CHAPTER NINETEEN

Samira

“I’m so glad you came to hang out with us, Sam. This way your girls get to be the first ones to wish you a happy birthday when the clock strikes twelve,” Erin stuck her tongue out and did a little shimmy, swinging her hips around while the other girls from the cheer squad laughed. I feigned laughter too.

I didn’t want to be there with them when the clock struck twelve and I finally turned eighteen. I wanted to be with Santana. We always ended up spending my birthdays together and I couldn’t remember the last time I spent one away from him. My stomach ached at how much I missed him.

The smile on my face was painted on it was a mask to appease Erin and the rest of the girls. We talked and I pretended to care about the laughter and gossip but my mind was with Santana. I slid my thumb over my phone’s screen repeatedly like obsessively cleaning it would make him pop up in front of me.

It didn’t.

“Let’s order Chinese,” Erin said. Somehow those simple words snapped me out of my fog. I blinked a few times and nodded, pulling up the closest carry-out on my phone. Maybe if I could sneak out to pick up the food I could see Santana. The thought had me nibbling on my bottom lip anxiously.

“We can order and I’ll pick it up,” I said, making my spine straight. Erin looked at me and narrowed her eyes just a bit. Even though her lips were pulled up into a high, tight smile, I could see the hint of jealousy that always lurked in her brown pools. I ignored it as usual and rolled my eyes.

“Why would we make you go get it? You’re the birthday girl. Plus, this is the last time we’ll all get to spend time with you,” Erin retorted.

“Yeah, let’s just order delivery that way nobody has to leave,” Kasey said. The rest of the girls agreed and my plans to see Santana went right out of the fucking window. I pouted a bit while everyone else fussed over what they’d eat and placed their orders. I was busy wondering when the fuck they’d all fall asleep so I could sneak out to meet Santana.

“Hello, Samira,” Erin snapped her fingers in front of my face and let out a short laugh. “What are you ordering?”

“Oh, egg rolls and shrimp fried rice,” I said waving my hand lazily. I didn’t give a fuck about food or anything else.

“God, what is wrong with you? The entire night you’ve been somewhere else.” Kasey pointed out.

“You need to snap out of it,” Erin frowned. “This is one of the last times we’re all going to be together before we go off to different schools. We couldn’t all get into Dartmouth.” There was that flare of green envy seeping through Erin’s demeanor again. I bristled against it, pulling my shoulders back and narrowing my gaze at her.

“Not only will we be going to different schools but I’m sure life is going to happen and before you know it we’ll all be talking to different guys and too caught up to spend time together,” Kasey mentioned.

“Oh, well Sam already has a man and she still somehow finds time for us.” Erin’s claws were out. I could practically hear them unsheathe when she looked at me. “I mean you’ve been fucking around with Santana for how long now? More than a month and you still hang out with us.”

Silence fell into the jagged cracks left behind by the boulder Erin dropped in the middle of the room. All the lenience I had for her vaporized at once. Every girl in the room jerked their eyes to me, their mouths all open.

“Santana? Your brother?” The murmur of the rest of the squad seemed louder than it was.

“Stepbrother,” I hissed before standing to my feet. Erin stood too with folded arms and a venomous smile.

“Doesn’t matter. He’s still fucking you. So, see ladies, if Sam can make time for everyone while she’s busy taking dick from her brother on her back then we can all make time for each other.”

“Erin,” Kasey gasped, standing. She wedged her body between mine and Erin’s instinctively. Darkness slid over me like a cloak and I moved Kasey out of the way so I had a direct line to Erin’s conniving ass.

My nostrils flared when I took a step toward her. She was still wearing the same smug smile as if everything was a joke. Nothing about the rage flowing through me was a joke. She had no fucking right to expose me and Santana that way.

My fingertips prickled as heat engulfed me from my navel to my hairline. I could feel my baby hairs crackle from the currents pouring off me. “You happy now, Erin? You exposed me for being in love with Santana.” I gave her the slow clap she was obviously looking for and continued. “Now does that change the fact that you’re still not me and never will be? Does it change the fact that you wish you were the one taking dick from Santana on your back? God knows you’ve bent over backward trying to at least lick his fucking balls.

He doesn’t want you though, does he? He’ll never want you. You know why? It’s because you’ll never be the one thing you’re always trying to be. You’ll never be me. You’re stuck being a miserable backstabbing bitch. Have fun with that.”

I drew my hand back and slammed it into her face. I must have hit her nose because I heard and felt a sickening crunch beneath my knuckles followed by a pop that sounded full of liquid. A dull thrum of pain thumped through my hand and I shook my fingers out. Erin fell to the carpet, shrieking in horror. I expected for all the girls to rush her and help her but they all stood back looking at her like she had the fucking plague.

I shook my head and grabbed my shit in a flurry before storming down the steps and out of the door. The night air rejuvenated my lungs and I took long deep sips of it before fishing around for my phone.

“Santana, are you home?” I asked him, my shaky voice matched my knees.

“I’m on my way home now. What’s wrong, baby? You sound upset.” Hearing him call me baby melted me and almost made me forget what the fuck had just happened.

“I need you,” I breathed. “Be home when I get there.” I took a huge gulp of night air. Too huge. A bubble got wedged in my back and I winced at the uncomfortable pain between my shoulder blades. I wouldn’t feel normal until I was around him. The love of my life.

“Okay. I’m almost there. You need me to come get you?”

“No. Just be home.” I ended the call and headed to my car.

“Sam! Wait up.” I heard Kasey running over to me with the sound of several other footsteps rushing behind her. She crashed against me, wrapping her arms around my body in a huge hug. The other girls joined in lending their warmth to the group hug.

“I’m so fucking sorry Erin did that to you on your birthday. Well…your almost birthday. We don’t care if you and Santana are together. I never knew he was your stepbrother. Erin should have never ousted you two like that if it was a secret. That was fucked up. She deserved to get her nose broken.”

“Shit…is it broke?” I frowned, feeling the burn in my aching knuckles.

“Yeah, pretty sure that shit is broken. It was bleeding all over the carpet and she won’t stop crying. We’re not staying here with her. Fuck that.

We might all be catty but we’re still sisters and we don’t treat each other like that. She was out of line. All that matters is that you’re happy.”

I wrapped Kasey in another hug and let out a short laugh full of relief. I didn’t know what the squad would think of me after Erin told my business but I also realized in that split second that I didn’t care. “Thank you, Kasey. Thank you, girls.” I went down the line hugging them all.

“Where are you going? You need your girls to hang out with you?” Kasey asked.

“Nah…not right now,” I told her.

“She’s going to see her man. She’s not thinking about us right now. I know if it was my birthday I’d be all over my man.” One of the other girls snapped her fingers and I laughed a little. She was right though. I wanted to be with my man. Fuck everything else.

***

I climbed the steps to Santana’s apartment in ten seconds flat. Before I could even knock on the door, he pulled it open and grabbed me in his arms. I let out a pent-up breath and melted into his bulky frame.

“Santana…” I said, burying my face in his chest.

“What happened?” He stood back and held my face in his giant hands, examining me.

“Erin told the entire fucking cheer squad about us. She’s such a two-faced bitch. She made everything seem like it was fine. Like she was going to keep her motherfucking mouth shut about walking in on us. She was just waiting for the right time to drop the bomb.” My hand throbbed with the memory of cracking into her damn face. It was probably the most satisfying thing I’d ever done.

“Fuck…are you okay?” Santana asked. We made our way to the bedroom and I crawled in his big bed and sat in the middle.

“I guess. It was just such a shock. I should have known better though. Erin has always been shady as fuck.”

“What did you do, Sammie? I know your temper. You’re cool for the most part but that dark streak is scary.” His coffee eyes studied mine. He climbed on the bed with me and pulled me over to him until I was nestled between his long legs. He wrapped his arms around me from behind and I felt like the safest girl in the world. His clean laundry and fresh deodorant smell enveloped me and just like that we were in our own little bubble. Erin seemed so far away.

“I cursed her out and I may have broken her nose. I can’t confirm that though.” I stretched my fingers out and they screamed in pain. It was starting to settle in deeper now. Santana held my hand up and stared at it for a few moments in silence.

“You punched her in the fucking face?” I could hear his deep voice bouncing around in his chest. The pride emanating from him made me smile. “I hope you broke her nose in a million pieces. Fuck her and fuck people like her. She’s jealous.” He set my hand down after kissing it then he traced the soft hairs lying against my forehead as he kissed my temple.

“I’m glad you stood up for yourself but I’m glad you stood up for us too, Sammie. I’m tired of hiding what we have. I’m insanely in love with you and I know damn well I’m not going to ever feel like this about anyone else. I want to tell the entire universe how you make me feel.

I want all your friends to know, all my friends, Pop’s friends too,” he laughed a bit and so did I. My entire body was buzzing from his words. I turned to face him, kneeling up so that we were eye to eye. “You’ve always been my heart, Samira but now you’ve taken over my bones and my cells too. You’re a part of my DNA. There’s nothing anyone could ever do to unweave me from you. You know that?” He tipped my chin up and I wondered if he could see the way my eyes sparkled right before I let the tears fall.

“I know. You’re stuck with me too, Santana.” I straddled him and draped my arms over his shoulders. “You’re the only person who makes me feel like anything is possible.” I slid the tip of my nose against his and shut my eyes before falling deep into a kiss with him. His lips were so gentle and his tongue explored my mouth like it was his first time kissing me. The feeling swept me off my feet. I was dizzy with love.

When he pulled away from me, I frowned. I never wanted that feeling to end. “Happy birthday, Sammie,” he smiled. He turned my head toward the clock in his room and, sure enough, it read 12:00 AM. It was officially my birthday. “Make a birthday wish.”

“Don’t need to. My wish was to be with you.” I pushed my hands through his thick silky hair and we kissed again. That time it was full of heat. The kind that swallowed you the moment you walked outside in July.

My core throbbed incessantly and I knew the only thing that would cure the unrelenting thump was Santana’s dick deep inside of me. I lifted up and pulled off my shorts, tossing them aside. I didn’t want any barriers between us. He was so hard and I needed to feel that.

When his long, wide fingers spread my pussy lips open, I whined and rocked against him. I wondered if that was how drug addicts felt right before they took a hit. He stroked my clit slowly with his fingertip and I rolled my hips.

“It’s your birthday, Sammie tell Daddy how you want to take this dick.” I watched as he stroked himself and I forgot to answer him for a minute. Santana’s cock was so mesmerizing.

“I want to ride you until your toes curl,” I purred. His grip tightened around my waist and his warm mouth found my tits. He nibbled and sucked on them until I was trembling on top of him. “Please fuck me, Santana. Stop playing.” Whenever I was that close to him I turned into a brat if I didn’t get what I wanted and I always wanted to make love to him. Always.

“Slide that pretty pussy on my dick, Princess.” I yelped at how hard he grabbed my ass but the deep ache felt so good sinking into my muscle. I eased on top of his cock and we both groaned with relief. Santana was a freshwater stream while the rest of the world was a barren desert. He was my refuge and safety every time.

I braced the heels of my hands against his strong shoulders and bounced up and down on him until the clapping of our bodies made a rhythmic song. Staring down at him turned me on even more. I could feel slick honey slipping from my walls. Seeing him, of all people, at the height of pleasure because he was inside of me was on another level.

I’d never get used to it but I didn’t want to, it cracked my chest open with excitement and butterflies. I leaned down and sucked on Santana’s lips slowly while his fingers tangled in my hair.

“Fuck,” I whined against his mouth.

“Cum for Daddy,” he growled, yanking my hair back. Prickly heat wrapped around me unrelentingly as my body seemingly reacted without me. Santana’s talented tongue drew loops on my exposed throat while my insides gave in to the thick, delicious pulses radiating through my body.

Something that sounded like a whine swam from my flushed lips. I was floating somewhere outside of space and time where the only thing I needed to survive was Santana and the feeling he kept pumping through my veins. That feeling was better than oxygen. It was better than water and sunlight.

It was that fucking potent.

“Shit, I’m about to flood your tight little pussy, Sammie.” More glorious aches pushed outward from my core as I felt Santana expand between my walls right before he exploded inside of me. Sweet silky ropes filled me up and I let loose another amazing wave of shudders.

That man was the sweetest sin that ever coated my lips or graced my sight or gripped my hips. He was the ultimate. “I love you, Santana,” I babbled as involuntary tears pricked my eyes. He curled his fingers around the back of my neck and pulled my lips to his. His tongue swept over my bottom lip before pushing inside of my mouth.

It seemed every part of him knew I was his. He knew I belonged to him and I could tell by the way we throbbed in harmony that my body knew where he belonged too. “I love you too, Sammie. Happy birthday.” His smile coated me in rosy warmth.

My lips fell into a frown when he got out of bed but I wasn’t mad watching his nice ass walk across the room. I was a little sad to watch it disappear behind a pair of sweats but the plus side was that gorgeous V cut leading to his thick patch of hair. Was it normal to want to fuck him again already? I could still feel him inside of me but I needed more. He made me insatiable.

You mean he turned you into a slut, Samira.

I’d be that for him though. Shit.

I was so fixated on staring at the sexiness in front of me that I didn’t even notice Santana had two jewelry boxes in his hands. By the time I noticed it, he was in front of me getting ready to open the long slender box.

“You got me gifts?” I beamed, rocking from side to side. He reached out and pinched my nipple with a smirk.

“You know when you get excited and happy your nipples get hard? It’s distracting.”

“Stop being a perv, Santana. Show me the gifts.” I wiggled my fingers and pulled a sheet against my breasts so Santana would pay attention to the birthday gifts and not my tits.

Once he could focus, he finally cracked open the box and inside was a beautiful gold necklace with an A pendant hanging from it. “A for Alvarez,” he told me as he clasped it around my neck. “Because,” he pulled me onto his lap and kissed my cheek as he hooked his arms around my waist. “Even when we get married we’ll still be the Alvarez’s.”

Next, Santana opened the smaller jewelry box and my eyes took a few seconds to adjust to what he was showing me. Inside was a beautiful emerald ring. It shone prettier and brighter than any star in the sky.

My hands flew to cover my open mouth. “Santana Alvarez…is this a…I mean are you…”

“Yes. I want you to marry me, Samira.” He blinked a few times and I saw that his dark brown eyes were wet but no tears fell. “I know things aren’t perfect right now but promise me that we’ll spend the rest of our lives together.”

“Of-fucking-course!” My fingers shook so bad that he had to hold my ring finger in place as he slipped the engagement ring on.

I’d gone from having the shittiest birthday ever to the best birthday of my life. That was what Santana did though. He made everything better. He made me feel safe and happy and now I could count on him doing that for the rest of our lives.

We spent the next few hours trying to figure out how many positions we could bend ourselves into. I mean that’s what engaged people did, right? They fucked like rabbits.

Holy fuck.

I was engaged to Santana.

Wow.

After hours of touching, kissing, sucking and forceful orgasms that made me question the pleasure and pain line, Santana fell asleep with his head on my stomach while he held on to me like if he let go I’d float away. I smiled while I stroked his hair and listened to his snoring.

That’s how in love I was. I wanted to listen to him snore. All my damn life his snoring pissed me off but right then it was music and I never wanted it to stop. Okay, maybe that’s an exaggeration brought on by the high of being engaged but still…

I was on my way to sleep when I felt my phone buzz. I grabbed it careful not to disturb Santana. He looked so damn cute sleeping curled around me.

When I saw a text from an unknown number, red flags shot up around me like exclamation points.

UNKNOWN: Can I tell you a secret?

Me: No thanks. I’m not in the mood to play games.

UNKNOWN: Me either, Sam. I just want to tell you a secret. You have to promise not to say anything to your father or brother.

I sat up a little on my elbows and stared hard at the number trying to place it. I had no idea who it was though. It didn’t matter how much I stared. An uneasy feeling needled its way beneath my skin and I couldn’t shake it. My mouth was cotton as I replied.

Me: Who the fuck is this?

UNKNOWN: So much fire. You ready to hear my secret?

Me: What is it?

UNKNOWN: I think you’re beautiful and I’m going to make you mine one day soon. You’ll never want for anything.

Me: I don’t want for anything now. Thanks but I’m seeing someone. Goodnight.

I put my phone on Do Not Disturb and placed it face down on the nightstand. I thought about waking Santana up and telling him what just happened but he was sleeping so peacefully and it wasn’t like a text message could hurt me.

I’d deal with that shit in the morning.

***