Stepbrother Secrets by Lauren Branford Page A

instantly on end.
    I couldn’t help but watch his perfectly formed body basking in the summer sun. He was forbidden fruit; naturally, all I wanted was to have a taste. Sebastian was the one thing that I desired the most from my stay, and I wasn’t one to give up on my desires.

Clockwork
     
                  “Are you sure that you don’t want to join us, Audrey?” asked my father the next morning as he gathered his keys.
                  “No, I’m quite fine,” I said softly.
                  “Oh, please come along,” he gave me a sorrowful expression. “Your brother would love it if you there to greet him.”
                  “Well…” I was interested in seeing my half brother Michael. It had been over five years since the last time that we had met. However, I had a date that afternoon, on the hill, watching a certain bronzed body. The summer was nearly over, and I had every intention on taking in all that I could. Furthermore, Michael loved to talk about himself. I could foresee the ride home being mostly consumed by his adventures as an Ivy League graduate.
                  “Oh, Robert,” Lydia said, coming to my aid. “Let the girl stay. She probably needs some alone time, don’t you, baby?”
                  “It would be nice,” I smiled though I did not enjoy her nickname for me. Still, I took it all in stride to get what I wanted. The airport was three hours away, which meant that they would be gone for most of the day. This would give me ample space to shower and dress just in time for Sebastian to awaken for his afternoon swim.
                  “Okay, then,” my father said, giving up the gun. “But I do ask that you promise to be here when we return. That should be just around six this evening. Michael will be very eager to see you tonight, I’m sure.”
                  “Of course, father,” I agreed. Then he gave me a small hug as they rushed through the door.
                  “Please do make sure that Sebastian knows where we’ve gone,” Lydia asked. “I would call him, but he never takes his phone with him to the pool.”
                  “I’ll see what I can do if I see him before you return,” I smiled. Though I had every intention of laying my eyes on him that afternoon.
                  “You are a sweetheart,” Lydia said as she gathered her hat. I noticed that her white dress was loose and showed most of her massive cleavage. This was something that my mother would never do. However, my father also described my mother as dreary. I think that he worries that I am just the same, that is why he has tried to get me to run errands with him all summer. It was as though he believed brief reconnects were enough to start a permanent spark to be more like him.
                  “See you this evening, Audrey,” my father said as they exited the room.
                  “Have a safe drive,” I said softly. I watched the door intensely until I heard the car engine start and pull away from the house. ”Finally.”
    As soon as I was sure that they were out of sight, I walked up the stairs toward my room. There I found a few pairs of bikinis to choose from.
    It was a Sunday, which meant that all of the house staff had the day off. The only personnel on site were the gatekeepers who worked around the close. Of course, the size of the estate meant that they were nearly a mile away. This meant that the house was just occupied by two people.
    Sebastian inhabited the east wing, which was on the other side of the mansion. My room was on the top floor, the same as when I was a little girl. Looking at the time, I realized that it was only a quarter until one. This was around the time that Sebastian would crawl out of bed and go for a swim. Suddenly, I heard a sound.
    Splosh !
    I rushed to the window and saw him with a glaze of cool water