I don’t want to nod but I do. I want to tell Hunter to go fuck himself. That we haven’t been dating. It’s all bullshit.
“Hunter…”
He squeezes my hands tight. “I know, Jade. I don’t want to push at you. Or hurt you. But I can’t take it anymore. Being near you and not having you. We’re together. We have to be together.”
“I don’t know what to say,” I whisper. “I…”
Hunter nods. “It has to be hard. Your father came back from vacation married. I don’t know why he did that. I don’t agree with it. If you want the truth. I’m not afraid to stand up to Thomas. I’ll be there for you, Jade. I’ll take care of you. I hate the idea of saying this… but I’m rich. I don’t need your father to be successful. I just appreciate everything he’s done for me. I hope you understand that.”
I nod.
I’ve never heard Hunter talk like this before. The geeky kid who peeked at my boobs was now a successful, handsome man. I bite on my bottom lip. I actually start to sell myself on the idea.
“You really mean it?” I ask. “I mean, it all seems that my father is demanding you and me be together.”
“Never,” Hunter says. “I’ve always… you’ve been so…” Hunter sighs. “I’m sorry for saying it like this, Jade. But I’ve been fantasizing about you for a long time. You’ve been my… just everything. It feels like forever, right? I mean, how amazing is it that we knew each other at such a young age and now we’re here, together. It’s something that seems so rare.”
Hunter stops with his mouth open and sucks in a breath. He then gently dabs the corners of his mouth. He shakes his hand and puts the napkin down.
I have to admit it, I’ve never seen Hunter so honest yet vulnerable. It doesn’t really change how I feel, but it definitely means something. I just wish he wasn’t such an ass. A rich boy ass. Then again, I wish he was Jake.
“Jade, please say something,” he says.
I panic and look around. “I have to go pee.”
Definitely not the most proper thing to say in an expensive restaurant. But it’s how it comes out. I’m flustered and confused. I jump up and look around again. Hunter stares at me, surprised at what I just said. I don’t care. I move from the table. A man meets me and escorts me to the bathroom. Of course, it’s not a regular bathroom. It’s a fancy bathroom. Like a little hotel room.
I don’t have to actually pee though.
I just stand at the sink and take a few breaths.
This isn’t how I imagined anything. To find someone I like and care about, but he’s a dirty asshole and he’s my stepbrother. How the fuck does that happen to someone like me? I study hard. I get good grades. I have a future. I never slept around… I don’t sleep around right now. It’s all a big mess. I didn’t even really mean to sleep with Jake, right? It was a party. A college party and things just happened that way. If I knew he was going to be at my house, being introduced as my stepbrother, I would have never done it.
I collect myself and leave the bathroom.
Hunter is right there in the hallway. He’s waiting for me. Before I could make a move, he grabs my wrists and pulls me deeper into the hallway.
It’s almost completely dark.
He puts me against the wall, a hand touching my waist. The other touches my face.
“I’m not an idiot,” he whispers. “I know this is all hard for you. Your father, Rebecca, that pain in the ass Jake. I get it. So much changing around you so fast, including me now. I just show up and here I am, dating you. Yes, your father pushed this thing… but I don’t need to be pushed, Jade. I’m right here. I want you. I want this. I want…”
My lips quiver and I’m ready to kiss Hunter. For real. To just grab him, pull him in, and just kiss him. See what it feels like and where it can go.
Hunter’s phone beeps and he backs away. Just like that, I’m not longer the center of his world. The phone, business, it’s all more important.
Just like my father.
Hunter takes the call and turns around. A second later, he’s raising his voice. He ends the call and slaps the wall.
He turns, swallows, and says, “I have to go.”
“Bad news?”
“Business stuff. I’ll take you wherever you want. I’ll call you later, as soon as I get this cleaned up.”
“Is it that bad?” I pretend to care.
Hunter touches my face. “You don’t have to worry about me. Or my business. Ever. I promise. I’ll take care of everything, including you. I’m worth a lot, Jade. I’m worth… a lot…”
So he’s bribing me with money now?
Hunter kisses my cheek.
“Come on,” he says.
“No, I’m fine. I’ll call a friend. I promise.”
“No…”
“Hunter, go.”
He nods. “Okay. The check is taken care of. If you want to sit and finish or have another drink…”
“Thank you,” I whisper.
He leaves and I slowly follow.
It’s actually a relief to leave the damn restaurant. I walk near the side of the restaurant, away from the lights, black carpet, and the valet services. I grab my phone and text Katelyn. I can always count on her.
She picks me up twenty minutes later.
“You look nice,” she says.
“I feel like a clown,” I say. “Just get me out of here.”
“What happened?”
“Hunter had to leave,” I say. “Typical. Always about the business.”
“You two fighting?”
“There’s no fighting,” I say. I look at Katelyn. I feel like telling her everything. Everything. About me and Jake… the sex, passion, feelings… “He tells me so much shit about how he cares about me and then he ditches me. It’s just so weird how much he’s like my father. Like I’m supposed to want that? I’m supposed to fall for that?”
“Only you can answer those questions,” Katelyn says. “It’s not weird. It’s who he is. He’s rich and successful for a reason.”
“What if I said I didn’t want to be the backseat person anymore?” I ask. “I want the attention. I want to feel like I’m cared about. Even if it’s not right…”
I stop myself.
I’m talking about Jake.
He’s the only one that actually looks at me. He sees me. He comes after me. He gives me that high of being chased after. And it’s all worth the risk.
“What are you getting at?” Katelyn asks.
“I need a drink. Right now.”
Katelyn agrees and she stops at the first bar we find. She tells me she’ll be DD so I can drink until I’m happy.
We walk into the place and I’m the most overdressed person in history. It’s a chill bar and I’m in a fancy dress. I look like a damn fool. So I hide in a corner and tell Katelyn what I want. She brings back two beers for me and I got to town on them. I should be drinking something harder, but my stomach flips when I think about drinking vodka. The night I was drunk comes back to me again… and Jake… he helped me. He didn’t just lick me and make me come. He took care of me. He helped me when I puked and got me to bed.
Katelyn sits across from me. There’s a look on her face.
“What?” I ask.
“Nothing. Just drink. Then we will talk.”
I nod.
The first beer is good. The second is heavier.
“This thing with Hunter…,” Katelyn says. “I don’t get it…”
“Neither do I,” I say. “It’s like my father has this all planned out. He wants me to be with Hunter, marry him, have babies, and have this life… that I don’t want.”
“Then you don’t need to have it,” she says. “Fuck everything and everyone.”
I smile. “Easy to say.”
“Trust me. I’ve been there with parental shit before. Just do your thing, Jade. Do what feels right.”
“Again… easy to say.”
“Well, then I’ll give you something that’s not so easy.”<
br />
“Try me.”
Katelyn leans in. “You like Jake.”
I almost choke on my beer. “What?”
“You. Like. Jake.”
“No. He’s…”
“Your stepbrother,” Katelyn says. “And it doesn’t fucking matter. Not to me. Not to you. You like him.”
“Why would you say that? If someone hears…”
“What? Rumors around campus? Please. I’m sure Jake’s reputation is wild enough. And you’re so good and quiet, nobody will care. So face the facts. You like Jake. Admit it.”
“It’s not like that,” I say. “He’s an asshole. But he at least pays attention to me.”
Katelyn nods. “You like him looking at you. You’re really beautiful, Jade. I wouldn’t be surprised if Jake would try…”
I feel my cheeks burning.
The way he lifts my dress, the tips of his fingers touching my legs. Cutting to the inside of my thighs and up. I look back at him, his eyes devouring me. There’s a connection. There’s a real fucking connection. I need to stop this thing before it gets too serious.
But I can’t stop.
I want it. I need it. This is everything.
It’s hot.
It’s perfect.
It’s sexy.
I love…
Oh, fuck.
No, no, no…
There’s no love.
There can never be love.
“You fucking love this,” he growls at me.
I want to scream ‘YES’ but his fingers enter me…
“Jade,” Katelyn says. “Look at me right now.”
I look at her. “What?”
“You and Jake… he’s made a move, hasn’t he?”
“I’m not talking about this.”
“I am,” Katelyn says. “Tell me…”
“What do you think?”
“Holy shit,” she whispers and then swallows. “This is real.”
“Don’t judge me. You don’t understand. You…”
Katelyn touches my hand. “I would never judge you. Not for any of that shit. I want you to be happy. I want you to get fucked and enjoy it. I know you fooled around with a couple guys before, but never anything serious. There’s nothing wrong with it.”
“There definitely is,” I say. “The situation…”
“It’s not like you two are serious.”
I feel my cheeks burn again.
“Oh, fuck,” Katelyn says.
“What?”
“You’re killing me.”
“Why?”
Katelyn swallows hard. She shakes her head.
“Tell me,” I say.
“Your… whatever… is on the opposite end of the bar right now.”
“Jake is here?” I ask, perking up.
Don’t do it, Jade. It can’t happen. You can’t find him and beg him to fuck you. That’s not how it works. It cannot…
“Jade, let’s just get out of here. I’ll buy you drinks somewhere else.”
“Why? Why would I need to leave?” I ask.
I stand up.
I move toward the bar and Katelyn is right there with me. I stand there and look across the bar and I see Jake. He’s sitting with a drink in his hand. A woman is staring him down, really close to him. Her fingers and playing with his hand. Her other hand touches his face. She smiles, laughs, inches closer.
Typical Jake just sits there and takes it. Shows no emotion. Trying to be the super cool guy, right? All tough and not bothered by anything. It wouldn’t shock if he had already fucked her in the bathroom.
My heart races and starts to crack.
This hurts to see.
This proves everything I’ve feared about me and Jake.
Emotions getting in the way of things. Worse yet, it’s my emotions that are doing this. Not Jake. He’s still living his life the way he always does.
“Come on,” Katelyn says. “Don’t let him see you.”
I look at Katelyn and nod. “Let’s go. I’m done.”
“I’ll get you a drink somewhere else.”
“No,” I say. “No. I need to go… see Hunter. Right now. I need something hard to drink and then I need Hunter.”
Jake wants to play this game… fine. He can sleep with some chick at a bar… I’ll go sleep with Hunter.
Take that, asshole stepbrother.
__
13.
(Jade)
Katelyn makes good on her promise to me. I drink from a small bottle and she takes me Hunter’s apartment. She asks if she can wait for me. I tell her no. There’s no need to stay and wait. I’m going to be with Hunter. I’m going to make everyone happy. I’ll make Hunter happy by giving him his fantasy. I’ll make my father happy because he’ll have me and Hunter together. He’ll have the son he never because my mother left us. And Jake… he’ll never have to worry about me again. I’ll be taken and he can go fuck anyone he wants. He can go down on women in the bathrooms of bars. He can fight their boyfriends. He can smoke himself stupid. He can party with his friend Zeke.
I’ll be gone.
I’ll do this with Hunter and then I’ll leave the house.
My father will be happy.
He and Rebecca will have their perfect life together.
It’ll all work out perfectly.
Just by my simple actions right now.
I stumble a little to the apartment building. I blame the heels, not the booze. If I were going to fuck Jake right now, I’d take the heels off. He wouldn’t care if I was in heels or not. But Hunter does. Hunter cares. He wants me to look the part all the time, right? I have to practice this, starting now. How to be the trophy wife hanging off his arm. Being prim and proper and supporting my man in his business ventures.
Oh, and let’s not forget that I’ll be there to support my dear father and stepmother while my father runs for office.
As for Jake…
What the hell is keeping him here?
If it’s money, then I’ll get it fixed. I’ll demand Jake gets his trust money so he could leave.
Bye-bye temptation. Bye-bye happiness…
I knock on the door to Hunter’s apartment.
I hear him talking as he approaches the door.
“The points are too high on that. We need to talk directly to Harrison. I don’t give a shit what they say. He’s in the states somewhere. I’ll find out and just show up. That’s how you take initiative…”
The door opens and Hunter looks shocked.
He opens his mouth and I make my move. I grab the phone from his hand and end the call. I toss the phone to the floor and then jump at him.
I’m used to Jake. Catching me. Holding me. Taking me.
Now, I basically crash into Hunter and send him flying back. He stumbles and falls to his ass, me on top of him.
It’s so unsexy… but I fight it off.
I put my hands to his shoulders and basically hold him down.
“Jade, are you drunk?” he asks.
“I am,” I say. “But I’m giving you what you want. Your fantasy. I’m right here.”
“I was on an important phone call.”
“Shut up, Hunter.”
I move down and kiss him. I press my lips to his. I open my mouth and swirl my tongue to his lips, demanding them to open. He does and we actually start to kiss. Our tongues sort of battling… only Hunter is taking a backseat to my kisses. I’m the one in control.
His hands touch my back. I reach back and move his hand down to my ass. I cup my hand around his. Then I start to pull up my dress. All the way up so he can touch my bare ass.
“Fuck,” Hunter whispers between kisses.
He touches my face. Our eyes meet and there’s nothing really there. But I want it. I want to do this. Get it out of the way.
“Bedroom,” I say. “Right now.”
I climb off Hunter. He can’t carry me to the bedroom, but he holds my hand as he leads the way. The apartment is immaculate. The bedroom is big and clean.
The bed is massive.
I go right after Hunter and start to strip his shirt. I tear at the buttons and he pushes me away. He does it himself. Shirt off. Pants down. His boxers are tight and I see his bulge. The first thing I do… compare.
I don’t want to do it. But my mind is so weird right now.
I reach back and grab at the dress. I manage to unzip it halfway and then reach down and around to get the other half. Hunter doesn’t get that if he turned me around and did it, it would have been crazy sexy.
He just stands there, wearing boxers.
I force the dress off my body and step out of the heels. I’m in a white strapless bra and black panties.
I approach Hunter. He touches my waist, fingers dipping into the sides of my panties. I touch his waist and then cut to the front of his boxers. I touch his dick over the boxers and he jumps.
“Oh, Jade,” he says. “Touch it. Hold it.”
I swallow hard. I pull at the top of the boxers and finally see Hunter’s body. His dick pops free. It’s just… there. My fingers touch his hard shaft and then I pull away. I grab his hand and shove it down my panties. I feel his fingers touch between my legs. Grazing my sex. I’m not exactly wet right now, but it’ll happen. Two fingers press against me and I jump. I shut my eyes for a second and groan, pleading with my body to cooperate. I hate to do it, but I picture Jake… his wild cut body and perfect cock.
Just like that, I’m wet.
I open my eyes and Hunter’s eyes are wide, his mouth open. His fingers press into my pussy. The look on his face makes me think he’s never done this before. I put both my hands to his shoulders. I’m thinking about getting him on the bed and straddling him. Rocking up and down on his dick until he comes. I know I won’t come, at least right now, but I can teach myself to come, right?
His fingers explore. That’s the word that comes to mind. He explores. He doesn’t finger me, twist, turn, pleasure me. He just explores. His other hand creeps up to my chest. He cups my breast over my bra.
“Jade, you’re so pretty,” he says. “I’m so hard and ready… I… I’m going…”
I pull at Hunter and we kiss again. I just want him to shut up.
Our tongues touch and flirt. It’s not good at all. His two fingers are still between my legs. Touching. Feeling. I reach down and force my panties down a little. I then slide my fingers to his fingers and show him what to do. In and out… in and out… moving his middle finger to my clit… so I can feel something…
BAD HEART: A Stepbrother Romance (A Step Over the Line Book Book 2) Page 9