Chapter 3
Ari
I moan into my pillow, the vibration of my phone’s alarm unwelcome. It’s not that I mind waking early, especially not after that fantastic orgasm, but because I’m so done being everyone’s skivvy around here.
Things were fine until they weren’t, and my mum remarried. As far as stepfathers go, he could be worse, but he could also be better. He’s strict when it comes to me. His views on women, one might say, are archaic, but what other choice do I have?
His sons are devils personified. Okay, maybe that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but I swear the way they get to swan around doing exactly as they please pisses me off.
It’s like they go out of their way to rub it in my face and antagonise me. Well, that’s what it feels like anyway. I get it, sort of. They lost their mum, and then their dad remarried, but that’s not my fault.
I try to bite my tongue and make myself invisible, which is no easy feat. One of them is never far away.
Forcing myself out of bed, I head for my small ensuite. At least I have that, my own bedroom and bathroom.
I spend less than five minutes showering. I don’t have long before I need to make them all breakfast and get out the door so I don’t miss my train, even though I don’t need to be in college until lunchtime.
Today I’m going for comfort over style: a simple oversized T-shirt, a pair of leggings, and a cardigan.
Leaving my room, I lock my door, grateful to Mum for insisting I have a lock when we moved in. I’m rifling through my bag as I descend the first set of stairs when I walk straight into a wall of muscle.
Hands grip my upper arms, causing me to drop my bag to the carpet with a soft thud.
“Easy, Ari. I mean, if you’re desperate for a bit of this, all you have to do is say so. No need to throw yourself at me,” Hunter says, smirking.
I try to get out of his hold, but instead he pushes me back, stepping over my bag in the process, until I’m met with the actual wall.
“Sorry,” I say, wanting to curse him out more than anything, but it’s another of Jim’s rules. No swearing, least of all from me. I have no idea why they always have a get-out-of-jail-free card.
He grabs my chin and forces my gaze up to meet his. Dark brown eyes pierce into mine as he studies me. It makes me uneasy, but also makes my heart flutter.
Releasing my chin, he brushes his knuckles over my cheek.
I gasp in shock, the touch so unexpected but strangely reverent.
What the hell? Am I still dreaming?
Hunter begins to lower his mouth to mine, and I stand frozen, unable to move or even react, except for my eyes falling closed, whether through fear or excitement, I am unsure.
But his lips don’t meet mine. His breath is warm against the shell of my ear, followed by the deep baritone of his voice.
“You know it’s not nice to tease.”
His teeth nip at my earlobe, causing me to let out a small squeak of surprise. And to my absolute horror, I swear it made me instantly wet.
And it is wrong. So very, very wrong.
But then he has to go a step further, sucking on my earlobe, and it has me at his mercy, unable to suppress my groan.
“Such a fucking tease,” he whispers before his lips meet the skin below my ear. I shiver, something about that turning me on more than I care to admit.
A clearing of a throat brings me back to the moment.
“Well, well, well.”
Harrison, of course. Could this get any worse?
My eyes flick to him as he steps forward, Hunter moving just enough to let him stand beside him, shoulder to shoulder, both perfect male specimens.
Both wearing short-sleeved T-shirts showing off their full-sleeve tattoos, each on the opposite arm.
But even if I couldn’t see their inked arms, I’d still be able to tell them apart.
“Hmm, what do we have here, brother?” Harrison asks, tilting his head as his eyes roam over my face in a salacious manner, holding me captive in the process.
“Well, I was minding my business when she practically threw herself at me.”
I open my mouth to protest when Harrison’s hand shoots out and grabs my throat before I can make a rebuke.
“Is that so?” he asks, arching a brow.
I try to shake my head, but his hold on me tightens, yet he’s not hurting me.
“Hmm, I see,” he replies.
And that’s when I feel it, a hand sliding up and under my T-shirt, a rush of cool air tickles my stomach as he pushes his hand inside the waistband of my leggings.
“What are you doing?” I say breathlessly, but making no attempt to push his hand away, even though I know I should.
What the ever-loving heck is wrong with me?
“You want some attention, is that it?”
My eyes go wide as his fingers trail over the material of my underwear, just as Hunter’s lips caress my neck.
“Hmm, you like this, don’t you?” he says, his eyes blazing with an intensity I’ve never seen before. “I bet if I were to push aside your underwear and slide my finger inside your warm cunt, you’d be wet.”
I swallow hard, my cheeks heating because he’s not wrong. And imagining his fingers inside me has my channel tightening.
Dreaming, I must definitely be dreaming.
My lips part as a heavy pant escapes me.
“Arianna?”
My stepfather’s voice has my heart jumping and my breath catching in my throat.
Eyes wide, I stare back at Harrison just as he cups my pussy.
He groans before releasing me, both of them taking a step back. I take that as my opportunity to reach down and grab my bag as I rush to the staircase.
My underwear is damp, my pulse racing, and I hate that they have any kind of effect on me.
It’s a physical reaction, that’s all. The aftermath of my morning orgasm, nothing else, I lie.
“What the fuck was that, brother?” I hear Harrison ask.
I pause on the stairs, just out of sight, eavesdropping.
“What was what?”
“You fucking know what. We agreed she was off-limits.”
A deep chuckle follows.
“Not anymore.”
What the actual fuck?
The sound of their footsteps has me moving, rushing down the stairs before they catch me.