Stepbrother Rules

by Chloe Hawk

  I felt Cole getting in behind me, and his chest pushed against my back as his reached for the shampoo that was on the hanging shelf over the showerhead. His body felt warm, even warmer than the water that was sliding over my skin.

  I glanced over my shoulder and watched as he squeezed the shampoo into his hands, working it into a lather before putting it on my hair. His hands moved over me, and I leaned back into him, loving the feel of his skin against mine, his touch as he massaged my scalp, how strong and big he felt behind me.

  “Careful,” he said, pulling me back toward him. “Don’t get your wrist wet.”

  “I won’t.” My heart was pounding, my pulse racing. I remembered now why I hated him so much – it wasn’t just because he’d left us. It was because I wanted him. I wanted him in a way I knew I could never have him.

  That’s crazy, Avery. He’s your stepbrother, and even if he wasn’t, he wouldn’t be interested in someone like you. He’d gorgeous and rich and he could have any woman he wanted.

  Cole reached up and grabbed the shower head, pulling it down and guiding it over me, until all the shampoo was rinsed from my hair. He replaced the showerhead and grabbed a bottle of strawberry body wash off the shelf.

  “Body wash, Cole?” I teased. “Really?”

  “It’s for guests,” he said.

  “Oh.” Guests. Women. Women who spent the night with him. I wondered if he’d been in the shower with any of them, imagined him pushing one of them up against the wall, the water sliding off their bodies as he slammed his cock into her.

  I took a step away from him.

  “I can’t…. I mean, I can do it.” I turned around and held my hand out for the body wash.

  There was a drop of water on his bottom lip, his hair damp from the steam. His blue eyes locked on mine, and for a second, I thought he was going to protest, was going to insist he be allowed to help. I imagined his hands moving over my body, untying my bikini top, his hands grabbing at my breasts, his mouth on mine, our tongues exploring each other.

  “You sure?” Cole’s eyes slid down over my body, taking in my wet bikini which I knew he could see right through.

  He leaned in close to me, his breath against my ear. “I don’t know if you should do it by yourself.” His voice was husky, almost like he was turned on and wanted an excuse to touch me. But that was impossible. Wasn’t it?

  I opened my mouth to answer, not sure I was strong enough to resist him touching me.

  But the doorbell rang then.

  And just like that, the spell was broken.

  Cole reached over and set the body wash back down on the shelf.

  He grabbed a towel that was hanging on the rack and got out of the shower. I tried not to stare as he dried himself off.

  He left the bathroom without saying anything, and I finished my shower, taking extra care not to get my wrist wet.

  When I was done, I dressed in his t-shirt and sweatpants, inhaling the scent of his laundry detergent. It smelled like Cole, and I smiled when I realized that even though he was a big shot businessman now, he still used the same laundry detergent we did.

  When I got into the hallway, I could hear voices coming from the living room.

  “Jesus, Cole,” a girl was saying. “This is low, even for you.”

  “Relax, Kalia,” Cole said, and I heard the rustling of bags. “This shit is for my sister.”

  “You sister?” Kalia said, sounding relieved. The two of them passed through the living room to the kitchen, and I caught a glimpse of them as they walked by the hallway. Kalia was exactly how I pictured her. Tall, skinny, blonde, beautiful. She was wearing a tiny black miniskirt and pair of high stiletto shoes. She looked effortless and put-together, her hair hanging in a shiny curtain down her back. “Why didn’t you say that? I didn’t know you had a sister.”

  The bitter taste of disappointment filled my mouth. Not only was Cole obviously fucking his assistant, but he hadn’t even bothered to mention me to her. It was like he’d just traded one life for another, not even thinking about us at all. I wasn’t surprised, but the rejection sill burned.

  “Well, I do and she’s going to be staying here for a while.”

  “So does that mean I won’t be spending the night?”

  “Kalia, I’m not getting into that right now.” Cole’s voice made it clear that the subject wasn’t up for discussion, and I smiled. I wasn’t sure why, but I felt some kind of competition with this girl, and the fact that Cole wasn’t going to talk to her felt like a win.

  “Fine,” Kalia said, sounding like it was anything but.

  She stormed out the door, slamming it behind her.

  A second later, Cole started down the hallway.

  “Wow,” I said. “You let your assistant talk to you like that?”

  “Go to bed, Avery,” he said, storming past me. “You’ve had a rough day. The guest room is across the hall.” And with that, he disappeared into a room at the end of the hall, closing the door behind him.

  ***

  The guest room was big and elegant, with a tray ceiling and a king-sized bed with a memory foam mattress and the silkiest sheets I’d ever felt. It was a far cry from the bed I had at home, a twin with a stained mattress covered in mismatched sheets and broken springs poking into me whenever I turned.

  I thought I’d have a hard time falling asleep, since I was in a strange place and since my wrist had started throbbing, but I was out as soon as my head hit the pillow.

  I dreamt I was back home, and Cole was there. There was a pool in our backyard, even though we didn’t have a pool and never had. I was wearing the same white bikini I’d been wearing all day today, and Cole was chasing me around in the water, splashing me playfully.

  When he finally caught me, I giggled and tried to wiggle out of his grasp, but he held me tight.

  “Avery,” he whispered. “I love you.” His lips started toward mine, and I closed my eyes and waited for his kiss.

  But then, out of nowhere, there was the sound of gunshots. Cole got hit in the chest, and his blood spurted onto my skin. I screamed and turned around, yelling at whoever was shooting to stop.

  But there was no one there.

  The bullets kept coming, as if out of thin air, hitting Cole over and over again until the water turned red and his body slumped over the side of the pool, lifeless.

  I screamed and screamed and screamed.

  “Avery, Avery,” Cole said, shaking me awake. “Avery, wake up.”

  I sat up in bed, gasping for breath.

  “Hey, hey, it’s okay, it was just a dream.” He pulled me close to him, and I was shocked to realize I was crying.

  “You were dead,” I said. “We were in a pool and you were dead.”

  “I’m not,” he said, rubbing small circles on my back. “I’m right here. I’m right here.”

  He rocked me back and forth, the motion soothing me.

  “It was so real,” I said. “You were dead, you were bleeding.”

  He pulled back and took my hand in his, ran it over his cheek. “See?” he said. “I’m here. I’m fine.”

  I nodded, then wiped my tears away with my good wrist. “It felt so real,” I whispered.

  “You’re safe now,” he said. He sat up and pulled the covers back, then slid into bed next to me. Goosebumps broke out on my arms. He wasn’t wearing a shirt, his biceps flexing as he grabbed a pillow and stuffed it under his head. “I’ll stay here until you fall back asleep.”

  I wanted to ask him why he couldn’t sit in the chair across the room until I fell back asleep, but I wanted him with me.

  He pulled me close to him, my back to his chest, his arms wrapped around me. It was wrong the way he was holding me – I was his sister. But it felt so good to be in his embrace that I didn’t have the strength to push him away.

  I was glad he was wearing sweatpants, too, so that the two of us were at least protected by two layers of clothes. Even so, a second later I felt his cock against my ass. It w
as hard, and I wriggled out of his grasp and turned around so that I was facing him.

  “Hi,” he whispered, pushing a strand of my hair off my forehead.

  “Hi,” I breathed.

  He slid his hand down over my face, over my collarbone, then down my arm. “Does it still hurt?” he asked, running his finger over my splint.

  I shook my head. “No. It feels a lot better.”

  He nodded.

  “Why did you move away from me?” he demanded. His eyes blazed, and I recognized what I saw in them – it was lust, pure and simple.

  “Because it’s not… Cole, it’s not okay for you to be holding me like that.”

  He reached out and grabbed me around the waist, pulled me against him, his hands tight, holding me in place. “I decide what’s right,” he growled.

  His tone, strong and sure and in charge, instantly turned me on. Heat warmed my center and my breath caught in my chest. He was so close his lips were just inches from mine, and I was afraid he was going to kiss me.

  Please, please, kiss me, my body was begging, but my mind screamed in protest.

  I ran my hands over his chest and down over his washboard abs. His sweatpants hung low on his hips, so low I caught sight of the top of a tattoo on his hip, one I hadn’t noticed before.

  He saw me looking at it and grabbed my hand, forcing me to tug his pants down just a tiny bit.

  It was three letters in black ink.

  A N B.

  I gasped as I traced my finger over the letters.

  ANB.

  Avery Nicole Buchanan.

  He’d had my initials tattooed onto his body.

  “I never stopped thinking about you, Avery,” he breathed. “Don’t you ever think that for a second.”

  “Cole,” I breathed, choked up. I wanted to ask him why he left us then, why he left me, why he just disappeared in the middle of the night.

  He still had my hand in his, and he slid it back up his stomach, back over his chest, up to his lips. He kissed my fingers, his lips leaving a burning hot trail on my skin. I moaned and closed my eyes.

  I’d been fighting this my whole life. My whole entire life I’d been fighting the way I felt about him, how badly I wanted to be close to him, to be with him, for him to love me, for him to fuck me the way he fucked all those other girls.

  “No,” I said, pushing him away. “Cole, please. No. I can’t.”

  Anger burned inside of him and flashed in his eyes, the same anger I’d seen on his face when he’d caught Gordon attacking me in the kitchen.

  He moved toward me, like he wanted to grab me, wanted to take what he thought was his. But instead, he got up and left the room.

  I laid there in the dark, my breath coming in short gasps.

  I tossed and turned, my body keyed up and begging for a release.

  Finally, I slid my hands down the front of the sweatpants I was wearing and I rubbed my clit harder and harder until I came.

  Then, finally, I was able to sleep.

  ***

  When I woke the next morning, the house was quiet.

  There was a note by my bed, written on white paper with Cole’s name stamped on top.

  “Avery –Went into the office. Help yourself to anything in the kitchen. Your things are in the living room. ~C”

  I tiptoed out of bed and into the living room. The couch was piled with bags, and I took a quick look through them. Clothes, underwear, t-shirts, pajamas, earrings… there was everything I could have wanted, helpfully provided by Cole’s assistant, Kalia.

  I wondered how Cole could have gotten all that stuff so late at night, but I supposed when you had money, anything was possible.

  It didn’t matter.

  I couldn’t stay here, not after what had happened last night.

  I grabbed the cordless phone off its stand in the kitchen and dialed my mom’s cell.

  “Mom,” I said when she answered. “It’s me.”

  “Avery!” she said. “I’ve been worried sick. Honey, where are you?”

  “I’m at Cole’s,” I said. “In the city.”

  “Oh, thank God.” The relief was evident in her voice, and I missed her so much. I knew that things at my house were crazy and fucked up, but right then all I wanted was to be with her.

  “I’m coming home, though,” I said. “I’m going to try to figure out how to take the train. Do you think Gordon would let you pick me up at the station in Culver City?” Gordon and my mom shared one car, and he didn’t like my mom driving it on her own.

  There was a pause on the other end of the line, so long that I was afraid the call had been disconnected.

  “Mom?” I asked.

  “Honey,” she said finally. “Gordon told me what happened. And we both think it’s best if you don’t come home right now.”

  “What do you mean?” I asked, frowning. “Why wouldn’t I come home?”

  “You know how Gordon gets. He needs some time to cool off, and with the way you push his buttons, we both think – ”

  “The way I push his buttons?” I repeated. “Did he tell you he backhanded me across the face?”

  “He told me you were waltzing around the house wearing a tiny bikini,” she said. “You know what a girl your age can do to a man. You should have known better, Avery.”

  “I can’t believe this,” I said, panic rising in my voice. “What am I supposed to do?”

  “I’m sure you’ll figure something out,” my mom said. “You’re a smart girl. Now, I’ve got to go. We’re about to head out. I love you, honey.”

  She hung up without giving me a chance to say goodbye.

  I clicked the phone off and stared at it incredulously. What the fuck was I supposed to do now?

  There was a list on the phone, of the numbers that were programmed into the phone’s memory. The first one said “office” and I dialed it.

  “Buchanan Enterprises,” the receptionist answered.

  “Cole Buchanan, please,” I said.

  “Mr. Buchanan’s not available at the moment,” she chirped, sounding like an annoying robot. “May I take a message?”

  “This is his sister,” I said, biting my lip to keep from screaming “It’s a family emergency.”

  “Okay, well, I can have Mr. Buchanan call you back.” I could tell from her tone that she didn’t believe me. Cole hadn’t told Kalia he had a sister, why would this woman know? There were probably people who called him at work all the time, trying to get to Cole by pretending to be a family member.

  “Never mind,” I said, and hung up on her.

  I would just have to go down there.

  ***

  Finding the address of Buchanan Enterprises was easy.

  Getting in to see Cole was a whole other thing.

  It didn’t help that the clothes Kalia had bought for me were a tiny bit too small. All the things were designer – designer pants, designer bags, even designer t-shirts. I was guessing a size ten in a pair of Michael Kors jeans was different than a size ten at Old Navy. The jeans and t-shirt I was wearing made me look like I was wearing clothes that were too tight on purpose, like I was trying to put everything on display.

  I charmed the security guard in the lobby into letting me into the building, but the receptionist at Buchanan Enterprises wasn’t having it.

  She was another gorgeous woman, with silky black hair and almond-shaped eyes. I recognized her as the one who’d answered the phone – her bitchy tone was unmistakable.

  “Please,” I said. “I’m his sister. I promise. Can you please just let me in?” I was starting to feel desperate, and I could hear it in my voice.

  “No,” she said. “And if you don’t leave this moment, I’m going to have to call security.”

  At that moment, a door behind her opened, and I caught a glimpse of a long conference room. Cole was standing at the front, talking to a group of employees.

  “Cole!” I yelled. “Cole!”

  He looked up just as the door closed, our
eyes meeting.

  A second later, the receptionist’s phone rang. “Yes,” she said. “Yes, I understand, Mr. Buchanan.” She replaced the receiver. “Mr. Buchanan will see you in his office,” she said, giving me a suspicious look. “You can head down the hall. It’s the second door on the left.”

  She hit a button and the door buzzed, allowing me in.

  I found Cole’s office and sat down in the chair in front of his desk.

  A few minutes later, he walked in. He was wearing a black suit, a white collared shirt, and shiny black shoes. His hair was perfectly styled, his cufflinks shiny, his watch giving him an air of sophistication. He was so gorgeous, so in control, that he took my breath away.

  “Shut the door, Avery,” he said, even though he’d just come walking through it and could have easily shut it himself.

  I did as I was told.

  “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” he asked. All traces of the softness and vulnerability he’d shown last night when he was holding me were gone. Now he was cold, hard, all business.

  “I needed to talk to you,” I said.

  “And you thought showing up here and demanding to be let in was a good idea?” He took his suit coat off and draped it across the back of his chair.

  “No,” I said. “No, I… I’m sorry, but I’m having an emergency.”

  He didn’t say anything, just put his hands on the back of his chair and stared me down, waiting for me to go on.

  “I called my mom and she told me I can’t go home. She said… she said she didn’t think it was a good idea.” I started to cry then, my breath coming in ragged gasps, tears sliding down my cheeks. “She said…she said she heard what I did to Gordon, that I’d been walking around in skimpy outfits, that I should have known better than to provoke him.”

  I looked up at Cole.

  He was still staring at me, his face not softening at all. I knew what he was thinking. I told you so.

  “You were right,” I said, wiping my tears away. “About my mom. I shouldn’t have… I shouldn’t have been willing to give up my life for her, not when she was just so willing to just kick me out like that.”

  “No, “Cole said. “You shouldn’t have.” His voice was steely, in control, and I marveled at how manly he looked. This was his company, and he looked the part of the billionaire businessman, with his expensive clothes and gleaming offices and air of invincibility.