Page 3 of Stepson

His famous smirk tugs at his lips as his gaze slides over to me before going to the man who asked the question.

“I haven’t had much time to think about that, but my dad said I could stay here until I get back on my feet.”

All the blood drains from my face as my mouth falls open. He can’t stay here! Marcus is away on business more often than not, leaving me alone most days. If Gabe is here all the time, I’ll lose my mind. No, he can’t stay here, but I can’t tell him or Marcus that without raising some suspicions. Fuck!

“I plan on bringing him into the family business,” Marcus adds. “Now that he has a criminal record, nobody will hire him but me.” He seems proud of his statement, but when I look over at Gabe, he looks like he wants to punch Marcus.

The guests in hearing range look a bit uncomfortable too but say nothing. I’m sure Gabe is ashamed of his past, and his dad shoving his record in his face isn’t okay.

I reach over and place my hand on Marcus’s forearm. “Why don’t you tell everyone about your big trip to Tokyo tomorrow?” I want to change the subject from Gabe, and as I look over at him, he gives me a small nod of gratitude. I give him a small smile in return before I quickly tear my gaze from his.

Marcus goes on to tell everyone about his trip to Tokyo as I block out what he’s saying. I’m not a fan of Marcus talking about his job because it’s all he likes to talk about. After the first year of our marriage, everything changed. We went from this perfect honeymoon stage of our relationship to something that felt routine. It was in our second year of marriage when Marcus put us in separate bedrooms. Our sex life is nearly nonexistent, and I have a drawer full of vibrators and batteries to show for it. It isn’t the life I wanted for myself, but I’m comfortable for now.

“Is Bentley going with you this time?” Someone asks, pulling my attention back to the conversation.

Marcus laughs as if it’s the most ridiculous thing he’s ever heard. “No, Bentley doesn’t accompany me on my business trips. She would be bored to tears being left in the hotel room the entire time. She’s much more comfortable staying at home.”

I look down at my hands in my lap, trying not to cry. There’s been many times I’ve invited myself along on his business trips, hoping we could use the private time away to rekindle anything we had during our first year of marriage, but he always turns me down.

When I look back up, Gabe shares a pained glance with me, but I don’t want or need his pity. I tear my gaze away and look at the wall behind Marcus’s head, making it look like I’m paying attention to him. Instead, I swallow back the ball of emotion in my throat as I blink away the building tears threatening to fall down my pink cheeks.

“Bentley likes being here. I’ve invited her to join me before, but she never seems to want to come with me.” Marcus reaches over and pats my hand. “Besides, she has a duty here.”

I give him a tight smile, trying like hell not to reach over and slap him across the face. He’s lying through his teeth to make himself look better. What a bastard! And the looks of pity from our guests are directed right at me. I can’t take it any longer.

Placing my hand on my chest, I slowly push my chair back. “If you’ll excuse me, I’m suddenly not feeling well.” Marcus attempts to stand up but I shake my head at him. “I’m fine, darling, I just need a moment.”

I turn and leave the dining room as fast as I can without making a scene. The man I had married disappeared a long time ago, and now I’m left with a loveless marriage while being trapped in this fucking cold, empty house.

“Bentley.”

My entire body tenses as I turn around and come face to face with Gabe.

Chapter three

Bentley

“Gabe, I, um,” I stutter on my words as I tuck a strand of hair behind my hair. “What are you doing out here?” I thought I was alone and didn’t expect him or anyone else to come after me.

He stays several feet away from me, but I can tell he wants to come closer. We barely knew each other, and from the looks of it, he doesn’t remember our night together seven years ago. To him, I’m his new stepmother, the woman married to his father. He must think of me as some kind of gold digger. That’s what people normally think when someone my age marries a man twice their age, isn’t it?

“You looked upset when you left the table. I just wanted to see if you were okay.”

I let out a nervous laugh and nod. “I’m perfectly fine. I get overwhelmed when there’s a lot of people around. After I catch my breath, I’ll be okay.”

He studies me for a long moment. “You sure? I know my dad can be a real asshole sometimes, and what he said back there wasn’t cool.”

He’s not wrong, but I’ll never tell him that. “Your father just likes to impress his friends. He’s very kind to me usually.” I give him a weak smile. “You should return to your date,” I add.

“My date?” He chuckles. “She’s not my date.” He shoves his hands into his front pockets, leaning back on his heels. “You sure you’re cool?”

I nod. “I’m fine. Thanks for checking on me.”

His gaze holds mine for several long seconds before he nods and turns, heading back into the dining room. My heart flutters with the thought Gabe came to check on me. I may hardly know him, but it was very kind of him to do so. It also surprised me how he said the woman by his side isn’t his date. I’m not sure if I’m excited about the revelation, or angry with myself for being excited. I’m a married woman, it shouldn’t matter if she’s his date or not.

After composing myself, I rejoin the party in the dining room and sit through another thirty minutes of Marcus boasting about himself and his career while the guests eat up every word. It’s exhausting being his wife sometimes, but this is what I get for marrying the first man who asks for my hand. I also didn’t really have a choice, though. I had just lost my job, and I was on the brink of being homeless. Most of my nights back then consisted of spending far too much time and money at bars just to drink away my sorrows. When Marcus came into the picture and swept me off of my feet, I ate out of his palm. It didn’t help that I had been pining after a guy I fucked in the back of a Jeep one night and never heard from him again.

It’s now crystal clear why I hadn’t heard from him again after that night, and now I sit here wondering what I’m going to do now. The one guy I had secretly obsessed over now sits across the table from me, and all I can think about is how he made me feel that night. His hands expertly tore at my clothing as he kissed down my neck and over my breasts. I had been afraid of getting caught, but when he entered me, every thought I previously had went right out the window. It was just him and I in that Jeep, and as far as I was concerned, it was him and I in the entire world. He didn’t just fuck my brains out in that Jeep. No, he made sweet love to me, kissing and teasing as he claimed me over and over.

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