by Caz May
“And then what? He was kinda right about the dress, Te, but you didn’t listen to me.”
“He grabbed it in a fist and ripped it,” I admit. “I don’t know why he’s being so mean.”
Lorena smiles cheekily. “He’s an arsehole Te, but he’s so hot.”
I don’t respond, and she pokes me playfully.
“And I think he wants you. He’s not like that with other girls.”
Her words make me feel defensive and I feel like yelling at my best friend for pushing me towards Ashton.
“Well, he might be hot. But I hate him and he’s my soon to be live in stepbrother.”
She laughs then. “You don’t hate him. You love him,” she taunts me.
“I...um...don’t know what I feel for him. But it’s certainly not love, Lorena.”
“Keep telling yourself that, Tempany.”
I bite down on my lip, processing my best friends words. And hate admitting that she’s kinda right.
I feel something for Ashton I shouldn’t. But there is something about him that gets to me, even though it’s wrong. And after my experiences from the past and more recently with my mum’s supposed boyfriends, I shouldn’t want to feel or do anything remotely sexual. But I’ve thought about those things with Ashton.
Not that I’ll admit that to Lorena or anyone else.
My little secret.
Fourteen
Ashton
Flipping the seat forward, I watch Tem awkwardly climb into the backseat of my Camaro.
She’s wearing only a lace dress over her black bikini and I can’t help but stare. Seeing her baring so much skin is turning me on. And getting in the driver’s seat I adjust Ash Jnr in my board shorts when Ava plops into the front seat eyeing me like she knows I was just playing with my dick.
“So where are we going?” Ava squeals, practically deafening me.
“Well, considering how Tem is dressed, clearly the beach.”
“Oh yes,” Ava again screeches.
I’m glad the beach is only a short drive, as I don’t think I could take much of hearing my sister excitedly chatting to Tempany.
Ava turns her head back to Tempany in the backseat.
“Te, I’m so glad you’re going to be my sister. Like mega excited. I always wanted a sister.”
“Seriously Av’s. calm the fuck down,” I chastise, looking back at Tem in the backseat in the rear vision mirror. She shifts uncomfortably in her seat.
“I...um...always wanted siblings too.”
“Yeah, well some of us have enough siblings,” I taunt Tem, her eyes catching mine again. She gulps, and I lick my lips, squirming a little in my seat when we pull up to the beachside carpark.
Ava gets out, flipping the seat back so Tempany can get out. I wait until they’re both out the car before I get out.
Tempany walks off, down to the foreshore. And my gaze follows her, staring at the way her bikini rises up her arse cheeks as she walks. I know I shouldn’t be looking at her, but I can’t stop staring.
Ava is still standing beside me, and I jeer at her, “Why are you bugging me brat? Go play house with your new sister.”
She slaps me in the ribs.
“You’re being a dufus. I can see you staring at her.”
“I’m not staring, Av’s.”
“Sure you aren’t. You think Te looks hot.”
“Her name is Tempany. Don’t entertain her Te crap, Ava.”
“Why are you being such an arse to her, Ash?”
“I’m not going to tell you why Ava. You don’t need to know why I hate Tempany.”
“Whatever, brother. But I don’t get why you’re staring at her if you hate her so much.”
I don’t reply to that, checking that I have my phone in my board shorts pocket.
I probably shouldn’t do what I’m planning but I still want to ruin her, so I follow Ava down to the beach, where Tempany is lying on her back on her towel.
She’s stripped off the lacy barely there excuse for a dress, and her tits look perfect—hand size mounds—in the black triangle bikini top. If Ava wasn’t still standing next to me, pulling off her shorts and t-shirt I’d have yanked Tem’s bikini top off to see her bare tits. I’m fucking almost hard just thinking about it.
“Te, are you coming swimming?” Ava asks.
Tem’s eyes flutter open, and she sits up.
“Maybe in a bit,” she replies to my sister with a smile.
I yank off my t-shirt and lay down on the warm sand. Tem lays back down beside me, and I swear the sand beneath me sets fire. She again closes her eyes. And shocks me when she softly says, “I can feel you staring at me, Ashton.”
“In your dreams, Tempany.”
She lets out a little chuckle, and her tits bounce a little, making my dick jolt in my shorts. The temptation to strip her of the bikini and touch her everywhere is overwhelming, and only the fact we’re on a public beach on a Saturday afternoon stops me.
At least that’s what I’m telling myself when I pull my phone out of my pocket, sitting up and sneakily taking some pics of her in her bikini.
She moans, rolling over onto her stomach, and I again snap a pic, this time of her arse. Because fuck me does she have a sexy arse.
Ash Jnr is jumping around in my board shorts, and I adjust him a little and lay back down again. This time I lay on my side, my face so close to Tem’s I could kiss her. Her eyes flutter open and she gasps.
“What the hell, Ashton?” she screeches, shrinking back from me.
“What temptress?”
“Were you going to kiss me?” she asks, biting down on her lip.
“No, why would I want to kiss you?”
“Um, I...um…” she mutters, standing up and running into the surf.
I lift my phone, quickly taking a video.
Why does she have to be so fucking gorgeous?
And not even know it?
Twenty minutes later, after the girls are practically drowned rats we pull up to the park. Ava had insisted she wanted ice cream from the Frosty boy van that’s always at the edge of the park in summer.
But to get to the van from the carpark we need to cross the basketball court, the very court I was playing on ten years ago when Tempany ruined my life. I’ve avoided this court for ten years—going to the other one out of my way on the other side of town—to avoid the memories of playing with Tempany, and what came after.
My heart is hammering in my chest and I cant look at Tempany, afraid I’ll crack and lash out her. I’m halfway across the court, taking longer than necessary strides to not prolong the torture when I hear her voice. “Hey, I found a ball lying around. You down for a game, Ashton?” I stop dead in the middle of the court, heart hammering still when I turn to find Tempany standing in the middle of the court bouncing a basketball in between her legs.
Fuck me dead.
Stepping into her personal space and stealing the ball from her, bouncing it right up to the hoop before slam dunking it and hanging off the hoop for a moment. Her eyes don’t leave mine for a second. I strip from my shirt, throwing it aside, and bounce the ball until I’m back in Tem’s personal space.
Her eyes shine with something, lust, anger and a come hither look, plus they betray her by scanning my half-naked torso.
I find my voice, “You telling me you’re down for a bit of two on one, Tem?”
“Oh, you bet, Ash. Ava and I are going to bring you down,” she taunts, glancing at my little sister who is standing on the side of the court, a little lost.
“Av’s, get over here sis.”
Ava runs over, and I start dribbling the ball again, backing away from Tempany with every bounce. She’s teasing me, steady steps side to side, as though she’s waiting for the moment to strike. She steps closer, her hand between us, about to slap down on the ball.
“Don’t steal my ball temptress,” I taunt her, grinning.
Annoyance flashes in her eyes when I rush off, shooting for an easy goal. Befor
e I can catch the rebound, Ava intercepts it laughing and bouncing the ball back to Tem.
Tem glares at me and laughs when she speaks, “I’d never steal your ball, Ashton. Here!” I don’t have a moment to think about her words because she throws the ball at me, straight into my nuts. Ash Jnr throbs.
I’m in agony, and I scream out, “Fuck Tem! You trying to kill me.”
Her and Ava are both laughing like kookaburras, and I’m clutching my aching nuts. I want to tear her damn hair out, or kick her in the twat.
“No, I was trying to bring you to your knees, Ashton.”
“Well, fuck you, Tempany,” I curse her out, angrily before huffing and sauntering off awkwardly, still clutching my nuts.
Tempany is going to pay for this. Seriously I don’t know who is she fucking is anymore.
One minute she’s sweet, shy, and takes my taunts, the next she’s spitting out innuendo and bringing me to my knees.
And now—albeit awkwardly—walking across the park, only the fact that Ava is with us is stopping me from heading back to Tempany and taking out my anger—my hatred of her—with a kiss that would have us both on our knees.
Fuck, now I’m going to have blue balls too.
Being around Tempany Davies is dangerous.
I need to avoid her, ignore her or I’ll be on my knees with her clutching my damn balls.
Fifteen
Tempany
Ashton storms off, in a rage and clutching his crotch.
I feel bad for throwing the ball at him, especially because I deliberately went for his crotch to hurt him.
I’m about to chase after him to apologise when Ava hip bumps me.
I turn to look at her and she’s grinning.
“What?” I ask sheepishly.
She giggles, before asking, “Are you crushing on my brother?”
My eyes boggle at her.
“No, of course not. Why would you think that?”
“Because you can’t stop staring at him.”
“I don’t stare at Ashton.”
“Whatever sis,” Ava taunts, elbowing me again.
I open my mouth to reply, but words are caught in my throat. Partly because Ava just called me sis, but mainly because she’s right about my crushing on Ashton.
I want to hate him as he hates me, but I can’t. He makes me feel giddy, and I crave the moments I have with him when he’s taunting me, as stupid as that is. Butterflies fill my stomach and tingles erupt all over my body when I’m near Ashton.
And I hate that, not him.
“So sis, tell me about yourself?”
“Not much to tell,” I reply laughing and heading across the basketball court in the direction Ashton went.
Ava follows, giggling when she asks, “What’s your fave things?”
“Oh um, colour, pink, food, Margherita pizza, and ice cream flavour, caramel mud cake.”
“Ooo, nice. I love pizza as well, and blue is my favourite colour.”
I smile at her.
“I get the sense you’re a bit of a tomboy.”
“No not really, but I’m not into a lot of girly stuff like makeup, but dresses are my fave thing to wear.”
“Cool, so um, are you crushing on anyone?” I ask, again giving her a sweet smile.
“I’ll tell you, if you promise not to tell anyone, especially Ashton.”
I burst out laughing.
“Why would I tell Ashton?”
Ava glares at me, holding her pinky up to me. “Pinky swear you won’t tell my brother.”
I link my finger with hers.
“I won’t tell Ashton, I swear.”
“Good. And um...I’m crushing so hard on Ezekiel.”
“What? Seriously Zeke? As in Ashton’s best friend?” I spit out.
“Yes, that Ezekiel. And if Ashton finds out, he’ll be so mad.”
“Why? Does Zeke like you back?”
“I don’t know. Probably not. He’s a player, and I know I shouldn’t like him, but he’s so gorgeous.”
“Um, yeah, he’s ok,” I reply, biting on my lip.
Ava again glares at me and laughs again.
“You so are crushing on my brother, Te. If you don’t think Ezekiel Alessio is hot, then you don’t have eyes or have eyes for someone else.”
“I’m not looking for a boyfriend. I need to focus on school.”
“Well, Ashton is available. He just broke up with his bitch of a girlfriend, Fallon.”
“Yeah, I heard about that. What happened?”
“They were together for two years. But I think she cheated on him. I never liked her anyway.”
“Yeah, why’s that?”
“She never wanted anything to do with me. I was just Ashton’s annoying little sister.”
“Sorry about that. Maybe his new girlfriend will be nicer.”
“Yeah, I think she is,” Ava replies with a smirk, stepping up behind Ashton who’s sitting at a picnic table licking an ice cream.
My mind wanders to kissing Ashton, wondering what it would feel like to have his tongue in my mouth. Thinking that about him is so wrong.
I’m broken from my naughty thoughts when Ava asks, “Te, do you want ice cream?”
“No thanks. I’m good.”
Ashton stands up, stepping up to me. “Good, I wasn’t planning on getting you one anyway.”
My heart sinks with the malice in his tone, even when he turns to Ava and says to her, “Av’s get it in a fucking cup. I don’t want ice cream everywhere in the Camaro.”
“Fine,” Ava snaps at Ashton before ordering her ice cream.
I don’t dare look at Ashton as we head back across the basketball court to his car. He’s still grumpy, and I’m too scared to apologise to him about throwing the ball at him.
He doesn’t deserve my apology anyway. And despite my feelings for him—that are clearly one sided—I’m going to treat him how he treats me.
There’s a fine line between love and hate.
Sixteen
Ashton
Sliding under the bleachers into one of our usual spots—when we’re not playing basketball—at lunch Zeke glares at me before taking a huge bite out of his sandwich.
He’s still chewing—his mouth full—when he blurts out, “You never told me about what happened at the dinner?”
I gulp. “Well, Tempany practically threw me under the damn bus. And our parents decided we had to go out on the weekend to get to know each other.”
“Bet that sucked?”
“Big time. I caught Tem snooping in my room after dinner too.”
“Ooo, she was probably sniffing ya jocks.”
“Yeah, dirty bitch,” I reply with a laugh, thinking for a moment about the dirty things I want to do to Tempany. “But now after the weekend, I’m ignoring Tem.”
I take a bite of my own sandwich, waiting for something else witty to come out of Zeke’s mouth, but he’s silent. The only sound is him munching on his sandwich like a cow.
I pluck my phone out of my pocket, sure that it had vibrated, but there’s no message. I open the pictures of Tem I took on the weekend, wondering if I should show Zeke and tell him my plan to blackmail Tem with them. But I just lick my lips, staring at the pictures and thinking of how I nearly kissed her.
Zeke breaks me from my dirty thoughts, snatching my phone from my fingers.
He looks at the screen, chuckling.
“Ignoring her huh? Dipshit!” he jeers, still glaring at the pictures when I snatch my phone back.
“Well, I’m not talking to her, am I?” I question, rhetorically but Zeke still bites back.
“No, but you’re staring at sexy pics of her. You catching feelings?”
I scoff. Then gulp hard to swallow the lump in my throat, before I reply, “Feelings? For Tem?”
“Nah, for the fucking postman,” Zeke replies, cacking himself laughing. “Of course for Tempany, dufus.”
I shake my head; at least I think Ishake my head.
�
��Not in a million fucking years. Did you forget I hate her?”
Zeke again laughs, annoyingly.
“So you keep saying, but actions speak louder than words my man.”
“Whatever, dickwad. Couldn’t have her even if I wanted to. She’s going to be my stepsister in like a month.”
“Yeah, that sucks balls man. You really should fuck her before that. Go after the hot hate sex.”
If I still had any sandwich to chew in my mouth I’d have spat it at him.
“Fat chance. I’m not fucking Tempany.”
Shockingly loud, Zeke blurts out, “Why the hell not? You need to get ya dick wet again man. You’ve not gotten any pussy since you broke up with Fallon.”
He’s right, and I hate that he’s right, but I don’t want anyone but Tempany. I’m just not going to tell Zeke that. He’d heap shit on me, even more than he is right now.
“Yeah, I know. I’m steering clear of all chicks though. To much fucking work,” I tell him.
It’s not completely untrue. Chicks are to much work. It takes to much to make them happy, but I don’t think Tempany is that kinda girl.
I think back to the weekend and how she was so sweet and nice to Ava. And then not getting an ice cream. I’d said I wasn’t going to pay for it if she’d wanted one, but I would have.
Mum would’ve slapped me about the head if she found out I was deliberately mean to Tempany on our day out.
Zeke looks like he’s deep in thought as well. I slap his leg.
“Are you getting any pussy? Or are chicks to much work?”
“Yeah, way too much work, but some don’t mind just rooting though.”
“Yeah, who are you sinking your dick into?” I jeer with a chuckle.
“A good boy doesn’t fuck and tell,” he informs me, sniggering.
“You’re not a good boy, Zeke,” I tease him, laughing so hard I have to hold back a snort.