by B. B. Hamel
“Please, Nathan, call me Jonathan.”
“Jonathan. Your daughter sure can sleep.”
“Yes, well, it’s one of her biggest talents.”
I rolled my eyes. “I’m sitting right here.”
Suddenly, I felt Nate’s rough hand land on my thigh, inches away from my pussy. I felt heat flare up through my legs immediately, and I had to wrestle with myself not to jump out of my skin.
“Oh, we know,” he said, looking at me.
“Okay, guys,” I managed to say.
“Just teasing you, dear.”
I felt my face turn red as Nate’s hand slowly moved closer to my spot. I had to throw a napkin over my lap for fear that our parents would notice. Nathan laughed to himself as he pulled his hand away just before he touched me. I felt a strange sense of relief mixed with disappointment.
“Such a lovely day,” Lucille said.
“It really is,” Nathan replied, digging into his food.
I picked at mine idly. What was he playing at here? I could tell he barely got along with his mom just from being in the same room as them for two minutes. There was no way a guy like him was interested in staying in the same house as his mother, let alone an absurd mansion like my dad’s place.
And yet on the surface, he was playing the perfect gentleman. I could tell Dad was eating up the “sir” bullshit, since it probably made him feel powerful and respected. Nate had to know that, but what was he aiming for?
“Did you guys have fun last night?” my dad asked me, pulling me from my thoughts.
“Oh, uh, yeah. We had lots of fun.”
“What did you do?” Nate asked me innocently.
“Went to one of my dad’s clubs with a friend. We had fun until some asshole ruined it.”
Dad frowned. “Did a man give you trouble?”
“No, not really. He was just some obnoxious guy.”
“I can have a word with the management, make sure they don’t allow any riffraff inside in the future.”
I smiled sweetly, looking right at Nate. “That would be wonderful, Dad.”
“Very good. Nathan, have you been to any of my restaurants?”
“Not yet, Jonathan. There’s only one thing of yours that I want to eat.”
My eyes widened and I felt a thrill run through me.
“What’s that?” Dad asked, confused.
“This delicious lobster. It’s absolutely incredible,” Nate replied. He cracked the tail loudly.
Dad nodded. “It sure is. I will tell the cook you enjoyed it.”
I let out a breath and took another bite to eat. I couldn’t believe he was pushing so hard. My dad could be totally oblivious sometimes, but there were limits to what he could get away with. The prick was going to say something too crazy and get himself kicked out.
Then again, maybe that wouldn’t be so bad.
We began to eat in silence, and I noticed Lucille hadn’t said much. She was busy working on a Bloody Mary and looking out at the ocean, barely pretending to care about the people in front of her. I could see where Nathan got his wonderful manners from.
“Nathan,” Dad said suddenly, “you’re a Navy man.”
“That’s right.”
“How would you like to come out on my yacht?”
Nathan smiled sweetly. “I would love nothing more.”
I wanted to gag.
“Wonderful. Claire, dear, why don’t you join us?”
“I don’t know, Dad. I’m not a huge fan of the open ocean.”
“Are you sure?” Nathan asked. “There’s nothing more exciting. I could teach you a thing or two out there.”
“Yes, that would be wonderful, Nathan. You should absolutely teach my daughter some nautical tricks of the trade.”
He nodded. “I can teach her some knots, how to properly tie up. I won’t get you too wet, I promise.”
I blushed again, clenching my jaw. “No, thanks, Nathan. I think I’d rather drown myself in the tub instead.”
“Claire!” Dad snapped, his eyes narrowing. “What’s the matter with you?”
“It’s okay, Jonathan. She must still be annoyed from getting her nap interrupted.”
Dad sighed and shook his head. “Women can be so moody sometimes.”
I wanted to smack both of them. Dad was such a boring, stuck-up, old-school sexist, and Nate was clearly just playing along to annoy me.
“That’s enough, boys,” Lucille cut in suddenly. “No need to gang up on poor Claire.”
I started to eat again, eager for the conversation to move on.
“Speaking of that,” Lucille went on. “What are your plans for this summer, Nathan?”
“I’m on leave, Mother. I plan on relaxing until my next deployment.”
She nodded, sipping her drink. “I was hoping you’d maybe get a job, do something a little less . . . barbaric.”
I could feel Nate tense beside me.
“I have a job. It’s protecting ungrateful civilians like you.”
“Nathan, your mother is just looking out for you. I have plenty of businesses that you could work at, if you wanted to make an extra buck,” Dad cut in, trying to placate the situation.
“Oh, he certainly needs an extra buck,” Lucille continued. “The Army doesn’t exactly pay much, does it, Nate?”
“The Navy,” he said through clenched teeth, “pays just fine.”
“Oh, maybe, but you’re always traveling, running around the world shooting your guns like wild men. Why don’t you give something more respectable a shot, Nathan?”
I thought, for just a second, that Nathan was going to throw something at her. I saw a twitch in his face, but suddenly he took a deep breath and composed himself. I guessed that was his military discipline taking over.
“No, thank you, Lucille.” He pushed his chair out and stood up. “My job is enough for me.” Without another word, he turned and walked away from the house, down toward the beach.
I watched him disappear for a moment as an awkward silence descended on the table. His strong body walked calmly and confidently toward the beach. He kicked off his shoes and continued on, following the water line, out of sight.
“Well,” Lucille said, “that was awkward.”
Dad looked at me. “Claire, honey, why don’t you take him out on the boat tomorrow?”
I sighed. “Why would I do that, Dad?”
“Because I want him to feel welcome, and I want you two to become friends. You’re siblings now.”
“Stepsiblings,” I mumbled.
“Is that a yes?”
“I don’t know. He doesn’t seem that interested.”
“He sure seemed interested when I brought it up. Please, honey, I’m asking you nicely.”
I knew I couldn’t say no. Dad did so much for me, and I was his perfect little princess, after all. I couldn’t possibly disappoint him.
Even though I wanted to. I desperately wanted to rebel against everything he said and did, which was probably part of why I was so excited every time Nate said something sexual right in front of him. I loved how cocky and confident Nate was, even if it was completely over the top and embarrassing. It excited me, and I craved some excitement in my life.
But I couldn’t imagine a day alone with him on a boat. I knew that he would try to get in my pants, or I guess in my swimsuit, all day long. And I wasn’t sure I could keep him off me. Now that we were stepsiblings, though, maybe he would start to back off.
“Okay,” I said reluctantly. “I’ll take him.”
Dad beamed. “That’s my girl. Well, this was delicious, but I have some work to do.” He stood up. “Ladies.”
Lucille blew him a kiss, and I smiled as he left. I took another bite of my lunch and then quickly stood up to follow.
“Be nice to that boy,” Lucille said suddenly.
“Excuse me?”
“Nathan. He doesn’t understand people like us. He’s always been a problem.”
I frowned at her. “H
e seems like he has it together. He’s a Navy SEAL. That’s a huge deal.”
She shrugged her shoulders and looked out at the ocean. “Maybe in some circles it is. But to me, he’s just one big disappointment.”
I stared at her, shocked that she’d outright admit to that, before turning and walking away without another word.
“Okay, so where’s this thick hunk of sexy-ass muscles at? I want a quick peek at what he’s packing.”
“Come on, Lydie,” I said, giggling. “Calm it with that.”
“I can’t calm myself. I know there’s a hunk nearby. I need to at least see what we’re working with before I can get myself under control.”
“Maybe self control is something you need to work on. Remember puking in the bushes?”
“I will never forget that moment as long as I live.”
“You looked like a dolphin diving in there. With puke coming out, obviously.”
“It wasn’t my finest moment.”
I leaned back in my chair, smiling to myself, the sun reflecting off the suntan lotion I had spread all over. The pool moved in slow lapping circles from the light breeze as Lydie and I sat in reclining chairs along its edge. After that awkward as hell lunch, I had decided I needed a little buffer from the family, and Lydie had been more than delighted to come over.
Of course, she had her own motives. She wanted to meet my new stepbrother, which both annoyed me and made me laugh. She had no clue what she was getting herself into. Nate wasn’t like the guys she normally messed around with. She was used to being able to control those guys and to get her way.
But I really doubted anyone could control Nate. It seemed like he did pretty much whatever he wanted to do. He would definitely walk all over Lydie and then some.
“Whatever happened with those guys you brought into the VIP, by the way?” I asked her.
“Ugh, they were creeps.”
“What did they do?”
“The one guy, remember the tan one?” I nodded. “Well, he said he wanted to put his dick in my butt. Like, totally out of nowhere, he just said it.”
“What?”
“Seriously, Claire. It was so disgusting. He leaned into me right after we took a shot and whispered in my ear, ‘Girl, your ass is so fat I want to stick my dick in it.’ I started puking right there.”
I burst out laughing. It was the most absurd thing I had ever heard in my entire life.
“Did he think that was going to work?” I managed to ask through laughter.
“I have no fucking clue. He was so gross. I’m actually almost glad I started throwing up. Made it clear how I felt about him.”
“Got you away from them, too.”
“Totally. The second I told them I felt sick, they dumped me in the bathroom and ran out of there. Vomit is basically dickhead repellent.”
“Assholes.”
“Don’t even say that word.”
I rolled over, laughing again. I looked up toward the ocean, and suddenly the laughter died in my chest.
“I’m so sick of guys like that,” Lydie was saying, but I hardly heard her. I was too busy staring at Nate walking up the path toward the house, his shirt wrapped around his head like a turban, his chest glistening with sweat.
“Hello? Claire? I’m busy bitching about the finer points of the male animal’s psyche and you look like you just saw a ghost.”
“Oh, uh, sorry.”
“What are you . . .” Lydie started to say, but trailed off when she noticed Nate. “Oh damn. Hot fucking damn.”
Lydie dipped her sunglasses down, her mouth gaping.
“That’s my stepbrother,” I said sheepishly.
“He’s way hotter than I remembered.”
I had to admit that I agreed. He was an incredible specimen, to be totally honest with myself. The way he moved was smooth and serious, and his body was cut like steel. Every inch of him was sculpted and tough, and the tattoos that snaked up around his body were sexy and dangerous. He stopped a few feet away from us, grinning.
“Well, is this who I think it is?” he asked me.
“Nathan, this is my friend Lydie.”
He reached his hand out and she shook it. “I remember you,” he said to her.
“I remember you, too,” she answered, not even pretending like she wasn’t ogling him.
“What were you doing?” I asked him before Lydie started drooling.
“Went for a run.”
“In your jeans?”
“You can run in just about anything, it turns out.”
“Thanks. But isn’t it hard?”
“Not yet, but you girls are about to make it hard.”
Lydie giggled at his dumb joke and I rolled my eyes.
“By the way,” I said, “my dad wants me to take you out on our boat.”
“Just the two of us?”
“No,” I said, looking at Lydie. “You’re coming, right, Lydie?”
“Oh, uh, sure. Yeah, I’m totally coming.”
“Not to be rude, but do we really have to do this shit?”
“What do you mean?”
He sat down at the end of my chair, sighing. “I’m not the fond-family type, you know? I don’t really do afternoons on the fucking yacht.”
I made a face. What an arrogant asshole. “You can do whatever you want, but I won’t lie to my dad for you.”
“Can’t lie to daddy, or just feel like fucking with me?”
“A little bit of both.”
“Harsh.” He grinned at me. “Okay then, I guess I have no other choice.”
“Great. Tomorrow?”
“Cool. How about you, Lydie?”
She smiled stupidly. “Tomorrow. Sure. I’d love to get with you tomorrow.”
He raised an eyebrow, smiling.
“Go you with, I mean,” she said quickly. “Go with you tomorrow.”
“Great. Sounds like a little threesome.”
I rolled my eyes at him. He stood up and stretched, and I could have sworn he gave me a little wink. Lydie, meanwhile, was practically fingering herself.
“See you girls later.”
“Bye, prick,” I mumbled.
“Bye, Nate,” Lydie chirped.
He turned and walked away. I stared at the muscles in his back, shocked that there could even be so many.
“Get yourself together, Lydie,” I said to her after a minute.
“Did I just get in the pool? Because I’m soaking wet.”
“Gross. He’s a total asshole.”
“Are you kidding? He seems amazing.”
“You don’t know him.”
“Maybe.” She looked at me seriously. “Can I go for him?”
I blinked at her, surprised. I shouldn’t have been, but part of me was assuming she wouldn’t go any further than making stupid jokes and comments. Then again, she didn’t know what had happened between him and me, and as far as she knew we were just stepsiblings. He was technically fair game for her.
And yet why was I so annoyed? I didn’t want Lydie anywhere near him. She was my best friend, but she had always been the popular one. She had blond hair, big boobs, a nice body, and a bubbly, out-going personality. She was basically the opposite of me, except for maybe the boobs. The thought of her with Nate made me somewhat angry, although I shouldn’t have been.
“Sure, whatever,” I said, looking away. “He’s just my stepbrother.”
“Are you positive? Seriously, Claire, I won’t do anything if you don’t want me to.”
What was I supposed to say? Sorry, Lydie, I want to suck my stepbrother’s cock so bad it makes my pussy practically burn with desire. That would be stupid. If I told her not to, I’d look lame and petty.
“Go ahead. Do you.”
“Thanks, girl.” She turned over, laying facedown.
I turned myself over, too, annoyed. I pulled out my phone and began to scroll through Facebook, trying to ignore my own feelings. Meanwhile, Lydie seemed to fall asleep. More likely she was having a we
t dream about Nate pulling his Navy SEAL magic on her overused pussy.
I stopped myself mid-thought. I shouldn’t be unfair to her. She had always been a good friend. It wasn’t her fault that I was too much of a chicken to tell her the truth. I needed to get over my own insecurities and move on.
Besides, maybe it was better this way. If Lydie kept Nate entertained, he’d stop messing with me. Really, it was a win-win for everyone. Nate got the sex he so obviously craved, Lydie got the hot Nate body she so clearly was obsessing over, and I didn’t have to worry that my drop-dead gorgeous stepbrother was going to try to get me off again.
Tomorrow was going to be okay. We’d get through it and make it work somehow.
I sighed, relaxing, letting the bright sun warm me to sleep.
4
Nathan
Jonathan gestured at a boat with the words “Sea Fairy” in red on the side.
“There she is,” he said proudly.
“Sea Fairy?” I asked him.
“My second wife picked the name,” he grumbled. “Felt wrong to change it.”
“Sure. Of course.”
I would never own a boat with a name like that, I thought to myself, trying to keep from laughing. I’d rather sink the damn thing.
It was around ten in the morning and the girls weren’t ready yet. The marina was walking distance from the house, and so Jonathan had insisted on bringing me down early to show me the boat.
As if I’d never been on a boat before. I could pilot his piece of shit yacht through a hurricane if I had to. Sailing it around the bay was something I could do blackout drunk and blind. But Jonathan clearly cared a lot about his Sea Fairy, and I didn’t feel like pushing the point. He probably wanted to impress me, but it was really just a giant, glorified party boat with a slightly bigger engine and a much nicer décor.
“She’s one of the biggest here,” he was saying as we climbed aboard. “Fully stocked, so don’t worry about that. Take whatever you guys want.” He motioned toward the aft. “Bar over there, if you feel the need.” He winked, and I almost wanted to punch him.
My new stepfather walked me through the whole length of the thing, showing me every opulent feature and trying to impress me with his knowledge of sailing terms. I put up with it because I figured it would be easier than the alternative. Plus, if I wanted to keep staying in luxury while teasing my fucking sexy stepsister, I needed to play nice. As much as it annoyed me.