Man Up Stepbrother

by Danielle Sibarium

  "Actually, I am seeing someone. She's smart, and beautiful, and I know you're all going to love her."

  "Oh, that's wonderful!" Mom squeals, bringing her hands to her mouth. "When do we get to meet her?"

  I don't look at Allie to gauge her reaction. The sooner we come clean, the better. Besides, she's already pissed at me, why not piss her off some more and get all of the shit out of the way at once?

  "You tell me. How about we do this over dinner?"

  "Fantastic. How's Friday night? We'll have a family dinner. I'll invite Troy and Marlena, too. Or is that too much? I mean, are you serious or will that scare her?"

  My chest tightens. Allie and I never spoke about our feelings. We didn't have to. We just went with the flow. We never labeled what was happening between us. But I know this is more than an intense attraction and two people fucking. At least for me it is. I've never had this kind of electric chemistry with anyone else. And I know she feels the undeniable charge between us, too.

  "Are we serious?" I repeat, drawing the question out, afraid to look in Allie's direction. "I haven't asked how she feels, but I sure as hell am."

  I make it a point to stay more engaged in the conversation until dinner is over. Especially when Allie speaks. It's not strained, not uncomfortable. In fact, just being here with Allie at my side, I'm more at ease having dinner with my mother than I have been in over a decade.

  *

  "I bet you can't wait to get home and into your own bed tonight," Mom says as I carry the last suitcase in the house.

  "About that," I run my hand through my hair. "A pipe burst in my apartment and it's being fixed. There's no running water. It's been turned off, so I can't stay there. Should be done by the end of the week though." I figure that's more than enough time for Allie and I to come clean. "Do you mind if I crash here?"

  "Of course not." She places a hand on both my cheeks. "You know you're always welcome. Besides, it's the least we can do after you did so much while we were gone."

  I take one of my mother's hands in mine. "You don't need to keep making such a big deal about it or acting like it was something so great. I did what I did because it was the right thing."

  "Sweetheart, you never did know how to take a compliment. You're a good boy, Jagger, and I'm your mother. I get to make a fuss over you if I want."

  I shake my head and look off at the wall behind her. "I don't deserve it."

  She stares in my eyes for a long time before speaking. "Whatever happened, you have to forgive yourself."

  "Come on, Mom. Stop."

  "No. You're the one that needs to stop. You can't make up for the past by sacrificing your life, because no matter what you do, it's never going to be enough."

  "I don't know what you're talking about."

  "Of course you don't, honey."

  I've done it again. I feel the disappointment seeping from her pores.

  "I really am fine, Mom."

  "I believe you, Jagger. I just want you to know that I'm so proud of the man you grew up to be."

  I bet she'll be looking to rescind that comment once she finds out I'm doing the nasty with my stepsister.

  Chapter 16

  Allie

  I lay in the dark, waiting. Wondering if Jagger will be true to his word and sneak into my room. He said that before we argued about Ox watching me and before he made that comment about us being family. Every other time someone mentioned us being family, he was clear that he'd never look at me like a sister. So what was that comment about? Did that all change in a matter of minutes because he didn't like my attitude?

  We didn't talk at all after dinner. Once we arrived back home safe and sound, I sat with Beverly and looked through all of her pictures and listened to all of her stories about the cruise and the vacation. Jagger kept to himself until I heard him mutter something under his breath.

  "What's wrong?" I asked.

  "Nothing." He shoved his phone in his pocket, grabbed his keys, and left.

  Jagger didn't bother telling any of us where he was going or when he'd be back. He didn't even bother to say goodbye. I don't know what crawled up his ass for him to act like that, and it has me on edge. I want to text him, but I don't. Instead I pretend my chest isn't aching for him, that I'm not longing for his touch or yearning to feel his arms around me.

  It's guilt eating away at me. I shouldn't have been such a bitch. But Jagger should've consulted me on his plans to have me watched. There's just something unsettling about knowing someone's been watching my every move without me knowing it. I said I was sorry and he accepted my apology. So why did he act so strange and bail suddenly?

  Jagger said when he can't be with me, Ox is watching. I can't help but wonder if Ox is watching right now. Is he sitting in his car, or up in a tree with a pair of binoculars? Does he watch as I undress? Is he only around when Jagger isn't or is he always in the background?

  Shit, was he there while Jagger and I had sex on the bed of his truck? Did we provide Ox with enough entertainment to get himself off? I don't even want to consider that, but it's a question I need answered. Just how much does Ox know of me?

  Even if I ask, can I trust Jagger's answer? I know better than to trust anyone blindly. Bailey made sure I felt the burn of humiliation so deep within that I won't make that mistake again. Yet somehow, Jagger weaseled his way into my heart, and I do trust him. But should I?

  Twice in the same day, he's proven that I shouldn't. Not only did he lie by omission the fact that he was keeping tabs on me, he also lied about me making the decision as to what comes next between us. If it was my choice, why did he go off and start talking about his "girlfriend" and how he wants the family to meet her?

  I don't want them to know yet. I'm not ready to shout it from the rooftops, and this is a perfect example of why not. Right now, as much as I want him, I'm pissed. I feel betrayed, and I'm not sure how any of that is going to be resolved.

  The door to my room creaks open and a sliver of light illuminates Jagger's form as he squeezes in through the opening. I'm met with relief and I feel like I can breathe easier. My heart speeds up and I forget all the thoughts running through my head a moment ago. He's here now. That's all that matters.

  "I didn't think your father would ever get to sleep," Jagger whispers, approaching the bed.

  I scoot over to the side, making room for him.

  "Are you sure he's asleep?"

  "Either that, or he's literally sawing the wood in the bedroom."

  A giggle escapes me. The mattress shifts as Jagger lowers himself next to me. Once he's settled, Jagger pulls me into his arms, and it feels perfect. Like this is where I'm meant to be. Forgetting that I'm miffed at him for not telling me where he went or when he'd be back, I lean my head on his chest, close my eyes, and breathe him in.

  I wait for Jagger to speak, to apologize, for anything to leave his mouth, but for a few long minutes, nothing does. Not sure how I'm feeling or where I want things to go, I run my hand over his bare chest. His hand presses over mine, stopping me before he takes hold of my hand and removes it completely.

  After a deep breath, Jagger pulls his arm tighter around me. "If you're that against Ox keeping an eye on you, I'll end it."

  I pull myself out of his grasp and prop myself up on my elbow. "Us or him watching me?"

  "Whatever you want. I told you, you're in the driver's seat."

  "Yeah, and then you set up this family shindig where everyone is looking forward to meeting your girlfriend. While you were out, your mother asked if I met her, and if she stayed over here with you while they were away."

  "Fuck. I'm sorry." He reaches out and brushes my cheek. "I know I should've asked you, but something came over me, and the truth is, I don't regret it, Aleena. I really don't. It killed me to sit next to you and not be able to do this."

  Before I know it, Jagger's mouth covers mine. Feeling that familiar charge, my lips part and invite him in. His tongue makes a thorough sweep of my mouth while his hand slip
s down the neck of my shirt and takes hold of my breast. His thumb grazes over my nipple, perking it up to life before rolling it between his thumb and index finger.

  A wave of longing, of need, washes over me. My back arches to him as he readjusts himself, and I feel his knee come up hard between my legs. I wrap my legs around his waist and my hips rise and move against him.

  The friction between us heats my body from the inside out. It feels good, but I want more. I want him to fill and stroke deep inside me. All I can focus on is easing the pulsing need rising up from between my legs into the pit of my stomach.

  "If you're not ready to tell them, I'll cover," he says, kissing the area between my neck and my collarbone, causing a red-hot flame to shoot inside my body and a warm chill to kiss my skin.

  "A piece of advice," I say through labored breathing as his teeth clamp around one of my nipples through my shirt. "Don't go feeling me up in front of my father. It doesn't matter if he knows about us or not. You do this, and he'll kick your ass."

  "Don't worry, sunshine. I can handle myself," he says, lifting my shirt and running his tongue down the area between my breasts to my navel, all the way down to the waistband of my panties.

  My body trembles as Jagger's fingers trace the outline of my underwear against my thighs. He bunches the sides of the lacy cloth together, brings it to my center and tugs up, creating a reverse thong effect.

  I'm at the same time enthralled and terrified, dreading, hoping that he's about to bring his mouth to my center. I'd never in a million years ask him to. I find oral sex much more intimate than fucking, and it's not something I have a whole lot of experience with. I don't even know if I'll like it since it wasn't in Bailey's repertoire, but imagining Jagger's mouth and tongue there, I feel myself pooling with desire.

  I grip the sheet, holding on tight as his tongue and lips trace over the very top of my inner thighs where his fingers just visited. I close my eyes and push my head back. The sensation is overpowering me. I'm losing complete control, surrendering it to Jagger so long as he doesn't stop. Every muscle in my body is taut as I lay back tangled up with need, twisted like a ball of rubber bands growing bigger by the second, stretching thinner, waiting to snap and explode.

  I don't think about what I'm doing, He's robbed me of the ability to form a conscious thought about anything except for where I'm aching to feel his mouth next.

  "Jagger!" His name slips out of my lips.

  "Shh. Keep it down, or they'll hear."

  I nod. The excitement knob has just been turned from high heat to spontaneous combustion, knowing we can get caught at any minute. The wetness between my legs drips down as my level of arousal skyrockets off the charts.

  "Whatever you do, please don't stop until I cum."

  He doesn't answer. Instead, as if he's testing my resolve, Jagger grips my panties in both hands and pulls them in separate directions, ripping them off me until they're nothing more than a tattered piece of cloth beneath me.

  The anticipation of what comes next has me reeling. I feel like I'm floating, like I'm standing at the open door of a plane, waiting for my turn to jump. The nose of the plane rises sharply as his tongue glides over the seam of my pussy. I can't help myself, I moan because it feels out of this world.

  As if the sensation of his tongue isn't enough, his fingers join his mouth as he spreads me open and licks my sex. I've never felt so vulnerable, so exposed. It terrifies me, but I don't want him to back off or stop. I want more.

  "Mmm. So sweet." The deep sounds escape him before he returns his attention to the task at hand.

  My fingers move from the sheet to his hair. I need to hold on, to feel completely connected to him. I twine my fingers tight in his hair, because if I'm not touching him, holding him, I'm going to fall into an abyss.

  I close my eyes as my teeth bear down into my lip. His tongue circles and teases my clitoris as my chest heaves with every breath. The pleasure is intense and I want to scream out, but I can't.

  Jagger's hands run back up and play with my tits as his tongue focuses on my nerve center. I'm close to reaching a new height, a height I never knew existed before, when I feel a finger plunge inside me, and then another.

  The moans escaping me are growing in volume, the way the waves of pleasure crashing over me are growing in intensity. I know I'm close, and I pray I won't scream out his name, but I can't be sure.

  The pressure on my nerve bundle increases as Jagger's teeth scrape over and he suckles it. His masterful fingers have found a pressure point inside me, a spot that feels so good it hurts. I'm feeling the sweetest pain I've ever felt in my life as his fingers continue to thrust in and out, harder, faster, until that moment arrives when I'm shoved out of the plane and I'm soaring in the air.

  I clamp my hands over my mouth as I know I can no more control my cries of pleasure than I can control the beating of my heart, which at the moment is slamming hard against my chest. Jagger's mouth is still at the apex of my thighs, causing me to thrash wildly beneath him, until I can't take any more and I push his shoulders away.

  "What's wrong?" Jagger asks with a cocky smirk. "I gave you more than you can handle?" he teases, skimming his body over mine as he rests his weight on top of me.

  "I think I handled that just fine."

  He chuckles. "Does this mean I'm forgiven?"

  "Was that an apology?"

  "My sincerest apology," he says, staring down and hypnotizing me with the look of tenderness in his deep brown eyes.

  "Then by all means, piss me off as often as you'd like."

  Jagger chuckles before engaging me in another long, delicious kiss. One thing I know for sure, if he hadn't already, Jagger Evans just took full ownership of my body.

  Chapter 17

  Jagger

  Mission accomplished, I wasn't trying to weasel my way out of an uncomfortable conversation, but I did mean to make Allie forget she was pissed at me. I hold her against me and listen to the sweet sound of her breath returning to normal.

  She's content and I don't want to screw things up again, but if we don't talk, if we just pretend everything is fine, we're going to lose what's between us. What's fast become the best part of my life.

  I don't know where to start. If Allie thought she was pissed before, she's going to go through the roof when she finds out what went down tonight.

  "Why'd you leave without saying anything earlier?" she asks, yawning.

  "I didn't wear you out, did I?"

  "You wish."

  It's obvious she's spent. I can't help but laugh before I kiss her forehead.

  "Oh no you don't," she says, slapping at my chest. "I know what you're trying to do."

  "What's that?"

  "You're trying to avoid the question.”

  I don't answer right away. I stroke her arm, enjoying the feel of her skin while I gather my thoughts. The silence stirs a shift in energy.

  "Jagger," she pulls away and sits up, leaning her back against the wall. "Something's wrong. You're acting weird and it's scaring me."

  "No. Don't be scared, sunshine. I'm just looking for the right place to start."

  "Start from the beginning."

  I let out a long breath. "Once upon a time, a long time ago, there was only darkness."

  "Would you stop being an ass!"

  She picks her pillow up and swings it at my face. She's not quick enough. I disarm her and toss the pillow to the foot of the bed before taking hold of her wrists and pulling her down next to me again.

  "You want it rough?" My voice drops. I know it might be a long time before we have sex again after she hears what I have to say, so I'm willing to take advantage of the situation.

  "Not until you tell me whatever it is you're trying to avoid."

  "You sure about that?" I drop my mouth to her neck.

  "You are not going to use sex as a distraction, Jagger. Got it?"

  "Sure, take away my fun."

  "Jagger!" I hear the exasperation in her voice, an
d I know I have to start talking. I have to give her something.

  "Okay. Promise you'll hear me out completely."

  "Fine. But only if you start talking right now."

  "I need to tell you everything, and it starts with Afghanistan."

  As if she knows I need to borrow her strength, Allie places her hand in mine and interlaces our fingers. I look at our joined hands and I get it. If I choose a life with her, it could be this simple. Just as easy as holding her hand.

  "I'm listening."

  "I could never compete with my brother. You see how he can do no wrong?"

  "That's not true."

  "Oh, but it is. Especially where my father was concerned. He'd always compare me to Troy, point out everything my brother was good at. But the harder he pushed me to be like my brother, the more I rebelled and tried to be his opposite. Troy was into academics. He won the spelling bee, the math bee, and was on the high school debate team. Me, I went out for sports. Football, baseball, and swimming. Even then, I never collected the trophies and accolades my brother did."

  "He shouldn't have expected you to be like Troy."

  "You're right. He shouldn't have, but he did." I squeeze her hand. "I knew college wasn't for me. Sure, I wanted to go away and party, but that's all I wanted to do. I had no interest in school and no clue how I wanted to spend the rest of my life. So I asked my buddy Austin to go to the recruiting office with me, just to talk to someone and see what it was all about. I wanted to make sure I knew what I was getting myself into."

  "He didn't stop you."

  "No. He didn't. In fact, he signed up before I did. It was sudden, and unexpected. He claimed it was about the free education. I always had the feeling that was a lie. That there was something more, something he wasn't telling me. It didn't help that the recruiting officer talked a good game. He claimed the threat we'd face was mild. The war was over. It was just training the soldiers to take over."

  "That's not the way it was."

  "Not at all. Things were just heating up again. The Taliban was still there waiting to take control back."