Stepbrother Surrender: A Step Romance Novella (6 page)

           I
called it a night and just hoped it would work out.

           The
next day, when I stepped downstairs into the kitchen, I saw Brandon swimming in
the backyard.

           I
already held zero faith in my self-discipline. Watching his body glisten in the
sunlight gave me little hope that I could keep myself away from him for the
rest of the week.

           Of
course, I was a little relieved when I remembered that it was sort of not my
decision to make anyway.

           I
mean, here I was thinking it was up to
me
whether Brandon and I ended up
sleeping together. I’d totally forgotten that
he
wasn’t going to just
bed this nerdy 19 year old, even if she
was
totally willing.

           Brandon
was a post-grad with the body of Hercules; did I really think that whether he
fucked me was entirely my call? I felt pretty embarrassed at myself as I
grabbed a banana from the fridge.

           Of
course, that didn’t mean that I hadn’t hoped that he
did
want to. And it
also didn’t mean that I couldn’t continue to fantasize about it.

           And
as I watched him coming out of the water, his chest and abs chiseled and
glistening wet in the morning light, I felt my hormones clawing at my insides
.

           I
heard the doorbell and as I opened it, saw Chrissie, who was my ride to class.

           “Hey
girl, you ready?” She asked as my eyes widened and I remembered my purse.

           “Um,
actually; come in for a second” I told her.

           I
rushed upstairs, hoping to be out of the house before Brandon came inside. But
by the time I came back down, Chrissie was ogling him through the window – her
mouth hanging open.

           “Whoa;
who
is that? I want details
now!
” She laughed.

           “It’s
no one, come on” I told her, grabbing at her arm to drag her out of the
kitchen. Chrissie was like an anchor though; she wasn’t budging.

           “Girl,
I’m not joking here. Seriously, who’s the eye candy?” She said, flashing a
devious smile.

           “It’s
just my brother; well my step-brother” I told her, reminding her
and
myself
that he was only my step-brother. I liked to do this whenever possible.

           I
felt better with myself each time I remembered that it was only some silly
title that bound us.  Maybe we
could
hook up despite our parents’
marriage. 
No,
I thought,
it’d be too weird
.

           “I
think I need new panties” Chrissie giggled as Brandon was none the wiser that
he was being admired so intensively by us both, now.

           Funny
enough, I was actually a little jealous of her. I mean, territorially speaking,
Brandon was living with
me
for the next week; so if any girl was going
to have an edge, it was yours truly.

           However,
Chrissie wasn’t related to him, which kind of gave her a
huge
advantage.
And Chrissie was much hotter than me. She would’ve loved nothing more than to
bed Brandon, and she was probably going to get her chance if Brandon saw her.

           I
glared at her before goading her once more to leave.

           “Alright
Chris, seriously” I tugged at her like a misbehaving child.

           “You’re
not going to introduce us?” Chrissie asked – half joking. But I knew she really
wanted to meet him. I was growing more annoyed as the seconds ticked on.

           “He’s
only in town for a week; you couldn’t do anything with him even if you wanted”
I explained.

           “Oh
I want to, alright” she laughed. “Is he married?” She curiously twirled her
frizzy hair as her eyes beamed with excitement.

           “Ough,
no.”

           I
was full-out contemptuous by this point; I wanted nothing more than to avoid
being there when Brandon came in, and it looked like that was going to happen
at any moment.

           “Chrissie,
you can meet him next time; I want to go!” I was practically yelling at her.

           It
was too late, though. I heard the seal of the backdoor break and Brandon
stepped inside, still shirtless, as his eyes caught both of us.

           “Oh
hey, Elle!”  Brandon walked across the tile toward us as Chrissie and I both
admired his Adonis-like body, smooth and rigid.

           Chrissie
didn’t let me respond to Brandon’s greeting though.

           “Hi,
I’m Chrissie! Elle’s friend!” She said, jumping in between Brandon and me.

           “Oh,
that’s cool. I’m Brandon, Elle’s step-bro” he said, aloof and seemingly disinterested
in her.

           I
was pretty confused. Brandon acted like he couldn’t have cared less that his
step-sister’s hot friend was wide-eyed and pining for his attention. He headed
right past her and upstairs.

           “Well,
catch you later Elle? Maybe we can catch the news again,” he joked as he
disappeared up the steps.

          
Wow
,
I thought to myself.

           Brandon
completely blew off Chrissie; the girl who I’d always liked as a friend, but
hated/envied as competition.

           Yet
he seemed fully invested in me; like he’d have dropped everything if I needed
his help for whatever reason. I started to realize how special I was to him.

           The
final nail in the coffin for “old” Brandon was hammered in. The boy who ruined
my life years ago, was now a man that was enriching it, to say the least.

           Chrissie
looked embarrassed.

           “Can
we go now?” I asked her.

           She
huffed the entire car ride about how Brandon seemed like a jerk.

           “Like,
is he gay?” She demanded an answer for every little clue she thought she’d
stumbled on as we sped to class.

           I
laughed at Chrissie, playing dumb. But I knew the truth.  Brandon was into me.

          
Chapter Three

           I
sat on the sofa watching TV later that evening when Brandon came home from his
interview. I was becoming so comfortable with him around, that I’d completely
forgotten he was only there because of it.

           “I
got it!” He said excitedly as he came around and plopped down next to me on the
sofa.

           “Got
what?” I asked, oblivious.

           “The
job, silly; I’m going to be in Miami for good, isn’t that great?”

           “Oh
wow, that’s awesome” I leaned over to hug him, albeit a little awkwardly.  He
seemed a little taken back so I quickly apologized.

“Sorry, I just figured it warranted a hug
or something” I let an embarrassed giggle escape.

           “Well,
you’re right.  This
does
warrant a hug,” He joked, completely unfazed by
my tension. “Hey, you still seem pretty tense. I’m feeling pretty good, so why
don’t you lay out here on the couch, and I’ll give you a quick leg massage” he
suggested, patting the space next to him.

           Even
though Brandons continued invitations to give me a massage seemed like he was
coming on to me, I wasn’t an idiot. I needed to keep myself grounded in the
reality that his invitations were probably only platonic.

           But
I wasn’t going to turn down a massage, so I laid myself out on my stomach as he
hovered over my legs. I felt excited awaiting his touch, curling my toes when
it finally came.

           As
Brandon started to work his miracle fingers on my calves, I tried to make some
conversation.

           “So,
you’re going to be a masseuse here in Miami, huh?” I asked him as he laughed.

           “Firstly,
a masseuse is a female;
masseur
is male” he explained.   

           “And,
no I won’t be massaging people all day long,” he started; his fingers digging
into my tender muscles.

           “Dad
has a way of simplifying things, doesn’t he?” I cringed when he said
Dad
.
 “I’m going to be vice president of operations for a massage therapy chain here
in Miami,” he continued.

           “The
only things I’ll be massaging are stacks of paperwork,” he laughed.

           My
thoughts grew wild with admiration.

           I
imagined Brandon in a suit, which definitely tickled my thoughts. I wondered
why he hadn’t been in one when he came home; I could have enjoyed the sight if
he had.

           “Isn’t
interview attire something more professional?” I asked him teasingly, referring
to his sleeveless shirt and athletic shorts.

           “Oh
yeah, I was decked out. I hit the gym on the way home, though” He said.

           I
took in his scent of clean sweat when he walked in, and now it had made sense
to me. I felt a dumb for not thinking of him stopping by the gym.

           “Oh
yeah. Sorry, I just…” I started.

           “For
what?” He jumped in; his hands dug into the back of my thighs now, and my eyes
nearly rolled back in bliss. It was becoming harder to keep up conversation.

           “Um,
I don’t know,” I laughed like a nervous goof.

          
Smooth
one!
I thought to myself.

           Brandon
didn’t laugh back, though. He grew silent and stolid.

           “Listen
Elle, when we were younger,” He started, seeming a little nervous.