The girl just came, I’m pretty sure, but something seems wrong. Between her moans, she’s glaring at Blane. “Emme?” she asks furiously. “As in, your little stepsister, Emme?”
Blane is quiet. The girl pushes him off violently, and I’m sure he could have stopped her, but he just lets her. She picks up her clothes, humiliated and throws him a disgusted look.
“You could have at least called me by another name, you sick fuck,” she spits out at him, and then she storms out of the garage, while I stare with my mouth open.
What just happened?
Before I have time to think, Blane raises his gaze and his eyes meet mine.
Fuck, fuck, fuck.
I turn around and try to run off, but he reaches me in two seconds, grabbing my hair and pulling me back. It hurts and I yelp with pain.
“Let go of me,” I say angrily.
He doesn’t, instead he uses his free hand to turn me around so I’m facing him, his other hand still tangled in my blonde mass of hair.
“How long have you been standing there?” he demands, and I blush like a beet.
“Long enough,” I reply, not sure why I’m being such a brat.
He just stares at me, hard. I don’t know why, but I can’t seem to look away.
“Emme …” he starts softly, and I’ve never heard him use this voice on me. He’s always rough, never paying me any mind, like I’m a portrait on the wall he’s not particularly fond of.
“Leave me alone,” I whimper, and then I do something I regret in a split second. “You’re sick to the bone. Let go of me.”
Just like that, his hands, his beautiful, strong hands, are off me. And we keep staring at each other, contemplating what just happened.
I just accused him of being a pervert, when all I want is those hands back on me.
But it’s so wrong. Forbidden. It can never happen.
And as he turns around and leaves abruptly, I know I’ve ended this between us before it even started. Even though it breaks me in half to know that, I know it needed to be done.
Because Blane and Emme?
They can never be.
***
In a daze, I finally find Aiden in the driveway, the car already running in the front.
“Took you long enough,” he moans as I make my way to the car, but I refuse to look at him. He looks too much like Blane …
“Let’s go, babydoll,” he says as we sit in the front and he revvs up the engine. And all I can think about is Blane fucking that girl while I wished it was me on the hood of that car …
Chapter 4
Surprisingly, life goes on.
Slowly, painfully, but it moves forward, without a single call from Blane.
I spend a lot of time with Aiden, to the point where he’s practically living with me. He’s so sweet, so worried, always next to me, holding me when I cry, consoling me when I feel like I might break in half.
Today we’re in my living room, because I’m refusing to leave the house. It just feels safe here, even though some might think I’m a little bit morbid for staying in the place that housed to much pain, so many people who aren’t here any more.
Aiden’s stretched out on the couch, playing some kind of violent video game, as I’m engrossed in my book.
I’ve always been a big reader, ever since I was a child. It’s just easier to get lost in the world of fiction sometimes – when it all gets to be too much …
“Aiden,” I ask softly, closing the finished book with a thud.
“Yep,” he responds, his eyebrows knitted together in concentration. He can see I’m hesitating, and I’m surprised when he puts down his controller and focuses his attention on me. When did he start caring? I wonder. Sure, we were always close, but I never thought he would treat me like this …
“Tell me,” he says and offers a nice, albeit a little impatient smile, his eyes flickering back to the TV screen where his game is paused.
“Well,” I begin nervously. What I’m about to suggest would send Blane in a rage a few weeks ago, and while I’ve offered before, I’m not sure how Aiden will accept my preposition. “You’ve been staying with friends now for how long?”
“A few weeks,” Aiden answers non-committally. “You know I can’t go back there. Not now that I know what he wanted to do with you.”
I nod slowly. He refuses to talk to Blane, and while I understand, I feel awful for breaking their bond. They used to be thick as thieves, and now it’s all gone to hell because of me.
And I can’t help it, but I don’t share Aiden’s sentiment. Every time the phone rings, I still wish it was him …
“You know I appreciate it,” I say sincerely, and we share a secretive smile. It’s always been like this between me and Aiden – like we were actual siblings, not just related by marriage. We just click.
“Well, I was thinking,” I finally say, offering a shy smile. “You’ve been here a lot, right? I thoguht … maybe you’d be more comfortable if you stayed here for a while?”
This is the moment of truth and my eyes are glued to my stepbrother’s face, searching for answers. I’ve wanted them both in this house since everything with the inheritance went down, but Blane outright refused to even discuss it. He was bitter about losing all the money, and too proud to let me help him.
But Aiden …
His forehead is creased, but I can tell he’s considering the possibility of what I’ve offered him.
“No pressure,” I say softly. “It’s just that I’d like some company.” And family needs to stick together. What’s left of it, anyway, a painful thought reminds me.
He looks up at me and I can see him considering his options. I know he’s been sleeping on couches, skipping classes, just so he could spend time with me. And I want to help. All I’ve ever wanted was to help them.
“Okay,” he says quietly and my heart skips a beat. “I’ll stay here for a while.”
I can’t help it – I rush from my side of the couch and envelop him in a bear hug. “Thank you,” I say sincerely, and for once in the past few weeks, I’m genuinely happy. We’re what’s left of this broken family, and we’ll carry on the legacy.
With or without Blane.
Chapter 5
It’s a few days later and I’m fast asleep when I hear a commotion outside.
Sleepily, I get up from my queen-sized bed and push the silk sheets off of me. My eyes are bleary and I feel so sleepy I can barely stand, but as I get up, the noises get even louder, even more aggressive.
I quickly grab my robe from the closet and wrap myself in its silky softness before softly opening the door and emerging into the hallway.
As I’m making my way down the stairs, Aiden’s door opens with a thud and we exchange sleepy, confused glances.
He’s been here for a few days, and I’m so thankful. I don’t have to stay in the enormous house all alone and it’s probably the first time in a year and a half that I’ve had a few peaceful nights of sleep, instead of waking up every half an hour, plagued by nightmares.
It’s always the same – a masked man has me tied up, torturing me. I never see his face.
I focus on Aiden.
“What’s going on?” he asks me, ruffling his dark hair with his hand. He looks disoriented, and I do too, I’m sure – so we make our way down the stairwell together, and the banging and yelling gets louder and louder.
“What is that?” I wonder out loud as we come to the front door. “Sounds like we’re being attacked by Vikings.”
Aiden smirks and steps in front of me protectively before reaching for the door knob. I can’t help but smile, because he still treats me like I need protection – and honestly, I love it.
He flings the door open and is immediately tackled by his brother.
It’s a repeat of the scene from a few weeks ago. Blane and Aiden fighting as I scream my head off in terror.
But this time, it’s not Aiden who’s got the upper hand.
Blane is driven by r
age, and he hits him so hard blood spurts my soft pink silk robe.
I scream.
“Get out!” I yell at Blane, tears already obscuring my vision. “You have no right to be here. None! Just leave, right now!”
He looks at me. He actually has the nerve to look me in the eye.
“So he lives here now?” he asks bitterly, stepping closer to me as I shiver from the night’s breeze coming in through the still open door. “You should be careful who you trust, Emme,” he snarls.
And it’s so wrong, but all I want is for him to take me into his arms and carry me away from all this ugliness that he’s caused. Take me away, comfort me, kiss it all better.
Because if he’s done it once, he can surely do it again, right?
“I agree,” I say coldly. “My judgement must be impaired, because for a while, I thought you were trustworthy.” I can see my words hurt him, because he steps back. Aiden is moaning on the floor, wiping away the blood from his face, dealt by Blane’s blow.
“Leave, Blane,” I say softly, the tears pricking my eyes.
He doesn’t move.
I step closer. “Didn’t you hear me?” I poke a finger into his chest and even though it’s meant to be a threatening gesture, it still feels me with so much need, so much wanting. “Just leave us alone. You’ve hurt me, you’ve hurt your brother. You’re not welcome here.”
I move my hand away from him and press it to my chest. “You’re not welcome here, either,” I whisper softly, and as soon as the words are out, the silence that follows is deafening.
Blane stares at me hard, as if wishing I’d take the words back, but I’m standing my ground this time. He can’t just barge in and hurt us like this. He’s done enough.
Finally, he turns around, tucks his hands in the pockets of his coat and walks away. My eyes are on him until he rounds the corner, and only Aiden’s cry of pain reminds me I have other priorities now.
So I kneel down next to me stepbrother. I clean his wound, ask him to get stitches for his lip, try to convince him it’s necessary as he refuses time and time again.
I tuck him in and I even sleep next to him, because I’m too afraid, too broken to be by myself.
That night, the nightmares come back in full form.
But this time, the man who is torturing me isn’t wearing a mask. He has that familiar face, the well-known dark mess of hair, those steely eyes.
The problem is this – I don’t know whether my tormentor is Aiden or Blane …
Chapter 6
2 years ago
It’s my nineteenth birthday. There’s cake. There’s a party. There are presents.
Yet I’m sitting on the floor in my closet, bawling my eyes out.
I know they’re looking for me, but I’m too upset to let anyone know I’m hiding from my own friends. And it’s all because of Blane, just like it always is.
Because he didn’t show up. He didn’t even have enough sense to come to his own stepsister’s party, and once again, I feel like he’s pushing me away right along with the rest of the family.
“Emme?” I hear someone call out and I whimper, not sure whether I want them to find me or leave me alone in my misery. I know it’s stupid I’m this upset over one person, especially when everyone else has been trying so hard to make this day special for me. But still, as my tears fall, I can’t help but feel sorry for myself – all the while knowing my anger should be directed at my stepbrother.
“Emme?” someone repeats and the door to the closet creaks as I look up, panicked.
And here is the face I most want to see – steel grey eyes, dark hair, muscular build. Those lips, saying my name like it’s the most important thing in the world.
But there are two people with that face, two people with that voice.
And right now, I don’t want Aiden. I want Blane. Only Blane.
“Oh, Emme,” Aiden sighs, making his way to where I’m slumped on the floor. He sits down next to me and cradles me in his arms as I sob pathetically. “You have to stop getting so upset over the smallest things,” he says softly, stroking my hair.
“I know,” I whimper. “But it’s … it’s my birthday.”
We were always together on our birthday. Had birthday cake, celebrated. This is the first year Blane missed it, and even though we’ve been growing distant for years, it still hurts like hell.
“It’s okay,” Aiden comforts me. I look up at him gratefully, thankful for having him at least. He’s always there to make me feel better, always making up for his brother’s absence.
But this time, the Blane shaped hole in my heart just won’t go away.
“Here,” Aiden says with a mysterious smile. He products a bottle of vodka from God knows where and I stare at him with surprise.
“I’m nineteen, remember?” I ask him, raising my eyebrows.
“Whatever,” Aiden says. “Better you have your first drink with me than someone else. I’ll take care of you, you know that, right Emme?”
I nod, because I trust him – always.
He opens the bottle and we proceed to get mind-blowingly drunk right there, on the floor of my closet. I forget all about Blane – or at least pretend to – and have a blast pretending to be sober when we return to the party, greeting guests and ignoring my mother and stepfather’s worried glances.
Aiden’s next to me the whole time. Like he always is.
I have a great birthday.
When it starts getting late, we hear a car honking in the driveaway, and moments later, the front door flies open and in comes the guest of honor – Blane himself.
My heart hitches in my chest and pummels to the ground when I see a brunette draped over his arm.
It’s not the one from the garage all those years ago.
It’s a new model, complete with fake tits that make me insanely jealous and angry at the same time.
“Where’s the birthday girl?” Blane asks with a wide smile and I step forward as everyone looks on happily, some people even clapping, glad he showed up.
It’s only when he comes closer that I smell his breath – and it reeks of booze. Blane stares at me, hard. Doesn’t offer a birthday kiss, not even a friendly hug. Instead, he thrusts a box in my hands and I inspect it while he moves away.
It’s all torn and the edges are coming apart, but it means so fucking much, because he remembered. He didn’t forget about me. He’s here, and he cares.
I smile widely at him and Blane smirks, holding the brunette close.
“Open it,” he encourages me.
And just for a moment, I forget he’s late, forget he’s clutching another woman close, forget he’s probably drunk out of his mind. I let myself be blissfully happy.
As soon as I open the box, I realize my mistake.
“What have you got there, honey?” my mother asks and steps closer.
I’m in too much shock to respond or hide what’s in the box.
My mother pulls out a bottle of tequila and an enormous purple dildo.
“Thought you might want to have some fun,” Blane smirks. “Didn’t think you’d get laid anytime soon, so I got you a little toy. And the booze is for drinking your pain away, little sis.”
His voice cuts into my heart and I whimper again.
This is different than the alcohol I shared with Aiden.
This isn’t meant to comfort me.
All he wants is to hurt me.
The room is silent as my heart breaks again, and when my stepfather throws Blane out, I’m already numb. I only let myself cry that night in Aiden’s arms, which is always where I end up.
Chapter 7
Our days pass. Not slowly and not fast either. But they go by, and sometime later I realize both Aiden and I are stuck in the house.
We don’t go out.
Not even to grab lunch or see a movie. We just stay inside, ordering takeout, playing games, pretending like everything’s okay and this is our own little haven in the midst of all the madness.
&
nbsp; It’s a week or so later after the faceoff and I’ve finally had enough.
One morning, I get ready and purposefully wait until midday, which is when Aiden drags himself down the stairs and sits to breakfast/lunch, his eyes bleary.
“Why are you so dressed up?” he asks with his mouth full of Lucky Charms.
“I’m going to work,” I say with a purpose, and give him a smile that is way stronger than my will to actually do something. “I haven’t been to the office in weeks. It’s time.”
Aiden just stares at me as he chews his food, and finally, he sets his spoon down. “I wish I could go somewhere, too.”
His words surprise me.
“But you can paint,” I offer. Aiden’s always been artistic, and he’s been painting and drawing for as long as I’ve known him. He’s quite secretive about his art, but from what I’ve seen, he’s incredibly talented.
“Don’t feel like it,” he shrugs.
We sit in companionable silence when I have an amazing idea.
“You could always work at the firm,” I say hesitantly. The reason I’m a little unsure is because I’ve offered both Aiden and Blane jobs before, and they both shut me down immediately.
There’s a long, strained silence, but finally, Aiden looks up at me.
“Doing what?” he asks.
I contemplate my answer, but I suddenly have another moment of brilliance. “We’re actually going through some changes,” I say quickly, trying to get the subject out as soon as possible. “You know, trying to bring the company to this century.”
Aiden cocks his head to the side.
It’s so awkward talking to him about this – after all, his father helped my Mom build the firm. But it has to be done, we can’t tiptoe around the subject forever.
“We’re designign a new logo, a new image for the brand, that kind of stuff, you know?” I explain and Aiden nods thoughtfully. “We could definitely use someone as artistic with you to help us with that.”
I neglect to mention our whole creative department, and when Aiden’s eyes light up for the first time in weeks, I know I’ve done the right thing.
Deceit of the Stepbrothers (2 Wicked Stepbrothers, 1 Innocent Girl) Page 2
