Stepbrother Tormentor 1 of 2: A Steamy Romance (5 page)

"Uhuh," Stacy says disbelievingly, straightening up behind the wheel and hitting the gas without restraint. Gravel spits up as we tear away and I release air I wasn't aware I was holding. I guess I should be grateful that she has the courtesy not to push it with him watching. "We have some talking to do, girlfriend."

"I don't think so," I say stubbornly and cross my arms over my chest. I should have stayed in hiding and I know it.

"So, are you are going to tell him, or should I?"

"What?" Turning my head, all wide-eyed and my jaw hanging, I try to gauge if she is serious or not. With Stacy you never know for certain, not until it’s too late.

"What
what
? You don't want him to know?" She seems genuinely surprised at the thought of it.

"For starters, you’re imagining things," I say, counting off one finger that isn't half as steady as I want it to be so I fast drop my hand. "Besides, he’s my stepbrother," I add, my voice dropping an octave, the heartache that I've been trying so hard to hide pouring out over each syllable in copious amounts, and I find tears in my eyes.

Besides being perceptive, Stacy is also a softy at heart. Tough when she needs and wants to be, but other than that a real softie. And it shows on her face. "That sucks," she says with conviction.

"Yeah, tell me about it," I say bitterly. “Besides, it’s not as if he'd be interested in a girl like me," I murmur, not knowing why I'd say a thing like that. Maybe just so Stacy can say something to make me feel better.

"He'd be a fool not to," Stacy says flatly.

"Right," I snort, "I'm not like you, Stacy." I'm not and we both know it. She is all legs and ass and tits. The build of a centerfold. That, coupled with a beautiful face, and the kind of outgoing personality that has always made her popular by default, makes her a catch. She’s the life of the party. Me? Forget it.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Stacy hates it when I put myself down.

"Look at you, and look at me," I say stubbornly. "Skinny." 

Shaking her head, Stacy rolls her eyes. "Really, are all us chicks crazy when it comes to our looks? If our ass isn't too fat than it is too skinny."

I don't reply. It's useless.

"For your information, little Miss Sunshine," Stacy says, talking slowly and emphasizing each word, "you’re fucking gorgeous, and the only one who doesn't seem to be aware of it is you."

"I'll just pretend I didn't hear that," I say, secretly pleased. "So, where are we going?"

"We're going to a party," Stacy says. Turning her head, she throws me a grin and I know I'm in trouble.

"A party?" I say hesitantly, thinking about the party that Stephan mentioned. I break out into a cold sweat just thinking it could be the same party Stacy has in mind.

"I'm certain you'll meet that stud of yours there," Stacy muses. "He doesn't seem to ever miss a party, does he?"

"I'm not going," I snap, anger rising to the surface. Really, is the world out to get me or what?

"Oh yes, you are."

"What? You are going to force me, now?"

"No, I'm going to cajole you instead. And, for what it’s worth, that stud of yours? From the way he looked at you from his window, I'd swear he's more than interested in you." My heart starts thundering as the words hit my eardrums. Could it be true? Was last night not just a silly drunken episode? "Thought you might want to know."

"Bullhsit," I say. "Besides, he's my stepbrother." Watching the world shoot by, I realize that the only good thing the day brought so far is the wind in my hair.

"Right, your stepbrother, not your real brother," Stacy says coolly. "You might want to remember that."

"I'm not listening."

"Fine, be that way," Stacy says, unperturbed. "Just so long as you know that you’re going. You've been walking around for far too long with an unhappy face. Time you had some fun. Maybe even get laid too, eh?"

Despite myself, I can't help but laugh. "Good luck trying to change my mind."

"Oh, I don't need luck, Cass," Stacy says. "Not when you are squirming in your seat just at the thought of him giving it to you hard and deep."

My jaw drops and every drop of blood is drained from my neck and face, and Stacy grins wider than ever. Fuck! I had no idea it was
that
obvious.

"If you'd made it clear you have the hots for the dude then we could have done something about it sooner."

I'm speechless. She actually wants to me go after my own stepbrother. But, of course, that's Stacy for you. She probably thinks me clubbing him over the head and dragging him to my room is a great idea. She'd probably insist I'd gag him and tie him to the bed too, for good measure. 

Stepbrother Holiday (A Forbidden Billionaire Romance)

“We are preparing for the final descent. Please fasten your seatbelts now and place your trays in the upright position. Thank you.”

Hayden looked up as the light for the seatbelt illuminated. He couldn’t believe that they were going to land soon. It was surreal, how time didn’t seem to exist as he was talking and flirting with Nina. He snuck a look over towards her, and was gratified when he saw the same disappointment written on her face. He groaned inwardly as he watched her bite her own lip. What he wouldn’t give to be doing that himself. In fact, if he could have had his own way, he’d have bought out the entire flight. He wanted to run his hands all over her, feel the sweet softness of her body under his.

The thing was, unintentionally or not, he had created a problem. He hadn’t figured it out until halfway through, but somehow Nina didn’t have a clue that he was going to be her stepbrother. Whether it was because Sarah had never mentioned him, or she hadn’t bothered to look him up, it felt almost refreshing to have her get to know him as just Hayden, plain and simple. He hadn’t had that since he was very young. Back then he went to school with others who were just as well off as he was, and while there was a shadowy sense of just how important he was, it had never bothered him the way it did now.

He hadn’t meant to lie to her, but now he wasn’t sure how to get out of it. Hayden knew that she liked him. It was clear as day. And he did too, surprisingly enough. What had started out as a way to get Nina out of his system by seducing her had suddenly become a lot more complex. But how was he supposed to have known that all this time, she hadn’t known who he was?

Unfortunately, the decision was made for him. As they exited the airport, a driver held up a sign saying “Hayden and Nina”. It didn’t take a genius to figure out just how many Haydens and Ninas  there could have been on the flight.

She stopped, stock still. Her mouth had dropped open, and her eyes were wide. Nina turned around to look at him, hurt and confusion written on her face.

“Nina,” he said quietly, “I can explain.”

“What do you mean?” Her voice quavered just a little at the end.

“I was going to explain, to say, but I just didn’t have a good time…”

Hayden started to reach out to her, to pull her closer, but she pulled her hand back towards herself. He knew why she was angry. It seemed like such a cruel trick, to flirt with her when he knew that she was going to be his stepsister. That it would be wrong to continue on the path they were headed to.

 Hayden’s file on her had been thorough. She didn’t have a boyfriend, and she never did before either. She was too shy and guarded to let anyone in, and over time, it had hardened into a shell that didn’t let anyone in. Her anger smarted, but he knew that he had nobody else to blame but himself. He should have spoken up.

“There’s no need,” she said. “I’m fine.”

She wasn’t. He knew she wasn’t. But Nina turned toward the driver and shook his hand, all traces of her feelings wiped off. Her walls had gone down, and Hayden was locked out. 

The ride back was similarly icy. Even the driver seemed to pick up on the silence and gave up trying to point out interesting facts about St. Lucia after the first few minutes. Hayden wanted to try to explain, but he could see that it would only make things worse. Nina wasn’t ready to listen to anything he had to say, replying only with monosyllables.

He shook his head, frustrated by his own stupidity. Who did he think she was, just another silly bimbo girl at the bar? Nina was way smarter than that, and he had miscalculated. A lot. The only thing he could do was wait until they were alone again, or risk embarrassing her further.

At least they were in a beautiful place. Maybe that would allay her anger a little bit. The resort that her mother had picked out was spectacular. Not only was the resort ground completely separated from all the other hotels in St. Lucia, they would have their own private ‘sanctuaries’ as the hotel called them, complete multiple bedrooms, kitchens, and a living room that opened out to a private infinity pool. Hayden had hoped that they would be able to get to know one another by sharing the suite together.

“What is this?” she asked, as the bellboy finished dropping off their bags and closed the door behind him.

“I hoped that we would be able to get to know one another a bit better this weekend. It
is
the first time we’ve seen each other in person.”

“And you thought that I’d want to start by sharing a room?”

He had to admit that it sounded like a pretty stupid idea. God, he just couldn’t think straight when it came to her!

“Well, I didn’t think that you’d want to sleep with me right away, no,” Hayden replied. He saw her look away, red suffusing her cheeks. She looked so sweet and perfect right then, he wanted to cross the room and sweep her into his arms. “Believe me, I know this looks bad. I hadn’t intended for what happened on the plane.”

“And what did happen on the plane?”

She looked so fragile and hopeful. He walked across the room slowly. Nina looked like she could bolt any second, and that was the last thing he wanted to have happen. Finally he stopped, even though she was close, so tantalizingly close. His heart and his body ached for her.

“Us…” he said softly. Looking down at her, he smiled, hoping that it would coax her’s out too. “Instead of just me and you, it became ‘us’ on that plane ride.”

Her eyes darted to his and away, as if she couldn’t believe she was hearing those words. Hayden couldn’t resist any longer. He had held out because he hadn’t been sure, because he didn’t want to rush things until they could have talked through what it might mean now that they were going to be step siblings, but none of that seemed to matter to him in that moment. 

Cupping Nina’s face in his hands, he kissed her, soft at first, but harder, desire urging him forward. Hayden pulled her small body close to his, his hands running around her waist so she was snug against him. He had her in his arms at last, and he didn’t ever want to let go. She tasted good, better than anything else simply from the fact that it was Nina, the woman he’d fallen in love with. He could feel her pressing back, her arms closing tightly over his shirt. Their tongues twined, dancing and moving against one another so naturally that it felt that they always had been together.

Billionaire-Stepbrother Obsession

I am absolutely certain this is
not
a good idea, not a good idea at all. Nervous and a bit scared, l wonder who I'm kidding. This is insane. Utterly. But there is  a longing in my chest that isn't leaving me a choice. Just my luck that I had to fall head over heels for my own stepbrother, Jimmy. The one guy that I should stay far away from. But I can't, not any longer. I've denied my feelings for him for far too long, feigning ignorance of my own feelings for convention's sake.

I mean, what would people say if I presented him as my boyfriend? That's not even talking about how mom and dad would respond. That is what has held me back for so long. The last Christmas was the most terrible ever by far. I'd do anything to avoid Jimmy. Anything.

Being near him was one big heartache from start to finish. But I'd fake it. Fake being happy around him while I was pining away for so much more than the casual interaction that was the norm. After he returned to college, I tried to forget about my feelings and distract myself by focusing in on all the hot guys available at school. Plenty of them who made it clear they'd love to lay their hands on me. Hell, I even came close to just go with the flow. But that is not how the heart operates.

At night,
each night
, it was always Jimmy who would appear in my mind as I stared into the darkness of my room. The one guy who just did it for me. The one guy who would make a warmth explode in my chest that was always followed by a heartache that I tried to deny. My stepbrother the hunk and the sweetest guy ever, also heir to a multi-billion corporate empire.

That is how it has been for months now. And you know what? I even thought I could get away with it. Told myself that I'd get over it.  Shows how foolish I can be when I want to. But when he returned home from college for the summer vacation two weeks ago, the warmth that exploded in my chest the moment I laid eyes on him told me that enough is enough. Teaching me one vital lesson: you can only fool yourself for so long. I've been on a non-stop seduction campaign ever since, but not getting anywhere near the kind of feedback that I'm after. So today I intent to go for the kill, all or nothing. Consequences be damned.