Forbidden Attraction

Chapter three

Arielle

"What are you doing here?" I hissed at the dark haired man as he slid in beside me.

"So you agree that you stole my watch?" He asked.

My jaw dropped open, and a glance around the table revealed that the other two occupants of it were just as slack jawed as I was.

What in God's name was going on here?

"Ian your late," Charles' voice was as harsh as a whip.

"My apologies, father," the man's voice was just as sharp.

Wait, father? What!

"He's your dad?" I wheezed, feeling bile crawl up my throat. Eighteen years I had lived a good, pure, innocent life and the one time I decided to do something wild and reckless, I had landed in the middle of a soap opera.

"Have you two met?" Mum asked, glancing between us suspiciously.

"I-uh- I mean_" I stuttered, feeling cold sweat bead down my spine.

"Of course not," Ian said easily, "I thought the red hair looked familiar. She looks shockingly identical to the woman I picked up at a bar last night."

My mum chuckled, "It couldn't have been my Ari. She doesn't go to bars."

His blue eyes settled on me with amusement, "Interesting. Well, if you say your daughter doesn't go to bars, then I'm inclined to believe you, after all, you must know her extremely well."

My teeth ground together so hard that I was afraid they'd grind into dust. He was obviously messing with me. Had he orchestrated our meeting last night? How could he do something so sick knowing that we were about to become family? Had it all been a ploy to humiliate me?

I immediately took back everything I had said about my perfect one night stand. That perfect dream had turned to a glaring nightmare in the cold light of day.

"Are you ready to order?" I glanced up to see a waitress staring at Ian like he was a six course meal. I wondered if that was how stupidly I had stared at him at the bar.

The dark haired man leaned back in the booth, spreading his thighs more comfortably till they were pressed up against mine, "Why don't you surprise me? I'm sure you have excellent taste."

The girl giggled, twirling the end of her hair with one hand, "I'll recommend the double Sunday special for you. I'm sure a man of your size has a massive appetite."

My eyes narrowed at the waitress, and to my surprise, something sinister settled at the base of my stomach. I refused to think I was jealous though. What did I have to be jealous about? A psychopath play boy who seduced everything in a skirt including his own step sister?

"Why don't you two stay for breakfast," my mother's voice cut through my dark thoughts.

"W-what? Him and I?" I screeched, horrified by the mere notion of spending any more time around Ian.

She nodded, "Charles has eaten already and I've just started my new intermittent fasting cycle. We're going shopping, so you two can stay and get to know each other. Lovely, right?"

"Actually, I have a date with_" I began to lie.

"What date, hmm?" The dark haired asshole slung his arm over my shoulder and pulled me tighter to his side, "You can cancel, sis. Family bonding is more important than going on a ten dollar date with a sixteen year old."

"Fuck you," I gritted out, low enough for only him to hear.

"Been there, done that, don't want a repeat, " he whispered back, a devious smile on his face.

My fingers curled into fists under the table, and i resisted the urge to smash my fists into his stupidly perfect face.

"Well, in that case, you two have fun," mum said with an excited squeal.

Before I could formulate an argument as to why I wasn't to be left alone with Ian, the two had disappeared from the restaurant arm in arm.

"You lied to me," he spat, inching forward, eyes burning with fury, "You failed to mention that you're a child while you were devouring me with your eyes last night."

"Excuse me?" I gasped, "You expect me to believe that last night was a coincidence? Well I'm not stupid_"

"I seriously doubt that."

"You targeted me," I snapped.

"Because you were the most easily accessible woman in that bar. Or should I say girl. Nobody else would have been so desperate to throw herself at a stranger."

Hurt lanced through me, as sharp and as painful as a knife, "You're an asshole."

"That's not what I heard last night," he drawled, "If I had known you were sixteen, I would never have touched you. Who the hell let a child into that bar, and served you beer for that matter?"

"I'm eighteen."

"The ten years between us can as well be fifty," he gritted out, "Did you plan to ruin my life by batting your lashes at me and wearing that slutty dress? Does your mommy know that her perfect daughter with the perfect A plus results picks up men at bars?"

"It was a one off thing!" I cried, "And you know what? Go to hell, Ian, you self righteous prick. Don't pretend like I forced you into taking me back to your hotel. Last night was clearly a mistake, that will never be repeated!"

I climbed out of the booth and raced to the bathroom, blinking back the tears that stung my eyes. But just as I made to shut the bathroom door, a tall figure burst in after me.

"You can't be in here," I barked, "This is the lady's bathroom."

He took a step forward and I took one back, eyes sliding over his body in the form fitting navy slacks and white shirt he had on. Heat pooled down to my belly, and i scampered away from him.

By the time my back pressed up against the wall, I realised I had trapped myself, and Ian must have realised it too because he smirked.

"You're my stepbrother, this is wrong," i whispered.

"We aren't step siblings yet," he leaned over me, "And we are way past wrong."

"W-why are you doing this?"

His eyes flashed dangerously, "For one simple reason."

"And that is?"

"I want to," with that, my soon-to-be step brother's mouth slammed down on mine.