Page 18 of Puck My Stepbrother

“Really?”

So far, so good. I mean, he’d used my proper name and not Quim, which suggested a sarcasm-free apology. In fact, he’d been a lot nicer during this conversation than ever before.

“Yeah, really. It’s just that I would’ve thought that, since we’re going to be brothers, it wouldn’t be a big deal.”

“Stepbrothers, Levi. Not brothers.”

“That’s not how I see it, Quinn. To me, we should be as close as birth brothers. Why put up walls?”

“Because I like my privacy.”

“I get you. But I’ve made my room open to you any time you want to see me, right?”

“That’s okay, I guess.”

Of course. I had no idea when or why I’d ever go visit him in his room. Desire for him had taken root in me, I couldn’t deny that, but I wouldn’t let my defenses crumble completely. I wanted to be with Jeff and no one else, and that was non-negotiable.

Levi sounded so sweet, though. Every syllable dripped with honey. I wondered if he used that same tone to lure girls into his bed, and how many fell for it.

“You say you owe me an apology,” I said, “but aren’t you going to say you’re sorry?”

“No way.”

“Seriously?”

“I said I owe you an apology because I was wrong, and I admitted that. But I have limits. Those are two words that aren’t in my vocabulary.”

He offered a tiny shrug like he felt no shame. Of course, the words “I’m sorry” didn’t exist for him. He was Levi Dunn.

Something was up, though. Seriously. Guys like Levi didn’t talk the way he had for no reason. It reminded me of times in school when he’d done something seriously bad, like stuffing me into a locker, and would sweet-talk me out of reporting him to a teacher. Only he wouldn’t have needed to avoid me snitching on him now. He wanted something else, and I had a good idea what.

Only that couldn’t be right. It sounded so crazy, and yet I couldn’t deny that he’d touched me several times and seemed to be finding excuses to talk to me every day. Worse, I couldn’t deny the mounting tension in the room.

But I wanted Jeff and only Jeff. I wanted him to take my virginity and whisk me off to places I’d never been before. I had to fight this temptation with every fiber of my being.

When I saw Levi’s hand move across the table, I felt certain it would clamp over mine. He’d touch me again, this time commanding me to succumb to his power. The more I thought about it, the more reasonable the idea seemed.

Levi Dunn wanted me.

I wasn’t going crazy.

My heart stuttered again, seeming to skip a beat. When I popped up from the table, my stepbrother-to-be threw out an arm to stop me, but I dodged it.

“Uh, uh, um, I’ve got to go.” The words sputtered from my mouth like an old motor trying to start.

“So soon?”

“Uh-huh.”

And I darted out of the room like we’d finished making love and I’d come to my senses. One thing was abundantly clear to me: my willpower hung by a thread. Any more of this and that thread would snap.

Right then, I realized I’d never survive under the same roof with Levi Dunn…for reasons I never would’ve dreamed of.

8

LEVI

Quinn Standish was one tough nut to crack, if you’ll pardon the expression. Honest to God, I expected my usual approach to work effortlessly. Plan A was to drop some hints and soften him up. If that didn’t work, I’d take a direct approach and watch him turn to jelly. The jelly part had happened in its own way, but I still hadn’t completed my mission.