Free Good Stepbrother (Love #2) by Scarlett Jade, Intuition Author Services

beer…
    Shit, I got roofied.
    Looking up at Carter, I found his hazel eyes on me and I smiled softly. “You saved me.”
    He struggled to sit up. “Are you okay?”
    Gripping his shirt, I held him in place. “Carter, thank you.” I shifted up his body and pressed my mouth against his. It felt like coming home. Just that fast, bile skittered up my throat and I pushed off him, leaning over the edge of the bed to puke.
    Dozing off again, I vaguely remembered him carrying me to bed and talking sweetly to me as he peeled off my hooker dress and slipped an oversized band T-shirt over my head. He never tried anything. No, Carter Travis wasn’t the type. He was the best type of man and I didn’t deserve to even breathe the same air as him.
    Curling up on my pillows, I slept for a few more hours, until I felt my mother’s hand on my cheek. “Bri, baby? Are you okay?”
    Shit...what am I gonna tell her? Blurting out the first thing I could think of, I rasped, “Food poisoning. Bad Chinese.”
    “Oh honey, that’s terrible. Let me go get you some ginger ale and crackers, okay?”
    “I just want to sleep,” I whispered.
    She kissed my forehead and brushed my hair back. “Okay, baby.”
    I hoped my lies protected us. I really did. I didn’t want Carter to take the fall for my stupidity.

Chapter Seven
     
    Tenth grade year was miserable for me. I hadn’t been accepted to the cheer squad, and I was furious over it. Apparently, the clout Leslie had before she graduated was gone and now all the new seniors didn’t like me. Therefore, no cheerleading for me. I was also miserable because Carter was snuggling up to a foreign exchange student named Carla.
    Maybe I’d been a fool, but I thought after the kiss we shared, he would’ve known how I felt. But no, he was just a stupid boy. A stupid boy that I loved. Carla was ridiculously beautiful, and I hated her gorgeous, perfect, Brazilian guts. Watching them coo over each other in the lunchroom made me sick.
    “Stop staring at him, Bri,” Jennifer grimaced. “It’s pathetic.”
    “Fuck you,” I growled back. “You don’t get it.”
    “You love him, it’s cool, whatever. Incest-y, but whatever.” Britney sighed, tossing her hair over her shoulder.
    “Shut up before I shove your teeth down your throat,” I snapped and her eyes went wide.
    “Sorry, fine, whatever. Love him if you want to. But for Christ’s sakes, either screw him or don’t. This back and forth drama is exhausting.”
    Narrowing my eyes, I focused back in on the bubbly and bold Carla. I knew exactly what I’d do. Carter laughed at something she said and even from across the cafeteria, I saw a look in his eyes that hurt. He liked her, a lot. He’d never looked at me like that.
    I had to nip this budding romance in the bud. Sooner, rather than later. My opportunity came a few days later in gym. Carla dressed in her regular clothes after her shower, and I pounced while she pulled her shirt on.
    “Do you like my brother?” I blurted, and she froze, her shirt halfway on.
    Pulling it the rest of the way down, she nodded. “Yes, I like Carter.”
    I sighed. “See, you can’t really like him.”
    Her eyes widened and she frowned. “Why not? Carter’s a nice boy.”
    Propping my hand on my hip, I whispered, “He likes boys.”
    “Carter? Likes boys?” she gasped, her mouth falling open in shock. “But he’s so nice.”
    “He is, and he’s super gay.” Nodding sadly, I touched her arm like we were best friends and I genuinely cared. Inside I rejoiced. I was breaking up Carla and Carter. There would be no dating her now.
    By the end of the day it was all over the school that Carter was a man lover. Riding on cloud nine I bounced out of school with Britney and Jennifer at my side. Suddenly, I felt a hand on my arm and I whirled around to see a very angry Carter.
    “Carter!” Gasping, my face paled slightly.
    “Why did you tell Carla I was…gay?” He growled softly.
    “Me?” I choked out.