by Ryli Jordan
“Oh,” I said faintly. “What did you get for him?”
David shrugged, grinning over at me. “Same thing I get for him every year: a box of nostalgia. A bunch of the candy that he grew up with, plus stupid things like Slinkys and Silly Putty and whatever else he can use to keep himself occupied when he's on long calls at work.”
“Huh,” I said. “That's surprisingly thoughtful.”
David rolled his eyes. “He's my dad, Kate. I'm not such a heartless human being that I don't try to get him a decent gift.”
I blushed. “I didn't mean it that way.”
“Well, what way did you mean it, then?” David shook his head. “No, I don't even want to know.” He stopped us outside a bookstore. “Dad likes new fiction bestsellers. I'm sure you can find something he wants here while I go pick up something elsewhere. I'll meet you back here in twenty minutes.”
“Wait, but how will I know what books he already has or has read?” I protested.
David shook his head. “Kate, it's the thought that counts, right? Does it really matter if you give him a book that he already has? Better that than a tie.”
“Fine,” I muttered, folding my arms across my chest. “But where are you going to be anyway?”
“Don't worry about it,” David said. “Just go pick a book.”
I wandered through the shelves for a while and finally settled on a book. I was waiting in line to pay when David materialized next to me. I gasped and jumped a little. “You scared me!”
David looked genuinely contrite. “Sorry about that,” he said, smiling down at me and pulling me into a one-armed hug. He peered down at the book that I'd selected and flipped it over to read the back. “Hey, well done, this actually looks pretty interesting.”
I snorted. “Thanks. I did actually try.” I paid for the book and slipped it into the bag with my other purchases. I frowned, trying to figure out what else I needed. Just a gift for David, I was pretty sure, but it wasn't like I could buy that while he was there next to me. I didn't have the faintest idea of what to get for him, even, and it wasn't like I could just ask him—that would ruin the surprise. I'd figure that out some other time that week. For now… “Think I'm about done shopping,” I said.
“Yeah, me too,” David said. He glanced at his watch and grimaced. “We've got another 45 minutes before we have to meet everyone, though.”
“Mom will need all of that time too,” I muttered, knowing this from previous experience.
David snorted and slung an arm around my shoulders, steering me out into the crowds again. “I'm sure we can find something to do. Maybe get some food?”
“Not hungry,” I said. “I really just want to get away from all these people.” I looked around distastefully.
Suddenly, David tugged me sideways into a shop. “Well, you're in luck, because there's hardly anyone in this...hat shop.” He grinned over at me.
I raised an eyebrow at him and looked around the shop. “Yeah, and this is so much fun.” I glanced over at the bored-looking salesperson who was eyeing us critically. “She clearly knows we're not in here to buy a hat.”
“But we could be,” David said, a devilish gleam in his eye. “Come here.” He pulled me over one of the walls of hats and selected one at random, dropping it down on my head.
I looked in the mirror at the ridiculous—feathered—purple hat that he'd put on my head and couldn't help but giggle a little. “That looks… Well, it's not really my style.”
“Maybe not,” David said mock-regretfully. “Let's try another one.” He swapped out the hat I was currently wearing for an even more ridiculous one that was shockingly blue and sequined. “How about this one?”
I snickered and shook my head. “You can do better than that.”
David raised an eyebrow at me. “Challenge accepted.” He turned back towards the wall of hats and then glanced over at me. “Okay, close your eyes. Are you ready for this?”
I snorted and obediently closed my eyes, waiting impatiently to see which of the absurd hats he would choose next.
“Okay, open your eyes.”
I slowly opened my eyes and found myself staring up at David. He blinked down at me and then slowly reached up to brush a bit of hair off to the side. “Wow,” he said quietly. He cleared his throat. “That hat, uh, actually really suits you.”
I snorted and grabbed the mirror, wondering what kind of joke he was playing on me. But he was right: the hat really did look good on me. The burgundy color went perfectly with my dark brown hair, and the cute almost-fedora style with the rakishly tilted brim slimmed my face somehow and made my cheekbones really stand out. I laughed a little self-consciously and turned back towards David. “Uh, yeah. Definitely not what I was expecting.”
David brought his hand up to cup my cheek, looking like he wanted to say something more. But just then, a pointed cough sounded off to my left.
I stumbled back away from David as I realized Luke and Jen were standing there. “Uh, hi guys,” I said quickly.
Luke raised an eyebrow. “So I kind of expected it, but the two of you are officially...” He made a rude gesture with his hands.
I felt my face start burning. “No,” I said emphatically, shaking my head. “We were just kidding around with these hats and stuff. David threw this one on my head and made all my hair fall in my eyes, so he was brushing it back out of the way.”
Neither of them looked convinced, of course. David drew himself up to his full height. “Look, nothing's going on—we're definitely not...” He repeated the same gesture, and oh, I didn't know why it actually turned me on to see him do something so lewd with his fingers. (Fingers that had been inside of me at the holiday party, my mind helpfully supplied.)
“Whatever you say,” Luke said, but I could tell this wasn't the last we were going to hear of this. “Are you guys done? We finished early and were just wandering around. Do you want to get some food?” Without waiting for an answer, he and Jen started towards the front of the store, leaving David and I to trail behind. I shot David a guilty look, but he was resolutely staring straight ahead of himself.
Chapter Six
KATE
The next big hurdle was Christmas. And it was definitely a hurdle, since by now Luke already seemed to know that something was up between David and I—although I'd managed to avoid him all week after the shopping trip, somehow, except for a passing awkward moment on our parents' front porch as I'd been walking in and he'd been walking out. I'd tried to pointedly ignore him; he'd reached out to pull me into a hug, one hand gently cupping the back of my head as though he'd like to tilt my face up into a kiss. I'd quickly pulled away from him and gone inside, firmly shutting the door between us.
He couldn't do anything on Christmas, though, I figured. Our whole family would be there, and there wouldn't be these private moments that we kept having.
We had a fun day. It started with a late brunch, followed by opening our presents. Once all the gifts were opened, Mom put on a movie, and it was almost as though this was just another Christmas for us. But where normally we'd be curled up on the couch together, this year it was Mom and Alex on the couch and the rest of us—David and I, plus David's cousins and various other relatives who lived in the area—scattered around the room on armchairs and cushions and wherever else we fit.
“You've been quiet today,” Luke said, cornering me in the kitchen as I went to refill my eggnog later that evening. It was cozy out in the living room, everyone curled up with books, a few of the cousins playing cards over in one corner, and a Christmas special playing in the background for those who cared to watch. But I couldn't help feeling antsy. David had disappeared just after dinner, and I was itching to do the same but I didn't want anyone to think I'd disappeared with him.
I shrugged a little in response to Luke. “I'm not feeling great,” I said. It wasn't totally a lie. Of course, he would probably think I meant I was getting sick or something. But mentally I really wasn't feeling great. There was this
cloud of nostalgia that had been hanging over me, plus I'd been on-edge about the whole thing with David, trying my best to make sure he never managed to corner me. I hadn't thought to avoid Luke as well.
Luke smiled sadly at me. “That makes two of us,” he sighed, hopping up to sit at one of the counter stools. He leaned his face against his hand. “I wanted Jen to come over,” he confessed.
I frowned, wondering why he was telling me this and took another sip of eggnog. “Why didn't she?” I asked, figuring I'd humor him. Maybe if I could stay on his good side, he wouldn't air his suspicions to Mom or Alex.
“I didn't ask her,” Luke answered. He sighed. “I think I actually like her. Like, as...potential girlfriend material, I guess. That's new territory for me.”
I raised an eyebrow at him. “Oh?” I couldn't stop my sarcasm: “Is the sex with her really that much better than with your whole string of one-night stands?”
Luke winced and dropped his head down against the counter. “We've never had sex,” he admitted. “So I wouldn't know.”
“Well, you've done one thing right then, I guess,” I said, hopping up to sit across from him on another of the stools. “Does she know that you like her?”
“Of course not,” Luke said, sounding miserable. “Look at me. My life is in pieces at the moment. I don't know why she still even talks to me. I live with my uncle, I don't have a job, I don't have any skills, and for all anyone knows of me, I'm a total asshole of a manwhore.”
“Your words, not mine,” I said, tilting my glass towards him. I frowned thoughtfully, though. “But that's a good sign, right? That she's still willing to be around you. You must not be doing all wrong in her eyes.”
“Yeah, but...” Luke sighed, lifting his head. “Sorry, I don't mean to bother you with all of this. I guess we're not even related except tangentially. I just...” He shook his head. “I'm just lonely, I guess.”
The raw note in his voice resonated with something inside of me. “Yeah,” I said, swallowing hard. “Yeah, I know that feeling.” I studied my hands for a long moment.
“You've got David, though,” Luke said. “For whatever, you're doing with him. Which I don't want to know, because he and I are related.”
“We're not doing anything,” I mumbled. “He's my stepbrother.”
Luke rolled his eyes. “Yeah, well. I mean, it could be a lot worse, right? And it's not like the two of you grew up together or anything like that. There are no laws saying that you can't marry the guy, even. Just might make family gatherings a bit awkward if the two of you break up, that's all.” He managed half a grin.
I shook my head. “Look, I appreciate the stamp of approval, but it's not going to happen anyway. I mean, have you seen the girls he flirts with? Leggy and blonde and...” I gestured down at myself. “I’m not looking for a relationship and neither is he, but I don’t want to be played like a toy.”
Luke shrugged. “I saw the two of you at the mall. You were cute together. And David looked like he was actually enjoying himself, for the first time in, oh, never? Don't rule it out. One of us deserves to be less...lonely tonight.”
“Are you actually telling me that I should go find David and—and what? Just kiss him and expect that everything is going to work out?” It was a sign of the amount of eggnog I'd already had that I was actually considering this, I knew. But I took another sip of my drink anyway.
“I’m sure he’s in his childhood room; that’s where he usually retreats to during these things. You know where that is,” Luke pointed out, slipping off his stool. “I'm going to go see what everyone is up to and try to cheer myself up. Thanks for the chat, though.”
Chapter Seven
KATE
When David answered the door to his room, it was dark inside, as though he'd been sleeping. But his eyes were bright, and he didn't appear to be just waking up. “What do you want?” he asked shortly.
I paused for a second, taken aback by his tone, and then pushed boldly forwards, leaning up one my tiptoes so I could kiss him. For a long moment, nothing happened, and then his lips slowly moved against mine. His arms came down around my waist, pulling me into the room with him, and then he kicked the door shut.
He pulled back, staring down at me, his eyes glinting in the light from his computer screen. “Didn't expect that,” he said honestly.
“Good surprise or bad surprise?” I asked, but I didn't wait for his answer before I leaned in to kiss him again. The kiss was raw and uncoordinated, a desperate mix of attraction, surprise, lack of inhibitions, and need.
After a moment, David pulled back, staring down at me. “How drunk are you?” he asked. I moved to kiss him again, but he pulled away. “No,” he said. “How drunk are you? I don't want to do something you'll regret in the morning.”
“I doubt I'll be the first drunk woman you've ever slept with,” I scoffed.
David gave me a considering look. “That's true,” he agreed, his thumb coming up to stroke along my cheek in a gesture I was rapidly becoming familiar with. “But you aren't just any woman, I hope you realize.”
I snorted. “I'm sure you say that to all of them,” I muttered, ducking my head.
David made a soft noise. “Kate. Kate, look at me.” I reluctantly lifted my eyes. “Kate,” David said again, leaning in to kiss me gently. He cracked a small smile. “Can you imagine how awkward it would be if I made you hate me? We are family now. I imagine there will be plenty more of these family events organized by your mother in our futures.”
I sighed and pushed him away. “I don't want to hear that you're being considerate just because I'm your stepsister. In fact, I'd prefer to forget about the fact that I am, in fact, your stepsister.”
David shook his head, stepping back in close. “Kate, I've wanted you since the moment I first laid eyes on you. And I know that's not something that maybe we're supposed to act on, but I really, really can't help myself. You're so fucking beautiful...”
His hands slid down around my waist, and I felt a punch of lust hit me right in the gut. “So what happens now?” I asked.
David shrugged. “You're the one who came to my room. I'm still waiting to see what you had planned.”
“I didn't have anything planned,” I said, but my eyes slid guiltily over to his bed.
David arched an eyebrow at me. “Oh really?” He glanced over his shoulder at his bed as well, one of his hands still stroking soft lines along my side. “Well, maybe we could just...lay down and get comfortable for a little while. I had a movie on...”
“Sounds great,” I said shyly, moving towards the bed with him. I paused next to the bed and then boldly reached behind myself and undid the zipper down the back of my dress. “I don't want it to get all wrinkled,” I said, shedding the fabric.
David made a sound as though all the air had been punched out of his lungs and crawled on his knees across the mattress to get closer to me. “Jesus,” he muttered. “Warn a guy before you...” His eyes roved hungrily over my body. Then, he slowly settled himself back against the headboard, moving deliberately to remove his own slacks and button-down. “Come here,” he said finally, holding his arms out to me.
I crawled into the space between his legs and leaned in to make out with him some more, our tongues moving hot and slick against one another's. I moaned as David's hands came down to cup my ass, pulling me off-balance so I fell firmly against his chest.
He growled and rolled us over so that he was on top of me. We were both still wearing our underwear, but I could feel his thick cock nudging at my entrance, and I couldn't help but arch helplessly against him, driving down against his member.
He trailed kisses down the side of my neck and straight down to my navel, igniting a line of fire that went all the way down to my core. “Fuck, David,” I groaned, twisting my fingers in the sheets.
I can’t believe this is happening, but I have to ask him, “Do you have condoms?”
“Yep, always,” He smirked devilishly up at me and slowly h
ooked his fingers into the elastic band at the top of my panties, dragging them slowly down my legs. Then, he bent in and placed a soft kiss to the folds between my legs. His tongue flicked lightly over my clit, making me whimper. Meanwhile, his fingers came up to thrust inside of me, expertly stroking in a rhythm that quickly had me gasping and tangling my fingers in his hair.
“You like that?” David asked, his smirk widening.
I rolled my eyes at him, ready with a snarky response, but before I could voice it, he changed the angle of his fingers, and I found all I was capable of was a wanton groan as I fell back against his sheets. I glanced towards the door, suddenly struck by the realization that anyone could walk in at any moment—and they likely would, if they heard us groaning and gasping.
“It's locked,” David said, following my gaze. “And one of the perks of living in a house that costs a fortune is that the soundproofing is excellent.” He grinned at me. “I'm going to have you screaming my name by the time I'm done with you.” As though to prove his point, he suddenly reached up and twisted on of my nipples between his deft forefingers, drawing a yelp out of me.
I caught his shoulders and pulled him up into another kiss. “Come on,” I begged, palming his hard dick. He didn't even have his boxers off yet—something we definitely needed to rectify. I tugged at the material and made a soft noise as his manhood sprung free, a drip of precum already there at the head. He retrieved the gold foil package from his jeans on the floor and sheath himself.
“Impatient?” David asked, nipping at my jawline. But he quickly lined himself up and slid his member deep inside of me. I gasped and writhed against the sheets, fingers clenching and unclenching. David froze, although he was practically shaking with the effort of doing so. “Too much?”
I groaned and urged him onwards with my heels in the small of his back. “That feels so good,” I said. “I've just never been filled like this before.” My breath caught as he shifted slightly out and then thrust back in, opening me up even more if that was possible. He started moving against me, a slow drag out and then a quick movement to fill me up again. Our hands roamed over one another's skin, perfect points of soft friction.
