Chapter 1

The house was quiet except for the low hum of the AC. I’d been back from college for two weeks, and sharing the upstairs with Alex was driving me insane. My stepbrother had always been the golden boy tall, built from years of gym and sports, with that effortless smirk that made people stupid. After his breakup, he’d crashed back home, claiming the guest room right next to mine. Shared bathroom. Thin walls. Bad combination.

It started with sounds. At night I’d hear the rhythmic creak of his bed, the low grunts, the wet slap of skin on skin. I’d lie there rock hard, trying not to picture...