Chapter One

Asher

I couldn't believe what I was seeing.

Jace had Emma pinned against the wall at the bottom of the stairs, kissing her hard. One of his massive hands was squeezed under her skirt, fingers digging into her ass cheek, pulling her thigh up around his hip.

She was moaning into his mouth, loud enough that I heard it over the thumping bass, her other hand clawing at his shirt like she wanted it ripped off.

Well well well.

My stepbrother and my girlfriend.

I'd been dating Emma for four months. I thought we were actually happy. But right then, her hands were tangled in Jace's dark hair, and she was kissing him back like her life depended on it.

The Delta frat house was packed, but it felt like the music had just faded into background noise. The rest of Jace's hockey team was standing around the living room, holding their beers, whistling and cheering them on. Every single one of them knew she was my girlfriend. And every single one of them was looking right up at the second-floor balcony where I was standing.

They were waiting for the nerd to snap.

I shouldn't have been surprised. This was exactly what Jace did. It was his favorite game.

Our parents got married seven years ago. On the very first day, Jace threw my suitcase down the front concrete steps. "This isn't your home."

Sophomore year, I got my first girlfriend. He made out with her behind the bleachers a week later, then whispered in my ear. "Nerds don't deserve love."

Just last week, I found my Stanford early admissions application ripped to shreds in the kitchen trash. He sat across from me at dinner that night, smiling like it was the funniest joke in the world.

An icy rage came over me. I didn't even think.

I ran down the stairs, shoving my way through the sweaty crowd. I reached the bottom, grabbed Emma's arm, and yanked her away from him so hard she stumbled.

"What the fuck are you doing?" I yelled, my voice cracking.

Emma gasped, her eyes wide.

Jace didn't even flinch. He just stood there, casually wiping a smear of her lip gloss off his mouth with the back of his hand. He looked at me like I was a pathetic loser.

I didn't care that he was the hockey captain. I didn't care that he was taller and built like a tank. I pulled my fist back and punched him right in the face.

Someone killed the music. The whole room went dead silent.

Jace stumbled back half a step. He touched his jaw, looked at the drop of blood on his thumb, and then looked back at me. He didn't look angry. His eyes were cold, but there was this twisted, dark amusement in them.

"You're still so easy to piss off, Asher," he said quietly.

Before I could swing again, someone shoved me hard in the chest.

It was Emma. She was glaring at me, her chest heaving, her makeup completely messed up.

"Are you crazy?" she screamed. "What is wrong with you?!"

"What is wrong with me?" I pointed at Jace, my hand shaking. "He's my stepbrother, Emma! You're kissing him in front of half the school!"

"At least he's a real man!" she yelled back, her voice echoing in the quiet room. "You always do this, Asher! You act like a total maniac. You just throw tantrums over everything. Jace is right about you. You're completely immature."

I just stared at her. The humiliation hit me like a physical blow. Everyone was watching. My whole life felt like a massive joke.

Emma turned around, pushed through the crowd, and ran out the front door.

I stood there in the middle of the living room. Then, Jace stepped closer. He wrapped a heavy, hot arm around my shoulders, pulling me into his side like we were best friends.

He leaned down, his mouth brushing right next to my ear.

"She doesn't deserve you," he whispered.

I shoved him away as hard as I could.

"Don't touch me," I snapped.

I didn't look back. I pushed my way out of the house and ran into the night.

I walked the whole way home in the dark. My mind was racing, replaying Emma's words and Jace's smug, bloody smile over and over again. My whole life was ruined because of him. He took everything I had, just to prove that he could.

I got home, locked myself in my bedroom, and collapsed onto the floor.

Hours went by. Our parents were out of town for the weekend, so the house was totally quiet. It was just me and him.

By the time the clock hit 2 AM, the anger hadn't faded. It had just hardened into something else. I couldn't live like that anymore. I needed to face him. We were going to lay everything out on the table right then, or I was packing my bags.

I walked out of my room and marched straight down the hall to Jace's door. I knocked twice.

No answer.

"I know you're in there," I said. I grabbed the knob and twisted. It wasn't locked.

I pushed the door open and stepped inside, the words already sitting on my tongue. "Listen to me, Jace, I am completely done with your—"

I stopped dead in my tracks.

The bathroom door was wide open. Jace was just walking out.

He was completely naked.

His hair was dripping wet from the shower, water running down his broad shoulders, over his abs, and lower.

My brain completely short-circuited. I forgot every single word I was about to say. I just stood there, frozen, staring right at his crotch.

Oh my god. I had never seen anything that huge in my life.

His cock hung there heavy and thick between his powerful thighs, even soft, it's gotta be nine inches long.