Wanting My Stepsister(19)

“Baby girl, I told you I’d take care of everything.” He reaches out, touching my cheek, and the softness and sweetness of it makes me only want to cry harder. I’m close to losing it, losing everything I’ve ever wanted. I turn and break his hold, running back towards the house as fast as I can. When I hit the door, I go straight up the stairs and into my bedroom. I slam the door closed, locking it behind me.

It’s not even a few seconds later when I hear Jasper’s footsteps coming up the stairs.

“I’m tired of you running in the wrong direction from me, Libby. You run and I’m going to chase from now on, I promise you that. I can’t let this go, and I refuse to let you go. Not when I know you want this, too.” He says all of this from the other side of the door, not making a move to break it down.

God, I do want it. I want him so much it hurts. I love him and my family so much, and I feel like it’s starting to rip me in half.

I stay leaning up against the door, not sure what to say. All of this is happening so fast. I went from thinking he didn’t even know I existed to him staking a claim to me. My mind can't seem to catch up.

I see my phone light up, and I push away from the door, wondering if the gossip is already spreading. But I’m surprised when I see it’s a text from Owen.

Owen: Meet me at the lake.

Me: Why?

I feel like my heart is going to pound out of my chest.

Owen: Maybe I’ll keep your little secret.

A sliver of hope runs through me. I know Jasper and I can never be together, but maybe if we aren’t found out, I can live off our secret times together, if only for a short time. Better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all. Right? The old saying plays over in my head.

Me: Okay.

I grab the keys to my VW and open my bedroom window.

“Libby, open the door or I’m coming in. Don’t think this will stop me from getting to you. Nothing will.” I can hear the promise in his voice, but I know he’d never let me go talk to Owen on my own. Maybe I can get him to keep his mouth shut and our secret will be safe.

“I’m going to fix this,” I tell Jasper, slipping my phone into my pocket.

“No, I’m going to fix it, baby girl. I promise you. I will make everything right for you. For us.”

My heart flutters at his words, and I know he will. But Jasper has a rougher approach to things than I do. He likes to barge in, and this needs to be handled with more care. Climbing out the window, I hear Jasper banging on the door. I slide down the window awning, landing on my feet, and take off towards my car. I’m sprinting when I hear Jasper yell my name, and my heart threatens to beat out of my chest.

I hear him yell my name again, but this time it’s much louder. When I get in the car, I look up to my window and see him leaning out of it, watching me. I put the car in drive and pull out of my driveway, trying to get out of there as fast as possible. When I look up to my rear-view mirror, I see Jasper come flying out the front door.

And it’s then I know he wasn’t lying. He would chase me no matter where I ran to. My only hope is that I can fix this before he finds me.





11





Jasper





I make a second loop through downtown, and I want to break my steering wheel in half with frustration. I can’t find Libby. I thought maybe she would come downtown or go to Nicole’s house, but she wasn’t in either place. When I rode by Owen’s house and saw his truck wasn’t there, my suspicions were confirmed, and I started to look for him. I would bet the balance of my bank account, which is pretty fucking hefty, that he’s got something to do with her running out like she did. Libby might have been upset with the situation, but she’s never run from me before.

I think for a second about where he would go, and then it hits me. I turn my truck around, making a U-turn in the middle of Main Street, and gun it back towards the lake. I remember guys in high school talking about taking girls out there to fuck, and I have a sinking feeling in my stomach he’s got my Libby.

It’s not a long drive, and I’m there faster than any speed limit would allow. It’s a long gravel road, and I gun it, kicking up rocks and dust as I go. When I get close to the clearing, I spot Libby’s car, and I make a sound somewhere between a snarl and a growl when I see Owen’s truck in the distance.

“That motherfucking snake,” I say through clenched teeth, sliding my truck in next to her car and jumping out.

My blood runs ice-cold when I hear Libby’s scream. I run as fast as I can, my longs legs eating up the distance between me and my girl in a matter of seconds. But it’s not fast enough, and I feel like I’m running through sand.