Twisted Christmas

by Sara Cate

  “Yeah, so? Everyone thinks I left to have a baby. I don’t care.”

  “Yeah, but Hunter did. Threatened to kick his ass if he didn’t shut up. Adam went on and on and—bam! Another nose break. That’s just one of the many stories I’ve heard, not to mention, seen.”

  Hunter Graham. Is he avenging my honor? I find it super strange, yet strangely cute. “Who knows? Maybe he grew a heart and wants to make sure his little stepsister’s reputation stays clean. That and he loves his alien step-niece.”

  Melissa laughs and slaps me on the arm. “Stop. Wait…did you have a baby?”

  “No!” I laugh out. “I didn’t have a baby. I just left. There’s no juicy story. People are allowed to do that.”

  She nods, accepting my answer. I rest in her seat, feeling comforted by her friendship and glad she took a chance on me when no one else bothered to befriend me in fear I really did get abducted and had a bunch of alien babies. We get to my house and thank God, I don’t see Hunter’s car. Mom and William aren’t expected home ’til late, so I have some time.

  During study hall, I came up with a plan. It’s the only one I see solving all my problems. I’m going back to my dad’s. Once I get there, I’ll hack into my dad’s email and send a message to my mom telling her I’m back safe, and that will be that. I can finish the rest of my school year at my old school, and all will be good in the world. No more psycho teacher or grouchy, intolerable, hot, sexy stepbrother.

  I wave goodbye to Melissa and head inside. Mom and William have a vacation planned for this upcoming weekend, so that’s when I plan on leaving. It will give me a few days to get home and settled. After packing most of my things, I hide my suitcase under the bed so no one catches on to anything. The problem is, I can’t fight off the nerves fluttering inside me. This is going to work. It has to. I pace back and forth in my room.

  Since I’m a sucker for freezing cold weather, I decide to go for a walk. The fresh air will be good and help clear my head. Slipping on a pair of dry boots, I stick the house key in my sock and grab my earbuds. Starting my favorite playlist, I head out, taking my usual route, cutting through the forest preserve that leads into two neighborhoods before it opens up into the park. By the time I enter the playground, the sun has gone down. Even at night, this place brings me peace. The first time I ran away, I came here. I had my favorite blankie and pillow and built a house under the slide. I fell asleep, and it took hours for my parents to find me. When I first caught my parents cheating, I came here. Anytime I felt alone, I would come here and sit and watch other families, pretending they were mine. When I just wanted to feel something other than solitude, I came here.

  I take my gloved hand and wipe away a layer of snow to make room for myself on the bench. Sitting, I admire how beautiful everything looks this time of year. The snow-covered trees glimmering in the moonlight. My heartbeat becomes steadier and calmer as I soak in the quietness.

  “Catalina.”

  I jump up from the bench and turn, finding Mr. Gibson. “What are you doing here? Are you following me?” I want to look and see if anyone else is near so I can yell for help, but I already know that answer.

  “I’m sorry. I’m not here to hurt you. I hate that you look at me now with such fear.”

  “I’m not sure why you’re here at all. This is crossing the line. You need to—”

  “No, no. No one’s crossing the line." He takes a step toward me. “I just want to talk about us. About the first day we met. I saw the way you looked at me. Whatever it was you were feeling, I felt it too.”

  I take a slow step back. “You’re wrong. I wasn’t looking at you like anything. You’re seriously scaring me and if you don’t leave, I’m going to scream—”

  He lunges forward, getting hold of my bicep. “Stop denying it.”

  I tug on my arm, but his grip tightens, hurting me. “I’m a student. You’re my teacher—”

  “But you’re an adult. You’ll graduate soon. We can see where this goes.”

  This time I use more force, thankfully freeing my arm. “Are you crazy? I said no. Not now, not ever.” I take a small step back, preparing to bolt, but his eyes drop to my feet, seeing my next move. He steps forward to grab for me again, and I turn on my heel to run, but my boots skate on a patch of ice, and I slip. My hands fly out to catch myself as I fall, and I howl out when my wrist twists against the ground.

  “Catalina, are you okay?” Mr. Gibson comes at me, and I thrust my good hand up to keep him away.

  “Stay away from me,” I cry out, but he doesn’t listen. He kneels next to me in the snow. One second, he’s grabbing at my shoulders to cradle me, and the next, he’s gone.

  “Get the fuck away from her.” Hunter.

  A relieved sob travels up my throat at the familiar voice.

  “Stay out of this. She has nothing to do with you.”

  “Oh yeah? I say otherwise. Stay the fuck away from her, or I’ll go to the school board and tell everyone what a sick fuck you are, stalking and toying with a student.”

  “It’s not stalking if she invited me here.”

  Hunter takes a swing at him, and Mr. Gibson stumbles back. “Stay the fuck away from her.”

  Mr. Gibson looks at me, waiting for me to say otherwise. When I don’t, he turns his seething gaze to Hunter. “This isn’t over.”

  “The fuck it isn’t.” He brings his fist back, ready to take another shot, when Mr. Gibson rears back and takes off into the darkness.

  Hunter slides down next to me. “You okay?”

  I try to sit up, wincing at the pain in my wrist. “I think so.”

  “Come on. Let’s get you home.”

  He helps me stand. I wobble on my feet and yelp when he lifts me in his arms. “Hunter, you can’t carry me all the way home.”

  “I’m not. I’m parked just across the field.”

  “How did you—?”

  “I know you come here. I saw you once. I wasn’t being creepy, just curious where you went all the time. When I came home tonight, I saw you weren’t there. I took my first guess and came here. Thank god I did.”

  My words get lodged in my throat. My emotions get the best of me, and instead of saying thank you, I nuzzle my face into the warmth of his neck. He carries me to his car and buckles me in.

  “Do you want to go to the ER?”

  “No.” I shake my head.

  “All right. Let’s go.” He runs around the car and climbs in. The short drive home is silent, the rumble of his engine filling the space. When we make it into the house, he tells me to get warm and go to bed, he’s got some things to take care of. I hate that he’s leaving me. I don’t want to be alone. But then I watch him disappear into the kitchen. While he’s occupied, I take a shower. The warmth of the pajamas I slip into after has never felt so good. When I climb into bed, I notice a first aid kit. A wrap and bandages for my wrist. After two failed attempts of trying to wrap it myself, I knock on Hunter’s door.

  “Come in.”

  I push the door open to find him on his bed, freshly showered and shirtless. “Thanks for the bandages, but I can’t seem to…uh, do it—”

  “Come here.” There’s a sharp tone to his voice, but it doesn’t bother me. I sit at the end of his bed while he takes the material and begins to wrap my wrist.

  “Thank you for tonight. I don’t know what would have happened if you hadn’t shown—”

  He cuts me off as if he doesn’t care to hear the rest. “Don’t mention it.”

  When he’s done, he doesn’t automatically release my hand. And for a second, I don’t want him to. Our eyes find each other, and I feel the soft brush of his thumb along the palm of my hand. It sparks a sensation inside me that sends an ache down to my core.

  “I should probably go.”

  “You should,” he replies. But I don’t get up. I don’t know whether it’s the need to be with him again or being scared.

  I take the chicken way out and go with the latter. “Can I sleep in yo
ur room tonight? I’m just. . . scared to be alone.”

  His face is stoic, void of any emotion. He waits for a beat, then says, “Yeah. Just don’t snore. Fucking hate snorers.”

  My lips curl up into a gentle smile, and he moves over for me to climb up. Once I’m under the covers, he reaches over and turns off the light. I flip to my side, and even in the darkness, I can feel his eyes on me.

  “Good night.”

  “Yeah, night,” he replies. His voice is strained. Exactly how my body feels. I think back to what Melissa shared today. How he saved me again. Have I been all wrong about Hunter? I ache to touch him again. Feel his hands on me. If just once more. With a slowness, I reach out and find his face. Cupping his cheek, I lean in and press my lips to his. He’s still at first, and I worry I made a mistake and he’s going to kick me out. But then his hands find me and pull me into him.

  Unlike the other encounters, this one is different. There’s nothing savage about our kiss. It’s slow and careful. He releases a slow breath, only to deepen our embrace. My breasts begin to swell with need. I slide up his torso and wrap my leg over him to straddle him, refusing to break our kiss. The hardness of his cock rests between us, and the wetness between my thighs builds.

  He breaks our kiss to suck on my bottom lip. His teeth graze my skin, and I moan into his mouth. His hands work up and down my sides as mine work up his chest and into his thick hair.

  “What are we doing?” he asks.

  “I’m not sure. Making another bad decision? Leaning on each other for comfort? I can’t define it, but I don’t want it to stop.” He growls and retakes my mouth. His hips thrust up, and he grinds against my swollen pussy. I raise up and pull off my shirt, exposing my breasts. Hunter sits forward, sucking a bud into his mouth. I rest my head back, loving the way his mouth feels on me. Sucking. Nibbling. “Yes, Hunter…” I moan as he nips at my flesh.

  “I’ve dreamt about these in my mouth. Just as perfect as I imagined.” He squeezes my tits together, feasting on them, sucking each nipple into his mouth until I’ve had too much.

  “Take your pants off,” he orders, and I do as I’m told. I slip out of my pajama pants while he pushes his down. When I climb back on, his cock is standing at full salute, waiting.

  “Fuck, Cat…” He says my name like he’s been fighting to stay away. Until now. I lift up as he positions himself at my center, then slide down. “Jesus,” he moans when I take him all in. My own sounds of pleasure roll off my tongue as he fills me. He feels so deep in this position, and I love every second of it. I lift my hips and slide back down, spiraling into a world of pure ecstasy.

  I’m not sure how long I can last. This feels too good. With each thrust, he feels bigger and wider, stretching me, filling every part of me. I can’t take it any longer and start to ride him hard and fast. “Fuck, I’m going to come,” I confess as his hands go up and squeeze my breasts. I’m on the edge, unable to hold on any longer when he flips us.

  “Not so fast, Stray. I’m not done with you yet.” He pulls out, leaving my sex pulsing and achy, then sliding down my body and putting his tongue on my swollen pussy. “So fucking sweet.” I lock my fingers into his hair as he laps at my sex. He adds his fingers and fuck me, his tongue fucks me, his entire being fucks me into a whole new dimension. Just as my legs begin to quiver and I ache for an orgasm, he stops again.

  “Fuck, you have to stop doing that.”

  “Doing what?”

  “Stopping. Please. I need more.”

  His mouth crashes over mine, and he kisses me like a man starved. His hips thrust, and he plows into me, making my back arch. I moan into his mouth as his cock plunges into me over and over. In the darkness, a bright light explodes behind my eyelids, and I start to cry out as my orgasm finally takes flight. His hand covers my mouth to muffle my moans of pleasure. It’s so intense, it steals my breath. I hold onto him, afraid I’m going to fly away. He’s right behind me, thrusting hard and deep until he lets out a tight breath and his hot cum jets inside me.

  Hunter collapses on top of me, our hearts pounding in unison. I lie under him, catching my breath and waiting for his rejection. But it never comes. His lips press against my forehead, and he presses a gentle kiss against my head. “We’ll figure this shit out, okay? You’re not alone. We’ll take care of him together.”

  I’m thankful for the darkness. It allows me to hide my tears. He’s willing to help me. Not shut me out. That is something foreign to me, so I nod because I can’t trust myself to speak.

  “Go to sleep, Cat.”

  “Yeah. Got it.”

  He tucks me into his side as if there is nothing severely messed up about our situation. We close our eyes, losing ourselves to a restful night’s sleep.

  Chapter 14

  Hunter

  I can’t remember the last time I slept like a baby. Probably last night, snuggled up against Cat’s warm heat.

  Cat.

  Shit. “Cat, you gotta get up.”

  “Hmmm?” she mumbles into my chest. Fuck, she’s gonna give me a boner.

  “You gotta get up. My dad, your mom—they can’t find you in here like this.”

  “Hmmm.” Dammit, she’s half asleep, and her humming against my chest is not helping. I shake her. “Jesus, what—?”

  “Hunter?” The sound of Olivia’s voice is at my door. She knocks twice, and I know what comes next.

  “Get under the covers and don’t fucking move.” I throw the comforter over me as Olivia opens the door.

  “So sorry to invade, but you haven’t seen Catalina, have you?”

  You mean your naked daughter who’s hiding under my covers? “Um…no. Why would I?”

  “I don’t know. I didn’t think you would. Just…she’s not in her room, and I’m not sure if she came home. She has a mind of her own, causing us to worry all the time. Not sure how her father controlled her for so long. Oh well. She’ll turn up when she wants to. By the way, you should get going. You’re going to be late for school.” She smiles and shuts my door.

  When the door closes, I fall back onto my mattress, shoving my hands through my hair. “Jesus, that was close.”

  “What do your tattoos mean?” I startle as her fingers glide across my chest.

  “What? Seriously? Your mom almost busted us fucking naked in bed together, and you’re curious about my tattoos?” I rip the cover off her.

  “You heard her. She doesn’t want me here. And I don’t plan on staying much longer anyway, so it doesn’t matter.”

  I stare down at her, anger building at Olivia for her shitty mothering and at Cat for thinking she’s leaving. “Where the fuck are you going?”

  “It doesn’t matter.” She crawls on top of me and begins sliding down my torso.

  “It does fucking matter—what are you doing?” I have a good idea, but shit, we almost just got caught. My door isn’t locked. Dad could bust in next. “Cat—shit.” My stomach muscles constrict as the warmth of her mouth meets the tip of my cock. “What the fuck are you—?” Jesus, I fall back, my hands threading into her hair. Her lips are wet and soft. They glide over me and slide down to my base. She takes me entirely in, using her tongue to massage up and down my length. My eyes close, and I bask in the fucking perfect sensation of her mouth on me. Like heaven. She starts to work the tip of my dick as she strokes me up and down, her tongue doing magical things. “Yeah, fuck, like that…” I grip her hair harder, coercing her sweet little mouth to take more. Up and down, she sucks my cock. Her saliva coats her hand, allowing a layer of lube. She squeezes her small palm around me and works me harder, quicker.

  “Fuck,” I grunt, feeling my balls tighten. I’m gonna blow soon. Her devious little mouth is going to ruin me. “Cat, fuck, I’m gonna—” My grip on her hair becomes brutal as I start thrusting into her mouth hard. She doesn’t show any sign of stopping, and my vision begins to blur as I lose my shit. Groaning out her name, I shoot hot cum down her throat.

  It takes a few seconds to co
me back to reality. I loosen my death grip on her hair, my hands falling like dead weight to my side. Cat slowly climbs back up, the boldness in her smile turning shy.

  “Okay, so I should probably—”

  I grab her by her underarms and flip her, capturing her little taut body under mine. “You’re not going anywhere.” I slam my mouth over hers, kissing her feverishly, loving the way her body trembles.

  When breathing becomes an issue, I pull back, loving the way her cheeks flush.

  “What was that for?” she asks as if I need an explanation.

  “For being an amazing stepsister. I could wake up to this every morning.”

  She snickers and slaps my pec. “Well, for starters, I’d have to like you to continue to do that. And second, what would Mommy and Daddy think?”

  I dip, sucking in her bottom lip. “We’re still doing that? The hating thing?”

  “This wouldn’t be as thrilling if we actually got along.”

  I kiss her chin, then the start of her neckline. “You’re right. Hate fucking you is way better than sweet fucking. Next time, punch me. It’ll really work me up.”

  “Oh my god.” God, I fucking love when she blushes.

  “As for Mommy and Daddy, we’ll tell them you’re helping me with homework. And when your mouth is choking on my cock when they come to the door, I’ll let them know you’re deep into studying.”

  She giggles under me, her chest vibrating against mine. I can’t take my eyes off her perky little tits as they bounce. I want to take them in my mouth and suck on them until they’re swollen and purple. It’s a shame I happen to look at the time.

  “Fuck, we gotta go.”

  Her head turns to the clock on my nightstand, her body stiffening. As much as I want to stay where I am, we have to get this show on the road. There’s no way I’m letting Mr. Gibson get away with this.

  I climb off and throw on jeans and a shirt. She gathers her clothes from last night. “What do we do now? I can’t go back to school. He’ll find me. He’ll try something.”