Stepbrother Bestie (A Stepbrother Romance Novel) Read online

  “Okay…” I whispered to myself, “What is it about him, besides his looks, that makes me want to be around him…Hmmm.” Then it hit me and I smiled broadly, thankful that it wasn’t a love interest attraction.

  In fact, it was far more basic than that.

  I came to the conclusion, after a day of literally freaking out over the way I thought I felt about my stepbrother, that the only real reason I liked him was because he was the only person I had felt even the slightest bit comfortable carrying on a conversation with since I came to this house.

  Even when I would pass people I used to know well on the beach or on the street, it was still hard to talk to them. They gave me the looks I hated growing up in my hometown after my mother died, but since it was the first time a lot of them had seen me, it was almost as though she had died all over again. Even though I was past the initial stages of grief, each and every one of those people seemed to give me the same reaction as those who attended my mother’s funeral and I hated it. I had absolutely no interest in rehashing the events before and after my mother’s death with anyone, and since Tyler didn’t really care to know any of it, he was the only one I wanted to have a conversation with.

  There, I thought as a sense of peace encased me. Problem solved.

  So, with this in mind, over the next few days the two of us made a point of hanging out whenever we could. It was Tyler who helped me to come out of my room and feel the sun on my face, but he also was quick to leave and never lingered.

  Even though we went to the beach and I helped to maintain his high-energy, caloric diet by going out to eat, he would also work out a lot and disappear for hours at a time, which gave me the ability to be a recluse for a while.

  That was all I wanted, and as we settled into a routine, I started to really enjoy his company.

  Throughout our time together, he insisted on cursing like a sailor and every once and a while, something invariably raunchy would slip out of his mouth. But after that night on the beach, when I first started to feel a small sense of calm around him, he seemed to try to treat me like a lady, which for him, meant toning down attitude.

  Then, one night, while we were sitting on the beach watching the sunset, while I was taking advantage of the moments he was actually quiet, I noticed Tyler getting closer to me. He did so casually, as though it really was no big deal, and therefore, I didn’t stop him. After all, he was the closest thing to me within a couple hundred miles, so I figured if he wanted to get next to me, I should let him.

  It was strange to think but it was true. He was the closest person to me. My father was still basically disowning me and I had no interest in talking to anyone in this town except Tyler.

  However, I noticed finally, that he had placed his arm across my shoulders. The weight of it made me slightly uncomfortable, but I still didn’t say anything. In a way, it was really nice to be hugged.

  But he wasn’t satisfied with that. A few moments later, I felt him pull me toward him. Once again, I felt the tension that could have been considered sexual between us and I became very aware of how close he actually was to me.

  Part of me was becoming very uncomfortable, but another part of me was drawn toward his lips. Before I could fully understand what he was doing, he turned my face toward his and bent in, as though trying to kiss me.

  There was no doubt that I was curious about him and I could not, especially in that moment, deny that I had feelings for him, but I still didn’t want to kiss him. So, just before our lips touched, I managed to shove him back and scoot out of his grasp. “What the hell are you doing?” I blurted, feeling out of sorts and mortified.

  Tyler looked at me with what I felt was a seriousness that came across as a little bit scary. “You are beautiful and I don’t care that we are step-siblings.” His eyes grew wide as he explained, “I still have feelings for you and they certainly are not the brotherly kind.” He smiled in a devilish fashion, as though he had just sealed the deal with his words, but I continued to move away from him.

  I definitely could not claim that I didn’t understand what he meant, but I knew myself and with that, I was sure that if I kissed him that would only lead to more, and that would only cause problems.

  Therefore, I just shook my head, got up, and left him alone on the beach before I gave into the connection I could feel steadily growing between us.

  Chapter 8

  Tyler

  Well that sucked… I thought since the kiss hadn’t gone as smoothly as I had imagined it would. Then, I reconsidered, thinking that it was, at the very least, an improvement.

  I told myself that it could have gone worse, which only gave me encouragement to keep going, more dedicated than ever. It was very rare that anyone ever told me no.

  Women almost never turned me down and therefore, as I sat there alone on the beach, listening to the waves in what seemed to be far more distant than they were and the squawk of apparently nocturnal seagulls, I delved down deep, trying my best to think of the way through which she was going to fall for me.

  I was confident, even then, that she was close to becoming mine. If she wasn’t and I was so far out of line, she would have slapped me across the face and made a much bigger scene than she had.

  The way that Ashley had left the situation convinced me that she just needed to come to the conclusion that she wanted me in her own time, but I had no doubt that she would.

  I was up for the challenge and from the rocking body in her swimsuit, I was sure that all of my efforts were going to be an investment that was well worth its reward.

  However, who was I trying to kid? My dick showing her how a real man pleased a woman was going to be an enlightening experience for us both.

  I smiled at the thought, realizing how horny she had made me. I needed a release and quick.

  So, without wasting anymore time, I made my way to a local bar that over the past two weeks I had gotten to know well.

  When I pulled my fake ID out of my wallet to hand over to the bouncer I smiled; not because I was trying to be convincing, but rather because it gave me an idea.

  However, as the bouncer handed the card back to me and let me in the club, I realized I couldn’t think about that.

  Right now, I was ready to score and that was all that I had on my mind.

  The music blared loudly in the club and the speakers thumped wildly, but it didn’t take too long to find a few drunk bitches that I was sure would be an easy screw.

  I laid on the charm pretty heavy with the three of them, using some of my best lines, just so that I could get to the point. It wasn’t supposed to be romantic, it was supposed to be a release. I was going to save all the romance I had in me for Ashley, but since she obviously was going to need a little more intrigue, this was the best I’d be able to do.

  The conversation didn’t last long at all. After I told them my father was rich, but we didn’t like to show off our wealth, rather, we preferred to give our money to charities and others in need, I had their drunken logic eating out of the palm of my hand.

  If that hadn’t worked, I would have even stooped to the ruse of only having the summer to live; but thankfully, in order to get them to come with me to a local hotel, I had only needed to appeal to their hearts, without the use of tears.

  After all, I still had a reputation to uphold.

  Chapter 9

  Ashley

  As I laid in bed that night, my stomach churned into knots and my breath was rapid. I was terrified of what I had almost done and of what I had wanted to do.

  I knew, deep down, that what I had done was not a complete and total accident. Even though I knew I could barely admit it to myself, much less anyone else, I was sure that at some level, I had let him get that close to me.

  I had fair warning and I hadn’t stopped him. Instead, I just enjoyed the feeling in my stomach and the pang of excitement that rose up in me. Why didn’t you stop him? I thought to myself as I smashed my fists into either side of the bed, while tears str
eamed down my face in the dark room.

  I was sure of one thing though. No matter how I felt or how tempted I was, there was no way that I was ever going to let him get that close to me again.

  With this in mind, I tried to stay away from him for another week.

  The feelings that I had for him, in that moment, scared me to death and I was sure that if I spent time with him again, I could possibly do something that I would regret. I knew that I was vulnerable and I was sure that he had skills of persuasion that I couldn’t even begin to imagine.

  How else could he have made me hate him, to possibly have intense feelings for him in a matter of weeks?

  However, every time I thought about that, I cursed myself.

  You do not have feelings for him! I insisted, wondering exactly how many times I had to tell myself that before I had a prayer of actually believing it.

  After all, Tyler was my stepbrother and no matter what he said or how I felt, that just wasn’t right.

  Besides, even though he seemed to make an effort to be nice to me, it didn’t meant that he was making an effort to be nice to everyone else. I was sure that the way he acted around me was simply that; an act and therefore, I was sure that I didn’t want to be associated, especially romantically, with someone who made a lifestyle out of being an asshole.

  It was bad enough that he was my stepbrother.

  However, one day, about a week after the incident, Tyler walked into my room, unannounced.

  When I glared at him, he said, “Hey...The door was open. I don’t know what the hell you’re giving me that look for.” Then, before I could respond, he added, “Come with me,” before he made his way out of the room.

  No, I told myself as I readied my mind to ignore him. I moved back to focus on what I was doing, which wasn’t much.

  In fact, while staying clear of Tyler was a lot of work in one respect, it had also made things incredibly boring.

  I had returned to being a recluse and was even starting to lose my tan.

  Yet, I was sure that it was for the best, since I was sure he didn’t really need anything important; he was probably just trying to get me alone so that he could lay another move on me.

  Still, after one more look around my room, I groaned and swept myself off of the bed, moving into the hall where he was waiting.

  He led me into his room and closed the door.

  I glared at him suspiciously as he turned to face me, but when we were alone, he immediately pulled out some kind of card and pushed it at me.

  “What is this?” I peered down at it. Immediately, I recognized that it was an obviously fake, but very convincing identification card. The name on the card was fake, but my picture stared back at me.

  “I know you’ve been avoiding me,” he said as the whole situation sunk in. “And I never meant to make you this uncomfortable, but I figured I would try to make it up to you by showing you a good time.”

  Intrigued, I looked up at him and smiled. “You did this for me?”

  He shrugged, like it was nothing. “Shit, don’t get all fuckin sappy. It’s just the clubs around here are always fun and I thought you might enjoy having a real good time.” He smiled at me in a devilish way.

  Feeling an involuntary pang of excitement rise up inside of me, I quickly stared down at the card, trying to get the thought of how attractive he was out of my head. Usually, I tried to walk the straight and narrow, but that certainly didn’t mean that I wasn’t interested in the chance to go to a good party.

  Before he could change his mind or say anything that would make me want to slap him, I smiled up at him and answered, “Thank you. That sounds fun.”

  “You bet your nice, tight ass it’s gonna be fun!” He walked out of the room before I had the chance to smack him.

  That night, I took him up on his offer. I had actually looked forward to it all day.

  The two of us had a great time and the fake IDs worked great.

  However, it didn’t take me long to realize that, even in the short time they had stayed at the beach house, Tyler had managed to earn quite the reputation for being a tough guy.

  While we were at what I was sure was going to be my last stop for the night, Tyler went to get us drinks and I was sitting down at the bar. A man walked up behind me and I heard a deep voice say, “Hello Beautiful…”

  When I turned around, I could smell the alcohol on his breath and I saw the signs, even through my own intoxication, that this man had way too much to drink.

  “Hello…” I said, automatically getting a nervous feeling in the pit of my stomach.

  At first, I wasn’t sure if the feeling was actually nerves or just the alcohol taking its toll. Yet, when he sloppily placed a hand over mine and leaned into me, I was sure that the root of my feelings was the latter.

  “What do you say you and I get out of here?” he asked.

  I slid my hand out of his and answered, “No, thank you. I’m here with someone.”

  He laughed in a belligerent way, before he answered, “Well, I don’t see anyone…” and grasped my arm.

  “I’m right here, shithead!” I was never so happy to hear Tyler’s voice.

  The man immediately turned around and stared at Tyler, taking his hand off of my arm. The drunkard had a pugnacious aura about him, until he realized who was talking to him.

  Once he realized that it was Tyler, he backed away. “She’s your girl?” the man stuttered. “I’m sorry…”

  “Never you fucking mind whether she is my girl or not. The point is, I’m telling you stay away from her or I will kick your ass,” he sneered as his eyes glimmered, almost as though he was anticipating the fight greatly. “And if I do that, you probably will not recover.”

  The man’s eyes grew wide. Even in his current state, he was convinced of exactly how serious Tyler was and so, he nodded, before turning around and making himself scarce.

  “Yeah, that’s what I thought, ya pussy!”

  Being that I was a little tipsy, instead of insisting I was fine, regardless of how I really felt, I showed that I was flattered by his act of what I considered, in my current state, a sense of heroism.

  Doesn’t every girl want a guy who is willing to fight for them? I thought as we watched the man walk away.

  Little did I know, that sense of what I thought was heroic went far deeper, into a cavern of secrets that was completely unimaginable.

  Chapter 10

  Tyler

  Everything seemed to be falling into place for me, and for the next week I took her to the bars every goddamn night. I got her in, hooked her up with some of the shit I knew she loved and helped her have a great time.

  Of course, when I had the chance, I snuck away to get a little bit of love on the side; after all, I was being strategic, not waiting for marriage. Yet, I always made sure that I was never gone too long. I was never missed, not once, the entire week and I was always there when she needed me.

  After the first night, word spread and if anyone spoke to Ashley, it was in a very respectful manner. I had no problem with that. I was there to make her happy, not be overprotective. However, that seemed to make her feel safe, so I was happy to have done it.

  Still, I refrained from trying to put a move on her myself. I probably could have a couple of times, but then I would have to earn her trust all over again. No. I wasn’t about to blow it because I couldn’t keep my dick in my pants long enough. I knew I was closing in. I didn’t really need to have any boost in my confidence. I knew that I was the only one she had her eye on at the moment; even if she still refused to admit it, so I didn’t see the rush.

  However, one night, the opportunity seemed to be giftwrapped and I was sure that I was going to get everything that I had worked so hard to receive.

  Between the drinking, the dancing and the generalized partying, we were having a lot of fun.

  Even though the woman could hold her own as far as liquor was concerned and even impressed me a few times, I could tell that for
her small frame, she had quite a lot to drink.

  Throughout the week, she had warmed up to me quite a bit, but tonight there was a look in her eyes and a sense of excitement in the way she interacted with me that told me I was extremely close to pressing up against her sweet spot and having her melt into my hands so that I could mold her to do what I want, just like fucking putty.

  “Hey!” I yelled over the music and tapped her on the shoulder to get her attention. “It’s getting late. Do you want to get the hell out of here?” I asked, trying to sound innocent enough in my intentions. I wasn’t lying, after all. The bar was about to shut down for the night and I didn’t want to fight the onslaught of drunks that were going to go stumbling up on the beach as soon as they were given their last call.

  That would be shitty ambiance I thought.

  Ashley thought about this for a moment, before she smiled at me and answered, “Yeah, I think I do.”

  I wasn’t sure exactly what that smile meant, but it was different than her normal expression. Perhaps it was the alcohol, or hopefully, it was something else, but in her state, I was sure I had to be pretty close. I definitely wasn’t above playing dirty to get what I wanted and tonight, feeling the strong sense of arousal overtake me, I was more willing than ever to use that to my advantage.

  Even though it was late when we made our way out of the bar that night, the air was thick, hot and muggy. After being in the bar with all of those sweaty, drunken people though, the fact that we noticed the heat was definitely noteworthy.

  We began to walk back to the beach house as I tried to think of a plan that would end us up on the beach, when I felt fingers lace in-between my own. I looked over to see Ashley smiling at me sweetly.

  I winked at her and returned her smile, which made her giggle and lull her head onto my shoulder.

  With the feeling that I was about to get lucky increasing, I simply curved our walk from the road towards the beach and Ashley didn’t say a word about it.