Wicked Stepbrothers

Excerpt

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Prologue

One Month Later

“I’m going to kill you for this!” I yelled as he marched out of the house.

I removed my yoga shorts, caught around my thighs, and put my panties back on. With my top cut in half and breasts exposed, I scrambled out of my bed. As trembles raked my body, I staggered into the walk-in closet and pulled on a pair of jeans, fastened a bra around my chest, and slipped a red top on. I brushed my hair quickly, musing on a plan. Before he showed those photos on his cell phone to anyone, I had to find a way to get rid of them.

I strode out of my room and stormed into his bedroom two doors from mine. This is payback, asshole. I stalked to the row of shelves lined against the wall and hurled the sports cups and glass bowls to the carpet. He had a collection of comic books. I tore all the pages and tossed them to the ground. His Star Wars posters? I ripped them from the wall. His favorite autographed basketball that sat on a shelf? I scribbled over the signature with a red marker.

I was in an uncontrollable rage, demolishing, wrecking everything in his room. My anger was aimed at myself, too. Because of what my body felt when he held me tied up on the bed. Then I grabbed a pair of scissors from the desk and marched into his walk-in closet. There were tops and jeans on hangers. I tore them one by one with the scissors. Right now, I didn’t care about the consequences. I returned to the bedroom and cut his comforter, bed sheets, and pillows. Feathers flew around the room.

On the desk, there was a laptop and some sheets of paper, probably notes from his courses. I tore up the copybooks, bits of paper fluttering down to the carpet. His laptop would not be spared. I seized it, stomped out onto the balcony, and flung the device over the railing and into the air. It smashed down into pieces by the pool. Night threatened to appear, and I was all alone in the house. I needed to get out of here soon.

I jumped onto his bed, and with the red marker, I wrote on the white wall.

Fuck you. I hate you.

My breath came in short puffs, with feathers hovering around me. His room looked like a battlefield. The carpet was strewn with torn papers and fabric, broken glass, and sports cups. His bed was now a mess of shredded sheets and pillows slit in half.

He would find out that he couldn’t push me around.

One thing was certain: I would not crash here tonight.

---

Chapter One

This was not what I had expected my senior year to be.

Luggage danced on the carousel as I stood in front, leaned on a cart, waiting for my suitcases and Mom’s. We had just arrived at the LAX airport from New York. Los Angeles would be our new city. I hoped that this new life would be good for us and that my new school was awesome, that the boys were hot and the girls friendly. We were already in August, and I would start school in a couple of weeks.

I looked over my shoulder. Mom was smooching with her new fiancé, Ben Holloway. Famous Hollywood producer, he was the reason why, instead of hanging out with my friends back in New York, I was forced to go live with my mother, her fiancé, and two of his sons. Mom had told me that he had three sons around my age. Ben looked like Richard Gere in Pretty Woman, with his short silver hair and well-built body. I wondered if his sons were as handsome as him. That being said, it may be wiser to steer clear of my soon-to-be stepbrothers. I did not want to cause any trouble for my mother. She deserved a little bit of happiness after my father; he had passed away a year and a half ago from a heart attack. I missed him so much.

Travelers grabbed their luggage from the carousel and either hurried out into the city or embraced their loved ones. In that sea of people in love, I felt out of place. My last boyfriend had cheated on me seven months ago. I caught him having sex with some bitch from our school when we hadn’t even experienced it together. Now that I was mature enough, I was ready to have my first sexual experience and find love. I had heard that the boys in Los Angeles were hot and could not wait to find out.

“Audrey, honey, come meet Ben,” Mom said behind me.

I took a couple of steps toward her fiancé, and he gave me a hug, “Hi, Audrey, so happy to finally meet you.”

“Hi, Ben. Likewise.”

“I can’t wait for you to meet my three boys.”

“Same.”

Mom and Ben had met six months ago at a hotel in New York City while she was having dinner with a friend. He had been on a business trip, and they had fallen in love quickly after. He had visited her once a month before proposing to her, and she had agreed to move to Los Angeles with me.

I spotted Mom’s suitcase and went for it as Ben helped me lift it up from the carousel and place it on the cart.

“Thanks.”

At first, I had begged Mom to let me stay in New York with Aunt Lisa to spend my senior year there with my friends. But she had insisted that I met my new family.

“It will be a good change of air for both of us. You know that. And you will be just fine. You’ll make plenty of friends here, and I’m sure you’ll love it. Have a little faith. And you’re going to spend time with your new family. I bet your stepbrothers—”

“Future stepbrothers,” I had corrected her.

“I bet they are wonderful boys. They will help acclimate to this new city.”

With my luck, these boys were probably all ugly, stupid, and annoying.

After Ben put the luggage in the trunk of his huge Cadillac SUV, we all hopped in and hit the road, in the direction of my new life.

On the way from the airport, we could see the Hollywood sign.

The city was impressive with its majestic mountains on one side and the ocean on the other. The sky was bright blue, and not a cloud dotted its robe. Excitement filled me at the possibilities before me.

My future stepfather glanced at me in the rearview mirror, “I know it’s tough to move to another city at your age, but your mom and I will be there for you through it.”

“Thank you, Ben.”

Ben grabbed Mom’s hand, with one hand staying on the wheel, and gave her a quick look, “I’m the happiest man on Earth.”

“And I’m the happiest woman on Earth,” Mom replied, her voice thick with emotion.

It warmed my heart to see Mom so happy, especially after the loss of my dad. Ben and Mom would get married in a few months. In the meantime, I hoped that I would find a boyfriend.

The wrought-iron gate opened to a huge property. As Ben’s SUV moved forward, a white Mediterranean-style house with two floors came into view. My jaw hung open at the immensity of the space. It was surreal. I had never set foot in a house so big.

Ben parked in front of the house, and we got out of the vehicle.

“My staff will bring your luggage to your rooms,” Ben informed us as he linked his fingers with Mom’s. “Welcome home,” he wished to both.

“Thanks, my love,” Mom answered, all giddy and with stars in her eyes.

We walked up the small steps that led to a large porch, and Ben opened the front door to an impressive vestibule. A crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling, and oversized, abstract paintings adorned the walls on each side.

“Oh, wow,” I uttered.

Mom’s palm flew to her chest, “Oh, my god, this place is so beautiful.”

“This is your new home, ladies.” Ben then turned to me, “Would you like to see your room, Audrey?”

“Lead the way, Ben,” I beamed, impatient to see my new room.

“All the bedrooms are upstairs. Follow me.”

We climbed the grand staircase to the second floor. I wondered if his sons were home. I was anxious to meet them. All I knew was that they had lost their mother two years ago and that she had been murdered by her new boyfriend at the time after her divorce from Ben.

“Oh, when will we meet your sons?” Mom asked as we landed on the second floor. “I can’t wait to finally meet them.”

“You will meet my sons later when they decide to come home,” Ben complained. “Oh, and Chase, my oldest, is coming for dinner tonight with his girlfriend.”

“I bet they are as handsome and nice as you,” Mom said.

I so hope that too, Mom.

We traversed the large hallway leading to my future room, and Ben opened a door on the right side.

“Here, Audrey. This is your bedroom.”

The three of us stepped inside. Wow. The room was three times bigger than my old room in New York City.

“I had it redecorated for you,” he added.

The room was so beautiful, and it showed that Ben had taken the time to ask Mom what I liked. A pink rug covered the ground, and a king-sized bed took up a big part of the space. Wow, it looked so comfy, and it was so huge: It would take me ages to get out of bed in the morning.

I threw my arms around his neck, “Thank you so much, Ben. I love it.”

His face illuminated, seeing how happy I was. “And look,” he said, pointing at the two rooms inside my bedroom.

“Oh my god, I have my own walk-in closet and bathroom?” “You do,” he confirmed with a grin.

“You’re so thoughtful, my love,” Mom gushed, enveloping his waist with her arms.

He dropped a peck on her forehead, “I also redecorated a room for your office. I can’t wait to show you.”

Mom was a social media manager and would work from home.

“Thank you, Ben,” she stared at him with adoration, “And I can’t wait to see our room.”

A mischievous smile appeared on Ben’s face. “I can’t wait to show it to you, love.”

Mom’s cheeks turned rosy like a teenage girl.

“How about now?” he added, which made Mom giggle.

“Okay, guys, I think I can take it from here and start unpacking and enjoy my new room by myself,” I pushed them out the door.

Ben laughed, “Feel free to relax or look around, Audrey. This is your home now. Call us if you need anything.”

“See you later, guys,” I waved as they left my room.

My room, I liked the sound of it. This was my new home, my new life. At least these walls would not remind me constantly of my father. A part of me was excited and scared at the same time. Would I love being here? Would I hate it?

I walked out onto my balcony. It overlooked the pool downstairs and the Los Angeles skyline in the distance. My jaw almost touched the floor at the view.

Minutes later, a lanky house staff member put my luggage in the walk-in closet. I took a quick shower and changed into a pair of skinny jeans and a skintight pink top.

The walk-in closet was even bigger than my former room. I opened my bags and started unpacking. As I took out my collection of Twilight books from the suitcase and stepped back into my room, a frame stood in the doorway, making me stopped mid-way.

“Hey,” he greeted in a casual way, his shoulder pressed against the doorframe, arms and legs crossed.

Ash brown hair shortly trimmed framed his face, and the t-shirt

he wore over a pair of jeans revealed well-defined arms and rippled abs underneath. He was tall, gorgeous, and sexy, but he had a frown on his face that made me want to help him wipe it away. One of Ben’s sons, I suppose. I had hoped for Ben’s sons to be hot; this one exceeded my expectations.

“Oh, hi. I’m Audrey.”

“Ricky,” he said in a lazy voice.

“Come in,“ I offered, as I placed the books on the bookshelf by the bed.

“Nah, I’m good,” he remained there, leaned against the doorframe, his green gaze roving over my body and leaving a trail of blistering fire over my skin. Mm, I did not leave him indifferent.

I came to him, resting on the other side of the doorway, “You’re going to Richmond High, right?”

“Yep. Look,” he pushed off the doorway and stopped only an inch from me, the tip of his Nike shoes brushing the tip of my toes, and he pressed his hand on the door above my head. My back squeezed against the doorway as he invaded my personal space, his lovely strawberry and pine tree scent tickling my nostrils and his nearness causing a sudden shiver of desire to pass through me. “I don’t mind driving you there, but don’t expect me to chat or hang out with you. As far as I’m concerned, you’re not really here. You got it?”

“Gee, I’ll be sure to remember that.”

The boy was a mystery. He acted cold with me, and at the same time, he was attracted. His attitude didn’t make me want to run away. On the contrary, I was eager to peel all of his layers off him until he gave in to me.

As he exited my room, I added, “I guess I’ll see you later for dinner.”

“Yep,” he answered.

“Are you always like that?” I asked.

He turned around, a frown wrinkling his pretty face, “Like what?” “Standoffish.”

“No. Only with you.”

“Oh, good to know,“ I replied, my answer dipped in sarcasm.

Ricky turned and disappeared into another room. He was to die for, but he was not the friendliest. I returned to the walk-in closet and took out a pile of tops from my luggage, placing them in a drawer.

A sharp knock at the door stopped me in my tracks as I put rolled-up posters on the bed. “Hi. Audrey, is it?”

A boy with amber eyes, stubble covering his chin, and long honey hair that fell on his shoulders entered the room. The middle son. Wow. “Hey! Yes. Are you Liam?”

“In the flesh,” he shot a seductive smile as he came in and wrapped his arms around me. He was tall and strongly built, and he smelled like roses. He removed his arms way too soon and watched me with his beautiful eyes.

“How’s it going? I know it’s tough to move to another city, but you’re going to love it in here,” he winked.

“Thanks, I have a feeling that I’ll survive here.” With two hot boys living in the same house, I would do more than survive.

“Welcome to L.A.”

“Thanks.” Liam. What a beautiful name. I unrolled a poster of One Tree Hill and attached poster tape on each corner.

“Want a hand with that?” he offered.

“That’d be great, thanks.”

“Where do you want me to put this one?”

I nibbled at my finger while scanning my room, “Here, please.” I pointed at the spot above the right night table.

He took the poster from my hands and stuck it to the wall while I pressed on the edges to keep it in place. Tingles danced on my skin as our bodies were so close, and I took advantage of the closeness to inhale his floral scent again. His gaze roamed over my face and stopped on my lips. His were full, rosy, and so tempting. I wanted to kiss them while running my fingers in his hair.

He took a few steps back, “Um, it’s done.”

“Thanks, Liam.”

“You’re welcome, Audrey.”

“How old are you?” I asked, wanting to make conversation. At least Liam was more friendly than Ricky.

He plopped on my bed, his hands pressed on the frame behind his back, “Nineteen.”

The way he looked at me was electrifying.

I sat next to him, wanting to be near him, even touch him,

“What are you studying?”

“Marketing at UCLA.”

“Cool. After I graduate high school, I want to go back to New York and study at NYU.”

“Unless you love it so much here you want to stay,” he lifted his brows seductively.

My cheeks warmed at his comment, and I wished he would not hesitate to touch me.

I wondered if he and Ricky had girlfriends. No harm in asking.

“You have a girlfriend?”

He smirked like he enjoyed me asking this, “No. You?”

“Not yet.” But, I intended to find one soon. I was craving someone to love, the connection. The emptiness that my father’s passing left increased that craving even more.

Coming to Los Angeles was not a bad idea, after all. Two of the first boys that I had encountered so far were sexy as fuck, and now I had no doubt that Chase, the oldest, was too, even though he was not available.

If I ever had the choice between Liam and Ricky, I wouldn’t even know who to choose. A crazy thought passed through my mind.

What if I could have both of them to myself?

Of course, getting involved with my soon-to-be stepbrothers would not be the smartest move, but when the heart was set on someone, there was no way to change course.

end of excerpt