Meeting the Step

by Adams, Ash

  "Oh and who is this hottie?" Tracy asked loud enough for everyone to hear.

  "This is Chelsea. Chelsea this is Tracy. One of the lucky ladies of the night," I said.

  Chelsea reached out and shook Tracy's hand. "Nice to meet you."

  "Have some food. Have some drinks. We are all just listening to some music and enjoying each others company." Tracy hugged me once again.

  There were logs neatly placed around the fire for sitting and oldies lightly playing on the radio. There were so many people that I hadn't seen in years that had come in for the big celebration. Chelsea and I walked over to the ice chests and I pulled out a bottle of water for me and let her choose whatever she wanted. Neither of us grabbed alcohol. Not after seeing how destructive it was. Too soon for that.

  We moved over to one of the logs next to Tina, who was as happy as could be with a bride sash across her chest like she had just won a pageant. In a round about way, she had won the pageant of love. Travis, one of my childhood best friends, waved at me as he threw more wood on the fire. I was glad to have brought the jacket because my backside was cold from the temperature drop and wind.

  "So who is this?" Tina said, smiling.

  "I'm Chelsea," she said outreaching her hand with a grin.

  "Been awhile since you brought a lady around Jenkins."

  "Been awhile since I had someone call me by my last name," I said then thought back to the last time I had brought a girl to meet my friends. Years. It had really been years.

  Chelsea glanced over at me and bit her lip. For a moment, I was jealous of that lip.

  "New love, it's cute," Tina said.

  I tilted my head at her and narrowed my eyes with a smirk on my lips. "New love?" I laughed.

  "So how did you two lovebirds meet?" Tina asked.

  I knew these questions were inevitable, but for some reason I hadn't actually figured out the answer to that one. I would not mention the step-sibling thing though, that was out of the question.

  "Max is going to be my stepbrother," Chelsea said and Tina's eyes went wide. I thought they would bulge out of her head.

  "This is a joke right?" Tina sipped her beverage smiling over the rim.

  I shook my head.

  "Your father is going to kill you. You're already dead. Once he finds out—"

  "There is nothing to find out." I interrupted.

  Chelsea exhaled a pent up breath.

  "Whatever you say. This is going to be fun," Tina said just as Tracy sat down beside her.

  "What's going to be fun, baby?" Tracy bit into a hot dog and chewed.

  "Nothing." Tina smiled at me. "Nothing at all."

  The conversation quickly moved from me to them and for once I was thankful for that. They talked about the upcoming wedding and their parent's reaction to them being gay and in love with each other. I had heard some of the stories a million times and could probably repeat them verbatim, but I didn't mind hearing them. It reminded me that love was love regardless of race or sex.

  Travis turned up the radio and Tracy stood and took Tina's hand, then the crowd joined in with their partners. Chelsea and I were like kids at a school dance that were too embarrassed to ask each other.

  Fuck it.

  I stood up and grabbed her hand. She looked at me shocked that I had even insinuated that I wanted to dance with her.

  "Come on," I said.

  She shook her head. "I don't dance."

  I grabbed her hand and pulled her to me. "Tonight you do."

  At first it was awkward being so close to her, but after a few songs, we both loosened up, which meant we moved closer. She wrapped her arms around my neck and my hands rested on her waist. There we were dancing on the beach to When a Man Loves a Woman by Percy Sledge. I hated to admit it but it reminded me of my mother and father and my childhood.

  Memories of them dancing in the kitchen flooded my mind. A smile touched my lips then slight sadness. The words to the song were just too much or maybe I was old enough to actually understand what they meant.

  The waves crashed in the background and the wind swirled around us. I pulled Chelsea closer to me until her breasts were against my chest and we slowly moved in rhythm. She fit perfectly against me like we were molded for one another. She was small enough where I could place my chin on top of her head if I wanted.

  The song changed to another Percy Sledge song and she pulled away and looked up at me with something in her eyes. Want? Happiness? I couldn't quite make it out.

  "What?" I searched her face.

  "I've. I've never done anything like this before." She looked around at the fire, the beach, and all of my friends smiling and laughing and dancing.

  "Well get used to it. I'm sure this won't be your last outing with me." And I wasn't lying.

  She tugged on that bottom lip and she watched as I stared at her doing it.

  "You make me jealous of that lip when you do that."

  She immediately stopped and gave me a little smile. "Want something to drink?"

  "Sure." I followed her over to the ice chests and she bent down and grabbed another bottle of water.

  "This is nice, Max. I'm really glad I came with you."

  "I'm glad you did too."

  Chapter Eleven

  Chelsea

  MAX WASN'T LIKE anyone I've ever known. He was confident, sexy, and seemed to know exactly what he wanted in life. His friends were funny and gave no fucks about anything. They said whatever they wanted and knew how to throw a party. I couldn't remember the last time I had this much fun. I couldn't remember the last time I slow danced with someone. High school, maybe?

  When I looked into his blue eyes, I felt something. There was exhilaration bubbling inside of me. I had to walk away from dancing before I kissed him. I wanted to kiss him. But I knew I shouldn't. My mother was going to kill me. She would. It was just a matter of time so maybe it was easier to stop this before it even really started.

  I sipped a drink of ice-cold water and looked over at Max. He was watching me intently and I felt like a spotlight was on me. I looked out at the crowd of people and Tina saw us standing over there and winked at me. Was our attraction to one another that obvious? Would my mother spot it whenever she came home on Sunday? What a predicament we were in.

  He walked to me and placed his hand on the small of my back and leaned down and whispered in my ear. His lips brushed against the shell of my ear and I shivered. "Do you want to get out of here?"

  I nodded.

  Max grabbed my hand and led me through the groups of people. He introduced me to almost everyone while saying his goodbyes. There were so many people there and just by being around them I could tell that they greatly cared about one another regardless of how long it had been since they saw each other. I smiled and introduced myself, but I didn't dare say the word stepsister again, not after Tori's reaction. A few people asked if I were his girlfriend and made comments about how I would be soon. He wrapped his arm around my shoulder as we walked away.

  As we walked closer to the car, I admired the vented hood and white racing stripe that went straight down the middle of the shiny black paint. Instead of opening the door, Max walked around to the back and patted the trunk. In the distance, I could still hear everyone chatting and the light sounds of the music playing but the crashing of the waves were magnified.

  He grabbed my waist and helped me climb onto the trunk but instead of sitting next to me, he gently parted my legs and stood between them. The moonlight lit our faces. My nerves were going haywire.

  "Can I ask you a question," he whispered.

  "Anything."

  "Can I kiss you?"

  With his height, we were face to face. I sucked in an uneven breath and nodded once then closed my eyes as he moved in closer. At first he didn't press his lips against mine but teased my lips with his. His tongue darted out lightly licking my bottom lip. My lips parted waiting for him, but he took his time teasing me. My heartbeat was uneven and my insides were squirmi
ng. The anticipation was enough to kill me. A casual breeze swirled around me and I didn't know if a chill went up my spine as a reaction to Max or because of the wind. I almost couldn't take his flirting much longer but before I became frustrated, his lips danced lightly with mine.

  I ran my fingers through his hair as our tongues played a little game of war. The feelings that coursed through my body were powerful, indescribable, and I felt like I had just experienced my first kiss, but with more meaning behind it, and not awkward. It was passionate and fiery and full of so much want that a jolt of warm fuzzies coursed through me. Chill bumps covered my arms and when we pulled away, I wanted nothing but air and more of him. My brain and heart and all the words I wanted to say were complete mush.

  "Wow," I whispered and placed my fingers over my swollen lips.

  "You felt it too?" His arms rested gently on my waist and all I could do was smile and nod.

  It was like the grand finale of the 4th of July firework show had been set off inside of me and I was drunk from his kiss.

  "Let's go home."

  "No, not yet." I didn't want this moment to end. I patted the trunk of the car and Max lifted himself and sat beside me. We leaned back on the cold windshield and I shivered. Max took off his jacket and covered the front of me with it.

  "Oh wait, get off one sec."

  I lifted an eyebrow at him.

  "Of the trunk."

  I did what he said and he stuck the key in the hole and clicked the trunk open. Inside were two blankets. I looked at him like he was crazy. "Always prepared?"

  "I've never had sex on them if that's what you're asking. They've been back there for over a year. Dad and I went to the drive-in movies and it was cold as fuck outside. Just forgot to bring them in. Good thing too."

  I handed him his jacket and he laid a wool blanket over the trunk and back windshield of the Mustang. He held his hand out and helped me up on the trunk then followed me. He covered us with the other blanket and we leaned back on the glass. We stared up at the moon and I could even make out a few stars. After a few minutes, he scooted his arm under my neck and my head rested on his chest. Our body warmth mixed together and I was no longer cold as I listened to the thumping of his heart.

  I had never been romanced before so all of this was so new. Usually with Richard it was all about drinking and fucking. It was odd that I had thought of him at this point of the night. He hadn't crossed my mind until the reality of how terrible he treated me slapped me in the face.

  I had no idea what I was missing when it came to dating. Not that Max and I were dating, but we were something or maybe we were just two lonely people enjoying each other's company. Regardless of what it was, I didn't want the night to end. I felt like I could stay in his arms, safe, forever.

  Chapter Twelve

  Chelsea

  "HEY, LOVEBIRDS. THOUGHT you left an hour ago," Tina said as she walked out to her truck parked by the Mustang.

  Max looked over at her and leaned forward. "We were just enjoying the moon and stars, just about ready to leave."

  Tina snickered giving a big uh-huh in response. Max grabbed my hand and we slid off the trunk causing the blankets to fall to the ground. Tina made small talk as I tried to plop the sand out of the wool blankets, which would be nearly impossible. Sand was funny like that. It always seemed to burrow in weird places only to be found weeks later. Max opened the trunk and stuffed the blankets inside then walked around the car and gave Tina a big hug bye. She was the girl that flashed on his phone earlier. I was silly to think it was his secret girlfriend.

  "See you two later," she said without a single doubt in her voice as I leaned against the car with kiss-swollen lips.

  I scooted to the side and Max brushed his arm against me and unlocked the car door. He slid inside then reached over and opened mine. I walked around the front of the car and sat then buckled. The leather seats of the car were cold and I shivered. Max started the engine, the low rumble echoing in the night. He turned and looked at me with a lifted eyebrow then clicked on the heat.

  "Ready?"

  Before I could even mutter a word, he shifted the car into gear and did a donut on the beach. The exhaust screamed out in protest and I loved the sound of it. I was smiling and laughing, and it reminded me of my dad and how he used to hotrod on the beach.

  "V8?" I asked.

  "320 horses in this baby."

  "Original paint?"

  "Better believe it, doll. Raven black. Original racing stripes."

  "I love it," I whispered as we raced down the wet sand close to the water. We cruised for minutes with the windows down listening to the waves move in and out from the shore. I leaned my head against the seat and looked out at the water and how the moon left squiggles of light on its surface. A thought crossed my mind and I turned toward Max.

  "Can I drive?"

  He shifted the car into neutral and we coasted until we stopped.

  "Can you drive a standard?"

  I looked at him sanctimoniously. I had been driving since I was ten when my father decided it was time for me to help him in the shop. I was almost offended that he didn't think I could drive stick. "Can't everyone?"

  He laughed at me. "You're cute when you're annoyed. And no, Chels, not everyone can. It's almost a lost art."

  "You let me drive your car and tomorrow I'll let you drive my truck. I saw the way you looked at her when you passed and how you lusted over that purple paint." I gave him my best pretty-please eyes and of course he caved.

  He opened his door and I carefully crawled across the shifter until I was sitting in the driver's seat. I watched him jog in front of the car with a grin on his face. I moved the seat forward so I could actually touch the pedals then slipped it into first gear. The car jerked then died.

  Immediately we glared at one another.

  "Don't even. Every car has its sweet spot when going into first. Don't make me nervous," I said. As if he could not make me nervous.

  Max chuckled and it was a sound that I liked to hear. It was playful and sincere and when he smiled a little dimple showed in one of his cheeks.

  "You're making me nervous. There are a lot of horses under that hood and not everyone can handle it. This is my baby." He patted the dashboard. "I don't let anyone, and I mean no one drive her except for my father and that's only because he made me agree when he bought it."

  I sucked in a deep breath, pushed in the clutch and turned the key. She came back to life with a roar. Slowly I released my foot from the clutch while pushing in the gas and we were off. Max was right, the car was extremely powerful, so much so that I didn't realize we were cruising at 50mph. I let my foot off the gas and slowed down until we were at 20 miles per hour. The wind was blowing in my hair and I felt happy and free. It had been awhile since I felt that. I couldn't remember the last time.

  Since my dad's death, I had been living as an automaton, going through the motions of life, watching each day pass me by. But right now, I was genuinely smiling, something that almost felt foreign.

  I drove as fast as I wanted and he never said a word about my speed. He allowed me to do what I wanted with his baby. He trusted me. We kept driving until we couldn't go any further. Carefully I reversed the car and pointed the headlights in our new direction then leaned my head against the seat and gleamed at Max.

  "You did well. Where did you learn how to drive like that?" Max asked.

  "My dad. He was obsessed with supped up cars and hot rodding. He used to own Harry's over on Sea Rim Drive."

  "Your dad was Harry? They rebuilt the engine in this car. That must be where I know you from. I kept trying to pinpoint it. Did you used to work the front counter?"

  I nodded. "Sometimes after class I'd go up there and help. Summers were always busy."

  "Yeah, I remember you now. You were the one who called me when the car was ready."

  I tried to remember him but couldn't. I had spoken to so many people working in the shop so it wasn't surprising, but
the thought of meeting him before gave me chills. I thought harder and almost remembered Dad working on this car. Max and I had crossed paths before and I never really paid attention. It was almost as if the stars were aligning, trying to tell me something. Just knowing that my dad touched and worked on this car and now I was driving it made it go full circle for me. It was like he was looking down on me, telling me that this was right, that maybe Max was right for me.

  I wouldn't rush anything, but I knew that I'd give him a chance regardless if he were my soon-to-be stepbrother or not. There was nothing my mother could do about it. I needed some sort of distraction from life and it seemed Max would do a good job at helping me with that.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Max

  I REMEMBERED THE day that Harry, the owner of Harry's Automotive, passed away. It was a tragic accident, one that swept the whole city. A drunk driver had plowed into Harry headfirst early one morning. It was printed in every newspaper and on all the news channels. I couldn't believe I didn't recognize him instantly in the picture in Chelsea's room. It must have been the rocking mustache that he didn't normally wear.

  "I'm really sorry about your dad. It was a tragic accident that should have never happened. The car community felt the loss immediately."

  I knew I had seen her somewhere before and knowing who her Dad was, made it come together full circle. Chelsea was obsessed with antique cars and was always with her dad at the classic automobile shows. I couldn't help but wonder if my dad knew who Chelsea's father was. Regardless it somehow seemed so wrong.

  We switched places and Chelsea skipped through the radio stations until she found something that she knew. It wasn't long until we were on my street traveling through the neighborhood I had lived in my whole life. I pulled up next to the truck and turned off the lights to the car. Chelsea's fingers intertwined with mine and I pulled her hand to my lips and kissed her knuckles. The smell of her sweet skin filled my nose. She watched me intently.

  "Max," she whispered.