Step Brother

Chapter 9

My hands hit the top of the car as I tug my shirt off. I giggle quietly, dropping it to the floor. "This is the last time I'm going to ask. Are you sure you wanna do this?" Zach's husky voice asks.

Grinning, I look him in the eyes. "For the last time, yes."

He nods before proceeding to undress both of us. We lay in the back of his truck, only a thin blanket covering our bare skin. He reaches into his jeans and pulls out a condom. I wonder if he was expecting this...

I lay on my back as he rolls the condom on him beneath the blanket. When he's finished, he kneels between my legs. "You ready, sweetheart?" he smirks.

"Go... slow," I say.

He nods before closing the space between us.

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Once we're dressed, we're silent. It didn't feel how the books described it. It hurt and I don't feel connected to him in the way I should. All I know is I want to sleep.

When he pulls in front of my house, he shuts his truck off. He lays his head back and sighs. "We shouldn't see each other again."

I stare at him in shock. "Seriously? After -"

"Look, I don't know if you're expecting commitment but we've only known each other for a day. Maddox already hates me because of it."

I roll my eyes, looking away. "I'm not looking for commitment. I thought we could be friends but I guess not."

He exhales deeply. "I think we both know we can't be just friends after that. We can't be more because Maddox would never allow it - and in all honesty, I'm not ready for commitment. I admit, I don't think I'd be loyal and it wouldn'to be fair to you."

The man who took a piece of me is telling me he never wants to see me again. What is wrong with me? "Whatever," I mutter.

I climb out of the car and go inside. When I close the door, my legs give out and I drop to the floor. A loud sob escapes my lips and I bury my face in my hands. Why can't anything go good for me? After a moment, I hear footsteps. "Don't cry, princess," Maddox murmurs.

He scoops me up into his arms and I bury my face in his neck. Gently rubbing my back, he carries me upstairs. "Put me down," I sob. "I don't deserve this."

When he doesn't listen, I fight against him. He carefully sets me down outside of my room and sighs. "Are you going to tell me what's wrong?" he asks.

I shake my head like a crazy woman. "I can't. You'll hate me. You'll think of me differently," I sob.

He reaches up, brushing his knuckles along my jaw. His eyes beg me to tell him. "You have no idea what I think about you. Please. Tell me so I can help you."

Wiping my eyes on my sleeves, my sobbing calms a little. I sniffle as I look down at the floor. "I managed to keep my virginity intact for eighteen years. But I realized how much I wanted to experience that part of life. So, in my drunken stupor, I called a friend." I begin sobbing again and he wraps his arms around me. "We had sex in the back of his truck. He told me it was best if we didn't see each other again."

His body tenses. Pulling away, he holds me at arms length to look at me. "Who was it?" he asks.

His eyebrows are slightly furrowed while his lips are set in a slight frown. Taking my bottom lip between my teeth, I take a deep breath. "He told me we shouldn't see each other again because of you. It was Zach."

His eyes blaze with fury and he takes a step back, dropping his arms to his sides. Closing his eyes, he takes a deep breath. "Get some sleep," he mumbles before turning around.