Stepbrother Untouchable

by Masters, Colleen

  Nate surprises me by leaning in for a hug as our parents look on with a smile. “Great to meet you,” he says, then whispers almost silently in my ear, “Sorry, we'll never get a chance to have that threesome, Sis.”

  I freeze as he pats my back once and then breaks away. He remembered. And now he will always know how attracted I am to him. I have a feeling I'm never going to hear the end of it.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  “I don't mean to question the relationship, it was just so sudden,” I explain to my mom as she drives me home from the airport. I usually never fly to or from college, but Pierce insisted. My biggest worry was that Nate and I might be on the same flight, but luckily his exams ended earlier than mine. I want as much time as possible to prepare myself for our interactions.

  “No, I get it, I really do,” my mom assures me. “You can ask me anything about Pierce, or me and Pierce, and I won't be upset.”

  “He treats you well?”

  “He's wonderful. He's always surprising me with little gifts, trips, even. I don't know what I've done to deserve him.”

  “Well, I think you're pretty great.” I offer dramatically.

  “Oh, I didn't mean it like that! I just mean, Pierce treats me like a princess. And the house is basically a castle,” she adds, pointing to her right. I gasp at the flagstone mansion we're pulling alongside.

  “Shut up. That's his house!? It's huge!”

  “I know, right?” my mom replies with a laugh. “It has maid's quarters! But you'll get used to it, really.”

  “There's a maid?”

  “He used to have a housekeeper/maid who would cook for him, but now I do most of that stuff. I love having someone else to cook for again. The maid just comes once a week now to do a really thorough cleaning,” she explains as we pull through the wrought-iron gates leading the driveway.

  “Are you still working at the salon?” She used to support herself as a manicurist at the tiny salon back in our small town in eastern Maryland.

  “Nope, not anymore. I'm volunteering, though, and thinking of joining some charitable boards,” she says nonchalantly. My mom, a lady who lunches, I think, shaking my head. I don't know if I can see it.

  My mom presses a button on the car's dashboard and one of the two garage doors opens. We pull inside and I look around at the huge space as the door closes behind us. If I'm this in shock about the size of the garage, I can't imagine how I'll feel about the rest of the place.

  After the tour, which took over an hour because the house is so massive, my mom finally leads me to my room. My head is swimming at the lavishness of my new home. As we walk down the plushly carpeted hallway, I'm alarmed to realize that I can actually smell Nate. He must be nearby somewhere. I've been dreading seeing him again and hoped I'd have more time to settle in before our first confrontation.

  “Here's Nate's room,” my mom says as we pass a partially open door. “He's out somewhere right now.” I shake my head at myself. I wish I could turn off the part of my body that's attracted to him. If anything, though, my sex dreams about him have only become more frequent and more alarming ever since he laid his hand on my thigh. “And here's your room.” I can't believe it's right next door to Nate's room. There are so many rooms in this place—I would have preferred to have a bit more separation between us.

  “Whoa,” I say as she pushes the door open, and my misgivings about the room are forgotten. A canopy with a delicate white fabric settled on it hangs over the four-poster bed in the center of the room. A matching nightstand, bureau, and vanity make up the rest of the furniture. The wallpaper is a tasteful, blue and white pattern with small birds on it that complements the light, airy feel of the room. I release the handle of my luggage and head over the to the window seat and kneel on it. There's a spectacular view of the Potomac River below—the house was clearly built to play up the amazing location. I glance to my left. “Is that my own bathroom?”

  “Yup—no more sharing!” my mom replies gaily. I step inside and admire the all-white tile and huge tub. I've never been in a house so nice. I can't believe I'm actually going to call this place home from now on. “You want anything to eat?” my mom asks from the bedroom.

  “Um, yeah, that would be great,” I call over my shoulder.

  “OK, I'll whip something up. You stay here and get settled. I'll be in the kitchen when you're ready to eat.”

  I wander back into the bedroom as my mom disappears down the stairs. There is one question I have that I can’t bring myself to ask her. It's just…I know my mom worries about money, about me graduating from school with so much debt. It's not that I think she would have married Pierce just for the money, but I worry that it might have clouded her judgment a bit. They got married so quickly—can she really know him that well?

  Maybe I'm just falling back into my usual pattern of co-dependency and mothering her. She's a grown woman, I can’t control what she does and I’m not responsible for her decisions…not to mention, I am hugely relieved to not have to carry around student loans for the rest of my life.

  I kick my sandals off and sink back down onto the window seat. The Potomac is a dark green sliver barely visible through the bushy trees that line the back of the estate and continue down to the shoreline. I startle as a figure breaks the stillness. I recognize Nate's head as he walks up from the lower lawn to the pool, a lacrosse stick tucked over his shoulder. Sheesh—is he training already? School just ended!

  I bite my lip as I watch him toss the stick on the deck and peel off his shirt. He uses it to wipe the sweat off his face, then tosses it on a chair and kicks off his sneakers. His body is just…impossible. I mean, I guess it makes sense. Two varsity sports are probably enough to give anyone a body like a Greek god, but he also has the face to match.

  He jumps in the pool and I watch him swim a lap, the cool blue water cascading over his muscular back and shoulders. I need to get used to seeing him like this—and stop acting like a total freak every time we’re in the same room. This is my new normal.

  “Your food's ready!” my mom calls upstairs, her voice echoing a bit in the multi-level foyer. I jump up and head downstairs. I turn into a formal dining room before finding my way to the kitchen. I stop as I realize the kitchen windows look directly out onto the pool. Great. “I can't believe Nate's already in the pool. The water's still freezing,” my mom comments.

  “Yeah, he’s crazy…” I reply, before I really hear what she said. I'm too distracted by Nate’s backstroke, his arms cutting cleanly through the water.

  “So you two never once ran into each other on campus in the three years you’ve been at UVA?” she asks, sliding a BLT onto the glass table in the breakfast nook. We sit down across from each other and I start eating.

  “No, well…we hadn't ever met.”

  “But?” my mom digs, hearing a slight hesitation in my voice.

  “Well, Nate's really well known around campus. He starts on the lacrosse and crew teams, he's smart, good—” I catch myself and pretend to clear my throat.

  “Good-looking?” My mom asks with a smile.

  “Mom…” I groan.

  “Well, he is. I'm not blind. Actually, Pierce looked just like him when he was his age.” I see Nate get out of the pool over my mom's shoulder and shake himself off. I force myself to look down at my sandwich as he walks across to a lawn chair and lies down.

  “What happened to Nate's mom?”

  My mom winces. “Pierce doesn't really like to talk about it—too painful. Apparently, she cheated on him and then abandoned him and Nate. They never see her.”

  “Oh, that's awful,” I murmur, trying to shove down the twinge of pity I feel for my new stepbrother.

  “I think it's one of the things that brought us together—raising a child by ourselves.”

  My eyes flick to the door as Nate slides it open. He's put his shirt back on but it clings to his still damp torso, emphasizing his muscular pecs and shoulders. He drops his sneakers on the mat as he shuts the door
behind him.

  “Hey Nate,” my mom greets him. “Would you like a sandwich?”

  “You don't have to do that,” he says, a little gruffly.

  “I don't mind at all,” she replies, standing to move back to the counter. He pauses, then sits in her abandoned chair a bit reluctantly. “It's so funny that you and Brynn never met at school!”

  “I think there might have been one time—” he says, glancing at me, that same devilish look back in his eyes. I feel his knee come to rest against mine under the table, and I quickly cross my legs.

  “In class. We have been in a few of the same classes together,” I clarify, narrowing my eyes at him.

  “We have?” he asks looking genuinely surprised. My mom quietly spreads mayo on a slice of bread at the marble island.

  “Yes,” I whisper, embarrassed. Of course he wouldn't remember all of the times we've sat in the same classroom—only the time when I ogled him in the doorway of his bedroom and completely embarrassed myself. I blush. I want to sink into this seat cushion and disappear. He frowns at me then turns his palm over and begins to pick at a callous.

  “So honey, Pierce says you'll start your internship on Monday, OK? That'll give you a few days to settle in,” my mom says as she slides the sandwich in front of Nate.

  “Sounds good,” I reply, glancing at Nate out of the corner of my eye.

  “I'm having someone over for dinner tomorrow night,” he announces rather abruptly.

  “Oh, wonderful. A friend from around here?”

  “Not a friend, really. A girl I dated in high school,” Nate clarifies. I keep my eyes trained carefully forward.

  “Do you know if she has any dietary restrictions?” my mom asks, excitedly flying into hostess mode. “I could make this chicken dish my mom passed down, or…”

  I tune out as she offers more ideas, and polish off my sandwich as quickly as possible so I can excuse myself and go upstairs. I sigh as I close my bedroom door behind me. So now I have to have dinner with Nate's ex-girlfriend. Is this what the rest of the summer is going to be like? Nate punishing me for his father's favor by exploiting my attraction to him? I'd rather be back in the library, buried in a book.

  CHAPTER SIX

  I push the sautéed chicken around my plate as I try not to watch Nate drape his arm around the back of Dana's chair. She's pretty. Very pretty. And sweet. I wish she weren't so sweet so I could hate her for a good reason.

  “So how long did you two date?” my mom asks.

  “Well, it was on and off, so…hard to say. He actually went to prom with one of my friends,” she replies, jokingly nudging Nate, who at least has the grace to blush.

  “Nate…” his dad says, shaking his head admonishingly.

  “Oh, it's OK. I went with one of his friends,” Dana says with a smile. “I think we both knew it wasn't meant to be.”

  “A couple of my friends met their husbands in high school,” my mom says, resting her fork on her plate. “Though I read an article recently that said that twenty-eight percent of women meet their husbands in college.” She looks pointedly at me and I jump up.

  “I'll clear,” I announce. I have a feeling I know where this conversation is headed and I want to avoid it.

  “Oh, thank you, Brynn,” Pierce says, as I stack the plates on top of one another.

  “No problem,” I reply. “I waited tables in high school.”

  “Same,” Nate says, as I reach in front of him to take his plate.

  “You did not,” I retort, before I can think. He looks up at me and raises his eyebrows, his gaze unreadable beneath them.

  Pierce laughs. “It's true.”

  “My dad says working is the only way to build character,” Nate reports quietly.

  “Oh,” I say, blushing as I push my way through the swinging door into the kitchen. I place the china carefully next to the sink and lean onto the counter. God, I feel like I can't say anything right around Nate. My mind freezes up while my body is set on fire.

  “So, are you dating anyone at school, Brynn?” Pierce asks. Damn him.

  “Not right now,” I reply, sitting back down.

  “Who were you dating? Maybe I know him,” Nate says, his dark eyes picking up the candlelight in the table's elaborate centerpiece. My mom spent all afternoon on it.

  “Probably not,” I say evasively, pasting a polite smile on my face. He really knows how to get under my skin. The truth is, I've never really dated anyone, much as my mom pushes me, and as much as I'm embarrassed by the fact. “Who wants dessert?”

  I manage to sidestep any more questioning by bringing out the last course, though now I'm starting to think about the fact that Nate and Dana are probably going to want to go off somewhere after this and have sex. I hope it's not in Nate's room. What if I can hear them through the wall?

  My mom insists on clearing the dessert plates, and Nate and Dana stand up. Pierce and Nate start talking quietly, and Dana comes over to me.

  “You are so gorgeous.” She offers. “I have to ask: what do you use on your skin?”

  “I—what? Um, soap?” Oh man, she really makes it difficult to hate her.

  “Soap? Just…soap? Oh my god, I have this whole routine,” she says, laughing at herself.

  “Well, thanks. I guess I'll be seeing you around often?” I ask, but she looks surprised. “Because you and Nate are dating.”

  “We're not really dating,” she confides to me. “He's not the type, and I gave up hope years ago. But just look at him—can you blame me for coming back?” she says with a grin, then her eyes widen. “Oh my gosh—sorry! I forgot for a second that he's your brother!”

  “Step-brother,” I correct her. “Well, I'm gonna head upstairs. It was really nice to meet you, Dana.”

  “You, too,” she replies, stepping away to join Pierce and Nate's conversation. I head into the foyer but at the last second decide not to go upstairs. I need some air. I find myself heading down the hallway and to the French doors in the wood-paneled study. They open onto the patio and I step outside with relief, closing the door behind me.

  The firm breeze from the river calls me forward and I head down toward it. I circle around the swimming pool on the first level of the backyard, and then down to a grassy lawn with a lacrosse goal set up on one end. The wooden stairs down to the rocky beach are set on the right side, and it takes me a minute to find them in the dark.

  As I head down the steps, I see the Potomac spread out in front of me. The water rushes hungrily by, lit only by the sparsely set houses on the cliffs surrounding it. As I step onto the shore, I can feel the rocks pressing up through my sandals, and boulders casting long, dark shadows on either side of me. This is no white-sand beach. The river runs dangerously fast after rains, and there are even white-water rapids along parts of it.

  I look back at the steps behind me and then back out at the river. I feel so out of place here. Even though our old house didn't really feel like home either, I wish I were there now, stretched out on the ratty old couch, with my mom in her chair, watching something on our small TV. I don't know if I'll ever be able to feel like I belong here. I'll always feel like a guest in Pierce’s house.

  I walk down closer to the water until I can feel the pebbles getting smaller underneath my feet. I don't want my shoes to get wet. I jump as a bird breaks out of a tree above me. I can just see it as it flies off, its body a moving ink blot against the dark sky.

  I wish I could follow it.

  I turn and walk back toward the steps, feeling as lonely as I've ever felt. I shake my head at myself as I climb the wooden stairs. My mom is happy, and I'm fortunate to live in a place like this. Stop feeling sorry for yourself, Brynn.

  As I walk across the lower lawn, I look up and see my mom and Pierce's bedroom light go off. I guess they're turning in early tonight. I walk up toward the pool and freeze as I hear a moan. The lights downstairs are all off except one in the hall, and the pool's lights underneath the water. My eyes dart around and fall on
two writhing bodies on a poolside lounge chair. Nate and Dana.

  I stare as Nate whips off his own shirt and then Dana's. I know I should move but I don't. The blue pool lights shimmer against his back muscles as he expertly undoes Dana's bra and pulls off her pants and underwear.

  Leave, you pervert! My brain commands me, but my body stays firmly glued in place, even as it throbs with desire. One of Nate's hands massages Dana's ample breasts, and the other disappears beneath her. Dana cries out immediately and I almost gasp myself, as though his hands are moving against me. I can practically feel his touch on me, his hot breath against my ear as his expert fingers move inside me…

  Nate grunts and pushes against her. She struggles to contain herself as he thrusts slowly in and out of her. Oh my god—what am I doing!? I step back with a jolt as though I'm breaking out of a trance and almost trip over the hydrangea bush next to me in my hurry to get away. I run as quickly and quietly as I can around the side of the house and to the front. I reach the front door and pray that Nate is going to lock up later. I feel the doorknob turn and push the door open in relief. I hurry up the curving staircase and down the hall into my room, kicking off my sandals before hurling myself onto my bed and burying my head in the pillows.

  I can feel my cheeks burning with mortification over what I just witnessed and the uncontrollable desire I felt. I've had crushes before, but none like my obsession with Nate. And even after finally meeting him, only to have him tease me and push my buttons, I still feel so physically drawn to him.

  I pull my face out of the pillow and crawl to the nightstand, pulling my dog-eared copy of Lady Chatterley's Lover out of the top drawer. Just as I'm opening it to the folded-over page, there's a quiet knock at my door. I toss my book on the bed and walk to it, hoping and praying it’s not Nate.

  I almost jump as I pull open the door and Nate's face appears, shrouded in the darkness of the hallway. He leans forward, leaning his forearm on the doorjamb as I step back nervously. His wavy hair looks particularly unruly, and his lips are curved in a slight smile.