Page 36 of The Stepbrother 2: Noah

My eyes roamed over her body. Fuck, she looked edible. Her dark skin glowed against the white sheets. Her hair was wild, just how I liked it—long enough to wrap my fist around when I fucked her from the back. Her thick thighs were spread, giving me a perfect view of the pink and brown flesh I loved stroking into. It felt like forever since I’d indulged in my favorite pastime— fucking the hell out of my wife.

I groaned and closed the door. My dick strained against the jeans I was wearing. I had already taken a few steps in her direction before I remembered I was mad at her.

Lust turned to aggravation.

"Scarlett, please leave," I said, trying to keep my voice steady.

She propped herself up, looking directly into my eyes. "I'm not going anywhere, Troy." She spread her legs and ran her fingers through her slick folds.

Resisting the urge to get trapped in her little web, I looked away, bent down, and removed my boots. She was trying to kill me.

"Fucking you won't make me forget you had divorce papers drawn up."

"But it'll make us both feel better," she shot back.

"I'm going to shower, Scarlett," I said, heading toward the bathroom. "I hope you're gone when I come back," I muttered, hoping she heard the frustration in my words. It was crazy that she thought I would just forgive her after she planned to divorce me and lied to our daughter about something that drastically affected her life. Forgiveness would take work.

A loud crash startled me. My feet were suddenly wet. I looked down to find the vase of flowers left on the nightstand every morning, by the housekeeper on the floor.

I spun around to face Scarlett. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

Her legs were hanging off the bed, and the sheet covered her. Her eyes were narrowed, and her nose flared. "Fight with me." She screamed. "This is what we do. We fight, have sex, and make up."

I shook my head and took a deep breath, trying to find the right words. "It may be time we broke that cycle."

Her eyes brimmed with tears as she bit her lower lip. "Why now, after everything that's happened? After everything you've done."

"Don’t start with the Tiffany bullshit, Scar. You said you forgave me. Stick to it. And even though I didn't ask you at first about Maine because I was panicked and didn’t know what to do, I did ask you just days later, and you agreed to help raise her. You insisted. If you changed your mind, you should have talked to me instead of running to Compton. This is part of the cycle we need to let go. You can't keep using what happened twenty years ago to dig your way out of the holes you dig."

"Why change now, Troy? When I mess up," her voice was shaky, "I'm terrified. You being away from me this long has me terrified of losing you."

I felt bad because she was crying. "You're talking stupid. I married you to spite our parents. If I leave, they win," I said, trying to lighten the moment. "But I do think we need to break some old habits. Like this." I pointed to the broken vase. "Fighting, then fucking, then letting whatever happened fester until it gets to this point doesn’t work for me anymore. We have adult children. We’re too old for this. We need counseling. The entire family. Our children are messed up because we're dysfunctional as hell."

She nodded. "We get counseling as a family, and you'll return home?"

I nodded. "Yes. But you also have to apologize to Creed and talk to Maine and tell her why she was wrong."

She sniffled, her lip poked out. "But Creed is mean."

I shook my head. "Where do you think she got it from?"

She wiped her eyes with the back of her hands, rolling them. "Can I stay with you until you move back?"

"Yes, Scarlett. And put on some clothes—no dick for you. You’re on punishment."

Just like that, her demeanor switched. Her crocodile tears cleared right up. "Sucker," she slid back into bed and chuckled. "I knew the tears would get you. You said you're coming back and can’t take it back."

Part of me knew she wasn’t really crying. Scarlett was a lot more violent when her tears were real. I wanted to choke hera little bit, but I had a better way to get her back for her little performance.

"Can I take a bath now that your little show is over?"

"Sure, then we can watchLove After Lockupand order room service."

I gritted my teeth. "Sure." I hated reality TV, only pretending to like it because I wanted to be laid up with her. I just wanted to go to sleep but knew I'd be up for hours discussing that nonsense.

Before walking into the bathroom, I hit her with the news I dreaded telling her but was happy to tell her now. "By the way, Creed is pregnant by Noah, and I gave him my blessing to marry her. Tiffany's son is marrying into the family."

"What the fuck did you just say?" she screamed as I closed the door and locked it.

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