Unfortunately for Van, avoidance paired well with denial, and over the last week, April had adopted both strategies in order to keep her mind from wandering too deep into the whole future stepbrother debacle.
Instead of worrying, April threw herself into wedding plans. Despite hiring a top-notch wedding planner from the next town over, there was still a whole hell of a lot that her mom needed to do before the big day. Despite having an over-the-top ceremony and reception when her mom had married her dad, her mom was still set on making her special night one of the biggest and best the people of Cascade Falls had ever seen. Small details like the calligraphy on the place cards and style of napkin folding were scrutinized in almost painful detail, and while April thought it was ridiculous, she was happy for the distraction. Cake testing was her absolute favorite thing to do—though going in for her mom’s final dress fitting ranked pretty high up there, too.
They’d arrived when the bridal boutique was pretty quiet, which April was grateful for. The last time they’d had an appointment the store was buzzing with summer brides getting last-minute deals on their dresses, and it had been hard to appreciate the moment of her mom finding “The One” with a boatload of other women nattering in her ear.
“Now,” their sales associate said, as she approached, the bag containing her mom’s exquisite gown slung over her arm, “we can still make last minute adjustments, but try not to gain or lose a lot of weight between now and the wedding.”
“No promises,” her mom chuckled, patting her stomach. With all the stress of getting the boutiques back on track and planning a killer wedding, her mom had probably gone down a full dress size, and she seemed to be shrinking by the week. The associate gave her a hard look, indicating just how serious she took this whole dress alteration business, and her mom quickly dropped her joking demeanor and added, “I won’t call you ladies the day of, telling you the dress is two sizes too big or too small, I promise. I refuse to be a scary bride.”
“You say that now,” April teased, as they headed for one of the extra-large changing rooms. Her mom shot her a narrowed look over her shoulder, then she disappeared behind the curtain with the associate. Grinning to herself, April perched on the edge of a bench just outside the fitting area, humming along with the radio as she waited.
One day, she’d be picking a dress of her own, and after watching her mom try on just about every style imaginable, she had the dress of choice in her mind: fit-and-flare, sleeveless, with a sweetheart neckline, maybe a lace overlay. She’d get extensions added so that the hair stylist could do something gorgeous and dramatic with her hair, and she’d carry a mixed bouquet of spring wildflowers. She always thought a more natural bouquet looked much prettier than an obviously store-bought creation.
All the wedding thoughts instinctively brought her mind back to Van, and she quickly shook her head, willing them away. She still cared very deeply for him, of course, but the wrongness of a stepsibling relationship was really eating at her, and she needed some time away to think.
Fifteen minutes after her mom disappeared behind the curtain, the sales associated stepped out for the big dramatic reveal. April felt like she was on one of those bridal shows where women find the most important dress of their whole lives, and she glanced side-to-side, expecting cameras. The sales woman grinned, her heavily lipsticked lips spreading across her face, and then she pulled the curtain back. April gave her required gasp as soon as she saw her mom; she’d already seen the dress in detail before.
Still, it was just as breathtaking this time around. Her mom had expressed the desire to look like a princess and had chosen a dress with a somewhat poufy skirt and a fitted top. They’d played with the idea of adding sleeves to a sleeveless dress, but at the time April argued that her mom had amazing arms and that she should show them off.
“You look amazing,” she proclaimed, as she stood and hurried to her mom’s side, smoothing her hands over the tulle skirt. “And the shoes?”
Her mom lifted her skirt a little to show off her shoes, which had been bedazzled in glittery stones to give off the impression that she was walking on diamonds. A little gaudy for April’s taste, but it was her mom’s special day—she could wear whatever the hell made her the happiest, and April would support her completely.
“Do you think James will love it?” her mom asked, admiring her reflection, as April played with her hair, putting it up and in various different styles. She hesitated before answering, a sour taste in her mouth suddenly at the mention of James—though she did her best to keep the sourness from spreading to her face.
“He loves your sense of style,” April answered honestly. “He’ll probably love this, too.”
She smiled, her eyes glossy, and then she quickly wiped away the tears before they fell. If she somehow leaked makeup onto her dress, she’d have a full conniption fit.
“Wow. You look stunning, Renee.”
They both turned in tandem, equally surprised—but for different reasons, she assumed—to find Van standing a little ways away from the fitting room, grinning. April’s cheeks flushed when their eyes met. She’d ignored a text from him last night, asking if she wanted to grab lunch today, and at the time, she had planned to say she fell asleep watching TV and didn’t want to text him too late when she read the message.
A lie he probably wouldn’t buy for one second, but last night she’d thought it might work.
“Van!” Her mom stepped off the little pedestal she stood on, sashaying across the space to give her future stepson a kiss on the cheek. “You’d better not give your dad any hints about what I’m going to look like on the day.”
“How can I possibly do that?” he asked, his arm around her shoulder. “I bet you’ll look even prettier on the day. Weddings make brides glow, or so I’m told.”
“How did you know we were here?” April asked without thinking. She wanted to break up this little lovefest—fast. Her mom let out a soft sigh, stepping out from under Van’s arm to study herself in the mirror. As far as her mom knew, she and Van were more or less rekindling an old friendship. Maybe she knew about their mutual feelings for one another, but she hadn’t said anything about it to April. Instead, she seemed to be operating under the delusion that April was having sex-less sleepovers at the Palmer place like she might have done with friends when she was six.
“Dad said you ladies were off for a final fitting today,” he remarked. “Figured I’d drop by and say hello.”
While he sounded unfazed by the brusqueness of her comment, his face had that tight quality to it whenever he was annoyed. Plus, one look in his eyes and April knew he was irritated with her, and she turned back to fluff her mom’s skirt, hoping he might take the hint. They could talk some other time.
“Can I talk to you for a second?” he asked, as if reading her mind and doing the opposite of what she wanted. April straightened up and exchanged a look with her mom, pleading with her to make up some excuse about her needing to stay. Unfortunately, it seemed no one was getting her signals today, and she waved April off with a smile.
“Go,” she insisted. “I’m just going to stand here and admire how fantastic I look in this dress anyway.”
“Plus, we need to go over your necklace selection,” the sales associate added with a wink. April looked helplessly between the two women, ready to offer her expert opinion on accessories, but she soon found herself toddling off after Van. Much to her surprise, he took her to the back exit instead of the front, and while she was confused, she was glad that he’d had the foresight to take this conversation outside. Although the bridal boutique was situated in an area that would be considered urban, it still backed onto a forested area, the parking lot off to the side of the building. In a way, it was quite private, with no other shops around with windows facing where they stood.
Van rounded on the spot to face her, his arms crossing over his muscular chest. “So...you seem to have just dropped off the face of the planet, April. What the hell?”
She stared at him for a moment, shocked that he would just jump right into it. Apparently, there was no room for subtlety when Van was annoyed. This was the second time he’d gone straight in for the kill when he was frustrated with her. At least he wasn’t one to play games, and April immediately felt a wave of guilt wash over her for the way she’d been treating him over the last few days. It wasn’t fair to ignore him, but what was done was done.
“I just needed some time to think,” she told him, keeping her distance as his eyes narrowed.
“About what?”
“About us.”
“Why?” He took in a deep breath then slowly let it out. The heat of the afternoon sun was getting to her already, and she was glad she’d worn a little cute sundress to avoid the heat. Unfortunately, the way Van looked at her brought the heat anyway, and she continued to sweat, both from her nerves and from the sun, as he waited for a response.
“I just—“
“I thought we were doing so well,” he said, both of them starting up again at the same time. He pressed his lips together, as if waiting for her to say more, and when she didn’t, he added, “Have I done something that’s set you off?”
“No—“
“You planning on running again?”
“Right now I want to,” she snapped, a little irritated with the interrogation-like line of questioning. “I’ve been… thinking about us. About what we’re going to be when our parents get married. You’re going to be my stepbrother, Van. Doesn’t that seem a little fucked up to you that we’re sleeping together and…”
Developing feelings for one another. She kept that bit to herself, not wanting to bring up the way she felt about him in the midst of a fight. Not their first fight, and it probably wouldn’t be their last. April almost wished they weren’t doing it behind a bridal boutique. While it was secluded in a way, anyone could walk out the back door and come after them, and she didn’t want the whole store to know that they were bickering over this particular topic.
“No,” Van said after studying her for a moment. Some of the anger seemed to have drained from his voice, but he still towered over her, glowering. “I don’t think it’s fucked up. We’re not suddenly related, April. You’re a woman; I’m a man; and we like each other. That’s all that matters.”
She squared her shoulders, eyes narrowing at him even further. “That’s not all that matters. We have other people to consider. Your dad obviously knows, but my mom hasn’t seemed to clue in, and I don’t want this upsetting her.”
That was stretching the truth a little, and they both knew it. Instead, April opted for a different tactic and decided to go for the jugular on most men—their reputation.
“What’s going to happen when people start talking about us?” she asked, crossing her arms and arching an eyebrow at him. “I mean, what then? You know how the gossip mills churn out crap in places like Cascade Falls. We’re going to be related. It’s… It’s…”
Taboo. She didn’t say it, of course, because she wasn’t ready to outwardly admit that their relationship was, in a way, somewhat sordid. Instead, she went quiet, letting him fill in the blanks for himself. However, rather than offering any number of potential adjectives that probably sprang to his mind, Van stepped toward her once, twice, backing her all the way up until she was pressed to the wall of the bridal boutique. The warm wood heated her back, and she drew in a shaky breath when he stopped only an inch or so away from her, the heat of his body warming her front.
“I don’t give a fuck what people say about us,” he told her, his voice low, and she swore she saw a flicker of lust in his eyes. “And you know why I don’t give a fuck?”
She bit the insides of her cheeks, waiting, and then shook her head when she realized he was pausing for her to give an answer.
“No,” she whispered. “I don’t.”
Because she certainly did—in a way, anyhow. Gossip didn’t usually bother her, but the nature of the gossip that would spread if they announced their relationship to the general public would be difficult to ignore. Plus, she didn’t need outside opinions making hers even worse. She was worried enough about the consequences of falling in love with the man who would be her stepbrother in just a few short weeks; she didn’t need anyone else adding to that with their idle chatter.
However, as he always did, Van had a way of making her forget her problems. Before he responded, he slipped his knee between her legs and brought it up, lifting her so that she was at his eye-line, his hands pressed against the wall on either side of her. April’s breathing quickened, and she was certain this time that she saw a growing need in his eyes. The mere sight of his desire made her panties dampen, and without thinking, she rubbed herself against his thigh.
“I don’t give a fuck what anyone else thinks,” he whispered, brushing his lips along her cheek and over to her ear, “because you’re mine.” The words sent a shiver through her, and she ran her hands over his chest, as Van growled, “You’ll always be mine, and that’s that.”
“Oh, is it?” Her words caught in her throat, as he sucked on her earlobe. With her legs straddling his, Van’s hands wandered down her body, slowly, possessively, pausing briefly to cup and knead her breasts. Her nipples had grown hard under her bra, and she moaned as he plucked at them through the fabric. She shot a panicked look up and around her quickly, worried that there might be a window open somewhere and their conversation—and what was following—had been heard, but there was nothing. Sure, a lone circular window at the very top of the wall, probably to a room on the second floor, but it was sealed shut. Behind Van, the wind rustled through the nearby trees. Cars rumbled down the road elsewhere, but otherwise, they were totally alone.
“V-Van,” she murmured, cupping his face and bringing him back to her so that she could meet his eye. “Maybe we should…do this…somewhere else…?”
She sounded weak, and they both knew it. There was no leaving that spot, not with the look that Van pinned to her, but she thought she ought to at least make a bit of an effort—just so she could say she tried to stop all this if they were caught.
Van cut off her next bout of incoherent babbling with a hard kiss, pressing her to the wall as her legs wrapped around his waist. Immediately she felt his cock, hard and eager, against her thigh, and she knew there was only one way that this conversation could end. All of her fears faded when he kissed her, and she took his words to heart. She was his—just as he was hers—and it shouldn’t matter what people thought. There was an element of kink to their relationship, a hint of trouble down the road, but that was only if they ended things badly. With the way things were going, her worries aside, the chance of things ending poorly seemed slim. With James off her back, she could really give herself to Van; she had the opportunity to be with a man who desperately desired her and who made her happy.
Even if, in a few weeks, he would technically be her brother. Technically. Not literally. That had to count for something, right?
April gasped, as he pushed her dress up around her hips, her whole body alight with a heady lust that wouldn’t be extinguished on its own. Tongue thrusting into her mouth, Van slid his hands between her thighs and rubbed her, cupping her through the thin, damp material of her underwear. He pulled back, still stroking her as he smirked.
“Someone gets off when we fight,” he rumbled, his thumb circling her clit over her panties. April bit back a cry, her eyes clenched shut and head thrown back in sheer bliss. “Maybe we should fight more often.”
“It’s not the fight,” she insisted, and it wasn’t. “It’s… It’s you saying that I’m yours. I am. I’m yours—“
He slammed his lips over hers, pushing her underwear aside and slipping two fingers between her wet folds. April moaned, her concerns about being heard thrown out the window long ago, and fisted her hands in his hair. He let out a low groan, nipping at her lower lip hard enough to make her gasp, and pumped his fingers in and out of her. His palm rubbed the engorged little bud at the base of her being until she came. Her body clenched around him, and she moaned into his mouth, as pleasure rocked her body, her skin prickling, and suddenly the warm summer breeze didn’t seem so bad. It was almost refreshing in a way, her body shaking with chills as waves and waves of pleasure rolled over her.
“Oh my god,” she breathed, pulling away from his crushing kiss and gasping for air. Unable to stay away for long, she dragged his face back to hers, showing her appreciation for his compassion, his understanding, and his care through little butterfly kisses across his skin.
“If you think I’m done with you,” Van said, laughing, and she heard the sound of his zipper sliding down, “you are sorely mistaken.”
April nibbled her lower lip, thrilled that this wasn’t coming to an end anytime soon. Her mom would probably be wondering where they are, but then again, she was surrounded by pretty dresses, expensive jewelry, and an unending stream of champagne to make the whole experience just that much more decadent. By now, she might have even forgotten that she’d arrived with April earlier in the day.
It took a little maneuvering on their end, but Van soon had his pants around his knees and his cock buried deep inside her. April wrapped her arms around him tightly, her body stretching to accommodate his thickness, and found all she could do was just hang on and enjoy the heat of the moment. He started off slow, as he always did, getting her used to him again, delaying both of their climaxes—as much as it killed them—until the last possible moment.
His pace started to quicken soon enough, and she eventually found her hips slamming into the back of the bridal boutique, not caring whether the people inside might have heard it. Van wrapped her hair around his hand and tugged her head back, running his tongue over her neck. She closed her eyes tight, reveling in the delicious combination of pain and pleasure, her body starting its telltale clenching again, as another orgasm loomed on the horizon.
“Never forget that you’re mine,” he hissed in her ear, as he pounded into her. April’s breath burned in her throat as she panted. She was so overwhelmed by the delicious wrongness of fucking outside, in broad daylight, that all of her previous concerns had officially melted away. She cried out when he nipped at her neck, and her eyes shot open, as he started to suck, no doubt leaving behind a noticeable mark that she’d have to either hide or awkwardly explain when all of this was over with.
“I’m yours,” she whispered back, nodding her head as best she could, and he took her harder, faster, as if spurred on by her words. The second climax that tore through her made April see stars, and she all but depended on Van to keep her upright. He did so quite masterfully, pinning her against the wall, as he slammed into her over and over again. Finally, he stiffened, his face screwed in pleasure, as he spilled himself inside of her.
He leaned against her for a long moment. Once she was in control of herself again, April stroked his hair, his back, and his face, then she pressed a gentle kiss to his sweaty forehead.
“You have to talk to me about these worries,” he told her, as their breathing evened out. She smiled and nodded, but the smile faded when he grabbed her chin and forced her to meet his eye. “I’m serious, April. I can’t lose you over something like this. I know it’s going to be weird after our parents get married… I’m not an idiot. Things are going to change, but we have to take the change together. You’re mine, and I won’t let you run again unless it’s for a damn good reason.”
She raised an eyebrow at him, hoping that he wouldn’t see just how deeply his words touched her. “And becoming your stepsister doesn’t seem like a good enough reason?”
“Not really, no,” he remarked, as he eased out of her then gently set her on the ground. As they fixed their clothing, the hot summer sun beating down on them, April found herself in awe of how calm and collected he was about the upcoming change in their status. Shaking his head, Van ran a hand through his hair and sighed. “Look, all I want is to be with you. Now that you aren’t worried about my dad interfering, I think we owe it to ourselves to give things a chance.”
“But—“
“Is the idea of being my stepsister that repulsive to you?”
Her mouth opened and closed a few times, as she scrambled to find the right wording. It wasn’t repulsive. She hadn’t grown up with him. They hadn’t shared baths as kids. In fact, she hadn’t seen him since high school up until the start of the summer, so, really, it shouldn’t bother her as much as it did.
“I just… You’re going to be called my brother,” she managed to get out, her words sounding a little hollow. “It just seems… off to me.”
“Then we’ll get through it together,” he assured her, kissing her sweaty forehead and brushing her hair away from her neck. The breeze felt much nicer now than it did when they first stepped outside, and April shot him an appreciative smile.
“That sounds like a pretty good plan to me,” April admitted after a brief pause. Once again, he’d found a way to put her at ease. It wasn’t the amazing sex that did it—not entirely, anyway. It was the way he looked at things logically while still acknowledging her emotionality about the subject, too. How had another woman not scooped up Van Palmer years ago? She’d have to put out a collective thank you note to the women of Cascade Falls at some point.
Now that things were settled, they parted on better terms than they met on earlier. Van opted to just walk around the building instead of going through the tulle-filled showroom full of chattering women, and once he’d kissed her goodbye, April fixed herself a few times over, smoothing a hand over her dress and hair, before stepping back in through the front door.
To her relief, there were no associates wandering around nearby. In fact, they were all busy with her mom, and April found her again with a wonderful selection of jewelry and headpieces scattered around her.
“Is everything okay, honey?” her mom asked, as April approached. April nodded and snatched a glass of champagne from the nearby tray, filling it with whatever was left in the bottle. “You were out there a long time.”
“We just had a bit of a disagreement,” April admitted, figuring a half-truth was better than a lie. “Van wanted to talk things through in person. I’d been avoiding him, so I’m glad he found me.”
“Oh, did you two patch things up?” her mom asked, as April settled on the white sofa beside her, instantly going for some of the more toned down pieces. “I really want you guys to get along. You seem to be doing so well.”
“Yeah, we… sorted things out,” April replied, her cheeks tinting, though she hoped her mom wouldn’t notice in the showroom lighting. “We really banged out the issue. So, it’s all good.”
“Good, that’s what I want to hear!” Her mom rubbed her arm, then she instantly turned her attention back to the task at hand: finding the perfect piece to complement her gorgeous gown.
Finally, for the first time since she’d start panicking about Van’s label, April could actually focus on the present.
And she found she really enjoyed herself.