Page 19 of Puck My Stepbrother (Pucked and Possessed #2)

QUINN

I stood in the living room entrance, watching Levi.

Leaning back on the couch, he draped his arm over one side, rested his foot on the coffee table, and looked engrossed in Monday Night Football .

So far, he hadn’t noticed me. Trust me, if he’d known I was there, he would’ve invited me to sit down with him.

Knowing Levi, he’d suggest I strip first.

Something struck me as different about Levi now, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. My own behavior seemed off, too. Before, I would’ve turned the other way if I’d spotted Levi in the room, wanting to avoid contact at all costs. Now I wanted to admire him from a distance.

Watching him whisked me back to high school, when I’d steal looks at him whenever I could.

Sometimes he’d be playing field hockey outside, always hustling, his athletic exploits on full display.

Other times, he’d pass me in the hall and melt me with his gorgeous features and smile.

And my God, those eyes…I’d looked at him all right, but I sure as hell couldn’t be caught doing it.

He appeared so relaxed now, not like the super-intense guy I’d known forever.

He seemed less like the bully who’d pursued me nonstop since moving into the house and more like a real stud.

And he emitted a different vibe than the guy who’d fucked me in his bedroom.

Levi was beautiful.

Okay, I know what you’re thinking. I’d always found him hot, no matter how much I loathed admitting it.

Longing for his gorgeous face and muscles was nothing new.

Since he’d opened up to me, his beauty had reached beyond his magnificent features.

Before, I’d considered his actions an extension of his personality.

Assholes do asshole-ish things, in other words.

Because of that, his beauty had never reached its full potential.

Now that I understood his history, that’d begun to change.

Levi Dunn wasn’t just a bully who loved torturing his favorite target.

I couldn’t admire him from afar forever, so I shuffled into the room, wanting to learn more about Levi’s history.

And I had plenty of my own story to tell him, too.

When I approached the couch, Levi still hadn’t noticed me, making me feel like I moved more discreetly than anyone else on the planet. I towered over the couch, watching him, understanding that the feelings he’d claimed to have for me were real.

Finally, Levi glanced over his shoulder, his eyes landing on me. A small smile appeared on his face.

“Quinn? What are you doing down here?”

“Just going into the kitchen for something to eat.”

Total bullshit. I wanted to see Levi, even if acting on that desire went against my better judgment. I wanted to look at him again like I had in the old days, drinking him up. Part of me didn’t dare seek more, but desire was in my heart and soul no matter how hard I fought to keep it at bay.

“The living room is turning into our regular meeting spot,” he said.

“I guess so.”

“Gonna sit down?”

At first, I approached the far end of the couch, meaning to keep my distance.

That spot would be safe, right? Instead, I pushed his leg aside and sat in the middle.

Levi’s eyebrows lifted at that, like he’d also expected me to sit as far away from him as possible.

I could have avoided him entirely, but that’s not what I wanted.

“I was thinking about that stuff you told me the other night,” I said.

“The stuff about my dad?”

“Yeah. I’m sorry that happened to you. It’s really shitty.”

He shrugged like it didn’t matter. No, the shrug said he was too tough to let it bother him. I saw through the bullshit, whether he liked it or not.

“Did your dad throwing you out of the house change anything about how you feel…or how you view yourself?”

“Fuck no. I knew I’d always liked guys. I probably liked more girls overall, but I felt way more intense about the guys I did like.”

“You mean like me?”

“No, dude.” He shook his head. “Not like you. You’re in a completely different category from any guy I’ve ever known.”

Before, I would’ve dismissed that as an attempt to dive into my pants.

Guys like him said anything and everything necessary to get laid.

He liked my body and was the horniest man on the planet.

But it seemed different now. And I’d be lying if I said it didn’t make me feel desirable, sexy even. Either way, I didn’t know how to react.

“My dad’s really not in my life now,” he said, “and that’s just as well. I never see him, and I don’t miss him.”

“So you obviously wouldn’t care if he knew you were sitting on the couch with me, getting a little too comfortable?”

“Fuck no. Matter of fact, I’d rub it right in his face.”

He sounded only half-serious as he spoke.

I curled up closer to him, nestling myself right between his legs.

I pressed against his crotch and felt his dick, but didn’t detect a hard-on.

That seemed like a first, but it relieved me.

That meant he could have a conversation not controlled by his cock.

And I could enjoy simply snuggling up with him, no strings attached.

“You’ve wanted me for a long time,” he said. “You still haven’t really admitted that, but I know it’s true. Why are you denying it?”

“I don’t know, but I guess I can’t deny it forever.”

“Maybe it doesn’t matter. Your eyes gave you away the whole time.”

“Even in school?”

“Maybe not in school, but you’ve showed it every minute you’ve been living in this house with me.”

Levi had told the truth, and I knew it.

“Okay,” I said. “I guess there’s no use in arguing.”

“So I was right, huh?”

“Don’t let it go to your head, bub.”

“If you’re willing to admit it now…why are you making this so difficult?”

“Am I really making things that difficult?”

“Oh, I don’t know, Quinn. You’re the one playing hard to get even though I’ve practically given myself to you giftwrapped.”

“Why not actually giftwrap yourself?”

“Because it’s hard to be naked and giftwrapped at the same time.”

I snuggled my head against his powerful chest. He hooked an arm around me and rested his massive hand on my chest, and I cradled it.

I heard his heartbeat and his steady breathing.

I couldn’t think of anywhere I’d rather be…

and then thoughts of Jeff invaded my mind.

A voice inside my head told me I shouldn’t be here and urged me to move, but I ignored it.

“I felt worthless as a kid because of you,” I said.

That one comment outweighed all my other attempts at defiance with Levi.

“You did?” he asked.

“Damn right I did. You have no idea what kind of impact your behavior can have on other people.”

At first, Levi said nothing. That didn’t surprise me. He was Levi Dunn. Besides, why go there when the conversation had otherwise gone smoothly for him? Then he said something totally out of character.

“You’re one hundred percent right, Quinn.”

I honestly thought hell had frozen over.

“You’re serious?” I asked.

“Of course I am. Look, I never wanted to hurt you. I knew what I felt for you a long time ago, and it was hard enough having those feelings at all. Having them for another guy made it even worse. Plus, I thought I couldn’t really have you.”

“Come on, you’re too cocky to think that.”

“That was the only time in my life I thought I couldn’t get something—or someone—I wanted.”

“But you don’t know how much hell you put me through.”

“You still wanted me.”

“Yeah, I did, but…”

Before, my attraction to him had only been physical—or so I thought. I’d still lusted for him even after we’d moved into the house, but I’d hated it. I’d tried to strike those feelings down. Now, I couldn’t help thinking that my attraction extended beyond the physical.

But that couldn’t be right. It was impossible.

“Are you really saying you don’t want me as much as I want you?” he asked.

“I don’t know…”

Levi’s question had no correct answer. Anything I said he would twist beyond recognition and use against me. So why bother saying anything?

My resolve had cracked. Not only had I stopped fighting, but I’d almost given myself to Levi. The more control I lost, the more I thought of Jeff. He was the perfect guy for me. He checked off all the boxes. He was beautiful. I could easily spend the rest of my life with someone like him.

But I was sinking deeper and deeper into this waking dream with Levi.

I clung to Jeff’s image, honestly expecting it to anchor me in reality.

But I couldn’t deny that nothing compared to Levi’s hulking arms wrapped around me.

And I would never rest my head on a chest as powerful as that of my stepbrother-to-be.

I lifted my head and gazed into Levi’s eyes, unafraid of the consequences.

As expected, I felt entranced now, an experience far deeper than any daydream.

I leaned in and kissed his lips, slowly and gently.

My nose rubbed against his, and I felt his sandpaper-like beard scratch against my face.

The kiss felt different from the others we’d shared.

It was slow and deliberate, the affection of longtime lovers, instead of hot and passionate.

And then we kissed once more. I turned over so my chest pressed against his.

My pelvis brushed against his crotch, where I felt Levi growing hard.

I couldn’t blame him for it, especially since I found myself getting my own erection.

I remembered how things had gone down the last time, and understood how badly I wanted it again.

Letting go sounded like the most magnificent thing on Earth.

And then the image of Jeff’s face pushed into my mind again.

I tore my lips away from Levi’s.

“Hold on, I’m sorry,” I said.

I backed away, but Levi didn’t look deterred. He must’ve assumed he’d get what he wanted once I came to my senses. After all, I’d initiated this myself.

He opened his arms, ready to welcome me into his embrace.

“I can’t do this.” I pushed myself up, hopped off the couch, and peered down at the bulge in my jeans.

“Of course you can, bro. You’ve done it before.”

“No, I mean I can’t do this. It’s wrong.”

I darted out of the room before he could say anything more. God, I felt like such a tease. Part of me really wanted to take the next step with Levi, even though all logic told me it was wrong.

Have you heard of anyone telling their heart to shut up?