BAD HEART: A Stepbrother Romance (A Step Over the Line Book Book 2) by Aurora Hayes, Ana W. Fawkes Read Free Book Online Page B

t
know what I ’ d actually say
right now. Maybe he has a point. Maybe he doesn ’ t.
I don ’ t know.
    What I do know is that when I see
the driveway to the massive house my father calls home (well, I guess we all
call it home, even Jake), I ’ m
somewhat relieved. He ’ ll go
into his room and I ’ ll go
into mine. I ’ m sure he ’ ll have hell to pay in the
morning (or in a few hours when the sun comes up) for the fight.
    “ I
guess we ’ re done talking, ” Jake says as I park the car.
    “ What
else is there to say? ” I
ask. “ I can ’ t make you stop who you are. ”
    I put the car in the park and he
puts his hand on mine, squeezing tight.
    Everything seems to stop. Time
stands still. The car is completely silent.
    We just sit there.
    “ Jade,
look at me, ” Jake says.
    “ No, ” I say.
    “ Why? ”
    “ I
just don ’ t want to. ”
    “ What
the fuck do you want from me? ” he asks. “ You want me to
jerk off and wait for you to figure out what you want out of life? ”
    “ I ’ ve seen you jerk off before. ”
    “ Yeah.
I did that to get to you. Seems like it worked since you remember it. ”
    “ Fuck
you. ”
    “ Time
and place, sweetie, ” he
says so boldly.
    I have to get out of the car.
    I wiggle my hand free from his
grip. I get out of the car and slam the door. I pout. I actually fucking pout.
My hearts wishes Jake wouldn ’ t
have let my hand go so easily. He should have pulled me. Right into his arms.
And press his lips against mine.
    The car door slams and I turn to
see Jake already walking away.
    I open my mouth but nothing comes
out.
    He ’ s your stepbrother, Jade. Just let it go.
Let him go.
    __
     
    7.
     
    (Jade)
     
    The house is still quiet. I
purposely just stand in the foyer and listen to Jake as he rummages around the
kitchen. I look to the stairs. I can easily just walk up them. Right? Just go
right back to bed, right back to my dream. That ’ s
where everything is safe. My dreams don ’ t
count. I can fantasize about anything I damn well please. The temptation, the
risk, the reward , well, that ’ s
right there in the kitchen.
    It gets very quiet and I wonder
where Jake is.
    Maybe he ’ s passed out on the floor or over the counter.
    I walk to the kitchen and look
around the corner. Just like the rest of the house, the kitchen is huge. Two
ovens, two countertop cook sets, two sinks, and two dishwashers. No lie. This
is what it takes to make my father feel happy.
    Jake is standing at the main
island, hovering over the sink, a glass of water next to him. He dumps the
water and goes back to the fridge. He reaches up top and pulls a bottle of
whiskey from the top.
    Secret hiding spot.
    He twists the cap off and takes a
sip.
    I just stare. I want to say
something to him. Like, didn ’ t
you just get drunk and get into a bar fight? Doesn ’ t your face hurt from getting punched? It was just
an hour ago you were in a jail cell. What the hell, Jake?
    I take one step and I hear, “ I can fucking see you, sweetie.
Whatever you think you need to say, spit it out. I ’ m not in the mood. ”
    I swallow hard. He ’ s so goddamn sexy and
commanding, I hate it.
    I creep into the kitchen like I
need to be quiet. Trust me, I don ’ t.
The house is so big that I actually have privacy. Which seems very weird and
contradicting to the life my father wants me to live.
    I ’ m
creeping because I ’ m afraid
of Jake. Afraid of what he might do and afraid that I ’ ll like it. We have a deal to keep things calm, but
that ’ s only words. Words
aren ’ t worth a thing. That ’ s something my father taught me
a long time ago. Things he ’ d
say and do never matched up. Plus, look at this thing with Hunter. It was all
words. Nothing more. Nothing less.
    I walk to the sink and stop. I
reached into the sink, grab the glass, and fill it with water.
    “ You
should have some, ” I
whisper.
    “ Why? ” Jake asks and looks at me. “ Afraid I ’ ll be hungover when I get in