Sext Me (Accidental Stepbrother Book 2)

by Stephanie Brother

  I looked up as murmurs of agreement rose around me.

  “Um, I can't be there. I’ve got plans on Friday.”

  Now that we were officially together, I wanted to take Sara out on a date that wasn’t either in the library or in one of our rooms, hopefully off the campus. I didn’t have much to spend, but I figured a movie and dinner out would be okay, then I could follow her back to her room and spend the night.

  The guys weren’t surprised that I wouldn’t be there. I got a few eye rolls and catcalls, but they didn’t hold it against me. I wasn’t much interested in sports, to begin with, not enough to give up a date with Sara to watch one when I could catch the rerun, or find a recap of the game online. Besides, none of the teams I liked were playing this Friday, anyway.

  My phone vibrated with another message, and I swiped the screen in anticipation, only for my mood to immediately dive when I saw it was a text from Dad.

  I didn’t read it, just removed the notification and put my phone away to finish my sandwich.

  There was one thing that still bothered me, and it was this. I hadn't told Sara the whole truth about Dad. I’d wanted to, especially when she’d just started talking to me again, and I should have. Just remembering the look on her face when she asked me if Dad was really in love with her mom made me feel guilty because I knew he wasn’t, even if he’d never said as much. He was only with Tina for the money and didn’t even plan on staying with her once he got what he wanted.

  I still had hope that he would change his mind and choose to do the right thing, but I knew it was wishful thinking. I’d tried talking him out of it a few times, but he was definitely determined to do this. All he kept telling me was that I wouldn’t have to worry about my tuition, but that only made me feel worse because he was using me partially as an excuse for what he planned to do.

  Sara needed to know.

  I knew it, but I felt so sorry that I couldn’t bring myself even to start the conversation. It was easy to see how much she loved her mother. If I told her Dad planned on hurting her mom, would she forgive me for it?

  Still, she’ll find out eventually, and it’ll be worse if she realizes I knew and just didn’t say anything.

  She would view it as a betrayal. I’d wanted to drown myself in bliss for a little while, and I got what I wanted. It was time to come clean.

  “Do you want to meet up after classes?” I texted her.

  A reply came quickly in agreement. I finished up for lunch, before going to my afternoon class. I only had the one, while Sara had two, so I’d have to wait for her for a while before she was ready.

  Later, after class had been over for more than an hour and I was lounging in my room, I finally got a message from Sara. She was out of class now. I messaged her back to head for her room, and I’d meet her there, jumping off the bed so fast, I surprised Casey.

  “Dude! Where’s the fire?”

  “I’m heading out!” I said, ignoring his curious look as I got my wallet and hurriedly left the room.

  I fast walked my way over. I wanted to run but wanted to give her time to arrive there first. I still ended up waiting for her outside her door because I got there so fast. When she arrived and saw me waiting for her, a wide smile spread on her face, and it made my chest ache.

  Was I going to see that smile again after today?

  “Hey, there,” she said, walking over. “What’s got you so eager today?”

  “I’m always eager to see you,” I said automatically because it was true. Today just had a different reason from usual.

  Sara giggled, then unlocked her room and led us inside.

  “Why don’t you sit down and I’ll bring you a drink,” she said, waving toward the bed. “I’m feeling a little thirsty. It’s a bit hot out, and the AC was broken in the room we used for my last class.”

  Taking a closer look, I did notice she looked a bit sweaty. I walked slowly over to the bed and sat down, watching as she opened her fridge door and crouched down to look inside. Suddenly, in my mind, I could remember her the first day we met when she did the same thing. Only, back then, she’d been trying to stall for time because she was nervous.

  I knew Sara didn’t have beer, she was still underage, but I wished I could have one right then. She came back and handed me a can of soda. I popped it open and took a long gulp before holding it between my hands.

  Sara took a few sips of her own before she noticed I was really quiet.

  “Is something wrong?” She asked, sounding concerned.

  I grimaced. “Not wrong, it’s just… I need to tell you something.”

  She frowned, before taking one of my hands in hers and squeezing it gently, as she shifted to face me.

  “Tell me what’s got you so worried.”

  I hesitated, before I turned to her. No matter what, I had to tell her. Dad had held off his plans for more than two weeks, who knew how much longer before he made his move?

  “Sara, can I tell you something? Something really important?”

  She could tell through my voice and expression that I wasn’t playing some joke. She paused for a few seconds before giving me a solemn nod.

  “You can tell me anything, Noah,” she said.

  And no matter what, you can't hate me, alright?

  I wanted to say it, but I knew it wouldn’t be right for me to ask that of her, so I swallowed those words back.

  “Remember when I said my dad was going to get money from your mom?” I started slowly.

  Sara nodded, tilting her head. “Yeah. It was for that business venture of his, right? I haven’t heard from her yet, so I don’t know if she’s already done the transfer…”

  I took a deep breath. “Well… I’m pretty sure that’s all he’s interested in when it comes to your mom. Actually, scratch that, I know he doesn’t care about your mom. I don’t think he plans to stay with her once he gets what he wants.”

  Sara was still staring at me, and I didn’t know if she’d understood what I said when we were interrupted by the sound of her phone ringing. Looking distracted, she set the can between her knees and groped distractedly for it in the purse she’d set beside her.

  “Hello?” She murmured, putting the phone to her ear.

  A few seconds later, her face blanched.

  “Sara, what is it?” I asked anxiously.

  Slowly, she turned to me and said in a mechanical voice. “That was Mom. Greg just left her, and he took all her money.”

  Shit!

  I was too late!

  Chapter Twenty

  Sara

  I paced anxiously around the room, phone clutched in my hands.

  “Sara…,” Noah said my name with a sigh.

  I shot a quick look at him, but he didn’t tell me to sit down. The guilty expression was still there on his face. I didn’t suddenly hate him, though. I was madder at myself than him, or I would have kicked him out of my room instead of letting him spend the night. Although it had been the first time we’d spent in bed together without anything sexual happening, I wasn’t in the right frame of mind to appreciate it.

  “Why isn’t she here yet?” I muttered. “She said she’d leave early, so she should have arrived already. Dammit, I’m skipping classes for this.” I turned to him and gave him a weak smile. “You’re a senior, you know. You could have just gone ahead.”

  Noah shook his head as he stood up. He came over to me, tentatively raising his arms as if worried I would push him away. He’d been acting cautiously around me since yesterday, and I could have told him not to bother, but if I had to be honest with myself, there was a part of me that was irritated he hadn't just told me everything when he had the chance to.

  Still, I walked right into his arms and hugged him tightly, burying my face in his chest.

  “I can afford to miss a couple classes,” he murmured, hugging me back and soothing me by rubbing his hand up and down the length of my spine. “Besides, if things really don’t work out, I might have to push back a semester,
anyway.”

  I pursed my lips, glad he couldn’t see my face. Completing college was obviously something important to him, while there were some students in my year that wouldn’t mind taking some time off, and we’d just started. If things didn’t work out, I was going to find a way to talk him into accepting my offer. It wasn’t like before. I’d have him pay me back with interest if that was what it took. It might be odd with us dating, but I didn’t think there was anything wrong with helping him when I had the means.

  My phone vibrated in my hands, and I went still in Noah’s arms. He quickly released me and took a step back. I checked my phone.

  “Mom’s here,” I said briskly.

  This was what I’d been waiting for. We left my room, and I insisted on Noah coming with me. I wasn’t going to lie to Mom about our relationship if she asked. But I needed to be there for my mom, and I needed Noah to be there for me.

  She stood close to the gates, waiting. She looked different from the last time I saw her, less than two weeks ago. Her shoulders were hunched, arms crossed around her chest, and her face looked a little pale, with her hair dragged back into a low ponytail. She was dressed in dull colors, too, which she usually only did when she was in a really bad mood. After Dad’s funeral, she’d worn nothing but black for weeks, then shifted to dull colors. It wasn’t until a year later that I saw her try to put on lighter colors, so I was sensitive to this little detail, and it bothered me.

  I’m so sorry, Mom, I thought.

  I felt so damn guilty. While I was busy getting hot and bothered with Noah, Mom was getting conned out of her money by her new husband, a man she thought she was in love with. Now, he’d disappeared without a trace, leaving her with nothing but the house and a few hundred in her account.

  Just how much did he need for his venture, anyway? Did he really need to take everything!

  I felt a burst of anger that quickly died, then rushed over to her.

  “Mom!”

  She glanced up when I called out, blinking at me. Her blank expression didn’t change, even when she glanced at Noah coming close behind me. I threw my arms around her, and after a second, she wrapped her own around me as well.

  “I’m all right,” she said gently. “Just in a bit of a shock.”

  She pulled me away by the shoulders, a shaky smile on her lips. I frowned at her, before taking her hand and leading her to the nearest café. I glanced once behind me to make sure Noah was following. We found a place to sit down. Considering the time, it was pretty empty, and we chose a table in the corner. It didn’t take long before the tea we ordered was brought over. I sat beside Mom, while Noah sat across from me, fingers twitching agitatedly on the table top.

  “Here you go, Mom,” I murmured, pushing the tea into her hands. “Drink some. It’ll calm your nerves.”

  She took the cup between her hands and lifted it calmly for a sip, before setting it back down. I patted her back gently. She took in a shuddery breath.

  “Are you really okay?” I murmured. “You really don’t look like it Mom.”

  She sent me a smile, and it was less shaky than her first one.

  “I am fine, Sara. It’s not the first time I’ve dealt with loss. I’ll be fine; it just takes time.”

  I sighed, even as I started bouncing my leg in agitation. I didn’t want her to be this docile about it. The man hurt her! Lied to her, married her, and ran off with her money! Mom should be screaming her head off in anger, calling the police or whoever to help her find Greg and recover the funds.

  “Mom, I am so sorry,” I mumbled in guilt. “While all this was happening, I was busy doing other things…”

  Noah’s gaze met mine, and I could tell he understood what I felt. He took a deep breath, forced his hands to still, and turned to Mom.

  “Ma’am, I feel even sorrier,” he said. “I’m part of the reason Dad needed money so badly. Maybe if I hadn’t demanded he pay me back the money I loaned him, he wouldn’t have tried something like this, because it’s not like my dad. He can be a real…jerk, but he’s not usually a conman.”

  Mom looked at him curiously. “I’ve told you before to call me Tina, Noah. Even with… what happened with your father, you’re clearly close with my daughter? But what did you need the money for?”

  He glanced at me before he met her gaze once more.

  “I had funds saved up for college, and it’s my last year. Dad needed the money for something, and he borrowed it from me. It was summer, and I figured I had months to get the money back before I had to be back in school, but he gambled the funds away and didn’t let me know until the last minute. I’ve been doing some part-time work to get the money back, but it’s not easy, I’d have to push back graduation for a semester, or even a year…”

  Mom hummed. “If that was the reason he took it, then I hope you get your college money back.”

  Noah grimaced, clearly not happy with her words, and neither was I.

  “Mom, I hope you’re not planning on letting it go just like that,” I said warningly.

  She frowned at me. “But what exactly can I do? I can't find him. He hasn’t called me or picked up any of my calls. I have no idea where he could be.”

  “He hasn’t tried to contact me either,” Noah added. “I’ll inform you as soon as he does, and I’ll return to you anything he sends me. Right now… I know he’s my dad, but he can't be trusted. I really… really do think you should take legal action against him. I tried to talk him out of it but he wouldn’t listen to me, and I didn’t know how to warn you.”

  Mom took another sip of her tea before letting out another sigh. She gave a rueful smile as she met his gaze.

  “You don’t have to worry, young man. I’m not blaming you for your father’s actions. But I’m afraid I can't even report this to the police because I gave the money to him willingly. I just changed my mind after the fact. I signed a lot of money over to him, and none of it was done under duress.”

  I bit my lip. I was pretty sure she could still sue him, but she’d have to find him, and she’d need money for the lawyer. It wouldn’t exactly be cheap. How much money did he leave her with, if any? Suddenly, my heart seized when I imagined my mother being left without food and basic necessities because of this. I grew anxious.

  “Don’t worry, Mom,” I said quickly. “I still have my trust money. I mean, you’ll have to wait for a while, but I can give all of it to you. I can just save up my monthly allowances, and I should have enough savings by then to stay afloat before I can graduate and find a job.”

  Mom smiled again but didn’t say anything as she took another sip. We would have to keep worrying about what to do in the meantime. Hopefully, Greg could be tracked down, and the money could be retrieved, but I wasn’t holding out much hope.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Noah

  It was a Friday when her mom came to the school, and since she’d already skipped her morning classes, Sara decided to go back home with her Mom. I wandered back to my dorm room, feeling dejected. Classes were still ongoing, so I was thankful I didn’t have to deal with Casey when I got back to the dorm. I plopped down on my bed, rolled onto my back and threw my arms over my eyes.

  “Dammit, Dad,” I muttered.

  He’d actually gone and done it. I had known, but perhaps, deep inside of me, I hadn't really thought he would go through with it. But he actually ran away with Tina’s money. With Sara’s Mom’s money.

  My dad was a criminal.

  Fuck!

  On the same day I found out, I should have told Tina instead of wavering, no matter what he said. If only I hadn't been selfish in that critical moment, I wouldn’t have excused myself from the table. Instead, I would have sat down and told Tina exactly what Dad told me, even with him sitting right there glaring at me.

  I’d certainly feel better than I did now, even if I’d have had to push college back. I wanted to graduate, but it was hardly worth all of this shit.

  Where could he be?

 
; I didn’t doubt Dad would actually send me the money for college. He said he would, and I believed him, especially since he boldly told me he was going to con someone out of the funds. How long would it take, though?

  As far as I knew, it was the first time he’d committed a crime. He’d be too worried to do something with the money this soon, as he must have feared Tina would report him to the police. I wondered if he had known she’d do nothing in the end. Sara had insisted her mother talk to the police, but Tina had quickly shut the thought down. She really didn’t plan on trying to get him arrested or at least found. And I felt like total crap about it, because she seemed like such a nice person, and my dad did that to her.

  Still. He had to be found, even if I had to do it myself.

  I pulled my phone out of my pocket and stared at it. I didn’t think he would answer if I called. I hadn't tried since he was usually the one to call me anyway. When I did, maybe three out of ten times he’d pick up my call. This wouldn’t be one of them. He’d be worried about me selling him out since I’d been so ready to spill everything before.

  Where else could he be?

  I thought and quickly arrived at an answer. There was one place where I could find him when he wasn’t answering his phone, and I needed to talk to him.

  When I was eighteen, Dad introduced me to a woman. I wouldn’t quite say what they had was dating since I still saw Dad with other women occasionally, but I knew the two of them fucked on a regular basis even now. Of course, he didn’t introduce her to me out of choice; I was just lucky enough to track him down since her place wasn’t too far away from the place we called home.

  I’d seen her plenty of times and only knew her as Barbara. I didn’t have her number, but I didn’t feel like doing anything at school, so I might as well head there.

  With a plan in mind, I got out of bed. I hadn't showered or changed since yesterday, but I didn’t care as I hurried out of my room and off the campus. It was still early in the day, and I was relieved when I checked the time and realized I could take the bus home. I had to run to catch the bus, then settled in for the three and a half hour ride.