“Do you mind if we come in?”
Immediately, she stepped aside, allowing them entrance to her humble home. “These are for you.” Logan thrust the roses into her hand almost sheepishly before brushing past her into the living room. The flowers smelled heavenly – a large bunch of scarlet blooms that she hardly had room for.
Carefully, she set them on the kitchen counter before turning back to face them both. Aiden had seated himself on her small couch, across from her desk, while Logan hovered above. It was clear that the taller man was agitated – he seemed restless and uneasy, like a caged animal. Which, Seline reminded himself, was what he was.
“I must apologize for bursting in on you like this.” If Logan was agitated, Aiden was a mask of calm. “We’ve just come to tell you that we’re leaving the area for a while. Perhaps a week or two. We’ll be out of contact.”
“Two whole weeks?” She blurted the words, her eyes wide. By that time she could have made her decision and left McKinley. She was, she realized, out of time.
Aiden nodded curtly. “We thought we might check on you before we left – make sure there’s nothing you needed.”
“Nothing you wanted to tell us.” Logan butted in, his voice low and tense. All at once, his eyes fell on her desk and the letter upon it. Before Seline could snatch it out of the way, Logan darted forward with inhuman speed to pluck up the document and scan it quickly. His eyes widened before jerking to her.
The pain she found there was arresting. “You’re leaving?”
His low, incredulous words made her heart twist with guilt.
“I don’t know.” She managed, glancing back at Aiden, whose expression was still neutral. “I haven’t decided yet.”
Holding out his hand, the blonde gave her a warm smile. “May I see the letter?” In his face, Seline detected not a single iota of the agitation rampant in Logan’s taut, muscular form. Slowly, she took the crumpled paper from the taller man before smoothing it out and offering it to Aiden. He read it quickly before handing it back to her, his expression unchanged.
“Congratulations. You know, I’ve actually taken the time to read a few of your books. You’re quite a talented writer”
Christ, they were taking this way too placidly for men who had professed they couldn’t live without her. She looked from Aiden’s calm face to Logan’s tense one, at a complete loss for words.
“So…that’s it? You’re just going to let me go?”
“Hell no.”
Logan’s gruff growl was cut off by a sharp warning look from Aiden. “If that’s what you want.” The gray eyed man turned back to Seline as his face softened once more. “Of course.”
“But I thought…” She trailed off, wondering what, exactly, she had expected from them. Pleading? Begging? Mad professions of love?
“What did you think?” Logan cut in brusquely, his icy blue eyes wrought with pain. “That we’d follow you to the ends of the earth? That wed chase after you and force you? We might be shifters, woman, but at the end of the day, we’re just men. You have to choose us. No one can make that decision for you.”
“We are not monsters, Seline.” Aiden added more mildly, shifting on the sofa. “You can be ours only if you allow it. If you want to go to California, by all means, go. We wish you well.”
This was wrong. It was all wrong. “I want…” She breathed the words softly. “I want…”
What did she want? To escape McKinley, of course, but to leave the men who had offered to devote their lives to her? To leave they who had dangled the fabled happy ending right at the edge of her fingertips? She could call herself jaded and cold, but if she left them now, she would never know.
And she’d never forgive herself.
Chapter Six: Home
“I want you.”
She had struggled for the past eight weeks to admit it, even to herself; and the moment the words left her, it was as if a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders. In an instant, Aiden had risen from the couch and crossed the room in three long strides to take her into his lean, strong arms, drawing her close. “Thank God for that.” His words were whispered with a sudden, harsh desperation against her lips. “Because I can tell you now, Seline, you would never have escaped us. Never.”
With that, he crushed his mouth against hers with a fervor that stole her breath and sent a piercing shock of arousal through her so she shuddered powerfully.
She moaned as Aiden’s tongue slid indulgently against hers, re-awakening the lust that haunted her late at night, when she was alone in her bed. She remembered every slide of both Aiden and Logan’s fingers over her skin the night they’d met and now, as the blonde man pressed his body against hers, his hands sliding down her spine to palm the ample swell of her behind, she realized that this was exactly what she’d always wanted.
She gasped as Logan’s fingers cupped her chin, turning her away from Aiden so that he could growl lowly against her jaw. “We’re taking you to bed now, Seline. And you’re not going to leave it for a long, long time.”
That sounded amazing.
Seline gasped as Logan swept her from Aiden’s arms to carry her down the hallway and towards the bedroom. The moment he lay her on the bed, both men were on her like starving jackals. There was no sweet, slow loving. There were no lingering caresses.
Logan fairly ripped the thin t-shirt she wore from her to expose her breasts in their no-frills, cotton bra. Seline, however, barely had time to be embarrassed over the state of her underwear. She was gasping as Logan rent it to shreds before his mouth found and plied her rapidly hardening nipple, plumping the sensitive flesh against his tongue.
The young woman moaned, arching into the wet, suckling warmth even as Aiden worked at the fastenings of her jeans. Within moments, he had shucked them down her legs before tossing them off into the room blindly. His hands slid brusquely over the pale curves of her thighs a moment before he parted them.
Her plain underwear were gone in a trice and the bare center of her was exposed to the blonde man’s ravenous gaze. Without hesitation, he lowered his head to feast upon her, his tongue sliding over her in a long lap before delving inside.
A sharp, choked sound of pleasure escaped Seline as she writhed beneath the two men’s ministrations. Logan’s mouth switched from breast to breast before trailing hotly up her throat to the curve of her ear, even as Aiden continued to ply her with his brilliant tongue. In a low, titillating growl, Logan spoke to her. “You’re ours now. To cherish, to worship, to fuck and to love, Seline. There’s no going back.”
The promise was enough to make her come, her body shuddering at the intensity of the orgasm as her fingers tangled wildly in Aiden’s mussed blonde locks. When she came down, panting, it was to the devilish twin gazes of the men she’d chosen – the shifters, the lovers, and the Gods she’d given herself over to.
Their expressions promised pleasure beyond compare – until she lay exhausted between them – but also, they promised the world beyond. Safety, security, and everything she could ever have imagined.
McKinley, she realized, was the place she truly belonged.
She was home.
THE END
My Dear Stepbrother Romance
“Have you ever seen Sean naked?”
Callie pulled a face. Her roommate was sitting across from her on the couch, leaning forward and giggling. “He’s my brother,” she said, trying to look as innocent as possible.
“He’s your stepbrother,” Anna insisted, smirking at Callie. “And he’s hot as hell. You can’t tell me that you never wanted to see that body.”
Sean was coming to visit for the weekend. He’d promised Callie he would take her out for her twenty-first birthday, and Anna had been losing it ever since Callie had told her he would be staying on their couch.
As inappropriate as Anna’s question was, thinking about it made Callie’s toes curl a little. The truth was, she had seen Sean naked once, totally by accident. He had just come out of the po
ol at their parents’ house, and he had been standing in the outdoor shower, with the door cracked just a little. Obviously he’d been in a hurry or just not paying attention, but Callie had walked past just at that moment and stopped dead in her tracks. She’d known Sean was in good shape, and he walked around without a shirt often, much to her mother’s consternation, but she’d never seen him fully naked. He had the most muscular ass she’d ever seen, and that sharply carved “v” of muscle just below his abdomen that led straight down to…
Callie cut that line of thinking off abruptly, feeling her chest flush red.
“Well?” Anna demanded.
“No,” Callie said, taking a deep breath to clear her thoughts. “No, I’ve never seen him naked.”
---
They hadn’t grown up together. Maybe that was why she had such a hard time thinking of him the way someone should properly think of someone who was their sibling, if not by blood, by law. His father had married her mother when Callie was thirteen and Sean was fifteen. In fact, maybe that was part of the problem. She’d met him when her hormones were just starting to run wild—an attractive, older boy who had grown up into an even more attractive man. And even though Callie knew she was conventionally pretty, with thick dark hair and bright blue eyes and an excellent figure, she was sure that Sean would go for someone like Anna—a tall, Nordic blonde with legs that could probably wrap around him twice.
And there wasn’t even really any point in thinking about it. Sean thought of her like a little sister…because that’s exactly what she was. His sister.
Okay…his stepsister.
She kept herself busy all day, cleaning the house, making sure there were clean sheets and blankets to make up the couch for Sean, and above all, keeping her conversation with Anna out of her mind. It had been a while since she’d even had so much as a friend with benefits, which to her seemed ridiculous, especially going to such a large university. Anna always said that it was about the “vibe” people gave off that determined whether they met someone or not, and whether that someone would be a fling or a more permanent fixture. Maybe she was giving off the wrong one. Although, to be completely honest, she wasn’t entirely sure what “vibes” she was giving off at all.
She checked her watch. Sean would be at the airport at four. Anna had offered her the use of her car to go pick him up, and for them to go places over the weekend—assuming, of course, that she would probably be a part of the activities. Sean was a gentleman—he would always invite her along if they were using her vehicle. She hurried to her room, pushing things this way and that in her closet to find something to wear. She wanted to look casual…but hot…but not like she was actually trying to look hot…but not like she didn’t care either…
Callie blew out an exasperated breath. This was ridiculous, getting dressed up as if she were going on a date. She was just picking up her stepbrother from the airport. She grabbed a pair of ripped boyfriend jeans, a dark blue tank top, and pulled her thick brown hair back in a ponytail. Her contact case was sitting next to the sink, but she grabbed her glasses instead, as she did most days of the week. In public company she often bemoaned her glasses, making up excuses as to why she couldn’t wear her contacts—blaming clumsiness, usually—but in truth, putting them in was a breeze for her. She actually liked the way the glasses made her look. She felt studious and cute wearing them, but she was well aware that it didn’t fit the glam ideal that Anna and her other friends seemed to aspire to.
She grabbed Anna’s keys off of the kitchen counter, feeling a little nervous as she did so. Anna drove a brand new Land Rover, a car that Callie always felt was a little too much to have in the city, and a bit ridiculous overall. It was also ridiculously expensive, and she had a terror of wrecking it anytime Anna let her drive. There was nothing to be done about it but climb in and hope for the best, though.
-----
Her phone lit up just as she was pulling into the airport parking.
At the baggage carousel. See you in a few minutes.
Her stomach did a flip.
She drummed her fingers on the steering wheel, fiddled with the myriad of buttons on the center console, flipped through the radio stations. She had just landed on one with a particularly loud Korn song and was getting ready to push the button again when she looked up and saw Sean walking towards the car, his duffel bag slung over his shoulder.
Her hand fell into her lap and she swallowed convulsively. Shit. I’m in trouble.
Her stepbrother looked like the classic ideal of a surfer boy. Chris Hemsworth with short hair. Tall, sandy blonde hair, bright blue eyes. He was wearing a band t-shirt and cargo shorts, and she could see the muscles in his arms flex as he tossed the duffel down and opened the passenger door. He heard the music blaring inside and wrinkled his nose.
“I didn’t know you liked heavy metal, sis.”
Sis.
“I don’t!” she exclaimed, pushing the OFF button hurriedly. “I wasn’t paying attention.” She felt her cheeks starting to turn a little red, remembering exactly why she’d been so distracted. Sean leaned forward and gave her a kiss on the cheek, and her face flushed the rest of the way.
“You okay?” He leapt into the passenger seat and tossed his bag down by his feet.
“Yeah, it’s just a little hot,” she fibbed.
“Well, let’s get back to the house then.”
Sean talked the whole drive home, catching her up on the things going on back at home. He lived in New York now, working for some big firm, but he’d gone to their parents’ summer house a week before for vacation.
Unbidden, the image of him in the shower at that house flashed back into Callie’s head.
They had to swing by the college campus to pick up Anna, and she squealed with excitement the second she got into the backseat of the car. “I’m so excited to meet you, Sean! Callie talks about you all the time!”
Sean glanced at Callie. “Is that so?” His tone was playful, but Callie sensed something under it, and it made her curious. He didn’t sound as happy as he wanted her to think he was.
“Every now and then,” she teased back, but her forehead creased, all of the sexual tension she’d been suffering under replaced with another kind of tension altogether. She hoped he wasn’t regretting the visit. Surely he had many more important things to do that didn’t involve squiring his little sister around town.
---
Callie offered to make lunch when they got back to the apartment, but Anna turned her down, saying she had to run out and pick up a couple things before they went out tomorrow night. Callie settled for fixing a quick sandwich for her and Sean. He’d gone into the guest bathroom to change clothes, and when he came out he settled into one of the chairs at the kitchen table, dressed pretty much as he’d been before. Callie wasn’t entirely sure what the point of the change had been.
She set the sandwich down and took the chair next to him.
“So what’s the plan for tomorrow night?” Sean asked.
Callie shrugged. “Isn’t that your job?” she teased. “Picking out the places?”
Sean frowned. “Well, you know this area better than I do. I guess you would want to go out to a nightclub or something?” Callie’s face fell a little, and he grimaced. “Sorry. I didn’t think you’d be the dive bar type.”
“I don’t really know what my type is,” Callie muttered. The afternoon seemed to be taking a quick dive, ever since the comment in the car, and she didn’t know how to bring it back.
“Well, I figured I would be taking you girls out somewhere to dance and drink. Typical 21st birthday stuff. I mean, the point is really for me to be your driver, right?”
“No, I just…” Callie didn’t know how to explain why it had been so important to her to have Sean there. “I figured…you’re older, and maybe you would take me somewhere really cool. Different, you know? Something kind of…crazy.”
Sean laughed. “What, like some kind of sex club or something?”
&n
bsp; Callie turned bright red.
“That’s what you were thinking?” Sean looked incredulous. “Why would I take you somewhere like that?”
Callie felt stung. “I don’t know,” she muttered.
Sean scooted a little closer to her and tilted her chin up. “You’re so innocent, Callie. I would never think of going somewhere like that with you.”
Callie jerked her face away. “I am not innocent!” she snapped, feeling insulted and not even entirely sure why this was all upsetting her so much. “Like a month ago I sucked some guy’s dick at a party I had just met!” That had actually never happened, but she suddenly wanted to shock Sean, and from the expression on his face, which had turned thunderous, it worked.
He stood up suddenly. “I don’t want to hear anything like that again, Callie! You’re my…”
Sister. Of course he was going to say sister. But he didn’t say anything. He turned around and stormed out of the kitchen, and Callie felt her eyes well up with tears, her face burning with embarrassment.
When she finally did come out of the kitchen, Sean was gone. She looked quickly to the couch, expecting to see his bag gone too, that he’d probably called a cab and gone back to New York. It was still there, though, and she felt a wave of relief. Maybe she hadn’t messed everything up completely.
It was hours before he came back, though. Anna had returned and gone again, inviting Callie out for dinner and drinks with friends, a dinner that Callie had expected Sean would have gone to with her. But he wasn’t back, and Callie didn’t feel like getting dressed up to go out at all. She begged off with a headache, claiming that she wanted to rest up before tomorrow night’s festivities. She had no idea what those were, though, or if they would even have Sean with them. The lumpy navy blue bag next to the couch told her that he was returning, but she didn’t know for how long. She curled up on the couch in her sweatpants and a university tee shirt, numbly scrolling through Netflix and wondering miserably when he might come back.
BBW ROMANCE: Forbidden Desires [BBW Menage Collection] (New Adult Shifter Romance Short Stories, Stepbrother Menage Threesome) Page 8
