The Stepbrother (Red's Tavern 5)

“Maybe you should stop worrying about people being ‘marriage material’ on paper, and start thinking about who you actually like,” I said. I tried to say it gently, but I knew it may have sounded a little critical.

But if he was bothered by the comment, he didn’t show it. He ran a hand through his hair. “Neither one of those sounds easy.”

“Hey,” I said, an idea springing into my mind. “Maybe I can help you find a new girlfriend.”

“Oh yeah, Cupid?” Fox said. “How do you plan on doing that?”

“I’m the master of all dating apps,” I said. “LoveWave is a little lame, and there probably aren’t that many people using it in New York. CupidsArrow is probably better, but for you, Buzzy might be the best bet.”

“What is that?”

“It’s a paid app. I’ve never used it, because I’m not about to spend a hundred dollars a month on an app. But for you, that would probably be like pennies.”

Fox shook his head. “I appreciate it. Really. But I don’t think I’m going to date anyone for a long time.”

“You’ve got to get with someone new to get over what happened to you,” I said.

“What’s so wrong with being single?” Fox asked.

“Ugh, everything,” I said.

“Bullshit. Being single is awesome.”

“It is hell on Earth,” I told him. “Nobody to hold at night. Nobody to kiss. Nobody to fuck. Sure, I like jerking off, but nothing’s the same as coming in your boyfriend’s mouth and then getting to cuddle and watch movies together until you fall asleep.”

He shifted in his seat, looking out the left window, far away from me. “Whatever you say.”

“I love how you blush whenever I talk about guys,” I said, teasing him a little.

“I don’t blush from that,” he protested.

“You definitely do,” I told him. “You’re doing it right now.”

Fox reached down, picking up a napkin. He balled it up and threw it at me, hitting me in the chest.

I looked over at him, silent for a few moments. “Is it because of what happened in the pool?”

I watched as his blush got even deeper.

We hadn’t talked about the kiss in the pool at all. In fact, I’d been trying to not bring it up at all, knowing that he probably felt way weirder about it than I ever could.

But I was going crazy. Thoughts of the kiss had been knocking around in my brain for the past three days, and maybe if we were just honest about it, I could finally stop caring.

“No, it is not because of that,” he said. He took his sunglasses off, folding them and gently placing them in the center console.

“Okay,” I said. “Because that was just… harmless fun. You know that, right?”

“Drunken stupidity,” Fox said. “It was awful.”

“I mean, it wasn’t that bad, was it?” I said.

He looked over at me quickly, his ice-grey eyes intense. “You said I was a terrible kisser.”

“Sweetie,” I said softly. “I was completely joking. You’re actually a really good kisser, to be hon—”

“Don’t call me sweetie,” Fox said, his eyes suddenly steely.

I put my hands up. “Roger that,” I said. “But I mean it. I hope you weren’t actually feeling bad about that. The kiss was hot, Fox. But that doesn’t mean anything. It doesn’t have to be weird.”

He turned away, his expression unreadable. “You’d think any kiss was hot, though,” he said quietly.

“Hell, no. I’ve had some pretty awful ones, actually,” I said. “Turns out my stepbrother isn’t so bad at it.”

He scrubbed over his face with his palms. “God, don’t say it like that.”

“What?”

He looked at me, desperation in his eyes. “Don’t you feel like we broke some unspoken rule? Like we’re terrible people because we did that even though we’re stepbrothers?”

He whispered the final word like he was swearing in church. My heart squeezed a little in my chest as I realized that this topic might actually have been weighing on him.

“Do you have any idea how much gay porn is centered around exactly that?” I said, keeping my tone kind.

“Christ, we don’t have to talk about porn right now.”

“I’m just saying, people jerk off to stepbrothers thousands of times a day. I’m pretty sure two stepbrothers kissing isn’t exactly a moral problem.”

“Sam,” he said, sounding a little defeated. He really was worried he’d done something wrong.

“Okay,” I said. “So our parents married each other when we were, what, fourteen and sixteen years old? That shouldn’t mean a damn thing for us.”

“Really?” he asked.

I couldn’t help but let out a soft laugh. “Hell, no, Fox,” I said. “We barely spent any time together. We sure as hell didn’t grow up together. We’re not related. It would be no different from me kissing one of my friends, or some acquaintance from high school.”

Christ, he looked more appealing than ever. He bit his lower lip, looking totally lost. It was one of the few times I’d seen him be totally vulnerable, and for a guy who was usually in charge of everything, it was somehow sweet to see him confused.