Puck Me Harder: A Stepbrother Romance [BL]

Micah’s POV

Give up on Noah? To date a chaotic nightmare like Damon Silver?

The mere suggestion sent a chaotic swirl of panic and irritation through my chest. I didn’t even want to entertain the thought. How could I just "give up" on feelings that had practically woven themselves into my DNA? I had been utterly, hopelessly in love with Noah since I was seven years old.

It had started back when we were children, when I was completely fragile and relied on my adopted older brother for absolutely everything... even something as simple as standing over the sink and brushing my teeth. He had been my entire world.

But as the years went on, that innocent dependency had mutated into something dark, heavy, and infinitely worse. It was a taboo, agonizing crush that kept me awake at night, suffocating under the weight of my own guilt.

There was absolutely no way I could just wipe out a decade of consuming emotion just because Damon Silver decided to turn his terrifying attention toward me. Shaking myself out of the dangerous spiral of my thoughts, I abruptly shot my hand out and shoved it directly into Damon’s smug face, pushing him away.

"There is absolutely no universe where that is happening. Stop dreaming," I snapped, fiercely turning my head away from him to hide the hot flush creeping up my neck.

Besides, a dark, realistic voice in the back of my mind whispered the truth:

’Damon doesn’t actually care about you.’

He was a predator who thrived on chaos. He didn’t like me; he was just using me as a pawn, a shiny tool to completely piss Noah off and break the flawless captain’s composure.

"Let’s just go inside," I muttered, adjusting the oversized silk shirt that still smelled heavily of him.

Once the glamorous, blinging girl from the driveway finally vanished around the side of the house with her girls, I slipped out from the safety of the bushes. Damon followed close behind me, silently.

The moment we crossed the threshold of the front doors, my senses were assaulted by sight. The mansion was a pulsing den of sin. Half-naked, intensely muscular men were walking through the crowd serving expensive drinks on silver trays, while girls clad in scandalously short maid outfits giggled and navigated the sea of wealthy students.

"Here you go, handsome," one of the maid-clothed girls purred, deliberately rolling a strand of her hair around her finger as she balanced a heavy tray with one hand, her eyes locked hungrily onto Damon.

"Hmm." Damon didn’t even grant her a fraction of a second look. His dark eyes remained fixed entirely on me as he carelessly reached out, grabbed two red plastic cups from her tray, and handed one directly over to me.

I held the cup innocently, staring down into the mysterious, shimmering liquid before lifting it to my nose. I took a small sniff, and the toxic fumes of raw alcohol burned my nasal passages so intensely I immediately pulled the cup away, coughing slightly.

"I can’t drink this," I gasped out, my eyes watering.

Damon raised a dark, mocking eyebrow. "Why? Can the holy boy not handle his liquor?"

"I... I’m really not sure I can," I stammered, my chest tightening as a heavy memory surfaced. "The last time I sneaked into my father’s study and took a tiny drink from his private bottle... I completely blacked out. I couldn’t remember a single thing that happened the next day."

"Hmm." Damon’s smirk softened. He leaned in closer, his heavy gaze anchoring me to the spot as he watched my flustered expression. "Just hold onto the cup if you can’t drink it. Do it just to blend in, to feel among the crowd."

Suddenly, he shot his large hand out, his long fingers gently ruffling my messy hair in a surprisingly warm gesture. "I swear, I deeply wonder why that bastard brother of yours never lets you out to parties. Just completely forget about him tonight, Micah. Have some real fun."

I swallowed the lump in my throat, my fingers tightening around the plastic cup as I gave a quiet nod. He was right. I wanted to forget.

I began to wander deeper into the house, trying to adjust to the crushing volume of the music. As I passed through the grand kitchen, I froze, my eyes widening in pure shock. A group of wealthy legacy ladies were gathered around one of the bare-chested male servers.

Their hands were slowly trailing down the defined lines of his chest, tracing his abs while making these bizarre, strained, breathless noises... almost like they were groaning in agony.

I stared blankly for a second, genuinely confused by the display.

"Are they alright? Do they all suddenly have terrible headaches?"

Before I could ponder the medical mystery any further, the crowd swelled, separating me from Damon. A wave of eager students completely swarmed him, dragging him into a conversation about the upcoming hockey season.

Sensing my cue to vanish, I began wandering through the corridors on my own, desperate for an escape, until I pushed through a pair of sliding glass doors and burst out onto the main patio.

This was where the real, uninhibited pool party was happening.

I stood paralyzed against the glass, watching the chaotic scene unfold beneath the flashing neon strobe lights. Dozens of students in revealing swimwear were floating on inflatable rafts in the glowing blue water, while others crowded the edges of the pool. The air was thick with the scent of chlorine, sweat, and expensive weed. Some couples were dancing wildly against each other, some were aggressively kissing against the stone pillars, and others were further back in the shadows having...

Ugh!

I violently looked away, my cheeks flashing a deep, burning crimson. I felt entirely out of place, like a fragile ghost in a room full of beautiful monsters. Yet, despite the overwhelming urge to run away, my eyes kept scanning the crowd. I couldn’t stop looking around. Deep down, I knew exactly who I was searching for. I was looking for Noah.

A toxic, agonizing image flashed in my mind... Noah tucked away in some dark, luxurious corner of this patio, with that beautiful, wealthy girl from earlier sitting comfortably on his lap, his hands on her waist.

A sudden, bitter scowl tightened my features. Fueled by a sudden, reckless wave of jealousy and heartbreaking frustration, I lifted the plastic cup to my lips and took a massive gulp of the drink.

Instantly, my eyes snapped shut as the harsh liquid tore down my throat like fire. It burned horribly, making my chest heave as I frantically turned around, desperately searching for a bottle of water or anything to cool the suffocating heat in my throat.

And that’s when a sharp, freezing voice shattered the music behind me.

"Micah?"

I froze instantly, the air completely leaving my lungs. The burning in my throat was suddenly replaced by a paralyzing, icy terror. I wanted to turn around, but my legs were trembling so violently against the stone floor that I couldn’t make my body move. I was terrified to meet his gaze. I knew that deep, commanding tone anywhere.

It was Noah.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

Why on earth was he here? Where in the world was Damon when I desperately...

Before the frantic thought could even finish forming in my panicked brain, a heavy, muscular arm suddenly wrapped securely around my waist. A large, warm hand pressed against the back of my head, forcefully yet gently pulling my body flush against a broad, solid chest. The familiar, dangerous scent of woodsmoke and expensive cologne enveloped me instantly.

Damon glared across the patio, his dark eyes locking onto the furious captain with a wicked, predatory grin.

"What exactly do you want with my boyfriend, captain?"