Beautiful Brute (Court University 3)

“Yeah, hopefully,” I returned, hugging the bag to my body. His gorgeous eyes flickered to it before finding mine, and I wrestled with my hair again. I shrugged. “I don’t normally buy things like this. I mean…”

I didn’t know what I meant or why I felt the need to explain to him. I guessed since our parents knew each other?

I wanted to die again. Especially when he chuckled. Palming the counter, he leaned forward. “You’re not the first to come in here. And even if you were, so what? People have sex. Not a big deal and nothing to be embarrassed about.”

But still, I was here and in front of him.

He winked. “See you around. At school?”

“For sure.”

He backed away, and I was chewing my lip by the time I got out of the store. Kit kept texting, but I could only deal with one thing at a time right now. I decided to take a sidewalk corner behind the store and after buying a bottle of water from the vending machine, I read the box. Might as well get this done now.

*

I rushed home, but even still, the hour had long passed breakfast. I’d obviously missed the gathering, and I knew the moment I rode up the driveway past dad’s silver Mercedes. Someone was behind the vehicle in the yard. He was pulling weeds.

And was shirtless.

My stepbrother Jaxen was down to the jeans he’d worn last night, tugging and pulling at ragweed in my mom’s flower garden. She had people who came and did this, of course, but for whatever reason, my stepbrother was on his knees and doing it himself. His chiseled back muscles roved and strained while he dug in the dirt between flower bushes, his muscled frame glistening with sweat. The squeak of my bicycle gave him pause.

He shifted in seconds.

On his feet before me, growing like a beautiful monster. He tugged off gloves too small for his big hands, my mom’s. Tossing them, he came over, and I thought I’d vomit right where I stood.

What does he want? What does he…

He appraised me, just once before his hand slammed on my bicycle handle. A strong grip and his eyes danced, his body smelling of sweat and raw heat. Truth be told, he smelled really good, and I may have had thoughts to enjoy that.

Had he not been my stepbrother.

Oh, and the fact that he scared the ever-loving shit out of me.

A growl in his voice as he dragged his gaze up from my sundress to my eyes. A small smirk. “You missed breakfast, sis.”

So he noticed, obviously having a good time with my parents. I heard them laughing together. I swallowed. “Had to go get something.”

“Right.” Liquid glass eyes dragged back to my bike. “And on this. What the fuck is this?”

He tugged at my bike, but I held on, pushing back from him. “What the hell is your deal?”

“What do you mean?” He feigned innocence, leaning back on my dad’s car. His feathered brown locks fluttered in the wind. “Do I seem like I have a deal?”

Only totally, and he wasn’t fooling anyone. I saw how he’d looked at me before. There’d been basically hatred there. Add to the fact that he’d screwed me definitely knowing who I was, he had a deal.

I just couldn’t figure out what it was.

I couldn’t figure out why it was warranted. He either had a bone to pick or was seriously screwed up in the head.

I picked the later, starting to pedal off but his hand slammed down on the bike again. “Let me go.”

“No.” He straddled my wheel with his big thighs, a god atop my bicycle. He was almost playful about it, jovial as he tugged my handlebars closer with a grin. “Where did you go?”

“Out.”

“Obviously, but where, and why the fuck on this?” He angled a look. “You don’t have a car or something?”

“I do, but where I went is close and riding my bike is better for the environment.”