Tool (A Step-Brother Romance #2)

"Oh God," she whispers.

"I want to hear you say that over and over," I tell her. I lower my voice to a whisper, my mouth close to her ear, as she runs her hand across my abdomen. "I want to run my tongue over every goddamned inch of your body. I want to plunge my cock into that sweet pussy of yours until you're fucking breathless."

Her eyes flutter open, and she looks at me, her expression one of unbridled lust. "Gaige, I -- we -- I don't know."

"Do I need to kiss you again, so that you do know?" I ask. I slide the palm of my hand over her abdomen and then between her legs, and she grabs my wrist, wrapping her hand around it just as my fingers land on her clit. I watch her facial expression change as I apply pressure to it, slow movements. I can't fucking believe my hand is between her legs. "Or do I need to put my mouth on your pussy instead?"

And, just like that, she pulls my wrist away, shakes her head like she's shaking off some kind of bad dream. "We can't, Gaige."

Delaney is trying to step away from me, but I grab her arm. "What is the deal with you?" My voice comes out more irritated-sounding than I mean it, but shit, I'm worked up.

"You're asking what's the deal with me?" she asks. "Just because I don't want to screw you in the pool? Let go of me."

"You're hot one second and cold the next, so yeah, what's the fucking deal?"

She jerks her arm away. "The fucking deal is that we can't, okay?" she says. "It's not a good idea."

"Because of the sibling thing?" Delaney has already turned around and stepping out of the pool, wrapping herself in a towel. "Don't worry, our parents are a colossal train-wreck anyway."

"No, okay?" she says, rubbing the towel along the length of her body. "Because of...reasons."

"Reasons." I get out of the water, and yank a towel out of the basket by the pool, irritated at myself for even messing with this girl. "You've got reasons. That's something, Delaney."

"I can have whatever reasons I want for not going farther with you," she says, toweling off her hair. Her nipples are hard underneath the fabric of her bra, and even in the chill of the air my cock strains against the fabric of my boxers.

Fuck it. I strip them off, right in front of her.

"What are you doing?" she asks. But she looks at me, mouth agape, like I knew she would. I stand there for a second, before I start drying myself off again.

"I'm getting myself dried off so I can put my clothes back on and go up to bed, Delaney," I say. "What are you doing?"

She sets her jaw, brings her gaze upward. "I'm doing the same."

"I wouldn't want to interfere with your reasons for not wanting to mess with me," I say. "Since you're trying to keep it professional and all. I mean, obviously, the large quantities of condoms you deposited in my room were extremely professional."

"Damn it," she says. "That's not what it is at all."

I pull on my jeans, sans boxers, and zip them up, while she stands there shivering, her towel wrapped around her. I bend down to pick up my t-shirt. "You can take your wet clothes off, Delaney," I say. "You don't have to worry your pretty little head about me looking at you. I have no desire to hook up with someone who doesn't want me."

Delaney turns around, shimmying out of her panties and bra, the towel still wrapped around her body, as if she has to shield herself from my view because I'm the one who was all over her, completely and entirely unwanted, and she was the one who had zero interest in me. Like she wasn't moaning into me. If my fingers had made it an inch further, I know that I'd have found that she was soaked. I don't know why she's denying it.

Delaney groans her frustration. "That's not what I said, Gaige," she says. "I didn't say I don't want --"

"Don't worry," I say. "It's done. That ship has sailed." When I finally finish getting the boot back on, I toss the empty bottles in the trash without giving Delaney a second glance.

"Fine," I hear her say.

"Fine." I walk out, letting the gate door close, as if I'm not giving her another moment's thought.

Except that's exactly the opposite of the truth. Delaney is all I can think about. I go up to my room to change, now regretting the fact that I just had the guesthouse fake-fumigated, and head to the gym to pound out a workout.

I just don't get what the deal is with her. I've never understood her. One minute she's practically panting in my arms, and then next she's prickly like a damn porcupine.





I've fucked things up with Gaige. We were getting along, and then he had to go and kiss me. Or, rather, then I had to go and strip down and get into the pool with him. What else did I think was going to happen? I knew exactly what I wanted to happen.