Stepbrother Backstage (The Hawthorne Brothers Book 3) (8 page)

“I
don’t
have anything to prove to you,” I say
firmly, trying to sort through my warring impulses. My body wants nothing more
than to be close to him, my prideful brain wants me to storm off, and my heart
has never been more confused.

“Don’t do it to prove anything, then,” he shrugs, “Do it
because you want to. You
do
want to, don’t you Anna?”

More than anything,
I think to myself, imagining the
feel of his bare skin against mine, the cool embrace of the water as our bodies
meet for the first time. But as much as I want to, I just don’t know if I can.
This fierce, blind desire…I’ve never known anything like it in my life. I don’t
know how to handle it. I don’t know if I can handle
him
.

“I…I’m not sure,” I mutter, shoving a hand through my
tousled hair.

Finn gives me a long, hard look. His open expression is
hardening into stone, and I can feel him retreating from me. I know that I’m
confirming his worst notions about me—revealing that I’m really just a scared little
girl. Despite my big talk, I
do
want to prove myself to him. Open up to
him, show him what I’m really made of. I just never thought opening up to
someone could be so terrifying.

“All right. Well, you’d better head back then. You really
shouldn’t be out here alone,” Finn finally says, crossing his arms, “You never
know what kind of trouble you might run into.”

“Well… Good thing I’m not alone anymore, right?” I breathe,
my back arching under his intent gaze, “I, uh… I don’t think I want to head
back just yet, actually.”

His eyes brighten, running down along my body as I stand on
the shore, gazing out at him as my blood heats up.

“You sure about that?” he replies, a grin spreading across
his face, “I might be trouble myself, you know.”

“That may be,” I smile back, “But a little trouble isn’t
necessarily a bad thing. Provided that it’s the right kind.”

“So, what do you say? Is this your kind of trouble after
all?” he asks, sweeping his arm across the lake.

“Only one way to find out,” I reply breathlessly. Finn looks
on approvingly as I shrug out of my sweater, placing it carefully on top of my
camera bag.

“Well, look at that,” he says, his voice dipping low once
more, “There may just be hope for you yet, kid.”

“Yeah, yeah,” I mutter, smiling despite myself, “Now turn
around, would you?”

“Why?” he asks, “I’ve already seen everything. Well…mostly
everything.”

“
Mostly
being the operative word,” I reply, unlacing
my hiking boots, “Come on, Finn. About face.”

“Seriously?”

“Seriously.”

Finn makes a big show of sighing deeply as he turns around
in the lake, wading out until the water is chest-high. My heart is slamming
itself against my rib cage as if trying to escape. Am I seriously about to do
this? What’s going to happen once I get in the water? Is this a terrible idea
or what?

No more questions,
I tell myself firmly.
Time to
put on your big girl panties. Or rather… take them off.

Drawing a deep, steadying breath into my lungs, I step out
of my hiking boots and tug off my socks. The earth is cool beneath my bare
feet, and suddenly I feel centered. Sure. My worries and hang-ups fall away
with every layer of clothing I lift from my body. I pull my sports bra over my
head, feeling my nipples tighten as the chilly breeze brushes against them.
That place between my legs is throbbing steadily by the time I step out of my
panties, placing them on top of the pile of clothing. I stand at the shore of
the lake, my bare skin drinking in the early morning light. Now the only thing
left to do is take the dive. Quite literally.

I step forward, dipping my toes in the water. It’s
surprisingly warm in this relatively shallow part of the lake. Finn turns his
head incrementally toward me, and I call out quickly across the water.

“Don’t look yet!”

“Then get in already,” he replies, laughing warmly. His
voice is going ragged around the edges, but with what? Anticipation?
Trepidation? Desire? I guess I’ll find out soon enough.

Screwing up my courage, I raise my arms above my head and
dive beneath the surface of the lake, skimming through the water as the ground
falls away beneath me. The whole world goes quiet around me as I glide through
the water, my hair fanning out behind me as I go. I reemerge, blinking in the
gathering daylight as lake water courses over my body in rivulets. The water
comes up to my shoulders, as I level my gaze at Finn. He’s turned to look at
me, his head and shoulders rising above the surface of the lake like the bust
of an ancient Greek hero. But of course, there’s a whole body beneath that
water. A body I could reach out and touch if I wanted to. And god, how I want
to…

“There you are,” he says, his voice a quiet growl. Gone is
the taunting grin, the lighthearted ribbing. His gaze is serious, direct, and
positively searing.

“Here I am,” I reply, shuddering softly as the cool lake
water moves against my warm, aching sex.

We face each other in the water, separated by just a few
paces. Alone out here, all of the complications of our real lives don’t feel
real at all. It’s as though we’re perfect strangers again, meeting for the
first time. There’s nothing beyond this place, this moment. We’re free to do
whatever we want.

“You still want me to be straight with you, Anna?” Finn
asks, taking a step toward me. His stunning form cuts through the water as he
advances, and I feel myself moving to meet him.

“Absolutely,” I breathe, pulse quickening as we approach
each other.

“I’ve been fucking dying to see you like this,” he growls,
reaching out a hand to me.

“Well, to be straight with you…That makes two of us,” I
whisper, slipping my hand into his. My body thrills at this first moment of
contact. Only our hands touch at first, and yet this simple embrace feels more
erotic than anything I’ve ever felt. His grip is firm and authoritative as he
guides me toward him. The water splashes softly as our bodies move closer.

“Ever since I walked in on you the other day, barely wearing
a goddamn thing…I haven’t stopped thinking about you,” he says, standing just a
foot away from me, “About what I want to do to you…”

“What do you want to do to me?” I ask softly, as his hands
trail up along my bare arms.

“I could tell you… Or I could show you,” he murmurs, running
his hands back down my slender sides, “If that’s what you want.”

“That’s what I want, Finn,” I tell him, my voice husky with
need, “That’s all I’ve wanted since we—”

I let my words trail away as Finn takes my face in his firm
hands and brings his mouth swiftly to mine. I wrap my hands around his sturdy
wrists, steadying myself as our lips part. My feet rise up off the lake floor,
my entire body suspended by Finn’s embrace. Our mouths move together as we open
ourselves, tasting each other for the first time. His tongue sweeps against
mine as his hands find my hips, and I wrap my arms around his broad shoulders.
I pull my body flush against his, my breasts billowing against his firm chest.
My hips swing forward to meet his, and all at once, I feel the hardness of him
against me. My eyes spring open as I feel his stiff length pressed to my body,
the staggering enormity of him.

“That’s what you do to me, Anna,” he says, trailing his
hands up along my flat stomach. I moan softly as he takes my breasts in his
strong hands, brushing his thumbs against my hard, tender nipples.

“Christ, that’s good…” I sigh, running my fingertips over
his chest as he gently pinches those sensitive peaks.

“You have no idea how good I can make you feel,” he murmurs,
kissing along the length of my throat.

“I guess you’ll just have to keep on showing me then,” I
smile, “But only if I get to show you, too.”

A groan rumbles through his broad, cut body as I wrap my
hands around the thick, pulsating length of him. I work my hands eagerly down
his massive cock, marveling as he grows even harder in my grasp. He buries his
fingers in my hair, pulling my mouth back to his as I stroke his throbbing
manhood, savoring the feel of him.

“Now hold on,” he grins, leveling his lusty, golden gaze at
me, “I want to give as good as I get…”

I gasp as Finn grabs hold of my hips and spins me around,
tugging my back flush against his chest. I’m straddling his cock from behind,
his thick shaft pressed right against my throbbing sex. Finn grabs hold of my
hair and gently tugs my head back against his shoulder, covering my mouth with
his as his other hand moves down along my torso. I cry out against his mouth as
he runs his fingers along my thigh, moving closer and closer to my aching slit.

“Oh my god…” I breathe, pressing back against his rippling
torso as he runs two fingers along my sex. “I can’t believe this is happening…”

“Maybe this will make you a believer,” he growls, kissing my
neck deeply as he slides his fingers along the length of me, grazing that hard,
aching nub—the very center of my desire. I shudder against his hard body as a
ripple of sensation courses through me. He traces my clit with smooth, firm
circles, and I feel a delicious pressure mounting in my core. I buck against
his sturdy form, my knees beginning to tremble in the water.

“You’re so fucking sexy like this, Anna,” he rasps in my
ear, bearing down on my clit as he loops an arm around my waist.

“I just love you touching me,” I moan, letting my head fall
back against his shoulder.

My thighs clench involuntarily around his cock as a
staggering orgasm builds inside of me. Finn sucks in a huge breath as I tighten
my thighs around his throbbing member, rocking along the length of him as he
sends me barreling toward my bliss.

“You’re close, aren’t you?” he breathes, tightening his
embrace.

“So close,” I tell him, barely able to form the words.

“I can feel it,” he growls, “I want to feel you come, Anna.”

A low groan rises from my lips as his words send a shockwave
rolling out from my core. He nearly gets me off with his words alone.

“Let me touch you, too,” I gasp, reaching down to take hold
of his rock hard member.

We moan in unison as I wrap my fingers around his thick
shaft, working it like mad as pleasure rises inside of me. My back is pressed
hard against his chest as we touch each other in a frenzy of feeling, both our
lips parted in ecstatic disbelief.

“You’ve got me right on the edge,” he breathes.

“Come with me, then,” I beg him, grabbing hold of his huge
cock with both hands, “I can’t hold on much—”

My words give way to a wordless moan as he moves his other
hand between my legs and slips two firm fingers into my aching sex. The doubled
sensation sends me careening over the edge of bliss just as I feel Finn come
hard under my eager touch. I cling onto him as the powerful wave rolls through
me, lest I be completely swept away. We fold into each other, holding tight as
our pleasure peaks. Speechless, I lean back against him as the feeling passes
through me, leaving a gentle buzz in its wake. His chest rises and falls
against me as the water settles back to stillness around us. The sun is just
peaking over the horizon, coloring the sky with streaks of vibrant hues.

I peer over my shoulder at lock eyes with Finn, reaching to
lay a hand on his scruffy jaw. He turns and presses his full lips to my palm,
his brown eyes closing in blissed-out serenity. Spinning around to face him in
the water, I try and find the right words to tell him how much I’ve been
longing for this. Not just being able to touch him, but feeling understood by
him. I haven’t even known him a week, but I feel as though he sees me more
clearly than anyone ever has. And by the way he’s looking at me, with those
unguarded, ardent eyes, I’m willing to bet that he feels the same. I take a
breath, preparing myself to tell him my heart.

And that’s when we hear the footsteps coming our way.

Finn and I whip around toward the faint sound rising up from
the woods.

“What is that?” I whisper, heart pounding.

But Finn just holds a finger up to his lips, eyes fixed on
the forest as the sound grows louder. Closer. He stands perfectly still in the
water, listening to the racket rising up from the trees. It sounds like a small
stampede, the footfalls are quick and rhythmic. Panic starts to spike through
my blood as the source of the sound approaches. My clothes lay discarded on the
shore, and my nakedness feels like a beacon in the early morning. What would
someone think, if they were to come upon us like this? What if it got back to
our families?

My stomach sinks as the specifics of my relationship with
Finn come flooding back into my mind. He’s not just some handsome stranger I
can pursue without consequences. He’s the son of my mom’s boyfriend. Our
parents were engaged, for god’s sake. He’s practically my stepbrother, if not
legally. What would the rest of the world think, if they knew I was attracted
to him? What would my
sisters
think?

A shot of terror pierces my chest as I hear voices calling
above the crash of footsteps. A male voice gives some authoritative direction,
and a breathless but buoyant female voice responds. I can’t make out the words
they’re saying over the beating of my own heart, but the voices themselves
sound painfully familiar. The unseen intruders pass by, just yards away from
where the trees give way to the lake shore. And as their bantering conversation
goes on, recognition washes over me.

“That’s Sophie,” I mouth to Finn, my eyes wide with panic.

“And Luke,” he mouths back, eyebrows furrowed.

We listen as our middle siblings move through the woods, and
I catch words like “pace” and “cardio” and “elevation”. What are they, out for
a run at the crack of dawn? Since when are those two all buddy-buddy? Sure,
they go to the same school, but Sophie hasn’t said anything to me about him.
I’m suddenly reminded of her behavior that first day we were all at the house
together, the way she tweaked out when questioned about how and to what extent
she knew Luke. Now here they are, out on their own little adventure, just like
me and Finn.