The Stepbully She Craves

Chapter 1

Piper

“Come on, Pipe. It will be so much fun. Besides, it’s our senior year. Next year we’re going to be scattered across the country for Halloween. This may be our last chance to do this together. Please? You have to come with us.”

Samantha’s puppy dog eyes are weakening my defenses. Of course, she just pulled the college card on me, reminding me that we only have eight more months together before we all move away. She knows I like making memories with everyone and won’t want to miss out. But seriously, why couldn’t we be going to the corn maze or a pumpkin-chucking event? Why does it have to be a haunted house?

Why anyone enjoys being scared is beyond me. I hate scary things. Scary movies make me jumpy for days. Ghost stories give me the creeps and leave me feeling like spirits are watching my every move. I even hate the dark. Yes, I know it’s ridiculous that at eighteen years old, I still think the boogeyman lurks in the shadows of my room, but I can’t help it. And what I hate worse than all the other scary things are haunted houses.

I mean…the entire purpose of the place is to leave you terrified. For people to jump out at you as if they’re going to kill you. And for some reason my friends love the idea of being totally freaked out. Going to the Fright House together is their idea of “fun.” My idea of fun would be staying at home with a happy rom- com, dressed in my pjs. But it doesn’t look like I’ll be doing that tonight. Not when all four of the girls are looking at me the way they are right now.

“Come on, Pipster.” Jaxon’s voice has me turning in the guys’ direction. “If you come, we’ll promise to leave you alone.”

His reassurance that the boys won’t do their worst in scaring me is sweet, but he’s not the one I’m worried about. He’s my stepbrother’s sweet friend. The one who looks out for me when Cord isn’t around.

“You’re not the one I’m worried about, Jax.” My head snaps to Drake, the troublemaker. “He is.”

Cord is always telling me how Drake homes in on the people who are the most afraid and makes it his mission to torment them all the way through the haunted house. He’ll even stalk them to their cars, making sure they’re terrified right up until the very end. I’ll be Drake’s perfect victim. He loves taunting me on a normal basis, so I know he’ll love torturing me tonight.

“Who, me?” Drake cocks a brow, that deep voice of his thick with mischief. The sly, crooked grin quirking his lips up has my hairs raising. Yeah, I don’t trust him one bit.

“I’ll go easy on you, Pipsqueak. Promise.” His finger crosses over his heart, but I’m not buying it for a second. No, I think I’m backing out of this one. Otherwise, I’ll be having nightmares for weeks.

Cord steps right beside me. For once, I don’t have to strain my neck to see his face. The bed of his truck puts me at eye level.

“You know I won’t let them touch you, sis. I’ll even show the scare team a picture of you, so they know to leave you alone.”

He pulls me in closer, and the nerves that had my stomach twisted up in knots start to unwind. But a different knot forms in its place. This one much lower in my gut. The heat starts to travel up my spine and I do everything I can to mentally cool the fire coursing through my veins, reminding myself that Cord’s my stepbrother. Although, even that fact doesn’t tame the heat. But thinking of haunted houses does.

“Okay, fine,” I relent on a nervous sigh. “I’ll go. But only if you make sure that one”—my pointed stare lands back on Drake—“stays away.”

Cord turns his head toward the guys. “No one touches her. Understood?” His voice is like steel and the glare he’s giving them is just as hard. He doesn’t usually raise his voice unless he’s on the football field, yelling at his teammates because they’re all goofing around and aren’t listening to him. So, clearly, he means business.

I scoot forward, wanting to be closer, and his arms wrap around my back, pulling me fully into his embrace. Making my body tingle with that forbidden heat.

“Calm down, Cord.” Drake shakes his head. “No one will touch her. We know she’s off-limits.” He’s rolling his eyes at my stepbrother, but I’m grinning from ear to ear. I love how protective Cord is of me. It’s how all big brothers should be.

“Thanks,” I say, giving Cord another tight squeeze.

“Anytime, sweet sis.”

I know the true reason for his attention.

With college on the horizon, he’s worried we’ll be separated. He already has a full ride to state because of his football scholarship, but I still don’t know whether I’ll get in or not. Since I’m not a star quarterback, I have to wait like the rest of the student population to find out. And there is some steep competition.

The thought of me not getting accepted has me hugging him closer. I don’t want to live without him again. The first fourteen years of my life were lonely. Then, thankfully, our parents met, fell in love, and a year later, I gained a brother. We’ve been inseparable ever since, and I can’t imagine being miles or even states away from him.