by Lindsey Hart
“So, are you coming?”
“Yeah,” Markus said slowly. The joy on his dad’s face was heartbreaking.
“You’re sure?”
“Yes, yes, I’m sure. I’m doing this for you though, not to get to know Sarah or Leanne better. If we don’t have that expectation, then it will be fine.”
“Right.” His dad looked disappointed regardless, but he smiled a moment later. “I’m glad. It’s good to have you home son.”
“It’s good to be here,” Markus answered automatically, but he didn’t fully mean it.
CHAPTER 5
Leanne
The whole surprise remote camping trip that her mom sprung on her sounded like a dream. Until she found out that of course, Markus was coming along. Her dream turned into a nightmare real fast. The worst part of it all was that she had to smile and nod and pretend she was happy about it.
She and her mom rode to the cabin, a few hours’ drive, in their own car. It was nice, it just being the two of them.
The remote cabin in the quaint, peaceful setting, was so pretty that as Leanne got out of the car, she almost forgot all about the reasons she didn’t want to go in the first place. She forgot about Markus and how awkward and unpleasant he was probably going to make the trip.
“This is so pretty.” She turned to her mom in time to see a wide smile curl up her lips.
“It is. We came across it when we were honeymoon planning and I knew that we had to go. When we found out Markus was coming home early, we decided to make it a surprise for you guys so you could get to know each other.”
“I don’t know if that will happen, mom,” Leanne said cautiously. “We didn’t exactly hit it off at the party.”
“Oh, honey, don’t worry about that. Accidents happen.”
“He was so pissed.”
“I’m sure he’s forgotten all about it. It’s been a few days.”
I’m sure. Not. He’s probably going to use this trip to try and drop all sorts of gold-digging hints to his dad about my mom. If Markus acted up, there was no way she was going to let that happen. No one bad mouthed her mom and got away with it.
“I’ll get Charlie.” Leanne ducked into the back seat and produced the small dog’s kennel. The poor little dog was trembling. He hadn’t been on a car ride in a while. “Poor Charlie. He’s shaking.”
Sarah rushed over to the other side of the car. She undid the kennel while Leanne braced it and produced the dog. A quick hug and a few kisses fixed the trembles. As soon as Sarah put Charlie down, he was off, racing through the grass, yipping and yapping away.
“I think he approves,” Leanne laughed.
“I agree. Let’s go inside. It’s a beautiful day and I’m tired of being inside the car. The lake there looks beautiful and the beach is so cute. I say we go for a swim.”
“I’m in. I was dying on the way up here.”
“I just hate the feeling of having all that cold air blowing on me.”
“You could have turned it on for me and shut all the vents on your side.” Leanne smiled wryly. “Oh well, what’s done is done. The water will feel even better because I’ve just been boiled alive.”
“Oh stop! It wasn’t that bad!”
“Maybe for you.”
“Charlie seems to have survived.”
Leanne looked to where the little white fluffy dog was bounding through the grass. “Yeah, well… I survived. Survival wasn’t the issue. We were talking about comfort here.”
“You’ll be in a comfortable temperature in the lake, which I’m sure is probably still cold. It’s only just the beginning of July. I doubt it’s had a real chance to warm up.”
“It’s probably not bad given that it’s small.” Leanne looked off into the distance for a minute. “I guess let’s get unpacked and we’ll find out.”
It took them a good half hour to haul all their gear in from the car. Despite the fact that they were staying in a cabin, they sure had packed like they were really going to be roughing it.
Leanne was surprised to find a few sleeping bags stuffed into the back of the trunk. Her mom had done most of the packing, while she’d just thrown in her clothes the night before.
“Mom, why did you bring sleeping bags? There is bedding on all the beds!”
Sarah shrugged sheepishly. “It doesn’t hurt to be prepared. I wasn’t sure what would be here.”
“But the beds were made up in all the photos.”
“They could have decided not to.”
Leanne laughed softly. “Oh my god, mom, let’s go inside.”
They left the sleeping bags in the trunk and made their way back into the cabin. Leanne scooped up Charlie along the way. For an old dog, he was sure having a blast. He ran around like he was a pup again.
The cabin had four bedrooms. Three of which they were going to use. The last bedroom was really small anyway. Leanne watched her mom head down the hall towards what was obviously the master. It had a queen-sized bed while the others all had twins. She took the room as far away down the hall as she could get.
She shut the door, dumped her duffel on the floor, produced her phone from her pocket, plugged in the earbuds and started jamming away.
Holidays were for music and sunbathing and forgetting about your worries for a few hours. She was planning on doing just that. She’d also brought the earbuds so that she could sleep at night. She usually played music in her room, but she figured in the small cabin that would bother people. She wouldn’t have minded bugging Markus, since he well deserved it, but she had some thought to her mom and Carl. No, the earbuds were the best option. They would drown out any other noises…
It used to be weird for her to think of her mom with Carl. Like, really being with Carl. She’d had her mom to herself for nearly a quarter of a century. Her mom had always been her mom. It was so crazy at first, to think of her mom going out, having a relationship, doing all the things that being in a relationship entailed. After two years, Leanne had definitely grown used to the idea. Her mom wasn’t just her mom. She was a person with hopes and goals and dreams and feelings of her own. She’d manned up and accepted that her mom had needs too. Thankfully though, Sarah usually went over to Carl’s house. Being in the same cabin for a few weeks… it might get dicey.
The room had a twin sized bed, complete with brass headboard and footboard, a homemade patchwork quilt, and a small dresser. There was no mirror in the room and no artwork on the walls. Not that they needed it. The smooth stained logs were pretty charming all on their own.
As her playlist moved on and came up with something peppy, Leanne got to work. She danced around, losing herself in the music and in the task of putting her clothes into the dresser. She wasn’t sure the thing was actually supposed to be used, but hey… why not? Beat having everything all wrinkled up in her tiny duffel.
She was in a good mood by the time she’d finished that. She was at the lake, on vacation, away from the city, for the next two weeks. She was going to enjoy it. Nothing, not even Markus, was going to spoil it.
The cabin was closed in, hot and sticky. Leanne went to the window on the far wall and opened it. A nice breeze came through, but she still couldn’t wait to get into the lake. She found her bikini, threw it onto the bed and whipped off her clothes. She popped her earbuds back in and continued to dance around, far too carefree. Why not? Her mom wouldn’t come barging in on her? She hadn’t danced around naked since she was a kid. It felt good, having her sweaty clothes off, letting the breeze play over her skin. Lord, the car ride had been so damn hot and her mom, who was always freezing, wouldn’t even consider the AC. It’s not my fault that some things need to be aired out.
She was so engrossed in her music that she lost all track of time. She completely forgot her bikini, swimming, everything. It felt good to just let loose for a change.
A loud throat clearing brought everything to an abrupt halt. The noise was so loud that Leanne heard it right through her headphones and the blaring music. She r
ipped the earbuds out and whirled around.
To find Markus standing in the doorway.
White hot heat ripped through her body. Her face felt the worst and she knew she was red as a beet. She knew that was it. She was going to die on the spot, die of mortification.
Markus’ dark eyes swept over her body, perusing her naked goods. She wanted to cover herself, but she thought that would make it so much worse. I don’t have anything to be ashamed of. I’m not the one who is a peeping tom.
She stood her ground, aware that Markus’ eyes were on her the entire time. He didn’t look away. Which said a lot about him. Who stood there and ogled a naked woman? If it was her who accidentally ran in on someone, she’d turn the other way pretty damn fast and get out of there.
Not Markus. No, his gaze lingered on her, thankfully not lower than her waist, but annoyingly enough, right on her breasts. There wasn’t much to speak of there anyway, but she found, to her extreme annoyance, that the burn of shame cooking her from the inside out turned into a burn of something else.
It didn’t even make sense, given that she certainly did not like the guy. But then again, he was overly attractive, all virile, muscular, jacked, powerful… okay, get a grip here. He was all male. His eyes flicked up to hers a few seconds later. She could see the shock there, as though he’d just realized that he was being extremely rude and inappropriate.
He turned around without saying a word and walked quickly out the door. He shut it gently behind him, with hardly a sound.
“Fuck me,” Leanne muttered as she sunk down onto the edge of the bed. No. No, definitely do not fuck me. She winced at her own poor choice of words.
And the fact that before Markus turned and hightailed it out there, there had been a spark of something in his eyes. Something that was so far from disgust. No, if she wasn’t mistaken, and she probably was just flattering herself, it looked way more like a spark of desire.
CHAPTER 6
Markus
From the minute he’d set eyes on his future stepsister, she’d been a pain in the ass. She’d just about destroyed his manhood by spilling hot coffee all over him. Then earlier that afternoon, he’d walked in on her butt naked.
And what a fine butt she has.
Irritated beyond belief, Markus turned over in his bed. The mattress was hard, the pillow just had to be lumpy. He’d spent the better part of the rest of the day in his room. He claimed he had a headache, but really, he just couldn’t face Leanne after what he’d seen.
Fucking all of her. I saw every last bit of her.
She hadn’t run away or made to cover herself. She probably knew it was futile. He’d seen enough, every detail burned into his brain. For a girl who was so thin, she had some pretty good curves going on. Her breasts weren’t big, but they were sweet, probably just enough for a handful. She had perfect pink nipples, a flat stomach, gently rounded hips, and lord, he hadn’t meant to look at her there, but he hadn’t been able to stop himself. He made sure he hadn’t got a full on look at her, but he had seen enough to know that she shaved. Or waxed. Damn it.
Her ass, lord, her ass was glorious. Nice and round and firm and… he tried to cut his thoughts off as he turned over yet again. He knew he wasn’t going to get comfortable anytime soon just like he knew that sleep wasn’t going to find him.
He was tortured by thoughts of Leanne and her damn seductress body. How fucking wrong was that, considering soon they’d be related. Not really. Just by marriage. That doesn’t even count. She’d probably done it on purpose, danced around that room naked, knowing full well he wouldn’t know which room was which when he walked into the cabin for the first time. She probably planned it out, just like her mom had snagged his dad and sunk her claws in. They were both just as bad.
With a frustrated growl, Markus threw back the quilt and sheets. It was too hot to be under the blankets anyway. He got up and walked over to the window. Most of the rooms overlooked the lake since there was so much of it and the cabin was small. He stared out at the pristine blue surface. It looked black under the night sky. The stars shimmered overhead and the reflection of the moon, silver and nearly full, played off the water.
It actually looked inviting. He’d been looking forward to going for a swim until the whole Leanne thing happened. Then he really didn’t want to go for a swim. He couldn’t face her at the beach or anywhere else until the shame of staring at her wore off. He hadn’t honestly meant to do it. He just couldn’t help himself.
Curse her. Curse her and fuck it. He turned, picked his clothes off the floor and threw them on. He wasn’t going to lay there for the rest of the night. Maybe if he went for a swim it would cool him off. It would certainly turn his mind to other things besides the things he didn’t want to be thinking about.
Things being my future step sister’s headlights.
Yes. A swim. He definitely needed a swim.
Markus slipped out of his room. The cabin was totally dark and silent. It was the middle of the night, well past two in the morning. Everyone had gone to bed long before.
He crept silently to the door, opened it without a sound and slipped out, home free.
As he headed towards the lake, he looked up at the stars. It had been a long time since he’d seen them. Living in the city, he didn’t often get a chance to get a good look at them. It had honestly been even longer since he’d bothered to look.
The lake was as inviting up close as it had been from the window. It was even more beautiful without the pane of glass in the way. The moon shimmered off the waters, changing shape and size with the breeze, which was gentle. The night was still warm and close, early summer at its best. The waters were inky black and promised the chill of not having had quite enough warm days to warm past the surface.
Markus kicked off his shoes before he reached the beach. He walked through the sand, which was still warm from earlier in the day, but not scorching like it probably had been under the sun.
He glanced behind him once, but the cabin was still dark. Well, what the hell? Markus slid out of his jeans and stripped off his t-shirt. He could have left his boxers on, but he’d only brought so many and planned on sleeping in that pair at the very least. It wouldn’t help if they were soaked from the lake.
He’d never gone skinny dipping in his life. Never had the opportunity as a kid and probably wouldn’t have the chance as an adult. He might as well go for a quick swim. There wasn’t anyone around for miles and everyone else was sleeping.
After, he stood on the beach, debating with himself. He felt like the child who’d just been told not to do something and was going to do it anyway, despite the trouble he’d get in later.
He stepped forward to the water’s edge and dipped a toe in. Lord, it was cold. Freezing, actually. He wasn’t one of those people that normally liked to plunge right in, but hell, he was standing there on the beach naked. He wasn’t going to take the chance that someone would wake up in the cabin and see him out there.
The internal countdown started. He went from ten down to one, took a deep breath and dashed right into the water. It was cold and the shock of it hit him all over. He swam hard once the water got to his waist, submerging himself fully. After a minute, as he knew it would the shock of the cold faded and his body adjusted to the temperature of the water. He actually found it refreshing, after the stifling cabin and the heat of the day.
He swam hard, heading out into the middle of the lake. He floated there for a while, staring up at the magnificent sky overhead. So maybe dad was right about this place being pretty awesome. Even with everything that had already happened, he was pretty damn glad to be there. At least, he found it pleasant when he was alone. That was the caveat. He didn’t think he’d enjoy the swim so much if Leanne and even Sarah were out there with him.
When his limbs started to burn and ache, he knew it was time to head back. He swam on his back, aware that his lungs were on fire. He needed to give himself a break. Apparently, he hadn’t been swimming in waaay t
oo long. He was glad it was just a small lake and a windless night. At least it made cutting through the water on his back fairly easy.
Markus turned over when he sensed he was getting close. He looked up at the beach and froze. There, standing in the moonlight, a mocking grin splitting her face from ear to ear, holding up his boxers like a damn prize, was Leanne.
CHAPTER 7
Leanne
She’d seen enough to know two things. One, that she’d got Markus back for seeing her butt naked earlier. The second… lord, that he was really, really well endowed. Clearly, the whole coffee spillage thing hadn’t ruined his manhood.
When Markus finally stopped swimming around in the lake like a damn fish and noticed her, it was too late for him. By some random chance, she’d been awake when she heard footsteps trail past her door. She’d watched out her window and was rewarded with what should have been a comical display. It wasn’t funny. No, it was anything but. Actually, there was a butt involved. His butt. A very nice, muscular, well-formed butt. His legs, oh god, she remembered how she’d imagined they’d be amazing. She was right. They were thick, corded with muscle and ridged veins. When he stripped off his shirt, she’d burned right up on the spot. His chest was the stuff of- well- all those pictures she saw on the internet. There were whole hashtags to follow.
She could think of a few choice ones. #Markusisgoingtokillme #waytoohotforhisowngood #pleasedon’tletthatbemystepbrother.
Ridiculous. It was absurd what he did to her body. She didn’t appreciate the raw reaction she had to him. She couldn’t help the physical need she felt, something that bordered on craving. She’d never seen a man who was as fucking fantastically built as Markus. She’d certainly never been with one.
Hate him or not, the sight of that body on the beach, bathed in silver moonlight, kicked the craving into overdrive. Lord, he had the kind of body she could fantasize about. The fact that she knew she would, pissed her right off. She wanted to hate Markus. He wasn’t even nice. He was a real asshole. He didn’t deserve to look like a fucking statue. He should be as gross on the outside as he was on the inside.