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  Chapter 25: Emma

  I look at the clock on my nightstand and try not to scream as Caleb’s strong, savage mouth moves between my legs and finds my clit. This is my punishment for suggesting we wait a couple more weeks to tell our parents about us: Caleb picking me up, throwing me over his shoulder, and licking me hard on my bed. We’ve been sneaking around ever since Mom and Larry got back from their honeymoon, and Caleb thinks it’s only going to be a matter of time until one of them ends up catching us in an extremely inappropriate position if they don’t know to give us privacy.

  So Caleb made me a deal: if I could make it ten minutes in a room with him without screaming so loud the whole house could hear, we could keep sneaking around until I leave for Berkley in a couple weeks. Otherwise, we have to go to the PoodleMatch launch this afternoon as a couple and tell our parents about us.

  I thought I could hold out. I mean, it was only ten minutes! But it hasn’t even been three minutes and I’m already right at the edge. Does Caleb do tongue exercises or something?

  By minute four, I’m pulling his hair, holding on for dear life and trying not to scream. By minute four and a half, I’m pressing my thighs against his stubbly face, clenching every muscle in my body and thinking about the least sexy things I can possibly think of. By minute six, it’s all over. I scream so loud that the house across the street can probably hear it.

  Caleb grins into my throbbing, sensitive flesh, and then pulls away with a satisfied look on his face. Damn it. I guess we’re going public.

  “Fine,” I say, out of breath from trying to not to come, “You win. But if I get disowned, you’d better let me stay in your dad’s mansion.”

  “If they get mad, I’ll tell them we matched on PoodleMatch. Then my dad won’t be able to say shit.”

  I’m not exactly confident that that’s going to work after Caleb told his dad that he broke his hand trying to move the poodle statue at his dad’s house so he’d have more room in the garage. Two unlikely poodle-related lies in one week? Still, even though he’s not planning on fighting any time soon, it’s probably better if the real way we met stays a secret.

  I’m just nervous about telling them.

  As usual, Caleb reads my mind. “Don’t worry about it. Your mom thinks I’m awesome, and my dad probably won’t care.”

  “But couldn’t it hurt your future with the company?”

  Caleb looks me dead in the eye. “You’re worth it. Now come on, let’s get dressed. Now that we’re official, I want to show you off.”

  ***

  Wait, did all our co-workers think we were actually dating? No one actually looks very surprised when I walk in on Caleb’s arm. Maybe we were being a little more obvious than I thought.

  Of course, they’re not really looking at us, either. Thanks to Caleb’s little challenge, we’re late, and Larry’s already onstage, talking about love while pictures from his honeymoon play behind him.

  “This is perfect. Dad’s probably going to be so pumped up from hyping PoodleMatch that he’d congratulate us even if I told him we were joining a biker gang.”

  “Let’s hope so. I’m still really nervous.”

  Caleb kisses the side of the forehead and then whispers into my ear. “I’ve got a surprise for you after this.”

  Knowing Caleb, that surprise is probably going to involve a private place and something unimaginably dirty. I feel myself starting to get wet as the possibilities run through my head.

  “Hey, you two, glad you could make it.”

  Shit, it’s Dylan.

  “Looks like you spent some quality time together on your little vacation.”

  Dylan smiles at us awkwardly.

  God, why did the FBI make us sign that non-disclosure agreement? I’d love to tell Dylan that we brought down a party full of dangerous criminals and that’s why we weren’t at work, but I’m legally obliged to say that Caleb and I went hiking in the Cascade Mountains for a week, making us look totally lazy to basically our whole office.

  “The Cascade Mountains must be pretty romantic to make two stepsiblings get together. By the way, Caleb, have you checked your email recently?”

  Caleb laughs. “Fuck no.”

  “Didn’t think so. Well, uh…while you two were gone, I had a little talk with the Vice President of Poodle about how much time you’ve spent away from the office, and we both decided that it would be best if I took over as the only head of PoodleMatch once it launches. I explained how much of the final version was based on my code, and he conceded that it was the only logical move.”

  He’s probably right, but I still can’t help but feel like he’s doing this out of jealousy. Still, it’s terrible news for Caleb. Isn’t it? So why is he laughing?

  “Took you long enough. I thought my Dad was going to keep me on that thing until it fucking crashed and burned. Why do you think I slacked off so bad? I was trying to get replaced.”

  Dylan looks confused. “Not very smart of you. Have you seen PoodleMatch’s projected value?”

  “Yeah, but it doesn’t mean shit. PoodleMatch is only going to last as long as it takes for people to start actually using it.”

  “You really haven’t been paying attention, then. Our algorithm is incredibly good at connecting people with their perfect matches.”

  “Right. You spent all that time on that algorithm that uses people’s browsing history, and you didn’t think about what happens if someone else uses their phone.”

  Dylan smiles and shakes his head. “You’ve been saying that this entire time, and it’s completely ridiculous. There’s no way the algorithm wouldn’t notice.”

  “Really? Because my Dad’s phone is always the newest Poodle prototype, and he always has me use it about half the time to see if I can find any bugs that he can’t. So when Dad uses PoodleMatch on that phone, most of the info it’s using is mine.”

  Dylan looks back and forth between me and Caleb for a few seconds, and then a horrified look appears in his eyes. “This can’t be happening.”

  Caleb shrugs. “I told you it was a problem.”

  “No, you don’t understand. Larry’s about to use PoodleMatch onstage with a different phone. And if you’re right…”

  I look up at the stage, where Larry has a phone in his hand and the screen projected behind him. He’s starting up PoodleMatch.

  “Fuck!” Caleb sprints towards the stage, but it’s too late, Dad hits the match button, and the three of us stand there in silence as the Poodle cupid flies around the screen, shoots an arrow into a cloud, and a picture of a woman falls out.

  A woman who is not my mother.

  But at least we saw it coming. Larry didn’t, and neither did anything else in the room. Larry looks at his phone, and then at the screen behind him.

  “Well…um…that’s interesting.”

  Caleb grabs my hand and leads me out of the conference room. “Okay, now we should probably wait to tell our parents about us.”

  Through the conference room door, I can hear people starting to boo. “I mean, shit, after that, they might not be our parents for much longer.”

  A bizarre mix of relief and sadness washes over me. On one hand, I feel really bad for Mom, but on the other hand, I knew there was something weird about her and Larry getting together. It’s actually weirdly comforting to know that I wasn’t imagining it, and they weren’t really soulmates after all.

  Hold on. I just realized something.

  “Wait, Caleb. You said you used your Dad’s phone more than he did, right?”

  “Yeah, why?”

  “So, if that phone matched your Dad up with my Mom based on your data…wouldn’t that mean that it thinks we’re a match?”

  Caleb bursts out laughing. “Well shit, I guess it worked for something.”

  It looks like the conference is over. People are starting to file through the doors, and most of them don’t look very happy.

  Caleb sighs. “Let’s get out of here. I think my dad’s going to need som
e space.”

  ***

  I’m sitting at the kitchen table, talking to Mom on the phone. The sounds of a rowdy kindergarten recess crackle behind her.

  “I was surprised, but when I actually thought about it, it all made sense. When we first met, Larry was so interested in me that I couldn’t help but think it was love. But ever since the wedding, I started to feel like he was always trying to prove to himself that he loved me just because his app said so. I felt bad for thinking that, but…apparently, I was right.”

  “So you’re doing alright?”

  “Honestly, I’m just glad I found out this early. I talked to Larry, he was very apologetic, and he agreed with me that this changes things quite a bit. I really don’t think it’s going to last.”

  “Well hey, if you think that, you should go back to talking to that new guy you like so much. The math teacher with the glasses?”

  “Way ahead of you, honey. We’re getting coffee after school.”

  “Go Mom!”

  A bell rings in the background.

  “Oh! That’s my next class. I’ll talk to you later, dear!”

  Well, that went better than expected. I think about fixing myself a snack, but before I do, Caleb walks into the room.

  “Ready for your surprise?”

  Oh God, I forgot all about the surprise. My eyes wander over Caleb’s body as I consider the possibilities. Yum.

  “Ready when you are,” I say, biting my lip.

  “Good. Come on, let’s go upstairs.”

  Caleb takes my hand and leads me up the stairs, and I watch his muscular ass move in his jeans on the way up. I wonder what he’s got in mind for me…

  When we reach the top of the stairs, Caleb opens the door to my room and motions for me to go inside. When I do, my jaw drops.

  There’s a huge calendar on my floor. It’s just like the one I made at the start of the summer, but bigger, professionally printed and filled to the brim with words and pictures.

  “I know I kind of messed up your summer calendar, so I made you a new one.”

  It’s sweet, but I’m a little confused. “Summer’s almost over, Caleb.”

  “I know. This is for next summer. We’re going to go on so many adventures, you won’t believe it.”

  “Caleb…” I read the calendar, and my eyes start to water as I look at everything that Caleb has planned for us.

  “And then we’re going to do it again next summer, and then the summer after that, and the summer after that. I want every day we spend together to be a new adventure, and I want to spend all my days with you.”

  I smile and start to cry as Caleb wraps his arms around me.

  “I love you, Emma.”

  “I love you too, Caleb.”

  I look up at Caleb’s face, and I swear there are little sparks blazing in his eyes.

  Chapter 26: Emma

  Four Years Later

  Four years. Three regular years, and one leap year. That’s 1461 days, and every one of them has been an adventure.

  And today might be the biggest adventure yet.

  “Caleb Matthews, Emma Grant…”

  When we announced that the wedding was going to be in the middle of the redwood forest, I was worried people wouldn’t be able to make it. But they did. This is probably the most people the National Tree Ring Museum has ever had. We’re definitely their first wedding, but they’ve been excellent hosts. The priest gives a speech about how true love is like a tree, because it gets stronger and stronger every year. I’d laugh if it wasn’t true.

  Gina’s here, and so is Fox. They rolled their eyes at us when we told them about the wedding, but they’re definitely going to be up here next. They’re crazy for each other.

  Mom and Larry are also here, sitting on opposite sides of the crowd with their new partners. Mom’s with Hugh, the math teacher, who I’m pretty much convinced is her actual soulmate, and Larry’s with the woman he matched with onstage. PoodleMatch may not have panned out, but Larry insists that this time, it really did find him true love. As far as Caleb and I can tell, he’s right.

  Caleb used the prize money to start his own MMA league, a totally legitimate one. It’s still pretty new, but it’s been gaining in popularity every year. It’s surreal to watch Caleb fight on TV, but I try to see his matches in person whenever I can. He knows how much I like to watch him fight.

  That’s only the beginning, though. Now that I’m out of college, I’m working on turning that MMA money into a Poodle-style tech startup. I’m going to found it, and then Caleb is going to jump on once he’s done fighting. Personally, I have my suspicions that that’s going to be sooner rather than later, because ever since Caleb’s brother got back in touch with him last month and apologized for leaving home…he’s stopped tossing and turning in his sleep.

  The wedding is perfect. I kiss Caleb, and we become husband and wife. And before we go to the reception and see all our friends, I’ve got a surprise for him.

  As soon as the wedding is over, I grab Caleb’s hand and lead him through the woods, past trees, rivers, and roads until we find ourselves on a certain dirt path winding through the forest. Caleb grins as he recognizes the path, and before too long, we end up at the end of it, where the dirt gives way to the towering redwood tree we parked underneath last time we were here.

  Caleb looks up at the tree, and then down at me. “So what’s your surprise?”

  I take his hand, hold it in mine, and then guide it up to my stomach. “An adventure.”

  Caleb looks down at his hand for a second, and then his jaw drops. “Wait, seriously? You’re…”

  I nod. He smiles and wraps his arms around me, picking me up and holding me tight in the shadow of the redwood tree.

  It’s going to be an adventure, alright. And I, for one, can’t wait.

  THE END

  ***

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  Excerpt From Ink: A Stepbrother Romance

  Chapter 1: Haley

  I smash my head between two pillows, hoping it’ll block the noise of the party outside.

  Jace Fisher has completely ruined my life.

  Ever since my dad married Laura, he’s basically moved into her apartment in Manhattan, leaving me alone out here in Connecticut with her son Jace, a foul-mouthed, immature bastard with the body of a Greek god who thinks playing stupid pranks on me is the funniest thing in the world.

  Until I had one for a stepbrother, I’d done a pretty good job of avoiding guys like Jace: cocky, arrogant jerks who think they’re god’s gift to the human race just because they have six-pack abs, gorgeous eyes, thick, perfect hair, and a face that can ruin a girl’s panties with just a look.

  Not mine, of course. I’m too busy trying to make it through this summer without murdering him, and he isn’t making it easy.

  First of all, he hits on all my friends. His favorite move is to come out of the shower wearing nothing but a tiny little towel and offer to cook us pancakes. Naturally, they’re all obsessed with him now, and they’ll make any excuse to come over to my place so they can make Bambi eyes at him. They won’t listen when I tell them that he’s the devil incarnate.

  Then, there’s the fact that he sleeps in my old playroom, the room right next to mine. This gives him access to basically my entire childhood, a fact which he loves to remind me of by leaving my old stuffed animals in naughty poses all around the house.

  Worst of all, though, is how he teases me, calling me his hot stepsister, flirting with me every chance he gets, twisting everything I say into vulgar sexual jokes. He loves to get under my skin, to make things awkward, to get me so flustered that all I can do is stomp back to my room and shut the door. He thinks that every girl who doesn’t immedi
ately jump his stupid muscular bones is playing hard to get, which means that the more I try to convince him that I’d rather kayak down Niagara Falls than make out with him, the more aggressive his advances get.

  Things got even worse a few weeks ago, when Jace realized he could throw parties here and no one would care. Ever since, the house has been full of asshole guys and loud, obnoxious girls playing beer pong, blasting club music, and making out with each other until four in the morning. All night, every night. That’s what it feels like, anyway.

  Deciding to brave the party for a few seconds, I sneak into the kitchen for a glass of milk to help me sleep, but I can’t even do that without some meathead guy with a buzzcut cornering me and asking me to be on his beer pong team.

  “It’s strip pong,” he says, leering at my pajama-clad body, “But don’t worry, I’m not going to let anyone else see you naked.”

  “Hmm, I think I’ll pass. Milk and beer don’t go together very well.”

  “Then who needs milk?” The buzzcut guy grabs my glass of milk and pours it down the sink.

  Since I can’t slap this entire party in the face, I settle for just slapping him. It feels great, but when half the party stops dancing , turns around, and looks at me, I realize that it may not have been the smartest idea. I can’t see who anyone is in the dark, but I’m pretty sure half my graduating class is here tonight.

  Horribly embarrassed, I walk down the hall to my room and managed to keep my cool until I’m safe and shut up in my room. With a pillow over my face and tears of anger welling up in my eyes, I eventually drift off into an unhappy sleep.

  Once I’m asleep, I have the dream I’ve been having ever since graduation. It’s always the same. I’m attending some made-up college, and it’s completely awful. I don’t fit in there, I don’t like any of my fellow students, and they don’t like me.