SiennaAva barely said two words through the rest of lunch, but her silence was louder than any outburst. Every time Jaxon leaned across the table to push my tray closer or muttered a low “eat something,” I felt her eyes burning holes into me.By the time the bell rang, Ava’s smile had cracked completely. I caught her and her little clique huddled near the lockers, whispers flying fast.“She’s his sister,” one of her friends reminded her, a little too loudly.“Step-sister,” Ava snapped, arms crossed tight. “And you don’t look at your step-sister like that.”I pretended not to hear. My heart was pounding too hard anyway.But Ava’s day only got worse. In the courtyard, Caleb—who had been orbiting her for months—was leaning against the bench, his phone tilted toward Kendra. They were laughing, heads almost touching.“Stop, Caleb,” Kendra giggled, swatting at his arm.Ava froze mid-step, her face twisting like she’d just bitten into something sour. I knew that look. It wasn’t just jealous
JaxonAs soon as I go to my room, I sat there in the dark, the phone screen the only light in my room. My thumbs kept moving, even when my eyes burned."How to reduce cramps fast.""Does chocolate actually help period pain?""What not to say to a girl on her period."I read everything. Articles, blogs, random forums. Half of it sounded useless, half of it made sense, but all of it—every stupid word—I took in like it was gospel. Because it was her. And I couldn’t stand watching her curl up, biting back those sounds that weren’t pleasure this time but pain.I wanted to fix it.And that scared me more than anything else.Because wanting to fix her pain wasn’t stepbrother instinct. It wasn’t something safe. It was something deeper, heavier. Something I couldn’t name without admitting what we’d already done, what we’d already crossed.I let the phone slide onto the mattress, staring at the ceiling. My body was still restless, still carrying the phantom heat of her skin against mine, but my
SiennaThe glow of my phone lit up the room in soft blue, the thread of our messages still open. My last words to him hung there like a dare:I want you. Will you come over to my room?The three dots appeared. Disappeared. Then came back again. My heart beat so fast it felt like it would tear out of my chest.A few minutes later, the faintest creak of the floorboard by my door made me sit up. My pulse raced as the handle turned slowly. Jaxon slipped inside, closing it behind him with the softest click, his shadow moving across my room like we were both doing something forbidden.He didn’t say a word. He didn’t have to. His eyes locked with mine in the dark, and that was enough.The second he reached my bed, I pulled him down and our lips crashed together, hungry and messy, our hands were everywhere; grabbing and fondling my boobs, grabbing his head as I made tuggled his hair with my fingers…. like we couldn’t get enough. His weight pressed against me, his mouth tasting like mint gum,
JaxonThe silence between us got louder. My pen slipped from my fingers, rolling off the desk, but neither of us moved to pick it up.Sienna’s eyes stayed on mine, wide and locked in place. Her lips parted like she wanted to say something, but nothing came out.My hand twitched, wanting to reach for hers.She shifted closer. Just a little. Just enough to send a charge crawling up my spine.“Jaxon…” she whispered.That was all it took—one word in that voice. I leaned in, my chest tightening, every nerve screaming at me to close the space between us.Her hand brushed mine. Her knee pressed against my leg. My breath caught.This was it. The barrier was gone.Then—HOOONK!We both jumped. The sound blasted through the open window, sharp and clear: a car horn in the driveway.“Crap,” Sienna gasped, jerking back.I dragged a hand over my face, half groaning, half laughing bitterly. “Of course. Perfect timing.”We scrambled to our feet, shoving books together, acting like nothing had been ha
SiennaMy heart slammed so hard I thought it might burst out of my chest. The moan still rang in my ears, too loud, too sharp—like it had been shouted into the whole house.Oh God, did she hear it? Did she know?Jaxon and I scrambled apart in a frenzy, the heat of him still clinging to me as I yanked my panties back into place, fumbling with the fabric that he’d shoved aside minutes ago. My hands shook so badly I nearly ripped them.“Move,” he hissed, fixing his zipper, his chest still heaving. He grabbed his trousers, dragging them up fast, eyes darting toward the stairs like a hunted animal.Then my elbow clipped the edge of a dish on the counter. It slid, teetered, and shattered against the tiled floor in a burst of glass and noise.I froze. My blood turned to ice.The footsteps halted for a split second on the stairs.“No—no, no, no—” I whispered under my breath, crouching to sweep the broken pieces together with trembling fingers.But then I heard it—her voice. Not at us, but int
SiennaThe morning air felt lighter than the kitchen had, but my chest was still tight with laughter I couldn’t let out. I was grinning without meaning to, and of course Dad noticed the second I reached him at the car.“Why are you smiling like that?” he asked, eyebrows lifted as he took the bag from me. “Something funny in there?”I swallowed the giggle threatening to burst out and shook my head. “Nope. Just… happy it’s revision week at school.”“Uh-huh.” He didn’t buy it, not fully. Dad had that way of studying me, like he could see straight through excuses. His lips twitched, but he didn’t press. Instead, he adjusted his tie in the car window and reached into his wallet.“Here,” he said, slipping a few bills into my hand. “That’s for you. And give some to Jaxon too, don’t keep it all to yourself.”I laughed, rolling my eyes. “I wouldn’t do that.”Dad gave me the classic dad look.“Okay, maybe I’d think about it,” I admitted, and he chuckled, patting my shoulder before climbing into