Gorgeous Bastard

by Stella Blaze

  Dad got a knowing grin on his square mug. He’d cleaned up pretty goddamn good. Not a bit of stubble on his face, his hair slicked back like freaking Superman, and his tux was spotless, wrinkle free, and fit him perfectly.

  “You’ll have to discuss that with Cali. I imagine Suzy already gave her the keys.”

  I tried not to let any expression show on my face.

  “I’ll bribe her then.”

  Dad chucked me in the arm as he walked out of my room. “You do seem to know what she likes.”

  “What?” I said it too loud and dad turned around and looked at me with surprise.

  He shrugged. “I just meant you did a great job picking out her graduation gift, you really know her.”

  Oh, yeah… the gift.

  “I guess that’s what a brother’s for,” I said before my mind could consider my words for me. “I mean, a stepbrother.”

  Dad walked over and pulled me into a bear hug, lifting me off the ground and making my ribs and spine creak. “You were right the first time.” He hugged me even harder. “You two are like real brother and sister.”

  He put me down, held my face and looked down at me with such pride in his eyes, and then turned and walked out of my room, swiping at his eyes as he turned down the hall.

  I’m a fucking shit-weasel…

  I was going to make that look of pride evaporate right off his face.

  I was going to break everyone’s heart.

  Including my own.

  Chapter 11

  Cali

  I had never looked prettier.

  Beautiful, actually.

  In my daffodil dress, with my hair and makeup done flawlessly, and the happy smile induced by being in contact with my mom right then.

  Mom was oozing happiness. It radiated from her like light from the sun. And I, and everyone around her, was helpless in her orbit.

  I just couldn’t stop smiling.

  I was exhausted too, so I didn’t seem to have the energy to get worked up over Joshua or anything else that could have gone wrong today.

  We were at the church, which was just stunningly gorgeous. And in a surprise turn, my entire team from Chapel Hill showed up, dressed to the nines, and bearing gifts for the happy couple.

  They fussed over my mom, helping her secure her veil, draping the thing down her back as she stood up, and wrangling the train of the dress as she made her way out of the room and down the hall to the Sanctuary.

  Jesus, Mary, and Joseph all looked down from the stained glass windows.

  The church was midsized as churches went, but it was packed with wedding guests, all turning in unison as a harp started playing Pachelbel’s Canon. Mom walked slow and gracefully down the aisle, me in tow. I tripped about three steps in, but didn’t fall on my face—thank god.

  The preacher, Paul, and Joshua stood up front, and as we got closer, I saw that Joshua had indeed cleaned up. He was clean shaven, hair combed back in immaculate waves, and his suit hugged his body… well, it clung to him way too well.

  His eyes caught mine and he smiled.

  It was the sexiest, naughtiest smile I had ever seen.

  I almost toppled over because of that smile.

  My knees got weak again and I swear the room started to fade out to white.

  But I shook it off, bit the inside off my cheek as hard as I could, and walked over to stand beside my mother.

  I was not going to faint.

  No way in hell!

  Mom and dad turned toward each other, and I turned with them.

  And there stood Joshua, looking hot and sexy and just too beautiful for words.

  “Dearly beloved,” the preacher began, and I tore my eyes from Joshua and paid every bit of my attention to my parents tying the knot.

  Chapter 12

  Joshua

  The ceremony went off without a hitch, mom crying as she kissed dad, dad scooping mom up and swinging her around like a rag doll.

  They looked so goddamn happy I thought I was on the verge of crying, which would have been just priceless.

  But then I looked over and Cali wasn’t standing there anymore.

  I looked down and there she was, passed out on the floor.

  I dashed over and knelt by her side. She looked like a freaking angel, her hair flung out in ringlets around her head, her eyes closed and her face serene.

  But she was white as a sheet.

  Shit, she hadn’t eaten anything.

  “Cali?” mom’s voice called out with immediate worry.

  I looked up and tried to dissuade her fear with a smile. “I guess she forgot to eat today.”

  Chapter 13

  Cali

  My head hurt and my mouth felt like it was full of cotton.

  When I opened my eyes the lights seemed really bright, and then suddenly it went dim.

  Joshua was sitting beside me, holding my hand in both of his.

  For a moment I liked that, and then just as suddenly I didn’t.

  He wasn’t supposed to be doing that.

  I pulled my hand out of his.

  He turned to look at me, those incredible faded green eyes of his homing in on me.

  I gulped.

  “Good, you’re awake.” He reached over to a table behind him and grabbed a small carton of orange juice and a straw, opening both, putting them together, and then holding it out to me.

  I blinked at him.

  “Go ahead,” he said, scooting his chair closer, holding the straw to my lips. “Drink it.”

  I raised my hand—boy, that was hard to do, and what was up with the shaking?

  “What happened?”

  Joshua got this worried look on his face, and then sighed.

  “You forgot to eat today, didn’t you?”

  I blinked as I tried to remember. I had a muffin this morning… didn’t I?

  “Did I…?”

  “You passed out,” he said solemnly. “One minute mom and dad said their I dos, the next you were on the floor.”

  I closed my eyes and groaned.

  “Don’t worry; I snapped a few pics for posterity.”

  I opened my eyes and glared at him.

  He held up his free hand. “I swear, I didn’t do anything but pick you up and carry you in here. Someone had some glucose gel in their purse, so I squirted some on your tongue. I sent a couple of your teammates out to Arby’s for a sandwich and fries for you. They’ll be back soon.”

  He held the orange juice back up to my lips. “So please drink this. It will make you feel better, and when mom and dad come back in here in a minute, they won’t freak out at how bad you look.”

  I took a long drink of the cold, sweet juice. “How bad do I look?”

  He smiled, that sexy, aggravating smile of his.

  “Good enough to eat.” He blinked and got this surprised expression on his face. “I mean, you just look a little pale.”

  I took the juice from his hands and finished drinking it.

  Joshua sat there, looking nervous. Looking sinfully gorgeous.

  Looking like he was going to say something that would blow up in our faces.

  I needed to get up and get out of there. So what if I’d passed out at my parents’ wedding? I’m sure that wasn’t a rare occurrence.

  Well, I guess there were fewer people doing it at their parents’ weddings, but weddings in general had to be a hot bed of fainting.

  I looked at him, still surprised at how handsome he looked.

  “You cleaned up well,” my mouth said before my brain could veto it.

  “Well, our parents only get… Christ, I can’t say it with a straight face.”

  We both laughed, and I started to feel better.

  “Tell me they finished before I…” How to say it?

  “Before you hit the floor?”

  Yes, that’s exactly not how I wanted to say it.

  “Yeah, they had kissed and everything by then.”

  Thank you god.

  “But they h
aven’t done the whole marching back up the aisle as man and wife yet.” He scrubbed the back of his neck with his hand. “They’re not going anywhere until you’re able to go with them.”

  My heart zinged with their love, pounding happily in my chest. But then it fell to the floor. Someday, someday soon, I was going to kiss this man again. I was going to kiss Joshua again. And when I did…

  I’d tear apart our family… again.

  I felt tears well up in my eyes.

  Joshua leaned in and brushed one of those tears from my cheek as it fell, leaving his hand there, warm and comforting, against the side of my face.

  The sound of someone turning the ancient doorknob broke us from our reverie, and we moved apart as if we’d practiced it a million times.

  Mom and dad rushed through the door, both still dressed like the bride and groom from atop a wedding cake.

  “Thank god,” mom said as she hugged me and kissed my forehead. “You had us so worried.”

  “I’m sorry I passed out at your wedding,” I said, my voice hoarse with bottled up emotions.

  Someday I’ll explode.

  “No worries,” Paul said from behind mom. “It was getting pretty boring there for a while. Your nosedive livened things up.”

  I looked to my mom imploringly. “I fell on my face?”

  Mom smiled and shook her head. “He’s just joking. You were lying on your back.”

  “Looked like you were sleeping,” Joshua said, his voice gravelly, his eyes focused on me. “A sleeping angel.”

  Mom blinked and she and Paul turned to look at Joshua.

  I glared at him.

  He tore his eyes away from me—it seemed with some difficulty—and closed them as a rueful expression took over his face.

  When he opened those eyes again there was a playful spark dancing there.

  “You know, Little Miss Tightly-Wound would always look angelic. It’s just her thing.”

  I heaved a silent sigh of relief.

  Then Joshua leered as he said, “She’d never do anything naughty.”

  Bastard…

  Paul held his hands up in a time out signal. “Okay, you two. It’s still our wedding day, so keep on getting along, okay?”

  Joshua gave me a long, intense look, his expression softening around his eyes.

  “Five by five,” I said.

  Joshua rolled his eyes. He knew I was a Buffy the Vampire Slayer fan from way back.

  Paul turned and looked askance at Joshua.

  Joshua leaned back in his chair and raised his hand. “I swear to behave for the rest of the day.”

  I noticed his other hand was almost covering his crotch. So was he swearing on his…

  I closed my eyes and mentally berated myself for thinking about his…

  Oh, Jesus Christ! Could I think of anything besides his crotch?

  I heard my inner voices giggling as my cheeks started to burn.

  My inner voices were mean, hateful bitches… they were also apparently two years old.

  “Well,” Joshua said, sotto voce, “at least her color is picking up.”

  That’s it! I was going to strangle him the second I got him alone.

  ***

  The thing about passing out at your parents’ wedding: everyone tries to feed you everything in sight for the rest of the stinking night.

  Yes, I’d forgotten to eat, causing my blood sugar to drop and for me to hit the floor with a resounding thud. That hour long work out to Daily Burn’s crazy exercise lady probably didn’t help at all. And the stress: from the wedding and seeing family and friends…

  And Joshua…

  And Joshua…

  Joshua.

  I was hungry when we all finally made it to the reception. Mom and dad made me sit at their table while Joshua foraged/gathered two heaping plates filled with chicken, roast beef, mashed potatoes, corn on the cob, dressing, boneless ribs, buttered rolls, and gravy on absolutely EVERTHING.

  I was filled to the point of bursting within fifteen minutes.

  The bad thing was that since I was so full, I felt lazy and didn’t feel the need to get up from the table.

  So every ten minutes or so some well-intentioned aunt, uncle, niece, teammate, or perfect stranger brought me a plate of food, a sugary dessert, or a glass of orange juice.

  By the time I finally digested my first meal enough to venture getting up and walking around, I was surrounded by at least twenty plates of food.

  Wouldn’t you think, if a girl was surrounded by that many plates of food, that you wouldn’t be getting her any more food, any more plates?

  I got up just as my aunt Marie brought me a plate of stuffed peppers. I begged off and headed for the back of the dining hall. I needed to go to the restroom. I needed to freaking lie down and never eat another thing for the rest of my life.

  “And where do you think you’re going, princess?”

  I stopped in my tracks and cursed the god that presided over aggravating stepbrothers.

  “Just taking a much needed bathroom break,” I said as I turned to face Joshua.

  “Aha…” He crossed his arms over his chest…

  What a nice chest.

  I put my hands on my hips and stared at him with open hostility.

  “I don’t need any company while using the restroom.”

  Joshua smirked, maybe one of the most irritating expressions I’d ever seen.

  “You sure about that? I can be all kinds of useful in cramped, tight spaces.”

  “I bet you are,” I said. I wanted to smack him again.

  I wanted to smack him so hard that he’d fall over backward, landing on his head and exploding into a cloud of powder-fine dust.

  But Joshua still followed me to the ladies’ room, and waited for me outside.

  I took care of business, and felt pretty good until I caught sight of myself in the mirror.

  I was still pale like two percent milk, and I had smudged mascara under my eyes.

  I cleaned off the black with a wet paper towel, but the pale would not come off no matter what I did.

  Joshua was slouching against the wall outside the restroom. He looked dapper and charming and so delicious.

  I closed my eyes for a beat, trying to remember why I was mad at him, and then shot him my most venomous glare.

  Amazingly, he didn’t collapse or run in fear. He just popped up on his feet to his full height and then offered me his arm.

  Huh?

  “I thought, since you’re not in danger of passing out again right now, that we could have a dance.”

  I just stared at him, my mouth falling open.

  A subtle change came over his face, and suddenly I saw a raw, vulnerable Joshua, his eyes showing hurt.

  “I’m not good enough,” he said, looking away. “Is that it?”

  Not good enough?

  It hurt my heart to see that pain on his face, to hear him say those words.

  He was best guy I knew.

  He was my brother, and I loved him so much.

  I reached out and took his hands in mine, pulling him out onto the dance floor, and entangling his arms around me before drawing my arms up around his neck.

  I looked into his eyes as the music played a slow, pulsing song I was pretty sure was on the Fifty Shades of Grey soundtrack.

  “Never say that again,” I whispered, and then rested my head on his chest, feeling his heart beat against my cheek.

  Whether I should or not, I was falling in love with my stepbrother.

  And no matter what anyone thought, there wasn’t a better man in the world.

  Chapter 14

  Joshua

  It was like someone had just turned every light on in the whole world and was shining it down on the two of us, right there on that dancefloor.

  I couldn’t believe Cali was in my arms.

  I couldn’t believe she’d pulled me out here and to her with such determination.

  That look she gave when she said to “Nev
er say that again,” made my heart just about explode out of my chest.

  Sure, we hadn’t talked about the kiss, and we certainly hadn’t kissed again, but I knew, just from the way she held onto me, with her sweet honey-blonde head on my chest, that she felt exactly as I did.

  I was fucking in love with her.

  Fuck me!

  I’d been in love with her for two freaking years. I was just too stupid to own up to it until I’d seen her again at that party.

  And now?

  And now I loved her.

  I know it sounds trite and fucking shitty, but it was as if my heart was beating for her now, and only her.

  Bullshit, right?

  But I swear that’s exactly what it felt like.

  And I could practically hear her name with every beat.

  Cali…

  Cali…

  Cali…

  Damn, I was a goner.

  Chapter 15

  Cali

  You would think if someone was already packed, and had a limo lined up to take them to the airport, and you had the freaking plane tickets in your hand, that it would be a quick and simple thing to get off to the airport.

  Well, that’s what I thought too, but mom had everyone running around the house, trying to find things she hadn’t packed and desperately needed. If I didn’t know better I would think my mom was afraid of flying… but that was a crock since I’d been with her for at least ten different flights to places as close as the Bahamas and as far away as Seattle.

  The limo was waiting, the driver had come to the door to announce that if they didn’t leave in the next ten minutes they wouldn’t make their flight.

  I thought, with how often flights were late and pushed back, that they would be safe. But having mom make everyone run around the house like headless chickens, while she got redder and more hyper with every passing minute, that there had to be something wrong.

  When she sent Paul off—again—to find a mini bottle of conditioner she swore was in the laundry room, I grabbed her by the arms and made her look me in the eye.

  “What is wrong?”

  She blinked and shook her head, a smile I knew damn well was fake on her lips. “Nothing, sweetie. I’ve just forgotten so much… I’d forget my head if it wasn’t attached.”