see him on his phone. Mine vibrated in my purse and I glanced down as Mom set her things down and went to talk to Lucy as I stepped away and reached for my phone.

  S: Make an excuse to get back to New York tonight. Mine is that I work tomorrow.

  I raised my eyes to look outside, seeing his gaze locked on me.

  I made the excuse that someone called in the next day and I was covering a shift. Mom was visibly disappointed but smiled as I got up to gather my stuff. Sebastian had already told Phil something of the same story, but he accepted it and Mom didn’t react too much. We made a point of leaving about a half an hour apart with plans to meet at his place.

  I turned up the radio, thrilled with the feelings that he gave me. I even found it arousing that we were keeping this so secret even though it could devastate our family. That caused guilt to rise in me, sitting like a knot in my stomach.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Sebastian

  I got home first and picked up the apartment. I checked to make sure that I had wine in the fridge and paced the living room as I waited for her.

  I’d been inside of Emery three times at my Dad’s house and it wasn’t enough. I couldn’t wait for her to arrive and I looked at the clock before I walked over to the windows of my place. It was late afternoon and the sun would be setting soon. What a perfect backdrop as I took her against this window and I stirred in my jeans at the idea.

  I heard the phone in the kitchen ringing and walked over to pick up. It was the front desk announcing that Emery was here, and I told him to add her to the list of guests. I wanted her here more than anyone else. I walked to the door to wait for her, feeling something inside that was new to me. When there was a soft knock, I threw the door open and pulled her inside into my arms. I kicked the door closed and fused my mouth to hers as I pushed her against the wall.

  Emery dropped her purse to the floor and wrapped her arms around my neck. I slid my tongue through the part in her lips and she moaned against me.

  “Come here,” I told her, pulling her across the room to the window. The sky was staring to turn shades of pink and orange and she stared for a moment.

  “It’s beautiful.” Emery turned to look at me and smiled. “I missed you, Sebastian. This week. I missed you.”

  “I missed you.” I kissed her again, and she gripped my shirt as she tugged me closer. I ended up on my knees in front of her, eating that sweet pussy as the sun set. She cried out my name with no abandon before I scooped her up to carry her to my room.

  I ripped all her clothes off before I told her to get on the bed. Emery laughed as she dropped down to the mattress and looked me over.

  “What are we going to do about this?’ She asked as I kicked my pants off. “I am moving to Boston.”

  “It’s not that far. You can come into the city and stay with me, maybe I can come out there and get a hotel.” I stalked towards her as she widened her eyes, pressing her down to the bed for a heated kiss. Our tongues danced as she pulled me closer, filling me with something warm. I kept kissing her and tasting her until she wriggled underneath me.

  “Move to your back,” Emery told me, watching me with a hungry gaze as I did. She moved between
my legs and I stiffened as I realized what she was going to do to me. I remembered the night with the other woman where I’d imagined Emery in her place and guilt washed through me. I closed my eyes as warmth covered my cock, lost in the sensation. I slipped my hand into her curls, loving the feel if her hair in my hands. She was new to this, but she listened for guidance as I stared down at her. I would never want another woman again as I felt the urge to come rising.

  “Baby. I am so close. I want to be inside of you.” Emery looked at me with wide eyes as I urged her away from me. I turned her over, too eager to be inside of her to think about anything else. I slipped in, feeling how deep I went as I moaned. I kissed Emery as I buried myself, memorizing her heat. I rocked out and back in as she nipped at my jaw and clawed at my back. We were rocking together, and she started to come as I jerked inside of her. It was hot, and I tensed as I felt her wash over me, realizing my mistake as I started to come. It felt so good and I knew why as I looked down at her twisted face. “Emery. Damn it. I forgot to put a condom on.”

  She froze as our eyes locked.

  “I am so sorry. Are you on something?” I asked her as she licked her lips.

  “I am… for pain. I didn’t think either. It’s okay.” I breathed a sigh of relief as I dropped beside her, gathering her close. “Are you clean?”

  “I’ve never been with anyone without a condom before now. I get checked regularly just to be sure. I am clean, Em.” She smiled at me as I looked at her in the light of the dimming sky.

  “Imagine if I got pregnant,” she murmured softly as we both froze. “I mean… I don’t want that. Not yet.” I heard the panic in her voice and knew that she meant not with me.

  Why the fuck did that bother me?

  We fucked several more times throughout the next day or so. I knew that I was getting closer to Emery each time when we should be trying to stay apart. I didn’t know how this was going to end but I realized that I didn’t want it to.

  I kissed her goodbye at my door, so she could head home to get some sleep. We were going to see each other in two nights and she planned to bring some clothes and leave for work in the morning. I couldn’t wait to spend the night with her again.

  I spent long hours at work all week. The thing with Emery was troubling, but it didn’t stop me from sending her flirty texts and building on this attraction. I focused so much on that and realized that I wasn’t interested in any other women. I wasn’t even looking for a quick fuck any more.

  We were in my bed together, knowing that we were going to sleep together. Things felt safe here with her. I knew that we wouldn’t get caught and my father hardly dropped by to put us at risk. Her mom rarely left his side.

  I thought ahead to her move. It would get more complicated, but we could see each other. I was lost in thought when she stirred in my arms.

  “Are you okay?” I asked as I looked down at her.

  “After that night with you, I didn’t want to go out and sleep with other men. Mollie thought I would, but I didn’t. Is that normal? Was it like that for you?” I froze at her question, knowing that I was in bed with another woman days later. “Sebastian?” Emery looked at me and I blinked at her.

  “It was, Emery. It was, but… I went out with some friends that week and slept with someone else.” I don’t know why I told her that as her face fell. “I didn’t think I’d see you again. We left things at my door that morning and you didn’t seem to want more.”

  “I was confused. I didn’t think you’d be with someone that quickly.” I saw the hurt in her eyes and reached over to stroke her cheek. “Emery. I thought it was just an auction to you.”

  “It comes easily to you. Sex, I mean. Even though I was on the stage at the auction, it wasn’t easy for me. I was there because… I was there because my ex tried to force me to sleep with him. I was there because I wanted it over with and I needed the memory of him erased from my mind.” Her eyes shimmered in the light from the moon. “Now, you’re back in my life and I don’t know what it means.”

  “It means we have a second chance.” I kissed her then, needing to prove to her how much I wanted her. I made love to Emery and fell asleep soon after, exhausted from a long week.

  When I woke up in the morning, my bed was empty. Emery was gone. I searched the apartment and hit the glass on my fridge door angrily when I knew that she was gone. I fucked up, but I didn’t know that I was going to see her again. I had no way of knowing that and I needed to tell her that.

  I tried to reach her the rest of the week but calls and texts went unanswered. I couldn’t ask Dad about her without raising suspicion since we barely knew one another in his eyes.

  Emery was going to move to fucking Boston and leave me hanging. Fuck me.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Emery

  I left that morning when the sun was barely rising. I knew that Sebastian did nothing wrong in sleeping with someone else. I knew that, but it hurt that he did it so quickly after me. It started as an auction to me but ended up being something that changed my life.

  I got through the week working and finished packing for the trip. I was numb, and Mollie told me that I should give him another chance. I didn’t understand what it was like to be single now. I knew she was right, but it still hurt, maybe more so now that I knew what our connection was. The fact that our parents were married told me to end things anyway, so walking out on him after his admission wasn’t awful. He would know that, and everything would work out. The holidays weren’t for a few months and everything would settle by then. We’d be fine.

  I told myself that every night when I cried myself to sleep. I didn’t think it was possible to care for someone so quickly, but I did. I missed him.

  I loaded up the car Saturday morning with Mollie’s help. It was just a few boxes and some clothes, but it felt like I was leaving so much behind.

  “Am I doing the right thing?” I asked Mollie when everything was locked inside, and the key had been returned to my landlord.

  “Moving to Boston or leaving Sebastian?” She pressed as I looked at her.

  “A bit of both. Mom is going to be all over me and I’m starting a new job. I don’t even know Phil that well if at all.” I sighed. “Sebastian will be fine. This would have ended sooner rather than later.”

  “You’re going to see him, eventually. There’s no avoiding that.” Her eyes were sharp, and I nodded.

  “Things will be fine by then.” I hugged her like I was leaving the country, holding her tight. “I am going to miss you.”

  “You’re not that far. I am coming up there for a job next weekend and we’re going to hang out.” She squeezed me. “Call me when you’re settled in.”

  I made the drive trying to sing to the radio and pretend I wasn’t heartbroken. I told myself that we’d be okay when Sebastian visited his dad, or I might see him in the city.

  I told myself that he’d fill the void with another woman if he hadn’t already.

  I told myself so many things to make me feel better as I drove into Boston. I was starting a new life here and working at an amazing clinic. I’d get to spend some time with my mom and learn the best places in a beautiful city.

  I wanted to think that I might meet a nice man and start a relationship, a healthy one. Why did I think of Sebastian when I pictured that future? He was just helping a charity and got my virginity in the process. He didn’t want more… did he?

  Tears slid down my cheeks and I wiped them away with one hand. This was like the plot of a bad romance novel and I gripped the steering wheel tightly. I needed to pull it together before I got to the house and I breathed in and out several times.

  I pulled into the first gate, then the second. Parking near the front door, I looked up at the house and took it all in. I could get a place in a while using the money that I got from the auction to furnish it and get the upfront cost out of the way. This would all work out.

  Mom bounced out of the house as I got out of the car, ready to help. I h
ugged her, and she exclaimed how happy she was that I was here. When we pulled apart. She looked closely at me.

  “Are you okay?” Her voice was worried, and I forced a laugh.

  “I got a little sappy leaving Mollie,” I lied, and she nodded. “She’s going to be here next weekend and we’ll hang out. There’s a lot to do here.”

  “There is, Em. I am so glad that you’re here.” We unloaded the boxes and took them into the room that I slept in last time I was here.

  Fantastic.

  It was a large room with some space for the boxes until I decided what I wanted to do. I put my clothes away with the ones that she already had here and tried to think positive thoughts. My phone was in my purse and I heard it chime, signaling a text. I walked over to get it, seeing something from Sebastian.