Chapter 73 73.Good Bro
Tabitha’s POV
His hand stays firm on my waist, the heat of his skin bleeding through the thin layer of fabric. My pulse stumbles but I can’t seem to bring myself away from his touch. The rational part of me knows that I should step back and create a safe distance between the two of us. I already decided to avoid them, after all.
Because I know that if I ever find myself too close to them, this is exactly what’s going to happen…
Jace’s thumb makes a slow drag against my ribs before sliding higher, tracing the edge of my side. Every inch he touches feels awake and trembling.
“Jace…” My voice cracks when he brushes his knuckles along my jaw. “You need to leave. You can’t be here.”
He leans in closer, his breath skimming my cheek. “Relax,” he murmurs, the raspy sound of his voice is enough to make my knees weak. “You’re overthinking again. People won’t assume anything even if I’m here. I’m your stepbrother, people think that we’re practically family.” There’s a trace of mockery in his tone, like he’s daring me to agree, or to call him out and see what happens next.
His thumb drags along my chin, tilting my face up. My thoughts scatter. Every nerve in my body hums as if tuned to his touch. I should step back, push him away, say something that makes sense, but my mouth refuses to move. My heart is going wild as it pounds against my ribs, and I hate that he can probably feel how easily I fall apart around him.
He smirks, then lets his hand travel from my jaw to my throat, his fingers tracing the line of my collarbone before stopping at the edge of the dress. I ground my teeth, trying to hold onto the last piece of sanity left in me. But the way his hot skin burns against mine slowly melts the remaining rational thought in me, and I don’t know how much I’ll take before I break.
“You know… people would say I’m being a good brother. Helping you out. Making sure you don’t get hurt.” His fingers slip behind my neck, his thumb brushing that sensitive spot that makes my breath hitch. “They’d think I’m just looking after you.”
“They couldn’t be more wrong.” I manage to find my voice, even if it trembles.
“Are they though?” He tilts his head as his grin deepens. “I’d like to think I’m doing a pretty good job at taking care of you… just not in the way they’d expect.”
“You sound so proud of yourself,” I jab back, although the trembling in my voice overpowers the sharpness I had intended. “Do you think the people around us will be delighted once they learn how you can’t get your hands off your stepsister?”
“It doesn’t matter. They’re not the ones I’m trying to please.” He dips his head until his lips hover near my ear. “Besides, if someone walks in right now, they’d just see a brother fixing a dress for his sister. Nothing else.” His breath caresses against my cheek, and I feel every word. “They won’t know how your body trembles when I touch you. Or how you’d bite your lip to keep from making a sound.”
I curse silently and cling to the dwindling control I have left. I tell myself to move, to stop this, but my body betrays me. The air between us simmers, boiling against my skin and screaming at me to reach for him.
Then his lips brush the side of my neck—barely a kiss, but enough to undo me. The sound that slips out is soft and shaky, something I don’t recognize until it’s already in the air. Heat floods my face as shame stirs in my chest. Did I just moan?
“Quiet,” he says, his mouth still against my skin. “Unless you want the whole store to know what happens when your brother gets too close.”
My fingers clutch the fabric of his shirt. My nails are digging in, not to push him away but to keep myself upright. I can’t even tell where my defiance ends and my desire begins. Shit. This is bad.
So, so bad. And yet it feels so damn good.
His lips trail lower, scattering slow kisses along my neck, then behind my ear. Each one sends a pulse of heat through me that I try to silence, but my breath comes out uneven. His hand moves down my leg, brushing against the hem of my dress before sliding higher to my thigh. Oh my god. Every muscle in my body tightens and anticipates the pleasure his touch gives me.
“You think I’m impressed by this?” I try to sound bored and uninterested, but the tremor in my voice betrays me.
“Oh, you’re not?” He only smiles against my skin. “Is that why your fingers are buried in my hair like you’re holding on for dear life?”
I glance down, startled to find that he’s right. My fingers are tangled in his hair, gripping tighter than I realized. The sight alone makes my stomach flip. I quickly loosen my hold and my face heats as I fumble for words.
“I-I didn’t notice that…”
“Didn’t notice, huh?” His tone turns soft, almost teasing. “You don’t have to be embarrassed about it.” He lifts his head, eyes dark with something I can’t name. “You like how this feels. You just don’t want to admit it.”
His hand moves again, stroking small circles against my thigh, tracing patterns that make it impossible to think straight. The way he strums on my skin summons something primitive inside of me; like a voice that demands to claim, touch, and devour Jace—just as how he swallows all my inhibitions.
His thumb brushes my lower lip, and a soft whimper escapes from my mouth. His eyes lock on mine, and for a moment the world shrinks to that single point of contact. The space between us tightens until I can feel the heat of his breath against my mouth. My chest rises too fast. My lips part in rapt anticipation.