Share
1 || Loving can hurt
It doesn’t get easier but you get better at pretending. So much so that when Calum and his bandmates appear on TV, I don’t even flinch or bat an eyelid. Amelia settles down by my left. I feel her eyes on me right before the show starts. She’s worried. She has always been the mother hen but now that Mace is almost here, she’s paranoid.
Amelia grabs the remote from the coffee table, dragging it closer so I can place my feet on the table. I send her a smile. She gets me.
“Are you sure you want to watch this?” she asks.
I don’t want to but his voice works magic for Mace and I love my comfort. I place the bowl of popcorn on my belly and she steals from it. We stare ahead at the TV glued to the white wall of our office. I can’t hear their voices yet because the sound is on mute.
“Not really. You know how his voice calms Mace. I don’t have much of a choice here.”
A s
Related chapters
To Tempt My Stepbrother 2 || Nothing is the same anymore
CALUMI slam the door to the dressing room close. Mum walks in seconds after, an apology already on the tip of her lips. Where’s the idiot, Scott? That fool, Jerry, was only supposed to ask the questions on the list.We were supposed to announce the date of our new tour. But the prick kept coming at me like we had unsettled beef. I run a hand through my hair and my fingers brush the mass of ink almost stretching to the nape of my neck. He was right about a scar but how did he know? No one outside the band should know.My chest sags as I drop into the stool in front of the mirror and stare at the man the people love. I press two fingers under my eyes, then lower them to stretch my lips into a fake smile. I’ve done it long enough for the fans to think my smiles and laughter are real.I’m not as happy or content as someone who has had nothing but back to back success in a short term should be. Something is not right and I don’t kn
To Tempt My Stepbrother 3 || And a girlfriend
CALUM“Off?” Mum calls out behind me.I race to the gate, trying to outrun the image growing in my head. Our apartment is on the outskirts to discourage the paparazzi and crazy fans. The small black gate swings open. I walk straight to the kitchen and pour myself a glass of cold water. It helps.Mum joins me. She drags a stool beside me, then proceeds to heat up some food. If she wasn’t living with me, I would be living with the boys. But I can’t ask her to leave and I can’t move out. She has given up enough.“You were saying something,” she murmurs while sifting through her handbag on the marble counter. “Something is off? Calum?”The microwave pings, saving me from her question. When she gets into detective mode, she won’t quit until she has answers.Mum pulls out the Tupperware and dishes the spaghetti into smaller plates. I play with the food, roll it around my fork th
To Tempt My Stepbrother 4 || Permanently closed
My eyes hurt from staring at my laptop, but I can’t look away from the graphs and charts on the screen. I’m trying to understand where we might have gone wrong to lose our biggest support. The dip in the month of December affected the ads, which in turn negatively impacted our revenue.Still, I can’t wrap my head around the fact Thomas backed out. I tap on a random key to keep the laptop’s screen alive. The other half of my screen contains a list of potential investors that might be interested in taking Thomas’s place. If that doesn’t work, we might be forced to take a short-term loan.Tears prick my eyes, and I force them back to their confines. Things were just starting to look up for us. Girls Code crossed fifty thousand downloads in five months. I place a hand on my belly, seeking comfort from Mace while I type away.In the silence of the house, the click clack of my keyboard echoes through the dining room. Ame
To Tempt My Stepbrother 5 || Reminders of him
Sweat runs down my temples. My arms shake a few times in the process of setting up the dining room for the zoom meeting with the CFOs of Loan Dolphin. Due to the travel restrictions caused by the flood of last week, the meeting was rescheduled online.“How’s it going?” Dad calls out from the kitchen.I glance at my phone. “Fine. Thanks, Dad.”Amelia should be here soon. We are having the interview together. Dad is only here for moral support.An ache shoots through my abdomen, but it’s gone as soon as it comes. I sit and smoothen a hand over my belly. I didn’t mention that I was pregnant to them, maybe I should have to score some pity points.Dad’s feet slap the floorboard as he joins me in the dining. He drags his chair close to peek at my laptop. The email with the zoom invite is open on my screen. Dad rubs his shoulder against mine, his face becoming sombre. I can handle thi
To Tempt My Stepbrother 6 || Superstar. My superstar.
CALUMI shaved, not because Mum asked. But because Yani touched my beards. No matter how much I brush my mouth, I still feel the imprint of her lips on mine. What was I thinking when I said yes to Mum? I don’t need a girlfriend. I don't care what the media says about my sexuality. They want music, and I’m giving them music. That is that. Or so I want to think but I can’t ignore the buzz generated since those pictures were uploaded. I didn’t even have to do it myself. The handler posted them after selecting the best five. I browse through the comment sections on my Instaagram page from my other account. Some of the comments are mean, some are neutral, and some wish me well. But one thing is common with all the comments, they believe the pictures. I close my eyes and my head falls back. Around me, footsteps echo in the corridor, with the faint smell of antiseptic acting as a constant reminder of my location and unresolved issues.
To Tempt My Stepbrother 7 || Catherine Jenkins
CALUMCathy.Her name is Catherine Jenkins.She’s the same person. The pink hair and the black hair. They are both her. Cathy. My Cathy. My first and only girlfriend.I slump down on the bed of the hotel I’m sleeping in tonight. My head still reels from the conversation with Tessa. It was a lot. It was too much. I toss my jacket on the bed, get off it, then start pacing the room. My thoughts swirl, creating a confusing mix.A phone rings. The familiar ringtone makes my hands clench into fists. Mum. I let the phone ring. Once. Twice. Thrice. The fifth time she calls, I wrench it from the bed and storm to the window. I pull the curtains open. It’s late but my eyes catch movement below. This is the city where people never sleep.“Cal,” Mum says. “Where are you?”“I’m not coming home tonight,” I tell her and end the call. She knew about Cathy.A
To Tempt My Stepbrother 8 || Shut up
I jolt awake. Mace. I spring out of the bed and race to the connecting door to his room, only to rush back to my room to check his crib. One look at him and a rush of air escapes my lips. We moved his crib here because I have become obsessed with listening to his heartbeat. I have lost count of how often. But I do it as often as I breathe.Cradling him in my arms, I perch on the edge of the bed and watch my little one. His lips pucker, and he makes a cute sound only babies can make as he stretches his tiny arms. My baby. I sway from left to right to assure him he’s okay when his eyes open.Blues the same colour as his father’s stare up at me. He blinks and my heart does a flip. It doesn’t hurt to look into his blues but it hurts to have a physical reminder of my heartbreak. It’s kind of fucked up. He left with my heart but Mace is piecing me back.“Mama. Mama is here,” I mutter when Mace continues staring.A
To Tempt My Stepbrother 9 || I want to hate him
I wake up feeling different, almost brand new. My hand shoots out to the side to reach Mace but someone brings it back down. I peel one eye open, then the other. Amelia sticks out her tongue, her fingers stretching the corners of her lips to form a toothy smile. She is a clown and I love her.“He’s awake. He’s fine,” she says. My body relaxes at those words. I’m not sure when she got into bed with me but I push closer to her for a brief hug. I like to think of her as the sister I never had but she’s more than that. “I even listened to his heartbeat.”My fingertip traces circles on the tip of her nose. Amelia giggles and swats my hand. “Okay, I believe you.”“Thank you, Mama Mace.”“Mama Mace?” I reply. I stretch out my arms and a yawn escapes me. My head falls to the pillow. I squint at the window behind my bed. The curtains are drawn, making it harder to
Latest chapter
- To Tempt My Stepbrother Epilogue
- To Tempt My Stepbrother 59 || Use me
- To Tempt My Stepbrother 58 || Marry this man
- To Tempt My Stepbrother 57 || You came
- To Tempt My Stepbrother 56 || Surprise
- To Tempt My Stepbrother 55 || I love you forever
- To Tempt My Stepbrother 54 || Are you scared?
- To Tempt My Stepbrother 53 || Number one happy place
- To Tempt My Stepbrother 52 || Whatever you want to be
