Falling For My Alpha Stepsister (GL)

So, with my free time, when no patron was around asking for book recommendations or wanting me to browse for a book that ceased to exist just to waste my time...

I sat back against the high wooden stool behind the desk, resting my chin on my palm while the quiet hum of the library ceiling fan spun overhead.

I was by the counter reading a book I had picked up from the language bookshelf.

And yes, it was Spanish.

The bold black letters on the front cover seemed to mock my complete lack of high school preparation, the small flag illustration looking bright and colorful the library counter.

A book called Spanish for Dumbs.

I rubbed my temple with a slow sigh, staring at the cartoon character printed on the corner of the page with a mix of annoyance and desperation.

Calling your future readers dummies is not okay.

It felt like a cheap shot from the publishers, a slight insult before you even had a single chance to open the binding and look at the vocabulary lists.

But it’s only a dummy who reads a learning book to learn something because they have no idea what it is.

After last night’s date and hearing Angel speak Spanish, I kind of had a feeling she was talking about me.

The memory of her crimson eyes flashing with that lazy, superior amusement while those blonde twins laughed kept bouncing around my head, making my stomach twist into a tight knot of pure frustration.

I hate it when people bitch about me in some foreign language.

It was the ultimate power move, a cheap trick to leave me completely stranded in the middle of a crowded restaurant while they discussed whatever they wanted right in front of my face.

”Hola, me llamo April,” I muttered, using my name instead of the one written in the book.

The foreign vowels felt incredibly clumsy on my tongue, my voice dropping into a flat whisper as I practiced the basic introduction over the quiet rustle of the paper.

”Oh, I see you are learning Español... Why?” Katie, out of nowhere, peeked at what I was reading.

Her chin suddenly popped over my shoulder, her long curly hair brushing against my cheek as she blocked out the light with a massive, nosy grin.

”None of your business,” I shrugged, moving a little away from her.

I was still angry at her for becoming friends with Angel and then proceeding to tell her my life story.

Even after telling her that Angel happened to be the stepsister I had been talking about, and after she promised to whoop her when she met her...

Now those two were close.

Instead of any actual fight, they were basically texting each other like old high school buddies, completely bypassing me in the process.

”Okay, I’m sorry about that. I had no idea she was your evil stepsister, but from my perspective she doesn’t look that evil, and she’s definitely not ugly. She is friendly and fun to hang around with. Also, she promised to set me up on a date with someone in exchange for telling her your type.”

I did not want to talk to her, but I had no choice.

We were the only two staff members scheduled for the afternoon shift, locked behind the same desk for another four hours with absolutely nothing else to do.

”She is wearing a mask just to humiliate and punish me. That is why she is acting all friendly toward you. Believe me, Katie, Angel is the devil in disguise.”

I leaned forward, my voice dropping into a fierce whisper as I tried to shake some actual sense into my coworker’s romance-addled brain.

”I don’t think she hides it. Her presence says it all. But that devil is someone I would love to do. But she is taken by someone else, and she only offered me friendship. Friends with the devil is a one-way ticket to a good hell.”

Katie let out a dramatic sigh, resting her cheek in her hand with a completely dreamy expression that made me want to roll my eyes right out of my head.

This girl and her dark fantasies.

She was completely hopeless, her entire view of real-world relationships entirely warped by the massive stack of paperbacks she kept hidden under the main desk.

This is because she reads a lot of dark romance.

Every single plot line she consumed involved some toxic, dominant character pushing people around, and she apparently couldn’t separate that fiction from actual real-life danger.

When it comes to recommending dark romance, Katie is a professional.

She could list twenty titles off the top of her head for any customer looking for red flags, her eyes lighting up whenever a book had a dangerous warning on the back.

But...

Did I just hear...

A tiny, uncomfortable prickle of curiosity started working its way up my spine, completely catching me off guard before I could stop it.

”Angel is taken by someone?” I asked, now giving Katie my full attention.

”Yes, she is. It’s you.

Katie pointed a manicured finger straight at my nose, her smile widening into a huge, knowing grin that made my heart do a weird, erratic bounce.

”Excuse me?”

”She didn’t actually say it, but she looks so interested in you. She kept asking so many things about you that I concluded you are the only thing on that girl’s mind.”

Oh shit...

A sudden wave of panic hit my stomach, my throat going dry as I tried to process the sheer ridiculousness of her theory.

What is this girl talking about?

It was completely insane, a total misunderstanding of the actual power struggle happening inside our house right now.

”Look, Katie, the only thing on Angel Morningstar’s dumb mind is sex. Yes, that is the only thing that occupies her devilish mind... and me? I am her stepsister. So what you are saying is rubbish.”

I just don’t understand this.

I have lived with that girl for four years, and I can’t count how many times Angel has brought tons of girls into that mansion.

And I’m even sure she will be making out with the one she was gazing at this morning.

The vivid image of that jogger in the pink spandex shorts flashed instantly back into my mind, making my fingers clench.

They are probably somewhere right now, fucking...

Dammit, why am I picturing those two in my mind right now?

I shook my head violently, trying to clear the vivid, embarrassing images from my brain before my face could give away how flustered I actually was.

I shouldn’t do that.

It was entirely stupid to waste my mental energy on Angel’s active sex life while I was supposed to be working a professional shift at the counter.

I should focus on this Spanish book instead of two naked girls.

I pulled the cover back toward my chest, determined to block out the world and force my brain to memorize some basic vocabulary words instead.

”Do you know the sweetest thing in this world?” Katie’s voice stopped my crazy thoughts.

Her tone had completely shifted, dropping into a low, mysterious drawl that made me look back up from the printed lines.

I don’t know what she was going to say, but I needed a distraction from those unwanted lewd images.

”What?”

I adjusted my glasses, bracing myself for whatever weird romance philosophy she was about to drop on me this time.

She leaned close to my ear and whispered,

”The forbidden fruit...”