8. Jared
8
JARED
AGED 17
I shove the last of my belongings into the duffel bag, jaw clenched. This is for the best—I must leave before I do something I can’t take back. It’s been a month since Aria’s sixteenth birthday, and my thoughts about her are getting more and more out of control.
My eyes catch the framed photo on my nightstand, an old family picture with Aria beaming at the camera, so carefree and innocent. A pain tugs at my heart as I drink in her radiant smile.
A soft knock makes me flinch. “Come in,” I say, turning back to zip the bag.
“Jared? I heard you were packing...” Aria’s melodic voice drifts in, and my heart stutters. I glance over my shoulder at her petite frame in the doorway. Even in simple jeans and a baggy t-shirt, she’s breathtaking.
Clearing my throat, I nod. “Got a job across the country. Need to get going.”
Her brow furrows. “But...you never said anything. Why so suddenly? You haven’t even finished high school!”
The concern lacing her tone makes me seethe inwardly. If only she knew the thoughts swirling in my mind, she’d run screaming. “I landed a job in web development. Got to start my life out on my own.”
Aria worries her plump lower lip between her teeth, and I can’t tear my eyes away. “I’m going to miss you,” she murmurs.
Clenching my fists, I fight the urge to pull her against me, to breathe in her sweet scent. To defile her the way no stepbrother should want to defile his stepsister.
“Don’t worry about me,” I rasp, meeting her wide, innocent brown eyes. “You just focus on being a kid for now.”
A flicker of confusion crosses her delicate features before understanding dawns. A soft blush blooms on her cheeks as her gaze darts away shyly.
Fuck, she can’t possibly realize how badly I want her? The thought makes my blood run hot with sickening desire. I’m a monster, coveting my own stepsister. She deserves so much better than the twisted cravings festering inside me.
Swallowing hard, I force my tone to remain casual. “Got everything I need. I should hit the road.” I hoist the bag over my shoulder, avoiding her gaze. If I look at her too long, I may be unable to leave.
“Jared?” Her small hand grazes my arm, and electric heat jolts through me at her innocent touch. “I’ll miss you. Really.”
The pure emotion in her eyes is almost my undoing. I give a stiff nod, unable to trust my voice. Pulling away from her gentle grip, I stride out of the room and down the hall. Each step is sheer torture, my body screaming at me to turn back.
But I can’t—I won’t risk exposing her to the darkness inside me before she’s ready. Aria is my light, my solace, and I must stay far away from that radiant purity until the time is right.
“All set, son?” Dad asks as I enter the kitchen.
“Yeah, I’m going to catch the bus out of here.”
His brow furrows. “Don’t be ridiculous, I’ll drive you where you need to go.”
My throat constricts as I meet Dad’s concerned gaze. I’m eighteen in two months, and dropping out of high school, moving out, and getting a job was not what he expected from me. But he isn’t the kind of guy to fight me. He’s always been the kind of man supporting us in whatever we want. “Nah, I got it covered. The bus’ll be fine.” The lie tastes bitter. I can’t let them get too involved, or they might start asking questions I can’t answer. Like, why am I only moving to the town over from Millset?
Dad’s frown deepens. “You sure? It’s no trouble to drive you, son.”
Forcing a casual shrug, I adjust the strap of my duffel bag. “Seriously, don’t worry about it. I’d rather take the bus anyway. You know how I like my independence.”
I can’t help but still hold anger toward my dad. It festered deep because he left me with my mom, knowing she was a junky. He left me and never looked back, all to marry a woman and take on some other kid. A kid that’s not even his blood.
I gaze over his shoulder where Aria lingers in the hallway, her big doe eyes watching our exchange. Just the sight of her has my heart thundering painfully in my chest.
Swallowing back the torrent of emotions, I meet Dad’s gaze. “I should get going.”
He lets out a heavy sigh but nods. “Alright then. Don’t be a stranger, you hear? Your mom and I expect you to stay in touch.”
“Sure thing,” I mumble. Even though I’ve never called Elaine by the name Mom, he insists on calling her my mom. I never had a mom. My birth mom was a pathetic excuse for a woman who didn’t raise me. She spent her life being a junky and leaving me to cook and clean and look after myself from as young as I can remember.
Moving toward the door, I can’t stand another second in this house, surrounded by overwhelming reminders of what I can’t have.
“Jared, wait!”
The soft plea freezes me in my tracks. I brace myself before turning to face Aria. Her eyes shimmer with unshed tears that twist the knife in my gut.
“You’re really leaving? Just like that?” she whispers.
Every instinct screams at me to grab her and erase the sorrow from her angelic features. But I can’t—won’t—give in to those cravings gnawing at my soul, not yet.
Forcing my expression into an impassive mask, I nod. “It’s for the best, Aria. You’ll see that one day.”
Her lower lip trembles, and I look away, fists clenched at my sides. Goddamn it, why does she have to make this so difficult?
“But I...” She trails off, a stray tear slipping down her cheek.
The sight damn near breaks me. Before losing my fragile grip on control, I spin on my heel and yank open the front door.
“Take care of yourself, princess,” I toss over my shoulder, the endearment like acid in my mouth.
Then I’m striding down the path, putting as much distance as possible between myself and the siren call of temptation. The bus can’t come soon enough to carry me away from this personal hell.
Because no matter where I go, a part of me will always belong to Aria. And that terrifying truth is what makes me a threat to the one person I should protect above all others—even from myself.
Staring out the window of my new flat, my finger drum restlessly on the sill. One town over from Millset in Longate, yet it feels like I’m worlds away from Aria.
Two years. That’s how long I must wait until she’s a woman, no longer the fragile, innocent girl I left behind. The thought of her blossoming into maturity without me there is torturous.
With a heavy sigh, I turn from the window and sit at my desk, booting up my laptop. My freelance web development job is perfect for working remotely and watching Aria. I’d always excelled at coding and graphic design, and my portfolio caught the eye of a software company.
Pulling up the security feed I’ve discreetly installed at the family home, Aria comes into view. She is curled up on the couch, a book in her lap, chewing thoughtfully on her bottom lip. Our parents are out now, and she’s home all alone.
I might have moved out, but I’m not letting her slip from my grasp. Aria needs clipped wings before she flies too close to the sun. Or rather, too close to any other guy.
Still, it’s a boring Friday night, and I feel restless. My eyes drift downward, and I see Aria’s hand in her shorts, her gaze fixed on the pages of a book. Her chest rises and falls faster, and my mouth goes dry.
That book... I recognize it instantly. It’s one of those filthy romance novels she devours. The kind she started sneaking into the house when she was fifteen, hiding them beneath her mattress, unaware that I’d discovered her secret stash while she was at school and I was off sick.
Curious, I’d read a few pages, then a few more. I imagined Aria, my innocent stepsister, reading these explicit scenes, her cheeks flushed and her breathing shallow.
The most interesting was about a taboo relationship between a stepbrother and stepsister. Sure enough, it’s the exact one she’s reading now. I wonder if she’s imagining it’s us in the story.
A smirk plays on my lips as I watch her fingers move faster, her breaths turning to shallow pants.
God, she has no idea how filthy she is. No idea the effect she has on me, even from a distance. The thought of her reading those words, of her body responding, makes my mouth water.
I shift in my seat, uncomfortable. My eyes linger on her flushed face and tousled hair. I will teach you just how wicked your desires are, Aria.
She’s becoming a woman. My fingers twitch with the urge to reach out, touch, and possess. But I know I must bide my time.
Two years. That’s all I have to wait. Then she’ll be mine, body and soul. No more holding back, no more hiding this all-consuming desire. I’ll claim her, show her what love truly is.
My pulse races as I lean back, eyes closed, imagining having her. Her delicate form beneath mine, her lips parting in a gasp as I?—
A movement on the screen snaps me back. Aria’s heading upstairs, pensive. I lean forward, transfixed. What’s troubling her?
Narrowing my eyes, I zoom in on the feed, savoring every detail. The way her hips sway, the graceful curves of her body—it’s all I can do to restrain myself from rushing over there and taking her like some fucking madman.
Soon, little sister. Very soon, you’ll be mine.