Second Chance: A New Adult Step-Sibling Read online

  She took out her phone and ear buds, putting them on and increasing the volume until they were loud in Jason’s ears. He sighed and focused on the road, doing his best to ignore Sam. Keeping the status quo for the car ride had been achieved – now all he had to do was maintain it until he was ready.

  This is going to be a long trip.

  Chapter 5

  * * * Four Years Ago * * *

  Jason’s pencil broke on his sketchpad as a loud knock broke through the blaring music of his headphones. Letting out a sharp breath from between his teeth, he pulled them off and swiveled around in his chair. “What?”

  His door opened and his father rolled in on his wheelchair. “Sorry to interrupt,” Davis said. He raised himself up to look at Jason’s sketchbook. “That looks new – what is it?”

  “This?” Jason pulled up the book. On the page was a triangular shield, but its solid center was replaced by a latticework threaded through by vines and roses. “Just practice.”

  “Well, it looks pretty cool.”

  “Thanks.” Jason set his art down on the desk and turned off his headphones. “So, uh, there something you need?”

  “Nothing really,” Davis replied. “Just wanted to tell you that the old folks were getting out of the way for Sam’s birthday party.”

  Jason massaged his temples. His sister had been looking forward to it all week. He doubted he’d get much work done between the noise she and her equally exuberant friends could make. “Yeah, that.”

  “I don’t think there’s going to be any trouble, but it’d put me at ease if you checked in on her once in a while.”

  He shrugged. “Sure thing.”

  Davis nodded. “I’m not saying you need to hover over them, but we don’t want a repeat of last year on our hands.”

  Jason snorted. “I’m still not sure how they ended up breaking the stair lift.”

  “Some things are better left unknown.” Davis wheeled himself over to Jason and patted his shoulder. “Thanks, pal.”

  “No problem.”

  Jason swiveled around in his chair after his father had the room. He continued to work on the drawing, but the ring of the doorbell signaled to him that his art time was over. His belief was soon affirmed with squeals, followed by more ringing. Rolling his eyes, he stretched before hopping onto his bed and picking up a book.

  The loud splash of water took his attention away from the page. Sitting up, he walked over to his window. A half-dozen girls were either sitting around the pool or swimming in it. He wasn’t surprised – Sam loved swimming almost as much as her friends loved using their pool.

  Jason was about to turn away when his eyes fell on a girl he’d never seen but was oddly familiar to him. Lean and toned, she wore a black two-piece that left little to the imagination. Long lithe legs toned by obvious athleticism and a firm rack made him hard; he had to shift his legs when she bent over to talk to a swimming friend. He’d never paid too much attention to Sam’s friends, but the brunette was certainly—

  “Hey!” the girl shouted, waving to him.

  It took him less than a heartbeat to recognize his sister’s voice and the blink of an eye for hot shame to flood into his cheeks when he realized he’d been ogling his sister. The boner between his legs was a millstone threatening to tear his groin off, and a substantial portion of him would be relieved if that were to happen. He was grateful for the wall blocking her vision; it was barely tolerable for her to be flashing him a smile now, and he’d have died if she saw his erection poking out from his jeans.

  “Jason!”

  He blinked, mind shifting back to the moment as blood began to flow back into his brain. Play it cool, play it cool, Jason thought, doing his best to maintain eye contact despite the brilliant view he had of her cleavage. Was she always stacked like that?

  Ugh, what the fuck is wrong with me?

  “What is it?” he shouted back.

  “What kind of pizza do you want?” Sam asked. “We’re gonna order once we’re done with the pool.”

  “Meat lover’s. And try to keep it down – I’m trying to work here.”

  Some of the girls – Jason recognized Amanda and Jeanette – snickered and laughed. Sam pursed her lips. “Sorry,” she said. “We’ll try to keep it down.”

  “Thanks,” Jason said, stepping away from the window. His cock scraped against his thighs as he sat back down on his bed, still defiant despite his wishes.

  I wish I could keep this down.

  He cradled his head in his hands. What the fuck is wrong with me? Sam’s not some hot chick, she’s my fucking sister. This is nuts. I’m nuts.

  Jason rubbed his brow with his fingers as if he could wear away his sudden attraction. It was sudden to him – he’d lived with her since their parents had gotten married, practiced martial arts with her on at least a tri-weekly basis for longer. In all that time he’d never felt such a raging desire – need for her body, only her friendship.

  He wasn’t blind to his old friend and little sister growing up, or her prettiness; he’d always thought she was cute. Braces and acne hadn’t ruined that impression of her. Even on her worst days her attitude had carried her through and she’d persevered back to her original beauty. Her attractiveness was difficult to ignore or downplay, but the swimsuit she was in – really more like scraps of material and strings – made it impossible to deny.

  I’m attracted to my sister.

  Jason stood and marched to the bathroom. Stripping, he stepped into the shower and grabbed the railing with one hand while he turned the water on with the other. He grit his teeth when the cold stream splashed on him, but warm relief spread through his chest when his erection finally died.

  It’s just been a while since I did anything, he thought while under the showerhead. Yeah, that’s it. I’m not some weirdo for looking at a girl and getting a boner. It’s not like we’ve even got the same parents – it’s not creepy at all.

  He winced and pressed his head to the wall. I’m not creepy because I’m not attracted to my sister. She’s a great friend who I hang out with who just happens to look good. I mean, I’ve got guy friends who aren’t bad looking. Doesn’t mean I want to bone them.

  Then again, they aren’t girls.

  Jason slapped the wall of the shower. The pain was a welcome sensation – anything to interrupt his train of thought.

  Tonight’s going to be a long night.

  * * * *

  “Thanks!” Sam said.

  She took the stack of pizzas from the deliveryman along with Jeanette, closing the door with her foot before setting the food on the table. Her friends began to open the boxes while she walked to the foot of the stairs. “Jason!” she called. “Food’s here!”

  Sam waited for a reply but couldn’t hear anything over the music blaring from his room. She frowned as the seconds ticked by, the wafting aroma of grease, cheese, and meat tempting her to break her vigil. Her stomach rumbled; swimming and water polo had worked up her appetite.

  Did I do something to make him mad?

  The longer she thought about it, the more confused she was by his stoic expression and irritated reply earlier. Just last Friday he’d taken her and Amanda to the movies, and before that they’d traveled to the interstate karate meet. Nothing he’d done had indicated he was unhappy with her.

  Maybe he’s just tired of hanging out with his baby sister.

  She swallowed the lump down her throat. Sam didn’t know if Jason hated her, but did know that he only thought of her as a sister and friend. It was perfectly normal for him to do so, and they had a good – no, great – relationship, but a small voice in her mind was constantly taunting her for the shadow of regret in her heart. He would never see her as more than what she was now, and it was wrong for her to want more that—

  “Yo, Sam!” Amanda shouted. “Pizza’s getting cold!”

  Sam tore herself away from the stairs and headed toward the table. “Sorry!”

  Amanda snorte
d, eyes wide as she choked on her pizza. Hannah, a shorter girl with long light brown hair, slapped her back until she stopped and swallowed. “Ugh,” Amanda muttered. “Don’t be sorry – it’s your birthday.”

  “What’s wrong with your brother?” Hannah asked, helping herself to several slices. “He can’t be asleep with all that noise coming from his room.”

  Sam shrugged as she took her own dinner. “Dunno. Might just be sick.”

  “Maybe he’s got mono,” Amanda said, smirking. “I heard it’s been going around.”

  “He doesn’t have mono,” Sam said, cheeks heating. “He’s not going out with anyone right now, and he’d never let anything screw him up.”

  Marlene, a tall girl with curly brown hair and glasses, finished her second piece of pizza and burped. “Amanda’s just saying that because she’s worried that everyone who’s gotten it is gonna trace it back to her.”

  Amanda’s eyes shot open. “I didn’t give anyone anything!”

  Sam laughed at her friend’s overwrought denial, but didn’t feel it in her heart. She was still empty, the mocking voice she associated with her proper morality and behavior still laughing. But as much as she wanted to deny the voice strength, all she could do was pine for what she couldn’t have.

  Jeanette came up to her, a stack of DVDs in her arms. “Hey Sam, which one are we going to watch first?”

  Enough moping, Sam thought. This is my birthday, and I’m still going to have fun.

  “Amadeus,” she said confidently. “And we’re taking a shot from the Iron-Bru that Amanda brought for every historical inaccuracy.”

  Chapter 6

  “Best movie ever,” Jeanette said as the credits rolled onto the screen.

  Amanda snorted and took a sip from her drink. “You’re just saying that because you wanna hump Ryan Gosling.”

  Sam chuckled and playfully shoved Amanda. “It’s a great movie, even if it’s sappier than a maple tree.”

  Marlene shrugged, getting up from the floor and stretching. “It’s OK, but the ending sucked. And Gosling was totally creepy at the start – climbing the Ferris Wheel to ask McAdams on a date when she was with that other guy?” She shuddered. “Totally a stalker.”

  Jeanette pouted and crossed her arms. “That’s romantic. I’d totally love it if a guy would be willing to do that for me.”

  “I dunno,” Sam said. “Marlene’s got a point. If some guy just barged in on my date with someone, it’d be kind of bad, you know?”

  “Unless it was Terrence McHoward,” Amanda said, smirking.

  Hannah blinked. “You like Terrence?”

  Sam rolled her eyes. “No way. He’s nice, but a total kid – he acts like we’re still fourth graders.”

  And he’s not Jason.

  Jeanette leaned in close to Sam’s face; she felt like an insect under a microscope. “You’re blushing,” Jeanette said.

  Sam’s heart rate spiked as if she were on an ascending rollercoaster. “No I’m not!”

  Amanda laughed and pointed at Sam. “You’re totally red!”

  “It’s totally OK if you like him,” Hannah muttered. “I mean, he’s smart, and he’s really good at soccer. Plus, he’s totally loaded.”

  “I don’t like him.” Because liking my brother is so much better. She glared at Amanda and jabbed a finger at her. “You’re just covering because you’re totally crushing on him.”

  Amanda groaned. “I’d never like him! Don’t you remember what he did on April Fools?” She huffed and crossed her arms. “It took hours to clean off my brand new shoes after he screwed up his ‘prank’.”

  “There’s one way we can really solve this,” Marlene said.

  Jeanette gasped. “Last time we did that, we ended up covered in—“

  “You promised we’d never talk about that again!” Amanda shouted.

  Sam removed her hands and shot a crooked smile at Amanda, whose face now shone with fear. “Let’s play some Truth or Dare.”

  A hushed silence fell over the room, excepting Amanda’s groans. All of them took the game seriously. Refusal to answer or go through with the dare was punishable by stripping at the least.

  “I’ll get a bottle from upstairs,” Sam said.

  She managed to maintain a stoic expression as she climbed the basement steps, breaking into giggles before reaching the ground floor. Her friend’s expressions were priceless; it was almost worth playing just to see them. Questions and dares were brewing in her mind by the time she reached the kitchen, but they immediately fled when she saw Jason in front of the microwave.

  Sam swallowed a lump down her throat when he turned to glance at her. Despite living with him, it was difficult not being affected by his appearance. He’d shot up in height over the past year, while gymnastics and karate gave him a toned athlete’s figure to match. His dirty blond hair surrounded his face like a halo and gave his starkly contrasted black eyes an intensity that could send her heart racing.

  He’s so perfect.

  But you can never have him.

  Jason raised an eyebrow. “There something on my face?”

  Sam shook her head and prayed that he couldn’t see the heat that flooded her cheeks. “No, just didn’t expect to see you.”

  “It’s my house too.”

  She frowned and leaned across the kitchen counter. “You didn’t come out of your room when the pizza came. I thought you were sick.”

  Sick of me, at least.

  Jason chewed his lip and shifted so the counter obscured his lower body. “Just wasn’t hungry. And I didn’t want to crash your party.”

  “I wouldn’t have minded if you came,” Sam said. She bent down, opening a drawer and pulling out an empty wine bottle. “And it’s not like my friends hate you or anything.”

  He gulped, turning around to pull a plate piled high with pizza out of the microwave. “Well, in that case, you mind if I use the basement TV for games? Internet connection right now is a bitch.”

  She smiled and shook her head. “I wouldn’t mind at all.”

  “Thanks,” he said, wolfing down a slice of pizza.

  Sam followed him downstairs, admiring his shoulders through the thin fabric of his white t-shirt. She stopped herself once she realized what she was doing, but couldn’t keep the warmth or shame from her heart when she averted her eyes. I shouldn’t have let him come downstairs.

  But I can’t avoid him forever, or stop liking him, can I?

  * * * *

  Despite being the largest of the girls there and rivaling Jason in height, Jeanette had somehow managed to cringe and wince so much that she seemed small. Sam took a sip of her soda in an effort to hide her grin. Jeanette was the nicest of her friends, but Truth and Dare took no prisoners and the bottle was impartial in its choice of victims.

  “You guys can’t make me do that,” Jeanette whined. “All of you know I like Roger! I can’t betray him like that!”

  Amanda rolled her eyes. “OK, first of all, you guys aren’t even dating.”

  “And second, it’s no big deal,” Hannah said. “We’re not saying you need to shout that you want to have Greg’s babies to the entire school. Just that you need to tell him that.”

  Jeanette’s face turned crimson as she buried her face in her hands. “I can’t do that!”

  Sam lowered her glass and clucked her tongue. “You rejected truth and dare, Jeanie. You know what you need to do.”

  Her larger friend removed her hands and sighed. “I’ll have it ready by Monday.”

  Amanda cackled. “Just remember that I like mine with whipped cream.”

  Hannah reached toward the bottle at the center of the circle they sat in. “My turn.”

  Sam stared at the bottle as it spun across the basement floor. Tension and excitement filled her when it slowed to a stop pointing at her. She met Hannah’s eyes with a wide grin on her lips. “Dare.”

  “Trying to avoid admitting your lurve for Te
rrence, I see,” Amanda cackled.

  “Uh-huh.”

  Hannah chewed on her lower lip. Sam dug her fingers into her knees as she waited, her body’s tension coiling tighter than piano wire. She’d dared Hannah to call Regina Masters and confess her ‘love’ for their teacher and was expecting painful retribution. The anticipation was worse than being dared for Sam.

  “Come on, spit one out,” she said, fingers tapping entire songs onto her legs. “I’m not getting any younger.”

  A predatory smile that reminded Sam of a cat toying with a mouse spread across Hannah’s lips. “I got one, but you’re not going to do it. You might as well shave an eyebrow off now to save time.”

  Sam narrowed her eyes. “Bring it.”

  “You’ve gotta kiss your brother.”

  The air left Sam’s lungs as if weights had been dropped on her chest. “Wha?”

  “And it can’t be one like you give your grandma,” Hannah said quickly, raising a finger. “A real kiss with tongue and stuff, like one you’d give a guy you like. Or the one Amanda gave to the pineapple earlier.”

  Sam’s heart reached a staccato beat against her chest and was audible in her ears. Her jaw had dropped slightly, mouth dry as she squeezed her thighs together. Fear coursed through her veins as her thoughts had lost all attachment to reality, running a dozen equally discordant images through her mind at the same time.

  “Jesus, Hannah,” Marlene said. “I haven’t seen Sam look like this since we were doing orchestra auditions.”

  “Well, serves her right,” Hannah muttered.

  Oh god what am I going to do?

  She rebuked herself inwardly. The obvious and right choice was to simply decline the dare. Her friends would understand, and whatever punishment was given would be a fair price to avoid a problematic situation with Jason. Life would go on and she’d continue forward as if nothing ever happened.