by Ally Vance
She obeyed, and when their gazes connected, every reservation she had about what they were about to do melted away. He stared at her so intently, as though she were the only being on the earth. His entire existence seemed to be only for her in that moment. It was overwhelming, intoxicating. The forbiddenness of what they were doing was like a drug, one she was insanely high on. If she wasn’t careful, his dominance over her would be inevitable.
He slipped one finger inside her and then two, grunting as her tightness gripped him. He found her most sensitive spot quickly and stroked it, desperate to have her fall over the edge. Covering her body with his, he continued to thrust his fingers in and out of her at a steady pace. When he again drew her nipple into his mouth, she nearly jackknifed off the bed, the sensations too much for her.
“Beckett, something...I feel…”
“I know, baby. Give it to me. Let yourself go, Lola.” His mouth traveled back to her neck and he bit her tender flesh, wanting to brand her as his. When he reached her earlobe and sucked it into his mouth, it was Lola’s undoing.
Crashing over the edge into an explosive orgasm, she cried out. “Beckett!” Wave after wave of euphoria washed over her, her insides seeming to shatter into a million pieces before coming back together in the most delicious way. Panting, she stared up at him, unsure of what to do next.
Standing, Beckett pushed his grey sweats down his legs, exposing himself to her. Lola’s eyes widened as she drank him in, fixing her gaze on his hard cock. He had enough of his wits about him to fish a condom out of his pocket, not wanting to be irresponsible with her. He might have had an endless chain of lovers, but there would only ever be one Lola and he’d be damned if they weren’t careful.
Resuming his place on the bed with her, he took her lips in a passionate kiss. He poured every bit of emotion into it, wanting her to know just how much he felt for her. She responded immediately, her body already recognizing its mate.
Lola was still riding the high of her first orgasm. It was forbidden what they’d done and logically she knew that. But illogically, she couldn’t deny that she’d wanted him for longer than she’d admitted to herself. Never in her wildest imaginations did she think he’d feel the same way.
Moving between her legs, Beckett paused to savour the moment. She was so damn beautiful; her dark hair framed her face, expressive eyes gave away every part of her heart. Her breasts were the perfect size with their rosy pink nipples, he could spend hours pleasuring them. Her legs were trim and muscular from her love of jogging; nothing felt better than them nestled next to his. He hated that he was about to cause her pain, but was also thrilled it was him, and not some loser from school that wanted in her pants for bragging rights only.
Unable to deny himself any longer, he gave her another hard kiss. “Brace yourself, baby,” he warned her and she gave a slight nod. He thrust forward into her, not wanting to prolong the anticipation of pain. She stiffened in response, a small cry escaping her lips. Her pussy clamped down on him, almost protesting the intrusion, but in seconds her body relaxed. She felt so fucking good — tight, wet and most importantly, his.
He set a slow pace at first, wanting her to get used to the feeling of him being inside her. Her fingertips were clawing into his back and nothing had ever felt so damn good. She was perfect in every way.
The initial discomfort subsided quickly for Lola. Beckett raised her legs to wrap them around his waist and she gasped when the angle allowed him to slide deeper into her. Baring his teeth, he grunted as he fought to maintain control. He ached to carve himself into her, brand her skin and force her to never look at another man. No one else would be tolerated in Lola’s life. She belonged entirely to him.
Not wanting her pleasure to end, he reached between their bodies and teased her nub, desperate to feel her reach the apex of desire while he was wrapped up in her.
“Beckett,” she begged, unsure what she was asking for. Her body felt like it was on fire, hurtling her towards another precipice she didn’t know if she could handle.
“I got you, baby. Come with me.”
Feeling brave, she took his lead and let her hand travel between them. Finding his hard length, she traveled downwards and cupped his balls, massaging them. “Fuck!” he shouted, close to finding his own release.
Pleased, Lola matched his intensity, thrusting her hips up to meet his. In seconds, they both crashed into bliss, collapsing into a tangle of sweaty limbs.
Harsh pants escaped Lola as she lay spent, basking in the afterglow of what they’d done. Beckett rolled over and placed a small kiss on her forehead, rising to get cleaned up. Once finished, he kneeled beside her bed, using one head to stroke the messy hair back from her face.
“You’re fucking incredible, Lola.”
Smiling at him, Lola shook her head. “I’m not...but that, that was amazing. I didn’t know it would be like that. I really don’t know why I waited so long.” At her admission, Beckett’s expression hardened.
“You waited because it was meant to be with me. You’re mine, dear sister,” he told her. Lola, who had just been making an innocent observation, felt sharp unease dart through her at his words. Not trusting herself to speak, she simply nodded.
My God. I just fucked my step-brother.
Chapter Five
Lola’s feet pounded the pavement in a furious beat, matched only by the rapid beating of her heart. At her side, Barkey happily kept up the pace, he always did love to get out for a good run. After what had transpired between her and Beckett, she’d needed to escape. Clearing her head was the only way she was going to make sense of the tailspin her life was currently trapped in. Flashes of Beckett’s hands and mouth covering every inch of her body cycled through her mind, the intensity of their connection threatening to consume her. To erase parts of who she was.
While she didn’t necessarily regret what happened, she wasn’t pleased about it either. No, there was no blood relation between them, but they’d still been living as brother and sister for several years. What was her mother going to say when she found out what she’d done? As hard as she tried, she also couldn’t ignore the fact that Beckett had layers of darkness in him. He was borderline sinister in his actions, his dominance just shy of crossing the line. It was a devious mixture of lust and malice, and the fact that she enjoyed it shook her to the core.
She wasn’t the type to make rash decisions, instead was meticulous in all aspects of her life. Jumping into bed with her step-brother was so far off the straight and narrow it actually astounded her that it happened at all. However, there was no denying the fact that she’d given her virginity to Beckett. The only thing left to do now was figure out how to move forward.
Returning home, she headed to the kitchen to get Barkey a bowl of refreshing cool water. Staring out the kitchen window at the back gardens that were just beginning to turn for the season, she barely registered someone else entering the room behind her. When an arm bumped hers, she jumped slightly, her heart leaping into her throat.
Beckett had appeared from nowhere and was now studying her face with an intensity that burned straight through her. He looked too damn sexy for his own good. His dark hair was tousled, his black muscle shirt showing off his muscular biceps. Drool began to pool in her mouth and she had to swallow audibly to clear her throat.
“Hey,” she said lamely, feeling ridiculous. What the fuck are we supposed to talk about now? How was school...hey remember that one time we hooked up?
“How are you feeling?” he asked.
Puzzled, she raised an eyebrow. “Um, I’m fine. Why wouldn’t I be?”
Beckett’s eyes travelled down her body, looking pointedly between her thighs. Thoroughly embarrassed when she caught his meaning, she blushed.
“I’m good,” Lola assured him, not wanting to elaborate any further.
“Listen, Lola, we need to talk,” he began and her heart rate increased faster, if that was possible. Since having her fantasy dream about him, now whenever she
was near him, her body reacted. She was smart enough to recognize she wanted him again, but not stupid enough to make a move. He was obviously about to give her a speech about what happened between them not meaning anything.
Beckett watched every single emotion play across Lola’s face. She was incredibly expressive and would make a terrible poker player. He’d been up most of the night debating what he was about to do, but if he had any hope of keeping her in his life the way he wanted her, the best thing he could do was be honest and hope she’d understand.
He’d make her understand.
“You don’t have to give me any speech, Beckett. I’m not some naive little girl with grand notions of romance.” Brushing past him, she headed for the stairs, pausing when he gripped her arm.
“That’s not what I want to talk about. There’s something you need to know, Lola. I’ve done...things.”
“I know. I know, but Beckett, it wasn’t just you. We’re both responsible for the things we did. It can’t happen again, I realize that, and it probably wouldn’t have ever happened in the first place if I hadn’t had that fantasy dream about you. I — ”
“Wait, what? You fantasized about me?” His boyish grin was nearly irresistible, and she rolled her eyes in response.
“Shut up. It’s embarrassing enough without you looking at me like that.” His features turned somber as he once again tried to refocus the conversation.
“I want you to promise me you’ll listen to what I have to say with an open mind,” he began, taking one of her hands in his. When Lola gave a slow nod of assent, he continued. “When I first saw you, I felt like I’d been hit by a bolt of lightning. You radiated pureness, a sweet innocence that was intoxicating. I was so overcome by the feelings I had for you basically immediately, that I withdrew, I created a distance between us.” He kept his eyes locked on hers, the possibility that he might lose her forever weighing on his mind.
“Beckett— “ she started to comfort him, but he silenced her with a stern glance that had her clamping her mouth shut again.
“But the thing is, I didn’t keep my distance. Not really. I found ways to get close to you, to learn about the things you like, to be with you when you did the activities you loved the most.”
Puzzled, Lola took a step back, giving her arm a hard tug to break free of his hold. “I don’t know where you’re going with this,” she admitted. That wasn’t true, though. Deep down, a part of her did know. A part of her knew exactly what he was trying to tell her and the realization had her skin crawling, the blood in her veins running cold.
“For a long time, I didn’t understand my obsession with you. Couldn’t understand why I wasn’t pleased to have someone like you as a sister to love and protect. I was angry, livid, in fact that we’d been thrown together as siblings and not given an alternate opportunity to meet.” He rubbed a hand down his face, dreading the words he had to say next. “And so, in an effort to get over my infatuation, I watched you. Took advantage of every chance to be close and observe the things that make you...you. I watched. I waited, and I bided my time. Knowing that the day would come when you’d be mine. And then...it did.”
Lola stood frozen to the spot. His words played on repeat in her head, mixed with the terror she’d felt in the park, the shame at school when her classmates had seen intimate photos of her. The thoughts she’d had that she was losing her mind.
“It was you. All of it...it was you!” She retreated from him, wrapping her arms around her middle in an attempt to protect herself.
“I’d never do anything to hurt you, Lola,” he began, but she cut him off with a loud snort.
“You’ve got to be kidding me, right? You’re a fucking stalker! Oh, my God, I can’t believe this. I let you...we...Jesus, I’m going to be sick.” Spinning, she attempted to flee the room. Beckett caught her in his arms, trying to pull her close to him. She bucked and thrashed, a wildcat in his arms fighting for freedom. “Get off me! How could you do this to me? You claim to care about me, but you think it's okay to plaster photos of me all over the school? You’re psychotic, Beckett. You need help.”
“I took the photos, yes, I admit that, but as for putting them up everywhere...that wasn’t me. I mean, I have no memory at all of doing such a thing. Please, just think about it. You know I’d never hurt you like that,” he pleaded with her to understand.
“Wait...you have no memory? Are you trying to tell me you’ve done things and not remembered doing them afterwards?” Bewildered, her vision blurred. Everything felt like it was crashing down on her, threatening to destroy her.
“I don’t know, Lola. All I know is I would never intentionally hurt you. Don’t you see? I’m in love with you.” He raised a hand to touch her hair, but she jerked out of reach.
“Stay away from me. This was a mistake.” He ignored her, and again tried to restrain her. Shrieking, she lashed out, shocked when her open palm hand caught him in the face in a stunning slap. A twinge of shame shot through her at her actions, but she shoved it aside. “Get away from me! I don’t ever want to see you again!” Barkey joined in her efforts to get her point across, adding a few barks as he joined Lola’s side. He was like a lone soldier, ready to face any battle for her.
Fury pumped off Beckett in waves, and for a moment she was truly terrified at what he might do. He seemed to get himself under control before regarding her with a scathing look. “Fine. Fuck this,” he grabbed a sweatshirt that was hanging off one of the kitchen chairs and stormed toward the front door. The slam that accompanied him a few seconds later shook the walls as Lola let out a sigh of relief.
She fled to her room, desperate to seek solace in solitude and begin to figure out what the hell she was going to do. Hot tears raced down her cheeks as an ache settled in her chest. A sensation she was too naive to recognize was heartache. While Beckett’s actions were inexcusable to say the least, she still cared for him deeply.
Opening her bedroom door, she immediately knew something wasn’t right. Things were out of place, her school books piled in the middle of her bed instead of on her desk, her basket of dirty clothes to be washed upended, fabrics strewn about. A few drawers on her dresser were cracked open, instead of firmly latched. But it was her bunny’s cage that had her full attention. Her normally active furry friend was laying on his side, eerily still.
“Mr. Hoppykins?” She approached his cage with caution, dread in every step. Peering inside, she literally felt her heart crack in two. Her beloved bunny was staring glassy-eyed up at the ceiling, his neck bent at an odd angle. “No, no, no, no!” she wailed, opening the cage and gathering him into her arms. “God, I’m so sorry, buddy,” she gasped out between sobs. She nuzzled his fur with her nose, illogically hoping it might infuse some life back into him. Flashes of him as a baby, just learning to trust her enough to eat out of her hand, the way he loved the days he left the cage and was left to explore her room unattended, the caring way he would allow her to stroke him for hours all played across her mind. The memories crushing her even further.
“You didn’t deserve this.” Barkey nudged her leg and she gently replaced her bunny back in his cage before bending and throwing her arms around her dog’s neck. Loud, choking sobs tore through her, and she did little to hold them back, needing to let her grief free.
Marti appeared in the doorway, her brows knitted together in confusion. “Lola, what the hell is going on? I can hear you crying from the front porch!” She crossed the room in an instant, lowering herself to the floor in front of her.
“I-in, th-the c-cage,” she breathed out, squeezing her eyes shut as Marti went to investigate. When she heard her friend’s sharp intake of breath, she knew she’d found him.
“Oh no, not Mr. Hoppykins. I’m so sorry, Lo.” She helped her to her feet and threw her arms around her as her body shook with sobs. “We can take him to the backyard and give him a proper goodbye. What a shame, he was a great little guy.”
“I slept with Beckett.” Lola made the statement qu
ietly, surprising both of them.
If Marti’s eyes had widened any further, they would have risked being permanently stuck in that position. “I’m sorry, you did what?!” she exclaimed.
“It was an accident. Well, it wasn’t but it just happened. And fuck, Marti, everything is so messed up. I think he killed Mr. Hoppykins,” her voice cracked on the last words, the tears streaming freely once more.
“Sex with your step-brother, a murdered bunny...it’s Sunday! It’s supposed to be a day of rest, dammit. Okay, I’m going to need you to take me through it all step by step so we can figure this shit out. I can’t believe you kept this from me!”
“It just happened, Marti...I haven’t had time to process it myself.” Lola wandered to her window and stared outside for a few seconds, wondering where Beckett had gone and what he was going to do next. He was dangerous, that much was certain. She had no choice now but to come clean to her parents about what happened. “I wanted to tell you about it immediately, I just needed — “ her words were cut off when something struck the back of her head. She felt a brief stab of pain, and then everything went black.
Chapter Six
A tingling sensation in her fingers roused Lola into consciousness. Still not quite aware, she started to scold Barkey for using her as her pillow once again, but realized she wasn’t lying down, she was sitting upright, bound to an old wooden chair in what appeared to be the forgotten workshop behind her house. Her father had built it years before, a giant concrete building. He was intent on starting a woodworking business, an idea that never once saw the light of day. It became their unspoken storage unit, a place for unwanted goods to collect dust. She hadn’t been back there in months, and at times, forgot it existed.
Glancing around in horror, she found Marti beside her in a similar situation, her head slumped forward on her chest. A few feet away Barkey lay watching her, eyes miserable, a muzzle firmly in place on his snout.
