BAD HEART: A Stepbrother Romance (A Step Over the Line Book Book 2) (4 page)

“
Oh.
You could have woken me up.
”

Hunter shakes his head.
“
You were sleeping soundly.
”

“
Too
much vodka?
”
my father
asks.

Rebecca touches my father
’
s back.
“
Oh, Thomas, she was so excited last night. And
nervous. It
’
s okay. I
’
m sure nobody saw a thing.
”

“
My
drunk of a daughter?
”
my
father growls.

“
It
was a party,
”
I whisper.

“
Not
a college party!
”
he snaps.

“
I
’
m sorry,
”
I say.
“
Nobody
woke me up. I
’
m fine right
now. The bed was so comfortable.
”

“
You
know, Jade
…”

I
’
m
waiting for it now. My father to just lay into me. He
’
s maybe comfortable enough now in front of Rebecca
and Hunter to go after me. To break me down with his cruel words. The worst is
when he says something about my mother. And his ideas why she left us. Which,
of course, are all my fault.

“
Excuse
me, Thomas,
”
Hunter says.
“
Did you see the trading activity
on AshLinde Corp?
”

My father
’
s head snaps around to Hunter.
“
What?
”

“
The
activity. I
’
m really
wondering about their new patents
…”

Just like that, I
’
m not longer the target.

My father and Hunter are lost in
conversation again.

I slowly turn and start to walk
away.

“
Jade,
”
Hunter says.

I look back.
“
Yes?
”

“
Our
flight is leaving in an hour. Please be dressed and ready.
”

I nod.

I walk to the bedroom.

And for some reason, my eyes fill
with tears.

I
’
m
pathetic.

But at least I get to go home. And
see Jake.

__

4.

(Jade)

It
’
s
such a long day. Flying private is one thing, I get that, but it
’
s still flying. Hunter was
involved with business calls and meetings and whatever the entire time. I had
nothing to do but sit there, looking at the clouds, wishing my head would stop
hurting.

The hours of flying, the three hour
time change, it all adds up.

By the time I walk through the
front door of the house, I
’
m
totally spent. Hunter is off and away on his own. He kisses my cheek at the
door and leaves. There are people in the house, making noise. From cooking to
cleaning, to the
business side
of the house where I assume my father is.

I keep my cool, but half to admit I
’
m sort of excited when I see
Jake
’
s car in the long
driveway. He was told to stay the hell away from the trip. I half expected him
to fly to New York just to be a pain in the ass. I really don
’
t know why he sticks around. He
could go anywhere he wants without anyone looking after him. He
’
s so free that it actually makes
me a little angry. Maybe I should be disgusting like him. Drink like a fish.
Smoke. Get into fights and curse a lot. Fuck anything that walks.

I
’
m
pissed off by the time I get to my room. I never met someone that could destroy
my emotions like Jake can. I haven
’
t
even seen him yet and I already want to slap him.

If he was just right in front of my
face
…

I open my door and Jake is right
there.

Right in front of my face.

I let out a yell and blink,
expecting him to disappear.

Why the fuck is he in my room?

“
Why
are you in my room?
”
I ask.

“
That
’
s the hello I get?
”
he asks.

I then think about who Jake is.

Dirty. Nasty. A complete fucking
asshole.

So fucking sexy though
…
did you see his chin?
The scruff on his face is so bad ass
…

I look around Jake and expect to
see a woman in my bed. I wouldn
’
t
put it by him to fuck someone in my bed just to do it. Just to piss me off.

The bed is empty. Clean. Still
made.

“
Jake,
what the hell
…”

“
I
was looking for something,
”
he says.

He tries to get by me and I put my
hand out and stop him. He pushes at me and I turn. Now he
’
s just a few inches away from
me. My back is against the doorway, Jake
’
s
beautifully bad eyes eating through me.

His lip starts to curl.
“
What?
”

“
This
is my room.
”

“
I
don
’
t care.
”

“
I
do. That
’
s my privacy
…”

“
Like
the time I watched you finger yourself through the window?
”

I gasp and blush.
“
That
’
s not fair.
”

“
You
’
re right. It wasn
’
t fair. That
’
s why I came into the room and
ate you out. Tasted all that sweetness pouring from you. Remember that?
”

Of course I remember that. Fuck.

“
I
’
m tired,
”
I say.
“
I
just got home.
”

“
Living
the pretty life,
”
he says.
“
Good for you. How was New York?
How
’
s Hunter? His dick
still up your father
’
s ass?
”

“
You
’
re an idiot, Jake. I fucking
hate you.
”

I slip away from him. I know if I
don
’
t I
’
d end up kissing him or
something. I didn
’
t need
that right now.

Or ever.

I walk to my bed and touch it.
Everything seems normal. Still doesn
’
t
explain why Jake was in my room.

I look around and try to find something
wrong. Something missing.

“
Christ,
sweetie. You don
’
t believe
me?
”

Sweetie.

The last time he called me that, we
were in the bathroom downstairs. His body thrusting hard at me. His amazing
cock cutting so deep that I thought I was going to lose my breath.

Fuck, sweetie, I
’
ve missed it. I
’
ve missed this. Fuck, I
’
ve missed you.

I turn around and fold my arms.
“
Just get out then, Jake. Stay
the hell out of my room.
”

He turns and fills the doorway.
Tall, wide, built like a fucking rock. The muscle so sexy, even through his
shirts. The lines and cuts of definition. It
’
s
killing me.

“
Maybe
I just missed you,
”
Jake
says.

“
What?
”

He shrugs his shoulders.

“
Are
you serious?
”

My heart is fluttering now. We made
a deal before not to fall into temptation
…
but we shattered it once. We can shatter it again. Right now.

“
Yeah,
”
he says.
“
I just needed to smell it again.
”

“
Smell
it
…”

Jake grins. That evil grin that
makes me wet.
“
Yeah,
sweetie. I went through your drawer to find my favorite pair of panties. You
need to get some more thongs.
”

My jaw drops.

Jake laughs.

He slowly turns and walks away.

I run toward the door. I explode
out of my room and see Jake strolling down the hallway. I want to spit fire at
him. But I can
’
t. I have no
words. I picture Jake messing around in my room.

Did he really touch my panties?

It was kind of weird
…
but not.

It was Jake, right?

I slink back into my room and shut
the door. Jake is right next door in his room. It
’
s
so strange that we
’
re so
close like this. But it
’
s
all for family image or something. He
’
s
here just to be a pain in everyone
’
s
ass.

I grab my phone and text Katelyn.

Shocker - she
’
s ready to have a drink by the
pool.

I try to convince her to skip my
house because of Jake but she insists on it. I know she thinks Jake is sexy and
I know she would sleep with him. She doesn
’
t
know what me and Jake did. And if I think about her sleeping with Jake it makes
me livid. It makes me so angry and jealous I shake.

I cave and tell Katelyn to just
come over. There
’
s no
stopping her if she wants to be here. Plus, I figure if Jake wants to act like
a dick
…
so can I. He wants
to sniff my panties or mess around in my room?

I
’
ll
just wear a skimpy bikini and sit by the pool.

I open my top drawer and nothing
seems to be moved or touched. It surprises me. Jake doesn
’
t seem the type to clean up
after himself if he was tearing through my drawers.

If he wasn
’
t actually telling the truth, then why was he in my
room?

I grab a bikini and put it on the
dresser. I strip out of my clothes and toss them in the corner. I unsnap my bra
and step out of my panties.

I put on the bottoms first.

I then grab for the top and hear,
“
Wow, haven
’
t seen you bend over since
…”

I turn around and hug myself,
shielding my exposed chest.

Jake is standing in the doorway to
my room.

I didn
’
t lock the door
…
didn
’
t realize I should
have locked the door.

“
What
the hell?
”
I yell.
“
Are you kidding me?
”

“
Are
you?
”
Jake asks.
“
Move your arms.
”

“
Fuck
off, Jake,
”
I say.
“
What do you want?
”

“
I
came in to let you know I
’
m
leaving. So you
’
ll have
your privacy. Just in case you came looking for me.
”

“
Why
would I come looking for you?
”
I ask.

Mind you, I
’
m still standing with my arms over my chest. I
’
m nervous, but only because it
’
s Jake. And I know what he can
do to me and for me.

“
I
don
’
t know, sweetie,
”
Jake says.
“
I was hoping to catch you naked
and I did. Score one for me.
”

Jake then pulls out a pack of
cigarettes and puts one between his lips. He lights it up and grins, knowing he
’
s not allowed to smoke in the
house.

He winks, takes a drag, and then
blows me a kiss as he exhales the smoke.

He leaves, again, and I drop my
arms. I look down at my breasts and realize my nipples are hard. Like
…
hard
hard. Not cold
hard, but horny hard.

I shut my eyes and shake my head.

I hurry and put my top on. There
’
s a little padding on the inside
which helps to cover up my erect nipples. I
’
m
like a fool right now. Getting turned on for no reason.

It takes a grand total of thirty
minutes for me to be poolside with a fruity drink in my hand. Katelyn next to
me, her bikini smaller than mine. She
’
s
sitting, sipping something red. I
’
m
sipping something blue. It
’
s
a beautiful, hot day here. Much better than the bustling and cool city I had
been in this morning.

I can
’
t
help but notice that Jake
’
s
car is still in the driveway.

“
So
I tell him he
’
s not good at
it,
”
Katelyn says.

I look at her.
“
What?
”

She lifts her sunglasses up.
“
Kyle. I told him he wasn
’
t good at going down on me.
”

I gasp.
“
You said that to him?
”

“
Yeah.
I had to be honest. I couldn
’
t
take it anymore. He grabs my head and shoved me down on his dick like I have so
much extra room in my mouth, right? Like, I
’
m
not some porn star online. I don
’
t
do that shit. I have my way and it
’
s
good. Nobody complains. Bad enough I have to swallow it.
”