Score - A Stepbrother Romance (40 page)

E
very single day
in the beach house is a nightmare. I hate them all – sitting around the kitchen table, laughing like nothing in the world matters. Like we aren't some fucked up group of people who can't see eye-to-eye on anything.

The one who gets to me the most is Jax. I don't know why, but every time he's around, I feel an intense hatred towards him, blended with hot flashes, making me feel like I'm going to burst into flames any second. I hate everything he does, from the way he throws a piece of fruit in the air before bringing it to his mouth and biting into the skin with a crunch to the fact that his shorts always sit so low on his hips they almost expose that V-line that leads down to... Well, whatever.

I spend most days on the beach, trying to show the three of them I don't care about their little pretend family. But it's to no avail, because Daddy and his new wifey have got it in their heads that Jax and I need to play the part of perfect siblings.

It's been about a week since I got to the beach house, and I've been doing my best to spend as much time away from the house as possible. I've been avoiding Daddy, wifey and Jax especially. He seems to like the distance, not even sending me any more cheeky texts, which secretly annoys me.

Hanging out at the beach is proving to be a lot of fun though, and I love catching up with what Susie and everyone else have been up to. If the gossip is anything to go by, there are quite a few guys here who wouldn't mind taking me out to that make-out spot, yet I'm still hesitating. I haven't told the truth to anyone.

It's a Wednesday, and I've been lying in the sun for a good while when Susie stretches, taking her sunglasses off next to me. She looks at me and shrieks with horror, and I immediately shoot up.

"What is it?!" I shriek in horror, and my friend points at me with a shaky finger.

"Oh God, Rue, you're totally sunburned," she says. "You look like a tomato."

I push my own sunglasses up my nose and look down at my skin. Sure enough, I've started turning into a beetroot. "Crap," I sigh heavily.

"Did you put on sunscreen?" Susie asks with raised eyebrows, and I shake my head regretfully. I have skin that is easy to tan, but if I don't put on sun block, I'm red within the hour. Of course I had to forget it today, so now I already know I'll be covered in blisters if I don't spend a few days out of the sun.

"Well, it's been nice knowing you," I say dramatically. "I'll have to barricade myself in the house for a good while."

"Oh no," Susie says sadly. "I'll come visit, don't worry. I'll bring all the hot gossip." She pokes my tummy and I sigh in pain, the sunburn already starting to sting. "And the aloe vera lotion," Susie adds, nodding wisely.

I laugh and wave at her as I grab my towel, running back towards the house, already cursing my stupid forgetfulness. This means I'll be stuck in the goddamned beach house at least until the weekend, and I'm definitely not going to enjoy it.

I stomp into the house barefoot, discarding my stuff in the living room and heading to the bathroom to check out the damage. I'm standing in front of the reflective surface in my bikini, sighing as I take in my burn, when Valerie barges into the bathroom.

"Do you mind?" I snap at her viciously. "God, there's no privacy in this house, I swear."

She ignores me, heading straight for the cabinet and rummaging in it while I take in her figure. She's lithe and petite, like some kind of middle-aged model. I wonder how my Dad even scored her.

As I silently appraise her, she turns around, giving me a soft smile. There's a bottle in her hand and she hands it over to me. "What?" I ask suspiciously.

"It's a cooling lotion," she explains simply. "Might help with that nasty burn you've got going on."

I just stare at her blankly, so she unscrews the cap and motions for me to turn around.

"No way," I snort, repulsed by the idea of my stepmother doing this for me.

"Suit yourself," Valerie shrugs. "Guess you'll be stuck with peeling skin for the rest of the summer. What a sight that will be." She smirks at me and I swear I see Jax's features in her face.

Rolling my eyes, I point my back at her, because I want to get out of the house as soon as possible, and if her magic little potion can help me with that, I shouldn't object. A moment later, I feel instant coolness on my back, sighing heavily as the lotion hits my skin.

"What is that stuff?" I ask suspiciously, but sigh at the same time as it sinks in, soothing my irritated skin. The stuff is magic.

"A family remedy. It's used for racing horses when their muscles are sore," Valerie explains calmly, and I make a gagging sound deep in my throat.

"Gross," I say with a finality in my voice, secretly hoping she'll scold me for being rude, but all she does is massage the rest of my back with the stuff, then set it back on the sink. She moves back and starts to walk out of the room.

"Thanks."

The words fly out of my mouth before I can stop them and Valerie stops in her tracks, as surprised as I am by the fact that I just said that. She gives me a small smile and starts to walk out again, then changes her mind, looking at me over her shoulder.

"I'm going to make cookies. Seeing as you're not going anywhere, you're free to join me in the kitchen."

I roll my eyes, a knee-jerk reaction, but she's already gone from the bathroom. My face twists in an uncomfortable way, and I stomp back to my bedroom. My skin feels cool for now, but I do look like a lobster. Sunburns usually fade within a couple of days, so I am very much hoping I'll be fine by Saturday, when there's a party a few blocks down.

I plop down on the bed, cursing out loud when my back stings and itches as it hits the duvet. Picking up a book, I try to get immersed in some fantasy world, but I keep getting distracted. Minutes later, I'm sitting up again and putting on a light cotton sun dress. Anything to keep me cool and not irritate my skin.

I wander downstairs again, my legs carrying me over to the kitchen as if of their own accord. Immediately, I'm greeted by the smell of cinnamon and chocolate and I sniff the air tentatively.

Valerie is standing at the counter, rolling out some sort of dough. I don't know the first thing about baking, but if it smells good, I'll eat.

I creep up on her, but she doesn't even flinch when she senses my presence. I plop my behind on the counter next to her, watching as she cuts shapes into the dough.

"Where's my Dad?" I ask to cut the silence.

"He had some work to do, but will be back in time for dinner," Valerie explains to me, dusting her hands with a sprinkling of flour as I watch her, intrigued by her actions.

"Why'd you do that?" I ask, reaching for the dough to take a piece off and eat it, but she slaps my hand away with a spatula. For some reason, it makes me smile.

"So the dough doesn't stick to the surface," she explains, pointing her spatula at me like some wicked witch. "Don't eat that, it'll make you sick."

"But I'm hungry," I complain, feeling annoyed.

"Then you better help me with dinner," Valerie suggests and I ponder her words for a little while, realizing I have nothing better to do.

We put the cookies in the over and she explains what we'll be making – Chicken Parmesan with linguine. It all sounds foreign to me. My mom doesn't cook at home – we usually end up getting takeout or just eating out. She's too busy to do stuff like this.

But as we start cooking, I kind of find myself liking the process. And Valerie doesn't push me to do anything, either. It's kind of nice talking to her, and by the time we've finished, I've told her about some girls at the beach.

"She got them for her eighteenth," I smile. "Can you believe that?"

Valerie shakes her head, a smile playing on her lips. "I hope she isn't giving you any ideas." She gives me a scrutinizing look which is so serious it makes me laugh.

I point at my own boobs, which have grown a lot in the past year – I went from being a barely-there A-cup to an overflowing C. "Do I need to get these babies resized?" I ask, winking at Valerie, who laughs out loud, shaking her head.

She hands me a spoon and I try the sauce, giving her a thumbs up to say I like it. We set the table next, and pretty soon, I hear a key turning in the lock and Daddy strolls into the kitchen.

As soon as he sees me and Valerie together, he stops in his tracks and gives me a warning look. Always full of suspicion. "What?" I ask defensively.

"She's helping me cook," Valerie is quick to explain, and I like the way she winks at me conspiratorially. Makes me feel like I can trust her.

Dad raises his eyebrows when he pecks me, but he doesn't say another word. He excuses himself to get ready for dinner and in about ten minutes, all of us are sitting down at the dining table, getting ready to dig in.

All of us with the exception of Jax, that is.

We've all dug into our food when he strolls into the room, bursting into laughter when he spots me. I shoot him an evil glare.

"You look like a human strawberry," he points out kindly, and because I am a kid, I point my tongue out at him.

Sitting down with the rest of us, he digs into his dinner too, and comments how good it is. That actually makes me grin, and Valerie winks at me across the table, knowing I had a hand in that. Not that Jax's compliment was meant for me, anyway.

"Did you hear there's a band in town?" Daddy asks between bites.

"Which band?" I ask, already bored. I'm sure no one good would come to this small town, anyway.

"I think they're called Lovely Heart?" Dad asks, scratching his head, and I'm already on my feet, screeching.

"Lonely Hearts? Lonely Hearts, Daddy?" I yell at the top of my voice as the three of them stare at me in wonder.

Okay, I get it - I'm not usually one for big reactions. But we're talking Lonely Hearts, my all-time favorite band. And if they're playing somewhere nearby, I'd give up a kidney to go see them.

"Yeah, I guess so. Are they any good?" Daddy asks, intrigued by my jumping up and down. He steadies me with a hand and I sit back down, still feeling giddy.

"They're the best!" I gush. "They're kind of a mix of indie and rock and a bit of electronic ... Oh I just love them so much!"

Jax snorts on the other side of the table and I glare at him. "What?" I ask defensively.

"You're such a fan girl," he shakes his head. "They're a goddamned boy band that twelve-year-olds listen to. Oh, I guess it makes sense that you like them, then." He gives me an evil smile.

I launch into a long tirade about the awesomeness that is Lonely Hearts, being interrupted by Daddy just as I'm getting into the nitty-gritty.

"You know, that gives me an idea," he says thoughtfully. "It might be the perfect opportunity for the two of you to spend some time together. You can take Rubi, Jax. I'll even let you go on the bike. The concert is tomorrow."

"Absolutely not," I snort angrily, glaring at Jax and Daddy in turns. "I can go by myself."

"It's in Newport, an hour away," Daddy says with raised eyebrows. "I'm not going to let you go there by yourself or just with your friends. You need someone to watch over you."

"I don't need a fucking babysitter!" I scream in outrage.

"Yeah," Jax snorts, "because you're so responsible."

He drops his fork on the dining table, shaking his head. "I don't want to go, either. I have better stuff to do than watch over this kid."

I'm fuming, but Dad is already slamming his fist on the table. "Why is nobody listening to me?" he asks angrily. "She wants to go, you need to spend some quality time together. So I say, you're going."

We both glare at him, and I'm pretty sure Jax and I both have steam coming out of our ears. I'm about to object loudly, but Daddy raises a hand to quiet me, so I have to make do with just stomping out of the kitchen.

B
ack in my bedroom
, I give Susie a quick call and beg her to come with us, and she happily agrees, mentioning something about getting her claws into Jax. I hate that she says it, and at the same time, I resent myself for caring.

I'm fuming, but since I'm a human lobster, I can't even go out of the house. Finally, I decide to put together an outfit for the concert, rummaging around in my closet.

Unfortunately, as soon as I move a few pairs of shoes, I come across that giant pink vibrator Jax left in my room. I blush as I pull it out, but my fingers stroke the length of the sex toy curiously.

I don't know why, but I sit cross-legged on the floor and examine it closely.

I've never seen an actual cock. Sure, I've watched some porn, but feeling this replica, sliding my fingers over its girth ... It feels different. And suddenly I'm embarrassed, leaving the vibrator on the floor as I go over to my bed, determined to get on with my life.

My phone beeps with a text and I lie back on the bed, checking to see if it's Susie.

You better not follow me around tomorrow, you little cock block.

Rolling my eyes, I realize it's none other than stepbrother dearest. I'm already punching a reply, my mouth a stiff line.

Oh no! You've spoiled all my plans now. Go play with yourself Jax, because no one else wants to. ;)

Is that what you're doing right now, playing with yourself?

My eyes wander to the vibrator on the floor guiltily, and for some unknown reason, I get up to retrieve the pink toy lying back on the bed with it in my hand. I feel like Mr. Fuzz is giving me a dirty look, so I self-consciously stuff him beneath my pillows.

Guilty silence. You little slut.

Blushing furiously as I read the next text, I want to punch Jax in the face. I hate how he gets under my skin every damn time, acting like he can't stand me when we're together, but then sending these texts that put all kinds of wrong things in my imagination.

I think you've mistaken me with one of your dirty one-night stands, Jax.

Still plenty of time for you to get membership in that club, darlin’.

I gasp out loud, furious with him.

As if I'd want to! You totally repulse me.

Yeah I'm sure... So how are you liking my gift? Bet you pretend it's me when you touch it.

You're sick!!

You love it.

I toss the phone away, feeling very dirty all of a sudden. But my eyes keep watching it, secretly hoping it will beep with another text from him. No such luck.

Instead, I look at the pink sex toy again, glaring at it like it's some kind of serial killer. Finally, I take it in my hands and press one of the buttons, and it begins to vibrate lightly in my hands.

I wonder if Jax's cock is this big as well.

And then I nearly smack myself, blushing at the thought. I'm the sick one here, apparently.

But that doesn't stop me from stroking the vibrator lightly, curiously pressing my fingers against the vibrating tip. I want to know what it would feel like, but it's just too dirty. I've touched myself plenty of times, but I don't use any toys. How the fuck would I get them, anyway?

So then this is the perfect opportunity.

I try to silence my own dirty thoughts, but it's an effort made in vain. Slowly, I lift my dress and press the toy against my bikini bottoms, my eyes widening as the vibrations take over my body.

Shit, that feels good.

Tentatively, I move the fabric of my bikini aside, exposing a sliver of the most sensitive skin, sliding the tip of the toy over my swollen lips. My back arches in pleasure, my mind picturing Jax's face before I can stop it.

I try to stop, I swear I do, but it feels so damn good. And even better when I picture a pair of strong, muscular hands inked with the blackest of colors ...

Before I can help it, I'm mewling softly, my bikini bottoms already around my ankles. I press the vibrator against my entrance hesitantly, slowly pushing it deeper and meeting resistance. I don't dare to go deeper, but fuck, it feels good against my clit, bringing my stepbrother's name to my mouth.

"Jax ..." I whisper softly, but as I press down hard, those whispers soon turn into full-blown sighs and moans. I'm slick with wetness, gasping his name all the while knowing just how wrong it is. But I can't stop now, it feels too damn good.

I know I'm close to something I've never experienced before as I press down hard against my clit, my body already shaking with anticipation. And then I gasp out loud as I feel something completely new to me, waves of the most intense pleasure I've ever felt. It's like I'd been bottled up to this point, and somebody just popped the cap.

I can't help it, I scream out loud, turning to my side and moaning into my pillow as my hand continues to press the pink toy against my swollen lips. Slowly, I let go, riding the last waves of ecstasy as I come against the tip of the vibrator.

"Fuck," I say weakly against the pillow, immediately feeling dirty.

Not because I played with myself, because there's nothing wrong with that, but because Jax's face was in my mind the whole time, his name a whisper on my lips.

I pull my bikini up and hide the vibrator back in the closet, blushing the whole time.

Then I start texting Susie, pretending none of this ever happened, but my phone is already beeping with an incoming text, which I read.

The walls are very thin, darlin’. P.S. Make sure to practice, because I'm bigger than your little toy.

My eyes widen, and I clamp a hand over my mouth as I read the words, and next thing I know, I hear Jax chuckling a wall away from me, which lets me know that the walls are thin indeed.

I have to fight every urge in my body to fight the scream that's about to come from my lips, so I bury my head in my pillow and wish the earth would swallow me up.

But not before I see the real thing,
I think guiltily.

I
'm
on edge the next day, but thankfully, Jax is nowhere to be seen. I spend the day with Valerie instead, and she shows me a couple more things in the kitchen. At this rate, I'll be a chef by the end of the summer.

The day passes in a flash, and I end up eating dinner alone with Valerie, because Daddy is running some business in the city. I wish he wouldn't work as much.

Finally, I grudgingly decide to get ready. I want to look good, so I put on a leather mini skirt and a white crop top, finishing the look with some high-heeled black sandals. I add some red lipstick to my lips and a heavy dose of bronzer to cover up my poor skin. However, Valerie's potion seems to be doing the job – my sunburn is already fading into a tan, and my skin doesn't burn as much any longer.

At 8 p.m. I hear someone honking outside and a look through the window shows me Jax leaning against a rusty old bike, glaring eight at me with contempt.

I roll my eyes and head downstairs, already dreading what's to come, my mind full of the events of last night. I'm kind of angry about our lack of communication today, and to be honest, I had been incessantly checking my phone for texts from him up to this point.

Downstairs, I give him a once-over, fighting the fast beat of my heart. He's wearing a leather jacket over a white V-neck and jeans and he looks...
Nothing
. He looks like my goddamned stepbrother.

"Nice ride," I say sarcastically, crossing my arms defensively in front of my body. "Where's the car?"

"I don't have one," Jax shrugs, giving me a once-over with his eyebrows raised. "You can't ride a bike in that skirt."

"Whatever," I shrug, and he replicates my motion, putting on his helmet and getting on the bike, revving up the engine. It doesn't take me long to realize he'll be leaving with or without me, so I grudgingly stomp over to the bike and give him a glare full of contempt as I get on it.

"I hate you," I murmur in his shoulder as I awkwardly position myself, thanking God my skirt is pleated, not skin tight.

"Feeling's mutual, sis," Jax retorts, and we're off.

Secretly, I relish the long ride to Newport, even though I do my best not to let it show. I've ridden a bike before, but I'm trying hard not to hold on to Jax too hard, knowing it would break my resolve.

It takes about an hour, but we end up at the concert. I get off the bike, promptly ignoring Jax as I dial Susie's number. A quick conversation lets me know she's somewhere in the parking lot, and I turn around towards Jax to let him know where we need to go. Instead, I come face-to-face with his leather-clad back.

"Hey, where are you going?" I ask in confusion.

He looks at me over his shoulder, his eyebrows raised. "I'm gonna hang out with my friends. You go have fun."

"But you can't just leave me," I blurt out.

"Thought that's what you wanted," he smirks at me. "Seriously, I'm not babysitting you. Go have fun, I'll text you when we're leaving."

He waves and leaves, just like that, and I end up staring at his back, secretly regretting the fact that he left, and at the same time, being angry with myself for letting him get to me.