Cole’s door was shut, and so I knocked once. He didn’t answer, so I knocked again. Instead of knocking a third time, I just pushed open the door.
“Cole,” I said. He stopped doing his push-ups and looked up at me, rocking back onto his knees.
“I thought you might follow me up here, wife,” he said, grinning.
“How are you not pissed off?”
“This happens every time.”
“What, your mom kicks you out?”
“Not exactly. I do something she doesn’t like, and so she finds some reason to get rid of me.”
“You’re okay with that?”
“I’m not some little kid, Alexa. I don’t need my fucking insane, bitch mommy to be proud of me.”
I sighed, frustrated. Was everyone in this house totally stupid?
“Look, I get it. But it’s still not right that she’s throwing you out like this,” I pushed.
He stood up and stretched his arms. “I’m honestly surprised you’re taking such an interest in this.”
“Why wouldn’t I?”
“You’ve been trying to get rid of me from the start. I’m sure you’re excited for this.”
“I don’t want to get rid of you,” I said softly.
He stepped closer to me. “No?” His body filled my vision, muscular and tall. “Why not?”
“Because,” I said softly. I didn’t want to say it.
“Go ahead. Tell me why you want me to stay.”
“You did nothing wrong.”
“And?” His smell filled my mind as he came closer to me, inches away. I felt my heart begin to beat fast in my chest.
“And, I don’t know. You’re not bad to have around.”
“Not bad to have around?” he asked, grinning. “You love having me here. You want me to sneak into that room at night and lick your clit until your back arches and your hands grip the sheets.”
“Cole,” I said, trying to tell him to stop, but I couldn’t say the words.
“Admit you want me to fuck you until you can’t breathe, Alex. You want to finally feel what my cock is like deep inside that perfect, tight pussy of yours. You’ve been aching for it since you first saw me.”
“We can’t.”
“We can do whatever we want.”
“I don’t know what I want,” I said slowly.
That seemed to break the spell. He smirked again and I stepped away, putting some distance between us. “Figure it out, sis. And soon.”
“Just, don’t pack up yet. I’ll fix this.”
“You do that.”
He turned away and dropped back to the floor, going back to his push-ups.
I watched him, an ache running through my chest, a desire flooding through my legs, and I knew I was wet as hell. I knew it was true that I wanted to fuck him, to finally feel what it would be like. I’d been imagining it ever since we’d met. If he could get me off with his mouth and fingers as easily as he did, then I couldn’t imagine what it would be like if he fucked me deep and rough.
I wanted it. But I couldn’t do anything about it, not while he was my stepbrother, not while we still had this fake, idiotic marriage hanging over our heads.
I watched for a second, his muscular and incredible body working up and down, and then ripped myself away from him. I shut the door behind me as I retreated into my bedroom.
It was wrong for his mother to kick him out, but the reason I wanted him to stay was even worse.
I wanted to fuck my stepbrother, my husband, until I couldn’t walk. I wanted him to strip me down and take me, just the way he kept saying he would.
It was all so messed up. Just feet away, I could practically sense him still working out, and I wanted so desperately to rip that shirt from his tattooed chest and let him have me.
Instead, I was going to convince my dad to let him stay.
I’d worry about everything else later.
8
Cole
I threw my shirts into my duffel with a grunt. It wasn’t exactly surprisingly that my mother had decided to kick me out, but it was definitely a new record. I hadn’t even lasted a month in her house before she’d decided I was too much of a liability.
That was fine with me. The whole thing had stopped being fun and had started to feel real as soon as I’d figured out that I really was married to Alexa. As much as I hated to leave her, it was just that time.
Still, I was going to miss having her around all the time. I had gotten used to seeing her in the hallways, to flirting with her mercilessly, teasing her about the way I made her body feel. But I wasn’t the type to beg forgiveness or to look back.
As I sat down on my bed for the last time, someone knocked at the door.