by Anna Hard
“And who is this?” Dugard asked.
“This is Jessa. My girlfriend.”
Dugard’s eyes popped open as wide as Jessa’s. But she recovered quickly with a blushing grin.
“Girlfriend?” Dugard laughed. “Don’t hear that word coming out of Beck Grady’s mouth too often.” He shook Jessa’s hand. “Mike Dugard, I’m Beck’s manager.”
I hopped off the table. “You’ll have to follow me to the showers.” I pointed to Dugard. “You, I mean, although I’d much rather have her follow me. Jessa is waiting to drive me home, so to save time, you can scold me while I shower.”
Chapter 23
Jessa
Beck walked out with his wet hair combed back and a tight black t-shirt and jeans. A tiny, involuntary sound came up from my chest at the sight of him. He looked every bit the invincible fighter I’d watched in the octagon, but at the same time, he looked like the incredibly handsome, green eyed man who had completely stolen my heart.
He picked up the orange sports drink that his manager had left for him in the locker room. He watched me with that steely green gaze as he opened the cap. Briefly, I smiled thinking that a life with Beck meant never having to struggle with a pickle jar again.
“What that’s grin about, Ducky?”
I shook my head. I was feeling shy and unsure around him. The last twenty-four hours had seemed tenuous, as if all this could just slip away again. He drank half the orange drink with one lift of the bottle. Everything about him, even the way his throat moved as he swallowed, stirred me physically, emotionally.
He sighed as he lowered the bottle and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. Most of the swelling had been replaced by light purple bruises. His bottom lip was still bigger than normal.
“Dugard has everything locked, so we’ve got to go out the side exit.” He finished the drink and took my hand to lead me out of the locker room. The only lighting came from a thin row of lights along the floor like the tiny lights that illuminated the stairs in a dark theater.
The stadium and octagons looked scary bathed in dark shadows. “It’s so much bigger when it’s not filled with people,” I said.
“Yeah, it was bursting at the seams tonight.” Instead of heading to the exit, he walked me up several flights of seating. We sat down on a bench. “Still can’t believe you guys drove up here.”
“It was Cody’s idea. I think it was cool of him to take in interest in watching you.” I looked at him. “He’s trying really hard to get you to like him.”
“Yeah.” He rested his arms on his thighs and crossed his fingers. “I need to try harder too. For Hailey’s sake. I want her to be happy.” He looked over at me. “I want us to be happy too. My head’s been fucking spinning all weekend. I knew that was the way it would be with you, Jessa. I’ve felt that way about you since we were teenagers.”
“I feel the same way.”
He looked down at his hands for a long time before speaking again. “I hesitated,” he finally said. “That day on the cove, I’d gotten you safely on the boat, and I turned back around to find Jake. But I hesitated. It was only a fucking few seconds, but those few seconds have been eating me up inside.”
I could hear the anguish in his tone and see the despair in his face, but it didn’t make sense to me. “The waves were violent. Anyone would have hesitated.”
He shook his head. “I’m not convinced it was fear. I was pissed as hell at the both of you. He knew how I felt about you, and you—” He finally looked at me. “You were driving me fucking nuts and taking a lot of pleasure in it.”
“I was sixteen with a wild, insatiable crush on my stepbrother, a boy, who I was never supposed to fall for. I was so confused.” I reached up and tucked his dark hair behind his ear before lightly grazing the bruises on his face. His eyes drifted briefly shut at the feel of my touch, and it only made my heart ache for him more. “Making you jealous was the only thing that made me feel as if I’d made a connection with you. Except for those fleeting moments when you would let your guard down, you were cold and harsh to me. You ignored me, and it felt as if all the breath had been sucked from my lungs. I just wanted you to notice me.”
“Shit, notice you? I couldn’t stop thinking about you. But you were the double no-no. Sixteen and, technically, a stepsister. I was fucking out of my mind with it.”
“I still don’t understand why you never told me that you pulled me from the water.”
“I was dealing with a lot of guilt.” He got up and took my hand, leading me down the steps. He opened up the panel on the octagon, and we stepped inside.
I walked around it and ran my fingers along the thick plastic roping on the side panels. “I still don’t understand.”
He took hold of my free hand. “Those few seconds that it took me to go back into the water for Jake—” He swallowed hard. “We had a big fucking fight before he took you out there. I was pissed at him for paying so much attention to you. I was so fucking jealous.” He shook his head.
It was becoming clearer. “You’ve convinced yourself he died because you were pissed at him. You hesitated because you were mad at him.”
He didn’t respond, but the profound look on his face told me I was right.
“A few seconds wouldn’t have mattered, Beck. Jake slipped overboard a good five minutes before I lost my grip. By the time I landed in the water, he was gone. His shoe floated past me, but I never saw him again. And anyone would have hesitated before jumping into those waves.”
Beck was quiet. He stared down at the padded flooring beneath our feet. “When I fired up the little fishing boat, I could still see both of you on deck. I thought you’d gone over together. When I got to the sailboat, you were both overboard. I saw you just below the surface. I was sure Jake had to be nearby.”
I shook my head. “The current had taken him long before I went under. You had just as much chance of drowning as both of us. What you did was beyond brave. Not one in a thousand people would climb into a small boat and head into a storm surge like that. You went in after your best friend, but he was already gone. That hesitation didn’t mean a damn thing. In the end, you risked your life to save him. It was just too late.” I took his hand and kissed his swollen knuckles. “Thank you for saving me.” I put his hand on my waist, and I hopped up on my toes to kiss him.
His arms snaked around me and we kissed, firing up a smoldering need that had to be dealt with way before we could take a long drive together.
I pulled my mouth from his and cast him a slightly wicked grin. I sashayed in my flirty dress over to the cage and grabbed hold of it with my fingers. I looked back at him over my shoulder. “Hey, extremely hot fighter boyfriend, ever fuck anyone in an octagon?”
“Shit,” he growled and came at me with such speed a small cry squeaked from my mouth. He snaked one hand up my dress and beneath my bra, while the other took care of removing my panties.
He leaned his mouth next to my ear. “Hey, extremely hot and especially fuckable girlfriend, ever been spanked in an MMA cage?”
I held my breath in excited anticipation of the stinging slap. He delivered it, leaving a nice pink sting on my ass.
“You like that, my little cock tease, don’t you?” He spanked me again, and my pussy ached with wanting him. I heard his zipper open, and I shuddered thinking that he’d soon relieve the pulsing need between my legs.
He wrapped his arm around me and pushed his hard body next to mine. “Not that I mind the cock teasing thing one bit.” Without warning he pushed inside of me and my fingers tightened their grip on the cage as I cried out. His face was next to mine. “As long as it’s my cock you’re teasing.”
He leaned back and took hold of my hips, impaling himself deeper and reaching every sweet spot inside of me. He reached down to find my clit and, with little effort, brought me to a
raging orgasm. “Yes, Beck!” My scream echoed off the stadium walls as he continued to fuck me. His grip tightened and he groaned as he spilled his seed inside of me.
My fingers were stiff from holding the cage as I pulled them free.
He spun me around and rubbed his thumb across by bottom lip. “Best fucking time I’ve ever had in an octagon.” He wrapped his incredible arms around me and kissed me.
Chapter 24
Jessa
The house was bustling with people getting ready for the graduation party. Hailey’s dad had spared no expense for the occasion. We’d spent all morning getting her hair just right, only to realize that it would just get smashed under the graduation cap. I finally got to wear the sweet little confection of a dress I’d bought for the occasion. I walked out onto the veranda with Hailey for pictures.
Cody was in his suit and tie looking very handsome and very proud. He truly seemed to care for Hailey, and she seemed to love him. I was happy for her. Beck and I had talked about many things on the way home, including how we might break the news of our relationship to his family. We talked about how any of this would work. We lived about four hundred miles apart, too far for a commute, even by California standards. We’d never actually come up with any real plan. Then we woke to party preparations. I’d spent the rest of the morning with Hailey and hadn’t seen Beck at all.
“At least the weather is perfect for you graduation party,” I said. I pointed to the best spot on the veranda as I looked at the camera monitor. “Cody, put your arm around her and lean in.” I took a few shots. “Now, both of you sit against the wall.” I was positioning my camera for the perfect shot when I noticed Hailey’s face light up.
“Oh my god, who the hell are you and what did you do with Butthead?”
I turned around. Beck Grady could suck the oxygen out of any room just by stepping into it. Dressed in a suit and tie, he had the same impact outside in the wide open.
“You look better than a candy store,” I said.
He raised a brow. “Shit, maybe I should change.”
“No!” Hailey and I said simultaneously.
Hailey grabbed the camera. “Let me get a few pictures of you with Beck. You know, something to take with you to remember Butthead.”
I smiled slyly at Beck as I walked over to him. He reached his arm behind my back and stroked it lovingly as we plastered on smiles for Hailey’s souvenir pictures. She still hadn’t figured out that anything was happening between Beck and me. Which either meant that we were exceptionally stealthy in our little secret affair or that my dear stepsister, Hailey, wasn’t great at noticing small details. Not the best trait for a future lawyer.
Hailey’s dad came out onto the veranda. “Dad,” she said excitedly. “Get in a picture with Beck. I noticed when I was going through the old albums that there are hardly any pictures of you two together.”
Both men looked uneasy at the prospect of standing together in a photo, but they weren’t going to disappoint Hailey. They stood awkward and stiff next to each other, and Hailey, oblivious to their discomfort or possibly just ignoring it, snapped a round of photos.
Hailey handed me back the camera, and I took some family shots.
“We should get going,” Cody said.
“Wait,” Beck said. “Just one more picture of me and Jessa standing in front of the ocean.”
It seemed like a strange request, but Hailey grabbed back the camera. Beck took hold of my hand and walked me to the front of the veranda where the white sand and blue water became the backdrop. His dad and Cody looked on while Hailey positioned the camera. Then Beck pulled me into his arms and kissed me.
Suddenly, the only sounds were the ones coming off the beach. The kiss ended. With absolute terror, I turned to face them. Hailey blinked at us almost as if she was trying to figure out if she’d just seen the kiss. Beck’s dad had a much sterner and more composed expression.
“Dad, Hailey,” Beck spoke up. “I love Jessa. I’ve loved her from the first moment I met her, so deal with it.”
My face was hot with a blush. I couldn’t look Hailey in the eye.
No one said anything at first. Cody sort of backed out of the way, figuring this was a family thing.
“Beck,” his dad was the first to speak, “you’ve made a lot of decisions that have disappointed me. But this isn’t one of them.” He smiled and walked inside.
It took me a second to comprehend what he’d said.
I looked at Beck. His shock mirrored mine. A huge weight had been lifted, but Hailey had still not said a word.
I finally worked up the courage to look at her. She took a deep breath and walked over to hand the camera to Cody. My chest felt heavy. She was hurt. Hailey turned to me, and I waited for tears. Instead, she shrieked and raised her arms as she ran toward me. “Now we’ll really be sisters!”
We hugged and jumped around in a circle. Tears filled my eyes. The two biggest hurdles had been cleared.
Chapter 25
Beck
It had been a long day and most of the party guests were still lingering. I’d been watching Jessa flit around in her hot dress all night. We hadn’t had much time to talk to each other. My patience had finally slipped away completely. She was just taking a tray of empty glasses into the kitchen as I snuck in behind her. She was lowering the glasses to the counter as I kissed her shoulder. The fragile glasses clinkered together.
“Almost dropped the tray.” She turned around. I placed a hand on each side of her, trapping her between me and the counter.
“I was thinking you should grab a sweater, and we should take a walk on the beach.” I pressed up against her. “Not many people know this, but lifeguard tower number twenty has a door lock that can easily be opened with a credit card.”
She smiled. “And you know this because . . .”
“Because I’m the one who broke the lock so that it could be opened with a credit card.”
“Of course you did.”
“There is a surprising amount of space in one of those towers. Far more than the backseat of a car. And before you ask, you’ll just have to trust me on that.”
She reached forward and smoothed her hand down the front of my shirt. “Did I mention that Beck Grady in a suit is about the most erotic thing I have ever seen?”
“I know. I’ve got a full-length mirror in my room.”
She laughed and slapped my chest.
“So, about the walk?”
“I’ll get my sweater.”
I waited for her on the sand. She came hurrying out of the side door, pulling her sweater on over her arms. And as I watched her, I knew I was making the right decision.
We walked hand in hand along the sand. The water rippled under the moonlight, and the breeze carried in a salty tang. Talking to her about the accident had been just what I’d needed. For years, Hailey had tried to talk me into bringing it up to Jessa, but I’d avoided the topic. It had been such a source of pain, I never wanted to talk about it. But everything Jessa said had helped alleviate some of that pain, that doubt.
We walked along toward the lifeguard towers. Jessa pushed her hair back and lifted her face to the mist coming in off the water.
I stopped and she looked at me.
I stepped around in front of her. “Jessa, now that I have you, I can never think of being without you. For seven years there has been this empty hole in my heart, and you’re the only person who fits there. It has to be you.” I dropped down to one knee.
Her hand flew to her mouth.
I took hold of her hand and pulled out the velvet box. “Jessa, will you marry me?”
Her shoulders shook with a cry. Her hand still covered her mouth as she nodded. “I will, Beck.”
I put the ring on her finger. Tears streamed down her cheeks. I
got up to my feet and took her in my arms. “Seven years was a hell of a long time,” I said.
She wrapped her arms around my neck. “But totally worth the wait.”
I pressed my mouth over hers and we kissed as the water from the cove lapped at the shore.
The End
Stepbrother
playboy
Anna Hart
Chapter 1
Tommy
My phone rang as I stepped off the elevator. “Hey, Max.” I pressed my thumb on the security pad. The outer doors to the penthouse opened.
“You home yet, Hawke?” Max asked.
“I will be in about five long steps.”
Max laughed. “Ah yes, the old Maxster’s timing is perfect again. Wait, don’t open your front door yet.”
I stopped just short of punching in the code. “Had a shitty day, Max. Lost a big real estate deal to Flemmings. Not in the mood.”
“Well, then I’m about to help you turn this crappy day around. Tomorrow, my best buddy, Tommy Hawkson, aka Hawke, turns twenty-seven.”
“I already know this, Max.”
“Open the door now. I dropped off your birthday gift an hour ago.”
I tapped in the code, and the door opened. Two beautiful women with nearly identical faces and smoking hot bodies were standing in the center of my living room. One was dressed in a pink colored see-through teddie, and the other wore the same transparent lingerie in lavender.
“Boom!” Max said. “Happy birthday, bro. The twin beauties flouncing around in their tiny, colorful nighties call themselves Rose and Violet. It takes three months to get a date night with one of them. For both, I had to do a lot of negotiating. “
The one in lavender, Violet, I assumed, held up a fuzzy pair of handcuffs.