by Skyla Madi
“No. You can’t force me to go, either.”
“We just want what’s best for you,” my father said softly.
“Really?” I let out a humorless laugh. “Where were you when I needed you? When I had my first award? When I had my first netball tournament? I’ve done everything I could possibly think of just to get you to look at me like you look at my sisters.” I blinked rapidly to clear the tears from my eyes. “Why can’t you look at me like that? Why can’t you love me like you love them?”
“Because you’re not my daughter!”
It took a few seconds for his words to sink in, and when it did, the room was deadly silent. Our eyes locked briefly before he stormed out of the room and slammed the door shut. I sucked in a shaky breath before forcing my eyes toward my mother. She was pale now, and her eyes were filled with tears.
“W-what did he mean?” I questioned her. “Was I adopted?”
“No.” Her voice cracked. “I’m sorry, Alia. I didn’t want you to find out like this. I wanted to tell you but—”
“Tell me what?” I didn’t care that I was being rude. I wanted to know why he said I wasn’t his daughter.
“M-Michael isn’t your biological father,” she finally whispered. “It was a mistake and we didn’t realize it until it was too late. It wasn’t supposed—”
“Who’s my father?” She said nothing but continued to silently cry. “Who is he?” I yelled.
“Marlin.” She looked up at me. “He’s your—Michael’s brother. I’m sorry, Alia! I—”
“Get out.” I pointed to the door. “Get out!”
When the door closed softly behind her, I finally allowed the tears to fall. My knees buckled, making me realize I was still standing. I stumbled toward my bed and then fell face first into it. No wonder he hated me so much! My mother had an affair with his brother. His own flesh and blood.
I groggily opened my eyes as I heard my phone ringing. My room was filled with darkness except for the light from my phone. Letting out a low moan, I slowly turned onto my back. I fell asleep in a really awkward position. The phone stopped ringing, making me sigh. I wasn’t in the mood to talk to anybody at the moment. Nothing could make me feel better at the moment—not even Stephen.
When my phone started ringing again, I sat up with a groan. Stephen’s number flashed across the screen. My thumb hovered over the button for a few seconds, but I declined the call. I typed a quick message to him and then switched off my phone. I’d talk to him once I got my emotions in check.
Chapter Thirteen
“You’re so beautiful,” Stephen whispered as his lips trailed down my neck.
My body arched against his when he slowly lowered me onto the bed. I moaned as his hand cupped my breasts before slowly sliding down my side again. He was just about to pull the shirt from my body when the scene suddenly changed. I was no longer with Stephen in his room. I was surrounded by darkness until lights started to flicker. Michael appeared in front of me; he wore his police uniform proudly. But the eyes staring at me were filled with so much hatred.
“You’re a bastard child. You don’t belong in this family. You’re not my daughter—you’re an intruder! You need to get out.”
A scream fell from my lips when his hands closed around my neck. I couldn’t breathe. My eyes watered as I stared at him—as I tried to get his hands off me. The longer he held on, the further I began to fade. I was dying. My father was killing me.
“Alia.” My eyes snapped open. Through blurry eyes, I stared at him as he spoke again. “Alia!”
My body jerked in fright as my eyes snapped open to stare up at Kate. She was hovering above me with a frown between her eyebrows. Giving her a small smile, I sucked in air as I turned onto my back.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” I lied smoothly. How could I dump my problems on my best friend when she already had her own?
Two weeks had passed since I found out the truth. I’d been avoiding going home as much as I possibly could. My mom had tried to speak to me twice, but I brushed her off. The fact that she had an affair with my uncle—my biological father—was sickening. I’d been living all these years with him right under my nose and I never noticed. I was so focused on impressing a man I thought was my father that I didn’t notice the things that were missing.
Marlin—my Uncle Marlin—was actually my father. I hadn’t told Stephen about it either. We met regularly at the café where we first met. He told me it would have to stay that way until the complaint against him was dropped. All that was allowed between us was a brief kiss when he showed up and before he left. I could tell he was stressed about everything, and I thought about ending things between us just to make the stress go away. But every time I opened my mouth to end it, the words would fail me. I was slowly but surely starting to fall for him, which was extremely bad. I couldn’t—he made that perfectly clear.
“The shower is all yours, Alia,” Kate muttered, snapping me back to reality.
“Thanks.” I grabbed my clothes and made my way into the bathroom across the hall. The water wasn’t as hot as I liked, but I couldn’t complain. I’d been staying with Kate since Friday, and I knew she was getting sick of me. It was strange because she usually never had a problem with this before. We used to have sleepovers all the time before things got serious at school. A thought hit me, but I quickly brushed it off. Kate wasn’t like that.
I quickly finished my shower and got dressed before walking into Kate’s room again. I was meeting Stephen at the café in half an hour before heading home. This week was going to be busy at school. School was closing on Friday for three weeks, which meant my birthday was about two and a half weeks away. I was itching just to spend a day with Stephen again—to feel his lips and hands on my body. My mind trailed off as I started packing my things. We never made the doctor’s appointment for my birth control. In fact, he never mentioned it after that morning.
“Hey, I was thinking,” Kate muttered as she entered her bedroom. “Why don’t we go to the beach this holiday?”
I took a seat on the spare bed, pondering over her words. “It would be great if we had money for a hotel and all the shit that comes with such a trip.”
“What if I can get us a place to stay right at the beach?” She tilted her head. “All that we have to pay for is the fuel to get us there and back. Maybe some spending money and that’s about it.”
“What about our parents?”
“You’ve been avoiding yours for a while. My mom won’t mind watching Derrick for a few days—”
“Why can’t he come with us?” I questioned. “Neither he nor I have been to the beach. It’ll be a great opportunity for you to spend more time with him.”
“What about your birthday?” She stood and made her way over to her closet. “I was actually planning on getting you drunk.”
“I don’t know, Kate,” I muttered. Going away now wasn’t on my to-do list. I wanted to spend my birthday with my family and all my friends.
“We’ll make it a trip to remember.” She smiled at me. “We’ll invite the whole gang and some extra people.”
“Delilah has been avoiding us, if you haven’t noticed, and Dane won’t come. You know his parents would never allow it.”
“Right.” For a few minutes, she stood silently, and then she spun around to look at me. “You can invite Stephen and his brother, and I’ll invite two other people.”
I winced, letting my eyes drop. Going on a trip with my boyfriend and my best friend who slept together, and don’t forget our teacher. It would definitely end in disaster. Pain flashed through me when I remembered what Kate had told me that day.
“Just think about it and then we’ll talk.”
***
I pulled into an open parking space in front of the café. For a few minutes, I sat in the car and stared at the steering wheel. Kate’s words repeated in my head. Getting away from everything would be fucking great. My phone started ringing, which caused me t
o snap back to reality. I glanced at the screen before allowing it to go on ringing. Mom was calling me again—for the fifth time this morning.
Opening the door, I got out of my car and locked it. My hand was on the handle of the door when a car hooted behind me. I glanced over my shoulder and instantly caught sight of Stephen. A smile slipped onto my lips as I hurried toward his truck. He opened the door for me and waited until I got in before driving off.
“Where are we going?”
“For a picnic,” he said.
“What about the detectives?”
“You don’t have to worry about them anymore,” Stephen said as he slowed the truck at the stop sign. “The case was closed.”
A huge smile broke out on my face. Without thinking, I unclipped my seatbelt and threw myself at him. His body was tense against mine and his lips unmoving, but it quickly changed when I licked his bottom lip. Stephen groaned and then parted his lips for my tongue to slip inside his mouth. His arm wrapped around my waist to pull me tightly against his chest. The kiss was quickly ended when the car behind us started to blast his horn. Stephen gave me a wink as he started to drive again. Instead of moving back to my seat, I sat beside him and placed my hand on his thigh. His body jerked, but he didn’t say anything. The longer we were on the road, the higher my hand moved. He slowed the truck at another stop sign, and I took the chance. I cupped his cock and gave him a firm squeeze.
“Are you trying to make us crash, baby?” Stephen asked huskily. I shook my head and gave him a sweet smile.
“I just want to show you how much I missed you.”
“Can’t you wait until we get to our destination?”
“Where’s the fun in that?” As I spoke, I gripped his zipper.
His hand closed around my wrist to stop my movement. I glanced up at him. His jaw was clenched tightly, and his eyes were squeezed shut. Stephen sucked in a shaky breath then opened his eyes to look down at me.
“Fuck it, baby, don’t look at me like that.” His eyes dropped to my lips. “Alia.”
His hold had loosened on my wrist when he captured my lips again. I took the opportunity to unfasten his pants and slip my hand inside. A gasp left my lips when I came into contact with direct skin—he wasn’t wearing any underwear.
“You’re going to be the death of me, Alia Dune,” he groaned.
I gave him a smile before focusing my attention on his dick. Pulling his dick from his pants, I lightly traced the veins with my fingertips. I glanced up at him then out the front window before lowering my body onto the seat. He was breathing harshly and his hands were gripping the steering wheel tightly.
“Jesus.”
I sucked on the tip then pulled back to lick the piercing. Another groan fell from his lips. I glanced up at him as I licked the underside. His eyes were focused on me, which worried me, but it only lasted a few seconds. Stephen snapped his eyes back to the road but buried one of his hands in my hair.
“If we get caught, both of us would be spending the night in jail, baby.”
I hummed and then sucked him into my mouth. I took as much of him as I could and used my hand to stroke the part that didn’t fit. His hand in my hair tightened as his hips jerked upwards, causing me to gag. I instantly pulled back, letting out a cough.
“I’m sorry, baby. I keep forgetting you’re new to this.”
“It’s okay.”
My attention was once again focused on his dick. The liquid escaping from the little hole caught my attention. I was briefly aware of the truck stopping and of Stephen focusing his full attention on me. His hands moved my hair out of the way until he gripped it with one hand in a makeshift ponytail. His other hand moved to cup my chin then slowly slid down to my neck.
“Relax your throat, baby,” he ordered hoarsely. “If your throat is relaxed, you’ll be able to take me deeper into your mouth.”
I pulled back slightly to swallow before doing as he told me. He sank right to the back of my throat, and for a few seconds I was able to keep him there until my gag reflex kicked in again. My stomach heaved, making me pull back.
“You’re doing great, baby.” His encouragement was all I needed to continue. “Shit, I’m so close, baby. Fuck! You want me to come in your mouth?”
I hummed my answer. His hand in my hair tightened seconds before his hips bucked upwards. Stephen let out a low groan as a shudder racked through his body. I had to swallow as fast as I could when he started coming in my mouth.
Sitting up, I wiped my mouth as I watched him. Stephen was leaning back against the seat with his eyes closed. I could just make out the shaking of his hand as he wiped his face. A few minutes passed in complete silence. Letting out another groan, he finally opened his eyes to look at me. Giving me a lazy smile, he reached out and gripped the back of my neck. Stephen leaned forward to press his lips against mine. The kiss was extremely gentle—a lot different from the other kisses we had shared.
“That was the best head I’ve ever had,” Stephen whispered against my lips.
My cheeks heated and satisfaction filled me, but it quickly died down. I looked him right in the eye before asking the question I’d been dying to know.
“Have you slept with Kate?”
Chapter Fourteen
Stephen stared at me silently. His eyes, which were resting on my face, flashed with different emotions, but one stood out—regret. Shaking my head, I opened the door and slid out of the truck. I could feel the tears brimming in my eyes. He slept with Kate. My boyfriend fucking slept with my best friend. He’s not your boyfriend, that little voice in the back of my mind whispered.
“Alia!”
I ignored him and trudged deeper into the trees. My chest was tight with pain, and that was something that scared me. I wasn’t supposed to feel anything. Nothing! But I did; I felt betrayed and hurt that he slept with my best friend. How much more would I be able to take before I couldn’t get up anymore? My foot caught on a root, making me stumble to the ground. Everything around me was blurry because the tears were finally spilling over. My father hated me because my mom had an affair with his brother, and I was the result. A bastard child.
“Alia?” Stephen called from behind me.
I sucked in a shaky breath before calling out to him. He broke through the trees just as I finished wiping the tears from my cheeks.
“Are you hurt?” His hands gripped my shoulder and then moved down to my legs.
“I’m fine,” I whispered.
His eyes snapped to my face. A strange emotion flashed through his eyes. Without warning, he pulled me up into his arms. I wrapped my legs around his waist and my arms around his neck as he started walking. A few minutes later, I was placed down to sit on the hood of the truck. Stephen moved back, but I tightened my legs and arms around him. I just wanted him to hold me—it might be the last time he would.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered against my ear. “It was before we met and we were drunk.” I pulled back but kept my eyes on his chest. He dropped his hands to my thighs and moved back slightly.
“Alia—”
“If she wanted to have sex with you again, would you do it? Would you sleep with her again?”
“No.” His answer was instant and truthful. “I’m not interested in Kate. Sleeping with her was just a one-time thing. Like I said, baby, we were both drunk that night. It’s something that won’t be repeated.”
I finally found enough courage to look up at him. His eyes instantly caught mine. I didn’t want to lose this, didn’t want to lose him, but I knew sooner or later our arrangement would end.
“Is this the thing that’s been bothering you for the past few weeks?” I frowned at him. “I’m not ignorant, baby. You haven’t been yourself lately, and I thought it was because of them watching us. Tell me what’s been eating you.”
I shook my head. It wasn’t his problem. “I’m just a little stressed about school.” Stephen didn’t look convinced. He was about to speak again, but I pressed my lips against his t
o stop him. The distraction seemed to work perfectly—even if it was only for a few minutes.
***
“Kate wants us to go to the beach this holiday,” I muttered, breaking the comfortable silence.
He paused slightly before continuing to stroke my hair. “She wants to invite the whole group…and you.” I risked a glance up at him.
We were sitting underneath a tree on the blanket. The burgers and fries he got had already been eaten. I sat up and turned to face him.
“I told her it wouldn’t work because we don’t have enough time to collect the money. Kate said that all we had to do was get someone who owns a beach house, and then all we need is some fuel money.”
“Who’s the whole group?” he asked without looking at me.
My eyes trailed over him, taking in his tense shoulders and pursed lips. It felt like he was pushing me away. His eyes refused to meet mine—he was too interested in the birds a few feet away.
“I don’t know yet,” I said softly. Maybe I should end this now. He won’t be the only man I would have sex with. Like he said, I was still young, and someday I would find the right guy for me.
“Do you want to go?”
My eyes snapped up to his. “My birthday is in two and a half weeks. I’d rather spend it somewhere far from home.” If he heard the note of anger, he didn’t acknowledge it. “Plus, I’ve never been to the beach before.”
Stephen chuckled and then pulled me onto his lap. I straddled his legs and placed my hands on his broad shoulders. Today he was wearing casual clothes. My eyes trailed over his face before landing on his lips. His lips parted and his tongue snuck out to lick his bottom lip. My stomach tightened. A squeal fell from my lips when he spun us around. Seconds later I found myself lying on the blanket with Stephen hovering above me. His eyes caught mine as his hand pushed my shirt up. A shiver raced down my spine when his hand trailed over my stomach. He traced the underside of my bra before slipping a finger beneath the material. His head lowered, and just when his lips were about to meet mine, his phone started ringing.
