Sweet Billionaire Stepbrother(18)

Kissing me all over my body.

Stop.

Stop those ridiculous thoughts.

If there was one thing that could never go anywhere, it was fantasies about my stepbrother. Confusion took over my body and my brain. I needed to get away from Grayson. Get away from the way he invaded my thoughts and made me want to stay in his arms. I was here for a reason. I had to get back to my mission: Get Laid By Seth. God, it shouldn’t be this difficult.

Seth already said he wanted me so all I had to do was find him and give him the go-ahead. Get it done before I changed my mind or lost my nerve—maybe these crazy desires for Grayson would finally be over once I got laid.

“I . . . um, thanks for the dance, but I need to go.” I reached up on tiptoes and kissed his cheek lightly before I turned and fled. My throat felt thick and tears pricked my eyes.

I had to find Seth.





14: Layla


“Oh God, Layla, I’m so excited! Grayson has been so attentive all night. He’s sweeping me off my feet. I could fall in love with him.”

I watched her in the mirror as she reapplied her lipstick. The ladies room was full of women, and it was nearly as noisy in there as what it was on the dance floor.

“Oh yeah? You’re having a good time then?” I asked although it was obvious what her answer would be.

Sloane kept on swooning. “God, yes. His eyes . . . they’re so dreamy. And when he listens while I talk, it’s as if the whole world stands still and he’s just listening me. I’ve never had a guy treat me like that.”

I smiled at her, happy that she was having a good time. I mean, she was my best friend and it was just right to be supportive. Yet something in my gut twisted at the sparkle in her eyes. I knew exactly what she was talking about. Grayson was so easy on the eye and he had this way of making people feel as if he was one hundred percent invested in what they were saying regardless of what the topic of conversation was.

I’m jealous.

Oh shit.

I wasn’t liking the fact that Grayson bestowed his special brand of care that I thought he reserved especially for me on Sloane. Even if she was my best friend.

I wasn’t the jealous type. Honestly.

Yet the nauseating swirl in the pit of my stomach told another story.

“Fall in love? Jeez, Sloane, you don’t really know Grayson that well.”

Not like I do. Every intonation of his voice, every crinkle around his eyes when he smiles, the way he rubs his chin when he’s deep in thought. Every little nuance that made him special.

“What do you mean? I’ve known him as long as you have. Ever since your Mum married her boss and you moved into their mansion.” She hesitated for a few seconds. “And to be honest, I’ve been crushing on him for a long time.”

She applied lip-gloss over the top of her lipstick. Her lips were luscious and pouty. Very kissable. I felt sick. She wanted Grayson to kiss her.

“Why haven’t you ever said anything about crushing on him?” Try as I might, it was near impossible to keep the anxiety from my voice. Of all the men in the whole wide world she had to choose Grayson? It sounded about bloody right; just my luck.

Strangers who coveted my stepbrother were a different matter—but my best friend? I wasn’t sure how to handle this.

Her eyes met mine in the mirror. “Um . . . because I wasn’t sure how you’d feel about it. It could be kinda weird because you and Grayson are so close. I mean, what if we end up having sex and I want to tell you every detail of what I’m sure would be a mind-blowing orgasm with Grayson. That’s sure to freak you the f*ck out, yeah?”

Oh, if only you knew. Freaking out was putting it mildly.

Just what was this gnawing feeling I’d been experiencing? It was foreign and I didn’t like it one bit. What would I do if Sloane really wanted Grayson? Would I be happy to step back and watch from the sidelines? Listen to her telling me intimate details about them . . . together.

No. I couldn’t stomach it and I didn’t have the slightest clue how I was going to manage it.

“Enough about me. How’s your date going? Seth looks super-hot tonight. If I didn’t have Grayson, I’d be drooling over him. You’re a real dark horse, honey, I never thought you’d go for the bad boys.” She gave me a shit-eating grin which was the usual Sloane mark of approval.

“Huh? Oh, Seth . . . yeah, he’s okay,” I said, my date the furthest thing from my mind. For years throughout high school I’d wondered what it would be like to date Seth when other girls talked about him.

Funny that.

Turns out he wasn’t what I wanted at all. He was just too smooth; too slick. I couldn’t place my finger on it, but something about him irritated the shit out of me.

“Be careful what you wish for,” Daddy always said to me when I went on one of my I wish or If only sprees. “Make sure it’s what you really want, because when you get it, it may not be what you expected after all.” His words rang in my head, finally making sense. I missed my dad, tonight more than ever.

Sloane rummaged through her purse until she found her bottle of perfume. She sprayed between her cleavage and behind her ears.

“Gotta smell good,” she said, grinning.

“Absolutely,” I agreed, mustering only a half-smile.

I ran my fingers through my hair, still not used to the face that was staring back at me in the mirror. I looked great after Nico did his magic—even the freckles were invisible. But despite the efforts of Mario and his team, I could never measure up to Sloane as far as looks were concerned.