Chapter 5 Come Ride With Me

We laid there, tangled, gasping, wrecked. It was over, and I couldn't move. I had been unraveled completely that I couldn't imagine myself with anyone else. No one.

I realized at that moment that my crush, obsession or whatever I had for Jeremiah Carter had graduated to love. I was in love with my high school crush who was now my stepbrother.

His swear-slicked forehead pressed to mine, eyes half-lidded with what looked like guilt as he suddenly realized what pleasure had blinded him from realizing. "Teyana..."

His hand stopped moving as he pulled away from me and fell back to the bed. His breathing changed. He sat up slowly and dragged a palm down his face, like he was trying to wipe something off...regret, maybe. I turned my head just enough to watch him.

"What is it?" I asked softly.

He looked at me, eyes unreadable. "Tey..." he hesitated. "Shit. Did I...was that your first time?"

I blinked. The question wasn't accusatory. He looked guilty.

I could have teased him or shrugged it off like it didn't matter. But there was something raw in his voice, and I didn't want to ruin the honesty of what we'd just shared.

"Yes," I whispered. Not like I could lie. The evidence was on his black sheet, but not so visible.

His brows furrowed with concern against his handsome sweaty face. He looked away for a second, dragging a hand through his hair. "Goddamn it."

"Don't," I sat up beside him, placing my hand on his. "Don't you dare ruin this moment with guilt."

He turned to me. "I just..."

"I wanted it," I cut in. "I wanted it so much it scared me. And I'm glad it was with you."

He didn't speak right away. But he turned his hand, laced his fingers with mine. And that said more than anything else.

Then I asked, "when did you draw me?"

He didn't hesitate to reply. "After you were dared to kiss the hottest guy in the room." God. I didn't say anything afterwards. I just smiled.

Then, in a husky voice, he said, "Come on. Let's get cleaned up."

He led me to the bathroom, where warm steam rose around us. He moved with a deliberate slowness, his touch gentle as he washed my shoulders, my back. We stood under the spray, kissing without urgency, our touches softer now-tender, almost reverent.

He wanted to take me again but I was aching. I couldn't.

Being with Jeremy Carter like this felt like a dream come true. It was almost surreal.

Afterwards, he handed me one of his dark shirts and a pair of soft pants. They swallowed me whole, smelling distinctly of him-clean and familiar and comforting.

He looked at me, a faint smile on his lips. "You look good in my clothes."

"Good," I said, wrapping my arms around myself. "I'm keeping them."

He grabbed his black leather jacket, tossed me a helmet. "Come ride with me."

Oh, he asked me to bathe with him then ride with him? I'm fucked. The totally kind of 'fucked'

-

The engine of the bike roared beneath us like thunder, and I held him tighter, my arms wrapped snugly around his waist as we rode down the Pacific Ridge Highway. His scent filled my nose, the rush of the wind tearing through my hair, and the vibrations of the ride vibrating through my entire being. It felt like freedom.

I screamed into the wind, laughing like I hadn't in a while, burying my face in his back and placing a soft kiss between his shoulder blades.

"I feel like I'm flying!" I shouted.

"Of course you are," he called back over the wind. "With me."

He took us through winding country roads, past the ocean glimmering under moonlight, through the outskirts where stars peeked shyly behind dark clouds. I didn't care about consequences. Didn't think about our titles. I was his, and he was mine, at that moment.

When we got home, I was breathless and euphoric.

But the universe didn't let the bliss last forever.

Because...there, waiting outside the Carter huge mansion, was a girl.

She was tall, stunning, with legs for days, clad in a very short red gown that didn't leave much to imagination. Her perfectly manicured nails wrapped tightly around her phone as she paced in front of the door.

The moment she saw us pulling in, she lowered her phone and rushed toward Jeremy.

"Jer!" she shrieked, and before I could blink, she had jumped into his arms.

Then she kissed him.

Right in front of me.

Right on his mouth.

Not just a peck, but a full, possessive, I-know-this-is-mine kind of kiss.

I froze.

My legs stopped working. My chest caved in on itself, and I just stood there, blinking, still gripping the helmet like an idiot.

Jeremy didn't pull away from her.

When she pulled away, giggling and breathless, her eyes finally landed on me. Her brows lifted like she hadn't noticed me until now.

"Babe... who's that?" she asked, glancing between us.

Jeremy's jaw tensed. His arm was still around her waist.

He didn't even hesitate, "This is Teyana," he said coolly. "She's my stepsister."

Then he looked at me, like I was really just his stepsister. "Teyana, this is Bianca, my fiancee" He pulled her tighter into his embrace.

And just like that...

Nothing made sense anymore.