Falling For My Ruthless Stepbrother

Touch me.

I knew it was a terrible idea when I saw that the swimsuits no longer fit me because they were from past summers when I measured about three sizes more than now.

I scratch my scalp, feeling a bit stressed.

My sister’s irritable voice doesn’t stop muttering “hurry up, hurry up,” and I just want to bury my head under a pillow and scream very loudly.

All the swimsuits I’ve tried on in the last ten minutes are too loose. My brain lights up, and I remember that a while ago, my aunt brought me a swimsuit from one of her trips, and back then, I hadn’t fit into it, surely I will today.

I search in the box of clothes that I hardly use but refuse to give away or sell, and I find it at the bottom in its fabric bag.

It’s a very beautiful bikini, three pieces. The top is tight with ruffles on the straps that go over my shoulders. It has a very cute pastel-colored flower pattern. The bottom is only white. And then there’s the swim cover-up, which is actually just a very light fabric of the same pattern as the top. My entire abdomen is exposed, and I look at myself in the mirror feeling insecure.

Now I don’t have a few extra pounds, but although I’ve gradually introduced shorter clothes into my wardrobe, every time I’m about to put one on, I feel very insecure at first. “Hilary, come on, now!” my sister exclaims again.

She has a one-piece swimsuit in pink and wears floatie sleeves that make her look adorable.

I grab a hat, sunglasses, and a bottle of sunscreen. I also take a book because I don’t feel like getting into the water.

I go down the stairs barefoot. It’s a habit my mom hates about me, but I really love walking barefoot inside the house. My sister runs out when we’re just a few steps from the exit to the backyard where the pool is. I hear her shout something to Ethan that makes him laugh.

I walk very slowly, take a seat on the first lounge chair I find. The sun is very strong, and it’s a spectacular day, perfect for getting a nice tan.

Personally, I like to be a bit pale, not to the point of being transparent, but I don’t like to tan my skin too much. In contrast, Ethan always maintains a tan, and I know because I’ve been watching him shirtless all morning. “Emy…” I call her without raising my voice much.

Ethan hasn’t gotten into the water yet; he’s inflating some animal-shaped floaties, and my sister has started to help him. Both look at me when I call my sister and simply point to the sunscreen so that she knows she should use it if she doesn’t want skin problems in the future.

Ethan says something I can’t hear, and she comes running toward me, giving me her hand. “Help yourself, too; you’re already big,” I say, rolling my eyes but with a heart touched because she still needs me like when she was younger.

I take some sunscreen and spread it on her little arm. She does the same with the other, and we leave her body completely protected. She gives me a kiss on the cheek as thanks; I start putting on sunscreen myself. “Ethan. Come. You need to use it too! We’ll help you.” My hand stays on my leg completely paralyzed.

Did she say “we”?

“I’m not putting sunscreen on anyone else,” I say in the middle of a huff when I feel Ethan’s steps come to my side.

He sits on the same sun lounger I’m on, as if the other ten loungers in the place were invisible, and I let out an annoyed huff.

“Let’s see, how do you do that?” he asks my sister, I roll my eyes while she innocently answers him.

“You put a little in your hand and spread it all over your body; it’s white, but when it’s absorbed, it becomes transparent and doesn’t show. It smells a bit strong, but it’s very important. The feeling is sticky at first, but not later. Hilary told me that.”

“Sure, because your sister is the smartest in the world.”

“She is.” I would love for her to grow up soon and understand how to recognize sarcasm and mockery.

I look at him with narrowed eyes as I try to put sunscreen on my back.

“I’ll help you.”

I don’t have time to reply because I feel Ethan’s hands on my back spreading sunscreen with caresses. “Enough already!” I tell him when he passes his hands over the same place where he already applied.

"It's my turn,” he says, turning his body, leaving his back in front of my face.

Some time passes, and he turns his face to look at me. “You’re supposed to take some in your hand and spread it on my back.”

“In your dreams, Davis.”

“Oh, come on, Jones. Are you afraid to touch me?”

“Not afraid. Disgusted, yes.”

“Come on, sure,” he says mockingly. “You don’t even believe that yourself.”

I shrug without saying anything else and finish putting sunscreen on my legs, then I push him to get him out of my sun lounger and lie down to read.

“Is it serious?” he exclaims looking at me as if I were crazy.

“What’s wrong?” I ask looking at him over my sunglasses and under my hat.

“You take the book away from her while I grab her and throw her into the pool, okay?”

“Yes!”

“Don’t you dare touch me!” I exclaim seeing his intentions. "Emily, don't be a traitor."

She just laughs while taking the book from me with surprising agility, and Ethan takes me in his arms, runs, jumps into the pool, and we both sink into the water. I think my screams were heard throughout the neighborhood.

The water soaks me completely, gets into my nose, and I surface coughing and taking several gasping breaths.

“It wasn’t that bad, right?” Ethan’s voice is very close to me.

I turn my head slightly, and my nose collides with his cheek. I glance down, realizing that my legs are wrapped around his waist, my body pressed tightly against his, and we are both completely wet.

Oh God, going into the pool was a terrible idea. I knew it from the start, and now I confirm it.