Stepbrother With Benefits: An Opposites Attract Romance (Mason Family Book 2)

by Hazel Kelly

  I moaned around him and slid my hands behind his strong thighs, squeezing his muscles as I willed him to fuck my mouth. Then I leaned back slowly, my lips like magnets that drew him forwards until he wilted over me onto outstretched arms.

  As his steady thrusts hit the back of my throat, he groaned and swelled, stretching my mouth wide as I readied myself for his release.

  “I’m close,” he said, drawing his hips back. But I pulled him deep again, inviting him to spill down my throat. So he did, letting me swallow his generous load like I were some kind of professional temptress instead of a sexed up student whose back was slinkied across a staircase.

  He moved to sit on the step beside me, his staggered breath making my spent body clench. “I want to fuck you on these stairs forever.”

  I laughed and licked my lips. “I’m going to need water breaks.”

  “No, really,” he said. “Or not on the stairs. I realize they’re not the most comfortable.”

  “You just noticed?” I asked, wondering if I’d have striped bruises on my back tomorrow.

  “Come here.” He dragged me onto his lap until I was straddling him before leaning back on his elbows. “That was…”

  “A surprise?” I guessed hopefully.

  He lifted a hand and dragged the back of his fingers across my cheekbone, letting them linger for a few beats. “Move in with me.”

  My surprise knocked me back so fast I would’ve gone tumbling down the steps if he hadn’t caught me. “What?”

  “Move in with me,” he repeated. “When the house is ready.”

  “James.” I furrowed my brow. “That’s crazy.”

  “Why?” he asked. “If we’re going to live in sin, we might as well be shameless about it.”

  I laughed. “Is that really the invitation? Come live in sin with me?”

  He shrugged. “It had a casual ring to it.”

  “Compared to what?”

  “Compared to the first thing I thought.”

  I raised my brows.

  He raised his.

  I was so surprised I could barely see straight. “You’re only saying that ’cause we christened the place, and you’re all excited.”

  “I am all excited,” he said. “At the idea of living with you.”

  “You don’t want to live with me. I’m a slob, and I’ll serve you nothing but scrambled eggs on crackers.”

  “I’m not asking you to cook and clean for me. I’m asking you to move in with me.”

  His sincerity squeezed my heart.

  “Are you hesitating because you haven’t finished the tour?” he asked. “Because if I ask you after I show you the walk-in closet and the Jacuzzi, I’ll always have to wonder why you really said yes.”

  “You need to think about this.”

  “I already have.”

  “James—”

  “I love you, Brie.”

  My heart ballooned in my chest.

  “And I’m never going to stop loving you.”

  I pressed my lips together.

  “So it would be cool if you’d say yes so I can start worrying about more pressing matters.”

  I cocked my head. “Like what?”

  “Like picking my side of the bed and figuring out how I’m going to spoil you rotten.”

  “Can I think about it?”

  His expression fell. “Really?”

  I scrunched my face. “It feels like the kind of decision I should make when my underwear isn’t around my ankles.”

  He smiled. “And here I thought I finally got my timing right.”

  I leaned forward to give him a kiss.

  “That is not the emphatic yes I was after.”

  I swatted his chest. “Maybe you made me use up all my emphatic yeses.”

  He shook his head. “You and I both know you're a wealth of enthusiastic expletives.”

  “That may be true,” I said. “But I still want to think about it.”

  “Just don’t think forever, okay?”

  I searched his earnest eyes.

  “Because I’d wait that long.” He took a breath so deep it was like he was breathing me in. “Wouldn’t even hesitate.”

  F O R T Y N I N E

  - James -

  Quinn stared at the fireplace in the master bedroom, his hands in the pockets of his long black coat. “This work?” he asked, glancing over his shoulder at me.

  “It’s electric,” I said, pointing at the panel by the mantel, which housed the portable remote.

  His bottom lip jutted out with approval as he strolled towards the far side of the room to examine the narrow glass doors I had installed, which were still covered in protective film. “Can’t believe you have a balcony.”

  “I wanted it to be bigger, but it was against zoning regulations.” I folded my arms and leaned a shoulder against the wall. “Anything to make you jealous, though.”

  Amusement teased his lips. “Let’s see the master bath.”

  I pointed a thumb to the left as he approached. “Don’t miss the walk-in closet.”

  He poked his head in. “Wow.”

  “Careful,” I said, leaning off the wall. “You’re doing so well pretending you’re not impressed.”

  “I know, but this is something else.” He walked his speechless ass straight over to the section designed to store suits and ties. “I’m not sure you even wear nice enough clothes to warrant such excess.”

  I rolled my eyes. “You’re an even bigger fashion snob than Maddy.”

  “Has she seen this?” he asked, his eyes running the length of the dark brown custom closet.

  I nodded.

  “Fuck,” he said, admiring every detail with such care I wondered if he should’ve gone into the built-ins business. “This is probably what she wants for Christmas.”

  “You could do it,” I said. “Turn my old room into a giant walk-in closet for her.”

  He glared at me. “If you ever make that joke in front of her, I’ll kill you. She doesn’t need any encouragement when it comes to accumulating boots and bags.”

  “Bathroom’s next door.”

  “What?” His brows crashed together. “No magic bookcase that lets me stumble straight into the tub? So much for thinking you thought of everything.”

  I waited at the bathroom door and gestured for him to lead the way.

  “I take it all back,” he said, his shined shoes clacking across the heated tiles. “You’ve outdone yourself.”

  I bit back a smile so he wouldn’t see how much his approval meant to me.

  “There’s even a bench in the shower for when you’re shaving your balls.”

  “Very funny.”

  “Has Brie seen the place?” he asked, running a hand along the tan granite countertop from one sink to the next.

  My body tensed as I envisioned her at the sink, her wet hair and body wrapped in fluffy towels. “She has.”

  “And?”

  “I asked her to move in.”

  His dark brows jumped as he spun towards me. “Wow, really?”

  I nodded.

  “Big step.”

  “I know.”

  “What did she say?” he asked, folding his arms and leaning against the counter’s edge.

  “She’s thinking about it.”

  “She’ll say yes.”

  My chest swelled with hope. “Thanks for saying that.”

  “Why wouldn’t she?”

  “It’s complicated.”

  “Life's complicated,” he said. “Might as well spend it with someone you love.”

  My jaw clenched as I inhaled.

  “You do love her, right?”

  “Yeah,” I said. “I do.”

  The shallow lines around his blue eyes softened. “Happy for you, man. She seems like a great girl.”

  “She is.”

  “And you seem…”

  My brows lifted.

  “Better than ever.”

  “I am.”

  “It’s funn
y,” he said, shaking his head. “I could’ve sworn you liked a different type of girl.”

  “What do you mean?”

  He shrugged. “You always used to go for the most outspoken girl in the room.”

  “That’s not true.”

  “Sure it is,” he said. “Even in college. Even when you didn’t mean to. You always attracted the girls who were the life of the party.”

  I considered his theory.

  “Girls like you.”

  “So?”

  “So I finally get it.”

  “Get what?” I asked.

  “That the girl you wanted all along is the kind of girl who sees through people’s party personas. Yours included.”

  My gaze narrowed.

  “You were holding out for someone who could appreciate the man behind the mask.”

  “Quit psychoanalyzing me.”

  “Maybe I’m wrong.” He raised his palms. “Maybe you just love her adorable ass.”

  “Now you’re just trying to get a rise out of me.”

  His shallow smile pulled to one side. “What do your folks thinks?”

  I backed out of the room. We needed to get going or we wouldn’t have time to grab lunch. “My mom claims she’s known all along.”

  “And your dad?” Quinn asked, following me out of the bathroom and down the hall.

  “He doesn’t know yet.”

  “Damn.”

  “You know what’s fucked, though?” I stopped walking and turned around. “I don’t think he’ll care.”

  Quinn’s eyes drooped at the edges.

  “I don’t think he gives a shit about her. And I know he wants her out of the house.”

  “Obviously I haven’t met your dad, so—”

  “Doesn’t that disturb you?” I asked, my brows drawing together. “That he hasn’t insisted you meet? It’s not like I haven’t told him Maddy’s in a serious relationship.”

  “Whoa whoa whoa. Who said anything about serious?”

  I scowled at him.

  “Just kidding,” he said, punching my shoulder. “You know I’m all in.”

  “Anyway, that’s one of the reasons I haven’t told him yet. I’m afraid it’s going to hurt when he doesn’t care.”

  Quinn’s lips formed a straight line. “What do you want me to say?”

  I shook my head and took a deep breath.

  “If your dad doesn’t want to know you guys and be part of your lives, it’s his loss.”

  “I know it’s his loss,” I said, spinning on my heels. “But that doesn’t make it any easier.”

  “Hey.” Quinn tapped my shoulder, and I turned around at the top of the stairs. “Be grateful for the time you got with him,” he said, no doubt thinking of his mom. “Be grateful there’s still a chance he’ll wake up one day and realize how lucky he is that you all turned out so well.”

  “I am,” I said. “It’s just hard when you want someone to care about people in a certain way and they don’t.”

  “Or can’t.”

  “Right.”

  “My dad is literally incapable of certain feelings,” he said. “Between you and me, there was one day he got so fixated on Maddy’s debt he couldn’t see that being with her makes me the richest man on earth.”

  “I’m going to help her pay that off,” I said, pointing at him. “Every penny.”

  “I know,” he said. “We all are. Because family looks out for each other like that. But that’s what a family is. A group of people who look out for each other. And you and your sisters have that, regardless of what your dad’s up to.”

  “We do have that.”

  He nodded. “And a lot of that is thanks to you.”

  I swallowed the gratitude that rose through me.

  “So don’t beat yourself up.” He jabbed the air in front of my chest with his finger. “And don’t let anyone make you second guess this thing with Brie.”

  I answered him with a look of resolve before starting down the stairs.

  “By the way,” he said, following me. “BELLE’s going to print her article.”

  “What?” I spun around as soon as I reached the ground floor.

  “Brie’s article,” he said. “It’s in the mockup for next month’s edition. Maddy asked me to give you a heads up.”

  “Holy shit.”

  “I know,” he said, his eyes growing wide. “That’s what I said when I read it.”

  F I F T Y

  - Brie -

  Crystal had finally moved on from Darnell and was now pining for some guy she met in her business fraternity, who had a deep, sexy voice and a penchant for roots reggae.

  “He’s cute,” I said, leaning over her shoulder while Mercedes took out the braids on the other side of her head.

  “Do you recognize him?” she asked, tilting her phone towards me. “He’s in broadcast journalism. Thought you might’ve had a class together at some point.”

  “No.” I shook my head and returned to the couch before I got one of Mercedes’s sharp elbows in my ribs. “But I bet he looks great in a suit.”

  “Can’t say,” Crystal said, her eyes still on his picture. “Then again, I suppose I have seen him in his birthday suit.”

  Mercedes rolled her eyes, but I just smiled, relieved to see my friend happy again. And more importantly, not hung up on a dirty cheat who was only ever going to get better at breaking her heart.

  “What’s with all the mail?” she asked, glancing at the stack of letters poking out of my bag.

  "I don’t know yet,” I said. “But as long as I don’t open it, there’s a chance it’s good news.”

  Sympathy flashed in her eyes. “Did you already get some bad news?”

  I scoffed. “More than some.” I thought of the overflowing shoebox in my room. I needed a new system, but dedicating a whole drawer to my rejection letters seemed too sad a prospect to embrace. “I almost have enough to make super-depressing custom wallpaper.”

  Mercedes shook her comb at me. “That might sell, you know? There are all sorts of weirdos out there who want to go cross-eyed from ghastly prints.”

  “They’re not ghastly, unfortunately.” I slipped my feet from my fleece-lined boots and tucked them under me on the worn sofa. “Mostly indifferent. Which is arguably worse.”

  “You should open them,” Crystal said. “Band-Aid approach.”

  “The Band-Aid approach stops being fun after a while. I’d rather keep pretending they’re full of good news.”

  “Oh, come on,” she said. “Mercedes and I would love to see a real writer’s rejection letter, wouldn’t we?”

  “More than anything,” Mercedes said, shooting me a look that was almost convincing.

  “I appreciate the support, guys, but—”

  “Brie.” Crystal’s eyes pinned mine in their sockets. “You have to get through the nos to get to a yes. It’s a numbers game.”

  I sighed.

  “Trust me,” Mercedes said. “This girl knows her numbers.”

  “So true,” Crystal added.

  “It’s about all she knows,” Mercedes muttered.

  Crystal waved her hand in the air. “Shhhh.”

  I groaned and reached over to pluck a letter from my purse before tentatively wiggling a finger under the envelope’s sealed edge.

  “Wait!” Crystal said. “Tell us who it’s from first.”

  “Vice magazine,” I said, my pulse skipping as I tore through the paper.

  Crystal clapped in anticipation, and Mercedes stopped mid-braid to watch.

  I pulled the letter out and unfolded it.

  “Well?” they asked in unison.

  I gasped and slapped a hand over my mouth.

  “What does it say?!” Crystal cried.

  “They’re going to print it,” I whispered, not believing my eyes.

  Crystal started screaming and jumped up, completely forgetting Mercedes behind her. “That’s amazing!”

  I was so stunned I couldn’t move, so stunned
I didn’t even brace myself when Crystal leapt on top of me, the force of her enthusiastic embrace tipping us over on the couch. “I think I’m in shock,” I said, blinking.

  She hugged me hard before snatching the letter from my hand so she could read it herself, and the fact that Vice was going to print my work sounded even more surreal when I heard it out loud.

  “This is so awesome,” she said, leaning up. “Open the other ones.”

  I pushed myself back into an upright position and took a deep breath.

  Mercedes sat in the chair where Crystal was supposed to be, her crossed leg bouncing impatiently. “I agree,” she said. “Open another.”

  Crystal grabbed the other three letters from my bag. “Here.”

  My emotions were all over the place, as if they were being stirred in a Bingo cage.

  “Here’s one from…” She eyed the return address. “Blackbook.”

  I opened it like the one before, still half convinced the letter from Vice was a fluke. “Holy shit,” I mumbled when I read the first line. “They want to run it, too.”

  “Third time’s a charm,” Crystal said, staying close as she shoved another letter at me.

  I stared at the outside of the envelope. Gentleman’s Monthly. Definitely a long shot. Except it was an acceptance, too. I read it three times, desperately trying to find the part where they rejected me indifferently and let me down easy. But it wasn’t there.

  “Are you okay?” Crystal said. “Do you need a drink or something?” She waved a hand at Mercedes who hurried to the kitchen.

  I turned to face her, realizing for the first time how insane she looked with a third of her head in a long, free-flowing crimp. “I can’t believe it.”

  “I know,” she said. “You’ve gone all pale. Not, like, your normal white girl pale either. You’re like the inside of seashell.”

  “My article’s going to be published.”

  “Isn’t it great?!” she said, patting my pasty cheeks.

  “Not to mention about damn time,” Mercedes added, offering a glass of water across the coffee table.