Beautiful Brute: A Stepbrother College Romance (Court University Book 3)

by Eden O'Neill

I twisted my braid. “Might be good. And way healthier than just me screaming by myself.”

  “For sure.” Another deep laugh as he tugged out his phone. “Can I get your number or…”

  “Yeah.” He ended up giving me his and I called him. He got it, smiling before ending the call.

  “Cleo Erikson-Fairchild,” he said as he typed, flashing his dimples. He pocketed his phone. “I’ll see you around then. And again, maybe keep the screams in your ride next time.”

  Another grin before he was jogging away and leaving me, smiling like a complete loon. Immediately, I took out my phone, texting Kit. She tended to not arrive until later in the day, but she’d definitely want to hear about this.

  Me: Girl, you will not believe what just happened! My childhood crush just like asked me out. It was so random.

  I hadn’t told her anything about Jaxen or anything else since I expected to see her today. Needless to say, I had a lot to dish, and I expected a text right back after what I sent. She was always up in my social life since I barely had one.

  Silence on her end and since I was almost to our dorm, I figured I better finish the drive. I’d see her today anyway.

  I was still reeling from everything by the time I got to Tempest Hall. Kit and I had lived here since freshman year, but it was a great setup and I found I liked the efficiency of a coed dorm more than living on my own in an apartment. Shared living was better for the environment, and it also saved my parents money. They didn’t mind the cost, of course, but I never liked to overspend with them if I could help it. It was just being considerate, considering the money was theirs and not technically mine.

  Kit stayed with me over the years because it was cheaper for her too and, of course, because she was my bestie. We only had one more year and we wanted to enjoy it together before our lives started. We may have lived close to one another, but who knew where life would take us once we got separate jobs. We were just going to relish what we had now. Seize the day.

  Still no text from her as I made my way upstairs. I only tugged one of my bags, figuring I’d get the rest on several trips. Honestly, I just wanted to lie on my bed for a second and come down from my freaking out. I hadn’t heard from Jaxen either after my sole text to him and figured I’d have to block him actually. I fully expected a freak-out of explicit text messages on my phone.

  “Hello? Kit?” I dropped my keys on the end table we had by the door once inside. This was a shared living space for three so we’d have a new roommate coming in too. We had a new one every year and things always turned out pretty well with whoever they ended up being.

  No sounds in the place, but I noticed Kit’s pink duffel by the door. I left my rolling bag there too, then wandered through the common area down to the bedrooms. Kit usually took one of the ones down there and I took the third connected to the kitchen. “Kit?”

  Muffled sounds from down the hall, and I figured she just hadn’t heard me. I started to knock on the door, but it was partially open, so I pushed.

  “Kit…”

  Grunts and moans… pants, as my best friend slammed her hand against a headboard. Naked from the waist down, she had a guy behind her, the dude drilling her pussy to the point the bed beneath them skidded across the floor. He fucked her so wildly neither heard my gasp.

  I backed up. “Oh my gosh. I’m so sorry! I’m mean…” I handled the door, completely flustered. “Jesus, close the door or something.”

  Face flushed and giggling like a little girl, I attempted to back up but all I did was hit the door so loud the two jumped off each other. Immediately, Kit grabbed a blanket to cover herself, a wash of her blond curls all over the place, but this guy didn’t move. He stared at me.

  What. The. Fuckkkk.

  Beautiful green eyes danced at me, Jax pulling a wave of his feathering hair out of his eyes. He too was naked from the waist down and didn’t even bother to hide his junk. He sat there in the open air.

  He even widened his legs.

  A dick, erect and perfect, glistened between his huge thighs, a wide grin on his face “Hey, stepsis. Crazy, I got here before you. What took you so long?”

  Jaw dropped… to the friggin’ floor.

  “Stepsis?” Kit scrambled, her bright blue eyes going from Jaxen to me. “Cleo?”

  I couldn’t speak. I couldn’t breathe. I swallowed. “Why is he here?”

  Kit’s attention shifted to Jaxen before back to me. A slow dread. “Cleo—”

  “Why the hell is he here, Kit? Here in this dorm with you like…” I waved a hand at all the nakedness, sheer panic in my veins.

  Kit launched herself from the bed at me, but by then, I backed out of the door.

  She grabbed my arm in the hall, the sheets pressed to her chest. She attempted to burrito herself in, but since she had my arm, I saw all her lower bits. She tugged me. “Cleo, what’s going on? Why did Jaxen call you his…”

  “Stepsister?” I wriggled away from her hand. “Because he is, Kit, and why is he here? With you like this?”

  She frowned. “He’s not your stepbrother, Cleo. He’s…” She turned around, and at this point, Jax sat on the bed. Her bed. He still hadn’t covered up, simply sitting there.

  And looking cocky as hell.

  That cool smirk was reserved for nothing but me, his beefy arms leaning back on the bed as he flashed his abs and dick at me. “Didn’t you hear, stepsis?” he asked, head tilted. “I’m your third roommate.”

  Third roommate…

  But then it all made sense, him. Him here with her. He’d done it on purpose.

  He’d done this on purpose.

  My lips trembled apart. “What are you talking about?”

  Jaxen said nothing, but Kit did, waving her arms in front of me and cutting me off from the devil himself. He stared on from behind her, nothing but a coy smile on his lips.

  “Cleo… He’s your stepbrother?” Kit swallowed, that dread in her eyes up ten knots. “What? He said he was our roommate.”

  Of course, he did. He just walked in here, a life ruiner. He was here to ruin my life.

  I ran, all I could do. I went to the first place I could think of.

  My bedroom had a locked door.

  I screamed, but this time it wasn’t in the open air. It was in a pillow, and I did that while my best friend pounded on the door. I ripped my vocal cords raw.

  Even then, it hadn’t been enough.

  Chapter Nine

  Jax

  Girl Scout had locked herself in her room, completely dramatic.

  Smirking, I texted my moms to let them know I made it to campus, as well as the guys since they all cared about that shit. I got a “cool” from my friends and a “call me later” from Mama on my group text with my moms. She liked to hear my voice so I hadn’t been surprised about that.

  Mom: Everything went okay?

  Mama Bear: I can’t believe you’re so far away. *sad emoji*

  The woman who adopted me, Mama, came from a house full of children but couldn’t have her own. I supposed I’d been a blessing for her when she came into my biological mom’s and my life. Even though Mama and I didn’t share biology, that didn’t matter. That was my mom just as much as my own biological mother.

  They were my everything.

  I hated being this far away too, but it was necessary.

  I let them rest easy knowing I was good, but left out a few of the more… colorful details about how I’d arrived on campus. I’d been on the side of the road for about five minutes before a Jeep full of brunettes had come into my view. They’d been on the other side of the guardrail, just wrapping up after some surfing on the beach.

  Needless to say they’d been more than accommodating to help me out with my plight. I told them the gist of my situation, that I needed a ride.

  I’d even gotten a few digits in the process.

  Mom: Glad to know you’re okay. You let us know if you need anything.

  Mama Bear: Like a plane ride back home *grin emoji* />
  I rolled my eyes. Odds were both my parents were in another country now. They constantly traveled for work with their jobs, cooked for people all over the goddamn world. When they weren’t doing that, they were managing the half a dozen or so restaurants they owned and operated together.

  I personally couldn’t cook much for shit compared to them, and was actually going for my business degree just to help them out with that side. They’d laughed when I told them, never thinking I could take shit serious.

  If only they knew.

  I was taking shit as serious as a heart attack down here, the victory of that in my ear for the last hour or so. I’d heard it from Kit for screwing her and not telling her I was Cleo’s stepbrother. Honestly, when I walked in here and saw a leggy, blue-eyed goddess, I’d had nothing but revenge on the brain. I just got done basically hitchhiking, so screwing Cleo’s roommate and rubbing it in her face later seemed like a hell of a good plan. Now, had I’d known Kit and the Girl Scout were actually friends and not just a roommate placement, I would have recorded that shit. If anything, just so I could play it back and drive the dagger deeper. My stepsister was making this shit too easy here.

  She’d shown that with her temper tantrum.

  Kit honestly hadn’t known who I was, not that the Girl Scout would let her get a word in edgewise. I’d heard it all outside my door, Kit pleading, Cleo ignoring. After Kit had given up, that’s when she came for me, but it wasn’t my fault she had her hands all over me after I arrived. I’d barely introduced myself before we were in her room, and though I had opened that door for us to hook up, the choice had all been hers in the end. She wanted a screw, and I gave it to her.

  So that had been my first hour at Bay Cove, eventful to say the least.

  Me: I’m not coming home, Mama. At least, not now.

  I wanted to, God did I, but it wasn’t happening. I had an opportunity here. A way to kill old wounds, and I was fucking taking it. Neither of my moms knew why I’d actually come here and they wouldn’t.

  I’d carry that shit to my grave.

  Me being here was as much for them as it was for me. Especially for Mom. I’d always been the one to protect her. I owed her that for doing that for me my entire goddamn life.

  Mom: Of course he’s not and stop trying to make him, honey. Jax, I’m so happy that you’re trying to do this. I know this is hard for you.

  My hand squeezed my phone, the one part in all this difficult for me. I had to turn on a lot of shit inside myself, do a lot of shit, but lying to the woman who gave birth to me I’d never wanted to be a part of the equation.

  Mama Bear: I’m sorry, baby. I support you. You know I’m soft. *wink emoji*

  I put away the feelings inside, at least tried to.

  Fuck.

  Mama Bear: Anyway, we both love and miss you already.

  Me: I miss you both too. Don’t worry about me.

  The only person who needed to worry was my stepsister, and tossing my phone, I started unpacking my stuff. I didn’t have a whole lot so it didn’t take me long. I got my computer and stuff set up when my phone buzzed again.

  Rick Fairchild: Hey, bud. You make it in?

  Even his name grated me, but I forced myself to interact with bio dad.

  Me: I did and thanks for that phone call you made. About the dorm?

  Turned out my sperm donor was good for something besides abandoning his son. He’d managed to make the very call that got me into the dormitory to live with his daughter in the first place.

  He just hadn’t known.

  Honest to fuck, I’d never wanted to live in a dormitory. Even on a nice ass campus like this. I was a senior and over that shit, liked my privacy.

  But then dear old dad mentioned that his daughter was staying at Tempest Hall, and well, I figured why the fuck not? He made the call to get me into Tempest last minute, and I’d done the rest. The space was coed so that made a specific placement even easier. I got right into her space, literally down the hall from her.

  Rick Fairchild: Oh, good. So you’re settled in okay?

  Me: Yep.

  Rick Fairchild: All unpacked.

  Me: Yep.

  Just because I had to be nice to the guy didn’t mean I had to carry on conversation with the motherfucker, but he still attempted. His text message bubble came and dropped quite a few times. Like he was thinking, trying to find the right words to say.

  He never would.

  He couldn’t possibly, which was the reason I was even down here in the first place. I’d speak the words for the both of us. He knew what I’d have to say by the time I was done.

  And it’d be oh so sweet when he got the message.

  Rick Fairchild: Good. Good. Well, I’m happy and very happy you’re down here.

  Nothing on my end.

  Rick Fairchild: Any chance you’ve spoken to Cleo? I mean, since she dropped you off? She’s not responding to texts from her mom and me, and we just wondered if she got in okay too.

  Oh, that’s right. He didn’t know I wiggled my way into her dorm suite. He’d just made the call to get me into the building.

  Me: Nope, but she sounded fine.

  If screaming down the hallway was fine. I heard enough outside my door. Eventually, Kit did get out of my face, then headed back to Cleo. It was more pleading, more back and forth. It ultimately all resulted in Kit giving up and leaving the dorm entirely. Who knew where she went after that. Maybe to give Cleo space.

  Hell, if I fucking cared.

  Rick Fairchild: Good. That’s great.

  More text message bubbles and I had a moment of, Don’t you fucking dare. If this fuck of an absent father said anything else besides “good day and have a great year” I was going to throw my phone through the goddamn wall.

  Rick Fairchild: Well, I got to let you go. Work, you know, but I’ll check in.

  Me: Thanks.

  That issue in my life sorted, I tossed my phone on the bed, then changed my T-shirt and jeans. I’d walked for a few minutes out in that hot sun before getting picked up by the girls, and after getting my dick wet with Kit, I wanted to freshen up.

  The dorm was still quiet when I finally left my room around dinner time. A big rolling bag was at the door and with Cleo’s door still closed down the hall, I figured she was still holed up in there.

  You have to come out of the bedroom sometime, Girl Scout.

  Rather than wait for her, I decided to get some food. They had a food court downstairs, so I left quietly to get fries and chicken wings before coming back. Stepsis’s door was still closed and Kit’s was too, at that point, so she’d come back.

  I retired to my room for the rest of the night to get my campus email and stuff set up. I was going through my class schedule when I heard the squeak of a door on the other side of mine, muted steps right after.

  I dashed off the bed in half a second, easing the door open to catch darling stepsis grabbing her stuff. The lights were off in the dorm, but that ass was unmistakable.

  Such a goddamn waste.

  She really was hot as hell, full ass and ultra tight… goddamn. Again, it was dark but her slender curves couldn’t be confused with Kit’s. Cleo’s friend was a lot shorter than her.

  I eased against my door frame, careful not to move or make a single noise. A tug and Cleo was rolling her bag down the hall. She had at least two more in the car so I knew that wasn’t all of it. She disappeared inside her room, and I started to push off the wall until she came right back out.

  A towel wrapped around her trim body, her dark hair cloaked her face. The girl had nothing but that and her shower caddy before escaping the dorm and quietly shutting the door behind her. Perhaps, stepsis believed she was safe to shower since it was so late.

  She was never safe from me.

  I grabbed my own towel, then stalked her all the way to the showers.

  And how delightful to find them just as coed as the dorms.

  Not much movement inside when I stalked my way in.
It was after goddamn 3 a.m., so I easily spotted my stepsis as she made her way to the communal showers. There were private, individual stalls, but it being so late, maybe the Girl Scout wanted to stretch out.

  My johnson steel in my shorts, I gripped my length through the material, watching as Cleo dropped the towel, then proceeded to turn on the water.

  Heavy current fell down her naked back, hitting her glorious peach just right. Her cheeks flushed, I wanted to fill my hands with them. Cleo tugged her hair free and when she did, a sheet of dark silk teased her asscheeks.

  I jerked my shirt off.

  “Hello?” She turned right away, then gasped when she saw me. Immediately, she aimed her naked body for the wall.

  I blocked her only exit.

  “Jax… What the fuck?” She flailed like a fucking fish, flattening herself against the wall in an attempt to shield herself, but there was no shielding. She’s fully exposed from her pink nipples to her unshaven snatch, completely natural, which was how I preferred it anyway. She looked like a woman down there, and I was all about that.

  A chuckle rolled from me as I tossed my shirt. “Why are you freaking? It’s not like I haven’t seen it.”

  “I don’t care if you’ve seen it.” She attempted to whisper-shout, but it was all screeches and eeks. She had a loofah in front of her pussy at this point, which was hilarious. It covered absolutely nothing and her arm over her tits, basically less. There was no hiding those. Her right spilled through her fingers with the weight.

  I wet my mouth.

  “Stop that,” she growled, obviously noticing. She worked her shoulder in the direction of the exit. “Get out.”

  “No.” A wink before I kicked off my shoes. They joined the shirt and I went for my belt. “If you wanted privacy, you shouldn’t have gotten into a communal shower, stepsister.”

  A groan as she watched me, but an immediate intake of breath when I shoved both my shorts and boxers down.

  I hung real heavy, clearly after seeing her naked.

  Dampening my mouth again, I pretended not to notice her jaw hanging slack in my direction. I turned on a shower head.

  “Besides, I need a shower too,” I said, reaching down and grabbing her bodywash out of her caddy. I rose, lathering up really good in the jets. “I’m sure you already know this, but my stepsister left me on the side of the road today. I’m fine by the way. Thanks for asking.”