GRIND: A Stepbrother Romance Read online

  Gas lanterns and candles teased us with their romantic ambiance and ease. There in the corner, covered still, glowing ambers danced in an electric fireplace. It was one of the most romantic scenes I’d ever seen in my life.

  An entire waterfall set on a complete rock wall backdrop was a step behind the tub. Exotic pink flowers kissed the rocks, providing the most exotic sight to behold. This was a scene straight out of Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous.

  His deliberate grip led me out of bed and towards the terrace. We instantly heard the patter of the rain over the ceiling, providing an exciting electric feel in the air.

  “Come on.”

  Exotic thrill surrounded my senses.

  "Wait! I'm... I don't know if I can just like, let you do that. Let you watch me. I'll feel embarrassed." I buried my face into his protective chest. His hands tenderly caressed my shoulders.

  "Oh it's nothing a little bubbly won’t fix."

  Ten minutes later, the bathtub water was filled with water and vibrant pink rose petals. They floated gorgeously along the surface, filling the water with their fragrance. The tub was huge; it could easily fit a party of five.

  "Sit," he gently ordered.

  I complied, sipping the flute of champagne he handed me, swallowing back my lust as I watched him undress. I could never grow used to staring at those etched muscles, the towering height and strength that belonged to this demi god.

  The passion, desire, and intimacy were oh so real.

  The sound of the jets turning on instantly triggered my arousal, the excitement of what was to come permeating my entire being.

  His hands slid over my shoulders and then waved the massaging wand over my body. I closed my eyes and relaxed. It felt so nice. The thunder and lightning transported me to another dimension as the water pressure traveled further below, getting lower and lower and even lower….

  “Open your legs for me, baby.”

  Obliging, I spread them open, my heart pounding between my legs, anticipating the massaged sensations under the control of his hand.

  The gentle pressure massaged my inner thighs in slow circles as his free hand gently cupped my face before kissing me in his magical way that left me wanting more, breathless, and star struck.

  The pressured water traveled up, up, up my inner thigh until my eyes closed in pleasure.

  It hit that magic spot. I let out a light moan and grabbed his shoulder. I felt embarrassed and tried to relax.

  “Close your eyes and breathe; relax. Don’t tense your muscles.” He ordered with the gentleness of a yoga instructor. I cried out in high moans as the jetted pressure deliciously made me see stars. It was heaven. He moved the jetted head in slow deliberate circles over my trembling clit, pushing me closer and closer to that exquisite edge. The rollercoaster ride of pleasure my body was starting to experience regularly was approaching already. I opened my eyes and witnessed my toes curling. My nipples tightened as I fought to breathe steadily against the intense sensation.

  Controlled and deliberate, he continued drawing those slow circles with the pressured jet, teasing me with sweet agony. I closed my eyes as I surrendered my body to the will of this demigod, moaning from the delicious feelings of his handiwork.

  In an instant, the pressure intensified to another level; the feelings of bliss and heaven on edge.

  My entire being felt so delicious, so right, and so damn delicate under his control. His lips latched onto my pleading nipples, forcing me to cry out in ecstasy. The orgasmic shooting sensations soared through me like a freight train as he greedily sucked on them. His tongue exploring every part of me. His teeth lightly grazed my nipple, sending ripples of pleasure that coupled with the slow and steady pressure of the soothing jets right over my spot. Right over it.

  Eureka! I was coming and coming, and he was sucking and biting. His suckling was a little hard, but it felt perfect on my nipples, which were hard as pebbles. Pleasure boiled with intensity until I exploded into my final orgasm, which was so explosive I fell into him, using the last of my strength to latch on to his shoulder. He broke away from my nipples and our lips met, giving me a taste of salt from my own perspiration. I moaned into his kiss until I was delectably spent.

  The bathtub’s jetted wand dropped into the water. I collapsed back into the bath pillow, feeling limp, breathless and dizzy in intoxication. My breath staggered as I recovered. I was almost dizzy from the pleasure and heat but not spun out enough to miss the look in his eyes; there were contrasting expressions of hunger and satisfaction.

  My lustful eyes traveled down south of his rock hard abs, the lines so masterfully crafted by hours in the gym and training for his competitions.

  They could be yours, those abs.

  Yours.

  All of him could be yours, if you let it.

  I swallowed down the teasing thoughts of life beyond the moment of being out in the middle of nowhere in paradise.

  Forget the fact that we were no longer stepsiblings.

  Forget the fact that I was vacationing in one of those surreal epic fantasy trips one sees plastered in the gossip magazines and on Enews!

  He was not a Bradshaw and I was not Kate Meadows.

  Here, out in the aqua waters, out on a deck in the middle of a thunderstorm, covered by glass worth thousands of dollars to keep us dry, surrounded by luxury, we were just two lucky people, blessed in the company of each other’s passion.

  Enthralled.

  All that mattered right now was him.

  A crack of thunder rumbled and the waves picked up their flow, rocking me into him naturally. My face fell into his rock hard chest. I could taste the perspiration of his salty beads and my hand traveled down…down…down.

  Bradley junior stood at attention, his need obvious.

  I wrapped my hands around his hardness and from the corner of my eye saw his eyes close.

  I steadied myself from the rocking and rested my free hand on his shoulder.

  His hand fell to my waist as he met me with a hungry kiss.

  “I love seeing your petite hand wrapped around me like this.”

  “Oh yeah?” I kissed him back, letting our tongues dance and glide. I teased his tongue with a slow gentle suck and trailed my kisses down his perfectly etched jaw, drawing slow kisses down his chest, all the while my hand slid over his hardness. He sucked in a breath and caressed my hair.

  I loved it.

  I loved every single ounce of pleasure he felt from me. It felt powerful to make a man like him feel so good already.

  Down his etched muscles I drew my tongue.

  Down his rock hard abs.

  Down his lower pack until my tongue lightly swept over his tip like it was a delicate dessert from a far away land.

  My lips took him further as my tongue glided over him, pleasuring him in every possible way.

  His moans grew and I loved that he was a vocal lover, rewarding my efforts and verifying I was doing the right thing.

  We were still new lovers and I wanted to find out every single thing about him and wanted him to feel like no one else could.

  He slowly back walked to the edge of tub.

  “You make me weak in the knees, baby.”

  His hands slid through my hair, his nails running through my scalp sending pleasant chills. I moaned into him and took him deeper as I grabbed him with more passion.

  His fingernails slid through my hair harder, as if he signaling more, harder, deeper.

  So I met his cue, his moans encouraging me greater. My insides ached, burned with a fire that only he could fill.

  But I cared about him and what he wanted.

  My heart pounded as the rain poured and the lightening crashed. The yacht took another dip with the stormy waves and the water from the tub cascaded out into the deck.

  His right hand slid down to the back of my neck, cupping me, grabbing me with a passion and a need. So I followed the cue and met his eager anticipation. Suddenly, my hair felt absent of his warm hands as b
oth of his hands were at my shoulders, down to my arms, cupping my breasts, twisting my erect nipples.

  He twisted them and fire surged through my body down to my throbbing aching insides.

  God, I needed him in me.

  The need was burning, pounding, with such need, I felt like I was going to boil.

  "I need to be in that sweet tight pussy of yours, now."

  Oh, I liked the dirty direct way he talked to me. His strength lifted me up in an instant and lifted me up on the side of the bathtub's edge. Before I knew it, my legs were spread wide, and Bradley danced his way inside of me. A slow, seductive, hip roll that made my toes curl and my eyes see stars and galaxies I never knew existed.

  Chapter 23

  KATE

  “Do you mind if I check my e-mail to see if my professors have commented on my oral defense?”

  “Sure. I actually need to check mine, as well.”

  And just like that, our phones turned on to the sounds of so many alerts and buzzes, texts, e-mail alerts, and voicemails an eerie chill coincided with a crack of thunder and there was no shaking the feeling: I was doomed.

  Emily: Is there something you want to tell me?

  Lacy from Texas: Holy fuck! You are like on a yacht with BRADLEY RAINSHAW. WTF. When did you two fall in love?

  Claire: Can’t wait to see you in Paris. A little birdy told me you were getting some much needed r&r. I seriously want you to know that I think that whole idea is seriously FAB. You deserve it. I knew you would always be my sister. Wink.

  Lacy from Texas: OMG, were y’all like in love your whole life and that’s why you moved away? Why didn’t you tell me?

  Mom: How did your defense go? I would like to send a plane for you for Thursday to pick you up and meet Claire and I in Paris for the gala. I know you normally do not like to attend these things but I think as a family unit, we need to be there for Bradley now more than ever.

  Emily: Like there’s a girl that looks just like you that’s kissing Bradley. I’m assuming it IS you.

  Professor Lancaster: Hi Kate. I just would like to make sure you received the panel’s e-mail. There is no need to reply. Thank You.

  Lacy from Texas: Is his like cock as big as they say it is? I promise I won’t confirm with like USweekly or anything. Lucky bitch! Do you know how epic this makes you?

  Mom: Sweetie, I…well, I just want you to know that I know about the yacht. And Maldives. And I’m okay with it. I really am. Should I send the plane for you somewhere else then? Or, will you be coming back with Bradley?

  * * *

  “Oh my god. I could throw up. Is your phone about the same thing my phone messages are about?”

  His face was frozen, too frozen. He actually looked like someone pushed pause on a DVR. Hello? Speak! How do you feel about this?

  “Bradley?”

  His lip finally twitched and his aqua eyes darkened to deep pools of water. “I’ll be right back. Stay in here.”

  Shit. Shit. Shit. This was bad. My stomach was in my throat as I tapped the e-mail with my thumb, scrolling for the familiar e-mail of my professors.

  The subject matter: We know.

  Kate,

  We regret to inform you that we will not be able to supervise your studies next year. Partying it up on a yacht isn’t the academic behavior we expect from our serious students—especially in their most important academia week of their soon-to-be career. And no, we don’t believe everything we see in the press. After reviewing the recorded Skype session, our suspicions were confirmed that you indeed were on the yacht. The rocking was undeniably there. Perhaps you should attend your graduate studies in the states where the students are more lax.

  Bradley

  * * *

  My mind was racing a million miles a second. How dare that bastard go to the press?

  It felt like the longest walk down to the captain’s pit but alas I was there and he had Bob Marley playing as if nothing was wrong. As if nothing had actually just transpired. As if he was on freaking Gilligan’s Island.

  “You!” I growled as I took his white crisp collar in my fist.

  “Wha…what did I do, Mr. Rainshaw?” His hands flew off the wheel and in the air. Panic flooded in his wrinkly eyes, eyes that had seen the sea many days of his life.

  “What did you do? You broke our non-disclosure agreement. Selling our photos?”

  “What? I…” he ran a free hand through his thinning hair. “I don’t know what you’re talking about Mr. Rainshaw. I barely own a computer. I don’t even know what websites I would send something to?”

  “People magazine? USweekly? TMZ?”

  “I haven’t owned a television in nearly three decades. I just took a picture of that full moon last night.”

  I searched his eyes. I could normally call BS in a heartbeat. His tanned face filled with horror, and his fear conveyed that he might be telling the truth.

  “Let me see your phone.”

  “I…uh…well…okay…um.…”

  The man had an iPhone but didn’t have a lock on his phone. He had the bare minimum apps. I went to his photos and they were filled with nature and sea pictures. A few of him shirtless and smiling when he caught a fish.

  “How do you know it’s not that chef you brought?”

  “Because he’s been with my family for years. He’s seen so much shit, I knew I could trust him.”

  “Well, honestly, Mr. Rainshaw. I didn’t do what you think I did.”

  I sighed as I scrolled out of his collections and saw the little cloud in the middle: Shared.

  I scrolled through the album.

  “Who are these people?”

  “Those are just…just my family.”

  “And they see every picture I guess that you take since you’re sharing an album?”

  “They are? I didn’t…I mean, I didn’t know that,” he commented with the inflection rising like a question.

  “What do you mean you didn’t know that?”

  “I was just in over the holidays and my sister did something with my phone. I don’t understand how the cloud works. I had no idea what it even meant. All I know is I see pictures of her and my niece and nephew and now I guess like you said they see pics of me.”

  “Niece and nephew?”

  “Yes, they’re 16 and 18.”

  I glared out at the angry waves. They matched the heat I felt inside. I wanted to lay one on him but something about his primitive nature was a clear indication to me he didn’t know what the heck all this digital stuff was.

  “She got that for me for Christmas. Honest, I never go home. The sea is my home. I prefer to be out here on the waves in a simple pair of shorts, no shirt and bare feet. I know every creature and speaking of cloud, I know every type of cloud in the sky there is. But on the phone, well, I don’t get these type of things. But she insisted I have one. Full moons are my favorite. Last night’s moon was a majestic one and since my birthday’s in February, I felt it was like it was God’s sign to me of what was to come.”

  I sighed and rolled my eyes. This guy was really long-winded. He must miss talking to people.

  “Do you at least know how to text?”

  “I mean…yeeeeeeah?” Again he answered the statement as a question.

  All of his texts from the last few days were left unopened. The little blue circle to the left of the names was indication of that. But Jessica’s text grabbed my attention with the first two lines. I swiped at it first and fast.

  There it was. Bingo. Jessica’s text said it all.

  Jessica: Oh my GAWD, Uncle Rick! That’s like…that’s like…. Bradley Rainshaw on your boat! Kissing his former stepsister! Did you know that!? Are they your private clients for the week? OMG please send me more pics! Take more pics!

  I turned the phone around and showed him the text.

  “I uh…I mean, I guess that’s you and…shit, she’s your step sister?”

  I grumbled and sighed.

  “Former. Not anymore. Thank yo
u. I’m…I’m sorry for startling you and crumpling your shirt. I know you didn’t mean anything by it.”

  “Well, I didn’t. You scared the shit out of me.”

  “I’m sorry,” I mumbled to him and left his chambers. The rain was hard against my skin. Most people hate the rain but I found it refreshing. I shook my head and peered out at the sea and the droplets that formed against the waves, trying to take a moment to gather my thoughts and focus on how to deal with this very delicate situation.

  And I don’t know why but laughter came to my throat. Bent-over, gut-wrenching laughter about the whole thing. I laughed like a crazy man until finally I came to my senses. The whole thing really was perfect. There would be no tiptoeing around about us being a couple. They did us a favor. Not a single thing would be needed from us. Maybe this PR could be spun in a good way. Because together we were a team; we were much better together than apart and I needed her. I needed Kate by my side.

  Kate.

  It wouldn’t be so funny to Kate.

  She probably was seconds from having a panic attack, if she already didn’t have one

  Chapter 24

  BRADLEY

  * * *

  One minute later…

  There she was. Fulfilling my suspicion, bent over hyperventilating.

  “Baby, breathe! Breathe! It’s going to be okay.”

  “No, it’s not. No, it’s not. You don’t understand. You don’t understand!” she shouted.

  “Do you have a Xanax? Something? Anything?”

  “I just took it and a glass of champagne.”

  “Come here. It’s going to be okay. Look, now we don’t have to tell people.”

  “Bradley.” Her eyes were filled with buckets of tears and her face was so puffy already from crying so hard. I felt horrible. I wanted to shelter her from all pain and only bring her pleasure and happiness.