I shouldn’t be here.
I should walk away, and she shouldn’t be back here, secluded from her own celebration.Our celebration.The big graduation barbecue our parents put together, even though it was more for her. Ronnie is the poster child every family would kill to have, the pride and joy of our parents.Me?I scoff. Not so much. I barely made it through high school and spent most of my time fucking my feelings away or working on my pride and joy, my 1969 Camaro SS, or at the gym with Sledge.
Regardless, I still managed to graduate. I’m definitely not as impressive as her. I don’t think anyone could be. While I barely made it by and will be stuck going to some local college, Ronnie graduated with honors and got accepted to every school she applied to. Which sucks for me, not her. While I’m extremely proud and happy for her, I can’t help but feel sad that she will be off to another state. Away from me. Away from the comfort of home, and I hate that.
The music blares on, and she still stands there in his arms, laughing nervously as he buries his head into the crook of her neck. Her body goes taut as his hand goes under her dress. I can see her blush of discomfort, despite the dim porch light. Her eyes dart around the crowd, searching for an escape. My heart tightens. That should be me there, holding her close, not Tommy Johnson with his greasy hair and smug smile.
He whispers into her ear, and I can see her wince as his voice slithers into her ear. Whatever he tells her, she clearly isn’t vibing with it. She tries to step back, but he holds on tight, his grip on her waist like iron. Ronnie’s eyes flick to hisface for a brief moment, the pretense of a smile quickly replaced by a deep frown. It’s her silent plea for help that makes me snap, my instincts kicking in before my brain can register what’s happening.
My feet move before I’m aware of it, the rough gravel beneath my Jordans crunching under the force. The shadows part for me as I come up behind them, my jaw set in a tight line. “Tommy,” I call out, my voice icy. He cocks his head over his shoulder.
“Isaac.”
Ronnie pulls away as Tommy loosens his grip on her. I don’t have any real reason to interrupt them besides the fact that Ronnie looks uncomfortable and my jealousy. But now I stand in front of them, awkwardly.
“You’re wanted at the beer pong table,” I mutter as I pull a joint from the top of my ear and place it between my lips. His eyebrows furrow, but before he can protest, Ronnie steps in front of him, standing between us, already sensing what could happen next. That is, my fist connecting with his face the moment he says something reckless, of course. I remove the joint from my lips and hold it ready to leap into action.
“Tommy, I actually think you should go. I brought you here, not for us to be alone, but to end it.”
Her words hit the summer night like a thunderclap. The music seems to recede into the background, and all I can hear is the shocked silence that follows. Tommy’s face twists up as he says nothing. He can do nothing but stare at her, his bravado evaporating like morning dew on a hot day.
And I’m fucking thrilled.
My eyes drift from Tommy to the beautiful goddess in front of me, my little sunflower. Her strapless crimson dress hugs the curve of her plump ass. The golden bands on her upper arms gleam in the soft, ambient glow of the patio lights. Her hair, a riot of tight curls, is pulled back from her face, showing off her siren eyes and her full, defiant lips. Seeing her take control makes me harder than the day I walked into the bathroom and saw her naked. What can I say,my sunflower has bloomed to something even more beautiful than I could ever imagine.
I snap out of my trance, a small smirk tugging at the corners of my mouth when I look over at Tommy, who looks as if she just served him a king’s humiliation on a silver platter. His jaw clenches tight, veins popping out on his neck, but he stays silent nonetheless.Good boy. The hurt flashing across his features is almost enough to make me feel sorry for him.Almost.
“Tommy, just… just go, okay?” Ronnie says more gently this time, her tone softened by a twinge of pity.
Tommy’s face contorts into a sneer, his eyes narrowing at her words. “Fine,” he grinds out, his eyes shooting daggers at me before they return to Ronnie’s face. He shoves past me roughly, his shoulder colliding with mine in his haste to leave. I watch as he walks around the house towards the front.
A few moments later, we hear the revving engine of his car and the screech of tires as he peels out of the driveway. His childish display makes me chuckle, but I quickly swallow it down, knowing this is not the time for that.
I turn towards Ronnie. She’s looking down at her feet, her fingers nervously playing with the edge of her dress. The music from the party is a distant hum now, drowned out by the loud pounding of my heart in my ears. I step closer, bridging the gap between us. Forgetting the joint resting between my fingers. My hand reaches out, gently lifting her chin so her eyes meet mine.
“You okay?” A sigh escapes my lips as I see my reflection in her gaze. “Talk to me.”
She offers me a smile, that fucking mischievous smile I love so much. “I should have ended it before things started,” she says. “I’m okay, I promise.”
Heat rushes through me. A flowing river of lava replaces my blood. As the song shifts to “Ganas De Ti,” by Arcangel, the night air hangs thick with tension. The proximity between us makes it impossible to fight my sinful urges. My thumb traces her bottom lip. I shouldn’t be doing this… I just can’t help it. “But you did it. That’s what matters now.”
The intensity of her gaze makes my breath hitch in my throat.
“I just wish it hadn’t taken me so long,” she responds, her voice low, her eyes hooded with desire. Little Minx, that’s what she is behind all that innocence. There’s fire inside that only I can walk through and survive. Her tongue darts out, licking her lower lip and grazing my thumb. Sending electricity jolts through my body. Making my cock spring to life as her warm, wet tongue makes contact with my flesh.
“I should have broken it off long ago.”
I don’t reply, not immediately.
Instead, I drink her in. Taking a deep breath in, I reply softly. “Could have. Would have. The past doesn’t matter, Ronnie. It’s done.”
She blinks. My beautiful little sunflower, who’s just now learning to use her bite. Her lips feel so soft as they linger on my thumb, her eyes holding an irresistible mix of innocence and sensuality that makes my heart race. Swallowing down the lump in my throat, I tug it down gently, exposing her pearly white teeth.
It’s moments like this that I resent my father, that I hate the choice fate made for us. Pain settles in my chest, mingling with the need that intensifies by the day. I hate what they did to us. When it’s obvious, the pull we have towards each other. I love her in a way no stepbrother should love his stepsister. I can’t help it, my heart was branded with her name the moment she stepped into that sandbox, offering me her popsicle like a ring. “I know…I just feel like shit. I let it go on for so long.” She laughs nervously. “And I can’t say one thing about him that I like.”
“Ronnie,” I murmur, my voice low and grating. The need glowing in her eyes makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up, and a slow smile pulls at the corner of my mouth. “You’ve got nothing to regret. Like I said, it’s done. Better now than never.”
“I guess.”
