Stranded with My Stepbrother Chapter 146

McKenzie

Gwendolyn tried to keep me entertained while Will was gone, but I worried the entire time. What was going on? How did Bran seem to know so much?

When he did return, Will looked flushed and flustered. He looked at the chair next to me then grabbed my arm—not painfully, but firmly—and hauled me to my feet. “We’re leaving.”

Relief flooded through me. “Thank God,” I murmured.

“Don’t thank Him yet.” He glowered at Bran as the other man sat down.

Bran smiled and slipped an arm around Gwendolyn. “Leaving so soon?”

“Family emergency,” Will replied tightly, tucking me into his side.

“Of course. Well, see you Saturday, if not before.” Bran gave a little wave.

Gwendolyn gathered up the brochures for the items at the silent auction Bran had won.

“Oh, you won two things in the silent auction,” I said to Will. “Do we need to stay to gather them? Or the car?”

He shook his head. “I’ll text Mr. Nieves on our way home. Everything can be delivered.”

“Okay.” I let him walk me out of the hall.

Our driver was already waiting outside at the bottom of the stairs, though I hadn’t seen Will text anyone. He held open the back door of the limo for us.

“I’m surprised he knew we were coming,” I said.

“I’m not.” Will sounded angry.

Once we were in the limo, with the door shut behind us, he buried his face in my shoulder and let out a muffled scream.

“Will?!” I asked, concerned.

He took several deep breaths then dropped the bomb. “Ike has Bran, and God only knows who else, watching us.”

“Wait, what?” I could hardly believe what I was hearing.

“Bran even knew when and where we were fucking,” he added miserably. “I… didn’t want to tell you, but I didn’t want to hide it from you, either.”

I felt cold down to my toes. “He… what?’

“I’m going to pretend he wasn’t watching.” He leaned back on the seat and closed his eyes. “Fuck.”

“You think he might have been watching?!” I gasped, horrified.

Will sighed. “Like I said, I don’t want to lie to you.”

A sick feeling washed over me. “And now he wants to see me in a bikini. Gwendolyn said he was going to try to get in my pants, but… this is… a whole other level.”

“I just don’t want him to pressure you. I know you have no interest, but he’s a persistent motherfucker, and he’s going to make you very uncomfortable.” He touched my shoulder. “We could find some excuse to skip Saturday. And the weekend at the lake house.”

With a heavy sigh, I shook my head. “No. We’re playing nice for Ike and your grandfather. If they’re all in on this being besties with Bran thing, then we have to go along with it for now. I just… didn’t realize just how trapped we actually were.”

“This changes nothing,” he responded fiercely. He leaned in close and whispered in my ear. “We’re still getting out. It’s even more important now than before.”

I nodded, my eyes stinging with unexpected tears of frustration. “Sorry,” I said, looking around for something to wipe my eyes with.

Will reached into his lapel pocket then must have realized we’d already used his handkerchief.

The partition between us and the driver opened. “Tissues are in the third compartment from the left.”

I jumped.

“Thank you,” Will said through his teeth.

The partition closed again while Will leaned over me to open the requisite compartment. He pulled out a few tissues and handed them to me.

I wiped my eyes, taking off most of my eyeliner and mascara in the process. “Do you think he heard us?”

“Yes.” He sounded so defeated.

I thought of kicking him in the shin again, but I wasn’t feeling that great about our situation, either, and there’d been enough hypocrisy for one night. I just laid my head on his shoulder and threaded my fingers through his.

“McKenzie?” he said after a while.

“Yes?” I replied.

“I love you.”

I smiled sadly and kissed his cheek, leaving another lipstick mark. “I love you, too.”

***

At least Ike let me pick my own bikini.

Granted, a selection of about twenty had mysteriously appeared in Will’s closet—or, rather, our closet—while we were at the benefit. But it seemed, of the twenty, I was going to be allowed to choose the one I was most comfortable in.

It was creepy that Ike had already known we were going to Bran’s pool party on Saturday. I didn’t even want to know how he knew my underwear size so well. I was just going to pray it was Polly who’d figured it out.

I chose something modest in a powder blue with, indeed, a matching sarong. It was Will who looked edible in black trunks. I felt a little pre-jealousy. I didn’t know how many women were going to be there, but they’d all be able to openly ogle my fiancé. My muscular, well-endowed, handsome fiancé.

The well-endowed part had me frowning at his crotch.

“Problem?” he asked as we zipped around Lake Minnetonka in his blue McLaren convertible.

“You can see it,” I grumbled.

Will raised an eyebrow, glancing at me briefly before dragging his eyes back to the road. “See what?”

“You know. Your… thing.”

“My… oh for the love… it’s a swimsuit, McKenzie. It’s hard to hide it in a swimsuit,” he replied. His tone held a lot of stress. He was probably even less happy than I was to be going to Bran’s pool party.

I felt very foolish. But still jealous, unfortunately. “You can’t see anything of mine.”

“One, it’s a bikini. I already want to gouge Bran’s eyes out for looking at you, and we’re not even there yet. Two, did you want me to wear a circus tent?” he asked exasperatedly.

I pouted. “Yes.”

He glanced at me again then started to laugh. “I can’t believe we’re fighting over something so stupid.”

“It’s not stupid!” I insisted. “There will be women there who are going to be looking—”

“And there will be men there who are going to be looking at you. I’m not particularly happy about that,” he said.

I paused. “I thought you were just worried about Bran?”

“I’m hoping I only have to be worried about Bran.” He raked a hand through his hair, which only made it more sexy. “Ugh. I’ve never, ever, ever been the jealous type. Never. But I don’t want anyone to see you in that.”

“It was the most modest option!” I protested.

“I’m not saying it’s your fault. And I’m not saying it isn’t a perfectly good swimsuit. I’m just saying… fuck, I don’t know what I’m saying,” he said. His hands tightened on the steering wheel.

I carefully put my hand on his knee, feeling like an idiot. “I understand. Trust me, I understand. I wouldn’t care if it was anyone else. But because it’s you…. Anyway, I get it.”

“I just want to turn around, go home, and screw each other’s brains out until we can’t remember our own names, much less the situation we’re in,” he sighed. He put a hand over mine. “But I’m glad you’re here with me. Even if it does mean I have to watch Bran undress you with his eyes.”

“We’re a team,” I said. “And I’m sorry I brought up the shorts. You’re right. There isn’t a lot either of us can do about it.”

He nodded. “We’re a team. We’re going to get through this together.”

“Maybe we’ll have some fun?” I hazarded.

“I doubt it. But we can try.” He turned down a lane, and then a truly massive mansion came into view.

“Oh,” was all I could think to say.

“It’s impressive, I’ll admit.” He pulled into the long driveway, and a man in a crisp white uniform and matching hat walked to the side of the car and opened my door.

I stepped out, grateful to be in flat sandals today.

Will came around the side of the McLaren, handed the valet the keys, then tucked my hand into his arm and walked us to the front door.

A smiling woman who I assumed was the housekeeper welcomed us then showed us the way to the back lawn pool. Well, two pools, side-by-side.

There were about thirty people outside, some at the bar, some lounging in the open pool house. Others were either in or beside the pools.

“One’s more of a hot tub.” Bran came up behind us and handed Will and I tropical drinks.

“I’m not twenty-one y—” I began automatically then remembered the benefit for Comunidades en Común. “Er… thank you.”

“You’re so adorable.” Bran laughed and wiggled my chin.

Will scowled in displeasure.

“There he is. Mr. Overprotective himself. Oh! Where are my manners? Gwennie! Your friend is here!” Bran called.

Gwendolyn came trotting over from the bar, holding a drink. “Really, Bran. Starting her off with a Long Island Iced Tea? She’ll be hammered by the time the burgers are done!”

“Oops,” Bran replied unrepentantly, while Will plucked the drink out of my hand.

“Do you… perhaps… have soda?” I asked. I didn’t think this was a situation where I wanted to not be in complete control of my faculties.

“Of course he does. Come this way.” Gwendolyn looped her arm through mine and took me to the bar, where, blessedly, there was Coca-Cola. Pre-rum.

When we got back, Bran was chortling loudly, and Will looked as though he wanted to strangle him. I quickly went to Will’s side. “I’ve got a Coke.”

“Good.” Will glared at Bran. “If you don’t mind, I think we’ll sit by the pool.”

“We’ll join you,” Bran responded.

I had to wonder what it was about Will that made Bran like to needle him so much. Well, he’d advanced to much more than needling now, of course. But it still made no sense to me. Bran was richer. Bran was… objectively handsome. Bran was a successful cog in his family’s business and not just window-dressing, which Will had been relegated to. It was just bizarre!

Unless they were doing actual dick measuring, I just couldn’t figure out why Bran would bother torturing Will this way.

Will escorted me to a chair at a table under a white sun umbrella. He sat next to me in the shade and held my hand on the glass tabletop.

Bran winced at the sunlight on his side of the table and scooted closer to me. We were practically touching shoulders by the time he stopped moving. “There we go. All cozy, and no one has to get burned.”

Gwendolyn giggled and moved to the other side of Will.

I knew I didn’t need to worry about her. But I was worried about Bran. I was mostly worried about Will putting a fist in Bran’s face, especially now that he was trying to look down my bikini top.

“You should go in the pool. It’s a hot day, and that one—” he pointed. “—is nice and… cool.”

He wanted to see me nip out. I knew it. He knew it.

Will knew it.

“I don’t think we’re going in the pool today,” Will said icily.

“Aw. Pity.” Bran grinned at Gwendolyn. “Gwennie and I went in the pool. Before everyone got here.”

“Bran!” She let out a scandalized laugh. “They don’t need to know what we were doing in the pool.”

“They should try it. It’s great fun.” Bran went back to trying to use X-ray vision on my tits.

“You’re not even subtle, are you?” Will muttered.

Bran shrugged. “Why should I be? She’s got a nice rack. So does Gwendolyn. Nothing to be ashamed of there. Most of the women here have great tits, but it’s hard to find natural ones like McKenzie’s and Gwendolyn’s. That’s the problem with having the money to do whatever you want.”

“You don’t get to do whatever you want,” Will argued.

I put my hand on his knee.

“Most of the time, I do. You’ve lived that kind of life. I mean, except for the football thing, but that was always a stupid dream. You’ve already got it all, Will. Enjoy it a little,” Bran said.

Will looked as though he was going to snap.

I stood and tugged on his arm. “Let’s go in the pool. We came all this way to go to a pool party. It’s hot outside, and I think we both need to… cool off.”

Will glowered at the smirking Bran.

“Well?” Bran asked. “Did you have something you wanted to say, Will?”

He was trembling with rage, but I subtly rubbed his arm, and he took a deep breath.

“Yes,” Will said, looking at me. “Let’s go cool off.”