Read Good Stepbrother (Love #2) for Free Online Page A

mother’s nagging; she was gone. I assumed she was at work. I stripped off my clothes and jumped into the shower, scrubbing my skin clean. Flashes of the night before flickered through my brain and I grimaced. I wasn’t sure of everything that had happened, but what I remembered was bad enough.
    Squeezing my eyes shut, I fought against my tears. They won, and the saline mingled with the crappy city water beating down on my head. As the water ran cold, I shut it off and pulled back the shower curtain. My mother stood in the middle of the bathroom, her arms crossed and an angry expression on her face.
    I screamed and tried to cover my breasts with my hands. “Fuck! You scared me!”
    She threw a towel at me. “Where have you been?”
    “I went to the mall with Britney and Jennifer…” I started and she shook her head.
    “No, you didn’t. I know because I called their mother. They’re grounded. So where were you really?”
    I wrapped the towel around myself and pushed my way past her out of the bathroom. “None of your business,” I snapped back at her as I hurried to my room.
    She followed right behind me. “Brielle, it is my business. You’re fifteen. You’re a kid. You shouldn’t be out all hours of the night. Are you even being safe?”
    I laughed as I finished drying myself off. “I’ve been on birth control since I was twelve, Mom.” I dropped the towel in the middle of the floor and turned to my dresser to find some underwear and a T-shirt. I pulled on a thong and a shirt that showed off my midriff.
    Mom came closer and she brushed my wet hair back from my face. “What happened to my little girl?”
    “She grew up.” I sighed.
    “Have you been having sex since twelve?” she choked out, caressing my cheek.
    “What? No. I’m really not discussing my sex life or lack thereof with you. It’s none of your business. Don’t worry, I won’t get pregnant like you did.” I threw the jab in there because I didn’t want her prying into my business anymore. I liked the way our lives worked. She had hers, I had mine.
    “Bri, baby. I’m worried about you. Your dad said he could send you to a boarding school, maybe a change in scenery would be good for you…”
    I jerked away and rolled my eyes. “Boarding school? Why, so you two can continue not being parents? Get out of my room. I want to sleep.” I climbed into bed and lay down on my pillows. Jerking my blankets up around my ears, I waited for her to leave.
    She kissed my forehead and brushed my hair back. “I miss you,” she said softly, sniffling as she left the room, closing the door behind herself.
    Wrapping my arms around myself, I squeezed my middle. “I miss me too,” I whispered.
     
    ***
     
    Within weeks, we moved into Charlie and Carter’s house. Mom was happy, so I didn’t bitch, much. I had my own room, which was beside Carter’s. The old house they lived in wasn’t bad, it was a hell of a lot better than the shitty apartment we’d been living in, but it wasn’t what I’d grown up with.
    Charlie surprised me by painting my bedroom pink before we moved in. It was a god awful, cotton candy pink, but secretly I loved it. Instead of being grateful, I grumbled, “What, am I five?”
    Mom smacked my arm. “Stop it. I told him you liked pink. He’s trying to make the transition for you smooth. Now maybe you can get out of this hood rat phase and be a good girl again, yeah?” she asked hopefully, tucking a strand of my pale blonde hair behind my ear.
    “Never know,” I replied, shrugging as I looked at my room. My old furniture didn’t fit in the tiny space, so they went to the thrift store and found me mismatching things; I had a small twin-sized bed that was white, an oak dresser that they promised to repaint for me, and a lime green side table. The coolest thing was a small wicker vanity we found for five bucks at a garage sale. It was pretty awesome. I wanted to spray paint it orange.
    The room wasn’t bad, and once I