Forbidden Mate- A Step-brother Romance - Chapter 13: Chapter 13

~LANA~
"Why the fuck are you still here, Lana?" He growls as he follows me out into the sand.
We were a reasonable distance away from everyone else now. I wasn't sure if that was a good idea. Whenever I was left alone with Apollo, my desire seemed to intensify. I was tired of him acting cold one minute and hot the next.
Why was he even following me when he made it clear on more than one occasion that he was not interested in me?
"Are you my father?" I shout. "I do not need you telling me where I can and can't be!"
I wanted to say something to annoy him just like he was doing to me.
"You weren't invited." He reminds me. "This is a private party for—"
"All the women you wish to sleep with during the next week," I say with a forced smile.
I would take any opportunity to remind him how much of a player he was. Seeing him with all those women over the years has made me bitter.
Knowing that he preferred to sleep with them and wouldn't even consider placing his lips against any part of my body made me upset. I had this unsettling feeling in my chest. Maybe it was jealousy, or maybe I felt disrespected, I was not sure about my own feelings.
"There you go again, showing just how jealous you truly are." He points out. I knew it was an attempt to irritate me further. It felt like Apollo enjoyed upsetting me.
I press my lips into a thin line.
I hate him so much. Why did he have to be my mate out of every other man? I would settle for a blue-skinned alien over him at this point.
I would even consider taking any alien if it meant I didn't need to have feelings for someone like him. He did not deserve me. I knew that much.
"Why did you, out of every other man on this planet, have to be my mate?" I demand.
His eyes widen as he covers my mouth with his hand. "Do you want someone to hear you?"
Was he embarrassed of me? Was that his real reason for not wanting to be with me? That would make a lot of sense, considering he wanted me out of this party as soon as I arrived. Maybe he wanted me gone before more people could spot me.
Without another thought, I bite down hard on his hand. I would teach him a damn lesson today! I was not one to be taken advantage of.
"Fuck." He growls as he pulls it away.
"Keep your hands off me." I snap. "There is no telling how many women you had those fingers in today."
He quirks a brow at me as he gives me an amused look. "What do you even know about that?"
How could he ask me such a question? I hated that he treated me like a little girl at times.
I push his chest so he falls back as I narrow my eyes at him. "More than you think."
He smiles, and it makes me weak in the knees. I didn't think Apollo could get more handsome than he already was, but I was wrong. His smile lit up his entire face.
"Have you ever been kissed?" he asks. I can see the entertainment in his eyes. He already knows the answer to that question, but he enjoyed teasing me about it.
"That is none of your business." I snap.
He chuckles, "I know the truth, Lana." He confesses. "No one has ever touched those pretty, red lips of yours. No one at all."
Pretty? Red Lips? I try not to falter because of his words.
I fold my arms. " So what?" I ask. "Tonight, I plan on changing that. It's the only reason why I came to your stupid party. I want to be kissed tonight; I don't care who it is. I can walk right back into the party and choose some random guy to do it with. I am sure that anyone would be willing to kiss me."
I was lying. I didn't mean those words; I wasn't even sure why those words were coming out of my mouth. It was like I had no control of my tongue. I wanted to say anything to wipe that stupid smirk out of his face. I hated that he kissed hundreds of women while I'd been waiting for him since I understood what it meant to have a mate. I wasted all those years. I should have hooked up with another man. I shouldn't have waited for someone who wasn't waiting for me even when he knew me.
If I'd had the slightest clue what my mate was up to while I was waiting for him, I would have done things differently.
There is an immediate shift in the atmosphere as my words hit my step-brother head-on.
Good. This is exactly what I wanted.
"Do you know the kind of assholes that are at this party?" he demands from me.
I smile, "Yes, I do know; the biggest one of them is standing in front of me."
He grabs my arm and pulls me towards him, "This is not a joke, Lana. You shouldn't even be here. All those men are just looking for girls to fuck. I should know, I invited them here. Why would you want to let your first kiss be from one of them?"
I didn't like how my heart began racing when his hands touched my skin. I didn't want to be so weak in front of him.
Did my body know I had no control over this man? The mate bond was clearly to be blamed.
"I do not care what you say to me." I hiss. "All of them cannot be as horrible as you are when it comes to women."
His jaw clenched as he tightened his hands on my arms. " Why do you feel the need to be kissed so desperately?"
"I haven't been kissed before." I remind him. "If I want to be kissed today, it is none of your business!"
I can see his anger resurfacing. He looks like he is about to lose his mind because of my words.
For some reason, I enjoyed doing this to him. I was so used to not seeing any reaction from him that it felt good to finally get to know this side of him.
"I am not going to let you do that." He growls.
I gape at him. It was no longer fun, not when he was ordering me around. He did not have any control over me despite what he thought.
"I'm afraid it is not up to you," I tell him. "I can do what I please with or without your permission."
I pull away from his grip and turn to head back into the house. However, I do not get the opportunity to make it far.
I feel a strong grip on my arms. I gasp when he pulls me back with ease. I am reminded of just how strong he really is.
"What the hell do you think you are doing?" I demand from him.
His eyes are cold as he glares at me. I am not prepared when he closes the distance between us, wraps his strong arms around me, and throws me over his shoulder. His warmth seeps into my skin, and the tension in the air rises with each step he takes toward the loud, shimmering ocean.
I can hear the rhythmic crashing of waves against the shore, the scent of salt and sand mixed with my mate's scent sends my heart into a frenzy.
"You are not going back in there." He snaps. "Not while I'm around."
"Let go of me!" I shout.
He doesn't listen to me as he walks with me into the surprisingly warm water. I begin to panic as I realize that he was taking me into deeper waters.
"I am in a dress!" I scream. "What do you think you are doing?"
"What does it look like I'm doing?" He demands as he drops me into the water without any warning.
I gasp with wide eyes.
Apollo doesn't know this, but I'm terrified of the ocean and water.
"I cannot swim!" I cry out as I fight against a crashing wave.
I see the moment realization hits Apollo. I don't have time to ponder on that expression. Instead, I try to focus on not drowning.
Without warning, two hands reach out and pull me close to a rock-hard chest.
"What the fuck Lana?" he growls. "How can you not know how to swim?"
"You are a jerk," I whisper as I bury my face against his chest.
I can't help but wrap my arms around his neck and hold on tightly. I wanted to blame it on my fear of the ocean, but I knew damn well that I enjoyed having him this close to me.
"I'm sorry." He apologizes, which sends my heart into overdrive. I didn't think I would ever get an apology from him. "I didn't know. I truly didn't know."