by Rye Hart
“I'm tired,” I said. “I think I'm going to rest for a bit.”
Lydia nodded, turning back to her daughter. Ember met my eyes and I held her gaze for a long moment. There was a stirring in my pants, and I felt guilty for the involuntary reaction.
Cursing myself, I hurried up the stairs, taking them two at a time. Do not think about your stepdaughter, Jude. Especially not her lovely, alabaster skin and... fuck, me.
A cold shower. That's what I needed. A nice, cold shower to take my mind off the redhead downstairs. Thankfully, she'd only be here for the summer. I just had to get through a few months of her walking around in her low-cut dresses, and it would be smooth sailing after that.
Another thought hit me though – hard. A thought that left me reeling with guilt. Lydia, while beautiful and charming, was not the woman I thought she was. Ever since the wedding, she'd been distant, almost uninterested in anything but shopping and traveling. The honeymoon wasn't a typical honeymoon – not one Ember would have been embarrassed to hear about, at least.
I stepped into the master shower, the one large enough to fit two or three other people and turned the water on. I shivered as cold water washed over my skin, and I scrubbed off all my impure thoughts about Ember, and all my doubts about my new wife. My wife. Wow. The last few months had been a blur, and I wasn't even sure how I got to the point of having a wife and a stepdaughter. But, there we were.
The cold water was helping. My erection was slowly going away and I breathed a sigh of relief. I feared though, that there'd be many, many more cold showers in my future.
The bedroom door opened and closed suddenly, startling me. Turning off the water, I grabbed a towel and peeked out. Lydia was digging through her suitcases, since she hadn't unpacked a thing from the honeymoon yet – and technically most of her things were still at the penthouse. She caught me staring and turned away quickly.
“I'm looking for my bikini,” she said. “Ember and I are going to take a dip in the pool, if you'd like to join us?”
Ember in a bikini? Though incredibly tempting, I knew that wouldn't go over well for any of us.
“No, I think I'm going to get rest,” I said, clearing my throat. “Then, I need to get some work done.”
“You sure? I really want you two to bond,” she said, pulling out her swimsuit, scowling down at it. “I really need to get a new one.”
“You just bought that one for the Maldives,” I said. “It's beautiful.”
She shot me an exasperated look before slipping into the walk-in closet to change.
“Oh, and don't worry,” I called after her. “I'll get to know Ember better. Just not today. We've got a whole summer to bond.”
“Sure, okay,” she said.
“Are you upset with me?
Lydia stepped out of the closet wearing her gold and white bikini, showing off her petite figure, and I felt an approving stirring in my groin. It was hard to believe she was fifteen years older than me sometimes. Especially with a figure like that. She caught me staring and smiled.
“No, not mad. Just disappointed,” she said. “I was really hoping we could hang out, Jude.”
I sighed. It was way too early to get into an argument, especially over something that was genuinely my fault. I was married to Ember's mom and I'd need to find a way to make this work. For better or worse, right? Well, they said nothing in my vows about super-hot stepdaughters, which was intriguing and yet incredibly problematic.
“Alright, I'll be down,” I said. “Let me put on some clothes.”
“Do you have to?” Lydia teased.
“Well, unless you want your daughter to see me in all my glory...”
I let my voice trail off, a smile ticking at my lips.
“I know Ember well enough to know she'd appreciate it,” Lydia said with a wink.
She left the bedroom, closing the door behind her. With a sigh, I stepped out into the bedroom and dropped the towel.
An afternoon in the pool with my wife and incredibly hot stepdaughter. What could go wrong?
Chapter Three
Ember
Jude's backyard was spacious, surrounded by large hedges and trees, giving the illusion you were far away from the city of Chicago. It was peaceful and serene, and during their honeymoon when I had the place to myself, I spent many hours out there. Sometimes swimming, sometimes just basking in the glow of the sun. My mother and I had lived in a penthouse downtown, which had its own set of perks – like being close to everything. This, however, was nice. Almost like a vacation in and of itself.
I was lounging in a red and white polka dot bikini, one of those vintage types with the high waist and a little bow on the front. With the sun beating down on me, I stretched my legs out, feeling like an old Hollywood starlet.
It was nice being free from school for the summer, even if I did have to spend it with my mom and her husband. It still baffled me how someone like her could land one of the most eligible bachelors in all of Chicago in just under three months’ time.
Not that I was looking. My schoolwork always came first. Boys second. Marriage, a distant third. If that. Unlike my mother, I planned to only get married once, if I could help it. I took the idea of holy matrimony seriously and was not going to rush into anything.
Because let's face it, I saw how it often worked out for her. Sure, she had money, but she lacked any sort of affection for the men she married. I thought, perhaps, that might change with Jude since he was different than the others, But, so far, I'd seen nothing to make me think she actually loved the man, only that she loved the lifestyle his bank account would afford her.
She loved his money, and that was it. It made me feel bad for the guy. With the older men my mom married, most of them knew what they were getting into. Jude though, seemed like the type of guy who wouldn't settle for a trophy wife. Didn't seem like the kind of guy who wanted to marry a pretty woman in exchange for giving her the life of luxury in return.
When the patio door opened, I lowered my sunglasses, surprised to see Jude standing there. He didn't look entirely pleased to be there. His face hardened into a mask and he looked reluctant to step out. Our eyes met from across the pool, and I saw the struggle on his face. He was trying so hard not to look at me, but he couldn't seem pull his eyes away either. It was like a magnet pulled our eyes together, forcing us to stare at one another.
My gaze moved over his body, which he concealed in both a shirt and a pair of shorts – not exactly regular pool attire. I wanted him to peel off that shirt, to showcase those abs the media often spoke about. Sure, I'd seen photos of him shirtless – when the paparazzi snapped pictures of him on some exotic beach somewhere. But, standing there in front of me, he seemed humbled, reluctant to flaunt himself.
“Join me, dear,” mom said from the shallow end of the pool.
She leaned back against the side of the pool, her arms spread and her legs floating. She had a cocktail sitting beside her and looked utterly blissed out. Enjoying the high life. Jude glanced at his wife, then back at me.
“Jesus Christ,” I mumbled. “If you want me to leave, just say so.”
“No, I don't want you to leave,” Jude said.
“Don't be silly, Ember,” mom scolded me. “This is family bonding time. I'm not sure why Jude's acting so strange.”
Color rushed in my cheeks as I noticed the hardness in his shorts. It might be awkward enough if he was staring at my mom as he got hard. But no, his eyes were firmly on me. As if he realized that I noticed he was hard, he abruptly turned away, facing the mini bar. His hands trembled as he made a drink. Not much, just the tiniest of trembles. But, I caught it all the same.
“Jet lag,” Jude said.
“What, dear?” mom asked without looking over at her husband.
“I'm feeling out of sorts from the jet lag,” he said.
“Ahh, I told you to sleep on the plane,” she said, her voice condescending, reminding me of how she usually spoke to me. “Maybe next time you'll
listen.”
I cocked an eyebrow, waiting for a response from Jude. His body tensed, and when he turned to look at my mother, his brows knitted a thin, straight line and his face tight with irritation. Annoyance oozed from his expression, but, he didn't say a word.
“Really, mom? Is that any way to talk to your new husband?” I said.
Not that I think Jude needed me to defend him, but her condescending tone even irked me
“You've been married less than two weeks,” I continued. “And you're already treating him like dirt. New personal record, I see.”
My mom looked back at me, slack-jawed, anger flashing in her eyes. I stared back, face utterly blank.
“Ember, stay out of this,” mom said. “This doesn't concern you.”
I rolled my eyes and leaned back against the lounge chair, sighing deeply. Like I said, I was sure Jude could handle himself.
Jude finally spoke, and when he did, his tone was low. Cold. “I don't need you to be my mother, Lydia.”
“I wasn't acting like your mother – Jesus Christ, you're going to gang up on me now, is that it?”
My mom melodramatically exited the pool, huffing and grumbling to herself as she climbed the nearby steps. She flung the towel around her waist and muttered loud enough for us to hear.
“I don't need this shit,” she said. “I'm going out.”
“Tell Marlon I said hello,” I called back.
If mom's eyes could kill, I'd have died on the spot. Instead, I smirked at her. I knew all too well where she was headed. Not much had changed over the years. Whenever her current hubby pissed her off, she ran back into the arms of the man she really loved but would never marry. Well, I should say, he'd never marry her because he saw her for the succubus she really was.
Mom slammed the patio door as she entered the house, leaving me alone with Jude. I laid back down on the lounge chair when I remembered that I'd forgotten to put on my sunblock. Dammit. Being pale meant you burnt easily, and I should know better. Given the situation, I was still trying to get used to things around there and learn to navigate the awkward waters.
I sat back up and reached for the bottle of SPF 50, pouring some into my hands and lathering it on my arms, then my shoulders and chest.
Jude just stood there, his drink in hand, seemingly lost in his own home.
“It's alright. She gets like this, but once Marlon cools her down, she'll be just peachy,” I said.
“Who's Marlon?” he asked.
I stretched my legs out and made sure to get every inch of flesh. Some women liked being tan, but I was a redhead and natural redheads usually burned before they tanned. Besides, my pale skin was a mark of honor for me. Once upon a time, it had been considered a sign of great wealth because the royals and nobles didn't have to spend hours laboring in the sun. Not that I believed I was royal or noble. I just took great pride in my complexion.
That, and I had no desire at all to age prematurely, or develop skin cancer, thank you.
Jude repeated himself. “Who's Marlon, Ember?”
“Her high-school sweetheart,” I muttered. “My mother has never stopped loving him, even through all her marriages.”
Footsteps made me look up again, and I saw Jude walking around the pool, heading straight toward me. A shudder ran through my body as I watched him move, the white t-shirt hugging his chest tightly, clinging to every ripple of muscle beneath it. I swallowed, hard, and resumed applying the sunscreen to my body, focusing on the back of my neck now.
Jude sat beside me in an empty lounge chair, an earnestness in his eyes. He sat silent, at first. He just stared at the door through which my mom had gone. In that moment, I wanted nothing more than to reach out and touch his arm, to reassure him, tell him that he deserved better. His face, though, wasn't of a man who was hurting. It was of a man torn. A man confused and trying to figure out how he'd gotten to that point.
“How many times has she been married before?” he asked, his voice low.
“You're her fifth husband,” I said slowly. “Didn't you know?”
He shook his head. “She told me she was only married once before, to your father,” he said.
I grimaced. “She wasn't even married to my father,” I said. “He passed away before they could officially tie the knot.”
Jude's blue eyes softened as he turned them toward me. “I'm sorry to hear that, Ember.”
“I'm not. According to everyone, he was an asshole and probably wouldn't have wanted me anyway.” I said. “He didn't like kids and apparently, never wanted them.”
“I had no idea,” Jude said under his breath, staring down at his hands.
I wasn't sure if he meant the part about my mom being married five times already, or about my father not wanting me. It also didn't seem polite to ask, so I didn't.
“You seem like a decent enough guy, Jude, so I'm going to tell you the truth about my mother,” I said. “What you choose to do with what I'm about to tell you is your choice, of course. But, you at least deserve to know what you're getting yourself into here.”
He nodded, not looking at up me, a tension filling his body. He continued to stare down at his hands, his jaw clenched tight and a grim look on his face. It was as if he's preparing to take a blow to the midsection and was bracing himself for it.
“She married you for your money,” I said bluntly. “Most of the men she married were okay with that. They wanted the perfect trophy wife, someone pretty on their arm for social occasions. It was a decent arrangement until they grew tired of each other, and she left with just enough money in her bank account to keep her going until she finds the next victim – err – I mean, husband. You just happen to be the fifth man to fill that role for her. Marlon is her one true love, and you'll never compete with him. If you two have a disagreement or she feels slighted in any way, she will always run back to his arms, no matter what.”
“Why doesn't she just marry this Marlon, then?” he asked.
“Because he's not that wealthy, for one,” I said. “If you haven't noticed, my mom requires a certain lifestyle to be happy.”
A small smile pulled at the edge of his lips. “I have noticed that, yes,” he says. “She certainly seems to enjoy the finger things in life.
“Marlon isn't interested in the whole marriage deal anyway,” I say. “Like the old saying goes, why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free, right?”
Jude sighed, then ran a hand over his face, as if the reality of the situation was finally sinking in. There was a resignation in his eyes though. It was almost as if he already knew – or at least, suspected – what I was telling him, but having me confirm it, just made it all the more real and concrete for him.
“Tell me, Jude, are you in love with my mother?” I asked.
I sat up, bottle of sunscreen in hand, coming to the realization I wouldn't be able to reach my back. I contemplated asking Jude for help, but that might come off as rather forward. I didn't think we were quite there in our “bonding” time yet, so I put the sunscreen down and laid back down against the lounge chair.
“I honestly don't know, Ember,” he said quietly. “I thought I might be in love with her. Or that maybe, I was at least, getting there. I didn't want to lose her.”
“Ah, she gave you an ultimatum, didn't she?”
I lowered my sunglasses enough to give him a sympathetic look. It was a common enough tactic from my dear mother. Get them hooked and then threaten to take away their new toy unless they give into her demands. Her demand of course, being a marriage proposal.
It was a cheap and shady ploy to get what she wanted, but damn if it wasn't effective.
“She did,” he said. “And at first, I told her I wasn't okay with ultimatums. But, not all that long after, I thought about it and I realized I'm not getting any younger. I was tired of being alone.”
My heart sank. Poor guy. “So you didn't just marry my mom for her to be a trophy then?”
“No,” he snorted. “I'm not like th
at. I actually want – never mind.”
“No, what do you want, Jude?” I asked, studying the way his brow furrowed as he stared off into the distance, deep in thought.
“Not whatever this is,” he said, pointing toward the house. “Not a sham of a marriage with a woman I hardly know. She's not anything like she was before we got married. It's like the minute that ring hit her finger, she changed.”
I nodded. “I know.”
Jude let out a deep breath as he stood up, staring toward the house. I'd have given anything to get a peek into his head, to know what he was thinking. He remained stoic and gave nothing away though, his face a mask hiding everything he was thinking and feeling.
“Thanks for the chat, Ember,” he said softly. “It was enlightening, to say the least.”
He left me, alone, and I had no idea what was going to happen from there on out. Jude was unlike the others that came before him. He'd come in not knowing the truth of my mom's past. As much as I hated to cause problems in their relationship, I hated lying and deception even more.
Especially with a man like Jude who was known for being incredibly charitable and kind.
Sure, him being hot didn't hurt either, but that wasn't the only reason I had a soft spot for him. He seemed like a genuinely decent man. A man who didn't deserve the load of crap that was raining down on him because of my mother.
Chapter Four
Jude
Lydia had left, and I had to wonder if Ember was right. Had she run off to another man's arms? The strange thing was, the idea of her cheating on me didn't hurt as much as I thought it would – even though I knew it was the end.
If she genuinely was having an affair so soon into the marriage, if this entire relationship was built around my money like Ember had said it was, then it was over for me. My first marriage and I was already contemplating ending things – less than two weeks after the wedding. That had to be some kind of a record or something.
I sat down in my office and closed the door. The large bay window overlooked the gardens and pool below, so I kept my gaze away from that side of the room. I focused on the task at hand instead. Picking up the phone, I called Dominic, my best man, a lawyer who would never steer me wrong. I knew he always had my back in all things.