Page 35 of Puck My Stepbrother (Pucked and Possessed #2)

QUINN

L evi’s mom looked beautiful walking down the aisle, and I couldn’t help but smile when she joined hands with my dad before the priest. Dad could be happy again, at least in the romantic sense, and I couldn’t help sharing his joy.

For the longest time, the actual wedding had seemed out of reach, like it was a bunch of plans and tasks that would never get done.

Seeing the moment reach fruition made me want to savor it.

As I watched Dad and his new wife together, I understood that the planning had been worth it. He hadn’t done it for the sake of remarrying. He’d done it for love, the kind that comes to you when you’re not looking for it.

In his vows, Dad touched on the myriad obstacles to their love and all the hurdles they’d cleared in order to be together.

He said he’d even tried to deny the very true love he’d felt for her, like he could banish it by force of will.

Then he admitted to being foolish for trying.

He might as well have spoken those words to me directly.

They rang in my ears loud and clear. I’d done the very same with Levi Dunn.

Throughout the service, I glanced at Levi, who met my eyes every now and then.

He wasn’t pretending it was an accident, either.

Jeff had shown me his true colors, and Levi had shown me his.

Levi’s eyes shined more brightly than Jeff’s ever could.

My old bully had proved that he cared more about me than anyone else in the world.

He didn’t have to focus his attention on me.

Women and men alike would’ve gladly jumped in the sack with him, but he’d held out all this time just for me.

Most of all, standing before a church full of people made me realize what I wanted for myself.

Now that my dad and new stepmother had tied the knot, Levi and I had officially become stepbrothers.

Maybe part of me had secretly hoped the wedding day would never come for that reason. How on Earth would we make this work?

Even still, when Dad kissed his new wife, I couldn’t help dreaming of Levi’s lips pressed against mine in front of a church full of people. The fantasy of everyone clapping for us wouldn’t leave my thoughts. It could happen. I knew it could.

But how would we make this dream reality?

My eyes never left Levi during the family photos. His eyes stayed fixed on me too, and not because he wanted to finish what we’d started in the church basement. I thought I’d known Levi Dunn perfectly before, but I understood him even better now.

Then came dinner. Levi sat beside me at the head table, filling the seat Jeff would’ve occupied if he’d had the decency to show up to the wedding.

No one asked questions. If they had, I suppose we would’ve said we’d bonded as stepbrothers already, but we knew better.

Every once in a while, I felt his foot touch mine under the table.

No accident there. And then I felt his fingers dance along my leg.

Not to be outdone, I reached over, first resting my hand on his lap before finding my way to his crotch.

I groped and massaged my stepbrother, feeling his dick harden in my hand.

The guests and the rest of the wedding party were too busy eating their dinner to notice this naughty behavior between Levi and me.

Besides, we’d practically gotten away with murder before the ceremony. No one had seemed to notice how much physical exertion we’d subjected ourselves to before the wedding had started.

“What’s on your mind?” he asked.

Instinct told me he meant more than a good hard fuck once we got each other alone.

“Everything,” I said.

“After what we saw today, I know this is something I definitely want for myself,” Levi said.

“Me, too.”

“Okay, so when my mom throws her bouquet, can you make sure you’re the one to catch it?”

“It’s supposed to be caught by a girl, Levi.”

“Get with the times, would you?”

I couldn’t help laughing at that, even if I found it pretty corny. No matter how I felt about Levi now, he wasn’t known for his sense of humor, and that reminded me of why.

He’d said that to deflect from the problem at hand.

Like me, he couldn’t pretend like the problem of us being stepbrothers would simply go away.

It seemed gutsy to have a conversation like this at the head table, even though everyone was distracted.

Still, that was nothing compared to the courage we’d need to start a true relationship with one another.

“We can do it, you know,” Levi said. “I’ve never cared what people have thought before, and I’m not about to start now. We can be together. We can have it all.”

I drew a deep breath, then exhaled. Thinking we could live as ourselves, unconcerned about others, sounded so romantic, but I worried that it would only ever be a dream.

“I don’t know, Levi…”

“Are you saying that, after everything we’ve been through, that you wouldn’t at least give it a try?”

My reluctance to answer immediately should’ve suggested that the stigma would always hang over me. But I couldn’t say that to him. Levi was so determined, so in love with me, so…

“I don’t know what I’m saying. I just…”

I couldn’t tell Levi that I was scared. My old bully was the most fearless person I knew. Courage must’ve come naturally to him, but I was a different case.

To me, this felt like coming out of the closet again—only worse.

Most people understood gayness, even if they didn’t like it.

I could be myself, more or less, even if the threat of rejection remained ever-present.

Getting together with my stepbrother totally changed how people would view us, even if our love had begun brewing long before my dad ever met his mom.

We could always run away to a remote island. At this point, there was no one I’d rather wind up on an island with than Levi Dunn. At least the sex would be top-notch. I understood that love never came without its share of challenges, and that the person you love is always worth fighting for.

“It’s okay,” Levi said. “I see I just have a little more work to do. You’ll come around.”

“Are you saying you’re going to win me over again, whether I like it or not?”

“Boy, you really do catch on fast.”

“Guess I should’ve expected this.”

And of course I should have. Levi Dunn operated that way.

Spending eternity with him meant dealing with his unwavering determination in all things, especially concerning me.

I continued eating my dinner without any further words about us becoming a real-life couple.

Again, the idea excited me, but cold hard reality threw up walls.

Thankfully the speeches began and I didn’t have to worry about coming up with answers for Levi. But the time would come.

Soon.

Once the speeches concluded, the dancing began, starting with my dad and his new bride.

I stood back and hooked an arm around my new stepbrother, forgetting for a moment what others would think.

When others began dancing, Levi’s eyes met mine, and I knew exactly what he wanted to ask.

That dragged me back into reality. The two of us dancing together at the wedding would make a big splash.

It would clear up any misconceptions about our relationship, too.

At the same time, doing that would steal a lot of attention from my dad and stepmother, which I didn’t want to do. Yes, I had other reasons, but I found it best to stick with that one.

“You want to dance?” Levi extended his hand to me.

My throat felt desert dry. I had to lick my lips before speaking.

“I can’t,” I said.

“Sure, you can.”

“No, I’m serious. I really can’t.”

Saying no to Levi felt like heresy. I would’ve thought I’d conquered the worst of my fears when I realized Levi cared about me and Jeff didn’t, but apprehension still nagged at me.

“Come on, Quinn.” He spoke not with an air of command, but of insistence, knowing how momentous it would be. I wanted to believe it would be okay, but I just couldn’t shake my fears.

“It’s getting hot in here,” he said. “Why don’t we go outside for a minute?”

“Okay.”

I followed my stepbrother outside, wondering what he had planned. After all, wasn’t Levi Dunn always up to something?