by Skyla Madi
Stephen chuckled. “No,” he leaned down, “but we need to stock up. Or would you rather buy some when we go to the mall tomorrow?”
I groaned, burying my face against his chest. This was normal for some people but not for me. I never thought I’d find myself standing in a shop discussing condoms. “Just take normal ones,” I muttered.
“Right.”
I pulled away when he stepped forward. My cheeks got hotter by the minute. Stephen grabbed a blue box of Magnum condoms and dropped it into the cart. He reached out again to grab another box and another.
“That’s way too much,” I whispered.
His eyes caught mine. “Really?”
I nodded.
“We’ll see.”
Chapter Eighteen
Meeting their cousin was a bit awkward. Sebastian was the total opposite of Nathan and Stephen. He was a happy-go-lucky kind of guy. Sebastian had blond hair and dark blue eyes. He was the same height as Stephen, but his body was leaner. His girlfriend, Trina, was pretty down to earth. The moment they introduced us, I had an instant liking for her. She was shorter than me by at least five inches. During our talk, I learned that they’d been together for four years now. Trina worked as a waitress at his mother’s restaurant, and that’s how they met. She was still finishing her masters in accounting and didn’t want to start a relationship, but he was persistent.
I admitted to how Stephen and I met, and instead of judging me like I thought she would, she thought it was funny. Kate was a bit silent. She only talked when someone asked her something directly.
Seeing the ocean for the first time in real life was something I couldn’t explain. The air was fresh—different than it was in town. I loved the sound of the waves crashing against the caramel-colored sand. I’d never seen anything so beautiful.
“How about we throw some patties onto the grill?” Sebastian asked.
“Sounds good.” I smiled at him. “We’ll throw together some salads to go with it.” Kate decided to stay on the beach, so Trina and I went back to the house. After collecting everything we needed and deciding on what to make, we started.
“I’ve never seen him so relaxed.” Trina broke the silence.
I glanced up at her from where I stood on the other side of the island. “Who?”
“Stephen.” She threw the cut onions into a small bowl. “The last time I saw him—about two months ago—he was a fucking mess. The whole thing with his mother was stressing him out.”
The knife slipped on the cutting board as her words registered. He said his mother died while giving birth to him. Did he lie to me?
“His mother?” I managed to get out.
“His stepmother, Nathan’s mother. She was set for parole—oh my god, Alia!” Her scream made me jump in fright.
Before I could react, she was by my side, gripping my wrist. I allowed her to pull me toward the sink. She opened the tap and held my hand beneath the running water. The water tinted red as it disappeared down the drain. I felt lightheaded and slightly nauseous.
“It’s fine,” I whispered. “It’s just a little cut.”
“I’ll go get the first aid kit.”
I grabbed the towel and pressed it against the cut as I stepped away from her. Muttering that I’d take care of it myself, I quickly walked out of the kitchen. When I entered my bedroom, I sank down onto the bed. What Stephen told me raced through my mind. He never mentioned his stepmother. What did she do that made her end up in prison? Trina said he was stressed, so maybe he wanted to ensure she got out.
Shaking the thoughts away, I tended to the cut. It was deep, but hopefully, I wouldn’t need stitches. As I turned my eyes, I caught sight of the plastic bag I had stowed in the cabinet earlier. I pulled out the hair removal cream and pushed the bag back inside. The instructions stated that I had to test it twenty-four hours before using it.
“Hopefully it’s easier than it sounds,” I muttered to myself.
When I returned back to the kitchen, Trina had already finished the salads. The kitchen was cleaned, so I had no choice but to join them outside on the patio. Sebastian and Nathan stood at the barbecue with a beer in their hands. Kate was still on the beach with Derrick, and Stephen sat to the side with Trina. I bit my lip as I debated on what to do. My decision was made when Stephen glanced up at me. His eyes looked weary and slightly guarded, but he gave me a small smile. I returned it as I made my way towards them.
“How’s your finger?” Trina asked as I reached them.
“Just a small cut.” I held it up to show them the plaster.
Stephen was sitting in one of those chairs that were made out of grass or something like that. It was woven together with a comfy pillow placed on top. He surprised me when he reached out to pull me onto his lap. I snuggled against his chest but kept silent as he and Trina continued their conversation. Half an hour later, the sun started setting and the wind started to pick up.
Derrick was pretty disappointed when he was forced to go take a bath. We decided to eat at the dining table instead of outside. Trina and Kate would clean the kitchen. Stephen, Nathan, Sebastian, Derrick, and I moved into the living room. After a few minutes of surfing the TV, we decided to watch SpongeBob.
“Stephen,” Sebastian called. He nodded toward the pool table. “How about a game?”
“You want me to beat your ass again?”
“You won ’cuz I let you win,” he said as he stood. “Want to play, baby?” Stephen asked me.
I shook my head. “Maybe another time. You’d have to teach me first before I take a risk on playing in front of the others.”
Chuckling, he pecked my lips then moved his lips to my ear. “I look forward to teaching you.”
I watched them play for a few minutes before turning to Nathan. He was focused on the TV like it was the most interesting thing in the world. Shifting closer, I leaned forward to catch his attention. “Can I ask you something?”
“That depends on what you want to ask,” he muttered, keeping his voice as low as mine.
“Why did your mother go to prison?”
His face gave nothing away, but I didn’t miss the flash of anger in his eyes. Leaning forward, he glanced at Stephen before looking back at me. “It’s not my place to tell you, Alia.”
It was all he said before getting up and disappearing up the stairs. Between watching the guys and the TV, I started feeling sleepy. Every time my eyes would flutter closed, I would force them open again. I didn’t want to go to sleep because I knew the nightmares would follow. It would ruin the amazing day I’d had so far. I didn’t want it to end.
“Time for bed,” Kate called from somewhere.
“But Mommy!”
“I said it’s time for bed, Derrick,” she said, folding her arms across her chest. “Let’s go.”
I gave Derrick a small smile as he got up from the carpet. “Night, sport.”
“Night, Li,” he muttered as he hugged me. “Thank you for making Mommy bring me.”
I frowned as I watched them walk up the stairs. Kate barely spent any time with him at home, and even here she didn’t bother playing with him on the beach. Why was she acting like that?
“I think I’m going to go, too,” Trina said. “It’s been a long day.”
“Me too.” Sebastian smirked at Stephen. “We’ll see you guys in the morning.”
I watched silently as they walked up the stairs, hand in hand. When they disappeared out of sight, I turned to Stephen. He was putting away everything. My eyes trailed over him. Trina was right; he looked more relaxed.
“Like what you see, baby?”
I shook my head, following him with my eyes as he approached me. “You’ll look so much better naked.”
Stephen chuckled as he sat down next to me. Swinging his arm around the back of the couch, he grabbed the remote. “I’m sure it can be arranged.”
Heat seared through me as the image of his naked body flashed through my mind. Shifting on the couch, I wrapped a hand ar
ound his neck and pulled his lips down to mine. He groaned, gripping my hips to pull me onto his lap. His tongue stroked my bottom lip before delving between them and into my mouth. My stomach tightened when he sucked on my tongue.
“Not here, baby,” he muttered as he broke the kiss.
I realized that I was trying to pull his shirt off. Stephen pecked my lips one more time before moving me off his lap. My eyes dropped from his as rejection flashed through me. He pulled me against his side before cupping my cheek and forcing my eyes up to his.
“It’s not that I don’t want to,” he said softly. “I want to, but after what happened this afternoon…I can’t, baby.”
“You already apologized, and you told me why you did it. So why is it bothering you?”
His hand dropped from my face as he turned his head away from me. Without saying a word, he got up and walked into the kitchen. I sat silently as he pulled the sliding door closed and locked it. After doing the same to the front door and making sure all the windows were closed, he faced me.
“You said you’re fine, but I’m not. What I did…it makes me hurt knowing that I hurt you. The blood and the look on your face, it’s something that will always be stuck in my mind.”
“You took my virginity.” I gave him a small smile. “There was bound to be blood, Stephen.”
He shook his head as he walked toward me. Sitting back on the couch so he was half facing me, he grabbed my hands.
“I could’ve hurt you so badly with my piercing, Alia. The blood wasn’t just from me breaking your hymen; it was from my piercing as well.”
“We can’t have sex with your piercing on?” I asked him, feeling slightly shocked.
“We can.” Stephen chuckled. “But not for your first time. It’ll hurt more.”
“Oh.”
Giving me a small smile, he pulled me off the couch as he stood. I followed him silently up the stairs and into my bedroom. Stephen cupped my cheeks and pressed a kiss against my lips.
“I’m going to take a shower and then I’ll sneak into your bed.”
Chapter Nineteen
I woke up alone in bed. It was a surprise that I managed to sleep the whole night through without any nightmares. True to his word, Stephen had snuck into my bed as soon as everyone fell asleep. Rolling onto my back, I stretched my body and then relaxed back into the soft mattress. The sun was just starting to rise. I sat up to listen if everyone else was moving around.
I heard the distinctive sound of something banging against the wall followed by moans. My cheeks heated as I rushed around the room to get dressed. Opening my door slightly, I peeked up and down the hall. The sound was coming from the bedroom right down the hall. I stepped out into the hall and pulled my bedroom door closed behind me.
“Ah, fuck!”
The exclamation made me stumble slightly. With heated cheeks, I raced down the stairs and straight to the kitchen. As my hand closed around one of the cups, the banging started up again. I instantly pulled back and decided to go for a walk on the beach instead. The wind was a little stronger than it was yesterday. It whipped my hair around my face. I stared at the big waves rolling up and crashing into white foam on the sand. Sucking in a deep breath, I allowed my head to drop back with my eyes fluttering closed.
What would it feel like to wake up to this every morning? My eyes snapped open as two strong arms wrapped around my waist from behind. I glanced over my shoulder. Stephen’s eyes caught mine only briefly before his lips smashed onto mine. I tried to turn around, but he kept me in place. Once of his hands trailed up over my stomach, between my breasts, and then settled on my neck. He guided my head back to deepen the kiss. He tasted like coffee. I moaned, raising my hands to wrap them around his neck. His arm tightened around my waist. I could feel his arousal growing against my ass. Breaking the kiss, his lips trailed down my neck to my collarbone. His teeth sank into my skin slightly.
“Morning, baby,” he said huskily. “Did you sleep well?”
“Mm,” I hummed as I turned around in his arms. “I slept great.”
“I thought you’d be asleep for a couple of more hours.”
My eyes dropped to his chest. He was only wearing a pair of black shorts. His chest was on full display and glistering with sweat.
“I would’ve, but…uuuh…Sebastian and Trina are being pretty loud.”
He chuckled. “This is nothing, baby. You should’ve heard them the last time we went camping.”
A giggle fell from my lips, but it died down when my eyes locked with his. They were filled with heat, which made my body respond in return. I could feel my panties dampening. The last time he looked at me like that, he had fingered me until I begged him to stop.
“Everyone else still asleep?” he whispered against my lips.
I nodded. His hands gripped my ass to pull me flush against him. I parted my lips to allow his tongue entrance. Stephen’s hands trailed down the back of my thighs. He groaned as he lifted me and guided my legs around his waist. I didn’t care that anyone could see us; I wanted him so badly. My hips grinded against his as he started walking. I was briefly aware of us entering the house and moving toward the stairs. He paused only to push me against the wall. His hands on my ass squeezed tightly before moving up and then beneath the material of my shorts. His hips were following the movement of mine, making a moan slip into his mouth.
My stomach tightened as that familiar pull started from within me. I pulled my lips from his to throw my head back against the wall. Stephen kissed down my neck to my collarbone then up again.
“Do we have to wait?” I breathed.
He groaned, pulling back to look at me. “Yes, we have to wait.”
He leaned down. I thought he was going to bury his face in my neck again, but he didn’t. Stephen bit my nipple. The action was unexpected and the pain made me crash over the edge. His free hand slipped over my mouth to silence my cry. Stephen pressed his face against my neck as his body shuddered against mine.
“My birthday better come soon.”
“Ditto, baby.”
***
Stephen didn’t touch me again after that morning. He kept his distance from me in a way that made me think that I might’ve done something wrong. Sometimes he would give me a peck on the cheek before pulling away again. He didn’t even sneak into my bed anymore! As the week passed, we got into an easy routine. We would take turns cooking and cleaning up. If we weren’t on the beach, we would stay inside to watch a movie or play some board games Sebastian found.
I was having fun even if Stephen was acting weird. The nightmares seemed to have disappeared, and the only thing keeping me up at night was Trina and Sebastian. As my birthday neared, the excitement became uncontrollable. I was looking forward to having sex with Stephen. The anticipation made me horny.
Two days before my birthday, I decided to use the hair removal cream. Let’s just say the feeling was alien.
Things were going absolutely great until Kate decided it would be a good idea to go clubbing. We were just finishing breakfast when she brought it up.
“Come on, it’ll be fun!” she exclaimed. “Tomorrow is Alia’s birthday. It’s the perfect time to go clubbing to celebrate.”
“Alia and I already have plans for tomorrow,” Stephen spoke up.
My eyes snapped to him in surprise. He didn’t mention anything about plans for my birthday. I just figured we’d spend the day with them and head to my bedroom when the day was over.
“What plans?”
Stephen glanced at me. “It’s a surprise,” he muttered, giving me a wink.
“So we go tonight,” Kate said.
My smile dropped as I turned to frown at her. “What about your son?”
“I can get a babysitter.”
“You want to bring a stranger into this house to look after your son?” Nathan questioned her. “Don’t be fucking stupid, Kate.”
“I’m not fucking stupid!” She pushed the chair back as she stood. “Excuse me fo
r wanting to celebrate my best friend’s birthday!”
I watched silently as she stormed off. Celebrating my birthday had never bothered her this much. All we ever did was go to the movies and then our favorite restaurant. Was she pissed because she knew we’d be having sex? Not even a second later, she stormed back into the kitchen.
“If we can’t go out, then we’ll celebrate at home, and since you’re”—she pointed between Stephen and me—“going out tomorrow, we’re doing this tonight.”
I blinked at her. My mouth opened, but before I could say anything, she stormed off again. Shaking my head, I glanced around at them. Stephen had his lips pursed as he stared down at the table. Nathan looked beyond pissed—I totally understood why he was.
“Thank you for breakfast. It was delicious.”
Kate was in her room searching through her clothes. She stormed into the bathroom and slammed the door shut behind her. Shaking my head, I took a seat on the edge of the bed. The shower turned on, making me groan. Her morning showers took at least an hour—it did since we got here.
Talking to her was going to have to wait until later.
Chapter Twenty
I hadn’t tried the water since we got here, so I decided to go change into my bikini—the one Stephen got me. Pulling a simple white dress over my head, I grabbed a towel and then headed downstairs. I ignored the guys in the living room and walked straight out. Throwing my towel open on the sand, I glanced around before pulling the dress over my head. Dropping it next to the towel, I walked toward the ocean.
The cold water lapped against my ankles, making me shiver. It was cold but refreshing. I walked deeper into the water. Once it reached my hips, I sucked in a breath and then dove into the water. The cool water felt amazing against my heated skin. When I resurfaced, I turned to float on my back. It was peaceful—just like my mind. I realized I was drifting farther away from shore, so I decided to go back. I dove back under the water and swam in the direction I came from.