Page 8 of Savage

Around a week later, there were no major run-ins with my step-monster; this was of course, a good thing. My mother’s news on Friday was the opposite of that.

Some days just suck. That’s just the way it is. Whoever told you that life was easy, lied their arses off.

My stepfather was taking my mother on another dirty weekend away. So, Daisy was leaving me in the house with my stepbrothers alone again. I wasn’t happy as when our parents were away, Jaxon was even more of a dick to me.

He saw the look on my face when they’d dropped the bombshell and of course, he was highly amused. He’d just come back from work at the base in Marham and was wearing his army combat clothing. Talk about hot. With my nose buried in a book, I’d bumped into him on the landing later that evening and he’d said something about how he was in charge whilst they were away. He also mentioned something about me calling him sir. Yeah, like that was going to happen. Dream on. Locking horns with my stepbrother was starting to become a daily reality.

During the week I managed to submit my article to Jessica and she gave it back to me with an insane amount of red pen on there. Talk about brutal. It had knocked my confidence and I felt like starting from scratch.

After we had waved our folks off playing happy families, I immediately turned and went into the house and up to my room. I had already stashed some rations up there to keep me going. That way, I didn’t have to leave myself open to any unfortunate encounters with Jaxon. I’d heard him pass my door a couple of times and then later during that evening, I’d had to turn my TV up. Jaxon listened to shit angry rock music and liked it loud.

I awoke on that Saturday morning to bright sunlight coming into my bedroom. It was forecast to be a semi-decent day weather-wise and so I shot out of bed, carried out my usual routine and then pulled on clean underwear and a floaty lemon dress. Pushing my feet into sliders, I grabbed my iPhone and the new book I was reading and set off downstairs.

As I walked into the kitchen texting Dominic, Chris glanced up from his breakfast. He was sitting on a barstool at the island counter. Jaxon had his back to me and was looking into the fridge.

Chris smiled and motioned towards the cereal and milk which he’d left on the counter and I joined him. After finishing off my text, I placed my phone on the surface and eyed my other stepbrother with interest. As I said, he was shorter than Jaxon and nowhere near as well built. He was good-looking in a boyish way, just softer and less angular than Jaxon. And of course, they shared the same eyes, but Chris’ had more wisdom in his (in my opinion). He was also much easier going and never lost his temper.

My gaze roamed over Jaxon’s broad back. He was wearing a white tank top and shorts and looked as sexy as hell. The tanned muscles in his arms flexed as he continued to hold open the massive fridge door.

“So, you sleep OK without mummy to tuck you in?” Chris chortled in a jokey voice. I wasn’t offended, he tormented me in a boyish unaggressive way; that I could deal with. At his words, Jaxon turned and closed the fridge with a resounding bang. His eyes locked on mine. Although pointless, I smiled briefly before pouring myself some cereal.

“Yes, fine thanks. I always drift off easily after a chapter or two.” I was a book nerd.

The hairs on my neck prickled as Jaxon approached the counter and stood at the opposite end, looking back and forth between Chris and me. His brother kept his eyes on his breakfast.

“I would have tucked you in if you’d have asked nicely,” Jaxon informed me with a wink.

I rolled my eyes. “No thank you. I wouldn’t want you to contaminate my room with your boy smell,” I informed him, spooning some flakes into my mouth.

Jaxon quirked his head and shifted closer, watching me eat. “At least you’re eating cereal for breakfast and we’re all safe. It still reeks of smoke in here.”

Tutting, I shot him a look. “Can you just leave it, Jaxon? I’ll have sandwiches or takeout this weekend. Satisfied?”

“Oh, I’m far from satisfied, Wynter. It’s not like that’s the first time you’ve tried to kill the kitchen with the fucking microwave. Fuck me, even old people who aren’t allowed cookers use them safely.”

The atmosphere in the room was charged with tension.

Chris lowered his spoon and placed it into his empty dish saying, “Well actually, you won’t need takeout tonight. You can join us for our BBQ later. I’m having a party.”

Jaxon huffed and my brow scrunched as he switched his gaze to his brother. “You’re fucking kidding me?” I assumed he meant because Chris had invited me.

Chris just shrugged and met his brother’s stare head-on. “Why not? We can’t have a party and not invite our little sister,” he explained. Little sister indeed, we were the same age, pretty much.

I watched with narrowed eyes as Jaxon took an apple off the counter and bit into it. The muscles of his neck bunched as he chewed and then swallowed.

Jaxon then said, “You’re responsible for her then.” Motioning toward his brother with the hand that held the apple.

“Fine by me,” Chris replied with a knowing smile. He had witnessed a ton of arguments between Jaxon and me and now just took them in his stride. “I invited the McKenna’s too but they have an order of cattle coming in and so can’t make it,” he added. Chris and Mason Mckenna were tight. On the occasions he drove over there, I’d cadge a lift and see my cousins. Lamb Hill was next to their farm Orchard View and I enjoyed a catch-up with Amy.

Talk about a small world. Jaxon had also worked with Nixon McKenna when they were in the army together. He now ran Lamb Hill and had taken control of the farm when his father had fallen ill. It was all a bit odd; as I said, Amy was with Mason and Jenna married to Nixon. It all felt a bit incestuous but of course, it wasn’t.

I remember being blown away when I found out about Amy and Mason as they had been at war for years. There had been a massive falling out between their families. Something to do with ownership of some land.

Mason and his younger brother Boyd regularly turned up at our house to use the gym. Chris had explained that Jaxon had put together a fitness program for them and they trained together from time to time. Chris idolised Mason for some strange reason. He wasn’t my cup of tea that’s for sure. To be honest, none of the McKenna boys were; even the youngest Seth was a tool.

Jaxon continued to crunch his apple; his eyes cast in my direction as I ate the rest of my breakfast. I then pushed off the chair and went to the sink to wash my bowl. I also took Chris’s.

“Thank you, my darling.” He spoke in such a grown-up way. That was intelligence for you. I always felt so unsophisticated in his company. But I supposed feeling unsophisticated was better than feeling generally shit about yourself, which was of course how Jaxon made me feel. The fact that I hated him and yet found him so physically attractive made me feel like a deranged lunatic. Was I a glutton for punishment or was Jaxon slowly making me lose my mind?

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