My Stepbrother's Keeper

Chapter 1: "Slut of a stepbrother.."

Instead of screaming at him 'WHAT ABOUT MOM?!' she stood there with a look of disgust and folded her arms angrily.

"Ahem!" she spat out loudly.

John and Salem jumped apart as if they had been shocked. They looked nervously at each other for a few second, extending the tense, awkward silence. Melanie continued to glare at the both of them. As soon as she made eye contact with Salem, Melanie narrowed her eyes menacingly, making her cast her gaze to the ground and fidget nervously. John was the first to speak, breaking the silence and and bringing Mel's icy glare from Salem's face.

"Morning sweet pea!" he said, trying to lighten the mood. He was good at that, plastering a smile on his face to loosen strained moments. It almost looked real. 'I guess physically lying to people just runs in the family..' she thought darkly.

"Morning Dad." she said quietly.

"Hungry?"

"Yeah. Very." Melanie replied.

Melanie was about to make her plate when Salem interrupted.

"Oh no no no.. you go and sit. I'll bring it to you darling." she smiled and insisted semi-sweetly.

Melanie froze at the endearment. She didn't realize how long she had been silent until she snapped out of her shock.

"Uh.. Uhm.." she stuttered. "Okay... I guess."

She made her way to the breakfast nook in the corner of the kitchen and took her usual seat, adjacent to the large bay window, that overlooked the Hudson river. That was the best part of living in Manhattan.

'She called me darling.. Why would she do that? Only my mother called me that..' she fumed in her head.

Melanie's attention was once then grasped by Salem placing her plate in front of her. She had to admit it. The food looked like it was fresh off the pages of a gourmet breakfast cookbook. Her mouth watered and her stomach almost clawed its way up her esophagus to get to the food faster, being that her hands weren't moving nearly fast enough for it.

"There you go Mel." Salem half whispered.

"Uh, thanks. " Melanie replied with a smile that she was sure looked more like a grimace.

"You're welcome hun.."

Melanie once again paused at yet another endearment, stunned to silence just as she was the first time. Holding a fork-full of food in mid air, she snapped her head up to meet Salem's hesitant gaze. The stare-down lasted until someone came noisily barreling down the stairs. Rounding the corner, he greeted everyone.

"Morning mom! John.." he said perkily before Melanie dominated his line of sight.

"Morning.." they both mumbled in unison, not paying much attention. John busied himself with the Sunday paper, now sitting at a stool near the kitchen island, and and Salem, making now three more plates instead of just two.

"Hey Mel.." Gabriel said. The slight pause before he greeted her and the slow once-over he had given her entire body did not go unnoticed by Melanie. Neither did the slight self consciousness she suddenly felt in his presence.

"Morning.." she replied dryly.

Gabriel sat right across from her. She had a clear view of the snug white tshirt that clung to his sculpted chest and biceps. She also noted the red and black gym shorts he sported. His brown disheveled hair was still slightly wet from his shower. The gray eyes that sparkled with mischeif were still strained on her face with plump, pink lips, a straight nose, and a sharp angular jaw to accompany them. This was how he made all the panties within a two mile radius drop. He also made sure to always take advantage of every opportunity as well.

'Ugh.. He's one slut of a stepbrother..' she thought sourly.

"What was that sweet pea?" her dad asked looking up from his paper.

'Oh shit.. I said that out loud..'

"Oh.. I, uh.. said that i slept on the wrong comforter. Yeah... I.. I meant to wash that one and use the other while it dried last night, but i forgot."

'Nice going smart ass.. now you just look stupid..' she thought to herself.

"Okaaayy..." her father said in a confused tone, waving it off as if he didnt want be let in to a female's train of thought.

Melanie heard a faint snicker come from Gabriel. She glared at him, and he just smirked back. She knew he had heard.

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~ A/N~

Sooooooooo... First chapter! I got it up early for you guys! Arent you happy? I sure hope so. I worked really hard. Typed my poor fingers to the bone..lol. What do you think? About Melanie? Gabriel? The rents? Tell me, tell me, tell meeeee! I wanna know your thoughts. Do i suck at writing? Did you like it? If you did please vote and follow! Please? Im begging. I need feedback to tell me how im doing. Did you love, hate, or were you okay?

(There will be explicit chapters in this book, so following is in your best interest if you wish to continue reading.)

Next chapter gonna be up some time next week! Probably thursday.. To the side is what i imagine Melanie to look like. :-)

Until next time my lovely readers!

-LoveisXO