Meeting the Step (4 page)

Chapter Seven

Max

I WASN'T SURE
why I had said that to her, but it was true. I kept trying to place where I knew her, but couldn't quite make it out. That alone bothered the shit out of me. I did want to know everything about her, what made her happy, what made her tick, what her dreams and aspirations were, but why? Why did I even care? I blamed the instant attraction between us and I could feel it tugging me closer to her, but this couldn't be happening. I could almost imagine the conversation with my dad if something happened between us and he found out. It wouldn't go over well, but I found myself semi-not-caring.

I dove into the pool hoping to think about something other than her in that little black bikini that showed every sin. When I came up from the bottom of the pool, I smoothed my hair back and that's when I saw her sitting on the edge dangling her feet in the cool water of the pool. She looked like a goddess with her golden sun kissed skin and body. Fuck! I was fantasizing about her while she was in front of me. Nope. This wouldn't end well.

I lifted my body up on the side of the pool and sat next to her. She instantly tensed. I was getting to her and that made me smile.
Good.

"I'll answer your questions if you answer mine. I mean, since we
are
going to be siblings and all," she said.

The word sibling disgusted me. I had no brothers or sisters and I would have to set that straight.

"You'll never be my sibling," I said. "I don't care what our parents do."

This made her slightly relax.

"You first then," I said.

She tensed again, the anxiousness returning in full force. I could tell she was nervous by the way she would look into my eyes for a few seconds then turn her head. I often had that effect on women, but it was really cute coming from her. Chelsea was something else, a stranger that I wanted to know.

"How old are you?" she asked.

"23 and you?"

"22." She paused. "Do you . . . have a girlfriend?"

The question caught me off guard slightly. She was filling me out. And I found it odd for her second question.

"No. Do I know you from somewhere?"

She searched my face and tilted her head. "No. I don't think so. What's your dream car?"

"1967 Mustang. It's sitting in the driveway right now. When are you going to break up with your boyfriend, and when I say the word boyfriend, I use the term very loosely."

She stared at the pool for an extended period watching the wind move the water in small waves.

"I'm not," she said. She wasn't confident with her answer.

I smiled thinking of my next question, not trying to push her too far. I didn't know her limits yet, but hoped to soon learn them. "Do you find me attractive?"

She bit her bottom lip and turned and looked at me. "That's not fair and it's not your turn."

"That's not an answer and you can go twice."

She interlocked her fingers together and sucked in a deep breath, and on the exhale I heard the slightest yes. It was like music to my ears.

"What about me?"

I turned my body toward her, where she had no choice but to look at me.

"Without a doubt," I said. "I think you're beautiful."

A touch of blush hit her cheeks and she smiled before pushing off into the water, splashing me. I kicked my feet in the water, splashing her back as she laughed out loud, but she wasn't stopping. This was water war.

I jumped in the pool and we splashed until I was tired. "Okay, okay, you win," I said.

She pushed water toward me again. "If you want me to stop, make me," she said, splashing again.

I swam toward her and she backed up until her back hit the side of the pool. But I was too fast and she couldn't lift herself out of the water quick enough. I was inches in front of her, her breasts pressing against my chest.

"Now what were you saying?" I asked, incredulously.

"If you want me to stop… make me," she whispered.

My adrenaline spiked and my heart pounded hard in my chest. I stared into her brown eyes and she didn't look away. We were treading water together and exchanged words in a silent conversation. I didn't wait another minute and neither did she. Chelsea closed her eyes and parted her lips. I took my cue and moved in and kissed her. At first it was slow kisses, sweet ones, then she became more ravenous with her tongue and mouth almost devouring me. I liked the animal she was unleashing, but I wanted to tame it.

My dick was hard and I wanted her, but I couldn't go there, not right now. Chelsea didn't seem like the one-night stand type of girl. I pulled away from her almost gasping for air. She lifted herself out of the pool and lay back on the warm cement. After a second, I followed her lead and lay beside her.

I stared up at the fluffy white clouds and sea blue sky. What the fuck had just happened? I adjusted my dick in my shorts and tried to calm down and tell my dick no. It wasn't happening buddy.

After a few more minutes, she rolled over on her side and propped herself up on her elbow. The way the sun surrounded her head, she almost looked like an angel. I rested both of my arms behind my head and gave her my signature smirk.

"We can never do that again," she said.

I licked my lips, remembering the way she tasted. "Okay."

She was searching my face like she wanted to do it all over again and I wouldn't have stopped her if she did. I didn't care what words she spoke because her body was screaming so loud especially when she bit her bottom lip and tugged.

I propped myself up on my elbow, matching her posturing, allowing our faces to be inches apart.

"Tell me again," I whispered testing her.

But she wasn't strong.

Her lips brushed against mine, soft like the tips of flower pedals. I tucked a loose piece of hair behind her ear and she leaned into it.

"That's what I thought," I said then stood. I had to get away from her before she pulled me completely under like a strong current carrying me out to sea. Chelsea was beautiful and perfectly flawed.

"Where are you going?" she asked.

"To order lunch and have a shower." I smiled at her and grabbed the towel I brought and dried myself as best as I could. She stood and walked back to her lawn chair then gave me a sweet, seductive smile before she lay on her back.

I walked inside wondering what the hell had just happened. Instant-love was laughable, but instant-attraction, fuck me, it was real. I took the stairs two at a time trying to shake her out of my thoughts. When I walked into my room, I placed the order then went straight to the bathroom. I had to get her out of my head. She was a forbidden fruit, one that I wasn't supposed to touch, but now that I had, I wanted all of her. I wanted to taste her, to have her, and somehow I knew it was only a matter of time before I did.

Attraction was the only thing we had.

Attraction made me have thoughts that I shouldn't.

For the second time, I came in the shower as I thought about her riding my cock.

Chapter Eight

Chelsea

WHAT DID KISSING
my soon-to-be-step-brother make me?

A cheater.

Even though Richard had not been the best boyfriend, guilt swept over me. I had been with one man, the same man for four years, and never thought twice about it. Though Richard and I hadn't had satisfying sex in eight months because our flame was slowly dying, I never thought it would come to this. Mark the date everyone, today I was officially a cheater. I disgusted myself.

A part of me knew how wrong it was to be thinking any type of thoughts that included Max. I couldn’t deny there was something between us. There was some unspoken chemistry, and holy hell it was powerful. Max made me want to bend to his will and do things, very bad things, that I should not and have never done. My sex life consisted of missionary position where Richard became too tired or was too drunk to finish. Other than that, it was inconsistent. The truth was, Max made me want sex.

I squeezed my thighs together and knew I was wet. My nipples were even hard and I knew he had seen them shining through my bathing suit like a lighthouse in the dark. Granted the pool could be blamed for that.

I gently rubbed over my sensitive breasts and my breathing increased. I dropped my hands to my side and tried to think of something else like puppies or kittens.

My phone beeped with a text message and pulled me from my fantasies.

Richard: Baby, let's go out tonight.

Me: Can't, sorry.

Richard: Why not?

Me: Told mom I would stay home and out of trouble this weekend.

Richard: Fuck her. She's a bitch anyway.

I hated it when he talked about my mother that way. Sure she hated him and made it very clear that he wasn't good enough for her baby, but he didn't have to be so disrespectful all the time. Yes, there were moments when I felt the same way about her, but she was my mother. She was all I had left and I loved her. I sighed.

Me: Okay then, tonight.

Richard: It's a date. I'll be there at 6.

Me: K.

I wasn't sure why I suddenly changed my mind. Maybe it was because I wanted to see if Richard would be any different tonight. Maybe it was me giving him a final chance to prove himself. I wished things could change but deep down I knew they wouldn't.

I picked up my things and walked inside. The doorbell rang and I looked out and saw a man with bags of Chinese food. I opened the door and he looked me from top to bottom.

"Damn," he said then handed me the credit card slip.

Way to make a girl feel uncomfortable.

I hurried and signed Max's name on the receipt, left a tip, then handed the paper back to him. In the distance, I heard the water stop and smiled.

"You made my day, sexy." He gave me one more look over before handing me the plastic bags. I shut the door as soon as I could.
Ick.
He made me feel dirty.

I placed the food on the table and made my way up the stairs. I pulled some old cut off shorts and a tank top from my dresser and walked into the bathroom where Max was standing wearing nothing but a towel and a smile.

"Sorry," I said then shut the door quick. That image would be forever burned into my retinas. His towel hung so low I could see the top of his pubic hair. Trimmed nicely. He must have had just enough time to cover himself whenever I opened the door. I took a few steps back and my bedroom door opened.

"I'm finished. It's all yours," he said.

"Umm…thanks."

As he turned to shut the door, I spoke. "Oh, food is here."

"Awesome." He continued on his way.

I walked into the bathroom and the smell of his soap still lingered. It was fresh like the ocean breeze. I slipped off the cool, wet bathing suit and stepped into the hot shower. I washed every part of my body, even the sensitive areas that begged for attention, but I didn't linger. I much preferred the touch of a man than the touch of my hand. My hormones were going wild and I needed to stop. I knew that if this went on any further and my mother found out, she would say I was acting out, doing this on purpose to ruin her soon-to-be marriage. Recently, she made me feel like I was nothing more than her own personal terror. I couldn't help that I was a constant reminder of my father.

I stepped out of the shower and dried my body then towel dried my hair. After I was finished, I slipped on my clothes then picked my wet bathing suit from the floor and hung it over the sliding shower door. Before going downstairs, I ran my fingers through my hair and applied some lip-gloss. A nervous bubble grew inside my tummy, a feeling I hadn't felt in years.

I sucked in a deep breath and made my way to the dining room. One step at a time, I told myself that I needed to get my shit together. White boxes with bright red Chinese symbols on the outside were placed all over the table. Chicken, egg rolls, cheese wontons, lo mien, Max had ordered the whole menu.

He walked in with paper plates and plastic forks and spoons.

"I like variety," he said watching me stare at all the food.

"Obviously. And smart on the plates and plastic wear. I hate washing dishes."

In my old house, we didn't have a fancy dishwasher or even wireless Internet. Compared to where I was now, it was almost a rags to riches story, but those things didn't matter to me. It's funny how snooty everyone was on the West side of town and how they lived in their cookie cutter homes with their cookie cutter families, so prim, proper, and perfect. Living here was everything against who I was. I wasn't that mold and never would be, but I might as well enjoy the positives for the short time I would be there.

I pulled out a chair in front of Max and sat. I reached over and scooped some noodles and chicken on the plate. He handed me chopsticks with a smile and I grabbed the fork next to the wontons. Other than the crunching and chewing, we ate in silence. Sometimes conversations weren't needed. Sometimes the company of another person was just enough.

Max's phone rang and a picture of a pretty girl popped up on the screen. I glanced down at it then back at my food. Had he lied about having a girlfriend? Did it really matter? He answered the phone with a big smile on his face and leaned back in the chair. I could somewhat make out what she was saying.

"Tonight?" His eyes seemed to pierce straight through me.

He laughed. "I wouldn't miss that for the world."

A date, possibly? I tried to think of all the things I wouldn't miss for the world and I came up short of ideas. Maybe he didn't have a girlfriend but was seeing someone. The possibilities were stacking up in my thoughts.

"Can I bring someone?" His eyes had never left me. There was that nervous pit in my stomach again. The one that seemed to come and go like the waves on the beach.

"Thanks, babe. See you then." He sat his phone on the table then scooted his plate out of the way. Max interlocked his fingers then gave me a little side smirk. "Do you have plans tonight?"

The question was simple, but I felt like there was so much behind it. Could I possibly be the someone he wanted to take with him?

"I do actually." But I kind of wished I didn't.

"Can you cancel?"

What he was asking me was could I ditch my boyfriend of 4 years to rendezvous with him, my soon-to-be stepbrother. My heart shot spikes of excitement and guilt through my veins and that was when I decided to choose my conflict. I'd take the chance.

"What time?" I asked.

"Eight."

"It's a maybe. It all depends on how something goes."

"Fair enough."

Tonight at 6:00 p.m., when Richard came to pick me up, I'd decide then about our future. I couldn't be a cheater but as each day passed, I knew I didn't want to be with someone who loved alcohol more than me.

"Hopefully you'll join me. Guaranteed good time." Max stood and started cleaning the mess from the table then walked away.

I sat and asked myself what the fuck I was doing.

I really didn't know the answer to that question.