Page 5 of Stepson

I go into panic mode as I look down and stare into the eyes of one of our gardeners. He totally blew my cover, and now I’m freaking out. Without thinking, I turn and try to make a run inside but stop when my name comes fromhislips.

“Bentley?” The humor in his tone tells me he knew exactly what I’d been doing out there on the terrace. Fuck me.

Nervously, I turn and smile at Gabe who’s stepped out onto his own balcony. His jeans are up but left unbuttoned, and his shirt is missing.

“I, um, needed some fresh air.”

The knowing smirk on his face says everything. “Meet me in the hallway,” he demands humorously before turning and disappearing back inside.

Fuck! I take a few deep breaths before I turn and make my way inside. I have no idea how I’m going to get out of this one, or why Gabe wants me to meet him in the hallway. This is going to be horrible, isn’t it?

Chapter four

Bentley

My hands shake as I leave the terrace and step back into the hallway. I’ve just been caught eavesdropping on Gabe’s very private moment, and my cheeks are as hot as a branding iron. How the hell am I going to get out of this one? I let out a breath from my chest, fumbling with my doorknob as my door swings open and nearly makes me trip. I hope he isn’t staying with us for too long because I willnotbe able to hold my cool for much longer.

Gabe is just coming out of his room when the woman who had just pleasured him comes out too. It’s the same woman from the dinner table, and I have to pull my gaze away.

The sounds of their kissing lips make me uncomfortable as my flush runs from my cheeks down to my neck and chest. I definitely don’t want to stand here listening to it.

“Call me whenever you want,” she purrs.

I dare to peek over my shoulder as I catch her walking away. Her hair is a mess and she carries her heels in her hands. I remember looking much the same way the night I walked away from his jeep and never saw him again. Would he callher?

“Enjoy the sounds of nature?” Gabe asks with a smirk on his lips.

Shit. What do I say here? He obviously knows what I heard.Just play it cool, Bentely.

“I stepped out for some air. I’m terribly sorry for interrupting. I had no idea you and her were—”

“You apologize too much,” he says, cutting me off.

My flush goes further down my chest as I pull my gaze from his. I can’t look him in the eyes without nearly losing it. They’re the same eyes that stared into mine as he grabbed the back of my neck and came with a loud moan in the back of his Jeep. I’ve tried to forget these eyes for so long.

“I’m sorry,” I blurt out again.

He laughs. “Do you play pool? I saw a pool table earlier, and could use some good company over a stiff drink.”

I look toward Marcus’s door and know he won’t be coming out for the rest of the evening, and there’s no way I’m going to be able to stay sane sitting in my room all alone.

“Sure, sounds nice,” I reply without thinking everything through.

We walk past Marcus’s room, and even though I should feel guilty for hanging out with his son, I’m not. Marcus made his choice to leave me in the dust, and I refuse to sit in my bedroom for another night wondering why my marriage has failed.

The pool room hasn’t been touched in years. Marcus used to use it when business partners would come over for a drink. They’d talk business and even play for money. Since Marcus took over the company, he stopped holding these little meetings and the room has been closed up ever since. Come to think of it, our marriage began to crumble shortly after his promotion as well. Were the stresses of being a CEO too heavy for him to bear? He doesn’t act like it, and he won’t talk to me so I have no idea what’s going on with him.

“I’ll rack the balls,” Gabe states, walking over to grab the black triangle hanging on the wall.

I stay back and watch his hands expertly grab two balls at a time until the triangle is filled. My breathing gets heavier the longer I watch him, and I have to force my gaze away. His inked skin and flexing muscles are too much to handle right now. I wish he would have put on a shirt before we came down here.

“You want to break?”

I whip my head up at his question, trying to keep my eyes on his instead of wandering over his bare chest like they crave to do. But I fail miserably. My eyes slide over his chest and pierced nipples that I remember flicking my tongue over seven years ago. He’s more defined now than he was before. His time in prison must have been spent working out.

“No, I’m horrible at breaking. Go for it.”

The smirk on his face widens as he grabs a pool cue and goes to the other side of the table. My gaze follows his every move and there’s a few times I should have reached up and closed my mouth.Get your shit together, Bentley!But have you seen his body?!

---