Richard

Could I really blame her for being attracted to me? I mean, I was a certified stud and everyone at school knew I was no stranger to the female body. Not to mention Jessica and I hardly even knew one another before our parents met, and starting high school sharing a house with a hot boy that your mom tells you to call your brother couldn’t have been easy. I almost felt a little sorry for the way Jessica must have felt—especially since I’d been harboring something of a crush on her when we’d first met. Thinking back on it now, I wondered whether that little crush of mine had ever actually faded, or simply changed into the strange teasing that Jessica had come to despise me for.

It hadn’t been easy for me. All senior year I’d begun to catch myself watching Jessica in ways I’d only reserved for girls on the cheerleading squad, especially the way her ass looked in those tight little pencil skirts.

I had cursed more than once the fact that the two of us were brother and sister—at least by marriage. The stigma of doing the things that I’d imagined doing to Jessica had weighed heavily on me whenever my thoughts had wandered to those dark, lustful corners of my mind. I could only imagine what it had been like for my repressed stepsister. And now, with the two of us going to opposite ends of the country for school, it looked like we’d finally be safe from our own desires… But was that what I really wanted?

I heaved a sigh as I once more glanced back at the party I’d breathed life into. Jessica had probably had enough of me tonight, and if what I thought was true, then she needed time to herself to… unwind. And what kind of person would I be to leave a party I’d brought back from the brink of boredom?

The game of Truth or Dare had continued without me, with more than a few boys and girls engaged in some hardly sensible displays of gratuitous affection. I leaned against the doorframe to the master bedroom, observing the sexual tension in the room sizzle and boil over. Things were certainly getting good.

The door to the walk-in closet opened and Becky’s disheveled form stumbled out, a bleary—if satisfied—look in her eye, followed closely by the dark-haired man I’d sent in after her, a cocky smirk smeared across his face like so much of Becky’s lipstick.

Now I remembered where I’d seen him before.

Jessica always kept her boyfriends away from me, hiding them away from the whole family, but that smirk was unmistakable. This was the asshole… I’d only seen him from a distance when he’d dropped Jess off, and I knew the two of them had something of a rocky relationship—to put it lightly. Every few months, Jessica would come home from a date she’d had with this guy upset and angry, though I’d never honestly asked her why. Figured it was just teenaged bullshit.

“Looks like someone had some fun,” I said, provoking a blush and an almost shameful look from Becky as she rushed out of the bedroom. I chuckled as I watched her lock herself away in the bathroom to clean herself up. She seemed to be having a good time.

At least one of us is, I thought, turning my gaze back to the room.

Michael was getting congratulated and patted on the back by all of his friends, all of whom stared up at him with puppy-dog-like admiration. The dynamic between them all made me frown as I watched Michael soak up all their praise. Something about him didn’t sit too well with me.

Michael was very well-dressed, surprisingly put-together for someone who was only just moments ago getting some very intimate treatment from a pretty girl. The fact that he wasn’t as disheveled as Becky had me put off. Men who were that concerned about their looks always had me on edge, like they were hiding something behind that perfectly coiffed hair and smart outfit.

The more I watched Michael and his little nerd posse, the less I actually liked him. Every single one of them fit a certain mold, but Michael didn’t belong here. He was almost as fit as I was, and it was clear he came from money. It left a bad taste in my mouth, watching him lord over his followers.

“Spill it, Mike!” one of them said, their nasally voice resonating in the most grating way possible. “Did she put out?”

“Did she ever,” Michael laughed, running his fingers through his hair. “I had that bitch sucking my cock like the slut she is.”

I frowned, my fists clenched as I continued listening to Michael go on about how he had Becky begging.

“She whined like a bitch in heat,” he said, that cocky grin still plastered on his face.

If only I’d had something close enough to throw, I’d have hit that smarmy little shit right in the eye. I thought I was doing both of them a favor, but clearly this little prick was just in it for a little fun and bragging rights. I’d always liked Becky—she was a good friend to Jess, and always did her best to get her out of trouble. I’d even started to consider her a part of the family, like a distant cousin who just won’t leave your house. She needed a chance to let loose, but hearing this jackass talking about her like that started to get my blood boiling.

It took every ounce of my willpower not to march up to that prick and punch him right in his smug little face, but I had to stay cool. One slip-up and my full ride to Yale might just go down the drain before the first check could be cut. Going to college meant everything to my father, especially heading to Yale, and if I fucked that up I’d never hear the end of it. I needed to behave.

“Can you just imagine all the pussy we’re going to get after we’re in college?” one of Michael’s minions sniveled.

“You know it,” Michael laughed, “and when I get to UCLA, I’m going to own that place.”

All of them laughed

If Michael’s going to UCLA, then that means he’s going to be there with Jessica, I thought to myself. If he treats the women who give it up to him that way, I can only imagine the way he treats the ones who don’t.

It was no secret that Jessica had never been laid. I mean, how could someone be that uptight after getting their needs met? No, Jessica was the exact opposite—she was a ball of nerves and frustration wrapped up in her pretty little conservative clothes. She and Michael had fought a lot—shouting matches over the phone, from what I’d witnessed.

“So where’s Jessica? I want to see the look on her fucking ice queen face,” Michael said to his friends just loud enough that I could hear it. “Maybe if she’s lucky, I’ll let her have some sloppy seconds.”

I have to keep that jackass away from her, I thought, giving Michael one last glance before I ducked back out of the room.

A strange feeling was welling up inside me… Jealousy mingled with anger, but something else was on the edge of my perception. As I thought about Jessica all I could see was the way she stared at me with those wide eyes when I asked her who she wanted to fuck. There it was, plain as day.

Desire. Raw and unrepentant.

_ FIVE _

Jessica

“What happened to you last night?”

Becky called me the next evening just before bed like she always did, to talk about the day or vent our frustration. It was ritual we’d soon be nixing for face-to-face conversations on a nightly basis once we arrived at UCLA in a couple of days.

“I could ask you the same question,” I replied, lying back on my bed. There was something in my voice that was hard, almost like resentment, and I immediat

ely knew that Becky heard it too. Too bad I couldn’t stop myself from talking. “How could you play that stupid game… and with Michael no less?”

“Hey,” she shot back defensively, “I didn’t know that it would be Michael… not that I’m complaining that it was. But how are you going to blame me for doing what you said we’d do—getting me kissed!”

“He’s my ex, Becky!” I said. “And from what I heard in there, you were doing so much more than kissing.”

There was silence over the phone for what almost seemed like a full minute. I wasn’t sure if Becky was mad or just embarrassed; either way, I felt like crap for calling her out like that.

“You don’t get to be all judgy,” she said, trying to keep her tone light, though there was a definite edge to the way she spoke now. She was mad, and honestly, I deserved it. “You both aren’t dating anymore, and I’m a big girl now. I can decide who I want to do… things with.”