A hand clamps over my mouth and I try to thrash, but my entire body feels heavy and weak. I can barely even lift my arm to hit the dark figure looming over me. I don’t even get to make contact with any part of him before my limb falls onto the bed.
“No one is going to come save you, but don’t worry I’m not going to hurt you,” Colin pauses before adding, “yet.”
I squeak out a protest that gets lost behind his heavy hand over my mouth, while my head spins.
“Welcome to Hell. I’ve been waiting for you to join me.” He threatens darkly.
His hand slips away from my mouth, and his body moves further away. I’m unable to move, speak, or do anything. I think I see some light as he exits the room, but I’m passed out before he even shuts the door behind him.
When I wakeup I have the hangover from hell. This isn’t like anything I’ve ever felt before. My head is pounding and even the small amount of light shining into the unfamiliar room has me slamming my eyes shut once again. A groan tries to escape my throat, but it feels like I swallowed a bunch of knives. My entire body feels heavy, but at least I’m able to move, kind of.
As I’m trying to get myself oriented, a loud banging starts and it only gets closer. The door swings open, and Colin is hitting a pan with a wooden spoon. I cover my ears from the piercing sound, wanting to scream, but I feel like my throat will actually slice open if I do.
“Get up, sleepyhead!” he yells, and then continues the banging.
“Fucking stop!” I finally manage to yell, and crack my eyes open a bit more to see he’s standing there with that stupid smirk on his face.
Oh god, he’s shirtless, revealing his tanned, toned chest from the constant work outs. His basketball shorts hang low on his hips and that single silver chain he wears is dangling around his neck.
“Don’t worry, babe, you’ll get lots of time to ogle me now that you live here, but you gotta get up.” He leaves before I have time to process what he just said.
When it finally hits me, I’m rushing out of the bed I was in, tripping over the sheets. I do my best to ignore the way my head feels like it’s going to cave in on itself as I chase after him.
Colin is in the kitchen, shaking up his protein shake like he does every morning. I am always fascinated by the way his arm muscles bulge, and how the veins pop under his skin. He flicks the lid open, and takes a big swig from the drink, his eyes on me, and an eyebrow raised.
I fold my arms across my chest, which is when I notice I’m not in the clothes I was wearing last night. I’m in one ofhissoccer jerseys.
“What the fuck am I wearing?” I screech. “You undressed me?”
He just looks at me, the side of his mouth pulled up.
“Colin, I swear to fucking god. Why am I in your house and in your stupid jersey.” I pluck the fabric away from my body like it’s going to burn me. That’s when I realize I’m only wearing underwear and my bra underneath it so my options right now are this or being practically naked in front of my stepbrother.
He leans on the counter separating us, and I can’t help but stare at those stupid arms of his. Everything of his is stupid.
Hot, but stupid.
“You’re inourhouse, and in my jersey.”
I scoff, “This isn’t our house. My mom said as long as I stayed out of trouble I got to stay on my own.”
“Yeah, well that’s over,” he says, suddenly serious.
“I haven’t done anything to get in trouble, what do you mean?”
He doesn’t say anything, just pulls his phone out, and comes toward me, showing me his screen. “Press play.”
I really don’t want to because I’m worried about what I’m about to see. But the frozen image on the screen is very clearly me from last night, with Colin holding me up. I press play, and watch, horrified as my practically limp body is carried by him into another room.
“You were drugged last night, I’d say that’s some trouble,” he tells me seriously.
“Who the fuck drugged me?” I cry out, though it does make sense. I didn’t think I drank that much, and even when I have been drunk, it’s never felt like that.
He shrugs. “Doesn’t matter, but what does is that the second I show this to dear old mom and dad, they’re going to want you right here with me. I just beat them to it.”
“You’re not showing them.”
“Aren’t I? You have no say. Either I show them, and you move in here, or I don’t show them, but you move in here.”
