Bad Boy - A Stepbrother Romance (46 page)

I should have never kissed Tessa. Not because it was the wrong thing to do, but because there’s nothing else I think about now. I can’t get her out of my head, and it doesn’t help that strolling around my place in my old T-shirts that barely cover that perky ass.

We haven’t spoken much about her eating habits, and I’m fully aware of her trying to hide them from me. She knows I’d lose my cool if she admitted how little she actually ingests in a day.

She may have gotten away with it up until now, but today is a day for changes. It’s our only day off of this week, but I haven’t told Tessa. She’s going to show up in the restaurant in a matter of minutes, and I have my own personal cooking course prepared for my stepsister.

I put on my chef coat, skipping the hat for the day. Instead, I prepare some fresh ingredients for us to work with, my mind swimming with thoughts of stunning Tessa. Even when she’s too skinny, she’s the loveliest, sexiest, most amazing woman I’ve ever laid eyes on.

And she should only be mine. All mine.

I realize as I’m preparing the ingredients, I don’t really have a clue about Tessa’s life since I left her and our parents behind. I don’t know whether she was dating anyone; just know she worked as a model. I never cut her off, that was Tessa’s decision. And I can only hope she’ll let me in on all of her secrets eventually, because I want to know all there is to know about her.

I sense her presence before I see her.

Maybe it’s her subtle floral perfume, or maybe it’s the barely-there sound of her soft footsteps on the tiles. Maybe it’s the way the air changes when she’s near. Maybe it’s the erratic beat of my heart, demanding to have her close.

Either way, she’s here.

“Come on in,” I beckon her without turning towards the door. I can feel her hesitating in the doorway, but finally, she comes inside, and I can hear the sound when she sets down her purse on the counter.

“Is it just us today?” she asks, her sweet voice like nectar to my ears. That voice alone could make me shiver, do anything she asked of me. I don’t know whether Tessa’s aware of the effect she has on me.

Maybe it’s best it stays that way.

I think it’s finally time to turn around, and I face my gorgeous Tess with a wide grin on my lips. “Thought I’d give you a private lesson today.”

Her eyebrows shoot up and she looks amused as she takes in my smile. “Why?” she asks suspiciously.

“You should be honored,” I respond in mock outrage, and Tess rolls her eyes, but still steps towards the aprons, taking one off the rack. She unfolds it and places it on her front, then turns her back to me, gesturing for me to tie the strings.

Such a simple task, but being faced by her beautiful body, I’m nearly a goner. I reach out with shaky fingers, managing to tie a knot just on the small of her back. I let myself take one breath, her sweet skin smelling better than anything I’ve ever cooked.

Mine
, I growl in my mind, my hands falling back in place in fists as I think of another man touching my woman. Fuck, no. Since the moment we laid eyes on one another, Tessa Silver has been mine.

If only she weren’t so goddamn stubborn, and would realize that, too.

“Flattered?” she asks, a cheeky grin plastered on her face as she moves away from me.

“More like exhausted.”

It seems like my fingers against her back had no effect on Tess whatsoever. And that fucking hurts.

“Why am I here anyway?” she asks suspiciously. “I don’t work in the kitchen. I don’t need to know this stuff, do I? I know the menu by heart now.”

As if to prove it to me, she starts listing the food off our menu and counting them on her dainty, long fingers. I interrupt her once she gets to the main courses.

“Yeah, you may know the names,” I say, my voice only a little annoyed. “But have you tasted the food? Do you know each and every ingredient; do you know its purpose in the dish? Do you understand why it’s in the meal? Do you know which market or farm it came from?”

I realize I’m getting too caught up in my passion as I notice Tessa’s cheeks reddening. I’ve embarrassed her without meaning too, and once again it seems like I’ve brought the topic back to her condition.

I force a smile on my lips, ignoring her strained expression. I need to fix this, I think darkly, hoping I haven’t messed up everything beyond repair already.

“Look, I’ve prepared some stuff for us over here,” I tell her, guiding her towards the counter where I’ve laid out some delicious ingredients.

Tessa leans down and inspects what’s in front of her. “What’s this?” she asks suspiciously, pointing to a black mass.

“It’s a truffle,” I tell her, not bothering to hide the excitement in my voice. I’ve always loved teaching and showing people new tastes, expanding their palettes. I may be risking it with truffles, but I think Tessa will love them.

If I can get her to eat some, that is.

She doesn’t look too thrilled at the sight of them, to be honest, and I’m fairly certain she’s about to walk out on me, but in the end, she just shrugs and gives me a slightly annoyed expectant look. “Are we gonna get started, then?”

I don’t need to be told twice.

I produce two chopping boards for us and get out the ingredients for the fettuccine. Tess looks wary, but it isn’t long before she joins in the process of making our dinner. Sensing her discomfort, I try to fill the awkward silences with anecdotes of what’s happened in the kitchen, all the while ignoring her presence so close to me.

Truth be told, I steal every moment I can to stare at her. Tessa’s always been a beauty, but I’ve seen past her looks since day one.

She might be gorgeous, a perfect hourglass shape with glossy chestnut hair and baby blues. But she’s also the sweetest, kindest person I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing. She’s all that I’ve ever wanted, and all I can never have.

But I’ll make damn sure to enjoy the company while I can.

***

I love this look on her face. Pure wonder, astonishment at what she’s done as she looks into the pot of steaming pasta. Disheveled, tired and hot, she looks prettier than she ever has.

I want to have Tessa Silver on my own goddamn kitchen counters. But I hold back. I reign myself in, knowing there’s something even better coming soon.

“Now we just have to drain the pasta,” I tell her, and she steps aside as I lift the pot of boiling water, dumping the pasta into a colander in the sink. The steam rises upward and Tessa’s lips part slightly as she looks at the delicious, freshly made pasta.

“How come it cooked so fast?” she asks.

“Because they’re freshly made,” I explain simply, ladling the pasta on two plates. She nods like I’ve just uncovered a secret of the universe and we share a grin, then look away guiltily like a pair of children who’ve done something wrong.

Goddamn it, we can never get over that feeling, can we?

Next, we step to the stove where the cream truffle sauce is bubbling, emanating the most delicious fragrance. It’s a simple dish, but one of my favorites nonetheless.

Tessa’s pupils dilate as I lather the sauce on a spoon, then drizzle it over the pasta, the delicious and unique aroma dominating the kitchen. I sprinkle some parsley on top and add some freshly grated Parmesan cheese, which Tess prepared earlier.

Then, I lead her to the tall counter where two bar stools have been prepared for us to enjoy dinner. It’s gotten dark outside, and the only lights that are on are above the stove, giving the place a bit of dimmed lighting. Too goddamned romantic to hold back.

Setting the two dishes down on the counter, I sit on one of the stools and unwrap my cutlery from a paper napkin. Tessa’s frozen on the spot, as if she’s only now realizing I want her to eat what we’ve made, too.

I raise my eyes slowly, painfully to her baby blues, filled to the brim with tears I hope will never fall. My beautiful, sweet Tess should never cry, and least of all because of me... all I want is to make her better. Kiss the pain away.

“Come on, sweetheart,” I say softly, and I can see how hard she gulps, taking in the scene before her eyes. “It’s no big deal. It’s just dinner. You have to taste the food eventually, don’t you?”

She’s still not moving, standing still as a statue. Fuck me, I want to drag her to the counter and make her eat. I want to force her to get better, but I can’t fucking do that, can I? She’ll fight me, drag me down, until we both drown in the dark waters of her mentality.

I need to get her up, up towards the surface. Need to give her air to breathe.

“It’s good,” I offer lamely, and her bottom lip quivers. I’m destroying her, and I hate myself for it, but I don’t know what else to do. I want her to eat; she needs some food inside her. This has gone on long enough. Long fucking enough that she’s destroyed herself.

“Please, doll,” I ask in a low, gravelly voice. “Come here, Tessa, baby. Come here, it’s just a few steps.”

But at the same time, I know it’s a thousand miles for her.

She takes a step forward and my heart surges. Another step, a small one, but it’s in the right direction. She’s coming towards me, towards a better and brighter future. And I’m convinced it’s all going to be okay, so I grin widely.

Tessa smiles back.

She fucking smiles back and it’s the sweetest sight in the world.

Tessa comes forward until she’s standing right next to me, and I raise a fork to her lips. Tentatively, her pretty mouth pops open for me and I feed her the meal we’ve made. I can see tears in my beautiful girl’s eyes, and I know she’s hurting badly. But I’m so happy at the same time.

She swallows, the food slowly making its way down her throat. And then she smiles through the tears and all I want is to fuck her

Slow

Then harder

Harder and harder

Right on this fucking counter.

“Good girl,” I growl deep in my throat and she smiles, her eyes glowing and I want her so badly my head is spinning. She steps closer, too close for comfort. And before I can stop myself, or she can convince herself this isn’t a good idea, she’s in my arms.

Tessa’s trembling, her weak limbs like putty in my hands. I lower my mouth against her slowly and our lips melt into a kiss.

She’s everything. She’s every taste I’ve ever tried, an explosion of flavor on my tongue. I could kiss her for hours on end, but I want more, and it’s starting to get pretty hard – this holding back.

My hand circles the small of her back and she makes a small whimper in the back of her throat that might just be my undoing. I’m kissing her hard now, deep and demanding until she’s moaning for more.

Tessa’s pressed against me, her breasts swollen with need I know she feels. I let my hand roam just for a moment, pretending like a touch of her velvet skin won’t change anything, and knowing full well that as soon as I have a feel, I won’t be able to go back.

I pull her in, my fingers finding the belt loop of her jeans and making her come closer. I explore the soft area just above her jeans and she moans as my shaky, nervous fingers try to go even higher.

With a growl, I finally pull back, knowing I’ve already gone too far. She’s too sweet to be tainted right away. And I’m only going to spoil her healing process if I make her do this right now.

“Sweet Tessa,” I murmur against her forehead, pressing a gentle kiss against her skin. I look into her eyes and it makes me laugh to see her angry stare.

“Why did you stop?” she asks, looking as pouty as she ever was as a teenager.

“It’s not the right time,” I tell her, barely able to hide my grin and at least pretending to be serious. “We can’t do this, Tessa.”

“Because I’m your stepsister?” she asks, her teeth gritting together in rage. It’s the age-old argument we’ve been having deep inside our minds for ages, and I need to make it right once and for all.

I take Tessa’s shoulders in my arms, pulling her in until our eyes are locked again. I can feel my cock stirring against the rough fabric of my jeans, needing to break free and finally claim her as mine.

But the good things in life are worth waiting for, as we all know.

So instead, I kiss her fiercely, let myself have one last taste of that stunning mouth of hers.

“No,” I say once I move away. “That’s never been a problem, I don’t care what anyone says, Tessa. I’ve been trying to show you, tell you, that I don’t give a fuck about anyone else.”

Her eyes are wide and hopeful, prompting me to go on with my little speech.

“I just want you to be better,” I add, my tone a little softer. “I want you to be happy, and eat right, and take care of yourself. I want you to be confident.”

Something you’ve never been, I silently add in my mind. But there’s no need to put that on her right now, so I keep my mouth shut instead.

“You don’t think I’m beautiful?” she asks sadly, and the corners of her mouth turn downwards. “You don’t want me because you think I don’t take good enough care of myself?”

Goddamnit, this woman. I’m going to lose it sooner or later if this keeps going on.

“I’m going to give you the fucking moon and stars, Tessa Silver,” I tell her, my hands tightening into fists as I reach up into her silky hair. “I’m going to scour the earth for the perfect shade of blue to go with your eyes, and I’ll do any-fucking-thing to convince you that you’re the most beautiful woman on the planet.”