My stepbrother

Chapter 2

Zayne

I drive up to the house, and there's a moving truck parked in the driveway. Mommy dearest moves in today, I assume. I scoff; I cannot believe Dad married some random woman in Vegas. I park my car, hop out and stroll up to the door.

“Maija, is the truck empty?” A woman asks as she unpacks a box in the living room. She looks up, and I’m face to face with a beautiful African American woman. Not my father's usual type, he usually dates twenty-year-old models who try to get in my bed once he’s out of town. She looks at me with confusion before it turns into a smile.

“Zayne?” I nod in response.

“I’m Carolyn.”

unwilling to speak to this woman I know nothing about, but that

about you all the

as she smiles warmly at me. Is this an act? She does not have to be nice to me for my father’s sake. I’m a college student who is never home, so there is no need

I can do?” I ask, shifting uncomfortably under her warm gaze. I am used to women looking at me like they want to rip my clothes off, but having lost my mother when I was 5, I am not familiar or comfortable with this

you should relax. You must be exhausted since you just got back.” She smiles warmly at me again, and for some

she busies herself emptying boxes. I scan the room, analyzing all the boxes left to unpack. I count around fifteen. I really should help; I wasn’t exhausted since I arrived state side two weeks ago. However, I’m not feeling particularly helpful

to the staircase. I climb a couple of steps before my

step but feel myself collide with something soft and fragrant. I grunt before looking at whoever ran me over in my own home. A dark skin girl, brown eyes, pouty lips covered in red looks up at me. She parts her lips slightly as if

see you two have met. Zayne, this is Maija, your stepsister.” I figured she would be Carolyn’s daughter, but the fact that she is my stepsister and should be off-limits does not register one bit as I