Series: Peach State Stepbros Series by Riley Hart
Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 92311 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 462(@200wpm)___ 369(@250wpm)___ 308(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92311 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 462(@200wpm)___ 369(@250wpm)___ 308(@300wpm)
I sag back into the couch, each second that ticks by making the reality of this day sink in.
I blew my stepbrother.
Jerked off for him.
I want him.
Those aren’t the only reasons I’m fucked. I’d told Dixon that Troy would participate in the auction. In no universe was he supposed to get an A…only he had.
“Reality hit you?” Troy asks, gaze locked on the cum on my stomach.
“Not in the way you’re thinking.” I lean over and pick up his shirt, use it to wipe my release.
“What the fuck, Atlas!”
“I needed something, and apparently, you weren’t going to offer your services.”
“Yeah, well, I don’t need all the guys seeing me walk through the house with a giant cum stain on me. God, you’re such a dick.”
“Yes, I know.” I drop my head back. I am a dick, screwing around like this, letting the fate of Troy helping me with a charity auction depend on the results of a bet. Helping people eat is a whole lot more important than this other shit.
Tell him.
“I’m gonna go.” Troy tugs his shirt out of my hands but doesn’t put it on. Interesting. He could leave it here for me to wash.
He makes it all the way to the door before I say, “Wait,” while wishing like hell I could think of a way out of this.
“Why? So you can be a dick again? So we can do…whatever this is again?”
“I mean, it would take me a while to get it up again, but we can try if you want.”
He runs a hand through his hair. “Do you care about anything? Do you take anything seriously?”
He reaches for the door again before another, “Wait,” falls out.
I do care about things. I do take them seriously. That’s part of why I’m doing this—because of how seriously I take Activate Kindness.
My leg starts bouncing, and Troy must be able to tell I’m about to say something important because he comes back to the living room and sits on the chair.
Do it. Just fucking do it. You don’t have a choice.
I do, in fact, have a choice, but considering I really do give a fuck about what happens to people, and I want to help out as much as possible, that takes precedence.
“I’m going to tell you something, but you can’t tell anyone—and I mean fucking no one. Especially Glen and Ellie.”
“Yeah, of course. Are you okay?” he asks, with real concern in his voice. That’s the thing about Troy. He really is a nice guy. My mom would have loved him.
“I volunteer once a week at this place called Activate Kindness…”
I let the words draw out, and Troy gives a chuckle. When he sees my face, it instantly stops. “Oh shit. You’re serious?”
“Fuck off, Troy. You know what? Never mind.”
“Shit. No. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to laugh. It’s just the last thing I expected you to say. Plus, you’re acting like what you have to say is all doom and gloom, and then you’re telling me you volunteer. That’s…really cool.”
I shrug. “I didn’t tell you so I could impress you.” I hate it when people do that, flaunt their good deeds for points. “I told you because your winning this bet sorta fucked with me. I told Dixon, the lead there, that I could get you to do this charity auction where people can bid on you to go on a date with them. I was banking on you not getting an A…I mean, I wanted you to do better, but how in the fuck do you go from an F to an A?”
He sits up taller, clearly pleased with himself.
“Anyway…” I roll my eyes. “Now I’m fucked, and I don’t…” I look away. “I don’t want to let them down. They feed and house people and—”
“I’ll do it,” Troy cuts me off. I meet his eyes, and he adds, “Why do you look so surprised? Of course I’ll help out.”
The thing is, I knew he would. That’s how Troy rolls. I don’t think I would have made the bet if I didn’t believe that, and if that didn’t work out, I would have done it myself.
And now we’re both sitting here in awkward silence because Troy knows I volunteer, and that I want to keep it to myself. He has one of my secrets, and that makes me shift uncomfortably, makes me feel raw and seen by him in a way I never have. I’ve never liked to let people in—even before Mom died, I never liked for people to see the real me, and now I’ve given him that part of myself. I can suck his dick or talk shit to him about him sucking mine, but this moment feels a million times more intimate than that.
“You’re really embarrassed by this.”
“I’m not embarrassed,” I snap. Most people wouldn’t understand or they’d be shocked that someone like me would do something like this. I want to protect it, keep it safe, not have to dissect it with others.