MELANIE
Coming down the stairs, my heart pounded so wildly in my chest I genuinely felt like the organ was going to burst right through my ribs.
The house was dead quiet except for the low, rumbling murmur coming from the living room.
I heard their voices even before I reached the bottom step. It was the craziest thing! I paused on the landing, tilting my head, and realized I couldn't differentiate which voice belonged to Liam and which belonged to his brother.
They had the exact same deep, gravelly baritone that sounded like rocks grinding together, a sound that usually made the hairs on my arms stand up.
Finally, I rounded the corner and stepped into the living room, and my eyes almost popped right out of their sockets. I froze on the hardwood floor, my fingers clutching the railing behind me.
Was it even legal for a human being to look that fucking hot?
If I thought Liam was the peak of masculine perfection, then this man—this absolute Greek god sitting so casually on our living room sofa was fucking surreal!
He was an even broader, more muscular, and infinitely sexier version of the man I’d been craving for five long years.
He wore a tight, olive-green military-issue t-shirt that practically screamed under the strain of his chest and biceps. But the biggest difference was the ink. While Liam’s only visible tattoo was that small, dangerous-looking cross at the side of his temple, his twin’s tattoos seemed to be absolutely everywhere.
Dark, intricate ink crawled up his neck, wrapped around his throat, covered his knuckles, and completely blacked out both of his massive arms.
I stood there like a statue, my gaze tracing the dark lines on his skin, wondering what kind of stories the rest of his body probably held under that shirt. And then, because my mind is inherently filthy, my thoughts took a sharp, wicked turn.
I couldn't help but wonder if he and his brother also shared the exact same size of monstrous cock. If he was built like Liam down there, the mere thought of it was enough to make my stomach do a violent flip.
I was completely lost in my own scandalous head until Liam cleared his throat loudly.
The sharp sound broke the spell, and I instantly recollected that I’d been caught fucking ogling his brother right in front of him.
I forced my feet to move, making myself walk up to them. Every step felt like I was walking through wet cement, my hot pink crop top suddenly feeling too short and way too revealing under their collective attention.
Liam looked up at me, a tight, controlled smile appearing on his face.
"Melanie," he said, his voice smooth but firm. He looked down at the heavy wall of muscle sitting so comfortably on our tweed couch. "Lucas, this is Melanie. My stepdaughter."
The second my name left Liam's mouth, Lucas’s similar hazel eyes moved.
They traveled slowly, deliberately, over every single inch of my body.
His gaze started at my face, dropped down my throat, lingered heavily on the exposed skin of my midriff, traced the curve of my hips in my tight denim shorts, and then slowly made its way back up.
It felt like he was physically undressing me with his eyes. Under that microscopic, predatory gaze, I suddenly felt completely invisible and completely naked.
A sudden, impulsive wave of panic hit me, telling me to turn on my heel and run back upstairs like a foolish, terrified child.
But there was something about the sheer, intoxicating power vibrating in the room with these two massive men that made me stand my ground. I locked my knees and refused to look away.
Lucas flashed me a slow, disarming smile. "Hello, Melanie," he murmured, his voice a low, raspy purr.
"Hi," I said, the single word feeling incredibly heavy and awkward on my tongue.
Just then, Liam stood up from the armchair, smoothing down his jeans. "I’m going to the kitchen to get a cup of coffee for Lucas."
He gave me a pointed look and then he walked out of the room. The second Liam’s footsteps faded into the kitchen, the tension in the room skyrocketed.
I took a seat on the armchair opposite the couch, trying to look casual, but my eyes immediately found Lucas’s gaze waiting for me. He leaned back against the cushions, spreading his legs wide, completely unbothered by the space he was taking up.
"Liam’s told me a lot about you, you know," Lucas said, his eyes locking onto mine with a wicked intensity. "It’s a real pleasure to finally be meeting you in person, Melanie."
My eyes widened, and I felt my breath hitch completely in my throat.
My face began coloring furiously, a deep, burning blush spreading across my cheeks.
Liam had talked about me? To his Navy SEAL twin brother?
My mind started racing, trying to figure out what the hell my stepfather would even say about me. Just as I opened my mouth to speak, Liam returned from the kitchen. He was holding a steaming mug of black coffee, which he handed over to Lucas.
Then, instead of going back to his armchair, Liam walked over and sat down right beside me on the love seat, his heavy thigh brushing against mine.
I sat perfectly still, watching the two of them with a shocking new realization that there was probably a lot more to my stepfather than I could have ever known.
I felt trapped between them, my skin tingling where Liam’s leg pressed against mine, while Lucas stared at me from across.
I couldn't help wondering what exactly Liam had told him about me.
Did he tell him I was a brat? Did he tell him I was disrespectful to my mother?
Or did he know?
Did Liam secretly know that I spent my nights whispering his name in the dark while my fingers rode my soaking wet clit?
The thought made a cold shiver run down my spine, followed immediately by a sharp, dull throbbing feeling right between my legs.
It was faint at first, but within seconds, it became unmistakable and heavy. I couldn't believe the absolute depravity of my own body—the mere realization that my stepfather had been discussing me with my step-uncle was making me horny as fuck!
My thong was already starting to feel damp against my skin.
Lucas lifted the coffee mug to his lips, taking a slow sip, hazel eyes fixed on my face. I hated the fact that just like Liam, his expression was completely unreadable, a hard military mask that hid whatever dirty thoughts were probably running through his head.
He set the mug down on the glass table with a soft thud eyes still on me.
"You look just like your mother, Melanie," Lucas said, his voice dropping into a dangerous, intimate tone. "Only... you’re a much more raw and untamed version."
My face wrinkled, my fingers digging into the fabric of my shorts.
"Untamed? What exactly is that supposed to mean?"
The second the question left my lips, I noticed Liam and Lucas exchange a quick, silent look.
It was like a flash of unspoken communication between the both of them, something coded that I couldn't figure out for the life of me.
Then, the very next thing that came out of Lucas's mouth made my heart literally screech to a dead stop.
He kept his eyes completely fixed on me, a dark, wicked smirk pulling at the corner of his lips as he leaned forward, resting his tattooed forearms on his knees.
"I’ve just been incredibly curious to see if you'd spike our old habit of sharing everything together, Melanie. And looking at you now... I’ve got to say, I’m not disappointed at all."
Beside me, Liam let out a low, warning growl deep in his throat, his entire body going rigid. His jaw clenched so hard I could see the muscle ticking violently in his cheek.
My ears started ringing, and I could barely hear the sound of my own voice over the deafening pounding of my heart.
I looked from Liam's furious face to Lucas's teasing, filthy smirk, my breath completely gone.
"What... what the fuck are you talking about?" I whispered, the room suddenly spinning around me.