“You eat like a pig.”
“Whatever. I get a pass right now.”
“You do.”
We ate in silence for a minute, and it felt good to be there with him. Then the memories came back and I felt a shiver run down my spine.
“How did you know?” I asked him after some silence had passed.
“Not sure.”
“You’re not sure?”
“It’s hard to explain.”
“Try to explain. I could really use an explanation right about now.”
“You develop this feeling, this extra sense. It’s an awareness of your surroundings from training and battle and all the danger you’ve been in. Something about that boat and the weather and the situation just screamed ambush.” He paused, biting into his chicken. “I don’t take chances.”
“What did they want?”
“I don’t know. I didn’t get a chance to ask.”
“We didn’t have anything worth stealing.”
“I know that. Maybe they wanted the boat. Maybe they were just looking for anyone stupid enough to be out on the water at that time.”
“How are there pirates? How is that possible?”
He was silent for another minute as he chewed. “There are a lot of bad people in this world, Claire. You don’t have to see it most of the time because you’re rich and sheltered.”
“My dad’s money has nothing to do with this,” I snapped.
“It does. You don’t have to be down in the shit with everyone else.”
“And that’s somehow my fault? I’m not a bad person because I was lucky enough to be born where I was.”
“I didn’t say that. You’re not a bad person. But you haven’t seen the things that I have. Believe me, there are pirates out there, and much worse.”
I was silent, absorbing that. I was pissed off that he was basically calling me spoiled and naïve, but he did have a point. I really didn’t have to deal with the darkness some other people did.
“But you did good back there,” he added.
“I just hid.”
“Yeah, you just hid. And you didn’t panic. You listened to me. Most people collapse or run into a worse situation because they can’t handle themselves. You did good.”
“Thanks,” I said, surprised he was complimenting me. I didn’t feel like I had done anything right.
“One more thing,” he said. “We can’t tell anyone about this.”
“Why?”
“Because I killed two men. There’s no proof now that they were pirates except for our word.”
“The boat? The guns?”
“Both long gone now.”
“My dad needs to know. Somebody needs to know that men like that are out there.”
“People know.”
“Nate . . .”
He stood up and came around the island, stopping in front of me. “Listen,” he said softly, his face inches from mine, “you need to do as I say. I’m not trying to scare you, but something was off about that whole thing. For now, please just stay quiet and keep on doing your normal thing.”
“Am I in danger?”
He put his hands on my shoulders. I took a deep breath, my heart hammering in my chest.
“No. Not with me around. You’re never in danger.”
His face was inches away from mine. All of the tension between us suddenly peaked, and I remembered the way he had stared at my naked body. I remembered his hard cock, how big it was, and all of the things he had said to me. I felt the wetness between my legs and knew that I couldn’t stop myself.
“I’m afraid.”
“Don’t be.”
He pressed his lips against mine, kissing me hard, and I melted against him. I was powerless, totally and utterly powerless, not because of what had happened, but because I had wanted and needed him since the first time I’d seen him at the bar back in the club.
I needed his touch again. The fact that he was my stepbrother suddenly disappeared from my mind as he pulled me against his hard body, kissing me deeply. His taste and smell flooded my senses and I needed it.
I wrapped my arms around his neck and pressed my lips hard against him. His strong hands suddenly grabbed my hips and picked me up from my chair. He pressed me against the kitchen wall as his hips pushed into mine. I felt his stiff cock, already hard, pressing against my soaked spot.
I moaned softly as his lips found my neck.
“I knew you couldn’t stop yourself,” he grunted. “I knew you’ve been thinking about that night.”
“I really can’t help myself,” I groaned as his hands roamed my body.
“I know.”
Desire and lust lanced through my body as he suddenly slipped his hands down my panties, finding my soaked pussy. I gasped and bit his shoulder, sharp pleasure ringing through my whole core.