CONTENTS
Title Page
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Epilogue
Excerpt from "Step Lover"
© 2015 Stephanie Brother
Other Books by Stephanie Brother
About the author
Stepbrother Revealed
Stephanie Brother
Published by Stephanie Brother, 2015
Please note that this work is intended only for adults over the age of 18, and all characters represented are 18 or older. This story contains explicit sexual content. The story depicts consensual sex between an adult woman and an adult man. The characters in this story are not related by blood. This story may contain unprotected sex.
CHAPTER ONE
“Shouldn’t the plane be bigger than this?” I muttered to myself as I stepped up the rickety stairs to the puddle jumper bound for the island of St. Thomas. Sure, Miami was a short flight away from the U.S. Virgin Islands, but that didn’t mean that I needed to fly in the airport’s smallest plane. The steps wobbled under my feet, and I put a hand to the rail to steady myself before stepping inside.
My stomach flipped as I stepped inside the plane. It almost felt like the plane itself was rocking in response to the wave of people pouring in. I leaned against the cold metal wall of the plane, my head spinning. A wave of nausea followed, and I dug around in my purse for the dramamine I’d packed.
“Can I help you find your seat, miss?” A slim, friendly flight attendant tried to get my attention as I frantically searched in my purse. I looked around and realized that I was blocking a line of the last ten or twelve people waiting to get on the tiny plane.
“Um, sure,” I mumbled. “I’m in 24A. Sorry about the hold up.”
“That’s all the way at the back on the left, miss.” The flight attendant gestured, implying that I should move my ass along as quickly as possible.
“Thanks,” I said, stumbling forward and pushing her way past businessmen and tourists trying to jam their belongings into the tiny luggage racks above. The seat was in one of the last rows, and thankfully, 24B was empty. I could freak out about the plane in peace, and hopefully, I wouldn’t have to deal with some strange person sitting next to me.
Okay, at least hopefully I wouldn't have to deal with someone sitting next to me. Don't we all maintain that hope when we board a plane, particularly such a small and rickety one? I took the dramamine out of my purse, finally clutching the thin foil packet. I popped out a pill and put it in my mouth dry. It would at least help some of the horrible feelings I associated with planes. And maybe I could pilfer some of my mother's Xanax for the ride home from her wedding.
I rolled my eyes. Her wedding. I groaned at the thought of the extravagant island wedding. I'd only ever met my stepfather-to-be one time. Hugh was nice enough, and he definitely had plenty of money to spend on my mother. That was what she liked, so I couldn't judge her too harshly. She seemed happy enough. But did the wedding really have to be on St. John? I'd have to endure both a plane to St. Thomas and a damn boat to St. John the next day. Goddammit. I didn't care for moving vehicles that weren't cars.
I sighed and looked out of the window, trying not to feel the plane rumble and rock as the last people boarded.
“Alright,” the flight attendant announced, “It looks like we're going to have smooth flying today, but we've got to get going. We're missing a passenger but we're going to go ahead and close the door …”
The friendly flight attendant was cut off mid-sentence. There was a thumping on the stairs, and suddenly a tall young man entered the plane.
“I’m here, I'm here. Don't worry. I knew you wouldn't leave without me.” He flashed a 100 watt smile, and the flight attendant seemed to swoon right there.
“Alright Mr. um …”
“Hathaway. Chase Hathaway.” He looked at her and grinned again.
“Well, yes, Mr. Hathaway, it looks like you're in 24B.”
Great. Fucking great. I sighed and turned to the window, trying to ignore the commotion around me as Chase made his way back to the seat I'd reserved for myself. The dramamine started to kick in, and I felt some of the anxiety leave me. That dramamine might go very well with ... a vodka. I kept my eyes glued to the tarmac, hoping to avoid the arrogant boy who had almost held up the tiny little plane that was supposed to get us where we were going.
There was a thump next to me. I turned my body away more, ignoring the intruder.
“Chase Hathaway,” he said.
“Sienna Graham,” I replied, keeping my body turned away, “And I don't do so well on planes, so I'm going to need my space. And part of my space is not having to talk to someone I don't know, Chase.”
I craned my body back and glanced at him. He'd be good looking if he weren't so obviously arrogant. The collar of his polo shirt was popped up, and his pink shorts betrayed his breeding. Obnoxious, entitled breeding. I glanced down. The ubiquitous brown Rainbow sandals. He had the whole outfit worked out. The outfit that said “You may know me; I'm kind of a prick.”
I snorted and turned away again. Chase didn't respond. The plane rumbled to life and I gripped the arm of the chair, my knuckles going white. My stomach did the familiar lurch I'd felt many times before as the plane rolled over the tarmac. It was dulled only somewhat by the dramamine. The tiny plane rocked as it drove into line, and with a roar it began to lift off. The plane swayed to one side as it lifted into the air, and I found my hand gripping the bare, muscled arm of Chase Hathaway in seat 24B. I looked at him sheepishly, but I knew my skin was turning gray. I didn't let go.
“It's okay, Sierra.”
“Sienna,” I hissed. This trip wasn’t off to a good start.
“Sienna. It's okay. This is a good airline, and this is a good plane. We're going to make it in one piece. The plane will not crash.”
“Not helping,” I yelped. “Not helping at all.”
“Okay, okay. Let's see. Do you follow sports? I like college basketball. Final four coming up and all that. I think I can get it on my computer at the apartment I'll be staying at.” I glanced at him. He was flashing that smile again, and I couldn’t help responding with a weak smile of my own. Despite his apparent jerkiness, he was trying to be nice.
“Don't care.” Basketball was the same as football was the same as baseball to me. The bottom seemed to fall away from my body, the fear rising in me as the plane rose higher in the sky.
“Okay well, why are you heading to St. Thomas?”
“Seeing family. My mom is getting married. You?” I felt the grip of fear begin to loosen. The dramamine had at least quelled some of the nausea I'd felt.
“Got a family thing, too,” he said.
“Lots of that going on at this time of year,” I said, unclenching my muscles and sitting back. The flight attendant began walking down the aisle of the plane with a cart of drinks. She served the people behind us.
"Yeah I guess so. Should be interesting, to say the very least."
“Family is always interesting,” I said. “Or at least, mine is.” I grinned at him, keeping my hands across my stomach. Suddenly I felt self-conscious. Chase took off his sunglasses and put them in his carry-on bag. His eyes were a bright, sparkling blue that reminded me of the ocean. His face was handsome and angular, his jaw strong. If he ever needed a career in modeling or movies, he'd probably be set. And his muscles were visible through the tight polo shirt. Damn. I wondered what he saw as he looked at me. A mousy girl with glasses. I certainly didn't belong on the beaches of the Virgin Islands. Chase, on the other hand, looked like he did.
The cart rolled up next to us, and I pul
led a magazine from the seat in front of me. Sky Mall. Poor Sky Mall, going out of business. I guess everybody would be on their smart phones on planes nowadays. Chase had his phone out, flipping through a book or article he'd saved. He looked up to the flight attendant, who was openly ogling him. I chuckled. Chase must get this all the time.
“This woman — Sienna — will have a drink. She's in desperate need of …” He looked at me, and I met his twinkling eyes. “A vodka and cranberry. Make that two. I'll have one as well.”
The flight attendant poured our drinks and handed them to us.
“Best to start a weird family vacation off with a drink,” said Chase. “Bottoms up.” He held his plastic cup out, and I clicked it with mine. I took a sip and then another. The alcohol spread through my system quickly, making my body relax even further. Chase was right. I needed this. Desperately.
“I guess it is. Thank you.” He handed his credit card to the attendant and she swiped it, moving on to the next customers. I sipped my drink in silence and put the magazine back. The vodka even made it so that I could look out of the window without having that nauseating falling feeling. The ocean was bright blue below us as we made our way into tropical territory. I sighed. I'd have to be in my bathing suit and in my little beach dresses for the rest of the week. I'd definitely rather be working than parading around in front of my family, but whatever. Sometimes, weddings were inevitable.
Chase reached in his bag and pulled out a zippered bag that looked like a banana.
"You play? I'm the champion." I looked at him again, wondering why he was trying to engage me in conversation.
“No. What the hell is that?”
“Bananagrams. I'm damn good at it. It's like Scrabble but more awesome. I brought it so I could play with my kid cousins. But it's fun for grown-ups too. Especially when you've been drinking a little.”
“Fine, okay.” I thought of the water, 30,000 feet below us. It might be better to think about a game anyway. Chase handed me my pieces.
“I’ll go first he said. I've got a good word.” He set down the tiles. “This is like twenty points or something, but couldn't it be worth more if it's a dirty word?”
I looked down at the tiles.
“BOOBS,” it spelled. Chase chuckled, pleased with his joke. I tried to roll my eyes and turn away from him again, but the laughter bubbled up inside of me, and I couldn't keep it from coming out.
“Oh my god,” I said, between giggles, “You are ridiculous.” Maybe it was the vodka that had gone straight to my head, or maybe it was the childlike expression on Chase's face and his satisfaction with the joke. Something about his grin made it hilarious. The laughter welled up in me, and I had to pull out my tray to set my drink down.
“Well, it wasn't that funny. But I'm glad you're impressed with my skills.” He smiled again. “Your turn,” he said. I took one of the B tiles away and replaced it with a K.
“Books,” I said, trying to keep the laughter from returning. Still, a giggle rose inside of me and escaped.
“Hey, that's not how you play! You can't take my dirty word away!”
“Can't I? Or what ... how do you play this?”
“Well to be honest, I'm not really sure. I just put down dirty words, and my little cousins usually school me.” I burst out laughing again. The flight attendant came by with her cart again while I pulled the instructions out of the Bananagrams bag, still laughing.
“Miss, I'm afraid you're going to have to keep it down. There are a few people trying to sleep.” I took a sip of my drink.
“Oh yes, well of course, I'm very sorry.”
“You're in trouble,” Chase toned, rearranging the tiles. I giggled again, trying to keep my voice quiet. “Want to keep playing? Whoever can put the most dirty words down wins.” I nodded. I wouldn't see this guy again, and he was out of my league. But I could enjoy looking at him while it lasted.
“We should at least learn the rules,” I said.
“Nah, it's most fun to play by your own rules sometimes.”
He chatted on about his first job out of college while I listened and gathered my tiles. We chatted and built words on and off for the remaining hour of the flight. I was enjoying myself so much that I barely noticed when we started to descend. The landing came abruptly, bumping the tiny plane and all of its passengers.
“You should come hang out at the apartment I rented,” he said. “It's got a pool. Unless there's somewhere else you'd rather be.”
“I’m actually staying on St. John,” I said. It was too bad he'd be on St. Thomas.
“Oh sweet. I mean, me too. I can get you to your hotel in the evening. We could get some seafood or something.”
“Like a date?” I asked, the alcohol still making me bold, even as the plane taxied to its hold.
“Yes, in fact. Like a date. What happens in St. John stays in St. John?” His voice was playful, and his eyes glanced quickly over my body. I wondered what this kind of man saw in someone like me. But hell, I guess I’d go with it. Maybe it was the vodka or the bikini in my bag or the prospect of being on an island. But a date with a man like this was a once in a lifetime thing, especially for a mousy librarian.
“Sure thing,” I replied, a hint of flirtation creeping into my voice. We rose as the plane parked, and I realized that my anxiety had gone away somewhere over the Caribbean Ocean. Maybe, just maybe, I could be different here for a few days … agreeing to a date with a boy who I’d never approach in real life. Why not?
Chase lifted my carry-on bag and I followed him out of the plane, watching his muscles move beneath his shirt.
Before stepping out into the salty, humid air, he looked back at me and flashed that smile. The world seemed to tip on its side, tilting me in a direction I didn’t understand. And this time, I couldn’t blame it on the plane.
CHAPTER TWO
"We can walk to the boat from here," said Chase.
"You sure?" I was hesitant to walk somewhere in a maze of streets I'd never explored before.
"Yup," he said, after we got out of our taxi. There was a boardwalk that led out to a crystal blue ocean and a gorgeous beach. "I've been here before. It's a good walk. We can just go down the boardwalk and over to the registration for the boat tickets."
"I didn't know you'd been to St. John. I haven't. Is it nice?"
"Nicer than St. Thomas, even. And St. Thomas is cool. It's just very busy compared to St. John."
"I've heard the place I'm staying is a little bit out of the way. I'll be glad to be with you for the evening," I said, following him over to the little building that sold tickets for the ferry to St. John.
"Well, I think the place I'm staying is like that too. But it has a pool." He grinned.
"That sounds good." The heat of the sun was already beating down on us, and I definitely needed some aquatic relaxation. Chase stepped up to the ticket terminal and purchased two tickets for us. We stepped on to the boat, almost as rickety as the plane we'd been on earlier, but I realized I wasn't afraid. The mountains, formed centuries ago from tectonic plates pushing rock and earth above the deep Caribbean waters, stood around us in resplendent beauty. The breeze rolled in from off shore, and dark clouds sat in the distance. For now, the sun shone.
Chase took my hand and helped me down inside. We stepped to the edge of the boat, and it lurched forward. There were maybe twenty other tourists on the boat, shuffling around and taking pictures of the mountain, but all I saw was Chase. He looked back at me.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" His voice was almost reverent. This was a boy who loved the water. He'd grown up on it, living with his parents on an island off the coast of the Carolinas. And apparently he knew the Virgin Islands well.
"Yeah, it is," I said, looking at him. Yes, it was beautiful here. And so was Chase. I smiled, peace taking over my body and mind as the boat headed toward the mountainous island of St. John. He put his arm around me as we approached the harbor port of St. John. The sea sprayed up and on to our bodies
, but we stayed where we were, letting the water play over us. The cold of it was shocking, and we laughed just as we had on the plane. I wondered if I'd ever see this boy again after today. Maybe this was just a small gift from the gods ... I could enjoy him for a day before my mother's wedding. And then I'd depart.
Stepbrother Revealed Page 1
