Score - A Stepbrother Romance (45 page)

I
don’t know
what’s happening to me. It’s like someone flipped a switch inside my head, making my personality change in an instant.

Suddenly, I don’t feel the need to bitch and moan. I don’t need to curse with every sentence I say. It’s not a compulsion anymore, but instead – a choice. And it feels so good.

The last few days have been the best of my life.

It’s been all about Jax. Jax and me. The start of our story together.

I know this bliss won’t last forever – our parents are planning on returning tomorrow, and we’re enjoying our last moments together.

Despite the amazing, loved feeling, there's an underlying guilt at the pit of my stomach. Every time I laugh, I guiltily think about what I'm doing and just how wrong this is.

I guess when you know you can't tell your parents about your new boyfriend you have a problem – and mine is even bigger, because one of them is Jax's mom. I'm already dreading the conversation, which I know will have to happen sooner or later.

It’s been a short few days, but I would never trade them for anything. Because this is the happiest I’ve ever been – waking up in Jax’s arms. Falling asleep in his embrace. Eating the food he’s made for me. Spending all day at the pool, lazily swimming in the cold water, kissing withabandon.

Today, Susie called me to ask where I’ve been, and I’m pretty sure she knows what’s going on, because I was an absolute giggling fool on the phone. She wants to go to the carnival, which is in town today, and I made Jax promise he’d come with us.

I get ready in the evening, wanting to look especially pretty for the last night we have together all alone. So I put on a new dress mother dearest got for me before I left – a pretty, flimsy emerald green dress made of silk that apparently goes with my hair well. I put my hair in a half-up style and add some wedges to go with the dress. I know I’m overdressed, but I want this night to be extra special.

The one thorn in my heel is the fact that Jax is meeting me there. He doesn’t want Susie to suspect a thing, even though I’m pretty sure she already knows about us. When I come down the stairs, it makes me a little sad not to see him waiting for me.

But I hear Susie honking outside, and there’s no time for sadness. I rush outside and get into her car as she interrogates me about what’s been going on. I laugh and remain vague, which drives her crazy.

“You little minx,” she says, throwing me a look and nearly swerving off the road.

“Susie!” I yell in horror. “Eyes on the road!”

“No fuck? No dammit?” she asks in mock horror, shaking her head. “I don’t know what’s happened to you, girlfriend.”

We’re still laughing when we arrive at the site of the carnival, getting out of the car. Susie has to help me get across the gravel in my high wedges, but my struggle is forgotten as soon as she spots the cotton candy stand. She shrieks in delight and rushes to get in line for the sweet pink candy.

I giggle and follow slowly, reconsidering my choice of footwear. I’m already looking around anxiously, trying to spot Jax. I want our seemingly random encounter to happen as soon as possible.

My eyes scan the crowd and my expression sours as soon as I spot a familiar group of eyes, which unfortunately includes Adrian. As soon as he spots me, I look away in a rush, unwilling to spend a moment of my precious time with the douche bag.

But then my eyes land on another familiar figure, and this time it’s someone I’m more than a little glad to see. My lips stretch into a smile as I drink Jax in with my eyes. But as soon as I realize what he’s doing, my happy expression falters.

Jax is leaning against a vending machine, wearing a badass leather jacket I’ve never seen on him. As I watch him, he takes it off, revealing a V-neck black tee with his biceps exposed and bulging, covered with the delicious ink I’ve come to love.

But what’s more disturbing is the person he’s flexing his muscles for – a pretty, petite blonde with perky tits and a too-shirt tennis skirt, who’s all but in his face with that cleavage.

My lips purse when I see them talking, and I realize I’m fucking jealous. I’m jealous of the way he’s laughing at her, jealous of his eyes appraising her tight, lithe body. I’m seething when he reaches over, poking her as she giggles.

And then Jax’s eyes land on mine and his smile grows wilder. Everything is forgotten, because surely last night was not a lie? I let him have me, gave myself to him in ways I’ve never let anyone see me, let alone touch me, fuck me, take me.

As he comes towards me, saying goodbye to the blonde, my heartbeat falters. I don’t trust him, I realize sadly. Not completely. Not yet.

“Hey, darlin’,” he greets me, his signature smirk ever present on his face. “Missed me?”

I make a shushing sound, looking around like someone’s going to burst out of the nearby bushes and bust us. I don’t know why, but I’m already smiling, my cheeks reddening slightly.

Jax laughs at my discomfort, grabbing my hips and pulling me closer, planting a kiss right on my lips, in the middle of the carnival. My mouth gapes in shock, but secretly, I couldn’t be more pleased, because he just acknowledged me … I can almost feel the blonde’s jealous gaze upon us.

“What’s going on here?” Susie asks curiously a moment later, her smile wide as she giggles at the sight of us. We refuse to answer, shooting each other guilty looks, and Susie snorts knowingly.

“Come on, lovebirds,” she says with a dramatic gasp. “Let’s have some fun. You can eat each other when we’ve left.”

Jax smirks, but I can tell he likes her. Susie has a no-fucks-given attitude, and I think she and Jax will get along just fine. For some reason, that makes me feel strangely happy.

We spend a fun evening together, eating sweets and carnival snacks and trying out every single ride in the park. Jax even wins me this stupid, enormous stuffed penguin and even though I call him stupid, I insist on lugging him around with me for the rest of the night, a silly smile plastered across my face.

Finally, the night comes to an end, and a bunch of us are standing in the parking lot.

“Come on, Rue,” Susie motions me over. “Let me give you a ride home.”

Jax clears his throat, and I look between the two of them, feeling torn. “Erm,” I say, and Susie gives me a hard look. “I guess I’ll just go with Jax. We live in the same house, after all.”

Susie glares at me but ends up laughing it off and winking at me as she comes over for a quick hug. She pulls me in closer and whispers in my ear. “I want to hear all the details tomorrow.”

Jax and I wave them off, and he passes me the helmet to ride his bike. I put it on clumsily, but I can’t quite take my thoughts – or eyes – off my stepbrother. I’m completely smitten, even if I don’t want to admit it out loud.

“You ready, darlin’?” he asks roughly, and I’m already picturing what we’re going to do for the rest of the night when a shrill laugh interrupts us.

“Hey, Rubi," I hear a voice calling me, turning around towards the voice. My mouth breaks into a hesitant smile as I spot Adrian. "Leaving so soon?"

"It's late," I call back, and he slowly approaches us. Suddenly, the air becomes incredibly tense, and I realize there's something going on here. I give Jax a confused look, but he's staring intently at Adrian.

"Stay a little longer?" Adrian slurs, and upon closer inspection, I realize he's pretty much hammered.

"We have to go," I say uncomfortably, putting on my helmet.

"Come on, Rubi," Adrian says slowly, a smirk spreading over his face. "You wouldn't believe the things I have to tell you ..."

I don’t have time to comment, because in the next second, Jax strolls over to him and punches him square in the face.

“Jax!” I yell in shock as Adrian’s head flops backward, sending him sprawling on his feet on the gravel covering the floor. “Are you okay?” I ask absent-mindedly in Adrian’s direction, furrowing my brows at my stepbrother.

“Oh, I’m mighty fine,” he says, the slur gone from his voice, but his tone cold like a snake’s hiss. He gets up from the floor, wiping away the blood from his split lip. “But your brother is about to regret that punch he threw at me immensely.”

“Come on, Rubi,” Jax groans, pulling on my arm in the direction of his bike. “We don’t need to stick around for this. He’s full of crap.”

I look at him with confusion, not understanding the sudden animosity between these two. When I first met Jax at the beach, he seemed to be getting along with Adrian quite nicely.

“What’s this about?” I ask, feeling weird because of the way they’re acting, but Jax completely ignores me, dragging me to his bike and making me straddle the machine. He sits in front of me and places my arms firmly around his waist, starting the bike just as Adrian starts shouting something at us.

“Bye, jackass,” he says with a smirk on his face, waving at a retreating figure of Adrian as we drive off from the carnival. I stare over my shoulder until his silhouette is too small to make out, wondering what just happened.

And I can't help but wonder if I made the right choice – seeing Jax with that girl, and then the way he just punched Adrian out of the blue...

I hate to admit it, but I might be scared of my own stepbrother.

O
ne last night
. A blissful, perfect night with her in my arms, her breathing steady, her heartbeat reassuring against my chest. It feels so goddamn good I’m pretty sure I’ll have trouble sleeping without Rubi beside me in the future.

We wake up in the early morning, and I refuse to get up. Rubi seems to be of the same mind, because she snuggles closer to me, holding me as tightly as her small arms can manage. I can’t stop looking at her, kissing her, thinking about her.

She’s possessed my mind and body, and I’m afraid it’s too late to change that now. And that fucking scares me more than anything I’ve done in my life.

Finally, at around noon, we both know we can’t put this off any longer. Tony has already left a message on Rubi’s voicemail, letting us know he’s returning with my mother in the early afternoon.

So we get up, grudgingly getting ready, and then stopping in front of the door that leads to Rubi’s bedroom, looking at each other awkwardly, not wanting this magical time to end.

I wish I could keep her in this secret place forever, make the beach house our happy place … No judgment. No witnesses. Just her body and mine, our lips crushed together.

“I guess we should be in our own rooms when they come home,” I tell her hesitantly, and she nods, since we both know it’s the right thing to do.

Tony’s a protective guy, and I’m sure any guy who had feelings for his daughter would be in trouble, but the fact that I’m Rubi’s stepbrother pretty much condemns me from the start.

“I should go then,” I say more firmly, but my eyes are asking Rubi to say no. When she raises her eyes to me, her gaze is full of sadness. “What’s wrong, darlin’?” I ask her worriedly.

“I just…” She breathe a heavy sigh, and I take a step closer, my fingers traveling up her arm, leaving goose bumps in their trail on her perfect skin.

“What?” I ask her gently, needing her to confide in me. And I know she will, the change in her already remarkable after just a few short days together. She’s a different girl, and the thought of how much better she could get with my help makes me insanely happy.

“I’m worried,” she admits, her voice breaking over the words. “I’m worried this ends now. You got me, you didn’t have time to grow tired of me, so it would be perfect … To just cut it off, before it hurts even more.”

She flutters her eyelashes in an almost violent way, and I tip her chin backwards with my fingers, making my little doll look at me. “Stop, Rubi,” I say softly. “You’re saying that so you don’t get hurt.”

She tries to look away, but my fingers slide over her lips next and her eyes become glued to mine, her mouth parting gently in a sigh. “I know you still want me,” I say confidently, but before she can roll her eyes, I go on. “I won’t leave you. Because I want you just as much, and I have every intention of making this work – one way or another.”

A small smile lights up her face, and I lean down, unable to resist one last kiss while we’re free of our parents’ company. My lips land against her mouth softly, and she opens those lips up for me like she’s parched for my touch.

“Darlin’,” I groan against her lips, pulling her closer as she grinds her body against mine. This is going to be a problem, because there’s already just one thing on my mind …

I give her a long, hard kiss, tasting her, knowing I'm getting more and more addicted with each lick she lets me have.

And then I hear noise downstairs and spring away from her like she's just burned my mouth with those full, pouty lips.

Rubi's eyes widen in anticipation, and I clear my throat, standing awkwardly in the hallway. Our parents call to us from downstairs, and I know we'll have to face the music sooner or later. I smile apologetically at my baby doll, then motion towards the staircase with my head.

"Shall we?" I ask, my voice full of regret and resignation.

She nods, and we walk downstairs, making sure to keep a good distance between us. Anyone who saw us would think it perfectly innocent... I wish it wasn't.

"Rubi!" Tony bellows as soon as we reach them, enveloping his daughter in a big hug. I smile and my mom is soon to follow, settling for a ruffle of my hair. "Hello, Jax," she says and I give her a hug nonetheless.

Upon closer inspection, mother looks pretty tired, with bags under her eyes and limp hair. She always looks amazing, and it's a little strange seeing her out of sorts.

My eyes land on Tony next, and I see he looks a bit under the weather, too. I don't comment, instead slapping him on the back good-naturedly. "Hope you had a good trip?" I ask them.

All they do is look at each other, their eyes full of guilt. What in the name of hell is going on here?

I furrow my brows, but a quick look at Rubi tells me she's oblivious. I'm not about to point out there's something wrong, because I don't want to worry her, but in my mind, I've already decided I need to get to the bottom of this.

Tony leads us all into the kitchen, exclaiming he needs a good home-cooked meal. The three of us volunteer to make dinner, and he leaves to unpack their stuff.

Once again, I'm seeing a new Rubi. I love the way she is with my mom, so at ease, always laughing and chatting away. I don't say much, but a small smile plays on my lips as I pretend to help around the kitchen, even though they're doing most of the work.

An hour or later, they send me upstairs to get Tony, and I retreat laughing, leaving them to their whispering. It makes me so fucking happy, and in my mind, I'm already convincing myself we can get my mother on our side before we tell Tony what's going on between us.

The upstairs is quiet, and I give Mom and Tony's bedroom door a tentative knock. No-one answers.

I crinkle my forehead, knocking again, but once more – no answer. I open the door slowly, and I am surprised by the scene in front of me.

The luggage our parents brought with them hasn't even been touched – the two suitcases are still lying on the floor, unopened. My eyes scan the room for Tony, finding him sprawled on the bed, snoring away happily.

I stifle a laugh, gently poking him. It takes a couple of seconds, but I finally have his attention. "Oh, Jax," he says tiredly.

"Dinner will be on the table in a moment," I say, trying to be friendly, but I can't resist poking some fun. "You needed some rest, old man?"

Tony smiles awkwardly, getting off the bed slowly. I don't know what they were up to on that trip, but they both seem beat. I hope they recover soon enough.

I tell Tony to meet us all in the kitchen and head downstairs to help my ladies with the serving. They put me in charge of carving the meat while they set the table.

I'm in the process of doing so when Tony strolls into the kitchen, looking paler than he did when I saw him last. "Tony, everything alright?" I ask worriedly, my eyes glued to his sallow face.

He raises his eyes to mine, the motion painfully slow. He tries to wave a hand in my direction to convey it is nothing, but when he lets go of the doorframe, he stumbles.

"Daddy?" Rubi asks worriedly, and mom drops the cutlery.

Tony tries to catch something to hold him up, but he misses the counter by a good few inches. His eyes are already absent, and before any of us can do a thing, he collapses on the floor.

"Daddy!" Rubi screams in horror, and the sound of the silverware hitting the floor echoes in my head.

Mom and Rubi rush towards Tony, who's barely breathing on the floor, and I just stare at the scene, completely in shock...

"Get over here, Jax!" mom scolds me in a cool tone, and it's the push I need. I drop everything and rush towards them, my hands shaking as I check Tony's pulse.

It's there. Weak, but there.

"What's going on?" Rubi is asking, her voice on the verge of tears.

"We'll explain everything," mom says after a long pause. "We'll tell you ... Everything. Oh God, I can't take this. I just can't."

I just stare as both my mother and Rubi burst into tears, holding the limp body of husband and father in my hands.