GRIND: A Stepbrother Romance Read online

  “I know, I know. And I’m sorry I was late. But I did have everything with me. Hopefully we’ll get everyone on board with this project better than last year.” I looked over the numbers myself, too, and last year, whoever was heading the project hardly gave a damn enough to put much effort into it. I wanted to change it around.

  Dad nodded, giving me a small smile. “Yes, and I appreciate that, Gabi. I hate to chat and run, but I know I have a meeting in about 15 minutes and don’t tell anyone this, but that pot of coffee in the break room isn’t worth a damn if you ask me. I better get going so I have some time to get to the bathroom and back.”

  I laughed, shaking my head at him. “Okay, gross, Dad. I’ll see you later?”

  He pulled me in for a hug, squeezing me tightly before heading toward the door. “Of course. Love you, sweetheart.”

  I gathered up my file and smoothed down my skirt, wondering if I had enough time to make it to Les Bourgeois’s breakfast menu still. I was craving a hot buttered croissant like nobody’s business.

  I headed back out into the main hub, but when I stopped for a moment to let old Mr. Powers by in his wheelchair, I wasn’t paying attention when I started walking again and literally ran smack dab into somebody’s chest.

  “Ouch, oh my God, I’m so sorry, I wasn’t even—” I looked up just in time to meet the gaze of a certain wannabe doctor who I’d basically been obsessing over. It was Jacob, right there in the middle of my dad’s office. What the hell were the chances?

  He was just as equally surprised to see me. “Gabi?”

  I tried to smooth over the look of shock on my face. “Jacob, hi. I… wasn’t expecting to see you here. What are you doing here, anyway?”

  Oh… He wasn’t… following me or anything, was he? I didn’t want to think that my new obsession led me into the direct path of a psycho stalker. I mean sure, it was fun to fantasize about, but in reality… Not so much.

  He ran his hand through his hair, the other hand holding a white bag that smelled absolutely delicious. “I was actually bringing my mom some lunch. You work here?”

  I shook my head. “No, actually I don’t. My dad works here, he’s… the mayor.” I knew it was going to come out sooner or later, so I figured I might as well just get it out of the way.

  Jacob’s jaw expectedly dropped. “The mayor? You’re Mayor De Leon’s daughter? Oh wow, I had no idea.”

  I nodded, feeling awkward still standing in the middle of the hub. People around us were starting to look. “Yeah, that’s me. So your mom works here, too, huh? What’s her name?”

  At this Jacob laughed, searching my face, completely amused. “Jennifer. Jennifer Alder… Or as you may know her—”

  “Wait! My dad’s secretary? You mean your mom works for my dad? Okay, is it just me or is this all really weird?” I couldn’t help but laugh, because in such a big city like L.A., things like this just didn’t happen.

  “There you are,” a familiar voice called out from behind us. Both of us turned around to see Jennifer headed our way, a big smile on her face.

  “Oh, I see you’ve met my son, Jacob.” She pulled her arm around Jacob, slipping the other one into the bag and pulling out what looked like a pot of soup. “Jacob, this is Gabrielle De Leon, Mayor De Leon’s daughter.”

  We both chuckled, but she didn’t seem to catch on. “Yeah, she was just telling me that.” Jacob smiled even wider at me.

  And just like that even with his mom standing there, all those feelings and thoughts from the other night came rushing back. I was suddenly thinking about his face over mine, his cock deep inside of me. It probably wasn’t the best idea to be thinking about any of those naughty thoughts with his mom standing there. I silently thanked God that no one could read my mind.

  “Well your father has a meeting coming up in just a few minutes, so I need to go grab my notebook. Thank you for the lunch, baby,” she said as Jacob leaned down and kissed her on the forehead. It was alarmingly sweet the way he was with his mom.

  I’ve never been a believer in fate, but it was almost as if Jacob standing there in front of me was just that very thing—fate. As I took him in, cataloging every single detail to my memory the best I could, from his tousled hair to his dark soulful eyes, I could feel him doing the same with me. We barely knew each other but it felt like it was way more than that. It was almost scary how much I was drawn to him, attracted to him. I wanted to reach out and trail my hand up and down his bicep, just to make sure he was real.

  “I don’t suppose you know a place where we can… grab a bite to eat?” he asked, the words sounding innocent enough. But the way he said it in that velvety tone… I knew there was more behind them the what he was just saying.

  “I know a few places… Why don’t you follow me?”

  I wracked my brain to think of where we could go. And because I knew for damn sure that Jacob was not hungry for food. Not if he just came from wherever he picked up a delicious pot of soup, anyway.

  We were nonchalant, and he followed loosely behind me as went over to the elevators. It was only a couple of floors down, the place I was thinking of, and my heart had already started racing in my chest just thinking about it.

  When the elevator doors opened, I searched the hall to make sure no one was around. I said a little prayer silently in my head as we turned right and headed down one of the smaller hallways until we reached the end. On the left side was a door that read ‘STAFF ONLY.’ My hands shook as I tried the door knob, and I had to laugh when it opened quietly in my hand.

  Jacob closed the door and I flipped on the lights. It was an old supply closet that was never used anymore, not after the new one was constructed upstairs and everyone else downstairs had their own closets on each floor. In other words… No one would be bothering us there.

  “But just for good measure,” I mumbled to myself, locking the door.

  The wicked grin that spread across Jacob’s face told me we were definitely on the same page.

  I was excited to say the least, and when he pinned me up against the wall, I was already desperately working my panties down past my thighs, stepping out of them and kicking them aside.

  “My, my. Aren’t you an excited one?” he whispered against my cheek. “Let’s find out just how excited…”

  He slipped his hand between my legs, his fingers delving deep inside of me, swirling my wetness all over my pussy, a smug, self-satisfied look on his face. My throat went dry.

  “Definitely excited. Look at how wet you are,” he said, bringing his fingers back up to his mouth and sucking on them.

  I frantically tore at his belt, loosening it up and undoing the zipper of his pants, pushing them down. “Don’t just stand there. Why don’t you do something about it?” I urged him.

  The grin went wider and he picked me up, wrapping my legs around his waist. I could feel the length of him sliding up against me. He was teasing me and he knew it. I leaned forward and bit his lip, savoring his mouth as he quickly slid deep into me.

  It was a sweet kind of pain, one that caused everything outside of our small, intimate space to pretty much disappear.

  Jacob’s thick cock pulsed inside of me, filling me up and making me cry out for more. He fucked me good and hard up against the wall, his balls slapping at my ass with each deep thrust. I moaned loudly, not caring if anyone heard, wanting him to know how good it felt, how he made me feel.

  He held me up easily in his arms, his hips crashing against mine, and I threw my arms around his neck, holding on for dear life as he picked up the pace, fucking me faster and faster. I could feel the tension in my belly, the fire rolling out across my muscles and simmering across my skin. He was hitting that deep spot inside of me that made me feel as though I was losing control. My breathing was ragged, and I was sure I was going to hyperventilate—it felt so fucking good having his cock so deep in me.

  I brought my fist to my mouth and tried my best not to scream as I came, my tight pussy clenching and milking his thro
bbing cock with each twitch and spasm. My eyes rolled back until I saw stars.

  “So fucking tight, Gabi. God, you’re so beautiful,” he muttered against my skin, nipping at my collarbone as I felt him grunt and explode deep inside of me.

  It was rushed, but it was good, in the worst kind of way. It left me wondering when I was going get my next fix of Jacob Alder.

  6

  Jacob

  “Hey Mom, you need a hand with any of that?” I called as I opened the door to her duplex, throwing my backpack over my shoulder. I could already smell the lasagna cooking from the oven the moment I opened the door.

  “No, don’t worry about it. It’s almost done. I just want you to help me clear off the table,” she said, coming around the corner from the kitchen.

  “Sure thing,” I replied, dumping my backpack into the armchair.

  It took me a second to realize that my mom was dressed nicer than usual for our weekly dinner. Not that my mom didn’t look nice always, but the dress she was wearing was a far cry from the usual T-shirt and jeans.

  I raised a brow at her. “You got plans after dinner, or something?”

  She waved me off but I could see the color building up in her cheeks. What the hell?

  “Don’t worry about my plans after dinner. Why don’t you tell me about how your day’s been?”

  So, she was avoiding the topic then.

  I finished clearing off the table, keeping a steady eye on her as she avoided mine. Yeah, something was definitely up with her.

  I wasn’t about to question her, because the last thing I wanted was her to do the same to me. If she thought there was even a chance that there was a woman in my life, even if that woman had only been in it for a little while and for less than pure reasons… My mom would be all over it.

  Laying out the silverware and plates, I helped Mom bring over the casserole dish filled with cheesy lasagna and a basket of freshly-baked rolls, my stomach already growling.

  “We had a pretty interesting case today,” I began, pulling out the chair for my mom before she sat down. “Heart attack victim, but get this, he was only nineteen. They were still testing for abnormalities and heart defects when our shift was up.”

  The look on her face softened as she nodded, putting her hands together to pray. “How sad for the young man’s family. Just to be taken like that so young… I can’t even imagine.”

  I closed my eyes and gave in to my mother’s adamant request of praying and saying blessings before every meal, as every good Catholic Irish woman did.

  “Do you have any ideas what it could’ve been? You take so many notes, I’m sure something had to cross your mind?” she asked, cutting the first slice of lasagna.

  I grabbed one of the rolls from the basket and bit into it, savoring the flaky crust. Man, I really was hungry. “Honestly, I really don’t know. I guess I’ll have to go over some of my textbooks and see what I can come up with. The instructor wants us to do that anyway so, I guess I’ll head back over after dinner and get some research done.”

  “Such a hard worker, I’m so proud of you, Jacob.” I looked up to see my mom staring at me, her eyes welling up. “You’ve already come so far. You’re going to do so well, I just know it.”

  My mom was going soft on me, something she did from time to time whenever we discussed schooling. Our lives hadn’t always been so easy, and with my dad abandoning us when I was only three, my mom did what she could to get by. It was one of the reasons why I loved her so much. “Ma, don’t start crying on me now. Don’t ruin your food,” I tried to joke.

  She waved me off. “Oh, just ignore me, you know how I get.” She dabbed at the corner of her eye, still smiling at me. “Actually, there is something I’d like to talk to you about.”

  What a shocker… “Oh yeah?”

  My mom cleared her throat, folding her hands in front of her. Whatever it was must’ve been pretty big. I was hoping that maybe she had a promotion of some sort.

  No one worked harder than my mom—not even me.

  “I, uh… Have been seeing someone.”

  I froze, the fork suspended in midair only an inch away from my face. “You’ve been seeing someone?” I repeated slowly, as if it couldn’t possibly be true. I knew I was being an idiot about it, but the idea of my mom dating anyone left me feeling very protective of her.

  She gave me a knowing look. “Yes. It’s actually pretty serious. I’ve been dating him for a few months now.”

  At this my eyes widened. Okay… So she’d been hiding this guy, whoever he was, from me this whole time? I couldn’t help but feel betrayed. “Ma! How come you never told me? A few months? Were you guys meeting at the back of a bowling alley or something? I haven’t even seen anyone around.”

  I knew I was giving her a hard time, especially by the way she glared at me.

  “Don’t you dare take that tone with me, Jacob. I’m a grown woman and I make my own decisions. And I’m only just now telling you because I knew this was how you were going to react. Anyway… I thought it was actually funny that you met his daughter yesterday. That’s what made me think now was the perfect time to tell you.”

  Her words trickled through like quiet drops of water, taking a moment before they really sunk into my brain. Met his… daughter? Oh. “You mean you’re… dating your boss?”

  She took a small bite of her lasagna, not meeting my eyes. “You say it like it’s such a big thing. It’s really not, I assure you. We’ve been very professional about it. So yes, I’ve been dating Leonard. I really care about him. He’s just so… He treats me so well.” The sort of reverence in her tone left me feeling some kind of way. She’d never talked about a guy like this before, and she hadn’t dated anyone since I was a young teenager, just getting into high school. I was as opposed to it then as I was now.

  “You don’t think he’s using you? I mean in his position of power and all that—”

  But she held up her hand. “I’m not having this discussion with you. We are together, we’re staying together. It’s that simple. I wanted to let you know so that I was open and honest with you, and we can discuss it like rational adults. Can you do that with me?”

  I took another bite of food, chewing it loudly and staring back at her. “I guess so,” I mumbled through the food in my mouth.

  I wanted to be happy for her. I mean, somewhere inside I did. I could tell by the way she talked about him that she really did care for him like she said, but that didn’t make it any less frustrating for me. I thought about Gabi…

  Oh hell, what about Gabi? It was the sort of situation I did not to be in the middle of. What would her dad think about his girlfriend’s son fucking his daughter? Not to mention the fact of what I did in my spare time?

  What if I wanted things to go further with Gabi? Wouldn’t it be super awkward if I was dating his daughter and he was dating my mom?

  There was no wouldn’t it—it definitely would. I wondered what Gabi thought of it. Surely she knew, right?

  I made a mental note to text her later on and see if she wanted to meet up that weekend. Not only did I want to see her again, but I had to know what she thought of the whole thing.

  “Are you just going to sit there and look at me as if I just told you I killed your dog?” Mom finally picked back up, sounding weary. I hated that she felt like she had to keep this from me though.

  “You’re right, I’m sorry. I’m just shocked, that’s all. Just wasn’t expecting it, I guess. But I’m glad he makes you happy. That’s all that matters to me.”

  Mom reached across the table, patting my hand and squeezing it. “And that’s all I ask.”

  Lying in bed, I pulled out my phone and found Gabi’s number, pulling open a new text message. My fingers hovered over the keyboard on my phone, but I wasn’t sure what to say just yet. We’d exchanged numbers after the fun little interlude in the supply closets—Gabi’s idea actually. And what a fun little idea it was. Ever since, she’d been sending me pictures and texts t
hat were definitely only for my eyes. Every one of them was like a treasured gift to me, one that I worshipped in my bed at night.

  I pulled out her most recent shot, one of her standing in front of her mirror, wearing only a pair of panties. It came with the message I hope you plan on buying me a new pair to replace the ones that you ruined. They were my favorite, by the way.

  I had texted her back a cheesy face, because that was exactly what I did as soon as I saw it.

  My fingers flew over the keyboard as an idea hit me.

  What do you say we get together again? One might even dare call it a date.

  7

  Gabi

  Anything in mind for our date tonight?

  My phone buzzed on the table. It was Jacob.

  There was no denying the smile that crept across my face every time I saw his name on my phone.

  I might have a plan in mind. Maybe.

  It was simple, really. I wanted to go out to dinner with him, because like I learned from having a parent into politics, you can find out a lot about a person just from dining with them. Not to mention all the other fun things we could get into after…

  I’ll be there to pick you up at six.