Wrong: A Stepbrother Romance

“Stop talking about my guests that way and stop talking about Liam. Period.”

“Why? I’m not afraid of him. If he wants to kick my ass, let him.” He sat back in his chair and crossed his arms. “I’ll just press charges and sue for whatever his stupid fucking gym is worth.” I shook my head in disbelief as he grinned at me. God. The only thing worse than a coward was a smug one. “Shoot. That thought makes you worry, doesn’t it?” Ethan smirked. “What do you think then? Should I say hi, babe?” He feigned innocence as I tried to bluff and pretend I didn’t fear Liam’s reaction. “He’ll be happy to see me, right, Sash? Yeah, you know what, gimme a sec, I’m gonna go say – ”

“Ethan.”

Before I knew it, I was dragging him out of the restaurant and around the corner. Laughing, he let me push him into the alley where we took around shipments inside. “Still got it,” he grinned.

“Got what?” I snapped.

“The ability to read your mind and get you exactly where I want you. I wanted you alone and now I have you alone. Because you don’t trust that meathead not t

o beat the shit out of me. Think about how sad that is, babe. Spending all your days worrying about whether or not that idiot is going to fly off the handles and kill someone like he almost did to that poor kid, Walsh. I mean is that really the kind of man you want in your life?”

I didn’t answer. He was baiting me. He wanted to know if I was going to let him call Liam “the man in my life.” When I said nothing, he sneered.

“Or are we just never going to get closure on that?”

“On what.”

“The fact that you dumped me because you moaned your stepbrother’s name during sex.”

“I dumped you because of your reaction to it and it happened during sleep, not sex, but I’m glad you’ve probably been telling all your friends that version of the story.”

“Actually, I’ve been holding off on telling anyone that you said his name while you were in bed with me. It’s actually kind of embarrassing to share that your fiancée’s been lusting after another guy, let alone her fucking brother.”

I crossed my arms. I didn’t bother to make the “stepbrother” correction since there was a far more pressing one to me. “Ex-fiancée,” I said between my teeth.

“That remains to be seen.”

“I’m sorry?”

“That remains. To be seen,” Ethan enunciated. “Unless you’re under the impression that your stepbrother is going to suddenly fall in love with you and ask to elope, I can’t exactly imagine that you’re truly done with us. We are the real thing, Sasha. Whatever pipe dream you have about sucking off Liam is not only wrong as fuck but completely absurd.”

I stared at him, his grey-blue eyes actually gleaming with satisfaction. I hated the idea of giving him any more. “I have to go,” I said abruptly. He caught my arm to pull me back. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up as I cut my eyes to him, trying my best to remain calm. “Let go of me.”

“Hon.”

“Now.”

“No, you fucking listen to me,” Ethan hissed, jerking me to him. I winced, remembering his tendency to lose his patience all at once. “I’ve proposed a grand total of once in my life and it was to you. Wanna know why? It’s not just because you’re beautiful or because I like the way men respect me when I walk into a room with you. It’s not just that. It’s because I’ve put time into you, Sasha. I’ve put money into you. I love you. I love the way you treat me, the way you make me feel. I have high doubts that any other sexy fucking woman, no matter how deep her throat or big her tits, will have any success matching the kind of satisfaction you provide me because the fact of the matter is you’ve molded to me. You went from teenager to woman with me – you’ve grown up learning how to please me so I don’t think it’s too far at all to say that you were made completely for me.”

“You’re disgusting,” I hissed, tearing away from him in vain.

“I’m not. I’m the one who’s meant for you. I’m the one who makes your family love you again. I’m the one you know you should be with. Look at you. Fuck, baby, look at you.” My stomach turned as Ethan groaned at me. My hands were flat on his chest as I tried to push him off of me, wondering when he’d shoved me up against the brick wall. “I miss you so much.” His words were wet against my neck. My heart slammed against his hands as they groped through my shirt. “Feel how hard you get me,” he practically whined.

I gasped, flashbacks throttling my brain, shrinking me against the brick wall as Ethan rubbed himself on my hip. “Get off!” I shrieked.

“Help me,” he grinned, reaching down between our bodies. “Help me get off.”

The second he cupped between my legs, I sunk my fist in his eye.

“Piece of shit!” I screamed the words. Or I tried. But my voice was hoarse and raw and nearly as weak as my legs. I stumbled away from him but the second I gained my footing, I ran.

Chapter Ten

“For the last time – no.” Through my tipsiness, I searched for my firmest voice to use with Aria. “And that’s my final answer,” I slurred to her before leaning over the bar and trying to flag a bartender. All three were down the bar with their elbows on the counter, too busy flirting with Max and A.J to care about the throng of thirsty patrons trying to get their attention. “Fuck it.”

Giving up for the fifth time, I plopped back in my stool. I’d had several doubles at this point but after the events of the afternoon, I was sure I still needed more. After all, the shitshow of a day didn’t end with Ethan.