by Linda Barlow
The kid hooked his arms with his swim buddy and started cackling like the Joker. The laughter would warm up their bodies. I wasn’t a sadist—if these men thought ocean in the winter in San Diego was cold, they’d never survive the sub-zero temperatures when we did missions in Alaska.
I returned to Cassie. She was standing there next to the instructor truck, a surprised look on her face.
“I need to get back to work. I won’t tell my mom, but I’m not going to lie and tell you that I’m never gonna touch you again. When you’re ready for a second round, let me know. Bye, Sis.”
She stalked away from me, sand flying under her angry feet, and stormed back up the beach. My eyes lingered a little too long on her curvy ass. She’d looked so fucking incredible in her cotton dress, and I knew that every man on that beach wanted to fuck her, but they had thought she was mine. Which she had been, for a minute.
I wanted to carry her away and take her back to my place and fuck her brains out. The sooner, the better. I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about her since our night together. Was it really only because she’d been the last girl I’d fucked? I’d been stateside for almost two weeks now and still hadn’t gotten laid. I didn’t have relationships; I rarely slept with a woman more than once. A Navy SEAL never makes the same mistake twice—why was I breaking my rules for Cassie? I didn’t know—the only thing I was certain of was that I had to taste Cassie again. And nothing was going to stop me.
I didn’t have time to deal with this mess. Not now. Not when my men needed me.
The sun began to set. I spoke into the microphone. “Say goodbye to the sun, gents. It’s gonna be a long night.”
Chapter 13—Cassie
As I walked away from the sand-caked would-be SEALs on the beach and their asshole instructor, I didn’t know what to feel. The truth was that seeing Shane, walking beside him, listening to his low, sexy voice had brought that sexual yearning boiling to the surface again. There was an ache in my belly and that damn traitorous dampness between my legs.
What was wrong with me? I couldn’t allow myself to have such feelings. Not now. Not ever. Was I some kind of deviant or something? Shane was my stepbrother. Or he soon would be.
I couldn’t ever be with him again.
I couldn’t even permit myself to think about it. Dream about it. Fantasize about it.
I had to put the guy completely out of my mind.
Anyway, how could I be attracted to such a full-of-himself jackass? He’d been barely civil at the dinner, and the moment he’d gotten me out of sight of our parents, he had grabbed me and pulled my body against his. If he’d jammed his mouth down on mine right at that moment, I’d have kissed him back. Seeing him was like watching shards of lightning, up close, despite the danger.
A SEAL. He could probably kill me with his bare hands. He’d survived the training those recruits back there were enduring. And I’d heard—everyone around here knew it—that most members of every new SEAL class washed out. Quit. The instructors did their damnedest to make you quit. You had to be really tough and stubborn to graduate from that self-imposed torture class.
A lot of girls around here were hot for SEALs. Would drop their panties if one of them so much as grinned at her. I’d thought that was really asinine behavior. Like I’d never do such a thing. Oh no, not me!
God. No wonder I’d never heard from Shane after our night together. That must have been an easy hookup for him. Order a woman to fuck him and she’d be, “Yes, Sir, How Hard, Sir?”
Shit, shit, shit! Even before this latest mess, what must he have thought of me? Just another ho. Only this particular ho was about to become his stepsister. He probably figured my dad was just as empty headed and sex obsessed as I’d appeared to be. Why would he expect my father to treat his Mom right, when he clearly had such a shallow daughter?
And yet…and yet. Sex had felt so right between us. It had been different, special. It had felt as if we were meant to find each other and be together.
Yeah, right. Stop it, brain! Someone turn a hose of cold water on me.
By the time I’d gotten back to the hotel, my father and my new stepmother—I nearly gagged at the thought—were nowhere to be seen. Fine. I got in my car and drove back to my apartment. Somehow I had to learn to live with having a stepmother.
And a stepbrother I had fucked and, deep in the darkest part of my heart, wanted to fuck again.
Chapter 14—Cassie
December seemed to crawl along. Molly was staying for Christmas. And New Year’s. Damn. She was practically living here.
She kept trying to be friendly and I kept trying to tread the thin line between being tolerant and polite to her and fleeing the situation at top speed.
I didn’t want to hurt Dad’s feelings, but watching him planning his wedding to another woman really got my panties scrunched. Even if she hadn’t been Shane’s mother, it would have been hard for me. The only Mom I was ever going to have died when I was a freshman in college. My dad had been so broken up about it that I’d had to do most of the funeral arrangements myself. He couldn’t stop crying. I’d never seen my dad cry before. All I’d wanted to do back then was collapse and howl myself, but someone had to keep it together, and I’m not quite sure how that someone had turned out to be me.
Maybe I hadn’t forgiven him for that yet.
I don’t know.
Or maybe I couldn’t forgive the idea that he could be in love when my own grief for Mom had been made raw all over again. I couldn’t deal with the thought of him standing up in church with Molly and pledging to love her for the rest of his life. If he was so desperate for companionship and sex and stuff, why couldn’t he just bone her? That would be private and none of my business.
This past year, when I knew he was seeing her, I’d ignored it. Denied it. Who the hell wants to think about their father having sex? But now I couldn’t seem to stop thinking about it.
Especially since it was obvious that Dad was getting a whole lot more sex than I was. The only man I wanted was now forbidden to me.
Despite all my good resolutions, my stupid brain remained fixated on Shane. Every time I got myself off with my trusty BOB, all I could envision was him.
Not that Mr. Fuck Me, Babe even cared.
As it turned out, it wasn’t going to be a big wedding. They decided to do some intimate thing down in Baja… just the family. Dad and Molly were going to sail Dad’s boat from San Diego to Cabo in Mexico, have the ceremony at a little church where an old friend of Molly’s was now the priest, and then cruise back for their honeymoon.
The wedding would be right after New Years, before Dad and I headed back to school after winter break. Shane and I were expected to show up and Dad had offered to pay for our plane tickets. But I didn’t think Shane even knew about the plans. I’d overheard Molly, practically in tears on the phone with him, trying to get him to make a little time in his busy schedule to talk to her.
Asshole. Yeah, I didn’t like it either, but at least I was trying to be nice about it. If people fell in love, they fell in love. There was nothing Mr. Super SEAL could do about that.
Suck it up, Sand-Boy.
Chapter 15—Shane
I ran on the beach to Mr. Bennings’ mansion. On Ocean Boulevard. He had a fucking house on Ocean Boulevard. What the fuck did he want with my mom?
I’d been too busy for this full mind fuck since dinner at the Del. My officer volun-told me for a training exercise in Arizona. Away from my mom. And her fiancé.
And Cassie.
Cassie. I couldn’t wait to see her again. The anticipation of fucking Cassie was killing me.
I hadn’t had a girlfriend since high school and I was in no market to find one. My only focus had been getting through BUD/S and becoming the best Navy SEAL I could be without any distractions. No woman to try to make happy, no months in the desert worrying whether or not she was being fucked by someone back home.
My buddies had warned me to stay the fuck away from
Cassie—that it would only end badly. They encouraged me to go find someone else, anyone else, but Cassie was the only one I wanted.
But now I was starting to think my friends were right. The thought of another man touching Cassie made me insane. And she wasn’t even mine. What if my mom went through with this wedding and Cassie became my stepsister? Flashes appeared of future holiday dinners with my mom, Mr. Bennings, Cassie and her preppy husband, probably some jackass trust fund baby who never worked a day in his life. I didn’t need that kind of distraction, I didn’t need a constant reminder of our one epic mind-blowing night shoved in front of me for the rest of my life. But the damage was already done, we couldn’t go back in time. We already fucked, so what was the harm in going for a second round?
Tonight was gonna be my first glimpse into a future with Cassie, my stepsister. It was Christmas Eve. My mom insisted that I “join the family” for Christmas Eve dinner and to exchange gifts on Christmas morning. I had an idea for a present for Cassie—my dick in a box.
I knocked on the massive wooden door, painted bright red. This place looked like something out of a Norman Rockwell painting. Would a butler answer?
Fuck. Even worse. Cassie opened it. She was wearing a fitted green sweater with a white reindeer over her chest and tight jeans. If she was trying to turn me off by wearing an ugly Christmas sweater, it wasn’t working. She was so fucking hot. Her hair was damp, as if she’d recently showered. I could still picture the beads of saltwater on her ass when I’d first seen her.
“Nice of you to show up. Your mom has been trying to get you to come over for ages.”
“I’m busy, Cassie, training the most elite warriors in the world. I’m sure you’re enjoying your winter break—maybe you spend your days at the Del: relaxing at the Spa La La getting a Peppermint Mistletoe pedicure, sipping English breakfast tea while snacking on finger sandwiches, or having Santa serenade you on the gondola. But some of us work for a living.”
I waited for her smart-ass response, but she just bit her bottom lip. I wanted to bite that lip, taste her blood, make her scream as she came over and over again. I glanced up at the door and saw we were standing under mistletoe. I pointed to the doorframe and grabbed Cassie, pressing my lips on hers. My hands cupped her face, my tongue explored her mouth. She tasted sweet and spicy, like cinnamon and chocolate, and I wanted to drink her up.
She twisted her face to the side. “What are you doing?” she said, under her breath.
“What’s going on here?” I looked up and saw Mr. Bennings, a scowl on his face.
Cassie pulled away from me. Her face went blank. I’d handle this. “Nothing, old man. Mistletoe?”
My mom appeared around the corner, glancing around, trying to assess the situation. “Oh that, sorry Henry, that mistletoe is my fault. It adds some holiday spirit.” She hugged me. “Merry Christmas Shane, I’m so glad you could make it.”
“Merry Christmas, Ma.”
Mr. Bennings must’ve calmed down, but he still looked at me funny. “Ahh. I didn’t notice that there. Welcome Shane. Merry Christmas. Please come join us in the living room.” He placed his arm on my shoulder, some type of paternal pat. But I stepped away—I’d never known my own dad, and I was not about to let this guy attempt to take on a fatherly role.
In the living room, one of the frosted white Christmas trees was tucked in the corner, behind the grand piano. I placed the gifts under the tree. It was decorated with blue and white ornaments, very beachy. I missed our holidays in Montana, just my mom and me, a pine cut from the woods, homemade decorations with strung popcorn and cranberries, hot chocolate in our mugs.
My mom handed me a beer, and Henry made small talk with me about a recent SEAL autobiography he’d read. I just rolled my eyes—another one of the fame-hungry former SEALs violating our honor code—we were supposed to be silent warriors. These days, I wondered if our trident came with a book deal.
Dinner was finally ready. Molly and Henry dominated the conversation, alternating between thrilling topics like the economic impact of the recent legalization of marijuana and the looming prediction that California would run out of water due to the drought. Cassie and I mostly stayed quiet. At least my mom had prepared my favorites—stuffed mushrooms, grilled salmon, pumpkin ravioli, apple bread pudding with moonshine crème sauce. I gobbled down every bite, though I noticed that Cassie didn’t touch her salmon. She was weird, and I was sure I made her nervous.
“So Shane,” she said after swirling her glass of wine, “why did you want to be a SEAL?”
Nope, not gonna happen. I was not going to open up to her. “To shoot guns, blow up stuff, and jump out of planes.”
My mom shot a glare at me. “Shane always wanted to help people. He’s a corpsman actually. It’s like a medic for the Teams. He had to go through extensive advanced field medical training. Maybe one day he’ll get out and be a doctor.”
Cassie’s mouth softened and she tilted her head and smiled at me. “Wow, that’s fascinating. What kind of training?”
I didn’t want to answer her questions, but I figured enlightening her that I really wasn’t a dumbass would help me get into her pants later tonight. “It’s pretty intense, almost a year long after you become a SEAL. Rotations for surgery, dermatology, pediatrics, orthopedics, radiology. Even large animal veterinary care—so we can treat sea lions.”
Cassie ignored my last comment and pressed her palms against her cheeks. “I had no idea you guys did all that. I’m impressed.”
“It’s not a big deal. It was a pain in the ass but anything to save my men’s lives.” I fidgeted in my chair. I was done talking about myself. “I’m beat.”
I excused myself from the table and my mom showed me to my room on the main floor. It looked like a hotel suite, huge king bed, view of the ocean, and a marble bathtub. I noticed Cassie slipping by us and heading upstairs.
Tonight, she would be sleeping in the same house as me.
Well, after I fucked her.
Chapter 16—Cassie
I heard a sound at my door—a very slight sound, but it was enough. I sat up with a jerk as the door swung inward and Shane slipped into the room, with a wicked grin on his face and a knowing look in his eyes. Damn him! Somehow he sensed that I wasn’t as immune to him as I was pretending to be.
“What are you doing in here? Get out,” I whispered, afraid to scream it at him. Terrified that anything we did together, our parents would hear. Not that we were going to do anything together. Did he really think I was going to let him touch me again?
He waltzed right over to my bed, all six feet two of his gorgeous rock-hard body, and sat down beside me. “I’ve seen how you look at me,” the arrogant prick said, grinning that soul-softening grin. “I know you want me.”
“I do not want you.” I was trying to forget how good that quick mistletoe kiss had felt. “Are you crazy? Our parents will hear you. My dad is already suspicious.”
With one arm, he flipped me under him, and pressed me down flat on the bed. God help me, but the feel of his body, his muscles, and flesh and his bone brought back sharp memories of how it had felt that amazing night last spring, when he’d catapulted me up into an erotic wonderland. I had never felt such insatiable desire, nor had I ever come as hard or as long as I had with his thick cock inside me.
Stop thinking nonsense, I yelled at my unruly mind. What was wrong with me?
“I don’t care who hears us,” he said. His mouth came down on mine and he kissed me hard and deep. When I fought to turn my face away, his hand slid into my hair. He lifted his lips just above mine and murmured, “God, I love your taste.” He ran his tongue over my lips—sending sparks shooting all through me, and then he kissed me again, more sweetly.
Oh god, oh god. Why did he feel so good? Why was my belly already burning and my core softening and turning wet?
“You’re not my stepsister yet.”
He slid one hand down over my breasts, my waist, my hip and in between my thighs
. I tried to squirm away from him, but I didn’t try too hard. He arrowed right in, parting my pussy lips. He made an approving sound as he discovered I was already hot and wet.
“Stop it! I mean it, Shane. I told you—we can’t do this. We can’t ever do it.”
I slid out from under him and turned on my side. I brought my knees up. I think I was shaking a little. I could feel my hair in my eyes and my heart pounding. He continued stroking me and my traitorous pussy clenched. I was on the verge of tears. What happens when you want something so much, but you know you can’t have it? My heart felt as if it were cracking in two.
“Cassie,” he breathed in my ear. He kissed the back of my neck. “I can’t stop thinking about you. About us. That incredible night we had. It was amazing. It can be like that again. You know it can.” His hand closed over my breast, rubbed, teased, caressed. “It’s so hot between us. You can’t deny it, babe.”
“Oh please. You never even called. You’ve been back from deployment for over a month now. You’ve probably fucked half the sorority sisters in San Diego.”
He chuckled and said, “Truth is, I haven’t been with anyone since you. You’re the only one I want.”
I punched him lightly in the arm. “You’re such a jerk. I don’t believe you.”
“It’s true. There’s been no one. Not while I was deployed and not since I’ve been back.”
He sounded sincere, if only because he also sounded puzzled by his own behavior. As if he didn’t believe it himself. What the hell did that mean? It wasn’t as if he cared about me. And, anyway, he couldn’t care about me. Not in that way. Not now.
I tried to pull away and sit up. “It doesn’t matter. We aren’t doing this. It’s wrong. It’s impossible. So please, Shane, just get the fuck out.”
I said it as fiercely as I could, because I was fighting myself just as much as I was fighting him.