“Sure,” Patrick replied as he grabbed the spare set of car keys from Dad. He brushed his fingers against my hand a second later, and I jumped away from him like a scalded cat.
As my Dad had predicted, the parking lot was filled with reporters and photographers. The flashing camera lights made my head ache even more, and I smiled weakly and rubbed my eyes as a reporter thrust a microphone in our faces.
“Patrick, how do you feel knowing that you saved your sister’s life today?”
“Stepsister,” Patrick corrected him.
“Sorry, stepsister. What did it feel like in those moments? Were you worried that you might die?”
“It feels like I did the right thing,” he replied, slinging an arm around my shoulder. “I’d do anything for Lucy. Family is very important to me. I think a lot of people in this day and age have forgotten how important it is. Now if you don’t mind, we’d like to go and grab some dinner somewhere nice and quiet.”
He waved and smiled before cutting through the mob, and I trailed behind him as reporters continued to shout at us. I heard one of them speaking directly into a news camera, talking about how Patrick was a hero. She was right. He was a hero. Without him there to pull me out of that car, there was no telling what might’ve happened to me.
“The Six Angels producers are going to love that family speech you just gave,” I said as we reached the black car my Dad had organized for us.
“Yeah,” he replied. “And I guess now that we’re on the news, everyone will realize that you’re my stepsister, not my girlfriend like they thought earlier.”
I didn’t know what to say to that. Was it so wrong that I wanted to be his girlfriend? I knew some people might think it was creepy or wrong given our family ties, but it wasn’t like we were actually blood related. He must have read my mind, because he leaned over to me and kissed me on the neck.
“It’s not that I don’t want you,” he murmured. “You know I do. Fuck, I want you more than anything. I just think we need to keep it on the down-low for a while, what with your Dad and my Mom being married. Your Dad’s done so much for me, and we all know you’re his little princess.”
“Yeah, I know,” I said, sighing as goose bumps broke out all over my neck from where his lips had just been.
He was right. We had no idea how our parents might react to our newfound affection for each other, and on top of that, it was my job to fix his image, not tarnish it by allowing everyone to find out that he was into his stepsister. The media would have a field day with that information, and he’d be fired from his TV show faster than the speed of light. Whatever we had, we needed to keep it hidden for now.
Biting my lower lip, I tried to forget the heated sensation that had spread through me as his hard body pressed against mine earlier, but I couldn’t stop the memories from cascading through my mind.
I guess forbidden fruit always tastes the sweetest.
“There’s a place not far from here that does ice cream sandwiches with macarons,” he said. “Wanna get one?”
“I’ve never wanted ice cream more in my life,” I replied with a smile.
The craziness from the accident had made me absolutely ravenous, and hopefully, the coldness of the ice cream would help to cool down my flaming-hot cheeks.
We bought two ice cream sandwiches and ate them in a back corner booth, hidden away from the general public, and I popped two of the painkillers before leaning back in my seat and patting my stomach.
“Urgh…maybe so much creamy goodness wasn’t a good idea.”
Patrick smiled. “Maybe not. But it’s good, huh?”
“Yep.”
“If you eat something a little more substantial, you’ll feel better. Let’s go get dinner. You need a nice meal, a stiff drink and a good night’s rest after the day you’ve had.”
“I can’t drink anything while I’m on these drugs,” I said, reading the prescription again.
“Oh, right. I’ll drink for the two of us?” he asked, mischievous grin lighting his handsome features.
“No you won’t, mister.”
“As you wish, mistress.”
“Very funny. Where should we get dinner?”
“I know a place you’ll like. You like steak, right?” he asked.
“You bet,” I replied, standing up.
“Thank fuck for that. The last few girls I’ve been on dates with only ate rabbit food.”
“So this is a date, huh?” I teased.
I reached for my bag and then remembered I’d left it in the car - the car that was now likely mangled beyond repair and half-buried under fallen rocks. Shit. It was still crazy to think how close we’d come to death only hours before.
Patrick saw the look on my face. “Don’t worry, we’ll buy you a new handbag and phone later. I’ll pay for dinner tonight. But only because you don’t have your purse!” he said.
I stuck my tongue out at him, and he laughed. “You know I’m kidding.”
I followed him out of the café, and we drove up to a small restaurant in a quiet neighborhood, where Patrick ordered us New York strip-style steaks with buttery mashed potatoes and vegetables.
“Now this is real food,” he said. “Not like that crap you made me drink this morning.”
“Oh, come on, the smoothies were nice.”
He grinned, and then his face took on a more serious expression. “Hey, weird question, but do you think Penelope might have a thing for me?”
“Penelope as in our housekeeper?”
“Yeah.”
“I think everyone has a little bit of a thing for you, honestly. Why?”
His eyebrows knitted together as he replied. “I’ve just been trying to figure this thing out for ages. Someone keeps messaging me all this weird shit, and her initials are P.G.”
“I can’t remember Penelope’s last name, but I doubt it’s her. What are they saying?”
“Just weird stuff like, ‘you should be with me’. It’s not a huge deal, but I want to know who it is just so I know it isn’t some crazed stalker fan who wants to kidnap me and keep me in a dungeon. I don’t really think it’s Penelope either, but I can only think of a few other women I know whose names start with P, and it’s not them.”
“Have you tried messaging them back and asking who it is?”
“Yeah, tried that the other day. No response other than, ‘You know who this is. Deep down you want me,’ as if I’m supposed to know what that means.”
“Maybe you should contact the police,” I said.
He shrugged. “I dunno if they can really help. It’s not like she’s said anything particularly threatening.”
“I guess.”
My head was beginning to feel a little woozy, and I rubbed my eyes before leaning against the table. Patrick raised his eyebrows.
“Gonna take a nap right there, huh?”
“I’m not napping. I just feel kinda drunk all of a sudden, and I haven’t even had anything to drink,” I replied. My head was really spinning now.
“It’s those painkillers,” he said. “I’ll pay the bill and get you home.”
I was practically stumbling as we left the restaurant, and he slid an arm under one of mine and helped me walk in a straight line.
“You okay?” he asked.
“Mm-hm.”
All of a sudden, I began to giggle; a little at first, and then it became uncontrollable laughter. By the time Patrick got me into the passenger seat of the car, I had tears streaming down my face from giggling so hard.
“Wow. Remind me to never give you painkillers ever again,” he remarked, grinning as he looked over at me.
“I’m just so happy right now,” I said, looking out at the night sky in a daze. “Hey, look! I think I can see an alien ship!”
“Yeah, that’s a satellite. You are really messed up,” he said, shaking his head and laughing too. “You’re going straight to bed when we get home, Missy.”
I must have dozed off for a while, because it fel
t like we arrived home only two minutes later, and my head spun even more as Patrick carried me into the guesthouse.
“There you go,” he said, gently placing me down on the bed. “Get under the sheets.”
A random burst of energy shot through my system, and I tried to pout seductively, suddenly overcome with lust for him again. God, these painkillers were literally making me crazy.
“Only if you come with me,” I said, patting the pillow next to me.
He rubbed his chin with one hand and then shook his head. “No, Lucy. Not when you’re like this.”
“Come on! You said you want me. You know I want you too. Come to bed with me!”
He shook his head, and I huffed and climbed under my sheets. I knew I was behaving like a petulant teenager, but the drugs were screwing with my mind so much that I didn’t care. This didn’t look or feel like reality. I felt like I was in a kaleidoscopic movie.
“Are we real?” I asked a second later. The whole room was spinning.
“Lucy, go to sleep. Seriously,” Patrick replied.
My dazed, deluded mind decided to make one last ditch effort to persuade him into joining me in bed.
“Can you get me a glass of water?” I asked. I was surprised I managed to get the words out. My mouth felt like it was filled with cotton.
“Sure. Gimme a sec.”
He disappeared into the mini kitchenette, and I hurriedly pulled my clothes off and threw them in a crumpled heap on the floor. My bra and panties followed, and then I tried to lie in the most seductive pose I could think of; on my stomach with my head turned over my shoulder, one leg kicked up.
Patrick returned a moment later and groaned. “Shit. Lucy…”
“Come over here,” I said, running my tongue across my lips. I could see a bulge in the front of his pants. He couldn’t say no to me. Not now. Right?
Wrong.
“Not tonight,” he said, placing the glass of water on my bedside table. “Any other time, you know I wouldn’t turn you down, but fuck, Lucy…you’re off your face on drugs. I had to take those same painkillers once, ages ago, and they seriously screw you up for a few hours. You need to rest. You aren’t thinking straight, and this isn’t how you want this to happen.”
I frowned at him and rested my cheek on the pillow. “Yes it is,” I grumbled.
He came over to me and threw a blanket over my nude body, being careful to avert his eyes as he did so. “Rest up. I’ll see you in the morning, and we can talk about this then. Okay?”
I was going to reply, but it was like a light bulb suddenly blew in my mind. One second, I was amped and ready to go, and then the next second everything went dark. Just before I drifted away into a deep sleep, I heard Patrick murmur two more words.
“Goodnight, Lucy.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
PATRICK
As a guy, there’s really nothing quite like walking into a room and seeing your dream girl sprawled out naked on her bed, begging for you to fuck her.
There’s also nothing quite like having to turn that girl down and walk away.
Fuck, it was almost impossible. Lucy was so sexy, and her caramel-colored skin was glowing like never before as she lay there, giving me her best attempt at come-hither eyes. The dinner had done her some good, but the painkillers she had taken had totally whacked her out. I tried to keep my eyes off her gorgeous curves as much as humanly possible, and I ignored the rush of blood to my cock as I rejected her advances and covered her in blankets.
It wasn’t that I didn’t want her. I wanted her more than anything, and she knew that. I just couldn’t let it happen like this. Last time I’d slept with her, I’d totally fucked things up afterwards, and I didn’t want that to happen again. I didn’t want there to be any possibility of something going wrong in our slowly developing relationship, and sleeping with her while she was high on pain medication was the definition of wrong in my book.
The painkillers seemed to finally kick in properly, and she was out like a light as I said goodnight to her. I watched her sleeping for a while, and I couldn’t help but grin as she began to snore again. It wasn’t as bad as the other night when she’d been up in my room. It was just cute little sounds emanating from her as she lay on her side, mouth half open. Christ, she was adorable. And not just adorable - she was sexy, smart, nice…everything that was good in the world wrapped up in one perfect little package.
After checking to make sure the guesthouse was all locked up, I headed back into the main house. My dick was still rock hard, and I tried to conjure up all sorts of horrible images to make my hard-on disappear, but nothing worked. All I could see in my mind’s eye was Lucy, sprawled out on that bed with absolutely nothing on. Fuck, she was hot.
Beep. My phone gave me a notification, and I checked it before rolling my eyes. It was the Insta-Snap creeper again. Well, there was a boner killer.
There was a photo of a black lingerie set sitting on a bed, and the caption read: This could be yours to see on me. Stop hanging out with her and be with me instead.
I assumed the ‘her’ she was referring to was my TV costar Lexie, who P.G. had apparently seen me kissing the other week on set. It could also have been Lucy. After the accident earlier on, the web was filled with images of the two of us together outside the hospital, although most of the articles had made it clear that we were technically related, so it was more likely P.G. was still referring to Lexie.
I sent a message back.
Tell me who you are.
She replied immediately.
You already asked that a few days ago. It’s your job to find out. Games are more fun when only one of us knows the rules.
It was the typical illogical ramblings of a crazy person. Whoever this chick was, she was messed up. Rolling my eyes, I texted back.
It’s not my job to do anything. I don’t know who the fuck you are, but you need to stop messaging me. Now kindly fuck off.
I blocked the username, but only one minute later another message appeared from a very similar username.
You shouldn’t have blocked me. You’ve really hurt me :( I don’t react well to being hurt…
What the hell is that meant to mean? I replied. Is that a threat?
Her reply came through instantly. You’ll see…
Whatever. I blocked her again and headed up to my room. They were empty threats. It wasn’t like this crazy bitch had any idea where I lived. Besides, I had more important stuff to think about, like Lucy and her perfect, luscious lips…
Fuck. Why the hell did she have to be my stepsister? It just threw one more spanner in the works. Ron had done so much for me and my Mom, and I hated to think of how disappointed he’d be to learn how much I wanted to fuck his daughter.
But shit, that wasn’t going to be enough to stop me from doing it. She wanted it as bad as I did, and we both knew it would happen sooner rather than later. In the end, we were basically all hormonal animals, right?
Yep, that was it. No more fucking around. As soon as she was awake and sober tomorrow morning, I was gonna do it.
I was finally going to make her mine.
***
The next morning, I spent a good hour in the home gym, working out all my pent-up sexual tension on the weight bench and punching bag. Lucy’s naked body was etched into my brain, and sweat beaded on my brow as my arms began to ache. It was a good ache, the kind that said I’d had a productive gym sesh.
I gulped down a glass of water in the kitchen a few minutes later, glancing at the clock as I soaked in the cool liquid. It was quiet in the house, which meant Ron and my Mom were both out, and Penelope hadn’t arrived for the day yet. Lucy should have been awake by now too. I wasn’t working today, and neither was she, given the events of yesterday.
I whistled to myself as I headed out to the guesthouse. Now might be a good time to talk to her, if she hadn’t taken more medication and looped out again. The door was unlocked, which meant she was definitely awake, and I popped my head in.
“Lucy?”
I couldn’t see her in the bedroom or small lounge area, and then I heard sounds coming from the bathroom. It sounded like something had just clinked against the basin, so I figured she was doing her hair or makeup. The bathroom door was unlocked as well, so I opened it and poked my head around.
“Hey, I…oh, shit.”
Lucy shrieked. “What are you doing?”
She must have only just stepped out of the shower, because she was standing in there buck naked, little rivulets of water running down her bare breasts and heading further south to her…fuck. I forced myself to turn away.
“Sorry! Door was unlocked so I thought you were dressed,” I said.
Truthfully, I wasn’t entirely sorry. I doubted I’d ever be sorry for seeing her naked. Fuck, she was amazing. Once again, the outline of her curves was burned into my brain, and she quickly slammed the door shut before replying.
“I didn’t think I had to lock it,” she called out. “I’m not used to anyone coming in here first thing in the morning.”
She appeared again a second later, clad in a fluffy robe. Her hair was dripping on her shoulders, and I smiled at her.
“How are you feeling?”
“Embarrassed.”
Well, it wasn’t like I hadn’t seen her naked before…
Her cheeks had a pink tinge to them, and I shook my head. “Don’t be embarrassed. It’s my fault. I walked in here without knocking.”
“Not about that,” she said. “Last night…I don’t know what got into me.”
“I do. It was the painkillers,” I said. “Have you taken any more yet?”
She shook her head. “No. I actually feel way better now. No headache or anything.”
“Glad to hear it. Anyway, I just came to see how you are, and also to see if you wanted to talk about yesterday or whatever.”
Her cheeks turned a deeper shade of pink. “Yeah. That’s probably a good idea.”
All of a sudden, we didn’t need words. Talking wasn’t going to do shit. We wanted each other, and there was only one thing either of us wanted to do. I made it one step towards her before she grabbed me and pulled me close, and she tilted her head up and murmured the words I’d been waiting to hear.
Trick - A Stepbrother Romance Page 10
