Meeting the Step (6 page)

Chapter Eleven

Chelsea

MAX WASN'T LIKE
anyone I've ever known. He was confident, sexy, and seemed to know exactly what he wanted in life. His friends were funny and gave no fucks about anything. They said whatever they wanted and knew how to throw a party. I couldn't remember the last time I had this much fun. I couldn't remember the last time I slow danced with someone. High school, maybe?

When I looked into his blue eyes, I felt something. There was exhilaration bubbling inside of me. I had to walk away from dancing before I kissed him. I wanted to kiss him. But I knew I shouldn't. My mother was going to kill me. She would. It was just a matter of time so maybe it was easier to stop this before it even really started.

I sipped a drink of ice-cold water and looked over at Max. He was watching me intently and I felt like a spotlight was on me. I looked out at the crowd of people and Tina saw us standing over there and winked at me. Was our attraction to one another that obvious? Would my mother spot it whenever she came home on Sunday? What a predicament we were in.

He walked to me and placed his hand on the small of my back and leaned down and whispered in my ear. His lips brushed against the shell of my ear and I shivered. "Do you want to get out of here?"

I nodded.

Max grabbed my hand and led me through the groups of people. He introduced me to almost everyone while saying his goodbyes. There were so many people there and just by being around them I could tell that they greatly cared about one another regardless of how long it had been since they saw each other. I smiled and introduced myself, but I didn't dare say the word stepsister again, not after Tori's reaction. A few people asked if I were his girlfriend and made comments about how I would be soon. He wrapped his arm around my shoulder as we walked away.

As we walked closer to the car, I admired the vented hood and white racing stripe that went straight down the middle of the shiny black paint. Instead of opening the door, Max walked around to the back and patted the trunk. In the distance, I could still hear everyone chatting and the light sounds of the music playing but the crashing of the waves were magnified.

He grabbed my waist and helped me climb onto the trunk but instead of sitting next to me, he gently parted my legs and stood between them. The moonlight lit our faces. My nerves were going haywire.

"Can I ask you a question," he whispered.

"Anything."

"Can I kiss you?"

With his height, we were face to face. I sucked in an uneven breath and nodded once then closed my eyes as he moved in closer. At first he didn't press his lips against mine but teased my lips with his. His tongue darted out lightly licking my bottom lip. My lips parted waiting for him, but he took his time teasing me. My heartbeat was uneven and my insides were squirming. The anticipation was enough to kill me. A casual breeze swirled around me and I didn't know if a chill went up my spine as a reaction to Max or because of the wind. I almost couldn't take his flirting much longer but before I became frustrated, his lips danced lightly with mine.

I ran my fingers through his hair as our tongues played a little game of war. The feelings that coursed through my body were powerful, indescribable, and I felt like I had just experienced my first kiss, but with more meaning behind it, and not awkward. It was passionate and fiery and full of so much want that a jolt of warm fuzzies coursed through me. Chill bumps covered my arms and when we pulled away, I wanted nothing but air and more of him. My brain and heart and all the words I wanted to say were complete mush.

"Wow," I whispered and placed my fingers over my swollen lips.

"You felt it too?" His arms rested gently on my waist and all I could do was smile and nod.

It was like the grand finale of the 4
th
of July firework show had been set off inside of me and I was drunk from his kiss.

"Let's go home."

"No, not yet." I didn't want this moment to end. I patted the trunk of the car and Max lifted himself and sat beside me. We leaned back on the cold windshield and I shivered. Max took off his jacket and covered the front of me with it.

"Oh wait, get off one sec."

I lifted an eyebrow at him.

"Of the trunk."

I did what he said and he stuck the key in the hole and clicked the trunk open. Inside were two blankets. I looked at him like he was crazy. "Always prepared?"

"I've never had sex on them if that's what you're asking. They've been back there for over a year. Dad and I went to the drive-in movies and it was cold as fuck outside. Just forgot to bring them in. Good thing too."

I handed him his jacket and he laid a wool blanket over the trunk and back windshield of the Mustang. He held his hand out and helped me up on the trunk then followed me. He covered us with the other blanket and we leaned back on the glass. We stared up at the moon and I could even make out a few stars. After a few minutes, he scooted his arm under my neck and my head rested on his chest. Our body warmth mixed together and I was no longer cold as I listened to the thumping of his heart.

I had never been romanced before so all of this was so new. Usually with Richard it was all about drinking and fucking. It was odd that I had thought of him at this point of the night. He hadn't crossed my mind until the reality of how terrible he treated me slapped me in the face.

I had no idea what I was missing when it came to dating. Not that Max and I were dating, but we were something or maybe we were just two lonely people enjoying each other's company. Regardless of what it was, I didn't want the night to end. I felt like I could stay in his arms, safe, forever.

Chapter Twelve

Chelsea

"HEY, LOVEBIRDS. THOUGHT
you left an hour ago," Tina said as she walked out to her truck parked by the Mustang.

Max looked over at her and leaned forward. "We were just enjoying the moon and stars, just about ready to leave."

Tina snickered giving a big uh-huh in response. Max grabbed my hand and we slid off the trunk causing the blankets to fall to the ground. Tina made small talk as I tried to plop the sand out of the wool blankets, which would be nearly impossible. Sand was funny like that. It always seemed to burrow in weird places only to be found weeks later. Max opened the trunk and stuffed the blankets inside then walked around the car and gave Tina a big hug bye. She was the girl that flashed on his phone earlier. I was silly to think it was his secret girlfriend.

"See you two later," she said without a single doubt in her voice as I leaned against the car with kiss-swollen lips.

I scooted to the side and Max brushed his arm against me and unlocked the car door. He slid inside then reached over and opened mine. I walked around the front of the car and sat then buckled. The leather seats of the car were cold and I shivered. Max started the engine, the low rumble echoing in the night. He turned and looked at me with a lifted eyebrow then clicked on the heat.

"Ready?"

Before I could even mutter a word, he shifted the car into gear and did a donut on the beach. The exhaust screamed out in protest and I loved the sound of it. I was smiling and laughing, and it reminded me of my dad and how he used to hotrod on the beach.

"V8?" I asked.

"320 horses in this baby."

"Original paint?"

"Better believe it, doll. Raven black. Original racing stripes."

"I love it," I whispered as we raced down the wet sand close to the water. We cruised for minutes with the windows down listening to the waves move in and out from the shore. I leaned my head against the seat and looked out at the water and how the moon left squiggles of light on its surface. A thought crossed my mind and I turned toward Max.

"Can I drive?"

He shifted the car into neutral and we coasted until we stopped.

"Can you drive a standard?"

I looked at him sanctimoniously. I had been driving since I was ten when my father decided it was time for me to help him in the shop. I was almost offended that he didn't think I could drive stick. "Can't everyone?"

He laughed at me. "You're cute when you're annoyed. And no, Chels, not everyone can. It's almost a lost art."

"You let me drive your car and tomorrow I'll let you drive my truck. I saw the way you looked at her when you passed and how you lusted over that purple paint." I gave him my best pretty-please eyes and of course he caved.

He opened his door and I carefully crawled across the shifter until I was sitting in the driver's seat. I watched him jog in front of the car with a grin on his face. I moved the seat forward so I could actually touch the pedals then slipped it into first gear. The car jerked then died.

Immediately we glared at one another.

"Don't even. Every car has its sweet spot when going into first. Don't make me nervous," I said. As if he could
not
make me nervous.

Max chuckled and it was a sound that I liked to hear. It was playful and sincere and when he smiled a little dimple showed in one of his cheeks.

"You're making
me
nervous. There are a lot of horses under that hood and not everyone can handle it. This is my baby." He patted the dashboard. "I don't let anyone, and I mean no one drive her except for my father and that's only because he made me agree when he bought it."

I sucked in a deep breath, pushed in the clutch and turned the key. She came back to life with a roar. Slowly I released my foot from the clutch while pushing in the gas and we were off. Max was right, the car was extremely powerful, so much so that I didn't realize we were cruising at 50mph. I let my foot off the gas and slowed down until we were at 20 miles per hour. The wind was blowing in my hair and I felt happy and free. It had been awhile since I felt that. I couldn't remember the last time.

Since my dad's death, I had been living as an automaton, going through the motions of life, watching each day pass me by. But right now, I was genuinely smiling, something that almost felt foreign.

I drove as fast as I wanted and he never said a word about my speed. He allowed me to do what I wanted with his baby. He trusted me. We kept driving until we couldn't go any further. Carefully I reversed the car and pointed the headlights in our new direction then leaned my head against the seat and gleamed at Max.

"You did well. Where did you learn how to drive like that?" Max asked.

"My dad. He was obsessed with supped up cars and hot rodding. He used to own Harry's over on Sea Rim Drive."

"Your dad was Harry? They rebuilt the engine in this car. That must be where I know you from. I kept trying to pinpoint it. Did you used to work the front counter?"

I nodded. "Sometimes after class I'd go up there and help. Summers were always busy."

"Yeah, I remember you now. You were the one who called me when the car was ready."

I tried to remember him but couldn't. I had spoken to so many people working in the shop so it wasn't surprising, but the thought of meeting him before gave me chills. I thought harder and almost remembered Dad working on this car. Max and I had crossed paths before and I never really paid attention. It was almost as if the stars were aligning, trying to tell me something. Just knowing that my dad touched and worked on this car and now I was driving it made it go full circle for me. It was like he was looking down on me, telling me that this was right, that maybe Max was right for me.

I wouldn't rush anything, but I knew that I'd give him a chance regardless if he were my soon-to-be stepbrother or not. There was nothing my mother could do about it. I needed some sort of distraction from life and it seemed Max would do a good job at helping me with that.

Chapter Thirteen

Max

I REMEMBERED THE
day that Harry, the owner of Harry's Automotive, passed away. It was a tragic accident, one that swept the whole city. A drunk driver had plowed into Harry headfirst early one morning. It was printed in every newspaper and on all the news channels. I couldn't believe I didn't recognize him instantly in the picture in Chelsea's room. It must have been the rocking mustache that he didn't normally wear.

"I'm really sorry about your dad. It was a tragic accident that should have never happened. The car community felt the loss immediately."

I knew I had seen her somewhere before and knowing who her Dad was, made it come together full circle. Chelsea was obsessed with antique cars and was always with her dad at the classic automobile shows. I couldn't help but wonder if my dad knew who Chelsea's father was. Regardless it somehow seemed so wrong.

We switched places and Chelsea skipped through the radio stations until she found something that she knew. It wasn't long until we were on my street traveling through the neighborhood I had lived in my whole life. I pulled up next to the truck and turned off the lights to the car. Chelsea's fingers intertwined with mine and I pulled her hand to my lips and kissed her knuckles. The smell of her sweet skin filled my nose. She watched me intently.

"Max," she whispered.

I looked over at her.

"What are we doing?"

Her question caught me off guard, but I had to answer truthfully. "I don't know."

She slowly pulled her hand back and interlocked her fingers together and sat them on her lap. She shivered.

"Come on. Let's go inside," I said.

Her eyelashes hit the tops of her cheeks and she bit her lip. We exited the car and walked inside. I grabbed her hand and led her up the stairs. She stopped outside of her door and I leaned in and kissed the shell of her ear then nibbled on her earlobe. I felt her shudder beneath me.

"Goodnight, Chelsea." I pulled away and she looked up at me with big golden brown eyes.

"Goodnight, Max." She stood on her tippy toes and bit my bottom lip, sucking on it before letting go. My dick throbbed and if it weren't for my head telling me no, I might have pushed her up against the door and fucked her right in the hallway. But this girl was different than the one-night stands. I felt an odd connection with her and I didn't want to rush or ruin anything.

I growled and our lips crashed into one another. Fuck, it felt so good, so right, like our lips were meant to piece together. I broke away from her and sucked in air with hopes to calm down, but I wasn't sure that would happen anytime soon. I had a raging hard-on and it would need to be taken care of. Chelsea seemed to do that to me. I told her goodnight again and she slipped inside of her bedroom.

When I walked into my room and shut the door, I slipped my clothes off and put on a pair of workout shorts. My dick ached just from thinking about her. I closed my bedroom door then lay on my bed with my arms behind my head, staring at the ceiling.

I couldn't get her off my mind. Lately I had been lost in thoughts and fantasies of Chelsea. Right before I closed my eyes my door that led to the bathroom opened. Rays of soft light flooded in and I caught sight of her standing in nothing but a t-shirt and panties. 

"Don't leave me. I don't want to be alone. Not tonight."

My heart dropped at the sound of her voice and how her face seemed so sad. I didn't want her to feel any negative feelings and I could tell that they were rushing through her full force.

"Come here," I said.

Without hesitation, she walked to my bed and stood over it. Her nipples poked through the t-shirt and left nothing for the imagination. I wondered if she did it on purpose or out of habit. She crawled under the blanket and pressed her body against mine. We lay chest to chest. I smoothed the hair that fell into her face away and she closed her eyes and leaned into my touch.

She sat up in bed and peeled the t-shirt from her body. "I want you to help me forget all the bad, Max."

"Chels," I whispered.

My head said we were moving too fast, my heart had no words, but my dick wanted it
now
. She climbed on top of me and straddled me, the material of her panties and my shorts were the only thing that separated me from being in her. I sucked in a deep breath knowing that she felt the growing hardness of my dick. She sighed when she felt it.

The moonlight grazed over her skin and breasts. Not once did she take her eyes from mine. She slowly rolled her hips, pushing her pussy harder onto my dick. With each movement, Chelsea was driving me to a place that would result in me coming or having blue balls. I grabbed her hips and stopped her movements knowing that my next words had to be calm.

"Chels. I can't."

Her face was sad and then hurt.

"Why not?" She rolled from me and I could tell that she was upset.

"Because you're not a one-night stand to me," I said truthfully.

"I'm so embarrassed." She rolled over on her side and I wrapped my arm around her and just held her.

"Don't be embarrassed. You're fucking beautiful. And I want you so bad. Do you feel that?" I said knowing that she could feel my raging hard on pressing into her back.

"You do that to me. You turn me on. You make me want to fuck you. But, I don't want to rush anything. Okay?"

She rolled over, tears streaming down her face.

"I haven't had sex in over 8 months. Richard and I… we've grown apart. I don't feel sexy. I don't feel attractive. And I'm not a slut. I feel so stupid. I've only ever had sex with one person and I thought…I thought you wanted me."

I kissed away her tears, tasting the salty-sweet in my mouth.

"I do want you. You're the most beautiful girl I've ever seen, but I don't want to just fuck you. I want to make love to you, but only when the time is right. I want you to see how beautiful you really are." I continued to kiss her face, her neck, and her lips.

Slowly, I traced the outside of her lips with my finger then ran it down her jaw line, chin, and chest. I circled her hard nipple and pinched. The sound of her sigh was magical, but I didn't stop there. I continued down her stomach until my hand rested on her pussy. Instinctively she parted her legs and I could feel the wetness of her outside of her panties. At that point, I had to decide where I was taking this.

I closed my eyes and listened to her exhale. I dipped my hand inside of her panties and my fingers were skin to skin with her pussy. She whimpered and pushed her hips into my touch, but I didn't move any further. I opened my eyes and she tilted her head at me, begging me with her expression.

She looped her leg over mine and I ran my finger down her wet slit and barely dipped in her opening and she tried to hold back a moan. Carefully I added pressure to clit and she couldn't keep quiet.

"Please," she whispered and that was all it took for me to continue. There was no stopping now.

She shimmied out of her panties and threw them to the side of the bed and opened her legs. I leaned over and swirled my tongue with hers as I inserted a finger into her wet pussy. Lightly I grazed my teeth down the side of her neck and added more pressure to her clit. She grabbed her nipples and pinched them and played with her large breasts. I loved that I could make her feel this way.

With big eyes, she looked at me as I continued with my movements, sliding my finger from her opening to her clit, and she arched her back. "Max," she said between pants. "I'm. I'm."

Her body exploded and trembled as the orgasm ran through her. She was gasping and moaning and breathing rapidly. I dipped my finger into her, feeling her throb around me, then pulled it to my mouth and sucked. She watched me intently.

"Chels, you taste so good," I said to her and she smiled. I moved my hand back down below and dipped my finger back inside of her. I loved listening to her moan as she took in my finger past the knuckle. I moved it to her mouth and traced around her lips. Without hesitation, she sucked and licked her juices from my finger. It took everything I had to not roll her over on her stomach and fuck her from behind. She was so sexy, so beautiful, and I knew there really was no going back. I had opened Pandora's box. We had started something that wouldn't stop anytime soon and as bad as it was, it satisfied me.

Soon she had fallen asleep, naked, in my arms. It pained me that Chelsea didn't know how pretty and sexy she was. Tonight I saw a side of her that she had only shared with one person, and truthfully, I'm not sure that she had ever shown anyone that side of her but me. Tonight she was confident, a pure sex goddess, who knew exactly what she wanted. Luckily for her, I could read her just from her body language.

Her pussy and little clit felt like pure perfection. Tight, completely shaven, and I was almost afraid I would break her until she pushed harder onto my finger. Just thinking about her was making my dick ache.