Getting Mine: A Stepbrother Romance (9 page)

Chapter 14

Arsen

Past

Val looked so fucking hot bouncing across the stage in those purple tights, that she made my cock harden and snake down my thigh. My chin and folded arms rested on the railing in the back of the auditorium, in my usual spot. Being this far back did little to stop the ache of wanting to tear a hole in those tights big enough to push my cock through.

That wasn't the only reason I came to her plays, she was incredible to watch. Val had a gift, for sure. She shined so brightly with her performance that it looked like the spotlights were just catching the light she gave off, not the other way around. She could memorize and recite lines so easily that you'd almost believe she came up with them on the spot.

The Romeo was a joke, but no one gave a shit about him. The seats were all packed for Juliet; my Valentine. I thought about scanning the crowd again, but I didn't bother, I knew he wasn't here. The great Hugh Dawson would've never showed up at his lowly daughter's play.

What a fucking scumbag.

I still hadn't met him, but my mom mentioned him on occasion. I guess they did some work together now and then at the school. I forced myself not to pay attention to any of that. I used to like Hugh and his movies before moving to Boston, but seeing what a neglectful prick he was to Val really soured him for me.

Then again, I guess I was no better either, I hadn’t seen her in forever now.
She saw me cry.
I
never
cried, especially not in front of someone I cared about. How could I face her after something like that?

Fucking up was one thing, I could own that. I was a prick. But showing weakness? No. I would never allow myself to be that vulnerable again. And that meant keeping Val Dawson at a distance, at least for now.

The curtain fell over the dead lovers, then raised again for the last scene where the families come together. I couldn't decide if it was a happy ending or not. They died, sure, but the whole city was saved because their deaths put a stop to their families feud.

I'd been willing to watch my city burn, if it meant I could be with Juliet forever.

The cast all came out one by one to steady applause, but the crowd lost their minds when Val came out for her bow. “Valentine was transcendent. That girl is going places.” I heard an audience member say.

Yeah, she was.
I looked at Val one last time, put my hood up and left before the house lights came on. The air was cold outside, but I didn't mind. I needed that chill in my lungs and veins after being so warmed by Val's performance.

We were two dead lovers,
maybe not literally, but some people just ended explosively if they were allowed to be together.

My cell buzzed. It'd been so long since I kept it on me, that I forgot I even had it turned on. It was a text from Val. 'Please don't go. I miss you.'

Present

Are you sure you want me to stay? You were almost killed, take a second and think straight or else... We can't undo what's about to happen.
Those are all the things I wanted to say to her, but the words wouldn't come.

I wanted the
'Or else'
too badly.

Val still had the fear in her eyes when she looked at me. What was she scared of? Another attack? Or was she afraid of me?

“Say what you're gonna say.” I told her. I may have saved her life, but I could destroy her so many other ways. If she wasn't scared of me, she damn well should be.

Val sighed, her chest quivering slightly. “When you were doing your illegal fighting, did you ever worry about dying?”

“Every once in a while.” I said, pushing back old painful memories.

“How did you deal with that?” Val began to look down, losing herself in that crippling fear.

I grabbed the side of her face, and gently raised it to meet my gaze. “Everything ends, Val. It's the way things go.” I thought about the Romeo and Juliet play she had done a million years ago. “All you can do is enjoy what you have for as long as you can.”

She kissed me. I missed the touch of her lips so damn much. She pulled away just a few inches, there was only hot breath between us.

“I want this.” She whispered the words aloud and I knew that they weren't meant for me. She was reassuring herself that it was ok.

I kissed her back, mashing those perfect lips, and slamming her up against the wall roughly. The lamp slid off the table from our impact, and smashed into big, jagged pieces against the thin, threadbare rug.

“Careful what you wish for, Val. I'm the big bad wolf, remember?” I kissed her again, bit and pulled at her bottom lip, before letting it go. “I'll tear you apart.”

“I don't care anymore, Arsen.” I could feel her dragging nails through my shirt. “Blow my house down.”

And that's all it took. Every fantasy I ever had about fucking this girl, took over in my mind. I closed my fists around her shirt's collar, growled in her ear and gave a heave. The shirt ripped open. Popping the buttons off in every direction.

Seeing her chest rise in excitement made me rock hard. She wiggled her shirt off while trying to kiss me.

“No,” I said, pulling my face away from her. “I'm going to watch you strip for me.”

Val's eyes lit up, the desperation in her face twisted into perverse enjoyment. She unclasped her bra and shrugged it off. Her tits were as perfect as I remember from when I caught her in the shower. I'd jerked off to her hard that night.

“Now the pants,” I said, drinking in the sight of her smooth pale skin.

“No one's ever told me what to do before,” Val feigned protest. “Not like this.”

“That's because you've never been fucked by a real man.” I slid my fingers into her slim waistband. “Now, take them off before I do it for you.”

She unclasped and let them fall. I dragged her panties down, I was done waiting. I buried my mouth into her already slick pussy, I couldn't get enough of her juices. My rough, calloused hand slid up her stomach, chest then neck. I plunged two fingers into her, and ate her clit like I was half starved.

“Fuck fuck fuck...” Her body crunched forward, and she bit my fingers hard as she came. She pulled my hair, wordlessly begging me to stop. I didn't. I drank her in, taking everything she could give me. “God, yes!”

When I was satisfied, I picked her up and threw her onto the bed. Broken bits of the lamp crunched beneath me. I had just enough presence to yank the cord out of the wall. I wasn't going to let fire, or anything else stop us this time.

“This time, Val, you're all mine.” I was mesmerized by her, lying there naked. Her soft form was carved with shadow from with the cool light that flooded in through the open bedroom door.

“Then what are you waiting for?” She pulsed her fingers over her clit and pinched at her hard nipples. She bit at her lip and eyes me. She was just as hungry as I was. “Take me, Arsen.”

I didn't stand on ceremony or take my time, I tore off my shirt and pants and pulled a condom from my wallet. I climbed onto the bed, my cock stretching my boxer's fabric to the splitting point. Val grabbed it like a handle and pulled me closer.

I pulled the fabric down and unleashed my cock into her waiting hand. “Jesus, Arsen! How the fuck are you this big?” Awe crept into her voice as she eagerly tore the packaging open and unrolled the condom onto my cock.

“You scared yet?” I grabbed my cock over her hand and ground it back and forth over her swollen pussy.

“Fuck me!” Val demanded.

I slipped the head in just a little, then pulled it out, torturing her, until she pleaded with me. I'd thought about this one moment since I was seventeen, her lying naked in front of me begging for my cock.

I slowly pushed into her wet opening, her warm pussy constricted all around me. Val moaned, softly, then steadily louder. I felt her fingernails sink into my skin, and knew she'd drawn blood. Everything else felt too good to care.

“I've wanted this for so long,” Val whimpered, wrapping her legs around my back and pulling me to my base.

I slid out and slowly thrust back in, then again. She was so wet and tight now, that I had to concentrate on not coming. I pulled her legs apart and put them over my shoulder, pushing my cock in deeper.

“Ohmygod.” Val gasped, worry flashed on her face. Her body quivered with pleasure, it brought a wicked grin to my face. She didn't know if she could take all of me, but she sure as hell wanted to try.

I was slow at first, but now I was a fucking, bucking bull. Val held on for dear life, then rocked forward, her body going rigid.

“I'm coming, I'm coming, I'm coming!” She screamed, then found a pillow to yell into, to muffle the sound. I lowered myself on top of her.

Her golden pussy clamped tightly around my cock, ripping an orgasm out of me. With a groan, I filled my condom. I could only imagine what it would've been like to not have a thin layer of latex between us.

Sweaty and exhausted, we collapsed next to one another on the destroyed bed.

“Do you think anyone heard?”

I laughed. “This place might have hourly rates. No one gives a shit if we fuck here.” I was joking, the motel wasn't that bad. But even now, she was worried that someone might find and photograph her. That had to be a hard way to live.

“Gross!” Val propped herself up onto her elbows and looked around disgustedly. She saw that her phone was blinking and went to grab it.

I caught her arm and gave her a stern look. I didn't need to say anything, she knew what I wanted. Or rather, what I didn't want.

After a moment of careful deliberation, she finally turned back to me, then smiled. “OK.”

We cleaned up and laid down together again. Val nestled her head on my chest and fell asleep almost immediately. I savored the moment as long as I could, feeling warm inside. I felt more at ease than I had in years. I got to fall asleep knowing that she chose me over her phone.

I thought about the fact that I had decided to leave her, that I was only at that studio to say goodbye. How could I leave her now? It finally felt like I had come home. I didn't need to run anymore.

At least for tonight, Val chose me over the rest of her life.

Chapter 15

Valentine

Past

“Hey,” I said sheepishly. I wasn't prepared for this, it was totally spur of the moment. I never thought he'd actually stay!

“Hey.” Arsen answered cooly, leaning up against his father's truck, in the faculty parking lot.

After a minute of super painful awkwardness I blurted out the first thing that came to mind, “What'd you think of the show?”

“It's official, you have terrible taste in men.” He cracked a slight smile.

Even that small gesture made my heart feel lighter.
Ok, everything might be ok.
I hadn't realized until now just how much I missed him and his stupid jokes. “That's Shakespeare, you jerk! Don't make fun of the classics.”

Arsen shrugged “Then Shakespeare has terrible taste in men.”

I laughed like I did when we used to hang out all the time. Just like that, the emptiness inside of me was filled up. I was surprised at how little it took from him to make me happy.

My laughter died down and there was a little bit of a pause, the elephant-in-the-room loomed above us. I sighed and decided to just get it over with. I needed to apologize for how mean I was to him outside of that abandoned building. “So, about what I said the last time I saw you, I didn't mean to come off so— I'm sorry.”

“Don't be.” Arsen grabbed my hand and goose bumps shot up my arm, even through the heavy winter clothes I wore. “The world doesn’t give a shit about me or my dad, but my mom does. And I needed to be there for her. It was what I needed to hear.”

Looking into his eyes, I felt like I could cry. I was also really upset with myself for not trying to reach out to him sooner. I wasted so much time without him... I wanted nothing more at that moment than to hug Arsen, to feel his great arms squeeze around me.

“Yo! Arsenal!” Marcus yelled out of the open window of his Porsche. He and his friends parked next to Arsen's truck, empty beer cans clattered out onto the pavement as they all got out of the car. They were all drunk and high.

Arsen let go of my hand. I shrunk back a few steps, it felt like I was a deflating balloon. This was such an important moment for me and they had to come and ruin it.

“Hop in, dude. We gotta go.” Marcus was drowsy-eyed, but still beaming proudly, he threw an arm around Arsen. “Stacy's parent's are away again, so she's throwing another pool party. This time it's invite-only and no one's allowed to bring a fuckin' swimsuit!”

Bastards... T
hey'd come take Arsen away. After all of those wasted weeks I'd miss my window for reconnecting with him. This was a mistake. I wish I'd never texted Arsen.

Arsen flashed me a look, then addressed Marcus and the other three guys. “I'm busy. Maybe next time.”

They were stunned silent, then one of the other guys finally noticed me. “Are you crazy? Stacy mentioned you by name and you're gonna blow her off for
Valentine
? Just bend her over the bed of your truck and let's go—”

Arsen was too quick. I didn't even have time to be insulted, before the kid caught Arsen's fist in his mouth and was knocked onto his ass. Sometimes I forgot that Arsen was on the football team for a while. The boy wasn't unconscious, but his lip and nose were bleeding.

“Woah! Take it easy, dude!” Marcus jumped back and shouted. “He was just fucking around. What's your fucking problem?”

“My problem?” Arsen asked, with white-hot gravel in his throat. He stepped between me and them. “You guys were supposed to be my friends. Where the fuck were you when my dad died, huh?” No one replied. “Valentine was the only one who gave a shit,
she
is my only real friend.”

“What about the party?” Marcus asked, in complete disbelief. “It's Stacy Miller, man!”

“Stacy can go fuck herself.” Arsen turned back to me and held out a hand. I was the one beaming now. I couldn't contain my smile if my life depended on it. No one had ever stuck up for me before, I worried that I might float off the ground. I took his hand, and he smiled at me. “C'mon, Val. I'll drive you home.”

Present

I woke up to my phone vibrating like crazy. I thought it was a dream at first, not just the cell phone, but everything. Getting shot at,
having sex with Arsen
, none of it made any sense. It had to be a dream.

“I'm going to destroy your fucking cell phone.” Arsen grumbled softly, in my ear. It was then I noticed that his arms were still wrapped around me.

It wasn't a dream!

I ran through the events of last night and made sure that no one saw us come into this motel or knew what happened. It would be devastating to my career. I felt guilty, ashamed and incredibly happy, all at once. I had just fucked my stepbrother!

No, it was more than that.

I had just fucked
Arsen!

My phone went off again. What the hell was going on? My mind hadn't stopped racing since I woke up. I went to get up and check, but Arsen's strong arms tightened around me. I struggled, but he was in complete control.

“You're not going anywhere, it's not safe outside this bed,” he said sternly. “We're going to spend a few more days like this, then I'll think about letting you go.”

That sounded amazing. I wanted to do nothing more than to forget the world and lay low in this crappy motel room with him. But fairy tales were for children.

“If you don't let me go I think the phone might start foaming at the mouth.” I was the target of an assassination attempt. I didn't need to turn the TV on to know that
I
was the breaking news story. The calls weren’t going to stop.

“I'll buy you another one.”

“I have to at least let people know that I'm still alive.” I wasn't ever the reclusive celebrity type. If I disappeared for too long, sooner or later someone was going to track me down. And if they found me here, I'd have a lot more to answer for.

“Be quick,” he growled, loosening his grip on me. When I started moving he clamped his arms tightly again. “Because I'm not nearly done with you yet.”

I was glad he couldn't see the smile that gave me, although there was no hiding the shiver of taboo excitement that ran up my spine. He let me go for real and I grabbed my vibrating phone.

“A hundred and sixty messages! And nearly half as many voice mails, not to mention how many emails and social media notifications...” I slumped against the wall and reluctantly began to scroll through them. I did not want to deal with whatever this was.

“I'll put coffee on,” Arsen sighed, knowing as well as I did that the dream was over, at least for the moment. It was time to wake up and deal with whatever real life was going to throw at us.

“Careful!” I blurted, seeing Arsen casually step over the broken lamp pieces. I laughed nervously at the I-got-this look he shot back at me. “I, uh, forgot that we broke the lamp.

Arsen trashed all the pieces and stood up. “Yeah,” he said, mischievousness creeping across his face. “Let's break the bed next.”

He lingered long enough to see my face flush with heat, then he ducked out of the room to start the coffee. He could make me quake so casually now. Every bruise and soreness felt like a badge of perverse honor. I could still feel the lingering touch of his hands on my thighs and his cock inside of me. And I loved it.

I needed a deep breath -and probably a cold shower- before I could focus on my damn phone. The majority of the messages came from people I barely remembered, that saw me on the news and wanted to know more about what happened. I didn't bother with them, they were just looking to sell info to the tabloids. Out of all of the messages only one of them was worth listening to.

I called my agent back right away. “Michelle, it's Val. I got your cryptic message about an 'opportunity of a lifetime'.”

“
Val?
That nickname won't work.” Michelle was quick to interject.

Arsen must've been rubbing off on me. I never used that nickname anymore, although I loved hearing it on his lips. The more he said 'Val', the more I disliked hearing 'Valentine' from everyone else.

“It's too gender neutral. I guarantee it won't test well.” Michelle rambled on like only people who worked in entertainment could. “Here's what I'll do, I'll run it through the branding department—”

“Michelle.” I interrupted her. My agent was brutally efficient and one of the most expensive in the industry, and probably because of that, she was extremely tactless. “You know I was nearly shot last night.”

“Yes, yes,” she said. And I could picture her impatiently rolling her wrist in forward circles, as if to hurry that fact along. “I've been running spin control all morning. This is fantastic for PR for you! I've already had all the NDA's signed and obtained the film rights to the shooting. The script is being drafted as we speak. Your biography is easily a go-picture- 'Valentine's day' No. Just- 'Valentine.' Eh, it's a working title.”

“Michelle.”

“Oh, before I forget! Your stepbrother, does he have an agent yet? I can squeeze him in at just under half your percentage point. Find out if he's willing to go on the talk show circuit.”

“Michelle! Stop!” I hated talking to her first thing in the morning, she always gave me a headache. She was one of those people who talked
at
you until they ran out of words, then hung up if you let them. “Tell me about the opportunity.”

“Yes, that! I got you an audition for the upcoming period drama film, Mercy Lane with Phillip Seymour. How much do you love me?”

“What! How?” I was on the verge of hyperventilating. This was huge! It could be my 'Emma', the breakout role I needed to start doing more meaningful projects. I'd always dreamt about winning an Oscar, and with this role I might actually have a chance!

“Don't worry about all that, that's why you have me!” Michelle told me the rest of the details and when the call ended, I found myself sitting on the bed in a daze.

Then hysterical happiness crashed down on me, and adrenaline jolted through me like heroin. This was really happening! Between Arsen and this opportunity, I couldn't control myself, I started jumping up and down on the bed.

Arsen came back and I jumped at him. I didn't see that he had the coffees in his hands, but fortunately he was able to throw them aside and catch me before either of us got burned. He held me a few feet off the ground with ease, I loved that he was so strong!

“Aren’t you a little old to be jumping on the bed? Besides, I thought it was the rock stars that trashed hotel rooms”

“I'm only twenty-three, Arsen. It's not weird yet!”

He just looked at me for a few moments, taking in my giddy energy with a smile. “Good news?”

“Oh, you have no idea! Ever wanted to go to L.A.?”

“No,” Arsen didn't sound thrilled, but ultimately just shrugged it off. “Romeo might be interested, though.”