Wanting My Hated Bully Stepbrother

Emma

“Emma!”

Emma looked up from her book to see her four-year-old sister, Riley, standing in the doorway. Riley was wearing a blue princess dress, a Batman mask, and a tiara.

“It’s tea time,” Riley said, waving a plastic teapot excitedly.

Emma carefully placed a bookmark between the pages of her book, setting it on the comforter next to her. She sat up, swung her legs over the side of the bed, and took the teapot from Riley.

“You’re late,” Riley scolded, putting her hands on her hips and giving Emma an exasperated look.

“Sorry, kiddo. Can’t keep your guests waiting,” Emma replied, smiling at her sister. Riley slipped her small hand into Emma’s, and together they walked down the hall.

“I’m going to miss you when you go back to school,” Riley said, skipping happily beside Emma, their hands swinging back and forth.

“Same, kiddo. But I’ll be back at Thanksgiving, then again at Christmas,” Emma assured her.

“But that’s sooooooo far away,” Riley pouted, her lip jutting out in an adorable expression.

Emma couldn’t help but suppress a smile. Riley was the only person in the house she truly cared about, and the only one who reciprocated that sentiment. Emma knew she would miss her dearly when she returned for her senior year of college.

They entered Riley’s room, and Emma froze in her tracks. Sitting at the table, alongside Riley’s stuffed animals, was the last person she wanted to see.

“What the f—udge are you doing here?” Emma quickly corrected herself, giving her stepbrother a glare.

Xavier grinned mischievously and picked up a tiny pink teacup in front of him.

“It’s teatime,” he declared, lifting his pinky finger and delicately sipping from the cup. “I’d never miss teatime.”

“Aren’t you supposed to be at Darren’s cabin?” Emma questioned.

“His parents came home early,” Xavier explained, placing the teacup down. He then turned his attention to Riley. “And I made it home just in time for tea.”

Riley let go of Emma’s hand and clapped her hands in excitement. “Yay! I’m going to miss you, Xavier. I don’t like that you go to school so far away.”

“I know, munchkin. I’m going to miss you too,” Xavier replied, his tone filled with genuine affection.

“At least you have Jules, so you won’t be lonely,” Riley commented, looking up at Emma with innocent, wide eyes. “I wish I had a brother or sister to go to school with.” Her lip quivered, and tears welled up in her eyes. “I don’t wanna go.”

“I know, kiddo,” Emma said, kneeling in front of Riley. She embraced her tiny frame in a hug, trying to comfort her. “It’s scary going to school for the first time. But you’re going to have a great year. You’ll meet all sorts of new friends and get to ride the school bus.”

“Yeah,” Xavier chimed in. “You’re the coolest kid around. You’re going to have a great time. You liked preschool.”

“Maybe,” Riley replied, wiping her nose against Emma’s shoulder and squeezing her tightly.

“How about we have some tea and cookies?” Emma suggested, still holding onto Riley, waiting for her to break the hug.

“Okay,” Riley agreed, pulling away and wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. She then gestured towards the table. “Sit.”

Emma slid into the seat across from Xavier and placed the teapot she was still holding on the table. Riley had dragged her giant teddy bear over and set him on the chair between them.

The thing was ridiculous. She had named him Giant Max. He was three feet high and wide enough she could barely fit her arms around him. Xavier had given it to her for her third birthday, and it had become her favorite toy.

“Hello, Giant Max. How are you today?” Emma asked the bear.

“He’s good.” Riley giggled as she sat across from Giant Max. “He’s excited for cookies.”

“That makes two of us.” Xavier rubbed his stomach dramatically. “I’m starving.”

Riley picked up the teapot filled with juice.

She poured a cup for Emma, then one for herself, her face screwed up in concentration and her tongue peeking out of the side of her mouth.

She managed to pour the juice, which looked like apple juice, without spilling any and sat down, a proud smile on her face.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” She beamed at Emma and lifted the cloth napkin off the plate in the center of the table.

“Oooh, chocolate chip. My favorite.” Xavier shook out his napkin, then draped it over his knee.

Emma did the same, trying not to roll her eyes at her stepbrother.

He caught her eye as Riley picked up a pair of tongs and set to putting some cookies on each of their plates. “You’re late to the party, Emma.”

She gritted her teeth and pulled in a deep breath, tapping down her irritation so she wouldn’t snap in front of Riley. She hated being called Emma, and he knew that.

“I’ve already apologized to our hostess.” She took the plate Riley handed her.

Xavier smirked and lifted his teacup to his ridiculously full lips and took another small sip.

“This is the best tea you’ve ever served, munchkin.”

“Thanks.” She put a third cookie on his plate.

Emma had only gotten two.

“An extra cookie for me? It’s my lucky day.”

She looked away, hating how her stomach clenched.

Her stepbrother was fucking gorgeous. Perfect dark brown hair—long on top and short on the sides—that always looked like he’d spent an hour styling it. Big silver-blue eyes that were both soulful and deep and framed by long, full lashes.

His perfect smile, his pillow-plush lips, and a jawline that could cut glass completed the all-American boy look.

Add in that he was six feet of lean muscle, even though he’d never played a sport in his life and didn’t work out as far as she knew, and he was easily one of the hottest guys she’d ever seen.

Then there was her. Small, mousy, and plain Emma.

“See something you like, Emma?”

She snapped her eyes up, her face heating. She’d been staring at his mouth.

“Can’t say that I do, Xavier.”

He smirked and took another sip of his juice.

“Here you go, Giant Max.”

Riley held out a plate with two cookies on it. Xavier and Emma both reached for it. Emma pulled her hand back as if burned and put it on her lap as another wave of irritation swept through her.

Xavier took the plate and put it in front of the giant teddy bear.

“Do you like the tea, Emma?” Riley asked.

Emma picked up her teacup and took a sip.

The juice was warm and overly acidic. She wasn’t a fan of apple juice to begin with, but she could drink it for Riley.

“It’s incredible. The best tea ever.”

“Do you want sugar?” She picked up the plastic sugar container and looked at Emma expectantly.

“Of course.”

She busied herself with scooping imaginary sugar into Emma’s cup, then turned to Xavier.

“Xavier?”

“Yes, please.”

“Milk?” she asked when she’d finished adding a half dozen fake scoops into Xavier’s cup.

“Please.”

“Yes, thanks,” Xavier said as she dumped imaginary milk into Emma’s cup.

They waited as she did the same for hers. Then Emma passed her Giant Max’s cup so she could fix it too.

When everyone was set, she sat in her chair and picked up a cookie.

That was their cue that it was okay to start, and Emma did the same.

The cookies were soft, but not because they were the soft baked kind. These were on the cusp of being stale and were pretty much falling apart.

Would it have killed Crystal, Emma’s stepmother, to buy fresh cookies so Riley would have some decent treats for her tea party?

Crystal was on another diet, which meant that all sweets were banned from the house. These must have been in the back of the cupboard for a while.

Riley made a face and put her cookie down. “Ew.”

“Did Mom give these to you?” Xavier asked and swallowed a bite of cookie, his throat working hard to choke it down.

“I found them.” She lowered her gaze to the table, her lip trembling. “I asked her, and she said I could have apples. But I don’t want apples for teatime. Teatime is for cookies.”

“I’ve got you, munchkin. Wait right here.”

Xavier stood and strode out of the room.

Riley pulled off her Batman mask and tossed it onto the floor.

“Do you want a tiara?” she asked, tears glittering in her eyes.

“Of course I do. Every teatime needs tiaras.”

She jumped up and ran to her toy bin.

“Here ya go.”

Xavier came into the room with a bag of chocolate chip cookies in his hand and a big smile on his face.

“Xavier, you want a tiara too?” Riley looked up from her toy bin, all traces of her tears gone.

“You bet I do.” He sat at the table and opened the bag.

She giggled and dug deeper in her toy bin, her feet barely brushing the floor.

Xavier’s lips twisted at Emma as he shoved a cookie into his mouth and chewed.

Emma rolled her eyes and sat back in her seat with a huff.

Just looking at Xavier annoyed her. And that smirk of his. She hated that smirk.

“Here you go!”

Riley came back to the table with two plastic tiaras in her hands and a big smile on her face.

They both took one and fit them on their heads.

“Would you like me to serve the cookies?” Xavier asked as Emma slid into her seat and picked up her teacup.

“Yes, please.” She took a dainty sip of her juice.

Emma gathered up the stale cookies and set them on the corner of the table so she could toss them in the compost when their tea party was over.

Xavier put two cookies on Emma’s plate, then served two to Giant Max and Riley. He then gave himself three cookies.

Emma bit her lip as he closed the bag and set it at his feet. He couldn’t even give her an extra cookie.

Riley took a bite of one cookie, her pinky up, and smiled as they did the same.

Emma tried not to look at Xavier as they chatted about Riley’s toys and the latest kid’s show she was obsessed with.

How could he look good sitting at a kid’s table, wearing a tiny pink tiara and sipping juice from a plastic teacup? He should look ridiculous, but her treacherous body tightened as he smiled at their sister.

Riley was the only person who could make Xavier smile like that. It was real and bright and genuine. Normally his handsome face was twisted into a smirk.

Smirking Xavier was sexy as all hell, but smiling Xavier was beautiful.

Emma hated that she didn’t hate it.