Page 62 of The Step Don't

“Hmmm,” Colin says. “Peanut-butter cups.”

“Ooh, you don’t know me at all.”

“Really?” Colin asks, because he’s usually on point.

I shake my head. “Can’t get it right every time.” I approach the clerk, ordering the vanilla scoops and, “Just peanut-butter cups on top.”

I sneak a glance to Colin, who glares at me. “Fucking knew it,” he mouths.

This is what I like about being out with him. It’s so easy. So fun. We always laugh.

We find a spot near a counter by the front of the shop, and as we settle on some stools, I say, “I like this. I was thinking earlier about all the times we did this in high school. You know, like going to the mall for dinner, ice cream, and movies. Heading around to different stores and just cracking jokes. I remember you were on a roll in a Spencer’s with the sex toys, and I was laughing so hard, I thought we were gonna get kicked out or I was gonna pass out because I couldn’t get air in.”

“We’ve always had a lot of fun.”

“We have. And it’s kind of strange, but I keep wondering if this thing we’re doing will make anything different. I guess it’s been like everything else. Like it’s so much the same. You’re still my big silly stepbro, and now there’s these added perks.”

“And you like the perks, don’t you?” Colin asks. “Get over here and let me give you some of my mintchocolate.”

As I lean toward him, he shoves a spoonful in his mouth, and I pull back, bursting into a laugh.

Yep. Same old Colin, for sure.

We finish the ice cream, hit the movie, then head back to the frat, winding up in Colin’s room. He attacks me with another kiss, pushing me up against the wall by his desk, his tongue tasting of the mints we popped after the movie.

When he pulls away, he says, “Well, the baby’s got a sitter, so maybe we shower and then snuggle up, watch some Netflix?”

“Is this your sneaky way of trying to keep me here to do naughty things with you?”

“I’m sorry. I assumed you knew I was gonna do naughty things with you before we snuggled. Because as much as I’m eager to fuck you in front of a crowd, tonight you’re all fucking mine.”

He sounds so fucking greedy for me. I love it.

“Good. Wouldn’t have it any other way,” I say, and Colin beams.

“I had a really good time tonight. You really know how to date the fuck out of a guy.” He winks, feeling so slick for sliding that in.

Hope he looks just as full of himself when he’s sliding something else in later.

18

Colin

“Can you showme that play again?” Amelia, one of the girls who takes my football lessons, asks.

It’s almost over for the day, and I find myself bummed about that. I hadn’t realized how much I need this. It’s a welcome break from school and my job at the law office. Not that I don’t love what I do or not looking forward to what my future holds. Law is definitely what I want, but I’ve always been in love with football too. I’m not good enough to go to the pros, but I hope to keep football in my life, even if it’s just doing things like this.

“Of course,” I tell her, though I’m not sure why she’s asking. Amelia has the best head for football in these lessons. She sees the field in a way most kids wouldn’t at her age—girl or boy.

I go over the play again, explaining what her teammates are supposed to do and then how she makes sure to get them the ball, and unsurprisingly, she nails it.

“Thanks, Coach Colin!” She sends a smile my way.

I tell the kids to practice it again, just as my phone buzzes. I tug it out to see Ash’s name on the screen. It immediately makes me smile, and not for the first time, I’m grateful he’s in my life. How lucky were we to end up with a stepbrother who became our best friend? And on top of that, the benefits are fucking incredible.

When we fucked after our date the other night, we’d done it standing up in front of the window, me whispering in his ear how fucking good he is for me, how hot he is, and teasing about someone seeing us—Marty or one of the other guys driving up to the house, and there I was, fucking my stepbrother at the window.

My load had been similar to the ones he shoots, my balls so fucking full for him. It had been the perfect end to a perfect night. The best date of my whole life has been with my stepbrother. Hell, it feels like I’ve been dating him maybe even longer than I realized.

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