Step Brother Read online

  I couldn’t put my finger on it, but there was something he wasn’t telling me. “Okay, so the house is cool. I want to hear what he’s like.”

  Reed snaked an arm around me and pulled me toward him. The heat from his touch was electrifying, and I completely forgot about anything except how good it felt to be with him.

  “I missed you, Tatum.” He kissed me, longer than he had at the gate, and it was like all of the people in the airport had vanished.

  I didn’t care about anything but Reed right then. “I missed you too. I can’t believe how long you were gone. It felt like forever. I was afraid you were never coming home—were going to spend the rest of your life in Spain with topless women.”

  He laughed. “I never mentioned the topless women.”

  “But there were topless women.”

  “Yes, there were,” he said, sliding his hand down to squeeze my ass. “And none of them could hold a candle to you, Tatum. It really was all about spending time with Gordon and his family.”

  “Gordon?” I said, pointing out my suitcase as it made its way around the carousel. “So he has a name. Tell me what he’s like.”

  Reed pulled my suitcase off the belt, stacked his on top, and we headed for the rental car counter. “He’s really cool. Laid back, smart, funny. He’s really charismatic.”

  I was surprised to hear him saying such positive things about a man who’d never wanted anything to do with his son. “Did you talk about why he never tried to contact you?”

  “We did. It was a complicated situation, and he really regrets it now.”

  We got to the Enterprise counter and while Reed handled the paperwork, I thought about what he’d said and how odd his attitude seemed to be. Something was going on, and I was determined to find out what it was. It seemed to me that feeling bad twenty-something years later for having basically abandoned a kid didn’t exactly make you a good person, and I couldn’t figure out why Reed seemed to have completely let Gordon off the hook.

  I figured I had an entire week to sort out the truth, though. I looked out the window at the snow falling—something we didn’t see in the desert. “Did you rent us a sports car?” I asked.

  “Hardly,” Reed answered, glaring at the guy across the counter. “I reserved a four-wheel drive, and apparently they’re fresh out.”

  “I’m sorry, sir, but there’s really nothing I can do,” the young man behind the counter said, not a trace of real emotion in his corporate-trained voice.

  “No problem, kid,” Reed said, standing up straighter and stretching his arms out to his sides, somehow taking up the space of a man twice his size. “I’m sure all the folks in line behind us are patient. I’ll just wait until something opens up.”

  I hid a smile, intrigued by Reed’s handling of the situation. He could have ranted and raved, but he didn’t. He was simply going to insist on getting what he wanted. I wanted to fuck him right then and there. I winked at Reed, as he spread his hands flat on the counter and settled in. “I’m in no hurry, sugar. I’m sure they’ll find us a four-wheel drive soon enough.”

  The young man eyed us both, looked behind us at the rapidly growing line, and vanished into an office behind the counter. He returned moments later carrying a set of keys. “As it turns out, you’re in luck. A vehicle was just returned that meets your needs. Typically we’d charge significantly more for an Escalade, but we’ll honor the rate you were quoted.”

  “That would be lovely.”

  The words sounded silly coming out of Reed’s mouth, and I smothered a laugh.

  Outside, Reed put the suitcases in the back of the SUV, closed it, and pulled me to him. “Tatum, I can hardly stand it. If it weren’t broad daylight, I’d make love to you right here.”

  “Not to mention that it’s like twenty degrees,” I pointed out, pressing my hips up against his. I could feel his erection, and I reached down to rub it through his jeans. “I hope Dad’s taking Tina out for dinner or something tonight. I want you all to myself.”

  Reed groaned, and I could feel his cock getting harder.

  “You know what I’d like to do?” I asked, tracing his length with my fingertip.

  “What?”

  “I’d like to put your cock in my mouth. I’d like to make you come in my mouth before you fuck me.”

  “God, Tatum, I’m never going to make it to the house if you don’t stop talking like that.” Reed looked around, but there didn’t seem to be anyone heading toward the rental cars next to ours. “Get in the car,” he said, in a tone of voice that brooked no refusal.

  We climbed in the front seats, and I was glad to see the windows were tinted pretty dark. I reached over and unzip his jeans, but he’d beaten me to it.

  “Unbutton your shirt,” Reed said, slowly stroking his long, hard cock.

  I did what he asked, and he reached out and slid his hands inside my shirt, skimming his fingers over my breasts and squeezing my nipple hard, so hard I gasped and felt a rush of arousal.

  “Put your mouth on my cock, Tatum,” Reed commanded.

  Being told what to do should have bothered me, but it was a turn-on. Knowing that Reed wanted me as much as I did him made me willing to whatever he asked. I leaned over and licked the head, slowly lowering my mouth over him. He was too large to handle entirely, but I forced him as deep down my throat as I could. While I moved up and down on him, he squeezed my nipple, thrusting his hips up to get his cock deeper. I could feel him getting close to coming, and I couldn’t stand it any longer. I absolutely had to feel him inside me.

  I looked quickly around, didn’t see anyone, and hiked up my skirt. If we’d been in a vehicle any smaller, it wouldn’t have worked, but I crawled over the console and straddled him, taking his cock deep inside my dripping wet pussy. I rode him, grinding my clit against him and feeling him push deeper and deeper inside me. He pulled my breasts out of my bra and sucked on my nipples while I fucked him, riding faster and faster until I could tell he was going to lose control.

  “Come for me,” he said, pulling my hips down, pushing his up and taking me over the edge. I shivered and cried out as I felt my muscles tighten and flood me with euphoria.

  “Suck my cock,” he said when I’d finished. “I’m gonna come in your mouth. I want you to swallow my come.”

  I was so turned on, I was sure I could have had a second orgasm, but I knew Reed didn’t have a condom on, and I didn’t want to take any chances. I moved onto the console and bent to take him in my mouth again. He was wet from my pussy, and he slid deep into my mouth, the head of his cock making me gag just a little. I used my hand at the base of his cock, and he reached orgasm in seconds, filling my mouth and making me want him again.

  I swallowed as I sat up, and he looked at me, my clothes all a mess, tits hanging out.

  “Guess that answers the question,” he said, reaching out to tuck me back into my bra.

  “Question?”

  “You are most definitely not wearing underwear.”

  12 -- Reed

  Tatum pulled up the directions on her phone, and I got us on the road. The car smelled like sex, but I didn’t really care. I just knew I wanted more of the woman sitting in the passenger seat. I’d been so busy with my father and the traveling we’d done that I hadn’t realized just how much I’d missed Tatum until I saw her at the airport. She was simply intoxicating.

  I was worried, though, about how she’d react to the truth about my father. Even though he lived in London for part of the year, he still toured with the band and was crazy popular with the press. I had to tell her, but I just wasn’t sure how to do it.

  “Soooo…” I drawled, once we were heading in the right direction. “Are we gonna tell our parents, or are we gonna sneak around?”

  “Wow, I hadn’t even thought about coming right out and telling them. I was just going to wait until they’d gone to bed and slip in and join you. What do you think?”

  “I think they’ll be surprised, that’s for sure. I think it ma
y worry your dad, if he is going to run for office, and I think my mother may be a little jealous. She’s so excited about fixing our relationship that she may not want to think about the fact that I’m really here to see you, rather than her.”

  “Hm. I figured we’d just keep it under wraps until after the holidays.”

  I had to confess, the fact that Tatum wanted to keep our relationship a secret bothered me a little. I didn’t say anything.

  “But,” she continued, “I guess there’s no sense in waiting. It would be nice to be able to sleep together without having to sneak around.”

  “Oh, honey, I hope you’re not planning on getting very much sleep.”

  She laughed. “And if your mother wants to, you can spend some time with her—just the two of you.”

  “Yeah, I don’t really care that much about it, to tell you the truth. She wants me around when it’s convenient. She’ll eventually lose interest. She always does.”

  “Wow, does that sound familiar.”

  “I’ll leave it up to you. Your call.”

  Tatum was quiet for a few minutes, and I stretched out and put my hand on her thigh. Feeling the muscles beneath her skirt made me think about everything else under the skirt.

  She looked over at me. “Let’s do it. Let’s just tell them and get it over with. If they’re completely pissed about it, we can go get a hotel room for the week.”

  “Sounds like a plan. Do you know what the plans for the week are?”

  “Well, Tina has a spa day scheduled for the girls, and I know Dad will want to ski for at least three or four of the days here. Other than that, I don’t know. I’d like to go snowshoeing a couple of days. It’s great exercise, and you fall down less than you do when you’re skiing.”

  “That sounds much more my speed than skiing. I’m afraid I’ll end up breaking every bone in my body.”

  “You’ll be fine. The instructor Dad hired is really good. He’ll start you off slow. And if you don’t want to ski at all, that’s fine too. Dad and Tina can go, and we can stay home and amuse ourselves somehow.”

  “You’re brilliant.”

  “As far as meals go, my guess is that we’ll eat out most nights. When I talked to Tina last week she was fretting because Brooke wasn’t going to be able to accompany us.”

  “Shit. They were really going to bring the chef on vacation?”

  “They were trying to. My dad’s certainly not a cook, so unless Tina is a whiz in the kitchen, it’ll be you and me on kitchen duty or restaurants.”

  “I don’t mind spending a little time in the kitchen with you. And we’re absolutely not eating anything Tina makes. She’s a terrible cook.”

  “Why doesn’t that surprise me?”

  Tatum filled me in on her job for the rest of the ride, and I was glad she was happy. I felt a little flare of jealousy when she was talking about her boss, but I knew I couldn’t spend all my time worrying if she was going to be attracted to another guy. Thinking about her with another guy, I realized all of a sudden, made me realize that we hadn’t exactly talked about our relationship status.

  “Hey, before we get there, there’s something I want to tell you.”

  “What’s that?”

  “One of my faults is that I don’t share well, and the thought of you with another guy, well, it makes me crazy. I want us to be exclusive. You’re mine, Tatum, and that means something to me.” I took my eyes off the road long enough to make sure she understood how important this was to me.

  She smiled. “Reed, there’s never been anyone for me but you, not since the night at the Hard Rock. Don’t go getting all arrogant and shit, but to be honest, no one else could measure up to you.”

  I squeezed her knee. “Glad we’re on the same page.” I turned into the neighborhood where we were going to be staying. “Jesus, these houses are enormous.”

  “Yeah, I had a feeling they would be. Turn left at the next road, and it’s the third house on the left, I think.”

  A rustic grizzly bear carved out of wood stood at the end of the long driveway, and as I pulled in, I wished it was just going to be Tatum and me for the week. I wasn’t exactly looking forward to the tension I anticipated, at least if Thanksgiving had been anything to judge by. I stopped the car just at the end of the drive.

  “You ready for this?” I looked over at her, and I could see by the way her jaw was set that she was tensing up.

  “Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?”

  “Tatum. You can’t fool me. I can tell you’re anxious.”

  “Trust me to hook up with a guy who’s an amateur psychologist.” She put on a faux pout. “I’ll be a good girl, I promise. I’ll behave.”

  “I hope you’re not going to behave the entire time,” I said, thinking about her straddling me in the car just a short while before. “Seriously, though. I know there may be some tense moments over the week, and I just want you to know I’ve got your back. If you need some space, need to get out of the house, you just let me know.”

  Tatum smiled at me. “Thanks. And contrary to appearances, I really can control my temper. We won’t have a repeat of Thanksgiving, I promise.”

  “And you’re sure you want to hit them with our relationship up front?”

  “Yes. Let’s get everything out in the open. Otherwise, I’ll be fretting about it until we do.”

  “Makes sense to me. Let’s do this.”

  I drove up to the house, and it was amazing. Warm, golden wood and enormous windows made it glow in the fading light. You could see all the way through the house to the lake beyond, and a two-story Christmas tree shone with white lights and glittering ornaments.

  “It looks like a magazine,” I said.

  “There’s even a tree,” Tatum said, voice full of wonder. “Betcha there are presents underneath it.” She sounded like a little girl, all excited for the holiday.

  I thought about the little box in my carry-on, its contents far too precious to trust to a checked bag, and I couldn’t help but smile at the thought of Tatum’s face when she opened it on Christmas morning.

  The front door opened, and Mom came out, all decked out in what looked like really expensive, stylish winter gear. Her boots were trimmed with silver fur that matched the coat she wore, and she looked beautiful, but so different from the mother I’d grown up with.

  “You’re finally here!” she shouted, brimming with excitement. “We saw your flights landed on time, but we thought you’d be here before now.”

  I was unloading our suitcases, and I met Tatum’s eyes as we both tried to smother our laughter. While Mom had been waiting for us, I’d been having sex with my stepsister. I looked over as Tatum smoothed her skirt, looking far more prim and proper than she had on top of me.

  Donald came out and draped an arm over Mom. “Reed, you need any help?”

  “I’ve got it, thanks.” I saw Tatum shivering as she waited to help with the bags. “Go on inside. It’s not getting any warmer, and I can handle these.”

  She blew me a kiss and headed inside, stopped by both Mom and Donald for hugs and kisses. I hoped our little announcement would go well. It could be an uncomfortable week if it didn’t. I decided to make two trips since the walk to the house was uneven, and I carried Tatum’s suitcase in first.

  “Reed, you don’t know how happy I am to see you,” Mom said as soon as I stepped in the door. “A little colder here than Vegas, huh?”

  I hugged her, deciding to tell her I’d come from Europe a little later. We didn’t need to get everything out in the open right away. “Where’s Tatum’s room? I’ll run this up and go back out for mine.” We could deal with consolidating rooms after we told our parents we’d be sharing a bed.

  “Tatum, honey, come with us, and I’ll show you your rooms,” Tina said, putting her arm through mine. She led us up a wide, open staircase that curved to the top floor. “Donald and I are in the room at the end of the hall. Tatum, you’re here by us, and Reed, you’re down at the end. You each have yo
ur own bathroom, and you both have lovely views of the lake.”

  “Wow, this place is gorgeous,” Tatum said, stepping into her room—at least for now—and turning around. The ceiling was high, with exposed wooden beams, and even in the fading light, it was open and spacious, the entire back wall full of windows that faced Lake Tahoe.

  I put her suitcase just inside the door and winked at Tatum, having every intention of moving her suitcase to my room at the other end of the hall. “Beautiful, Mom,” I said, heading back downstairs to get the rest of the luggage inside.

  Donald was in the living room, looking outside. “Looks like the snow’s getting a little heavier,” he said. “We may want to head out to dinner a little earlier than we’d planned. You mind driving?” he asked me. “I think that beast of a Cadillac should handle slippery roads pretty well. I’m more of an import man, myself.”

  “Yeah, well, we were at the mercy of the rental company. I don’t mind driving at all, Donald.” I walked back outside, thinking that Tatum’s dad must be fundamentally insecure. He seemed to take every opportunity he could find to puff himself up.

  When I walked back inside, Donald was standing at the bar.

  “I think we’ll do some cocktails and let you and Tatum warm up in front of the fireplace, then we’ll head out.”

  “Sounds like a plan. I could use a drink.”

  Heading upstairs, I could hear Tatum and Mom talking.

  “You look a little tired, sweetheart. Our little spa day will have you looking good as new,” Mom said.

  Jesus, the woman had no sense. Even I knew you didn’t tell a woman she looks tired.

  “Are you sure I can’t help you unpack?” Mom was asking as I walked past the door toward my room.

  Tatum came out into the hallway. “No, thanks. I have some presents I still need to wrap. Wouldn’t want to spoil the surprises.”

  Tina followed her out of the room. “Oh, it was so nice to have Rosa wrap everything this year. I’ve just been so busy, I couldn’t spare the time.”