CHAPTER 6

JULIAN

I sat there on the kitchen slab for a split second, cock still twitching, mind reeling. Cum and saliva glistened on my skin. Panic hit me like a truck. I shoved off the counter, legs shaky, and practically ran to the sink. Cold water blasted from the faucet as I splashed my face and hands, scrubbing desperately to erase any trace of what we’d just done. My heart hammered so loud I was sure Mom could hear it from the hallway.

Enzo didn’t move. He just leaned against the counter like nothing had happened, pants still open, cock tucked away casually. That dominant smirk stayed on his face, eyes half-lidded from the whiskey but sharp enough to pin me in place.

“Julian? Enzo?” Mom’s voice floated closer. “Where are you boys?”

She stepped into the kitchen, smiling brightly, still in her nice dress from wherever they’d gone. Dante was right behind her, looking relaxed. Her eyes lit up when she saw us. “Oh! Look at you two. Already bonding in the kitchen? That’s wonderful. I was hoping you’d get along.”

I froze at the sink, water dripping down my chin, face burning. My jaw dropped when Enzo answered without missing a beat.

Enzo chuckled low, adjusting his loosened tie with one hand. “Yeah, we’re bonding real deep, Elena. Julian here just showed me how well he releases family secrets. It was even better than I expected.”

My jaw literally dropped. The double meaning hit me like a slap. Heat flooded my cheeks. I stared at him, eyes wide, silently begging him to shut up. 

Mom tilted her head, completely oblivious, a soft laugh escaping her. “Oh, that’s sweet. Family secrets? Like sharing stories from high school? Thank God you’re bonding. I was worried about the whole stepbrother thing, but this makes me so happy. Dante, aren’t they adorable?”

Dante nodded, clapping Enzo on the shoulder. “Good to see, son. Keep it up.”

I wanted the floor to swallow me. “Yeah… bonding,” I muttered weakly, drying my hands on a towel. My voice came out hoarse. “Totally. Great.”

Enzo staggered a little as he pushed off the counter, still drunk but moving with that commanding presence. “I’m heading upstairs. Got some… things to handle.” He shot me one last dark look, lips twitching like he was holding back another filthy comment. “Night, Julian.”

He disappeared up the stairs, footsteps heavy and uneven.

Mom turned to me fully, her expression softening into that motherly concern I knew too well. She stepped closer and touched my arm. “Julian, honey, are you okay? You look a little flushed. Is everything alright with the move and all this change? I know it’s a lot—new city, new family, your med school stress on top of it.”

I forced a smile, trying to steady my breathing. My body still tingled from Enzo’s mouth, from the way he’d swallowed every drop while our parents walked in. “I’m fine, Mom. Really. I’m glad you’re happy. Dante seems… good for you. You deserve this. After everything in Jersey, seeing you smile like that tonight? It means a lot.”

She pulled me into a tight hug, her arms warm and familiar. “Thank you, baby. That’s all I wanted to hear. You’re such a good son. I love you so much.” She held me for a long moment, then pulled back with a playful wink. “And I’m serious about you and Enzo bonding. He’s a smart boy—law school and everything. You two could be great friends. Or more than that, who knows? Brothers support each other.”

My stomach twisted. Brothers. The word felt dirty now after what had just happened on this very counter. “Yeah… brothers,” I said, the word sticking in my throat.

Dante crossed the kitchen and clapped me on the back, firm but kind. “ I meant what I said at the wedding, I’m here for you too. Anything you need, school, life, whatever. We’re family now.” He turned to Mom, eyes softening with clear affection. “Come on, Elena. Let’s head upstairs. It’s been a long day, and I want to celebrate properly with my beautiful wife.”

Mom giggled like a teenager, letting him pull her toward the stairs. “Goodnight, Julian! Don’t stay up too late.”

“Night, Mom. Night, Dante,” I called after them.

As soon as they disappeared up the stairs, I scrunched my nose up in pure disgust. I could already imagine what “celebrating properly” meant. The thought of my mom and Dante… ugh. But worse than that disgust was the twisted heat still lingering in my gut. What Enzo and I had done turned me on in ways I hated admitting. The risk, the filth, his dominant control while our parents were right outside, it was wrong. So fucking wrong. Yet my cock twitched again at the memory of his mouth, his growl, his cum down my throat.

I stood there alone in the kitchen for a minute, staring at the counter where he’d lifted me. The marble still felt cool under my palms. Shame washed over me, mixed with something darker and addictive. This was my stepbrother now. My mom’s husband’s son. And I had just let him, begged him, almost to use my mouth while they walked in the door.

I shook my head hard and headed upstairs too, legs still a little unsteady. The house was quiet except for the distant murmur of voices from Mom and Dante’s room. I slipped into my own room, closing the door softly behind me. My back hit the wood as I leaned against it, breathing out a long, shaky sigh.

“Fuck,” I whispered to the empty space. “This is so wrong.”

But I couldn’t lie to myself. Part of me, the part that had moaned his name and swallowed for him wanted it to happen again. Enzo’s dark grin, his rough orders, the way he called me “pretty boy” even while drunk… it scared me how much it turned me on.

I stripped off my clothes and collapsed onto the bed, mind racing with every filthy detail from tonight and the night in the car. Sleep felt impossible. All I could think about was how deeply we were both screwed now that our parents had made this official.

Family dinners were going to be hell.