A Step Two Close

  That shocked me. “She didn’t want her own mother to know she had been hurt?”

  “No, but I put that down to the fact she doesn’t want to cause a fuss. She knew we were going away today, so I just assumed she was trying to hide it so Kat wouldn’t worry.”

  Now I felt like an even bigger dick. Maybe she wasn’t just hiding because of me. But, at the end of the day, she should have returned my calls no matter how angry she was with me. She should have told me where she was. I could have helped her.

  “She’s being a fucking martyr.”

  “I know she is, but I think she needs a watchful eye on her. Did you know her uncle wants to stay in the house? He dropped hints about it. Kat was ready to agree, but I told her that I had a surprise for her and that he couldn’t stay.”

  “No way in hell is that pervert staying in our house.”

  Dad sighed again. “You saw it, too?”

  “Yes, unfortunately. He wouldn’t leave her alone.”

  “That’s why I’m going to have some decorators come around to decorate the spare two bedrooms. They should be coming around today at one to have a look, so expect them, okay?” I answered, “Okay,” and then he sighed yet again. “I think in the meantime we need to keep a closer eye on Ayden. I’m planning on picking her up from college on Monday. She won’t expect me, but I think I need to do it. I worry about that Robert, too. It seems she’s going through a lot at the moment.”

  My dad mentioning Robert again made my blood boil. “I can pick her up, Dad.”

  “No, it’s fine. My last appointment is at two-thirty and nothing again until four. That gives me plenty of time to pick her up and take her home.”

  I got to the gates of our house and it couldn’t come any sooner. I needed to make sure she was okay. “If you’re sure, Dad. I don’t mind picking her up.”

  “It’s fine, Son. Thanks for looking out for her.”

  I smiled. “We’re a family now, aren’t we?” I cringed at that statement. If my father knew just how familiar I had been and still wanted to get with his soon-to-be stepdaughter, I think he would have a fit.

  “No sweat.”

  “You sound as though it isn’t. Don’t be getting too close, Hunter. I know what you’re like and how sometimes rules don’t mean shit to you.” He laughed when he said it, but I knew underneath he meant every word.

  “I understand.” I had my fingers crossed again when I said it. I had been doing that a lot lately.

  “I better get going. Kat’s at the hairdressers getting her hair done for our special dinner tonight. She should be back any minute now.”

  “Okay, Dad. Enjoy your break. I’ll see you when you get back on Sunday night.”

  We said our goodbyes and hung up. By then, I was out of the car and making my way inside the house. “AJ?” All was quiet, not a sound could be heard. “AJ?” God, this woman was driving me nuts!

  I still couldn’t hear anything and was about to go upstairs to her room when I heard a thump and then her cursing. I ran to the kitchen and saw her on the floor holding a cloth. She was trying to get up, so I rushed to aide her. She was desperately trying to wipe her eyes. She had been crying and obviously didn’t want me to see. I looked up at the kitchen counter and saw a half-opened can of tuna.

  “What happened?”

  She couldn’t look at me. I knew it was my fault, and I knew she was still mad at me, but I also knew she was humbled after what had happened this morning. The bite of her tongue must be stinging pretty badly by now.

  “I was trying to open that can, but my arm was killing me. Anytime I put any strain on it, it pulls at my stitches. I managed to open half, but then I spilt some onto the floor. I went to wipe it up, but then I slipped on the juices. Now I need a shower.” She sighed in exhaustion.

  I looked at her jeans and could see a little wet patch. Fuck, even her arse wet with tuna juice got my dick reacting. All morning... nothing. Yet, just seeing AJ with her arse all soggy had me panting. What the fuck was wrong with me?

  “I’ll run you a bath.”

  For the first time, she looked at me, a spark in her eyes. “I’m not a child, Hunter. I may behave like one, as you so eloquently put it, but I can get a wash by myself.”

  I smiled. “You can’t get that wet.” I pointed to her arm, and I saw something in her eyes. It was a deep sadness. I could tell she was trying to hide it, but her eyes left no room for lies.

  “I can run my own bath. I just needed to eat something. I haven’t eaten since yesterday around lunchtime.”

  Fuck me! She was driving me up the wall. Why wouldn’t she take care of herself? “You say you don’t need babying, but that right there tells me you need looking after like a baby. Eating is a necessity, AJ, and if you can’t do it yourself, then I’ll be damned if I let myself see you starve to death.”

  She suddenly looked angry. “What do you care? What, you need something to do to fill the time between fucking skanks?”

  Why did my dick react every time she got jealous? I hated it when women got jealous. “You know, for a strong-minded, feisty woman, you can behave like a pig-headed, immature child at times.”

  AJ threw the cloth on the counter. “You want to see pig-headed and immature? Fine!” She poked her tongue out at me and pushed me out of the way to rush for the stairs.

  Shit, I didn’t know whether I wanted to throttle the girl or sink my cock in her. I knew I shouldn’t follow her, but my feet just couldn’t seem to help themselves.

  “Piss off, Hunter. I don’t want to see you for the rest of the weekend.”

  I started laughing as I took each step a few feet behind her. “My face will be so up in you, sweetheart, that you’ll be practically riding it.”

  She looked at me like she just found shit on her shoes. “Ugh! You’re so disgusting.”

  I smiled. “There’s plenty more where that came from, sweetheart.”

  She got to the top of the stairs and turned to face me. “Why can’t you just leave me alone?”

  Because I have to have you.

  “Because I’m still owed my one day, AJ. I told you I wasn’t going to give up.”

  She fisted her hands, but winced when her left arm obviously hurt her. “You’re still going on about that? That ship has sailed, Hunter. No more. I’m certainly not going to be another skank to help you add yet another notch to your bedpost.” She carried on walking to her room, and I carried on up the stairs.

  “We’ll see about that.”

  She got to her door and turned the handle. “Never in a million years.” She opened the door and was about to get in when I shouted, “Nice arse.”

  “Fuck you.” She slammed the door.

  “Oh, you will soon.”

  I heard nothing further from her after that, but I was smiling from ear to ear, and my dick was pulsating for a release. I think that was the best foreplay I had ever had. Just seeing AJ alone was foreplay, but when she answered back like that? Shit!

  I was still standing outside her door when I heard the bath water running. Knowing she was going to be completely naked soon had me climbing the walls. I needed to act fast. Either I was going to break the door down and take her, or I was going to have to relieve things myself. I would rather the first, but after what happened to her last night, I didn’t think she would appreciate it somehow.

  So, I found myself walking to my room, shutting the door and turning the shower on in my bathroom. I quickly got undressed and tested the water before climbing in. My dick looked angry. Angrier than I’ve ever seen it. I had been sporting the biggest case of blue balls ever since I had walked into AJ’s house that first day. Just thinking about her gorgeous mouth wrapped around my dick had me milking it like a hungry fucking bastard.

  As I placed one hand on the wall, I pictured her naked as I stroked under my balls. With my eyes closed, I pulled my foreskin back again and hissed. Fuck, this felt good.

  I went to work, all the while getting off on the fact that she was
right next door to me. So close that if I bashed this wall down, I would get to see her naked in the bath.

  This thought made me go faster. I pictured her eyes as they stared at me with desire and just a small hint of vulnerability. That got my brain working overtime. I imagined her rolling her tongue over my shaft and trailing it up towards the tip. I pictured myself bending her over in this shower and fucking her tight, wet pussy.

  I moaned. In an instant, I could feel it. I could feel the build-up in my pelvic area demanding for me to thrust harder. I didn’t disappoint. I moaned again, pumping harder and faster, knowing that I was going to come any minute. I was ready to detonate. I pictured Ayden coming on my dick, and that was enough for me to explode, moaning out loud and banging the bathroom wall. I swear I heard her moan aloud, too.

  I froze. Shit, did she hear me? And if she did, was she playing with herself, too?

  Chapter Fourteen

  I was in the bath, but could swear I heard Hunter moan a moment ago. Was he seriously jacking off in the shower?

  I was pissed at him again, but that thought quickly turned to need as I trailed my fingers across my erect nipples and down towards my clit. It was hard and ready as I flicked my finger over it. I moaned, trying to keep myself steady and my arm out of the water. It was difficult, but I was damned if I was going to miss this after I had just started.

  All I could hear was the sound of the shower next door, but like a pervert, I was desperately trying to listen to any sounds that gave him away. I heard a slight murmur and knew he was pleasuring himself. It made me moan just thinking about it. I could picture him now in the bathroom working his dick back and forth. I could see his muscles flexing and his jaw tightening as he worked himself. I pictured myself in the shower with him. I could see it then—see him pushing me up against the shower wall and fucking me senseless. I could feel the cold wall on my back as it grazed me when he moved. I could feel his dick pumping in and out of me as fast as he could so we could find our release.

  I was so close. I could feel it building. I could feel the heat rush to my cheeks and the tingles through my body as it searched for its release. I was going to blow and it was going to be fucking awesome.

  In my mind, Hunter was kissing and biting the side of my neck. After that, he would pull out of me and tell me to bend down. He would carry on pleasuring himself until he turned me around and came all over my breasts, jerking and cursing as he poured himself all over me.

  I heard the sound of Hunter cursing out and banging my bathroom wall. That was all it took for me to blow. Knowing he was next door, coming in his shower, was all it took to set me off. I slowed the rhythm down with my fingers, and slowly, but surely, my body’s spasms subsided. I wasn’t sure if he had heard me or not, but judging by these thin walls, it wouldn’t surprise me if he had. Should I care? Yes, but somehow I didn’t. The thought that Hunter was possibly jerking off to the thought of me brought a smile to my face. At that moment, I should have been anything but happy. I just couldn’t help myself. Hunter was my best and worst medicine rolled into one. I knew I would eventually give Hunter his one day. I just worried for my heart when I did.

  I knew I shouldn’t do it, but any strength I had seemed to fly out the door whenever he came near. To make matters worse, he was a definite no-go, considering we were supposed to be family soon. I shouldn’t have these feelings for my stepbrother. Yet, they were there, and I had to either deal with them or run away. Running away seemed pretty tempting. Where the hell would I go? My mum kept a tight ship as far as I was concerned. I couldn’t get money unless she gave me some, and whenever I had tried to get a job, she found out and put a stop to it. She didn’t want me to have my independence. She had thrived too long on my need for her, my dependence on her, and the great power she wielded as a result. For my whole life, I’ve had to just sit and take it. Well, I was done taking her shit. I was starting to think living on the streets would be a far better solution to all of my problems. The only thing that stopped me was that I wanted to better myself. I wanted to get my degree in Criminology, and I wanted to eventually write a book like my father. I had dreams, but my mother seemed intent upon shattering them.

  I heard Hunter switching the shower off and that put a stop to my musings. I needed to get out of the bath. The water was getting too cold anyway. I let the water go and tried hoisting myself up with one arm. It was a little tricky, but I made it by being careful.

  With a towel wrapped around me, I walked into my bedroom when I heard music starting up in Hunter’s room. He was playing “Iris” by the Goo Goo Dolls. It was a song that was ultimately about making a choice—a choice to be with someone even though that choice meant giving up something of one’s self. I didn’t know if Hunter saw any significance in that. I doubted it. He probably just liked the song. I knew I did.

  I was almost dressed in a floral maxi dress when the song finished and another one came on. This time it was “Thong Song” by Sisqo. I had to laugh. What a contrast from the last song.

  As it played on, I couldn’t help myself. I started gyrating my hips and jumping around the room. The next minute, I was bent over in front of the mirror and I had started shaking my arse. Sisqo was telling me to move my butt, and boy was I.

  That song quickly ended and “Hot in Herre” by Nelly came on soon after. I carried on my hip gyrating and lost myself for a good five minutes. I started to enjoy myself. I thought that after the previous night, I needed a bit of dance therapy.

  Afterwards “Promiscuous” came on by Nelly Furtado and Timberland. I knew why he was playing it, but I still couldn’t stop my hips from swaying. “Get Ur Freak On” by Missy Elliot came on straight after, and I was in the middle of this spinning-my-arse-around while doing a hand-up-in-the-air thing when, upon spinning, I caught Hunter at the door smiling at me.

  Oh fuck. Totally got caught.

  “Please don’t stop on my account.”

  I straightened myself up and decided to be on the defensive. “Don’t you ever knock?”

  “I just wanted to make sure you were okay. You know ... just in case you needed some help getting out of the bath. Or better still ... ” He trailed his eyes over my body and licked his lips. “Something else.”

  I rolled my eyes. “I see we’re back to being Mr. Hyde again.”

  He stepped forward. “I can be a lot of things, AJ, but I can guarantee you’ll love the fuck out of all of them.”

  I could have laughed, but the fact was that he was coming into my own personal space, and I was loving it too much. He was taking over. See what I meant about my strength? It flew straight past him the moment he barged through my door and opened his big, fat, gorgeous mouth.

  “I didn’t invite you in. You need to leave.”

  Please leave. Please leave. Please leave.

  “Do you need to be alone when you’re dancing?” Just as he asked that, “Nice and Slow” by Usher came on. Hunter’s eyebrow raised. “This is my own personal favourite. Fancy a dance?” I violently shook my head. “Oh, come on, AJ. I know you like dancing. Why not dance with me?”

  Before I could say no, Hunter grabbed me, spun me around and pulled me to his chest. He swayed with me before inhaling sharply. “Hmm, you smell good, AJ. Did you enjoy your bath?” He smiled knowingly.

  “I think I enjoyed my bath as much as you enjoyed your shower,” I answered challengingly.

  Hunter leaned into my ear. “Did you think of me? I know I was thinking of you.” He nibbled my earlobe, making me tremble.

  I didn’t think things could get worse. It was bad enough having Usher’s song seducing me, but coupled with Hunter being near and the feel of his growing erection pushing into me. It was all I could take.

  “Please don’t,” I whimpered. It was no use. He had me and he knew it.

  Hunter pulled his head back to look at me. “You know I’ll never hurt you, right?”

  I knew what he meant. “Hurt” could mean a lot of things, but the way he meant it was p
hysical. Hunter would hurt me in every other way. I knew that to be true, but I nodded my head so he knew I understood what he meant.

  Hunter suddenly pushed me away and spun me around again. I laughed and caught Hunter smiling again as I came back around. “Don’t worry. I won’t make you do anything you’re not ready for. When you’re ready, I’ll know.” He placed his finger under my chin. He gently stroked the bottom of my lip. “Okay, sweetheart?”

  My smile vanished and was replaced by a dire need to have him. Hunter mistook my persistence as resistance to his charms—as a game of cat and mouse. Yes, I suppose it was a little, but it was turning into more of a shield of protection. A protection for my mind and, eventually, my heart.

  But, I had found myself in this uncanny situation where all rational thought went right out the window the moment he told me he wouldn’t make me do whatever I didn’t want to. As if I didn’t want to!

  So, without thought, I looked at his lips and licked my own. Hunter saw this and moved his head down slowly towards my lips. My heart was racing, and my pulse was throbbing, as he neared my mouth. I licked my lips again in sweet, tortured anticipation. I knew once they touched mine, I would be lost. Hunter would take me here on my bed, and, of course, I would let him. It was almost a certainty.

  Hunter pulled me closer, and I could feel how hard he was for me. I moaned, causing Hunter to growl a little. Our noses touched, and our lips were about to brush when the sound of a phone rang in the air.

  At first, Hunter stood still. “Ignore it.”

  I couldn’t, though. I hated phones because, no matter what, I could never ignore their incessant ringing. “It could be something important.”

  Hunter tightened his grip on me as he breathed into my mouth. “I don’t care.”

  I pushed at him... the moment truly lost. “Hunter.”