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

what we both want, okay?” Pulling my boots on, I ran my hands through my hair and tied it back in a ponytail. “I need to go.”
    “Where you going?” he pouted, patting the mattress beside him.
    “There’s this crazy thing called school I gotta go to.” I laughed. “I can come by later?”
    “You do that, Bri.” He beckoned me closer and I bent over for a kiss. I liked his kisses, a little too much.
    “See you later,” I breathed against his mouth, and he groaned.
    “See you later, baby.”
    Meandering through his apartment, I gathered my things and opened the front door. Stepping out into the hallway, I closed it behind me and hustled down the stairs to the main doorway of the building. Opening it quickly, I stepped into the early morning sunlight and jogged across the parking lot to my old car. Unlocking the door, I opened it and slid behind the wheel.
    Resting my head against the cool leather steering wheel, I blew out a breath. I was lost, and I didn’t know how to find myself anymore. Somehow, I started the car and drove to school. Everything was a blur, all except for lunch, when I was called to the cheerleaders’ table again.
    “Bri Harper!” Maggie Adamson called me. She was a senior, and the new captain of the cheer squad.
    “Yeah?”
    “You should try out for the squad again,” she grinned.
    “Think so?” I asked coolly.
    “Know so. So, why don’t you come and sit with us from now on? You’re one of us by proxy.” She tossed her long red hair over her shoulder and smiled. “Come on!”
    I settled in beside Corie George, a blonde with braces. “We’re psyched,” she whispered, “Hope you are too.”
    “Sure, I mean I thought I’d be on the squad this year…”
    Maggie pursed her lips. “Unfortunately this year we signed on a girl who ended up breaking her ankle. So, if you want to join now, we’d take you.”
    I was second best, and it burned my ass. But I knew if I walked away, I’d never get another offer. “Okay, sure.”
    “Great. We’ll be working out all summer and then next year you’ll be ready to go. I’ll help through the summer before I go to college,” Maggie explained. “Then I’ll name a new captain and you guys will carry on the tradition! Now, no drugs or alcohol. We have an appearance to maintain.”
    “Of course,” I nodded quickly, my stomach knotting painfully. “I understand.” That meant no more hanging out with Peter and getting wasted on E to forget. I wanted so desperately to belong… so I agreed to change who I was. It lasted, for a while.
    Occasionally through the summer the loneliness would creep back in and back to him I’d go. I couldn’t find a job and I was alone with my thoughts. Twice a week we worked out and practiced cheers. Otherwise, I had nothing and no one. I hated the quiet, that’s when my demons screamed the loudest.
    By my junior year, I was fully accepted into the cheer squad. Our new captain, Corie, led us well. She wanted to add in some sexy dances and make us a little hotter. Maggie hadn’t been willing to do that, but Corie was a new breed of slutty cheerleader.
    “Roll your hips, up and down ladies! We want to make them sweat!”
    Seriously, Corie would’ve made a hell of a stripper.
    “If you got team spirit give a yell, give a Y-E-L-L!”
    I could hear Carter snickering up in the stands, and I fought the urge to flip him off. He was really being a douche about having to wait on me for a ride home. He could’ve walked. I’d already made my mind up, I was going to make him walk home that day.
    “Great practice, ladies!” Corie squealed. “Huskers in for the spirit slap!” We all put our hands in, stacking them on top of each other. Then Corie hollered, “Who’s got spirit?”
    “Husker Cheerleaders!” we all replied, bringing our hands up with shimmying spirit fingers.
    Carter stood from his spot on the bleachers and hustled down to meet me. “Can we please get home?” he whined.
    Jangling the keys,