by Eden O'Neill
I’d never seen my stepbrother so maddened, like he literally looked liked Bruce Banner before he changes into the Hulk. He grabbed a handful of his hair before swinging his gaze over to his boys’ direction. He launched a finger at December. “Royal, come get your girl.”
And come he did, but I noticed he didn’t pull her away. He stood between them, stood between us. He encircled an arm around December’s waist, fingers clasping her waist. “Jax…”
“I don’t fucking believe this.” Jax actually chuckled, but there was no humor there. “You’re joking, right?”
“I’m going to ask you nicely not to do this. Not to make me make a choice between…” Royal shook his head. “Just don’t put me in that kind of predicament. With you and Em? It’s not right, and you know it’s not.”
“What about the predicament you’re putting me in, bro?” he asked, getting up in his face. “You don’t know what you’re doing.”
“Well, do you?” Royal questioned, sighing. “Because in all honesty, Jax, I think we’re all kind of confused what you’re trying to do here.”
The other guys said nothing, their girls standing beside them, but there was an understanding there from Jax’s friends. Knight and LJ both stared at Jax, nodding slightly, which only made Jax’s jaw clench more.
“I don’t have to explain anything to you guys,” he said.
“You’re right. You don’t.” Royal slid hands into his pockets. “But today was supposed to be an easy day. Just let it be. We can all go sailing. Hang out?” Royal folded fingers behind Jax’s neck. “Just be easy.”
I had no idea who this guy was to think he could talk to Jax in the way he did. He couldn’t possibly have seen the man I’d endured, the bastard. The brute. My stepbrother had made my life nothing but hell.
Jax’s attention flickered in my direction, and the craziest thing happened when Royal let go of him.
He backed off.
Like literally backed away, bouncing his basketball. He caught it, shaking his head.
“Whatever,” he said, then looked at Royal. “Just keep her the fuck out of my way.”
My lips parted as he bounced that ball again, another sigh on Royal’s lips as he watched his friend walk away. Royal jerked his head in the direction of Knight and LJ and like soldiers, they took their girls and headed off after Jax. Royal did too, but not before passing a look at December.
She said nothing, frowning, and though he did too, eventually he let all that exchange be.
“I’ll meet you in the room to change,” he said. “Don’t take too long. I don’t need to hear any more from him.”
December nodded, hugging her arms, and even though the majority of the party left, that didn’t put me any more at ease. December bent down for her bag, but before she could go, I sprinted over.
“I don’t think I should go,” I urged. “Besides, I already got stuff planned anyway.”
Not a lie. I was supposed to be hanging out with my mom and Kit this weekend. Not to mention, me and water didn’t necessarily get along. It just wasn’t my favorite thing at all.
Jaxen being there only made it worse.
I believed his friends would genuinely keep him in check, but what would happen after this was all over? Just the thought of it made me sick, and even if I had a good reason to put myself into the ring of fire, I’d be hard-pressed to say this was it. My stepbrother was a psycho, mad. He absolutely hated my guts.
And the feeling definitely wasn’t far off from mine.
He wasn’t my favorite person, and being stuck on a boat with him? I wouldn’t put my enemies through that if I had any.
December ripped that dark hair of hers down, and picking up her bag, she threw it on her shoulder. “If you do already have plans, that’s fine, and you really don’t have to go. In fact, I get it if you don’t want to, but I think you should. It’ll be good for him.”
“How so?”
“I’m not sure actually,” she said, peering off in that direction. “I just know Jaxen Ambrose is one of my closest friends. He’s a good guy, but he hasn’t been so great since we’ve come down here. You obviously scare him.”
“I scare him?” I shook my head. “I think you’re wrong about that.”
“I don’t.” She smiled at me. “And you should come. It’ll be a good time, and Jax will get over that you’re there.”
Again, I think she was wrong about that. I huffed. “He hates me.”
“That’s the thing, I don’t think he does,” she said, surprising the hell out of me. She smiled again. “I just think he thinks he does.”
Chapter Fifteen
Cleo
“Have you lost your mind?” Kit blasted into the phone. Apparently, she was up and going because now she yelled at me. “Cleo… you hate water, and now, you’re stuck in the middle of the ocean with your stepbrother and his hotter than shit friends?”
Okay, she was being slightly melodramatic.
I mean, I wasn’t in the middle of the ocean.
Jax and his friends had sailed us just off the coastline. We were currently in the harbor, and I felt safe enough.
Enough.
Huffing, I believed maybe I had lost my mind in taking December up on her offer. I guessed… I didn’t know. I allowed her to get into my head a little.
“He thinks he does…”
I mean, what did that even mean? How did someone only kinda sorta hate you in their mind? There was hate or there wasn’t. No gray and Jax definitely ebbed more toward the “hate me” category.
I’d met the gang at the dock after they all left, and not only had my stepbrother not looked at me the whole boat trip thus far, he’d made sure enough space was between the pair of us that a small planet could probably be inserted into it.
That was saying something considering we weren’t on a huge vessel.
Jax’s friends had secured us something moderately sized. Not in the yacht category at all, but easily the largest sailboat in the harbor. As it turned out, all the guys had sailing experience and took turns. Knight took the majority of the time. But I think he only did that so he could cuddle with Greer around the ship’s wheel. He also let her wear his hat, which I found cute. He’d worn an actual captain’s hat after the boys had gone back to their rooms and changed, and Jax’s buddies and their girls had given him a huge hard time about that. I’d enjoyed watching their comradery. Enjoyed being a part of their good time. The only downside had been my stepbrother, who currently treated me as if I had an incurable disease. His friends had been doing well by him.
They kept me away from him.
The girls had literally swept me off to the one side of the boat while the boys played cards on the other after we’d anchored. Eventually, I grew tired of the deliberate separation and came down here below deck.
Kit hadn’t been awake when I came to ask her to go with me. She’d still been sleeping off her epic night of diarrhea, but I needed a buffer. It was either that or a way out of my situation. I thought maybe my mom would help out in that department.
“I actually think it’s a good idea,” she’d said when I had asked, hoping, praying for a way out. She’d touched my arm. “Your stepbrother needs a good time.”
Dad had been working at the time, also unusual. He was supposed to be hanging out with Jax all weekend, but not only had he been in the suite under a ton of work, he’d advised the same.
“You kids should have fun,” he’d said, the smile barely touching his eyes. “Anyway, it’ll help me make it up to Jax for all the work I have to do this weekend. It snuck up on me as you can see.”
I could see, his entire workload completely in front of him like we were at his office. It was so unlike him, to work when he’d put a priority out there. When my adoptive father scheduled time, he made sure to stick to it. No matter how busy he always was.
He hadn’t even been able to look at me when I’d left, and I’d noticed my mom had gone over to him. She’d said something to me without
actually saying something to me when I left. That I should leave. That the two needed space.
There were still so many questions going on here, still so many things up in the air that I didn’t know what to make of them. I just knew my stepbrother kind of sort of didn’t hate me but didn’t know he didn’t and my best friend was currently yelling at me on a nice ass boat. Turned out, she couldn’t have gone on the trip today even if she wanted to. She’d only called me after being in the bathroom again for an hour.
“I think I am losing my mind,” I said, twisting my hair. I’d pulled it out of the braid in my restlessness. Currently, I sat on the majority of it in my one-piece bathing suit. I’d had it since high school and just never replaced it. I probably should, though, since I’d filled out a lot since senior year. My boobs barely fit in the hunter green suit, but I couldn’t seem to let go of the thing since there was technically nothing wrong with it. I huffed. “I must be a glutton for torture.”
“Must be,” Kit said, but then a moan. She sounded completely exhausted, and I felt terrible. I mean, I knew her being sick wasn’t my fault, but I had dragged her along this weekend.
“You should get some sleep,” I told her. “I’ll be fine. His friends are doing a pretty good job of keeping me away from him.”
More than. I really hadn’t seen him since we’d boarded. He’d stayed on his side of the boat, and I’d been staying on mine.
Kit sighed. “Are you sure? Outside of all that with your crazier-than-shit stepsibling, I really don’t like you being out there. I mean… you know why.”
The same reason both my parents had been surprised when I’d mentioned sailing in the first place. Quite honestly, they’d appeared taken aback, which I think also contributed to another reason they ultimately wanted me to go sailing today.
Water and me… well, we were complicated, but I was okay. I felt safe and since there were plenty of guardrails, I’d been good. Big water really wasn’t a huge issue for me.
I stared out through the boat’s windows, the ocean waxing and waning behind the glass. I could still see the shore, which helped as well, and I could technically swim. It was something Mom had made sure I knew how to do years ago, and I’d done it despite my fear of water. It took a lot out of me, but yes, I did know how to swim, and if something happened, I’d be okay.
I’d be okay.
My concerns laid more with my stepbrother, and after assuring Kit I would be okay, I let her go and placed my phone on my beach bag. Everyone had placed their bags down here in the boat’s lounge area. The boat had several couches as well as a couple bedrooms down the hall. I hadn’t been in those, but I noticed one of them was occupied when I came down here. Considering I hadn’t seen Knight or Greer in a while since we anchored, I assumed why.
I guessed I wasn’t the only one hunkered away, but after a few moments of playing on my phone, I did decided to brave the hell up and go upstairs.
That door connected to the bedroom was still closed as I passed it, and I had a laugh at the few grunts and groans behind it. The room was definitely occupied, and shielding my eyes, I let the sun hit me when I graced the top of the boat. It seemed the party had moved to this side, because I noticed Billie and December lying out in their bikinis. They’d been chatting at the boat’s stern before I’d gone down.
December rose upon seeing my head pop up, waving me down in a navy two-piece with sunglasses on that covered half her face. They were big and white and very similar to Billie’s, who had a round set on her face. Billie really looked like a 1950s beach bunny in her high-waisted polka dot bikini, the epitome of Marilyn Monroe as she sunbathed next to December. Seeing me, Billie waved me over as well, and I started to go that way until my shoulder was clipped.
Jax stalked his way below deck, but his journey was cut off by me.
And hell, was he completely beautiful.
He was wearing a Hawaiian shirt he’d left half open, his golden chest stunning and perfect. He had dark hair chasing down his ab line until it disappeared completely into his shorts, and noticing I noticed, he smirked.
“Up here, Girl Scout,” he stated, his body completely crowding me in. There wasn’t a lot of space in the stairwell, and I shifted to come around him.
He didn’t let me.
Arms extended, he caged me, thick arms toned and hugging me between them.
“Back off,” I said, but he refused, his gaze dragging across my entire body. It lingered on my breasts, which were entirely too big for this bathing suit. I pressed a hand to his chest. “Jax…”
He took my hand, looping our digits. Then, with force, he grabbed me, mashing me up against his hard body. My heart rocked so hard against my chest, it hit his. He tugged me close. “I warned you about staying the fuck away from me, stepsister,” he said, pinching my jaw. He forced it up. “Just remember that.”
He let go so forcefully I almost fell, his flip-flops smacking the wooden stairwell on his way down. He disappeared below deck, and I tried not to appear as flush as I felt when I finally got my crap together and headed over toward the other girls. Without even stating, I was well aware they’d seen the whole thing.
I mean, they were both still looking in that direction.
As it turned out, they weren’t the only ones, LJ and Royal were drinking beers on deck only several feet away. They too had been looking in that direction, but it was Royal who shook his head before going back to his conversation with LJ. Greer and Knight weren’t in sight so I assumed, once again, that was them below deck. They’d been the smart ones, staying out of this drama.
I popped a squat on a beach towel by Billie and December. They had several out, and I took advantage. At this point, December had her sunglasses completely propped into her hair, her dark tresses still released and flowing freely off the tops of her fair shoulders. She raised her knees. “What did he say to you now?”
Since I really didn’t want to talk about it, I shook my head, and Billie, she rose up too. She, at this point, hugged her knees, staring away at the ocean. But December… well, she didn’t let this go.
Crossing her legs, December did nothing but sigh. “Can I offer you some advice, Cleo?”
Since I could use some, I sat up. “I’ll take it, but I feel like this situation is beyond it.”
I mean, even they didn’t know what his deal was and they’d basically said that.
December frowned. “I’ve known Jax for a long time. Well, not super long, but long enough. Right now, he’s acting out. He’s pushing you on purpose to see how far he can take it.”
That wasn’t unknown to me. He’d pretty much said that. I shrugged. “What do I do about it?”
“Well, for starters, don’t let him win.” She tilted her head. “These boys can be beasts when they’re up in their heads. But that’s all this is. He’s going to see he’s wrong about this. Wrong about you?”
Did she know something? I thought to ask, but before I could, Jax reappeared, Knight and Greer in tow. Well, more like Knight was chasing Jax. Jax’s friend currently had nothing on but a sheet around his waist. I assumed nothing since he was covering himself. He had it cinched tight in his thick fist, the top curve of his ass hanging out while he stumbled over himself to chase after Jax. “I’m going to fucking kill you, you asshole!”
That’s when I realized Jax had something in his hands, what appeared to be clothes as he shook his hips at his friend. He chuckled. “Come get it, big daddy.”
Knight’s eyes shot open, and Greer palmed her face. She, at least, had her bathing suit on. Completely flushed, she attempted to tie her other bikini strap. “Knight, let it go. I’m sure one of the other guys have something you can wear or something.”
He wasn’t listening, snarling as he stomped around deck in a sheet while Jax darted away from him like a jackrabbit. Knight would get close, but Jax would jut out of reach in quick time. In another dash of escape, Jax climbed up on the boat’s rails, holding onto part of the boat to steady himself. “Not u
ntil you call me daddy too, big guy.”
Jax fanned his eyelashes at Knight, and I might have smiled had I not been internally freaking out about where he stood. He was quite literally on top of the guardrails. This wasn’t a high jump, but he could stumble and fall or something. Maybe even hurt himself if he hit the water wrong.
The boys’ other friends, on the other hand, were roaring. Especially LJ who was completely losing it in laughter. He slapped his leg, and even Royal was chuckling behind his hand. Royal waved Jax’s down. “Come on, Jax. Quit playing and give him back his shit.”
Some debate appeared in Jax’s eyes. “I don’t know. I feel like he should apologize for calling me an asshole.”
Knight snarled. “Fuck you.”
To which Jax quickly danced Knight’s clothes over the edge. Knight’s jaw dropped open and started to rush Jax again before Royal pulled him back. Royal eyed Jax. “Jax…”
“I’m still waiting for my apology.” He smirked. “I was merely passing by and—”
“Like fucking hell you were!” Knight grunted. “This fucker kicked the door open while Greer and I were getting dressed, and had my girl been naked, we wouldn’t even be talking right now.”
“Still waiting for that apology.” Jax cuffed his ear, and rather than continue playing the game, Royal came over. He took the clothes from Jax, then tossed them back at Knight.
“There,” Royal said. “You have your clothes. Now squash this shit.”
“You better sleep with one eye open, fucker,” Knight growled, but did retreat when he stalked away. Greer had made it over to the circus at this point, and he took her, the pair charging below deck. Meanwhile, LJ finally calmed down enough to speak, wiping the tears out of his eyes.
LJ smirked. “I think you just stopped World War Three, bro.”
“Right.” Royal rolled his eyes, then passed a look at Jax. “And get the fuck down before you do something stupid and kill yourself.”
“Yes, father,” Jax stated, and when he did appear to get down, I discovered the current state of my breath.
