Good Stepbrother (Love #2)

by Scarlett Jade

  The thrill of nearly being caught made me hot as hell. I was still very naked, only wearing panties I’d hastily jerked on. Before I could tell myself no, I kissed him. I’d longed to kiss him like that for years, and I let myself drown in all things Carter. “Touch me, Carter.”

  “I-I…”

  Grabbing his hands, I placed them on my chilled breasts. “Touch me.”

  God, he did. He played with my nipples until I could barely take it. I kissed his jaw and slid his hand down my flat belly to the edge of my lacy panties. “Right there,” I murmured against his neck. He trembled slightly as he parted my lips and he stilled. I guessed he’d never been with a woman. “It’s okay, I’ll show you.”

  Gripping his hand firmly, I showed him exactly how I wanted to come. “Carter, yes, God dammit,” I cried, and I came quickly. But I wasn’t done yet. Not by a long shot. We’d already come that far. Kneeling in front of him, I hastily unbuttoned his pants and pulled his stiff member out. Sliding my hand up and down his length, I took him in my mouth and licked circles around his head. His thighs quivered as I took in every inch and sucked him hard. He was close, painfully so, I could feel the vein under his dick throbbing with each stroke. Then he exploded in my mouth and I sucked him dry.

  “Shit!”

  I couldn’t believe what I’d just done to him behind a church, for Christ’s sakes! Before things got awkward, I tucked him inside his underwear and kissed his cheek. “Thanks. This didn’t happen, right, Carter?”

  “Right!” he squeaked.

  “Good.” Dressing quickly, I left him standing there, leaned against the back of the church. The whole walk home, I thought about turning around and taking him, really making love to him, not just a rushed blow job. I couldn’t do that to Carter, though. He deserved his first time to be with someone else. Someone better. Not me. Anyone but me.

  Chapter Eight

  My senior year should’ve been amazing. It wasn’t. It was all over the school that I had been with a drug dealer, and even my best friends shunned me. I thought too many times about just walking away from it all and going somewhere, anywhere, and starting all over. For some reason I stayed. Okay, it was two reasons. First, my Mom. She was miserable and they were no longer trying for a baby. Instead they fought all the time. The second reason was for Carter.

  Since that night behind the church, I’d thought a million and one times about making love to him. I wanted him. I wanted to protect him from me. I needed him. I needed to forget him.

  Everything culminated on December fourth of our senior year. One little fuck up and our lives changed forever.

  That day, I made Carter walk home in the cold alone. Mom needed me to take her in to work. Her car needed new tires, and my tires weren’t too bad yet. Snow had been steadily falling and the roads were slick as could be. I needed new brakes again; I had a bad habit of keeping my foot just on the edge of the brake pedal and I wore them down quickly.

  He walked along the sidewalk and I honked the horn. When he glanced up, I flipped him off. He returned the gesture and I laughed hard. My eyes closed for a split second and my hands wavered on the wheel.

  The wheels skidded on a patch of ice and Mom screamed. “Brielle, straighten the car out!”

  I slammed on the brakes and the car fishtailed. “What do I do?”

  “Shit! Shit!” Mom shrieked as we propelled off the edge of the road. She braced herself for the inevitable crash. Everything happened in seconds. The car slammed into the tree and the impact jarred my bones. Glancing over at Mom, my eyes went wide. A large cut stretched across her forehead and blood dripped down onto her shirt.

  “Mom?” I whispered, grabbing her shoulder and shaking it firmly.

  She didn’t answer me. “Carter!” I screamed.

  Within seconds he was there, dialing 911. “There’s been an accident on Broken Neck Lane. You can’t miss it. The car hit the tree. There are two people in the car. I’m here with them.”

  “I wasn’t careful,” I wailed.

  “Shh, it’s okay,” he tried to soothe me.

  “Mom’s not moving, Carter!” I shrieked.

  “Hold on, let me go check on her.” He ran around the back side of the car and tried to wrench open Mom’s door. He came back to my side of the car and tried to keep me calm. “Listen, the ambulance is on the way, do you hear the sirens?”

  “I wasn’t careful. I wasn’t careful,” I whispered in horror.

  “She’s going to be okay,” he promised me.

  I shook Mom again in panic. “Carter, she’s not moving!”

  “You have to stop trying to move her. Please. Let the paramedics get here.”

  “Call your dad,” I begged through my sobs. “Call him, tell him to get here.”

  “Okay.”

  The next few hours were a blur. Paramedics got Mom out of the car and sirens pierced the air as they drove away. I was next. My door was pried open and I was loaded onto a stretcher. “Miss, are you okay?” one man asked as he rolled me across the pavement to the waiting ambulance.

  “No,” I whispered, tears streaming down my face. Turning my head, I spotted Carter. I almost called to him. I needed him. Before I could open my mouth to cry his name, I was inside the ambulance and we were on the way to the hospital.

  “Tell us what happened,” a paramedic asked me as they took my pulse and temperature.

  “I skidded on the ice and hit the tree. Is my mom okay?”

  “Does anything hurt?” the man asked me, ignoring my question.

  “No,” I answered. Nothing physically hurt, not badly anyway. I just felt sore all over. My heart however, was shattered into a million pieces.

  I was poked and prodded the rest of the ride. Closing my eyes, I figured if I pretended I was asleep, I wouldn’t remember everything. Funny how taking away one sense tends to make everything else so much stronger. I heard every whispered thing about my mother, about me, and about the wreck.

  “She wasn’t wearing her seatbelt,” someone murmured, “We’re looking at massive bleeding on the brain.”

  “And Brielle?” a woman asked.

  “She was buckled in. She will be fine. Only bumps and bruises. She can go home.”

  “I’ll get her discharged and I’ll let the father know.”

  Opening my eyes, I whispered, “Stepfather.”

  The nurse came to the side of the bed and looked down at me pitifully. “Okay sweetie, your stepdad. We’ll let him know you can go home. I don’t know that he will want to leave your mom, do you have anyone you can ride home with?”

  “Sure.” I tried to smile even as tears pooled in my eyes. Mom had bleeding on the brain. That couldn’t be good. It was all my fault. Everything was a blur while I was discharged. Charlie came in to see me and he could barely look at me as he signed my discharge papers.

  “Carter’s gonna take you home,” he said softly. “I’m staying here with Lisa.”

  “Let me know how she is,” I begged.

  “I will.” He walked out of my room without saying a word. I could feel his hurt and anger, and I deserved every ounce of it.

  My nurse returned all smiles. “Okay, sweetie, let’s get you home. You be careful, okay? Doc says to take over the counter pain meds as needed every four to six hours and to check in with your doctor in a couple days.” She handed me a sheaf of papers and I nodded.

  “Thanks.”

  Slowly, I walked out of the emergency room and there he was. The man I’d always loved.

  “Carter?”

  “Hey, are you okay?” he turned to me and gently stroked my cheek.

  Nodding, I tried to smile. “Your dad signed the papers so I could go home. Can we go home?”

  “Sure. Where’s your coat?” he asked.

  “There was blood on it,” I whispered.

  “Wear mine.” He shrugged off his old coat and settled it around my shoulders. Smiling up at him, I caught his fingers in mine. I needed something to hold onto, and he seemed to sens
e that. “Come on.”

  “My mom’s in surgery.” I rasped.

  “I know.”

  “I did that to her. I wasn’t being careful. I was being a bitch to you. Again.”

  “It’s not your fault. It’s mine, I should’ve changed the brakes.”

  “Don’t be stupid, you had school. I should’ve been driving slower, not singing to the radio, paying attention. Instead, I was laughing because I was making you walk home alone in the snow.”

  We stepped outside and he released my hand to jam his hands in his pockets. “Do you want to wait here, I’ll get the car and come around for you?”

  “Okay.”

  He ran through the parking lot to the car and drove carefully up to the hospital exit where I stood under the awning. Opening the door, I climbed in and shut it behind me. I was so cold, and I couldn’t get warm.

  “Seat belt.” He reminded me.

  Slowly, I buckled in. Silence filled the car’s interior as he drove home. Half an hour later, he pulled into the driveway and shut off the ignition. “Let’s get inside. Are you hungry? You know I make a mean spaghetti,” he offered.

  Shaking my head, I decided to be honest for the first time in forever. “I need you, Carter,” I whispered weakly, swaying on my feet.

  “I’m here,” he told me, catching me before I fell.

  “You’ve always been here.”

  “Come inside and let’s get you warm.” He dragged me through the door.

  “Take me to bed, please,” I begged, sagging against his body.

  “Okay, you need some rest.” Suddenly, he swept me into his strong arms and carried me upstairs. He used his elbow to flick on my light and he settled me on my bed before kneeling and pulling off my shoes. “Do you need anything?” he asked as he stood.

  Tears trickled down my cheeks as I pulled him close. “You. I need you.”

  “I’m here, it’s all right.” He kissed the top of my head and squeezed me tight. It wasn’t enough. I needed to crawl inside him and hide.

  Pulling him down to me, I nipped his earlobe as I whispered, “Make me forget, just for a little while. Please.”

  He shivered and pulled back slightly. “I don’t think we should do this. You’ve had a really bad day and you’re tired.”

  Oh Carter, I love you. I love how inherently good you are. But I need you to make me forget. You’re the only one who can. “Don’t you want me?”

  “You know I do. But not like this. I don’t want you to regret this.”

  “I won’t regret it, Carter. You’re the last person I’ll ever regret having sex with. I need you to help me forget. Just for a little while. You told me you’d always be there for me. Be here for me tonight. Please,” I begged again.

  It was true. I’d never regret making love to Carter Travis. I’d dreamed about it for years. Now I would be with him one time, and it would be enough. Just one time to make me forget. I kissed him while he warred with himself, and I felt him submit to me. He wanted me just as badly. His lips were firm but soft and I groaned, fisting my hands in his T-shirt.

  When he cupped my face in his hands and slowed my kiss, I almost fell apart. I didn’t want his love. I didn’t want his tenderness. I wanted mindless sex. I needed to forget. Pushing him back on the bed, I climbed on his lap and kissed him again. Our mouths came together fiercely, and it all felt right. I cried while he kissed me, but it wasn’t because I felt bad about what we were about to do. No, I knew nothing involving me and Carter Travis was wrong or bad. It was just everything else.

  Leaning back, I peeled off my T-shirt and whispered, “Unhook my bra.” He reached up with trembling fingers to clumsily unhook me. Then he surprised me as my bra fell off. He caught my hips and pulled me closer to suck my nipples. His mouth encircling my nipple was an electric shock straight down to the apex of my thighs.

  He wasn’t a particularly skilled lover, but he gave me all he knew, and for the moment, it was enough. It was perfect. We yanked each other’s clothes off until we were naked on my sheets. His body against mine fit like a glove. Sliding my hand down his abs, I found his dick, hard and ready for me. He throbbed in my grasp.

  “You have to stop,” he hissed roughly.

  My hand stilled and I glanced up at him. “I’m your first, aren’t I?”

  His throat worked as he swallowed. Nodding, he whispered, “Yeah.”

  “God dammit, I’m not supposed to be.”

  “You didn’t make it easy to find a girlfriend,” he reminded me.

  “Then I’ll have to make it memorable.” I pulled his face to mine and kissed him tenderly. I couldn’t wreck his first time. No matter how much I needed to forget. I loved him too much. Nibbling his lip, I kissed across his jaw and down his neck before whispering, “I need you.”

  “I’m yours.”

  His simple statement broke my heart. Rolling him to his back, I straddled him again and rocked against his shaft. “I need you.”

  His cheeks pinked and he murmured, “I don’t have condoms.”

  Carter, you’re too perfect and I’m going to wreck you. I’m so sorry. “I’m on birth control.” Reaching between us, I caught his dick and slid the head between my lips. I groaned as I rubbed my clit.

  He hissed loudly as he entered me. Moving slowly, I watched his face. His eyes squeezed shut and the veins in his neck bulged out. I’d never seen anything more beautiful in my life as Carter writhing in pleasure beneath me.

  “I’m gonna come,” he choked out and I smiled.

  “Then come. We’ll do this again. You need this as much as me.” Riding him slowly, I felt him spasm inside me almost immediately. He hadn’t been fibbing, he was close. It was perfect. He was perfect. But perfect was one thing that never lasted long.

  “Brielle!” he screamed my name and his fingertips pressed painfully into my hips.

  “Carter,” I whispered, kissing his beautiful mouth. “How was that for your first time?”

  “So fucking good,” he moaned and I giggled.

  “Now you’re going to make me come.”

  “Like behind the church?”

  “That will work to start with...” Slipping off his lap, I rolled to my back and spread my legs.

  He rolled to me and kissed me softly. Taking his hand, I directed him to where I needed him most. He was so inexperienced and I needed release. Breaking our kiss, I grabbed his hand and showed him my clit. “Rub my clit, it feels good.”

  He did. Carter Travis was nothing if not a fast learner. Pressure built low in my abdomen and he worked my pussy like a pro. I was so close to the edge. “Don’t stop,” I begged. He didn’t. “Carter!” I moaned, grabbing the sheets and arching up off the bed.

  The next thing I knew he was between my legs again and he entered me in one stroke. That time didn’t last long either, but I didn’t care. We made love to each other for hours that night. It was simple. It was easy, and it was right. For that short period of time, I forgot about everything except Carter.

  Sometime later, we lay curled up together. “Carter?” I mumbled sleepily, and he glanced over at me, opening one eye slightly.

  “Yeah?”

  I had to tell him what I’d always felt. “I love you.”

  “I’ve always loved you…”

  My heart shattered again. “I know. Believe me, I know.” Stroking the side of his face, I looked away from his loving gaze and kissed his chest. It would never work. I would constantly disappoint him and he would end up hating me.

  Soon, he dozed beside me. The phone rang downstairs and I pulled myself from his arms to patter downstairs. My breath came fast as I picked up the receiver.

  “Hello?” I answered breathlessly.

  “Brielle?” Charlie whispered through sobs.

  “Charlie? What’s wrong?”

  “Surgery didn’t work,” he cried hoarsely. “Lisa is dying. Her brain will herniate from her brain stem and they’ll harvest her organs then she’ll be dead. I-I what am I gonna do? I can
’t lose my wife.”

  I leaned against the wall to keep from falling to the floor. My stomach sank to my toes and my heart ached. Weeping freely, I choked out, “I’m so sorry, Charlie.”

  “Why didn’t she wear her seatbelt? Why? Can you kids be here in the morning? I can’t do this alone.”

  “Okay.” I lied. I wouldn’t be there in the morning. I wouldn’t watch my mother die. I couldn’t. It was all my fault, and I’d never be able to forgive myself. “I gotta go, Charlie. I love you. Kiss Mom for me. I’m so sorry.” Hanging up the receiver, I slid down the wall and collapsed on the floor in a pile. Beating the black and white linoleum with my fists, I sobbed.

  I’m so sorry. For everything. I didn’t want to wreck everything. Only me. But now I’ve torn everything to pieces, and nothing will ever be the same. I can’t stay. It’ll only make it worse. I have to go. I have to go.

  Pulling myself up from the floor, I dragged my body upstairs. Using Charlie and Mom’s bathroom, I cleaned myself up and tiptoed into my room. Carter slept soundly, his arm thrown over his eyes. Covering my mouth with my hand, I stifled my tears as I dressed. He never stirred as I found a bag in my closet and packed things.

  I had to run. I couldn’t hurt them anymore. Glancing at him one last time, I blew a kiss in his direction and left the room, closing the door behind myself.

  Easing downstairs, I found the keys and pulled on a spare jacket of Mom’s. Tossing my purse over my shoulder, I looked around the house one last time. I’d never be back. I couldn’t. It hurt too much.

  Opening the front door, I stepped out into the icy night. I slipped on the driveway slightly as I hurried to the car. Unlocking the door, I threw my bag in the back seat and slid behind the wheel. I could barely see through my tears to drive, and I’m not sure how I made it to my father’s house at two AM, but I did.

  Shutting off the ignition, I crawled from the car and stumbled up the stairs to the front door. I beat on the wood and rang the doorbell for almost ten minutes before he came to the door and threw it wide.

  “Brielle?” Pulling me inside roughly, his eyes widened. “What the hell happened to you?”