Page 12 of The Step Dare

When we round the corner into the hall where my room is, Brenner pulls me over to the wall and pushes me up against it, stroking my crotch, this mischievous expression on his face.“Feel kind of bad Ash and Colin aren’t here. All the places they could mess around and nearly get caught.”

And with Brenner rubbing me in the middle of this hall, where someone could walk out and see, I can kind of get why. Maybe more than kind of.

“It’s the Piece of Shit,” I confess, which is the nickname Brenner and I have for my asshole dad.

His expression softens. “Figured that’s what it might be.”

“Mom says I’ve been looking at you guys strangely this week. I’m sorry. It’s not about you. Keith is just a reminder of how shitty the Piece of Shit was, you know?”

Brenner’s lips twist into his dimple. I’m waiting for him to say something to cheer me up or crack a joke, but he moves close and wraps his arms around me, offering a hug.

Fuck, he gives the best hugs.

I embrace it, appreciating that even though a lot of people wouldn’t get it, he does.

As I pull away, he says, “Now I’m gonna have to really work to cheer you up, aren’t I?”

I’m laughing again. “I don’t think you’ll have an issue in that department. Although, no way you’re gonna be able to watch my come face.”

His brows tug together. “And why is that?”

“Because you can’t watch my expression when you’re busy making sure you’ve swallowed every drop.”

He winces. “Gonna have to give it a try this time.”

He hooks his arm around me again, and we continue to the room. I scan the key card, and as I push the door open, I hear Keith’s voice. “Fuck, Nic.” It barely registers before I see Mom’s back as she—Holy hell, is she straddling Keith?

“Shit,” Bren says as we both bolt from the room, closing the door behind us.

I only wish it were as easy to close the door on the image that will surely be burned into my mind for the rest of my damn life.

4

Brenner

“Brain bleach. I’mpretty sure I need brain bleach,” I say, pacing the hallway. My thoughts are spinning fast, the way they do sometimes, my heart running the fifty-yard dash.

My dad and Taylor’s mom…

I look up to see Taylor staring at the door in a trance, as if his brain is short-circuiting.

“Dude…dude,” I say. “Our parents arebanging.” And then“Fuck, Nic,”plays in my head, and I’m back to wishing I could remove the last couple of minutes from my brain.

I can hear noise behind the door, which is probably, grossly, our parents getting dressed because they realized we walked in and saw Nicole riding my dad. I gag. I mean, maybe it’s a little dramatic, but that’s me, and no one ever wants to see their parents screwing someone.

“Are you okay?” I ask when I realize Taylor hasn’t said a word, which is unlike him. He must be processing what we just saw.

I don’t really care that our parents are…doing whatever it is they’re doing. Still, it’s weird, and not something I ever want to see again, and… “Holy shit. Have they been sneaking around like us this whole trip?” I walk over to my best friend and put my hands on his shoulders. Is he upset? Or just confused like me? “Tay?”

“I never want to see that again,” he finally replies, and I can’t help smiling. Taylor is better at making me do that than he realizes.

The door opens behind me. I have my back to it, facing Taylor, and whisper, “Should we make a run for it?”

“Don’t even think about it,” Dad says, and I’m not sure if it’s because he heard me or just knows me that well.

I turn and stand beside Taylor. Dad’s salt-and-pepper hair is messy. He’s tugged on shorts, and his T-shirt is inside out. I have no idea where Nicole is. “I hope you’re using protection. We haven’t had the talk yet,” falls out of my mouth because I blurt out uncomfortable shit when I’m not sure what to say.

“Jesus, Bren. Come in. Both of you.”

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