by Cara Nelson
My Billionaire Stepbrother
By Cara Nelson
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Dedications
I dedicate this book to you, my loyal readers. Wherever you are in this world. Thank you for all the lovely e-mails, reviews, and support. Without you, this wouldn't be possible.
Chapter one
“Your ass looks fantastic in that dress.”
With eyebrows raised I turned to see who made such a daring comment. Standing behind me
was a man dressed in a suit with my mother's signature color—lavender—on his vest. Perfect. That jerk was somehow part of the wedding party. Wasn’t that just my luck?
They were always handsome, too, weren't they? It had occurred to me on more than one occasion while navigating the choppy waters of the dating world that most really hot guys were jerks. All of the cheating, arrogant imbeciles in my life were super-hot guys. The times I’d dated average-looking guys, I’d never had to deal with the same kinds of problems. This guy in the lavender vest was one of those dreamy guys it was best to avoid at all costs.
Not that he would ever be interested in me for anything other than a good lay. Tall with brown hair, broad shoulders, and a lean, muscular frame, he was clearly athletic and took very good care of himself. With his tailored tuxedo and surrounded by the white garden plinths, he’d easily fit in as a model for one of those wedding magazines. He had hazel eyes that sort of swallowed you up and his easy smile seemed to welcome the opportunity to charm my tired heart. Nope, that wasn’t going to happen, I told myself.
“Excuse me.” I didn't expect an apology—guys like him never apologized. I knew it was best to ignore him, otherwise I’d be stuck socializing with him and the rest of the wedding party all evening. But I figured I could deal with it for one night—I’d never have to see him again.
“I just felt obligated to let you know you have a remarkable ass. Who made that dress? Is it silk? Because it hugs that round tush of yours like it's doing you a favor.”
I scoffed, and that quickly turned into smothered laughter. Was this guy for real? His comments were so blatantly sexual that I was sure I had to be on some hidden camera show. Did he actually think it was acceptable behavior to speak to a woman like that? And even if it was, were there actually women out there who fell for that crap? I couldn't imagine it, but he didn't exactly look like the kind of guy who had trouble getting a date. He was an absolute fox, which made it that much more disappointing that he was behaving the way he was.
“Does this sort of thing normally work on the ladies?”
He smiled in such a way that it made me think I was the butt of some joke. I hated that feeling. He moved in closer to me, and I was surprised to find my heart beating furiously. He was totally invading my personal space, but instead of it irritating me like it should, I found myself strangely intrigued.
“Well, that depends on the lady, of course. There are some women who love the challenge of taming a guy like me.”
I burst out laughing. “You have to be kidding me! That sounds like a terrible idea.”
“Oh come on, you're not even a little bit interested in why I am the way I am? Maybe I could reform . . . for the right woman.”
I shook my head. This guy was a real prize to be sure.
“I bet you say that to all the ladies.”
“Only the ones with an ass I’d love to kiss.”
My breath caught, and I felt heat fill my cheeks. “Nice try.”
“I guarantee if you want to play a little, you won't have any regrets.”
He whispered it in my ear, and chills ran up my spine. I put my hands on his chest and pushed him away from me. It was only then that I was able to breathe once again.
“Look, I know for some guys it's a game to come to a wedding and try to score with a bridesmaid, but let me assure you that it's just not going to happen with me.”
“And why is that?”
“I'm severely allergic to guys like you.”
He chuckled. I couldn't deny that the guy had a certain charm—and his smile was truly infectious—but seriously, there was no way that this little act of his would bring in all the ladies.
He took a step towards me, and I instinctively took one back. That just made him smile wider.
“You're telling me you aren't the least bit curious about what it would be like to be consumed by someone like me.”
Consumed? Now that was an interesting way to describe sex. Or—were we even talking about sex yet? He had caught me so off guard that I wasn't entirely sure where this conversation was heading.
“I don't need to be curious. I know exactly what it would be like. A nice little ‘slam, bam, thank you, ma’am’ in the reception bathroom? Am I getting warm?”
He burst out laughing, “You're quite the little firecracker, aren't you? You threw in the bathroom idea, not me. And just so you know, I like to take my time on a woman's body. Especially a neglected one.”
It was my turn to laugh. “Are you implying I'm neglected?”
He looked around, spreading his arms wide.
“Well, we’re standing outside amid a ton of people having midday cocktails—and you’re standing here all alone.”
“I'm getting ready to walk down the aisle for a wedding. I don’t have time to be out mingling or—in your case—pre-drinking.”
We both looked down at the drink he held in his hand. He looked momentarily sheepish, but it didn't last long.
We were standing outside of a rather large house in the Hamptons where my mother was getting married. She’d been a New Yorker for years, but I had moved away after graduating from Columbia University and had only recently returned to the area to look for work. I was standing up in my mother's wedding with a few other girls, but as this guy pointed out, I had not brought a date with me.
“Weddings are all about celebrating, aren't they?” he asked. “That's all I'm doing.”
“Sure you are. At the rate you're going, you should be completely sloshed by dinnertime.”
“Easy there, hon. Don’t start suggesting I'm a lightweight. I'll have you know, this body can consume a great deal of alcohol.”
I smirked and rolled my eyes. “How charming.”
He moved in close to me again, and I wondered what his deal with disrespecting personal space was. His hand came up and grazed my cheek. When he removed it, my skin tingled as if it was still there. My throat had gone dry, and I found myself speechless.
“You really are beautiful you know?”
I couldn't make myself speak. I wasn't sure what had come over me or why he’d had such an effect on me, but I refused to be sucked into his fire. Beautiful? Was he high as well as drunk? I’d had my fair share of dates, but no one was going out of their way to be with me at the moment. I couldn't figure out this guy’s game plan. There were a ton of eligible females at the wedding who would be more than happy to have a guy like him hit on them, so why was he wasting his time with me? The whole thing was senseless. And now this . . . this chemistry between us. It was sheer madness.
I felt his hand move to the small of my back, and a trail of warmth followed it as it drifted.
“I would really like to show you how hot we could be together,” he whispered in my ear as his hand trailed down to my ass, rubbing it and giving it a subtle squeeze.
I gasped and pushed him away abruptly, feeling angry for the first time that day. I bumped his arm as he stepped back from me and watched in horror as his drink tipped and spilled down the front of me.
“Oh! My! God!�
�� the guy exclaimed in horror.
I followed his gaze and almost cried when I looked down at my dress.
Chapter Two
“You idiot!”
He grabbed some napkins off a nearby table and returned to me. He dabbed at my breasts until I snatched the napkin away.
“What the hell do you think you're doing? It’s bad enough that you ruined my dress, but you have to cop a feel while you're at it?”
He chuckled, and that angered me even more.
“Look, I wasn't trying to cop a feel. I was trying to help. I feel terri--.”
“Oh, do you? I am walking down the aisle any minute now, and look at my dress! I've known you for a matter of minutes, and you’ve succeeded in driving me to insanity.”
“Is that a good thing?” He smiled.
“Ugh! Just leave me alone, will you?”
He grabbed my arm, and I looked up from the disaster that was my dress. “I'm only trying to lighten the mood. I'm really not a jerk. I'm sorry I spilled my drink, but you caught me by surprise.”
“Oh really? I guess in your world it's perfectly okay to grab a girl’s ass at a pre-wedding garden party?”
“I thought you might like it. Besides, how could anyone resist?”
I looked up at him, slowly shaking my head. I’d never met anyone like him before, and that was saying a lot. I couldn't deny there was certainly some weird gravitational pull I had towards him—and he was definitely hot as hell—but every time he opened his mouth, he shocked me. The man was incredibly abrupt and overly self-assured.
I wondered what it must be like to be so sure of oneself. I certainly had no idea. I could never speak to someone else in that way, mainly because I was deathly afraid they’d tell me off. But this guy didn't seem fazed at all by the fact that I wanted him to stay the hell away from me. He was arrogant and highly overconfident, so much so that he left me speechless. I had never seen someone so blasé about grabbing a girl’s ass in public!
He brushed my hair behind my ear, and I looked up in surprise. I was breathing much heavier than usual, and my heart had not stopped pounding in my chest. I knew I should say something to him. I knew I should tell him to back off or give me some space. But I just didn't have the words to do it. I should be worrying about my dress, but with him so near, I was having a hard time concentrating on anything. I was overwhelmed by his entire being—his voice, his smell, and especially his touch. I had to assume I was losing my mind. But I knew for sure that I could only think straight when he wasn’t near me, so I shoved him away from me again.
“Will you stop touching me, for god’s sake? What's the matter with you? What am I going to do about my dress? I'm in the wedding party!”
The way he was looking at me stopped me in my tracks.
“That fire you have inside you. You need to let it out more often. It's incredibly enticing.”
I threw my hands up in the air, completely exasperated with him.
He chuckled. “Look, relax. It’s not the end of the world. Come with me. We’ll get you to the bathroom and clean you up. I’ll get you looking presentable again if I have to bend down and suck that spilled drink right out of your dress.”
My mouth fell open. I had to laugh this time. Who the hell was this guy? There was no way he was human, that's for sure.
He grabbed my hand and led me through the groups of people milling around, waiting for the wedding to start. They weren't supposed to be in the reception hall at that point, but it was somewhat of an emergency. My mother would kill me if she saw the stain on the custom lavender gown as I walked down the aisle. I’d have to make a mental note to avoid all men holding glasses until the wedding was over. Or maybe I just needed to avoid this one particular man before he ruined my entire life.
He was trouble—there was no doubt about it. How had I managed to get in this mess? It had been only minutes before the ceremony was to start. I should have been checking on my mother, but instead I was tangled up with a complete stranger who seemed to have some kind of sexual control over me. It was absolutely bizarre.
We slipped down the hallway, trying to avoid being noticed by anyone. People were starting to head in to be seated for the ceremony. Things would begin soon, and I was a total mess. In one way or another, a man always seemed to complicate my life for the worse. The man holding my hand and dragging me down the hallway was not only a complication, but he irritated me as well.
Finally finding the women's bathroom, he pushed open the door and pulled me in behind him.
“I'm not really sure it's the best idea for you to be in here. What if someone walks in?” I hissed at him, pulling my hand from his grasp. My fingertips tingled in the same way my face had when he’d touched it. Despite my protests, I wasn’t sure I wanted him to let go of my hand.
God Sasha, you really are losing it this time. This guy? Seriously? This guy is the one you don't ever want to let go of your hand? You sure can pick them.
I sighed deeply and watched in silence as he turned on the faucet and tested the water temperature. He took a piece of paper towel and wet it enough that it was damp but wouldn't make more of a mess of my dress. I could at least be thankful he hadn't used cola as his mix in the drink.
He began dabbing gently at my dress. Huge wet spots wouldn’t be any more palatable as I went down the aisle. I watched in amazement as he continued to work on my dress, and the staining actually started to disappear.
“Oh god, it's working!”
“I told you—I'm not all bad. You acted like I was Satan, sent here to singlehandedly ruin your day.”
“Do you really want to go over all the events that have occurred since we met?”
“No, no. I think you hate me enough as it is. Let's just be glad I was able to save the dress.”
“It's wet, though. I don't think it’ll dry in time.”
He looked around the bathroom and then back at me, a smile on his face. “I have an idea,” he said.
He pulled me over to one of the dryers, and I chuckled when I realized what he had in mind. It really was ingenious. I had to give him credit for that.
“I know it's silk and all, but desperate times call for desperate measures.”
I actually heard myself giggle in his presence, but decided to ignore my own behavior for the time being. I was just so happy to have found a solution to my problem.
“I don't care what happens to the dress after today, as long as it makes it through the wedding and reception.” I pushed the large button on the front of the machine, and hot air poured out. I positioned my dress under the flow of heat and watched happily as it started to dry.
“Thank you. Oh boy, this was a brilliant idea!”
“You’re welcome.”
I gasped when I realized he was right behind me. I felt him move up against me, and my breath caught again. He bent low so that his mouth grazed my ear.
He whispered, “There's just something about you that makes me not want to be far away. Here feels just about right.”
My eyes fluttered closed as the heat consumed me. Was this what he meant when he used the word consumed? I certainly felt that way.
His hands found their way back to my ass, and he cupped my cheeks.
“Your ass is so firm.”
I gasped even though I didn't want to feel warmed by his touch. I couldn't explain what was happening to my body. One minute I had been indignant about the comment he had made about my ass, and the next thing I knew, my body shook when he pressed himself up against me. His hands were on my ass, and I kept my eyes closed so I could concentrate on the sensations his hands were causing all over my body. I was burning like I’d just finished a marathon. My fingertips tingled, and there was a sensation between my legs that I hadn’t felt in a long time. My god, was I actually turned on by him right now? I was losing it. I had to be. Well, maybe so, but there was no denying the faint throb between my legs.
I have to stop this right now. I can't do this. It's insane. It's absolut
ely absurd for me to feel anything at all for this man. ESPECIALLY this man! God, he was everything I didn't want in a boyfriend. Well maybe that wasn't entirely true. He was ridiculously hot. It never hurt to have a hot boyfriend, especially if this was what it felt like to have him touch you.
I turned around suddenly, noticing immediately the absence of his hands on my ass. It was not a good feeling, by the way. He pulled me away from the dryer and pushed me against the wall.
“I don't think this is a good idea. It's confusing, and you're kind of an idiot.”
He smiled before he claimed my mouth with his. If I thought the heat was consuming me before, I absolutely lit up when he kissed me. He tasted sweet, and his mouth was warm. I couldn't help myself—I kissed him back as passionately as I could, matching his intensity. I had never felt like this before in my life. No man had ever kissed me that way, and I’d certainly never felt such an intense chemistry. I was out of breath from his kisses, and I was beginning to feel overwhelmed again. I pushed against his chest, and he reluctantly relented.
“What's wrong? This feels incredible.”
“I can't breathe. It's too much.”
He smiled at me and moved close again. I clearly had no control over the situation, and I was quickly losing the ability to care. I was beginning to want to be consumed. To see what it felt like to let him have his way with me. How bad could that be? I didn't know why—there was really no explanation for it—but I couldn't remember the last time I had wanted anything more than I wanted this man right now. And what made it worse was that I was pretty confident I didn't even like him. He drove me nuts in the tiniest of ways. His arrogance infuriated me, and the fact that he touched me with not a bit of consideration for whether I wanted him to or not bordered on the absurd.
He softly kissed my mouth again, and I inhaled his musky scent. His touch was exhilarating as he cupped my chin and bent down for another kiss. The kisses may have started off softly, but it wasn't long before his mouth pressed hard into mine. His hands found their way into my hair, and he pulled me in close, so close that I thought for a moment we had molded into one body. His tongue slid into my mouth and touched mine. I moaned softly, and when he kissed me, he took my tongue into his mouth. God, he's so good at kissing. I can barely keep up. His kisses were insanely passionate, and he nipped and sucked at my lips. I was paralyzed beneath him as my body responded involuntarily to his kisses. I wasn't sure what was happening to me, but I knew that a man’s kiss had never made my panties wet before. But with him, I felt an aching, a yearning, in every part of my body. I needed him and wanted him in every way that mattered.