Page 4 of Off Limits

Silence greetedme as I entered my dad and stepmother’s house for my little sister’s birthday party. Pausing in the doorway, I pulled off my hoodie and hung it up in the coat closet.

I’d lived in this house for four years before I’d left for college, but it had never felt like home, and a strange feeling of unease filled me as I closed the door behind me.

The party wasn’t starting for another half hour, and the main floor was quiet as I made my way to the kitchen at the back of the house.

“What do you mean you didn’t pick up tape?” Miranda, my stepmother, asked as I approached the kitchen, her voice shrill and way too dramatic for someone talking about tape.

“You didn’t tell me to pick any up,” a familiar voice said flatly.

My heart rate picked up slightly as I came into the kitchen to find Miranda glaring at Asa, who held Ruby on one hip and looked completely unbothered by his mother’s anger.

Chloe and Tanner, my eight-year-old half sister and six-year-old half brother, were sitting at the kitchen island coloring, and Dad was at the table with a glass of wine in his hand and reading something on his tablet.

“Dex!” Ruby screeched when she saw me, letting go of Asa and waving at me with both hands with so much enthusiasm she wobbled precariously in his arms.

Every head in the room swung toward me as Asa steadied her before she could fall and gently placed her on the ground.

“Hi, Dex!” she shrieked at the same time Chloe and Tanner did. Their little voices were so filled with joy I couldn’t help smiling, some of my earlier trepidation leaving me.

My siblings were one of the main reasons I’d moved home, and I’d missed them while I’d been away.

“Hi,” I said stupidly as Ruby rushed toward me and Chloe and Tanner abandoned their art and sprang out of their chairs.

Ruby grabbed me around the knees and hugged me tight, grinning up at me with her cherubic face and nearly white-blond hair that was scarily reminiscent of Asa.

Chloe and Tanner had taken after Miranda and my dad and had dark hair and eyes, while Ruby was the spitting image of Asa with her pale hair and dark blue eyes. Genetics were funny that way.

Gently, I untangled her from my knees and got down on her level so I could give her a proper hug. “Happy birthday, princess.”

Before she could answer, Chloe and Tanner crashed into me, causing me to sway on my feet.

It took a bit of shifting, but I managed to wrap my arms around all three kids and give them a big hug without toppling over.

“Dex,” Miranda greeted with a bright smile, all traces of her earlier anger gone.

“Hi,” I greeted her, then flicked my gaze to the table.

Dad gave me a quick once-over, then nodded in approval and went back to his tablet.

I’d chosen my clothes carefully and put on a blue polo and a pair of crisp khakis. I was used to his inspections and had learned long ago that it was easier to just dress up instead of pushing back and wearing what I wanted when I was around them.

“You’re here early,” Miranda commented.

“I thought I could help set up. Or keep these monsters out of your hair before everyone gets here,” I said, ruffling Tanner’s hair, which looked like it hadn’t been brushed yet with how wild it was.

“That’s so thoughtful of you,” Miranda said, shooting Asa another glare. “At least one of you knows how to be helpful.”

I glanced at Asa before I could stop myself.

He looked the same as he had a year ago—and every year since he’d turned eighteen and grown out of his awkward teenage phase.

His platinum blond hair was still in the same shaggy cut he’d had for years, and his lean frame was draped in baggy black clothes that had been his signature look since we’d met eight years ago.

He wasn’t wearing the chunky chain jewelry he used to favor, and his eye makeup was more subtle than before, which only emphasized his big blue eyes and angular features, giving him an ethereal, almost elven look.

He’d taken out most of his facial piercings, leaving only his ears and septum ring in, but usually wore a stud right under the center of his bottom lip and a barbell or ring through his left eyebrow. He also had his tongue pierced.

My body tightened, and I silently cursed my dick as it twitched in my briefs.

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