Share
40 || New York
It’s quiet. Nobody is talking.
We have been in Calum’s car since the end of his meeting, which consisted of him singing an original and one of Mending Hearts singles. If I wasn’t on my period, I might have creamed my pants from listening, watching him sing about us. I used to think our guitar moments were lit but Calum in that room with his headphone plugged in was a new dimension I want to always see.
Scott and Caleb bore shit eating grins throughout Calum’s singing. I get it. My boyfriend is a star but New York? I thought London studio meant staying in London. The fear of Calum leaving me so soon wraps around my neck like a thick cord.
“You’re going to New York?” I finally ask.
Calum is stiffer than I am. Rock solid. “Nothing has been concluded. Just talks for now.” I spare him a glance and his throat bobs as he swallows hard. “Sam and Luc were thinking we could get back
Related chapters
To Tempt My Stepbrother 41 || Last day
Sunday morning sneaks upon us like a thief. It is our last day here. Our reality hovers above us all morning. Things will be different once we return to Wells. No more stolen kisses or open touches. It will suck big time and I don’t look forward to it.Calum orders a full English breakfast to cheer me up. When the attendant trolleys in the food, his blues bore into the tray, then at the back of the attendant’s head as he exits the room.“What is this?” Calum asks, pushing the trolley closer to the bed. His face has the same look of amusement it did when I ordered the spaghetti. I adjust to create space. He dumps the tray on the bed and stabs the crisp bacon. “This is all of it?”There’s bacon. Scrambled eggs. Sausage. Toast. A large side of baked beans for two. Even two cups of coffee. I sit cross-legged on the bed and dish our food into the smaller plates on the tray.“Yep. All of it. What were
To Tempt My Stepbrother 42 || Too perfectly well
“You didn’t let her finish,” I say moments after the call ends. Calum readjusts and crosses his legs. I do the same, leaving an obvious distance between us. “She didn’t finish her question, Cal. And you said no. Do you still want to break up?”“Of course not.” Calum’s hand stretches to take mine but I hide it behind me. “I panicked, okay?”“Okay.”His phone rings again. He glares at it without touching it. I itch to grab the phone and smack it against his chest. It could be Scott. It could be another person who will give us another reason to doubt each other. It wasn’t Tessa’s fault.“It’s not okay, baby.” He leans forward, taking my hands against my will. I stop struggling since it will get us nowhere. “This is kind of complicated. We haven’t discussed who to tell.”“You told them at the studio,” I p
To Tempt My Stepbrother 43 || Stop hiding
CALUMCathy is hardly awake by the time the car drives into the familiar streets of Wells. The best I can do is haul our bags. Sadly, I have to watch my girl trot up the stairs on wobbly feet when she should be nestled in my arms and carried up to her room. Our long kisses, hugs on the way home feel like nothing now we have to face reality.It’s time for us to stop hiding.Pete’s car is parked out front. I flash my image on the window a smile and rehearse a few lines in my head. Mum should also be home. She’s the real issue, the person we need to convince.Cathy halts at the top of the front stairs without opening the door. Quickening my pace to find out the problem, I’m smothered in a tight hug. Her eyes well with tears, she sniffs and throws me a smile. Questions hang on the tip of my tongue as she unlocks the door. I follow behind but slow down to see what caught her interest.Our parents cuddled on the co
To Tempt My Stepbrother 44 || Simple biology
I feel funny. My mouth has a weird, bitter taste and my head hurts. I slept all through the night with no memory of Calum coming in but it still feels like I haven’t had enough sleep. On my knees, I groan into the pillow. We should have returned home on Saturday so I could have gotten an extra day to sleep in.A knock goes off outside the door. I mumble into my pillow and the door creaks open. If it’s open, then Calum must have spent the night with me.I hear a click, then heavy footsteps before I’m pulled into my baby’s arms. “Are you okay?”Without opening my eyes, I know he’s peering down at me with a dent between his brows and his lips puckered. I nod but it only increases the pounding in my head. Bile jumps to my throat, and I scoot out of Calum’s laps. It’s a race against myself to get to the bathroom without throwing up on myself.And I make it right in time. Crumbling to the t
To Tempt My Stepbrother 45 || Bad boyfriend
By Tuesday morning, I am feeling much better. Dad is the first one at my door. Yesterday was tough with him and Dani fussing so much. I pat my cheeks to give them some colour, then invite him inside. If he thinks I’m not well enough, it will be another day in the house for me. That itself isn’t bad but I miss my friends and Calum will have no excuse to stay back with me.“Hey,” Dad calls out from the door. He shuts the door with his foot and continues towards the vanity. Our blues meet in the mirror. “How do you feel now, Cathy? Any better or worse?”“Much better.” I turn around to hug him and he holds on for an extra second longer. A warning bell trips off in my head. “Are you okay, Dad?”His blues are smiling. He nods. “Why wouldn’t I be? I was just worried about my daughter.”“Okay, Dad.”Picking up my backpack strapped to the
To Tempt My Stepbrother 46 || It’s wrong
I was nervous before taking the solo but the emotions of that day don’t compare to the fear coursing through my body right now. Oh, my God. What if I’m pregnant? I don’t want a baby. Someone taps me. I move away from the door and try to refocus my thoughts but the person taps me again. My head snaps towards the source. Amelia. I release a tired breath. She is the reason I’m in this mess. I’m not ready. “It’s time,” she says. I nod. Because what else am I supposed to say? The instructions on the kit said to wait at least five minutes before checking. Amelia slings her arm through my elbow and walks me inside the bathroom. I pause at the sink where the cup and pregnancy stick is. We share a glance. “You do it,” I tell her. She laughs. “It’s not funny.” “Yeah.” I try not to peek over Amelia’s shoulder but my curiosity gets the best of me. Two lines glare at me from the white stick and I stagger backwards until my back hits the wall. Maybe I saw wrong.A sob catches in my chest. I
To Tempt My Stepbrother 47 || Even if it hurts
“Do you really have to go today?” I ask Calum.He stops packing to sit on the edge of his bed. I stare down at my feet. I thought I could handle him leaving for a few days. But I haven’t been the same since Amelia talked about the test.We will be going to the hospital this evening.“Yeah. You know I want you to be there with me but I don’t know what to tell our parents. And you have school today.” Fuck school. He walks over to me. His hip nudges mine playfully but I don’t look up. “Baby. We can do something when I get back.”“Okay.”“Cathy, look at me.” I obey. His expression cracks. Without warning, he sweeps me off my feet and pulls me down with him to the bed. I straddle him. “Baby, what’s wrong? Superstar, I can’t leave if you’re this way.”He needs to leave so he can work on his career but my b
To Tempt My Stepbrother 48 || I dare you
Calum has not called or texted. Granted, it has only been four hours since he left but that’s too much time without a word from him. He should be in London. I could text or call him to find out instead of staring at my phone. But I was the one who walked out on him. The one who locked myself in my room and didn’t step out till he was gone.Amelia had to come pick me up. We were both late because of that. I put my phone away. It’s for the best. I can focus on Girls Code while he focuses on his music. The term is almost over anyway, he will be leaving soon to his America where he can eat fries and call football soccer.It takes me less than a minute to bring out my phone. I open my WattsApp, and my heart clenches. Calum has updated his status. He is in London. I type in a long apology in reply to his status but instead of hitting the send button, I hit delete and place my phone face down on the cafeteria table.The girls should
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
