Shackled: A Stepbrother Romance Novel (7 page)

I
had
no idea what happened between waking up and breakfast, but something had definitely changed in Fiona during that time.

For the rest of the day, things between us were oddly normal. We weren’t nearly as friendly as we had been in the past, but I could sense her trying to get us back to that point. Her smiles came easier and she even cracked a few jokes, mostly ones at my expense. Not that I really minded.

The only problem was—it seemed like she was trying to get us back to
way
back when.

Back before she had feelings for me.

Back before I had them for her.

She was pointedly ignoring the elephant in the room while I was searching for the right moment to address it. It was making things… well, awkward would be a bit of an understatement. Despite it, the day wasn’t entirely unpleasant. It was nice to hear her laugh again, even if it was slightly stilted.

“You want to watch another movie?” I asked as the credits began to roll.

I stood up and moved to the entertainment center to switch the DVD to whatever she wanted to see, shaking my head to myself when I realized I couldn’t even recall what we had just watched. I had been too caught up with watching
her
.

She shook her head and leaned back into the couch, propping her feet up on the coffee table and giving me an excellent view of her bare legs. I tried hard not to look between them as her knees drifted slightly apart, but even with my good intentions, my eyes still caught a flash of red up her skirt and my dick twitched in my jeans at the sight.

It almost felt like she was teasing me on purpose, but something in my gut told me it was more than that. That she was playing at something. I just couldn’t for the life of me fathom what it could possibly be.

It was making me fucking
crazy.

“What I
want
is to take a shower, but…” She trailed off, lifting her wrist and letting the rest go unsaid.

Of course, my mind immediately pictured what it’d be like to lean against the sink and watch as she showered, much like I had watched her both this morning and last night when she changed her shirt. Just imaging her soapy hands gliding over her body was enough to get my dick on board with the idea, but I wasn’t willing to risk another slap in the face by telling her that.

“You smell pretty good to me,” I said casually as I remembered how good her hair had smelled this morning.

She giggled—legitimately fucking
giggled
—and that was a sound I couldn’t
ever
recall hearing from her. It was that womanly giggle that was typically reserved for teasing in the bedroom, and
damn it
if that sound wasn’t enough to get my motor running.

Even as the logical part of my brain warned me that there was
definitely
a game being played here that I wasn’t catching on to.

“It’s getting late,” she noted, tilting her head to the front window and the darkness outside. “Bedtime?”

“If you’re tired,” I agreed with a shrug, mentally going back through our day and frantically searching for any other red flags in her behavior.

She stood up and giggled
again
, alarm bells ringing loudly in my head as she slowly began backing towards the bedroom while gripping the chain between us and acting as if she was dragging me there.

As if she had to drag me anywhere. I’d follow her willingly. But I played along and dutifully unlocked her shackle when she presented it to me after we got to her bedroom.

The last thing I expected was for her to pull her top off while she was still within grabbing distance, then unhook her bra and push down her skirt right after. She was left standing before me in only a tiny pair of lacy red underwear, ones that would have made my mouth water if I could’ve managed to drag my eyes away from her tits.

“It’s hot in here,” she said with a shrug before lifting her wrist within my line of vision. “I’m just going to sleep like this tonight.”

“You sure you want to do that?” I asked even as I absentmindedly clasped the steel around her wrist and snapped it shut.

“Absolutely.”

I chanced a look into her eyes and what I saw there floored me. She
had
been playing at something, and I’d finally figured it out. Or at least I thought I did.

If I had been a smarter man, I probably wouldn’t have taken the bait. But the way she bit her bottom lip and widened her eyes was more than enough to weaken the last remaining shreds of self-control I had left. Before I even realized what I was doing, I dug my fingers into the soft flesh of her hips and pulled her body flush against mine.“If that’s what you want.”

“
You’re
what I want.”

Fucking hell.

I
could feel
the warning signs the moment our lips met again. Hell, if I was being honest with myself, I’d felt them long before I took my top off.

They’d started somewhere after breakfast, as his smiles had gotten bigger and more relieved and my own became devious and teasing. The way he’d looked at me at dinner was the most alarming part of the day—after my subtle teasing and fluttering eyelashes, I had caught him frowning at me, searching my face for signs of foul play.

Like he
knew
I was playing a game.

Like it
wasn’t
a game for him.

That was the most nerve-wracking part.

And now, as he kissed me like he was a man dying of thirst and I was the finest-tasting drink that had ever touched his lips, the warning signs became big freaking bells, ringing loudly and telling me that this was a terrible idea. There was no way this was going to end well. It was way too big of a risk to take with my heart.

Jonathan pulled away, breathing heavily while he pressed his forehead to mine. I wasn’t surprised to feel my own breath coming out in pants, my lips still tingling from the delicious pressure.

“I want you so much,” he murmured, dragging his lips softly down my cheek and jaw until he reached my neck. The resistance that was growing in me weakened when he began pressing light kisses all over my skin, pausing to nibble at all the spots that made my breath catch in my throat. “You’re so fucking beautiful. You know that, right?”

“Jonathan…” I whispered, something between a whimper and a sigh quickly following it. Despite the internal war that was going on in my head, I still craned my head back to give him better access.

The chain jingled noisily as he lightly ran the pads of his fingers down my sides, goosebumps breaking out on my flesh from the light touch. The kisses on my neck turned into sucking and biting as his fingers came back up to ghost around the undersides of my breasts.

Without thinking, I arched my back, trying to press myself into his palms. When he began to pull away, I reached up and curled my arms around his neck and desperately pleaded, “Please don’t stop.”

Jonathan chuckled and shook his head. “I’m not, baby. Hold up.”

He gently untangled my arms from around him and reached for the key, unhooking both of our cuffs before letting the metal fall to the floor with a loud clatter. We looked up at each other at the same time and I could see the wariness in his gaze.

“You won’t run away from me?”

“I won’t,” I promised, cursing the way my voice wavered.

He smiled then, the corners of his eyes crinkling for a moment before it faded away behind the desire. He circled his arms loosely around my waist and walked slowly forward, easing me back until my thighs hit the edge of the bed. Once there, he lifted me up and playfully tossed me on the bed, grinning when I laughed.

His eyes stayed locked with mine as he gripped my hips and pulled until my ass was on the edge of the bed, then slowly kneeled down until his face was hidden from my view. I propped myself up just in time to watch as he nuzzled my inner thigh, pressing a light kiss there before he sloppily licked at the damp center of my panties.

Oh my
fuck
.

I squealed with pleasure when he yanked them to the side and licked up my slit—all thoughts about why this was a bad idea leaving my head instantly. He sought out my clit with his tongue, swiping over it again and again until I couldn’t help but to clench my thighs around his head and drop back, calling out his name to the ceiling while he brought me to the edge and abruptly stopped.

“No, no, no,” I whimpered, reaching to twist my fingers in his hair and hold him in place. “Please don’t stop.”

The low chuckle against my core was like torture—pleasant in sensation but nowhere near enough to bring me back to the edge.

“You want me to make you come?” he asked, moving his hands to tug at the underwear on my hips. I lifted up enough for him to get them down, sighing when he trailed kisses all the way down my left leg, then up my right. “Tell me.”

I nearly rolled my eyes, wondering why on earth I’d thought he’d be anything other than commanding in the bedroom when I knew he was the same way out of it. I could feel myself blushing, but my need won out over my embarrassment.

“Yes, I want you to make me come. Please.”

“Tell me
how
.”

I growled in frustration and ground my teeth together when I heard him chuckle. He was working his way up my body, stopping at my chest to kiss everywhere except my tight nipples.

“You’re such a tease,” I whispered.

“
Me?
And what would you call what you’ve been doing to me all day?” he asked, amusement coloring his voice before he took a nipple between his lips and sucked.

“That—
ohhh
—that wasn’t teasing. I—It was
seduction
.”

“Sweetheart, you don’t need to seduce me. I’m already yours.”

My heart went wild, pounding hard against my chest and demanding clarification of exactly what he meant by that.

But then, he bit down on my nipple and used his hand to caress my other breast before rolling the stiff peak between the callused pads of his fingers. Both my thoughts and my body melted beneath his touch.

I reached out to touch him and let out a noise of discontent when I realized he was still fully dressed. I tugged at the neck of his shirt until he moved back, pulling it over his head with ease and settling back down on top of me. I ran my fingers over his broad shoulders and as far down his back as I could reach, moaning at the combined sensation of the muscles flexing beneath my touch and his mouth and hand still working me.

“Jonathan, I need you. Please.”

He pulled back to stare into my eyes, searching for confirmation that I really wanted this. I used the opportunity to reach between us, pulling at the waistband of his jeans and hoping he’d get the message.

Jonathan knelt between my legs and I sat up, working his zipper while he undid his belt and flung it carelessly to the side. When I finally managed to get his jeans open, I snaked my hand inside, dipping beneath the fabric of his boxers and firmly gripping his hard length.

God, it felt even bigger in my hand than it had looked the night before. I glanced up in time to watch as his head fell back, the muscles of his throat working as he swallowed hard while groaning deep in his chest. It was the sexiest thing I’d ever seen.

“
Enough
,” he grunted, reaching to pull my hand away so he could stand up and kick off what was left of his clothing.

I opened my legs as he crawled over me, staring down at his cock as it got closer and closer to my sex. It was certainly bigger than any of the few guys I’d slept with at college, and for a split second, I felt a pang of fear at the thought that it might cause me more pain than pleasure.

It must have shown on my face, because Jonathan cupped my chin and tilted my head back, bringing our lips together in a brief kiss.

“Hey. You okay?”

“Y-yeah. I just never… You’re really big.” The smile that appeared on his face was nothing short of pure male pride and I lightly slapped him on the arm as I said, “I’m
serious
. I’m no virgin, but you could hurt a girl with that thing.”

“Maybe without preparation,” he agreed with a cheeky grin as his hand moved between my legs and cupped my sex. A single finger pushed inside and I gasped in surprise, the sound turning into a long moan when he slowly began thrusting it in and out. “I’ll just make sure you’re good and ready first, yeah?”

After his cocky chuckle, a second finger joined the first, pumping in deep and twisting around until he curled them and rubbed right against my G-spot. My hips bucked against his hand and he moved his thumb to caress my clit while he continued to curl and uncurl his fingers inside me.

“I think you’re definitely wet enough to take me,” he mumbled against my neck. “But I can keep going if you want.”

“Don’t—
oh fuck
, don’t stop,” I panted, digging my fingernails into his shoulders and clinging on as he sped up the movement of his thumb. “I’m so close.”

He silenced my moaning with his lips, slipping his tongue into my mouth and kissing me with such hunger that I nearly slipped over the edge from that alone. My walls began fluttering around his fingers and he pulled back, looking down at me with wild eyes, pupils blown wide with lust.

“Come for me, baby,” he demanded, pressing his thumb down hard on my clit. “Let me feel it.”

The sudden pressure sent me soaring, my hips writhing and bucking while Jonathan attempted to pin me down with his body weight to keep me still. I just barely registered the sound of his groaning against my neck as I came, my entire body shuddering from the force of my climax.

His fingers stilled when my body went slack, but he left them inside me until I let out a contented sigh. I shivered when he slowly pulled them out and raised his head to look at me.

“Do you need a minute?”

The tenderness in his gaze as he asked nearly made me burst into tears, so I hid it by wrapping my arms around his neck and burying my face against his shoulder.

“No,” I whispered, turning my head to press my lips to his skin. “I just need you.”

I need to forget about you. I need to let you go. I need to go back in time and never come up with this stupid idea.

“I need you, too, angel.”

I closed my eyes tightly and held on to his shoulders even as he adjusted his body to line up his cock with my entrance. I wrapped my legs around his hips as he slowly began to push forward, the size of him making me cry out in pleasure.

Jonathan went slow, using shallow thrusts to pull out and push back in little by little. I was more than wet enough to take him in one thrust, but he seemed content with letting me slowly adjust to his size. When he finally bottomed out, he propped himself up on his forearms and let out a shudder.

“You’re tight,” he groaned, leaning forward to rest his forehead against my neck. “
So fucking tight
. You good?”

I nodded against him, my emotions still too raw to speak. He hesitated for a moment before wrapping his thick arms around my upper back, holding me close to him as he began to thrust.

Somehow, the closeness of the way he held me was even worse than if I had just pulled back and met his gaze. My eyes rolled back from the sensation of his huge cock moving inside of me and I let out a whimper when I heard his strangled groan of pleasure.

Distance. Need distance. This is too much.

I pushed at his shoulders and tried to pull my head away, but he moved a rough hand to the back of my neck and held me close to him. He did allow my head to fall back just enough to kiss me, and I could feel the tears finally rolling down my cheeks as realization struck me like lightning.

I still love him. I’m never
not
going to love him, no matter how hard I try.

His hand cupped my cheek and he froze when he felt the dampness there, pulling away and letting my back touch the mattress as he pushed himself up on his arms. He seemed uncertain of what to say, but when he saw my tears, he tried to pull out.

“
No
,” I begged as I locked my legs around his waist, the movement making my walls tighten around him and drawing deep moans from both of us. “Please don’t stop.”

“Why are you crying?”

“I’m not
crying
. It just—It feels so
good
. I’m fine. Please keep going.”

He studied my face carefully and I bit down hard on my tongue while I waited. He seemed to find whatever it was he was looking for, because he simply leaned forward to kiss my cheeks as he resumed fucking me.

No. No… this wasn’t fucking. I
wanted
to be fucked. But apparently Jonathan wanted to make—

No.
Not that. Anything but that.

I shoved at his shoulders and whispered, “Roll over. I want to be on top.”

He smiled and obliged me, holding on to my hips as he maneuvered us further up the bed, then rolled onto his back, taking me with him without letting himself slide out. I shifted around until I had a good position and started to ride him passionately, not allowing him the opportunity to slow my movements down.

“Oh, fuck
yesss
,” he groaned, reaching up to palm my breasts as I bounced up and down. “If you wanted it faster, you could’ve just told me.”

I didn’t bother to reply, I just leaned forward and used his chest for leverage as I increased my speed. I could feel another orgasm rapidly approaching, and while part of me wanted nothing more than to close my eyes and chase my own pleasure, I couldn’t help but use the moment to get a good look at his body.

I straightened back up and trailed my hands down to his abs, marveling at the hard muscles as they twitched against my palms. Jonathan groaned loudly, his head tipping back again and giving me an excellent view of his throat working while he alternated between swallowing and grunting.

Before I got a chance to tire out, Jonathan gripped my hips tightly and pulled me up, propping his feet on the mattress and thrusting upwards, pounding into me so hard that it sent me falling forward, my breasts pressing against his chest.

“You like that? You like being fucked?”

“
God, yes!
Harder!”

He let out a sound that was nothing short of animalistic before gripping me and rolling us back over, the sudden change in position startling me. Before I could protest, he was sitting up on his knees and pounding roughly into me.

After five thrusts in the new position, the pressure against my G-spot sent me over the edge and I came with a scream of his name, twisting the bedsheets between my fingers as I experienced the most intense orgasm of my life. Jonathan’s hips faltered and he let out a strangled moan, pulling out at the last second and spilling his seed onto my stomach. The way he reverently whispered my name as he came made another pang of regret rise in my chest.

This was the worst idea I’ve ever had. Even worse than when I decided to tell him I loved him in the first place.