Grayson

“Kassia, this is Grayson,” my father said as he introduced me to my new stepbrother. “He’s going to be living with us now.”

I swallowed as I stared at the incredibly attractive young man before me. He looked a little older than I was, like he should be in college rather than starting his senior year of high school.

Grayson was tall, about six feet two, with a hard, lean body. Tattoos covered his arms, and I was curious to know just how many more were hidden beneath his black T-shirt.

I stepped forward nervously, putting out my hand and meeting his green eyes.

“Nice to meet you,” I said.

He glanced down at my outstretched palm, shaking his head and looking away.

“Be nice, Grayson,” Emily, my stepmother and his mother, said gently.

He narrowed his eyes at her but reached out, wrapping his large fingers around my small hand. His metal rings were cool against my skin, causing me to shiver as we shook.

“Yeah, you too,” he muttered, finally looking at me.

“Kassia, why don’t you show Grayson his room?” my dad asked hopefully.

I nodded and smiled. “Sure. Follow me.”

Grayson didn’t smile back as he picked up his bag and followed closely behind me. I could feel him staring at me as we walked up the stairs. When we reached the door to his room, I opened it and pointed inside.

“This is it. That’s the closet, and that’s the door to our joint bathroom.”

He pushed past, completely ignoring me as he tossed his stuff on the bed. I watched as he looked around the room, opening doors and drawers before entering the bathroom without saying a word.

I waited outside, not sure what to do with myself.

After about a minute, I heard the sound of the toilet flushing. Grayson stepped out of the bathroom, zipping up his jeans. He noticed me still standing in the doorway.

“Were you just standing there listening while I took a piss?” he growled, scowling at me.

My cheeks immediately turned red.

“What? No! You didn’t say… I—I thought I’d see if you needed anything before I left.”

He stalked toward me, leaning down so his face was level with mine. I licked my lips nervously at how close he was.

“Let me know when dinner is ready,” he said before shutting the door.

I stared at it for a moment before heading downstairs, not entirely sure what to think of my new stepbrother.

Emily and my dad had been together for a couple of years but only got married a few months ago. It had been hard for my dad to move on after my mom passed away, but Emily was a very sweet person and loved my dad a lot.

She looked up when I joined them in the kitchen.

“How’s Grayson?” she asked, her worried eyes searching my face. “Did he say anything about his room?”

“Not really,” I said with a shrug. “He seems a bit rude, honestly.”

She frowned. “Sorry, Kas. He’s just upset. Whatever happened between him and his father was bad, but neither of them wants to talk about it.”

My father put a comforting arm around her.

I sat on one of the barstools across from them.

“I’ve never really asked, but how did he end up living with his dad?”

She sighed.

“Grayson’s father is very wealthy. When I divorced him, we asked Grayson who he wanted to live with, and he chose his father. He was little and didn’t really understand what kind of man his father was at the time,” she said, her eyes welling up.

My dad hugged her and offered her a tissue.

“I tried to get him back a few times,” she continued. “But I didn’t have much after the divorce, certainly not enough to fight his father. I wish I had done more to get my baby back, though.”

I looked away, immediately feeling bad for having asked. I quickly apologized and informed them that Grayson wanted dinner whenever it was ready.

The next morning, I woke up and shuffled into the bathroom. I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and looked up, noticing Grayson standing there completely naked.

Droplets clung to his skin as he stepped out of the shower. He ran a hand through his damp hair, muscles tensing as he stretched. His torso was covered in black-inked designs, satisfying my earlier curiosity. My fingers itched to trace along the lines and hear the story behind every one of them.

My eyes followed the trail of water as it rolled down his body, sliding along his hard chest and down his abs before reaching the impressive thing swinging between his thighs. I tried to look away but couldn’t.

I didn’t have a lot of personal experience, but I knew enough to know that Grayson was well-endowed. My tongue skated over my lips.

I raised my eyes back up to his face. He didn’t even bother to reach for a towel as he casually glanced my way. He sauntered over to the sink, still completely nude, and plastered shaving cream across his chin.

After a few seconds, he sighed and looked directly at me.

“Did you need to use the bathroom, or did you just come here to stare at me?”

I quickly looked away and cleared my throat, my cheeks warming as embarrassment rushed through me. I peeked back, struggling to keep my gaze above his waist.

“S-sorry. I didn’t mean to… I needed to pee, but I’ll just use the bathroom down the hall.”

He turned his attention back to his reflection, picking up his razor.

“If you need to take a piss, just do it.”

I hesitated, quickly looking back down before shaking my head and running toward the other bathroom.

I still couldn’t get the image of my stepbrother’s naked body out of my mind as I returned to my room a few moments later, taking extra care to avoid Grayson’s door.