Forbidden: Ultimate Stepbrother Collection (15 page)

Chapter 11

Jessa

I took off with no real destination in mind. I just needed to get away. I rounded the brick building that housed the snack bar and heard loud footsteps on the cement behind me. I didn’t need to look back to know who had followed. I knew when Beck was near without even seeing or hearing him. His hand grabbed my arm. I spun angrily around to face him.

There was that intense mix of emotion on his face that I knew too well. It seemed to be an expression of anger, hurt and confusion that he always saved just for me.

“Well, that was embarrassing,” I finally spurted out words. “I could have handled myself.”

He pulled his hand off mine and raked back his hair. “I’m sure of that, but—”

“But, what?”

He shook his head as if he had no real explanation or because the real truth was too twisted to say out loud.

“You’ve got to stop treating me like some little sister you have to protect.” I turned and walked away.

His strong hand grabbed my arm, and he pushed me none too gently up against the cold brick wall. I stared up at him, but not in fear. I knew Beck would never hurt me. We managed enough of that without even speaking or touching each other. I looked pointedly at the heavy grip he had on my arms. With just a little pressure, his steel fingers could break my bones.

He released me, but before I could duck out past him he slammed both his hands flat against the wall on either side of me, effectively trapping me between his hard body and the bricks. He’d shown a superhuman amount of restraint on the sand. As badly as it seemed he’d wanted to, he hadn’t thrown his fist at Nathan. But that same restraint seemed to be tenfold now. I could sense that he badly wanted to grab me to him. But he didn’t.

My breaths came in short spurts, and his seemed to have lodged down deep in his lungs. He gazed down at me with those unearthly pale eyes. My lips parted involuntarily as if waiting for something, a kiss maybe, or more likely the words I needed to give him a proper tongue lashing.

“Is that what you think this is about?” His voice sounded deep and gritted with frustration. “You think I’m protecting you like a damn sister. Hell, Ducky, you know me better than that. You know I’ve never thought of you as a sister.”

Tears stung my eyes. I blinked to clear them. The last thing I needed was to cry in front of him. “I know I’m nothing to you. Why don’t you just let me get on with the night?”

“So, you’re going to go back there to flirt with Holder?” It was a question, but it had plenty of anger behind it.

I lifted my chin. I knew I was pissing him off, and after not being able to release any tension on Nathan, I was probably messing with dynamite. But I couldn’t stop myself. As usual, Beck had my defenses in top form. “Don’t know. Maybe I’ll pick someone else this round,” I said.

He flinched at my words, but he didn’t drop his arms or move back. It seemed he was trying to decide if he should kiss me or throw me over his knee. Shockingly, I wouldn’t have stopped him from doing either. But he didn’t choose the kiss or the spanking. He went for the stinging words. His green eyes darkened. “Still the same little cock teaser you were when you were sixteen.”

My hand flew up, and I slapped him hard. I ducked under his arm and ran for the highway. The four lane stretch of asphalt only went north and south. Grady’s Cove was north. It would eventually take me home.

“Jessa!” Beck yelled.

I kept running. Once away from the lights of the boardwalk and pier, the highway was steeped in darkness. Along one long stretch of the road there was a large piece of land that had been designated a wildlife sanctuary. Low meandering streams and glowing white beds of sand coasted serenely along, in stark contrast to the noisy cars and trucks whizzing by at top speed. The wildlife was, no doubt, tucked safely in the shrubs and marshy grasses for the night. The only sounds other than those on the highway and the distant voices from the pier and bonfire were the bullfrogs and crickets.

I shoved my hands into the pockets of my sweatshirt and forged ahead. Trying to stay as far to the side as possible. A bike lane was the only thing between me and the traffic. It was alarming how fast sixty-five miles per hour was when you were walking alongside the highway. Every time a car passed, my body tensed with fear. Eighteen wheeler trucks made me gasp and close my eyes, the wind created by them nearly pitching me off the road.

Slowly, my walk home was turning into a twenty minute stretch of terror. What a stupid decision. But I never seemed to make good ones when Beck was around. It was like every sensible cell in my body went haywire around him. I could still feel the sting of the slap on my palm. Once again, he’d resorted to hurtful words, almost as if he too lost all his common sense in my presence. The atmosphere always seemed to destabilize when we got close to each other, as if we were polar opposites in a magnetic storm.

An extra loud truck whirred past. The asshole driver blew his horn, I guess as an unnecessary warning for me not to jump into the road. The sound was explosive as the massive truck blew a sharp cold wind against me. I startled and fell to my knees, hard. Pain shot through both knees, and I could feel the rough asphalt against one of them. I pushed to my feet with tears in my eyes. I’d ripped through my jeans on one knee and tiny beads of blood rose up to the surface of my skin.

I limped along. The bridge was in sight. The bridge looked like a great curved dragon arched over the harbor. Once across it, the street would become quieter and traffic would be slowed for neighborhood driving.

A thick wall of fog was beginning to settle over the harbor, a stretch of water that looked exceptionally deep and uninviting at night. There was an extremely narrow walking path on each side of the bridge. I’d walked it more than once with Hailey. But that was in the day, in cheery sunlight. And I was certain I’d never walked across it in the twisted and fragile emotional state that had gripped me tonight. The warm blood trickling down my leg didn’t help matters either.

I heard a loud motor stuttering behind me but paid it no attention. I’d already had every style of loud engine zoom past me tonight. This one just happened to be going slower. Then it struck me, it wasn’t just going slower. The headlight was lighting the way for me as I stepped onto the bridge. It was following me.

I looked back. Beck was rolling along on his motorcycle. With his thick, tattooed arms holding the handlebars and the dark brooding expression on his face, if I hadn’t known him, I would have taken off at a run.

He pulled up next to me. “What are you doing, Ducky?” he asked over the rumble of his bike.

“I think it’s obvious I’m walking home.” I picked up my pace, which was of course pointless because he could outpace me on his bike without even turning the throttle.

“Hailey was worried. Why don’t you text her to let her know you’re all right.”

“I will once I get home.” I kept walking, and, annoyingly, he kept pace with me.

I heard his phone ring. He pulled the bike over and answered it. “Yeah, I found her. I’ll see that she gets home.”

I kept walking. A massive truck raced by, coming so close I could smell the driver’s cigar. He blew his horn. I screamed and fell against the bridge railing. Even though I couldn’t have fallen through, seeing the water far below rush past gave me the sensation of falling from a great height. My head spun. Before I could fall face first, Beck grabbed me.

“I’ve got you, baby. I’ve got you.”

At first I relaxed against him. Then my body tensed and I pounded his hard chest with my fists. “Why does it always have to be like this between us?” I cried just before breaking into shoulder wracking sobs. I melted against him.

Even with cars and trucks hurtling past at top speed just a few feet away, I felt safer there in his arms than I had at any other time in my life. There was something oddly familiar about his protective embrace, as if I’d felt this exact same way some time before.

I was shaking as he walked me to the bike. “Climb on, Ducky, and I’ll take you home.”

Chapter 12

Beck

We didn’t head straight inside. I wasn’t ready to go to bed and neither was Jessa. We walked onto the veranda without saying a word to each other. I sat down on a lounge. She went to sit on the other chaise, but I reached over and pulled her into my lap. She didn’t fight me. Instead, she relaxed against me.

“Why is it like this between us, Beck?”

“I don’t know, Jess.  Lots of mixed up feelings that got mixed up even more by all the shit that’s happened.”

She took my hand and kissed the knuckles, then she slid it under her shirt and rested my palm against her naked skin. I sucked in a deep breath trying to summon self-control. She rested her head against my shoulder. The lavender smell of her shampoo, her silky skin under my rough fingers and the feel of her petite body in my arms was too much.

I ran my fingers up to her bra and tugged the lace down to expose her nipple. She didn’t pull away. The opposite in fact. She pushed her breast toward my hand in a plea for me to touch her. I didn’t need an invite.

Her nipple hardened as I teased it between my thumb and forefinger. She moaned softly, never lifting her head from my shoulder. She relaxed even more in my arms. I slid my hand down and hesitated for only a second before unbuttoning her jeans. She didn’t protest or flinch. She wanted my touch as much as I wanted to touch her.

I slid my hand down her pants, below the lacy panties to her pussy. Her legs dropped open, inviting me to explore. As my fingers reached the slick folds of her sex, a deep, involuntary groan rolled up from my chest. She mewled sweetly and pushed her body closer to my mine, all the while spreading her thighs wider in a silent plea to be finger fucked.

“God, baby, you’re so hot and wet, it’s as if you’ve been waiting for this all damn night.”

“I have, Beck. I have been waiting. Not just tonight but forever.” Her soft breaths floated into the breeze, and her small hand reached up and clutched at my shirt. I flicked my thumb over her clit as my finger pushed inside of her. She moved her hips, writhing against my hand, wanting me to go deeper. Everything about her was as I’d expected. Touching her, fucking her with my fingers and listening to her soft moans of appreciation was better than any wild, tie me up, fuck me against a wall sex I’d ever had. My cock was aching with the thought of bringing her to climax just by holding her in my arms.    

Her fingers tightened, curling the fabric of my shirt into a ball as she moved against the rhythm of my hand. “Oh, Beck, fuck, I knew it would be this easy with you.” Her pussy clenched around my hand as shuddering waves coursed through her body. She softened in my arms. I held her there until the breeze picked up to a bitter wind.

We walked without a word inside and up the stairs. We reached her door and she turned around. Her face was still pink from the orgasm. “Thank you for getting me off that horrible bridge.” Her long lashes dropped shyly, a complete contrast to the girl who’d so willing spread her thighs for me just minutes before. “And thank you for— “ She smiled. “Well, you know.”

“You’re welcome on both accounts.”

She looked up at me. “Beck, what did Nathan mean out there when he was accusing you of letting Jake drown?”

I pulled my gaze from hers and walked down the hall to my room.

Chapter 13

Jessa

It seemed that I was spending a ridiculous amount of time staring at the smooth white ceiling of the guest bedroom. I’d showered for longer than necessary, just wanting to warm my skin and wash away any of the salt and smoke from the bonfire. But I didn’t want to wash away the sweet ache between my legs, where Beck’s touch had brought me easily to climax. I hadn’t been the least bit surprised by how quickly I’d come or how fast my body had reacted to his touch. I’d had so many erotic dreams, both day and night, about Beck that I was close to the edge before he’d even dragged his fingers down to my pants.

Those few minutes in his arms had been just as I’d imagined. For a short, blissful stretch of time nothing else mattered except how we felt about each other. No one else existed but us. Then, I’d shattered the whole damn thing by bringing up the accident. I had no idea what Nathan had been talking about. Beck hadn’t been anywhere near when Jake drowned. Even I couldn’t remember much about the horrid day except that the sky was a frightening black and the sea had swallowed up the vessel as if it had been just a toy boat on a tsunami.

I pulled the covers up to my chin. My pajama bottoms and t-shirt and the warm shower still weren’t bringing me any comfort. A shiver raced through me, and I turned to my side and curled my knees to my chest. For a long time, I lay there wide awake and trembling, convinced that I’d caught a chill on the beach. But it didn’t take me long to realize what had me so shaky, so distraught. Those few moments in Beck’s arms had been so comforting, so perfect. I craved that feeling again. For years, Beck had been this phantom in my thoughts, drifting in occasionally as a source of heartbreak and discontent, and at the same time, leaving me with the feeling of loss, a lonely void that could only ever be filled by him. He’d been overprotective tonight, annoyingly so, and, as always, he’d resorted to harsh words to mask his own despair. But in the end, I’d wanted nothing more than to be cradled in his protective arms. And I’d stopped it all cold with my thoughtless question.

I pushed my feet to the floor. It was cold and only added to my tremulous state. My chin vibrated, nearly clacking my teeth together. It wasn’t body temperature that was making me shake. It was the thought of Beckett Grady.

I strode to the door, opened it and stepped out into the hallway. I stood there a second thinking I should just head back into bed and toss and turn until sleep came. But I was only here at Grady’s Cove for a few more days. I might never see him again after this. I had to let him know how I felt. It would probably make things just that much more strained between us, but I could live with that. Anything would be better than leaving here with all my strong feelings tucked neatly inside my heart again.

The hallway was dark and quiet as I crept down to the end. I’d heard Hailey come in just after I stepped out of the shower. She hadn’t knocked. I’m sure she’d decided to let me sleep off the entire drama filled night. Of course, she only knew of the scene on the beach with Beck and Nathan. I was sure she had no idea that anything had happened afterward other than Beck giving me a ride home.

I got to Beck’s door and pressed my ear to it. I could hear music playing quietly. He may very well have fallen asleep with it on. I might be waking him. I lost my nerve and turned back. My foot landed directly on the creakiest plank in the hallway floor. I took another three steps and his door opened.

He’d taken off his shirt. His jeans were slung low on his hips, and my gaze went right to the thin, dark line of hair that bisected his rippling abdomen and disappeared below his pants. His chest lifted and fell with each breath. The black ink designs seemed to pulse in the shadows of the dimly lit room. My shivering grew worse in the dark hallway.

“Sorry to wake you,” I said with a weak smile. I tapped my foot on the creaky floorboard. “Guess burglar is off my list of possible professions.”

He reached for my hand and pulled me into his room. It was sparsely decorated with a large four post bed, an antique, no doubt, wood dresser and two chairs. His shirt was bunched up on the floor next to his black motorcycle boots.

I glanced around and smiled. “Just how I would have pictured it.”

He stood there with his impossibly broad shoulders and cool green gaze and said nothing. I fidgeted on my bare feet. It took me a second to find my tongue again, and when I did, the words just tumbled out. “I just wanted to apologize. I never really got to thank you. You were looking out for me on the beach, and I was bitchy. I’m sorry. See, I’m just always so damn confused when I’m around you, you know?” My chin vibrated, but, unfortunately, it didn’t stop the roll I was on. “Sometimes I’m just frustrated because there is always this weird thing between us like a dam or a river or something, and no matter what I can’t ever seem to cross the damn thing.” I took a breath and a cry came with it. “Fuck, I’m just rambling and you’re standing there.” I waved my hand as if he needed pointing out to himself. “And everything about you is just so damn, you’re just so damn— Shit, Beck, I never stop thinking about you. Even when you’re miles away—”

He closed the gap between us in three strides and pulled me into his arms. His mouth came down over mine, silencing my nearly incomprehensible rant. I moaned against his mouth and sagged against his hard body. He noticed the trembling in my body that had only increased in intensity.

He stopped the kiss. “Are you cold, Ducky?”

I shook my head. “I’m not cold. It’s you, Beck. It’s only ever been you.”

He placed his hands on each side of my face and tilted my mouth up to his. His tongue drew gentle, teasing caresses across my lips before pushing between them. I placed my hands against his hard, bare chest. He felt like granite beneath my palms, granite that could explode to life with enough power to crush me. And in a way he already had. I was already completely under his control, physically and, even in some ways, mentally. But I didn’t mind. I wanted to be his.

His hands smoothed down my back and beneath my pajama pants. He pulled me against him. My belly pressed against the rough fabric of his jeans, already straining with his erection. His hands moved up and lifted my shirt off. He took a moment to stare hungrily down at my naked breasts before bringing his mouth down over one. I tangled my fingers in his hair as I pulled his mouth harder against my taut nipple. His massive arms and strong hands held me, but I sensed an incredible amount of tension in his muscles. He was holding back, keeping control almost as if he was hesitant to finish what we’d started.

I pulled his hair slightly, and he lifted his face. He saw me looking questioningly down at him. “I don’t want this,” I said. He looked as if he’d been punched in the gut, and I realized my poor word choice.

“No, I don’t want gentle and cautious. I want this.” I ran my hands over his menacing shoulders and arms. “I want Beck Grady, every fucking, dangerous bit of him.”

His green eyes darkened several shades. The look in his eyes sent a new wave of frissons through me.

“Wait,” I said.

Again, it seemed he might come apart, explode into a disappointed rage.

“I’m on the pill and clean,” I said, deciding to clear things now instead of in the heat of it, when neither of us would be able to stop.

“A fighter can’t step into the ring without a clean bill of health.”

I nodded. I stepped back, and he nearly fell forward in his attempt to keep me near him. I smiled sweetly up at him as I pushed my pajama pants and my panties to the floor. The trembling hadn’t subsided. The way he gazed down at my naked body only made it worse. I held out my hands. “Then, Beckett Grady, I’m yours.”