Page 29 of Cruel Steps

THIRTEEN

HOLDEN

Emerson Adams was going to kill me.

Whenever I thought I had the upper hand, she smashed my control to smithereens. We’d entered into a dangerous game; one where I didn’t have the playbook. Just when I expected her to fall back, she’d blitz and intercept me. I’d adjust my play only for her to reroute. And now I’d just fumbled the ball.

No. Fucking. Panties.

Hell.

I gripped the banister tight, my knuckles white as I wrestled with my dick not to grab her and toss her over my shoulder. Why did the fucking enemy have to be so goddamn irresistible?

Enemy. Enemy. Enemy.

My dick twitched, apparently not getting the picture. Or maybe worse, not caring and liking the thought of her as our enemy even more. I needed to get out of this house. Tonight. Hopefully, Colt wouldn’t mind.

“Holden, you coming?” my mother asked, poking her head around the formal dining room. Because that was the kind of house we lived in now. One that distinguished dining rooms by formal and informal.

Her words were not lost on me, and I gritted my teeth to hold back the words I wanted to say.

Thanks to you… no.

“Yep,” I grunted, letting go of the railing and shoving my dick down. I pleaded with it to behave, promising a session with my hand later. My mind flashed back to this morning when I’d entered the bathroom and saw all of her sexy lingerie. I’d grabbed one up and wrapped it around my dick before I could think of the consequences.

I came hard, my mind spinning when I heard her moan. I wanted to go through the wall, to see her, but hearing my name slip past her lips in a gasp was everything. I’d instantly grown hard again.

I shouldn’t play this game with her. The rules were skewed, and there was no way to win.

She bullied Hope. She was my step-sister.

But all she felt like was mine, and I couldn’t have her.

Stepping into the room, I internally groaned when the only open seat was next to Emerson. She smiled sweetly at me, the apples of her cheeks pink, and I suddenly felt like I’d stepped into a masterclass in torture.

At the end of this dinner, I’d either be an expert on surviving or be so broken there wouldn’t be anything stopping me from fucking her.

Grimacing, I took my seat and moved as far from her as possible. If I felt her soft skin against me, I’d crumble. If I caught a whiff of her pomegranate shampoo, I’d fold.

I couldn’t afford to give up any more inches.

Ignoring my Wildcat—shit, not mine. She couldn’t be. Ignoring my step-sister, I looked at my mom and sister across the table. Milton sat at the head, with Emerson on his left and my mom on his right. My mom beamed, smiling at the table and food. The image startled me. It had been a long time since I’d seen her so happy, driving home the reminder that Emerson was off-limits.

“Thank you all for making time to sit down for dinner. With school starting, I know this won’t be easy to do with everyone’s busy schedules.” Mom glanced around the table, smiling lastly at her new husband. “Milton and I know our marriage was a surprise, but we’re committed to building a strong family. I’ve mentioned the small ceremony we’re having in October and the part we’d like you each to play.”

I stared at my plate at her words. My part… giving my mom away to Milton.

It wasn’t that I hated him. He seemed like a decent guy. But my trust in the men my mother picked was low, my father included. She wanted someone to save her, all the while selecting men who had glaring faults she wanted to fix. Over and over, she’d fall into this cycle, then be left picking up the pieces once they left.

With my dad, it was his gambling addiction that left her bankrupt. Then Greg, whom she supported through an MBA, only for him to have a secret family a state over. Bill used her address to get a loan, missed payments, and had loan sharks sending thugs out to intimidate her. There was Derek, who said he was an entrepreneur but really was a drug dealer, and Chad, who had been wanted in three states for tax fraud.

She hadn’t been with anyone longer than a few dates in the past four years, and I thought she’d finally changed. It was part of why I’d agreed to attend Hayward. I’d gotten offers to several colleges for football, Hayward being the best. Since my mom worked there, the school worked it out that I could attend without a scholarship, allowing them the ability to recruit high-caliber players for multiple positions.

It had worked, too, and the Wolves had made it to finals the past two years—we hadn’t won, but I planned to change that this year.

Which was why I didn’t need any of my mom’s drama to mess it up. Or the most tempting woman I’d ever met. I didn’t know how Milton fit into Mom’s cycle yet, considering he was rich, but I’d been burned too many times by my parents’ bad habits to trust them unequivocally.

“Rose and I are excited to combine our families. We want to give you kids a stable and happy home,” Milton said, reaching over to squeeze my mom’s hand. She smiled at him, all besotted, and I relaxed, wanting my mom to have this happiness. She wasn’t a bad mom. If she’d found happiness now, then I’d accept it.

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