by K. I. Lynn
Well, unexpected boon. Right?
Ryan, my actual brother, practically fee-fi-fum’s his way around me, planting himself right in between Austin and me as we stand in line waiting to order some food. “What’s up?” he asks Austin calmly, as if his arms aren’t crossed and his chest isn’t puffed out in a total I’m about to kick your ass pose.
Austin smiles good naturedly at my brother, looking like something straight out of an Abercrombie and Fitch catalog.
Brayden stops next to me, close enough to brush my arm with his. His pose is identical to Ryan’s, his expression somehow ten times more dangerous. The nod he gives Austin promises a world full of pain. “ ‘Sup.”
Great. These two fools are back to clit-blocking me. It was bad enough when Ryan came home, but now it’s Ryan and Brayden and I’m transported to two years ago when they pulled this shit all the time.
I’m annoyed.
I’m also excited, my insides quivering. Brayden’s furious. Containing it, barely, but furious. I want him to claim me with that same ferocity. Prove what his body is clearly saying: I’m off-limits. He’s the only one with a right to have me.
Hypocrite. I know he’s been fucking half the female population at his school. No way he hasn’t been. He has no right to pretend I’m his and only his when he isn’t mine and only mine.
But, it excites me nonetheless. I’m fucking hopeless for him.
“Brayden!”
There goes Jennifer, rushing around us in her heels and stopping next to Brayden’s other side. She flips her hair over her shoulder. The same blond hair that I’d once seen spread over his bed as he pounded into her.
Her eyes scream that she’s fucked him, that she’s ready to do it again, that she’s dying to explore his new beefed-up body.
Just like I am.
The difference between her and me? She’s actually had him.
I, apparently, am just the thing he likes to keep on chill for God knows what reason. Well, besides the fact that he’s my stepbrother.
It’s funny how the human heart and mind work. People talk about moving on. Letting go. As if we’re actually wired to do those things. We’re not. Our brains are programmed to record information and hold onto it. Especially anything negative. So when you’ve been hurt, witnessed something excruciating to you, you can talk yourself into forgetting it all you want.
Anyone that’s human—and not a lying, full of shit self-help guru—will tell you: you don’t forget. The memories and pain go with you wherever you go, no matter how much time has passed. And you have to live with that, learn to breathe through the pain, smile through the bitterness. The best you can do is make peace with whatever happened.
I haven’t. I don’t know how yet.
Brayden says hi to Jennifer and it’s enough to overflow my emotional tolerance meter.
Austin calls out to our friend Craig, who’s standing by the arcade area. He tells Ryan to get him a hotdog and soda, gives him the money, and runs toward Craig.
“Get me nachos,” I tell Ryan, and spin on my heel to follow Austin.
“Kira!” Ryan grabs my arm.
I rip my arm out of his grip. “Chill! He’s my friend, too, and we’re just talking. Or, what? Do you think I’m going to act like one of your girls and drag him somewhere dark so I can suck his dick?”
I feel Brayden’s glare on me.
Jennifer gasps, all melodramatic and shit, like she hasn’t done that very thing countless times in her whorish life.
Ryan’s mouth falls open but I turn around before he can say whatever is on his mind or try to stop me again.
I adore my brother. Don’t get me wrong. But I’ve had enough of his protective older brother bullshit. He had his fun at my age. I’m not planning on having his type of fun with Austin, and I don’t appreciate him trying to keep me there, acting like I am.
Yeah, I know he doesn’t know I’m hurting standing next to Brayden and Jen, nor why. I’m lashing out, but there’s no help for it.
I walk over to where Austin is. He turns mid-sentence, his blue eyes lighting up at the sight of me. If I wanted him, I could have him. His stare tells me so. Is it so wrong that I wish I did want him? That I’m sick and tired of pining after someone who has no intentions of being with me?
“Hey. You wanna play a game real quick?” Austin’s smile should send my stomach into a spin. The gruff tone of his voice, the one that tells me he wants me, should cause goosebumps all over my skin.
I have one of those moments where I’m close to despairing. If Austin can’t make me feel anything close to what Brayden does, will anyone ever be able to? “Sure.” I shrug one shoulder and give him a warm smile.
He might be faking it just to get some from me. He might not. Either way, he looks so eager to buy me the game tokens and its warms me inside. Austin turns, wallet in hand, to head toward the token machine. His eyes flicker to something behind me and he stops mid-turn, scowling. “Knew it,” he mumbles under his breath.
I don't have to wonder what he's talking about. I feel the presence behind me before I even hear his voice.
“What are you guys up to?”
I tense when Brayden stops next to me. Clit-blocking little . . . “Aren't you supposed to be helping my brother with the food?”
“I told Jennifer to stay and help him.”
Surprised, I whirl around. Sure enough, Jennifer is standing next to Ryan while he orders. She's facing in our direction, pouting at Brayden's back. When she catches me staring at her, she gives me the mother of all bitch glares, as if she knows it's my fault Brayden isn't next to her now.
“Kira was about to play a game,” Austin says.
I turn around.
“Okay. Which one?” Brayden grabs my arm and drags me toward the token machine, away from Austin.
I let him, for the sake of not causing a scene, but as soon as we're standing in front of the token machine, I glare up at him and move away. “Clit-blocker.”
His jaw goes granite hard but he doesn't look at me. He's focused intently on feeding a dollar into the machine, his movements slow and precise. “So there is something going on between you two.”
I want to tell him yes. Want to lie and see how he feels about it. “Shouldn't you be more worried about spending time with your play thing over there?”
His eyes don't even flicker in Jennifer's direction. “That won't be happening ever again.”
I'm taken aback by that comment, and damn him, because a flare of hope bursts to life inside me. “That doesn't mean you won't be busy with someone else, so what right do you have to stick your nose in my business?” I remind us both.
“He’s twenty and you're seventeen. There are laws about shit like that, you know.”
I clamp my lips shut, simmering with my fury. Last thing I want is to get Austin into any legal trouble, especially over a lie. “You'd go that far?”
“To protect you, Kira? Don't ever underestimate me when it comes to that.” He feeds another dollar into the machine.
“Austin wouldn’t—”
“You don’t know what he’s like with women.”
“You mean: just like you and my brother?”
That earns me a steely glare. “I’ll remind you again, Kira, that you’re underage.”
“Fine,” I sigh, rolling my eyes dramatically. “I’ll find someone under eighteen, then.”
His nostrils flare as he exhales slowly. “Is there something going on between you and Austin, or not?”
“Nope.” My smile is saccharine and utterly fake. “But don’t worry. Not that it’s any of your business, but once I’m eighteen, I’ll remedy that.” I walk away from him, leaving him and his damned game tokens behind, and back toward Ryan.
“Hey!” Austin calls after me. “Aren't you going to play?”
“Not in the mood anymore!” I call back.
Ryan turns, arms full of popcorn and soda. Jennifer is next to him, holding two trays of nachos, looking none too happy abou
t it. My brother stares at me curiously.
I scowl at him as deeply as I can, letting him silently know that I'm furious at him for letting Brayden get in the way of me spending time with Austin. Hell, he probably sent him to interfere.
I lead the way inside, handing my ticket to the young girl at the small podium. She tells me what theater our movie is playing in, then her eyes jump up and go wide. No doubt because of the guys following me. There’s four single, gorgeous men in our crew—because Craig is pretty hot himself, trust me—and yet I’m not getting any.
Shaking my head, I go on, straight into theater number ten. Austin calls out my name softly and I stop, waiting for him to catch up. It's clear he wants me to sit next to him, and I'm ready to do so, no matter what the two morons watching over me think.
Once inside, though, we find the theater packed. There aren't six chairs empty, at least not together. Austin spots two seats available in the middle row and motions for me to follow him.
I take a few steps in his direction.
“You’re sitting next to me.”
I’m practically lifted off my feet and manhandled up the stairs to two seats on the left side of the theater.
Far, far away from where everyone else will be sitting.
Brayden deposits me on the seat next to the wall.
“Stop being so freaking annoying!” I snap at him, seconds from jumping to my feet and running from him. Maybe it’s an immature impulse, but God, it pisses me off so much when he thinks he can just tell me what to do!
Brayden slides into the seat next to me, blocking my way out with his behemoth body. “Stop encouraging him.”
I sit straight up, getting in his space.
“Stop telling me what to do. You aren’t my brother!”
“I know I’m not your fucking brother!” He hisses in my face, green eyes flaring with anger.
We glare at each other, faces inches apart, breaths panting—
It takes a single second for the anger to morph into something else. For his eyes to drop down to my lips.
My skin flares hot. I inhale a quick breath and lick my bottom lip.
His lids lower, thick lashes almost hiding his eyes, and the look on his face is almost enough to make me come. I swear to God. I lick my lips again, leaning a breath closer, hoping he’ll grab me and kiss me, right now, in this dark movie theater.
Then I want his hand between my legs. I want to come, and I want him to be the one to do it to me, not another fantasy version of him.
“Christ.” Brayden moves away so fast he’s like a bullet, leaving me aching and confused.
For the millionth time in our lives.
“I’m going to get our food from Ryan.” He stands and turns to point his finger in my face. “You wait here.” He starts heading down the stairs.
“What if I don’t want to?”
He turns around and comes back, then sits on his haunches in front of our seats.
That’s when I see how hard he is, his dick tenting the front of his jeans. My mouth falls open, and I’m damn near hypnotized.
I’m dying to see it. Touch it. I want that to be the first one I ever experience, want to do everything to him I’ve read and heard about.
“What if I told you I really want you to sit next to me while we watch this movie?” His voice is somehow gruff and whiskey smooth at the same time, dragging me even further under his spell even though it’s the last thing I want.
He takes my silence as an affirmative, because he stands back up and heads down to where my brother is sitting next to Craig. Jennifer must have gone to take her place next to Austin since Brayden decided to sit with me.
Suddenly I’m disgusted at the fact that we seem to be exchanging men back and forth.
Brayden returns with our food right as the trailers begin. We sit in a tense silence throughout the whole movie. I’m so turned on by his presence next to me, his restless energy, his scent, that I can’t even touch my food.
Jesus. I just want him. Once. Is that too much to ask? Maybe if I finally know what it’s like to be with him, it’ll start to go away, and then I can move on for real and live my life without this need eating at me.
He doesn’t look at me. Doesn’t acknowledge me next to him. The entire movie, he stares at the screen as if it’s the most fascinating thing he’s ever seen.
By the end of the movie, I’m furious. Sick of his hot and cold routine. When I see Austin walking down in the front, heading toward the exit with Jennifer behind him, I move to stand and follow them.
Brayden’s large hand wraps around mine and he pulls me back down to my seat. “Stop fucking following after him!”
I try to pull my hand out of his grip, but he won’t let me. “Stop acting jealous!”
“You think I’m acting?”
His soft question drains the fight out of me. I want him to be jealous. Want him possessive over me because it’ll mean that he feels something for me.
I start trembling under his heated gaze. Slowly, I move our hands, placing his on my thigh.
“Kira,” he whispers, his thumb dragging across my skin.
I whimper and dig my nails into his wrist.
The lights blaze on all at once, and I hear Ryan call out, “Yo!”
He’s running up the stairs toward us.
Moving at the speed of light again, Brayden pulls away from me, his expression becoming shuttered.
I want to kill my brother. I want to kill the man next to me for constantly leaving me like this.
Instead, I act like I’m calm, stand, and walk past him and my brother, heading straight for the nearest exit, not caring if Brayden thinks I’m following after Austin.
I’m going to fucking tear someone apart.
I’ll obliterate every part of them, and then move onto someone else.
Austin’s first. I’ll rip Craig apart if he gets in my way, too. I won’t stop until I’m surrounded in nothing but chaos. Until the world around me reflects everything rolling around inside me.
Hell, the way I feel right now, I want to rip apart Ryan, my fucking father, Sonia, our goddamned neighbors. I’ll destroy everything. My car. This driveway. My father’s house. Everything.
Especially the little demon that just blasted out of my car and is busy stomping in her cute, flowery heels toward the front door.
“I’m not done with you!” I slam my car door so hard I’m surprised the windows don’t shatter.
“I’m so, so, so done with you!” She opens the door and storms inside, closing it before I can catch up to her.
The hell she is. It’ll be over my dead body the day she’s done with me.
I grab onto the knob and twist—fucking girl locked it! Huffing like a beast, I yank my keys out of my pocket and shove the one for the house into the keyhole, almost breaking it off as I turn it, shaking with all the pent-up emotions inside me.
Right now, anger is winning. Big time.
Soon it’s going to be something else. I’m going to lose control.
And I don’t give a damn. This girl is going to see the error of her ways before I even think of backing down. Flirting with Austin in front of me. Following after him. Who the hell does she think she is?
Kira is rushing up the stairs by the time I get into the foyer. “I told you I wasn’t done with you!”
“Leave me the hell alone. I don’t have to listen to you!”
That’s it.
I take the stairs two at a time, gaining on her.
“Kira? Brayden?” Sonia calls from the kitchen. “What’s going on? Is everything alright?”
“This asshole thinks he can tell me what to do!” Kira screams down at her mother.
“Kira!” Sonia is clearly shocked at her daughter’s behavior.
She should be more worried about Kira’s choice of clothing or the guys she decides to flirt with in front of me.
“Your daughter thinks she can wear the tiniest shorts on Earth, and that me and Ryan aren’t going
to have anything to say about it,” I say, loud enough for Sonia to hear.
Kira glares at me over her shoulder. “You have no right.”
“Kira, of course he’s going to worry about you. He’s your stepbrother!”
We both growl at Sonia’s reminder.
Kira whirls around, pointing her stubborn, cute little finger in my face. “You are not my brother.”
I grab her hand, muscles carrying out the acts of my emotions, and pin her to the wall. Her body’s covered by every inch of mine, my dick throbbing against her stomach so hard I can’t see straight anymore. I hold her arm down by her side, grab her neck with my other hand, and lean in to sniff her.
Long, deep.
The scent of her hits home, right in the most painful, starving part of me.
My back arches, feet pushing into the floor to give me more leverage, and I rock my hips against her. All-consuming want has control. I’m nothing but a beast in heat. Furious with the need to fuck what’s mine.
She arches back into me, like she was made to, her tiny moan ripping a desperate one out of me.
I breathe her in, rubbing my nose up and down her neck like a maniac, across her jaw. My nose skims her mouth, finding it parted for me, her lower lip plump and wet. “How many times am I going to tell you I know I’m not your brother?” I growl into her juicy mouth, teeth grinding as I fight the urge to eat it.
“Brayden.”
The way she says my name when she needs me is going to be the death of me. Grinding into her, I let my forehead fall onto hers, eyes squeezed closed. “Why are you doing this?” I ask her, my voice reflecting what is going on inside me, how I feel my cells being torn apart. “Why are you driving me crazy like this?”
“You’re always driving me crazy,” she complains, but her hands are in my hair, her fingers running across my scalp.
God, yes. Her words, her touch—they soothe the proprietary monster inside me. I nuzzle her nose with mine, our bodies rubbing, seeking, calming me and exciting me all at once. I want to kiss her sweet lips, rub my tongue against hers. Hear her moan my name into my mouth.
“Kira,” I groan instead, pressing my fisted hands against the wall next to her head. But I don’t move away from her yet. I can’t. The smell of her, how her smaller body grinds into me and teases my cock, has me so worked up I’m about to go off right here. Just from dry humping her. “We can’t do this. You know that.”