DEVIL: A Stepbrother Romance (19 page)

I
was surrounded by dark
. It’s hard to say how long I engulfed in darkness, but it felt like a long time. It was almost like a dream, but without a picture on display for me to view.

I remembered getting shot…twice. I remember the burning sensation as the bullets pieced through my body. “Am I dead?” I wondered.

“You completed your end of the deal, Mitch. You’re free,”
I heard a voice say. It was
him.

“Am I dead?” I asked.

“Almost.”

“Am I going to die?”

The voice huffed. “
Perhaps or perhaps not”.

I wasn’t in the white light that I had been surrounded by after my car accident, but I didn’t want to go there again. I wanted to live. I wanted to spend my life with Annie.

A light sensation tingled against where my lips felt like they should be. It was something like a kiss, and I tried to kiss it back but just couldn’t seem to do it. I tried to touch my lips, but I couldn’t find my arms.

“Would you like to make a deal?”

“A deal?”

“We’ve done this before, Mitch. You do something for me, and I’ll make sure that you live through this crisis. I’ll make all your dreams come true.”

I almost wanted to laugh at his words, but he did give me a second chance in the past. I had to see what was on offer. “And what will you have me do?”

“Your family was a bit more resilient than I thought. I’ll give you life, a life even better than you had before, but you can never see Annie again.”

There was nothing for me to consider this time. “There is no such thing as a life better than with Annie. She’s my dream come true, and I’d rather die than without her.”

“And how can you be sure you won’t die?”

“I’m not sure. But I have faith, thanks to her. I’m strong enough to get through this, because I have the most beautiful, amazing woman waiting for me when I do.”

“Stepsister,”
he corrected.

“Call it what you will. I’m done making deals.”

“Suit yourself.”

I tried to breath. I tried to imagine where my limbs were and eyes would be. I tried to open my invisible eyes and tried to squeeze my invisible hands. I fought and screamed and gritted my invisible teeth with every last bit of will that I had left.

And then there was light, a faint beam of light.

I could feel a tiny hand gripping onto mine.

“
I
hoped
I’d never see you in here again Mr. Ryker.” Dr. Wallace grinned and turned to me. “Your brother seems to have 9 lives. An inch more left or right, and either of those bullets would have been fatal. How are you feeling now Mitch?” He asked as he turned back to my brother.

“A little lightheaded, but much better than before.”

“Good. You’ll be like that for a day or two. You lost a whole lot of blood, but you should be free to go after a couple of days.”

“Football?” Mitch asked.

Dr. Wallace chuckled. “Give yourself a couple months to heal up and you can play again.”

I could see in my brother’s face that he was relieved.

The doctor turned towards my parents. “Quite the son you got there…”

“Yes, indeed he is quite a man,” Dad said proudly. Mom latched on to Dad’s arms and looked like she was about to cry tears of joy at any second.

The doctor left the room, and our parents navigated to Mitch’s bedside. “Thank you for everything you did for us, son.” Dad reached out and placed his hand on Mitch’s arm. “I’m sorry for the way I treated you back there. I was way out of line.”

“So you’ll accept us… Annie and I?”

Dad swallowed. “It’s not easy for me to understand, but you are my children, and I want you to be happy. If you two being together is what makes you happy, then I’ll learn to accept it somehow.”

“Mom?” Mitch’s eyes shifted.

Mom nodded. “You’ll always be my baby boy. I’ll accept you no matter what.”

Mitch let out a deep breath and smiled. “I guess there is only one more thing to ask.” He turned his eyes to me, and I stepped forward to grab his hand. “Is this what you want, Annie?”

I breathed heavily and then shook my head from side to side. “Of course, it’s what I want!” I let go of his hand and leaned down to wrap my arms around him, pelting him with kisses on face.

“Ow, ow!” Mitch protested. I jumped away at the sound. “Sorry, I’m a little sore.”

Two chubby, bald-headed men paced into the room and walked to Mitch’s bedside. I would have thought they were twins, save that one was shorter and had a short beard. The bearded one took notes on a clipboard while the taller man spoke. “I’m Detective Marshall, and this is Detective Smith. How are you doing Mr. Ryker?”

“I’m alive,” Mitch mused.”

“Well, that’s good. I don’t suppose there is much to talk about here. The suspect has already confessed to the crimes and also gave the names of 5 additional men who helped him vandalize your house. Mr. Wilson will be going away for a long time, so you don’t need to worry.”

The family all seemed to breathe a sigh of relief at the same time.

“Something I don’t understand,” Mitch muttered, his eyebrows arched. “The burning rocks… How?”

“Oh, that,” the detective snickered. “It’s something pyros have been doing for years. They wrap a rock in a thin sheet of paper and dip one end in gasoline. The paper burns so fast smoldering the rock black, making it seem like that actual rock is on fire.” The detective shook his head from side to side. “It’s a quick way to burn down somebody’s home if the fire catches onto furniture. Why do you ask?”

Mitch’s eyes darted to the side. “Oh, just curious is all.”

“Alright, Wrecker,” the detective winked. “This seems like an open and shut case. You probably won’t even have to show up in court.” He placed his hand briefly on Mitch’s shoulder. “Heal up, and go win UCLA some games.”

Mitch nodded, and the pair of police officers headed out the door.

I
heaved
a heavy box past the kitchen and through the hallway, looking for Annie. “Babe!” I yelled. “Where do you want this one?”

As I approached the master bedroom, I saw her leaning over another box, pulling out shoes and other accessories to store in our closet. “Just sit that one in here. Anywhere is fine,” she replied. The room was practically empty aside from the bed and a mess of moving boxes.

Turns out that that the stock market went into a bit of slump before the time limit I was given to answer my margin call. I still lost millions on my short investments, but I was able to close out all of my positions and walk away from it all without going into debt. I had my mansion repaired and sold it along with the Ferrari and other unnecessary possessions. With the money that was leftover, Annie and I bought a tiny, 3-bedroom house in a quaint neighborhood close to Mom and Dad, white picket fence and all.

I sat the box down and turned back to Annie, licking my lips at the sight of her curves undulating underneath a pink, sleeveless dress. I creeped quietly up behind her, careful to make sure she couldn’t hear my footsteps while she was preoccupied unpacking, and as soon as I was in arm’s length, I grabbed her around the waist and lifted her from behind.

Annie screamed. “What are you doing you big lug!”

I grunted and growled as I carried her a few feet, threw her on the bed, then climbed on top of her. “We haven’t christened the place yet, babe,” I insisted.

“Oh, you’re bad! There isn’t even a sheet on the mattress yet.”

“Who cares? It’s new.”

“I care,” Annie scoffed, and lifted her herself to her shoulders as if she was about to get up.

I pushed her back down, pinned her hands above her head, and snatched up her lips with mine. She hummed into my mouth, and I could feel her body squirming.

Our kisses snapped as I continued to maul her, and I freed my hands from hers, moving them slowly down her arms and to her body. “Do you care now?” I whispered.

She shook her head no.

“Good.” I pulled her up and lifted her dress over her head, revealing her beautiful, flawless skin. She wasn’t wearing a bra, and her breasts looked like they had grown since last time I saw them. “You’re so sexy…”

“Why do you always talk to me like that?” Annie asked, then bit her bottom lip as she waited for a response.

“Like what?”

“Tell me I’m so beautiful and so sexy. I’m not a supermodel or anything.”

I grinned at how naïve she was. “Baby, you’re sexier than any supermodel I’ve ever seen. You’re the most beautiful girl in the world to me.”

“Really?”

“Really. And…” I quickly changed position so that I had access to her panties. I yanked them off and navigated to the floor beside the bed all in one, swift motion. “You’re the most delicious girl I’ve ever tasted as well.”

I pushed Annie’s legs up in the air, and she squealed as I dove in. Up and down, I moved my tongue between her wet folds, more so for my own hunger than for Annie’s pleasure. Each time my tongue found her clit and gave it the slightest of attention, her pussy rewarded me with a burst of flavor.

My tongue lunged deep inside her hole, and reached my hand around to rub her clit.

“Yes!” Annie wailed. “Just like that!”

I rubbed faster and faster and darted my tongue in an out of her pussy until I could feel the slightest contractions that I knew were leading up to her orgasm.

“Don’t stop!” Annie yelled. “I’m going to…”

I stopped anyway and stood up in front of the bed.

“What are you doing!?” Annie asked. She sat up on her shoulders again, and her eyes were wide with dismay.

“Just teasing you a bit,” I replied through a crooked smile.

“Oh my god! I hate you!” Annie slammed her back on the bed and stared up at the ceiling while I yanked off my shirt and let my pants fall to the floor.

“You hate me?” I questioned. My cock was throbbing as I eased it into her dripping, wet pussy.

“Oh god!” Annie moaned.

I lifted Annie’s knees over my arms and leaned forward so that her legs were pushed back and I could look her in the eyes. Again I asked, “You hate me?” and sunk in as far as I possibly could.

“No,” Annie whispered, now panting. She lifted her hands and put them on each side of my face. “I love you so much.”

“I love you too, baby.” I tilted my pelvis and started stroking in and out with a consistent rhythm.

“Oh god, you’re going to make me come so fast,” Annie whined after a few short thrusts.

“Go ahead, baby. I want you to come.” I picked up the pace a bit and watched as Annie’s face slowly started twisting and her body went stiff. The sight of her large breasts rocking up and down, and her body reeling in pleasure practically made me lose control.

“Now…” Annie croaked while nodding her head and looking me in the eyes. Her chin wrinkled and her body started trembling. Her pussy tightened, and I could feel it squeezing on to me again and again.

“Oh fuck, Annie,” I grunted. I couldn’t hold out any longer. Her warm grip consumed me, and I leaned over, taking Annie’s lips into mine and releasing my seed as deep inside as I possibly could go.

I fell into a heap and rolled over to the side of the barren bed, breathing heavily. “That was amazing babe.”

Annie turned to her side and put her arm on top of me before giving me a kiss on the cheek. “You’re amazing.”

We laid there for a several minutes holding on to each other in silence, basking in nothing but our love, before eventually Annie sat up. “We should go wash off and finish unpacking everything.”

“Yeah, you’re right.” I pecked a final kiss on her lips.

Annie stood from the bed, and I awed at her curves from behind as she began to walk towards the door. She only made it a few feet, however, before she collapsed sideways, and broke her fall with a box sitting on the floor.

“Babe!” I jumped out of the bed and ran to her side. “What’s happened?”

Annie put the back of her hand on her forehead. “Oh, nothing. I just got a little dizzy when I stood up.”

“Did you eat this morning? Are you sick?”

“Well…” Annie replied. She seemed resolved to sit on the ground for a while longer. “Can you hand me my purse over there?”

I turned around, suddenly feeling self-conscious about being naked, and fetched her purse that was sitting on top of a closed moving box. I handed it to her, and she began to rummage through its contents.

“I was planning on telling you tonight, but I guess now is as good of a time as any.” Out from her purse came a thick, white stick, roughly the size of the pencil. She held it out towards me, and I immediately saw the plus sign that was visible on the end.

“Are you telling me…?” I knew what I saw, but my mind was having trouble processing it as real.

“I’ve got a little Wrecker inside of me, apparently,” Annie teased.

“Are you fuckin’ serious?” I was primarily talking to myself at that point, and I had started looking off into the distance at random places around the room. “I’m going to be a Dad?! Holy shit!” I jumped up and down a couple times, then fell to my knees and wrapped my arms around Annie.

“So I’m guessing you’re excited?”

“Excited?” I breathed heavily. “I’m thrilled. I can’t wait to tell Mom and Dad that they’re going to have a grandbaby!”

Annie smiled, and I could see a sense of relief washing over her face. She pulled herself to her feet and I drew her in for a kiss.

“C’mon, we’ve got to get the rest of those boxes if we’re going to finish today!” she scolded and slapped me on the ass.

“Absolutely not!” I commanded.

Annie whipped her head. “What?”

“You need to relax. Now that I know you have a Mitch Jr. inside you, I want you to take it easy. No more lifting boxes. I’ll take care of getting everything inside.”

“Hey, we haven’t decided names yet, and it could be a girl.” Annie frowned playfully and put her hands on her hips.

“There you go. That’s a good idea. Go find a pen and paper and write down some baby names. I’m going to go finish unloading.” Annie rolled her eyes as I picked my pants up off the floor and headed for the door, giving a shout of victory and excitement as I passed into the hallway.

Right when I made it to the bathroom, my phone began buzzing. It was my agent.

“Hey, Brian. How are things?” I answered.

“Good, Mitch. Listen, I’ve got some really great news for you.”

“Yeah? What is it?”

“I got a call from the Seahawks manager. After your performance last night, they’re reconsidering a deal to get you on the team next year. And by deal, I’m talking millions…”

“Seahawks…” I muttered.

“Yeah, they love the way you’re been playing the last few games, and they think your play style has improved. They like the fact that you’ve been focusing on teamwork rather than taking it all on yourself.”

“Yeah, I’ve been working that…” Since the loss in Miami and the night that I was shot, I realized that I wasn’t invincible.

“So how about the 17
^th
for a flight out to Seattle to meet with management? I’ll get everything roped in.”

“Brian,” I let out a big sigh. I had been aiming to get on the Seahawks for so long–one of my lifelong dreams. “I think I’m going to have to give the offer pass.”

“What?!” Brian yelped. “You’ve been itching for the Seahawks since we’ve started working together.”

“Things have changed. I’m going to finishing up my last two years at UCLA. Might even extend it to three years to spend more time at home.”

“Spend time at home?” Brian huffed. “What’s gotten into you Mitch?”

“I’ve got a little one on the way,” I said and grinned as I thought about the news. I poked my head out the bathroom door, looked both ways, and shut it. “And I’m about to pop the question,” I whispered lowly into the phone.

“Wow…” Brian’s tone lightened dramatically. “I can’t argue with that. Annie is a great girl, and it’s nice to hear you’re settling down. You’re not going to quit football are you?”

“No, I’ll still be on the field, but family comes first.”

“Alright Mitch. I’ll let the Seahawks know they’ll have to wait a couple years. And don’t forget to invite me the wedding.”

“Will-do, Brian. Take care.” I hung up the phone and jumped in the shower.

The warm water cascaded off of my skin and I inhaled a large breath of steamy air. As I washed my body down, my hands found one of the tiny scars from where I had been shot. I was lucky to be alive, and unlike the wounds from the car accident I had endured a couple years prior, that one had left a mark.

I bent my head down and allowed the water to pour through my hair. “Are you there?” I asked inside my head. “Are you there?” I repeated, this time speaking verbally.

The silence made me smile.

I really was free.

I no longer had a mansion and a seemingly unlimited amount of money, but with Annie and a baby on the way, I felt like the richest guy in the world. Mom and Dad had grown to accept our relationship, and when I told them that I was going to ask Annie to marry me, they were surprisingly supportive. After seeing how good we were together, their attitude towards the situation had completely changed.

I never mentioned my deal with an otherworldly power to anyone. If I did, people would think I was just crazy.

My deal with The Devil had saved me from an early death but turned me into a devil myself. But I guess even an otherworldly entity isn’t exempt from mistakes. Our final deal had backfired, pushing me towards something more powerful than he.

The love Annie and I shared and the faith she taught me felt like the most formidable force in the world. And we would share that magical force forever until we both stepped into the mysterious bright light.