by Kim Linwood
I want to scream, but that would only bring Mom here running. Instead I clench my hands into tight fists. My nails dig into my palms, but the pain gives me something to focus on. Instead of the big, stupid, annoying, bratty, incredibly handsome guy behind me.
I get to the top, open the door to the right for him and gesture inside. “The master bath. Would there be anything else?” I tell him acidly.
“Well... there is one thing—”
“Don’t even try it. Do you really want me anywhere near your vulnerable body parts right now? Really? What if I slip and bite it off?”
“I was just going to ask which towel I should use, but thanks for the warning.” He backs into the bathroom, grinning as I let out a growl. “Thanks, Sis.” With a laugh, he shuts the door.
Arrgh! I stomp back downstairs, then pause to give myself a minute to relax my features. With my happy daughter mask back on, I return to the dinner table. Mom throws me a thankful glance, but I’m sure I’ll hear about the wine glass later. Gavin returns after a couple of minutes, looking drier, but still with big burgundy stains on his shirt and pants. He winks at me and sits as if nothing ever happened.
When dinner’s over, I offer to clear the table, just to keep out of the way. Of course that ass does the same. It makes Mom smile. “That’s very nice of you kids. I’ll take this wonderful wine Herbert brought and we’ll have glasses ready for you in the living room when you’re done. I’ve even got some of that sparkling grape juice you like, Angela.” Then she and my future stepdad glide out of the dining room, arm in arm. And here I thought being eighteen meant being an adult.
Gavin looks at me. “So...” He draws it out. “How about your mom’s bed? If we’re quick, she’ll never know.” He pats me on the ass.
Oh, for—
I’m only one poor decision away from picking up the sauce boat and flinging it at his head. “Not in my room, not in Mom’s bed, not ever. Got it?” I stick my tongue out at him again. “Prick.”
“Oh real mature there, Sis.” He rubs it in, putting pressure on the word to make sure I hear him.
I whirl on him, almost dropping the sauce boat and potatoes in the process. “I already told you, don’t you dare call me that. I’m not your fucking sis, and you’re not my freaking bro.” I’m done. There was a breaking point, and I hit it. “I’d rather you didn’t talk to me at all, to be honest.” With a snarl, I put him behind me and stride into the kitchen.
He shows up a moment or two later, balancing a scarily tall stack of plates, silverware and a couple of glasses. I rush over to grab the top ones. “Jesus, you don’t have to carry all of them at once. What if they’d fallen?”
“I would’ve paid for new ones?” He shrugs after putting the stuff down on the kitchen table.
Of course. Throw money at it. “Believe it or not, it’s not that easy. They haven’t made that set in ages. I wouldn't have to kill you. Mom would.”
“Alright, alright. Fuck. How was I supposed to know they were family heirlooms?”
They aren’t. They’re the set Mom and Dad bought when they were first married, but I’m not about to tell him that. I start putting stuff in the sink, figuring Mom and Herbert want some time alone. I can always wash some of the pieces that don't go in the dishwasher. Anything to keep busy.
“Thanks, you can leave now.”
I sense Gavin moving just a split second before his hands come down on either side of me and grip the edge of the sink. He moves close, until his front’s pressing against my back.
“I could do you over the sink. They’re snuggled up in the living room. They’ll never know.” His breath is hot against my ear, and his bulge presses into the small of my back.
“Are you deaf? What part of ‘I don’t want anything to do with you’ and leave didn’t you understand?” I whirl around, but it only presses my breasts into him instead, and that doesn't help. It’s hard to think when he’s so close. He didn’t button his shirt all the way up after trying to clean off the wine stains, and I can see a bit of ink peeking out. The image of his naked chest is burned into my brain even though I wish I could scrub it out.
“I heard your words.” He leans in like he’s going to kiss me. My breath speeds up and my heart starts pounding. Even if my mind thinks he’s despicable, my body knows differently. He stops short of my mouth. “I just don’t think you meant them. Admit you want me. Just a little?” His teasing voice both excites and infuriates me.
I’m just about to say something when his hand comes to my hip, sliding slowly up along my waist, the heat of him almost unbearable. For a second I close my eyes, distracted by his touch, before I force them back open. I check the doorway, expecting Mom and my stepfather-to-be staring at us in shock. There’s no one there, but even just the thought gets me moving. I dodge to the side to get away from his touch, clutching the kitchen counter behind me. “Leave me alone. I should never have gone with you in the first place, and it sure as hell didn’t become any more appropriate now.”
“Fine, suit yourself.” He shrugs, opens the cabinet under the sink and finds the garbage can. Beginning to clear the plates into it, he glances up at me. “I’ll rinse, and you can load the dishwasher.”
I blink, caught off guard by his change of gears. He’s already rinsing and looks at me, daring me to make a scene about nothing. When I come closer, it’s cautiously, like a skittish animal approaching a wolf. “Alright.” I open the dishwasher without taking my eyes off him. “But no funny stuff. I mean it.”
“Of course.” He smirks, making me want to wipe it right off him. “Here.” He hands me the first rinsed plate. I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop, but it’s not long before we’re done, and I’m almost convinced we’re past it. I close the dishwasher and turn towards the living room.
I’m just about there, when he whips a towel and catches me right on the ass. “Good work, Sis.”
Of course he gets me just as I’m entering the living room, so all I can do is hiss out of the corner of my mouth, “I’m not your sis.” He laughs and pats me on the shoulder like we’re buddies and I just said something funny.
“Oh, there you guys are.” Mom and Herbert turn towards us. “We were wondering if we were going to have to come in and get you.” Mom’s smiling, like she’s happy to see us getting along. I can’t screw this up for her.
I shrug. “Oh, you know, we’re just talking.”
Mom’s gentle smile turns into a mischievous grin. “Better not be any hanky panky. You’re going to be siblings, you know.”
They laugh it up while I just want to crawl into a hole and hide. My face is blushing so hot it must be glowing. This is one of the worst days ever. Second only to The Incident. What do those two things have in common? Oh right, Gavin.
The devil speaks up. “I wouldn’t think of it, ma’am. I’ll be on my best behavior.” His arrogant smirk smooths right into a sweet smile that’s like he specially designed it to melt the hearts of girlfriends’ mothers. Maybe he did. He probably practices it in front of the mirror every morning.
“Oh, Gavin. Call me Marie.” Of course the smile’s working.
“Of course, Marie. Thank you.”
Aaarrgh!
Herbert clears his throat. “I’d like your attention for a moment.” He smoothly pulls two envelopes out of the inner pocket of his blazer. “As you all know, I asked for Marie’s hand in marriage yesterday, and I think it’s a cause for celebration.”
I hold my breath. This sounds big.
“Marie, I’ve gotten us tickets on the Golden Emperor of the Seas, the most exclusive cruise ship in the world. Two weeks in the utmost of luxury. What do you say? A little celebration, and maybe a surprise or two.”
Holy crap, that sounds expensive. I glance at Gavin, finding his face surprisingly hard, his narrowed eyes glaring at Mom. What’s that all about?
“Herbie.” Mom’s eyes are glistening, filling up with tears. “I—I wish you’d asked me first.”
“Why? Wha
t’s wrong?” Herbert’s eyes narrow, and I see the family resemblance.
“I—Oh, God, this is embarrassing—I get seasick. Violently. I can barely look at a boat without throwing up. The idea of spending a couple of weeks on one terrifies me.” She watches Herbert’s face closely as it stiffens. “I’m—I’m sorry.”
He blinks, and then slowly, his lips curl upwards. He breaks into loud laughter, throwing the tickets onto the table. “Go figure.” He smiles at her, and for a moment I’m jealous of my own mother, because I want someone to look at me like that. “Nothing to be sorry about, darling. We’ll just find something else. You’re right. I should’ve asked first.” He looks a bit embarrassed.
“Well, I didn’t make dessert, but I did buy some cookies. Let me go get them.” Mom gets up, straightening her skirt.
Herbert is up just as quickly. “I’ll join you, and get rid of these.” His eyes sparkle with mischief as he picks up the cruise tickets. They head to the kitchen together, Mom walking with a wiggle I don’t think I’ve seen her use in my whole life. With Herbert walking behind her, I suppose I know why, though. He casually drops the tickets into the recycling bin as he passes by.
He’s going to throw them out? Just like that? Must be nice to be a freaking billionaire. I take a moment to imagine myself on a cruise ship, soaking up sun, drinking sangrias. And not sparkling grape juice. “I think I’ll get some water.”
Gavin grabs my wrist. “I wouldn’t, unless you want to catch your mom making out.”
I blink, a number of terrifying images flashing before my eyes. Making out? Oh God. I sit back down, glancing over at him to see if he’s serious. He shrugs. Alright, I suppose I can wait.
“Gotta piss.” Gavin gets up.
Yuck! “Thanks for sharing.” Some guys can’t do anything without narrating it.
“There’s a bathroom downstairs, right? Where is it, Sis?”
I sigh deeply, making sure he realizes just how annoying he is. “Down the hall, second door on the left. And I’m not your sis.”
“Thanks, Sis.”
Arrrgh!
Laughing and flirting, Mom and Herbert return with the cookies. They sit down together on the love seat, and talk like I’m not even there. Who’d ever thought Mom would make me feel like the third wheel? Oh, whatever. At least the kitchen should be safe now. They don’t even notice me leave.
I pour a glass of what’s left of the wine from dinner, then turn and lean against the counter while drinking it. Today’s been ridiculous. I need to get away a while, at least if Gavin’s going to be hanging around. I so can’t deal with him on a regular basis.
That’s when I spot them, lying on top of the recycling. Two crisp, shiny tickets, about to go to waste. Snagging them quickly, I examine closer. The ship leaves tomorrow night and comes back about two weeks later. All inclusive. Exclusive cruise. A top floor suite. My mind starts to whirr.
Herbert’s already forgotten about the tickets, of course. I knew he was money, but I still can’t believe how he’ll just throw away something that most people would think of as the vacation of a lifetime. We’re not exactly poor, but we’ve always had to save for everything. Meanwhile, he’s on another planet where money doesn’t matter.
I guess if they get married, we’ll be like that too, but it feels like cheating, somehow. Not that I’m going to med school for the money, but I always considered a high income one of the perks. Well, I’m not going to mooch off him either way. I’ll make my own freaking money. I’ve got my self-respect.
What I don’t have though, is a summer job. There’s nothing tying me down, and Paul’s not working either. Wonder what he’d say to a fancy cruise. Since the whole Gavin thing, I’ve been kind of avoiding him and I can tell it’s pissing him off. Having our first time onboard a luxury cruise has got to be make up for something, right?
So maybe I’ll mooch just a little.
Palming the tickets, I get up and rush to my room to call him, already digging my cell out of my pocket. We’re going on a cruise!
Chapter 5: Gavin
Fuck, I’ve had to piss since I got here. I knew I forgot something when I was getting the wine stains out. This politeness shit grates on my nerves, but while Dad tolerates me—under doubt—most of the time, he’d cut me off completely if I did anything to fuck up family night with his fiancée. I don’t know what he’s expecting me to do, but he’s been so damn uptight about tonight that I’m tempted to go out there and be the asshole he apparently thinks I am.
I take my time, in no rush to get back to the lovebirds. Or Angie. Fucking Angie. Like I needed another reason to think about her, when it’s all I’ve been doing for the past three weeks. Why? No idea.
Maybe because she’s the first girl to turn me down, leaving me blue-balled and alone. Usually I’m the one that’s doing the running, but she left me high and dry. Didn’t even look back. She’s drop-dead fucking gorgeous, of course, but so are most of the girls I fuck. Or fucked. After that night, my heart hasn’t been in it. Three weeks is the longest I’ve gone in years. What’s so fucking magical about her pussy?
Other than the fact that I haven’t been in it.
Is it really that simple? I just want what I can’t have? That would be nice, because I know the cure, and it’s between her legs. But the whole stepsister thing? That was a surprise and a fucking half. I’m supposed to stop noticing how hot she is just because our parents are screwing? No way. Just gets me harder. There’s something seriously hot about the idea of bending my brand new stepsister over her bed and fucking her silly. Hell, if our parents are downstairs, that’s just bonus.
Alright, gotta think of something else, or I’ll be fucking standing here all night, waiting for my hardon to ease up. There’s always my hand, I guess, but after three weeks, my hand and me are really getting to know each other way too well. At least we’re thinking about the same girl.
It’s tempting, but no way. I’m not going to jerk off in their ratty old bathroom like a loser. Maybe I’ll go out after this and get laid. Find someone, fuck them and move the hell on.
I tuck myself in, zip up, wash up, and head back to the living room.
Where no one is. Great. I don’t even want to know what Dad and my newest in a long line of stepmoms are up to in the kitchen. Let her dig for her gold. Angie was the only entertaining thing here. Where’d she go? Sitting around alone sounds boring as fuck.
I hear her voice, faintly. Following it, I head up their carpeted stairs. Maybe she’s in her room. Right away, my thoughts fill with all the dirty, filthy things I’d like to do to her there. I’m imagining it all little girl still, with pink wallpaper and horse pictures on the walls. My pants feel tighter as I react to the thought of her on her hands and knees on her bed, her perfect naked ass facing me. Jesus, this girl’s gonna kill me and she doesn’t even realize it. I really need to get laid.
At the top of the stairs, I pause, listening to her sexy voice coming clearly through a partially open door. She’s on the phone, it sounds like. I probably shouldn’t be listening, but she sounds excited and I’m curious. Is she talking about me?
“No, I’m serious, Paul. A cruise, a real live luxury cruise. All paid for. I’ve already got the tickets. Just pack and meet me down at the pier tomorrow at eight. Yeah, PM. Everything’s covered.” Her voice is excited, but who’s she talking to? Paul? Friend? Boyfriend? Also, it’s hilarious that she grabbed the tickets. It’s difficult not to laugh out loud. She’s got more balls than I’ve given her credit for. Love it.
“Alright. Awesome.” Something comes into her voice, like a really sexy promise. “You totally don’t want to miss out on this trip. I think I’m ready.” She waits, listening. “Yeah, that’s exactly what I mean, and you don’t want to miss out on that, do you? I promise I’ll make up for how I’ve been acting the past couple weeks.”
I probably wouldn’t have a clue what she was talking about if we hadn’t had that episode at the club. I have a really good idea what’
s caused her trouble with Paul and it’s good to know I’m not the only one hung up on that night. Fuck that noise. I gotta find out who this Paul guy is and put him off this shit. Forget finding some random girl to fuck Angie out of my system. Now it’s a competition, and I don’t lose.
I get distracted, and suddenly I’m face to face with her as she comes out her door. Shit. “Hey.”
Her tone is colder than a goddamn snowman. “What the hell are you doing up here?” She glances down the stairs, probably to make sure no one else hears. “I’m not going to fuck you, Gavin. Not now, not ever.”
“What? You’re probably a shitty lay anyway. I’d just be doing you a favor.” I don’t even mean to insult her, but she gets this look and crap comes out my mouth before I can stop it. Pisses me off too, because suave is what I do best.
Fucking hell, I never imagined she could look that angry. She blanches and her eyes turn into slits. I’m half expecting to see smoke coming out of those cute little ears. She lifts her finger and pushes it right into my chest. “You’re a fucking asshole.” It sounds so sexy when she says it. “I’m going to do my best to tolerate you, since it sounds like our parents are getting hitched, but I swear, if you don’t stop following me around, I’ll get a freaking restraining order, regardless of what our parents think. Clear?”
I back off. We both know she wants me, but I’m not stupid enough to push again tonight. “Clear as crystal. I’m sorry.”
“What?” She actually looks confused for a second.
“I said I’m sorry. I was out of line.” See? I can do polite.
Confusion turns to suspicion. “Since when do you apologize?”
“It happens. Don’t get too used to it.” Why does everyone assume the worst of me?
She sighs. “Alright. Fine. Thanks. Can we go back downstairs now?”
“Sure.” I let her go first, if only so I can watch her ass swing on the way down. “So who’s Paul?”
She stops, but doesn’t turn. “Seriously? You’re listening in on my phone calls?”