Page 26 of Promised Secret
“Clay,” he said with a sigh. He sounded so defeated, like he was tired of fighting and had given up. But why did it feel like it wasmehe was giving up on?
“I can still remember how your face lit up at us becoming a family, and I ruined it with my selfishness. I was only thinking about myself. Still am, if I’m being honest. But I can’t only think about myself forever. Doyou think your mom would be happy if I started calling her ‘mom’ too?”
On paper, his words sounded great. He wanted us to be a real family. He was maybe even accepting me as his stepbrother. Then what was with the panic that ran through my veins? The warning bells were loud in my mind, telling me I really was on the verge of losing him forever.
My mind went blank. I didn’t know what the right thing to say was to keep him from giving up onus.
Instinct took over, and I kissed him.
Dan sighed into the kiss and melted against me. For a second, I thought everything would be okay again. But the next moment, he pushed me away, though I didn’t release him.
“Get off,” he growled, eyes filled with unexpected rage. If he really wanted to, he could have shaken free, but he wasn’t really trying hard to get away from me.
I couldn’t understand why he was so mad. Kisses always made him feel better.
I tried again, my mouth crashing against his hard enough for our teeth to clatter together.
“Clay—” he growled, but I swallowed the rest of his words. I was afraid of what I’d hear.
He struggled in my arms for a second, the plate in his hand pressed between our chests. I didn’t let go, even when he bit my bottom lip, and the taste of copper twirled between our tongues.
“Fuck, Clay—stop.”
He released the plate to push me away. It fell, shattering on the floor between us.
We stared at each other. Dan was huffing, red in the face, and angrier than I’d ever seen him before.
I took a step toward him, wanting to soothe him.
“Don’t,” he hissed.
His words hurt more than any beating my sperm donor ever gave me.
“What happened?” Victor’s voice sounded right before our parents appeared in the kitchen.
They looked between the two of us, then at the shattered plate on the floor.
“Is anyone hurt?” Mom asked, brows furrowed in worry. She came to our side to turn off the still running faucet. Her eyes lingered on my lip, probably to the inflamed skin from where Dan bit me.
“Aiya,” Victor muttered with a shake of his head. It was the phrase he used when he was displeased or shocked about something.
“You boys are too old to be fighting,” he said calmly as he grabbed the broom from the pantry. “Be careful. Don’t hurt your feet.”
Mom shooed Dan and me away from the broken shards, and Victor cleaned up. Dan stayed silent, though his breath came out smoother now. He refused to meet my eye and excused himself to the bathroom.
“Is everything okay?” Mom whispered, worried eyes watching Dan’s departing back. When he disappeared behind the bathroom door, she looked back at me. Afrown marred her face when she focused on my cut lip again.
I wondered how she thought I got it? Did she think Dan hit me? Or would the idea ofherboyskissing cross her mind?
I didn’t know why that thought pleased me. Did IwantMom and Victor to know that Dan and I had been kissing? They were accepting and always rooted for us, but stepbrothers kissing? Surely that was crossing the line.
Even I knew that.
Didn’t mean I wanted to stop, though.
Chapter Ten
DAN
