Criminal: A Bad-Boy Stepbrother Romance Read online

He rushes in the second I'm free of the door and holds me close, his body pressed to mine awkwardly. He pulls out the wet gag from my mouth.

  "The keys," I gasp, motioning to the desk in the corner of the room. "The cop, he put them in there."

  Kaiden walks over to it with a limp, and when he turns back to me, I see that his shirt is bloody, a big gash up along his side. I wince in sympathetic pain as he disappears behind me, frantically undoing my handcuffs.

  I rub my wrists, the raw flesh so bright red, hurting from being twisted and yanked in my useless attempts to break free. Next he grabs out his Swiss army knife, cutting the bindings on my ankles, and I leap up, wrapping my arms around him.

  Tears stream down my face as he peppers my mouth with kisses, holding me tight despite all his bruises and the blood. I'm covered in it as well now, but I don't care.

  I'm just so happy to have him back again.

  "Come on," he says, guiding me to the door, letting me rest on him.

  My body feels all out of sorts, exhausted and sore, and although I know he wants to lift me up and relieve me of the burden of walking, he's too hurt to help more than what he is already.

  We make our way to the exit of the building, and there's no one else around. The cop cars are gone, as is Axel's bike, and me and Kaiden are left alone.

  Free.

  My arms wrap around him, the vibration of the bike going through me. I'm so exhausted, but the fact that I have Kaiden back is giving me a second wind.

  So when he pulls over at a rest stop and suggests we take a few minutes to clean ourselves up in the bathroom, I know what he means.

  I’ve never been put in so many life-or-death scenarios as I have recently, and it seems almost sick that it makes me want to appreciate life all the more. To clutch onto that bit of happiness I found with Kaiden, and never let it go.

  Now that we’re finally, blissfully alone, our passion can't be stopped. We need one another like we need air. After getting the keys from the gas station attendant, we both disappear into the cramped and dirty restroom.

  I don't even mind as he lifts me up, resting me on top of the sink, spreading my legs as he goes to work at his belt. Quickly that's taken off, and he's pushing my panties to the side and sinking into me. It's only been a few hours since we were last together, and we don't have the luxury of romance.

  We're both pressing into one another, unable to contain our need to just appreciate the fact that we're both still alive. That we made it out in one piece, and now, we're free.

  His bare cock strikes into my depths as his mouth moves along my throat.

  I feel filthy and wrong, my hands clasping the sink as I grind my hips into his, but it feels so right at the same time.

  I scream, no longer caring who hears, and he pounds me harder. The tapping digs into my back, and the sink threatens to break under the weight and force of his thrusts.

  One of my hands reaches up, wrapping around his neck, nails digging into him as he sucks my skin so hard I know it'll leave a mark. And I want it. I want him to mark me, to claim me as his, body, heart, and soul.

  I scream again as he ruts into me, his teeth biting at my skin, my head spinning with desire and need. I can't believe how good it feels being fucked like this, to be handled so roughly, but it's like a celebration of life.

  Of just being able to experience such pleasure and pain together in one.

  The mirror behind me stabs into my back, tearing my shirt even more, but I don't care. It all just serves as a glorious reminder that we're alive, that we made it, and I wrap my legs and arms around him. He lifts me from the sink, instead smacking my back against the wall as he holds me tight, rutting into me so hard.

  His lips are bruising and painful on mine, his every action filled with passion and joy, without consideration for being delicate. And I don't want him to be soft. I don't want him to treat me like a doll.

  I need to feel this, to feel him in his unhinged state and truly appreciate what his amazing body can do.

  We're a mess of dirt and unwashed hair, the smell of sex rising up off of us as I scream and cry, not caring who can hear.

  I want everyone to hear.

  I want the whole world to know what a sex god Kaiden is, and that he's all mine.

  His hand goes to my jaw, his fingers hard as he explores my neck, my skin, my ear.

  His hands knit into my hair, and he brings my mouth back to his, his teeth biting my lower lip, making me bleed, and I can only moan into it. He tastes like my blood, and I press my tongue to his, the muscle vibrating with my constant sounds of pleasure as he takes me hard in the dirty washroom.

  I don't know how long we go at it, how many times he whips me around, slamming me from one wall to another. I'm filthy, and dirty, and his as he presses me to the floor, staring down at me as he grabs my thighs and makes my ankles wrap around his throat.

  He's never been so deep, never been so hard with me, but I've never been so wet, and that lets him slap in easily.

  I feel like he's bruising me all over, my ass, my shoulders, my head, my mouth, and I'm shocked at how much I love it.

  How much I crave more.

  "Kaiden!" I scream, not caring that there's someone at the door, knocking, telling us to get out right now. I don't care, I want them to hear! To know that I'm being fucked in a slummy restroom by my hot step-brother.

  "Kaiden, fuck!" I cry out, and he growls, his hands on my hips, holding me in place. My thighs and legs ache as he stretches them back, forcing me to take him deeper and deeper into my body, his pace all the while growing faster and faster.

  I can't believe how much it hurts, how good it feels, and he grabs my breast through my flimsy top.

  There's no more delicate pinches, no teasing to his actions. He's serious, his hand gripping my small breast so hard that I know I'm going to have a bruise there, and I scream.

  His other hand goes to my clit, not rubbing, just pressing down on it, making those sparks appear before my eyes.

  He's like a whole different person. Not the man I knew who took home those random floozies and gave them a good time, not the sweet man who dirty talked me into bed and made me want him.

  This Kaiden is an animal, unhinged and raw, and he's simply taking what he needs from my body, what he wants. What I need, what I want. I cry out as the tops of my thighs press against my stomach, trapping his hand in place, and when I open my eyes I see him staring at me with such intensity.

  His green eyes move over my face, over my body, down to where his cock is firmly rooted in my pussy and the way my pale skin parts for his ruddy tool. It's so obscene, and so hot, and the man knocking at the door can't stop that, not even as we can hear the keys begin to work in the door. They must have finally got the spare set.

  "Hurry!" I beg him, needing my relief, needing to finish this, whatever it is. Whatever primal need that's driving us both on. I fear that if we're interrupted, we'll never recover.

  We'll never find our way back.

  And he presses my legs back even further as he begins to rub my clit harder and with more ferocity. His rough hand is usually so skilled and careful, but this time, it's brute force to match the rest of him, and I love it.

  It sends a jolt down my spine and then the waves of pleasure descend.

  I scream as the door clicks above me, opening and knocking me in the head.

  "Sir!" The man yelps, looking at the scene of the two of us on the floor, slaves to passion and one another's bodies.

  There's no stopping Kaiden, though, not then. He's a wild beast, and his hips keep moving as my pussy squeezes his tool, begging him to come. Begging for him to meet that peak with me.

  "Kaiden!" I scream again, and another tremble goes through me, my muscles tightening and massaging his cock, and I can feel it start to swell, warning me of what's to come.

  He thrusts in harder as the man grabs at his shirt, trying to tear him away from me, but there's no stopping him.

  "Abby!" he growls as h
e hits his peak, his pleasure flushing his face, his entire body tightening before he stabs himself deep inside me, spilling that seed against my womb once more, flooding my pussy with his hot come.

  My legs are still pinned between my shoulder and his, and he doesn't stop, not fully, not even after he reaches his peak. He gives a few more thrusts, making sure that every last drop of his come is lodged within me before he finally glares up at the gas station attendant.

  "I'm done," he says, swatting off the other man's hand as if it were a disgusting gnat he didn't want touching him.

  "You mind giving us a second?" he asks, though it's not a question. He grinds his cock into me, the flared tip pressed against my deepest recesses, as if in an example to the attendant who stares a little too long.

  I don't know what we must look like, filthy and dirty, rolling around and fucking on the floor of a gas station, but a huge part of me doesn't care.

  I have Kaiden back, and that's all that matters.

  The attendant finally leaves, giving us a few moments of privacy, though I know he's waiting just outside the door to, what? Chastise us?

  The thought makes me laugh out loud as Kaiden pulls from me, and he gives me an odd look. I shake my head, and bite down on my lip for a moment.

  "I think this is the first time anyone's ever caught us being bad together," I giggle, and Kaiden begins to laugh as well.

  "Yea, you were always so good at not being caught, Princess," he says, trying to keep his tone light as he turns on the tap, washing himself off. "And this time here you are, screaming like a banshee."

  I titter nervously as I quickly wash myself as well, and we make our way past the judgmental stare of the gas station employee, both of us laughing like kids.

  I have a little bounce to my step, and I know I should be embarrassed at being caught having sex in a public bathroom, or at least feel like I need a shower— which I do—but I just feel so great. All of that aggression and worry and lust all built up and just had to erupt.

  And holy wow did it erupt.

  I look up at him, smiling and expecting to see the same look on his face, but he looks... different somehow. Maybe it's just the pain of his wounds, and I know we need to get to a pharmacy at the very least, but it's not the same. Not even the same as last night, when he was in plenty of pain.

  I slow down, standing near his bike, and tug his hand.

  "What's wrong?" I ask, glancing back at the building and checking that no one had been following us.

  He shakes his head, patting my shoulder gently.

  "It's nothing. I just need to get to the store and get some bandages," he replies, but I know there's more to it. He's holding something back, but he gives me a look that warns me to drop it.

  We climb back on his bike, but suddenly it doesn't feel the same. It doesn't feel as comfortable, as safe. I'm not sure what just happened between the time that we were rutting on the bathroom floor like animals and now, but there's definitely something off.

  I wrap my arms loosely around his waist as he starts us off. I'm not sure where he's taking us, but I'm too exhausted to protest. The sun is starting to set off in the distance, a few clouds dulling the light and making it seem almost ominous.

  We can't really talk with the roar of the motorcycle between us, so I rest my head against his spine, listening to the rapid beating of his heart.

  What did he have to do to rescue me? What is it that's bothering him?

  My heart begins to beat faster, matching the pace of his, and I go over the options in my head. That he escaped, that he came back and rescued me, without anyone getting in his way. But I know that's not what happened.

  The huge gash along his stomach didn't come from nothing, barely bandaged with an old t-shirt.

  But I'm too scared to think of the other options.

  Did he hurt someone?

  Or worse?

  The thought makes my blood go cold.

  How could I have someone's murder on my hands? How can I live with myself knowing someone else died for me?

  I shake the thought out of my mind. I know Kaiden. I know he wouldn't do that, wouldn't kill someone in cold blood. He beat up bullies, he was always in a fight, but he'd never kill someone, I'm sure of that.

  But the way he's grown so cold since our quickie...

  It's an hour later, and we're in another town about a hundred miles away from where Kaiden lives and about fifty miles from where we grew up.

  I vaguely remember driving through on my way in, and Kaiden pulls up next to a bank that looks to be closed. He turns off the ignition, then reaches into his pocket, handing me a small key.

  "This is the place the money is, Princess. Come here tomorrow, show them the key, and tell them you have a safety deposit box you need to open. Six, five, three, one. You got that, Princess?"

  I nod, my eyes moving over his. There's no spark there, no fire, just... shadows.

  "Six, five, three, one," I repeat back to him, and he nods, leaning in and kissing my forehead.

  He turns on the motorcycle once more, and a few moments later, we're pulled up next to a pharmacy where I see a strange sight.

  My car. Sitting in the parking lot, abandoned and in the dark. How did he get that here from Axel’s place?

  I furrow my brow, not quite sure what to make of it as Kaiden dismounts.

  "I have to get some stuff for my wounds, Princess, but..."

  I stare at him, dread hanging heavy in my heart.

  "Don't," I say, my voice sounding so soft and scared. The parking lot is dimly lit, and I can see the pain in his expression as he shakes his head.

  "Princess, this is it... I can't be the man you deserve," he says, and the words cut through me like a knife.

  It's like he just ripped out my heart and threw it on the ground, and I clutch my chest. I'm not able to breath, my throat constricted, and he reaches out instinctively to lay a hand on my arm, helping me stand straight.

  Tears blur my vision as he stares down at me.

  "I can't change what I did, Abby. What I had to do to get you back."

  "Stop," I plead with him. I don't want him to say anymore.

  This is supposed to be our happy ending. This is supposed to be our happily ever after.

  He presses his lips to my forehead, brushing some of my hair from it so tenderly. He inhales, and I tremble against him, trying not to cry. Not to let him see me lose myself.

  But this can't be the end!

  "He's dead, Abby. I killed him, so that you can live. But that wasn't your choice," he says as if he instinctively knows I'd blame myself. Maybe he does.

  "I didn't want to, but I had to, but no matter what Axel says, I'll never be free of my past. Not totally. But you can be," he says, his index finger curling under my jaw, making me look up at him.

  "I don't care!" I cry out, thrusting myself into him and making him cringe in agony. "I don't care, I just want you!"

  But he kisses me again and shakes his head, and my whole world comes crashing down upon me. He's resolute, and I hate him so much at this moment.

  He's supposed to protect me, to be the one that will always be here for me, and now he's leaving me again?

  "Princess, I need you gone by the time I come back out. They're going to be watching me," he says before he presses his lips to mine, quieting another sob from escaping.

  How am I supposed to just leave? To let him walk away from what we have?

  My chest heaves, and my knees feel like they're going to buckle and let me fall, but Kaiden lets me go, and somehow I manage to stay on my feet. He grabs the backpack that was stuffed in the saddle, handing it to me.

  "I got your laptop and some of your clothes and things. It's not much, but it's not safe to go back there, ever. Do you understand? You have to stay as far from that place as you can, and once you get that money from the bank tomorrow, never come back here either. Start fresh, somewhere where they can never find you again."

  I can barely make sense
of his words even, but I'm too exhausted to fight him anymore. He's made up his mind.

  He's decided for the both of us what I'm to do.

  He kisses my forehead again.

  "Go to college, Abby. Make a life for yourself. Make me proud, okay? You always said I was your hero, but you've always been mine, Princess. Please... Please don't make this harder than it needs to be."

  I don't. I can't. I'm too dazed, too sad and disappointed and deflated to do anything more than drag myself to my car, chucking my bag in the passenger seat and slumping down.

  If he doesn't want me here, then there's no reason for me to stay.

  As he makes his way into the pharmacy, his shoulders are slumped, and I watch my step-brother turn his back and leave me once more.

  All I can do is cry. Big, ugly tears, my skin still holding the imprints and sensations of where and how he touched me. The things he did to me. The things I wanted him to do to me.

  And now it's all over.

  Five days. It's been five days since I last saw Kaiden, since he walked out of my life. I'm now richer than I could have ever hoped, but it's all hollow, because there's nothing I want.

  I've had to drive around listlessly for a long time, not sure what to do or where to go. I've had to avoid everything and everyone I ever knew, and I don't have anyone left.

  No family, no friends, no Kaiden.

  The money sits in my glove box and beneath the seats, taunting me, teasing me about all the things I can't use it for, but it doesn't matter. The fog of depression weighs heavy on my shoulders, and I just don't care about anything anymore.

  On the fourth day, I found myself driving through the same town I'd been arrested in, and thought back to Sarah. About the fact that she'd three times been arrested for prostitution, and I knew they wouldn't come down easy on her.

  So I set up an anonymous way of paying a lawyer that came highly recommended on backpage by other escorts, and asked him to help her out. I figured if there's anything that the money could do, helping a person in need might at least make me feel a bit better, but it didn't.

  Instead, I feel just as hollow as I did before.