Page 12 of Hot For Her Stepbrother
My head moves up and down. "Yeah, it's a vegan steakhouse on White Horse Pike, a few minutes outside the city."
"Who the hell put a vegan steakhouse anywhere near this town? Why is that a thing?" Offense rides her face as she looks down at the remaining pieces of her filet.
"People who need a business that is supposed to take a reasonable amount of losses to wash money."
"How does that work?"
I laugh. "Aren't you inquisitive? That's out of my wheelhouse, darlin'. I'm no accountant, but that's in my investment portfolio now as well. So call your mother, and whatever amount of money she needs, tell her you'll get it to her, but she has to pick it up because you only have cash."
"I'm not sure she's going to believe that."
"It's the truth. You're done lying, Summer. Lying comes out of fear, and as long as I'm here, you have nothing to be scared of. You don't have the money to move into her account electronically because you just lost your job today, remember?"
"Fuck."
"Exactly what I plan to do as soon as we finish eating."
She shakes her head, blushing and turning away from me. "You're insane."
"No, I'm not. I'm angry, Summer. I have a list of things to do. You weren't on that list until a few hours ago, but I couldn't not have you. There's something telling me that I need you more than I need my freedom."
"Are you going to do something to Paulie that can jeopardize your freedom?" Her eyes widen, welling with tears, pulling me to her.
I sit beside her on the sofa, stroking her knee. "I'm not going anywhere. You're as good a reason as any to keep my nose clean."
"It's not your nose I'm worried about, it's your hands and that knife."
"I like the knife. It's intimate, personal, and challenges the cowardly to get their hands dirty. The blade makes people honest. I prefer honesty."
"I get that, Bodey. I'm sorry."
"I believe you, Summer. Besides, I like my apologies better with you on your knees." I hook my index finger to beckon her closer, drawing her in for a kiss. I don't say much after she pulls away.
Summer smirks and moves onto her knees, pushing the coffee table out of her way to give her room. She pulls my cock out of my boxers to bury down her throat for one last apology.
CHAPTER 7
Summer
Bodey keeps his word to fuck me on every surface of this hotel suite. Days pass with us inside the suite and Bodey inside of me. I don't want to go back to a life where this isn't the norm. But, is it?
What happens after Bodey meets up with my mother? Well, after we meet up with her. Is he going to follow her home? I can just tell him where she lives if he wants to stake out her place, waiting for Paulie to show up.
He keeps his plans to himself, only telling me what I need to do to help him get what he wants. Somehow, when it's all done, he's taking me with him, wherever that is. All I have to do is be honest with him. Tell him when he's too rough, too gentle, tell him what I want and what I'm willing to do with him.
We lay it all out. Even as I lie in Bodey's arms, the weather outside is still stormy, as if it's in tune with his mood. The only cheeriness I can see is when we're together. The light in his eyes fades away the moment we're not wrapped in one another's embrace.
"You're quiet, Bodey."
"I've always been quiet. That's how I was raised." His voice is eerily low, with an edge to it, as he strokes my hair in thedarkness. "Silence is okay, Summer. Soon, the loudest voice in my head will be silent for good."
"Paulie?" I murmur.
"Paulie," he confirms. "Come, let's get ready for our little family reunion."
We get out of bed. I desperately want to stay inside of it, buried under the blankets and away from the world where I have to be an adult. It's a lonely world where I can't call my own mother for help, where she relies on me to keep her lights on.
Bodey doesn't look like he just got out of prison. He looks like he just stepped off a runway. He's wearing a charcoal gray pinstripe vest with matching pants, a black shirt, and diamond cufflinks. I'm in jeans and a T-shirt.