Gripped: A Stepbrother Romance (Bonus Story: Stepbrother Forbidden) (6 page)

Reid was everywhere. In me, pressed against me, his hands all over me. I sped toward that crest, my body manipulated by his hands. His fingers circled me, working me up to that point. Then a deep thrust inside me sent me past the crest over the edge.

“Reid…oh god…Reid…” I cried out as I fell, arching my back. I shook. my legs barely incapable of holding up the rest of my body. Reid groaned as my inner walls tightened around his length but he kept on pushing into me.

“That was beautiful.” He bent over me and pressed a kiss to my shoulder blade. His warm breath caressed my skin as he growled into my ear. “You’re so beautiful when you’re coming on my cock.”

He raised up and resumed fucking me, starting my next free fall all over again. Planting both hands on my hips again, he pounded into me mercilessly. My next climax raced toward me quicker than the first. As he swelled inside me, so did the warmth between my legs grew. Then I was swept away in the fierce, dizzying sensations, crying Reid’s name while Reid groaned mine.

I felt like I would ride that sweet wave forever, and each twitch of Reid’s cock inside me as he came prolonged that feeling. Gradually, the effects of my orgasm became duller and I sagged against the dresser when Reid pulled from me.

I turned and watched him remove the condom and toss it in the small waste basket. My pussy still tingled from our activities but my brain was coming out of the lust haze that had gripped us both a moment ago. The realization came like a thick, dark cloud ruining a once sunshiny day.

Reid and I just had sex.

I met Reid’s gaze. His face was stony and unreadable. What was he thinking? Did he regret what we’d done? Did I?

I searched for something to say to break the heavy, uncomfortable silence. The only words that came to me was: I just had sex with my stepbrother.

The sound of Dad’s car pulling into the driveway broke me out of my horrified spell. I needed to leave. I couldn’t be here anymore. Things had gone from complicated to Major Fuck Up territory.

“I-I have to go,” I said, fixing my skirt and folding one half of my ruined shirt over the other. Not bothering to wait for his response, I ran away.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Mackenzie

Today was supposed to be my wedding day.

This idle thought wandered across my mind as I gazed out the hospital room’s window. Instead of the usual overcast grey, the sky was a pale blue. Though the sun’s heat wasn’t strong, its brightness warmed everywhere with colour.

Today, I was supposed to be a wife, but instead I was still single. Relief had never felt so sweet, even if it was at the expense of my father’s disappointment and the effort of cancelling reservations and invitations. In the end, Dad came around. He realized that my marriage to Tom was too hasty. Marrying someone just to make sure a dying relative was around long enough to witness the act was not an ideal start to a marriage. You had to love the person. Or at least like them. Neither of which I did for Tom.

But I suppose I couldn’t because someone else reserved my feelings.

Reid’s face loomed bright in my mind. His dark hair, his deep blue eyes, his strong nose and firm lips. I thought about his smooth voice, his toe-curling smell, his hot hands all over me. I closed my eyes and returned to that one moment in time several days ago when I had him and he had me.

Then the guilt came. It always did.
He’s your stepbrother
, it said.
What you did was wrong
. But why didn’t it feel that way?

“Careful you light your head on fire.”

I turned my head in the direction of the hoarse voice. Vera watched me from where she lay on the bed, her pale lips curved up into a tired smile.

I launched to my feet and was at her side in seconds. “Hey you. You’re awake.”

“You look like a loved one just died.”

I frowned. “That’s not funny. Don’t joke about that.”

She tried to laugh but it came out as a gasping cough. Just beneath her eyes were a little sunken and purple, and her skin had a grayish, unhealthy colour. I rubbed her arm, worried and upset that there was nothing more I could do to help her feel better. When she recovered from the coughing, she moved her hand over to pat mine.

“I can joke about it because it’s happening to me, Mackenzie.” She took a deep breath. She had to whenever she spoke. “Joking about dying helps me cope.” She glanced at my left hand. “You’re not wearing the ring. Did you break off the engagement?”

“Yeah. He turned out to be an ass.”

“Thank God.” She exhaled in relief. “All lawyers are asses. Your father included. He never should have pushed you to marry that boy.”

“I can’t wait to tell Dad what his wife truly thinks about him.” I chuckled.

“Well, he can’t do anything worse to me than what cancer has already done.” She took a deep breath then fixed her gaze on me. “What were you so sad about earlier? Tom? Or me six feet under?”

I shook my head. “Neither of those things because I don’t want to think about them.” I cleared my throat as I avoided her gaze. “I’m not sad. I’m fine.” I gave her a quick smile. “I’m happy you’re lucid and capable of talking with me.”

“You were thinking about Reid, weren’t you?”

My heart sped up. “What? I—no—I wasn’t—”

Pressing a button to raise her bed, she peered at me.

“You’re a horrible liar. It’s how I always knew you were out seeing a boy you shouldn’t. You were thinking about Reid. I remember that look on your face from when you were a teenager.” She paused with a smile. “Lovesick.”

My stomach tightened with dread. Vera had known how I felt about Reid all along? She’d never said anything. Never even hinted at how disgusted she was by the prospect. Even now she didn’t look disturbed. She seemed amused.

“I’m not lovesick,” I said, hoping my firm tones sounded convincing.

“Darling, you’ve been in love with my son for years.” She shook her head. The chemotherapy had robbed her of her beautiful dark hair. “I understand why you deny it, but you know what? Life’s no fun without a little bit of the forbidden. Harry was my boss when we met, you know.”

I didn’t know that. The most they’d ever told me was that they ‘worked together’. Nevertheless, that wasn’t the important thing to dwell on. What shocked me was Vera’s unspoken encouragement that I be with Reid. I didn’t know how to respond to that. I didn’t even know how I felt about that. Excited? Suspicious? Maybe it was the heavy dose of medication talking? Then again, she seemed pretty clearheaded to me.

“I love you,” I said quietly. I wanted to say more than that. I wanted to tell her how grateful I was to have her as a part of my life when my real mother had abandoned me. I wanted to ask her if she meant what she said. Did I really have her blessing to be with Reid? But I didn’t have the courage to say those things now. Another time when I visited, perhaps.

“I love you too, Mackenzie.” She squeezed my hand gently. “I’m happy I had you as a daughter for a little bit.”

I smiled and blinked quickly to dissuade the tears prickling at my eyes. I was ready to tell her that fourteen years wasn’t a little bit when the door opened, drawing my attention.

Reid stood in the opened doorway. His gaze fell on me, his features surprised and a bit hesitant. We’d not seen each other since that day in the guest room, so the sight of him now made me hyper aware of his presence. Worse yet, Vera’s words were still on my mind, awarding me an extraordinary amount of hope I shouldn’t have.

I scrambled to my feet from Vera’s bed and planted a quick kiss on her cheek.

“I’ll leave you two alone,” I mumbled as I grabbed up my bag and hurried out the door.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Reid

I didn’t spend long with my mother. We had a chat interspersed with some jokes, and she reminisced on the past—mainly where it involved my dad.

I didn’t know why she brought up that sonofabitch. Last I’d heard, he was rotting away in prison on assault charges. My mother and I had had an unspoken agreement to talk as little about him and the horror he’d put us through for years. Yet for some reason, all she talked about during most of my visit were the times when he was less of a dick to her.

She said she forgave him and that I should too, but I couldn’t make her that promise. I didn’t have quite as big a heart as she did yet. If I ever would.

“You should take better care of Mackenzie,” she said as I bent to kiss her on the cheek.

I straightened and watched her, hoping she couldn’t see my guilt. I’d taken care of Mackenzie, alright. A bit more than was acceptable as a matter of fact. Even less acceptable: if I ever had the chance to go back in time and do the right thing, I wouldn’t. I’d savour Mac’s body all over again.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I frowned. “Did Mac tell you I was mistreating her?”

“No, she didn’t say anything.” She coughed, the sound jarring and tightening my heart with worry. I rubbed her shoulder, feeling useless. When the coughing subsided, she patted my hand and gave me a tired smile. “I know you, darling. You’re too stubborn.”

“Maybe I got that from you.”

“That’s true, but at least I’m not blind.”

“Mom, I’m great at putting together clues, but I suck at riddles. Spit it out.”

She shook her head, a secretive smile on her lips.

“Someday you’ll come around and see.”

“Alright, mom. Maybe you’ll tell me what you’re talking about tomorrow when I see you again.” I bent and gave her another kiss on the cheek then left.

I made my way to the cafeteria. I was hungry and in desperate need of coffee even though the fare offered at the hospital wasn’t the greatest. A few spots near the head of the line for coffee stood Mac. I would have thought she’d be long gone from the hospital judging from the speed in which she’d left my mother’s room once I arrived.

I hadn’t seen her since our…incident. And in the following days, I missed her. If a mind was a person, it would be a real asshole. Despite how many times I tried to forget about what had happened, my mind wouldn’t let me. Instead it served up all the images of Mac’s beautiful face, her sweet voice, her gorgeous body beneath my hands, the sexy sounds she made, the amazing sensations of her coming hard on my cock. Worst of all, it promised significant unrest if I didn’t have Mac again.

It was probably a bad idea, but I had to be near her. So I approached her.

“Mind if I cut the line?”

She jerked her head in my direction, giving me a nervous smile.

“I don’t. But I bet all the other people behind me might want to kick your ass if you do it.”

I shrugged. “Fuck them.”

Her face turned a soft pink. Perhaps my choice of words was not ideal. Then again, the thought that she was thinking about what we did turned me on.

Quit it. Get it together, man.

At our turn, I ordered us both our coffees. Outside, we sat on a bench beneath a tree, sipping on our drinks. Blunt question time: how did you talk to a woman you fucked, a woman you kinda probably definitely had serious feelings for? I was way out of my depth. Most of my relationships with women often ended the morning after the semi-drunk fucking. But this was different on so many levels. Thankfully, Mac decided to break the quiet.

“How did you know I wanted the hazelnut creamer?” she asked, watching me over the lip of her cup as she took a sip.

“You’ve always had a thing for hazelnut.” I smiled, relieved the conversation focused on a lighter topic. I didn’t think I could handle any serious talks about what we’d done and the repercussions involved. “You even called yourself the Hazelnut Slut a few times.”

She laughed. “Wow, I can’t believe you remember that. I wonder what else you remember about me.”

“I’ve been gone for a while, but that doesn’t mean I’ve forgotten the good times we shared.” I smirked at her. “Like the time you hit me in the back of the head with a rock. Intentionally, I might add.”

She laughed again, the sound soft and pleasant. I loved the way she’d sort of cover her mouth when she laughed, like she was conscious of being noisy. The urge to pull her up against me and kiss her was so strong, I had to squeeze my coffee cup a little firmer than was advisable.

“It was not intentional. I flung it wide but somehow you got hit! We were arguing about…something. I can’t remember. But most likely you were being an irritating ass.”

“So, of course, you hit me with a stone to the head to cure my irritating ways,” I supplied. Then I motioned at the back of my head. “I still have a tiny bald patch, you know. Now I can never get a proper buzz cut because of you.”

“Let me see.”

She set her coffee down on the bench and scooted closer. She smelled like something sweet and fruity. Strawberries. Maybe peaches. My cock hardened at her close warmth and delicious smell. When I showed her where the bald patch resided, she sifted her fingers through my hair. I shivered and closed my eyes for a second, scraping at the absolute bottom of the well of my willpower to resist touching her too.

“There?” She probed the spot, her eyes light brown in the clear day as she gazed up at me.

“Yeah, there,” I said softly.

She wanted to kiss me. I could see it in the way her gaze dipped to my mouth, her face colouring, her breathing a little faster. I waited for her to do it, willing her closer. My silent pleas paid off. She leaned forward, her lips brushing mine by just a hair, then a little more firmly, her soft lips pressing against my mouth. I set my coffee down and reached for her. But then the tinny sound of her cellular phone rang out, bringing us back to reality.