Edward fell in love with an actress and married her within weeks. They were now expecting a baby. Rina and Samuel would be its godparents.
THE END
Bonus 4 of 20
Scars of Love
Description
When Sally sees her stepbrother, Noel, after a long absence, she realizes how much she’s changed. The two were already close, but it was obvious the second she saw him, the feelings of adoration and something much more seemed to arouse within her. But beneath the smile on his face was the trauma of his tenure as a Navy SEAL, and soon, Sally learns of the truth. However, instead of running away, she embraces it.
As her lustful feelings for her stepbrother grow, Sally knows that she can’t hold this back. When a night of passion finally erupts between them, Sally knows she must make a choice. Will she let her feelings for her stepbrother in? Or will she continue to hold these back in favor of protecting herself and the friendship that the two of them have, and struggled to maintain for a long time? Find out in this hot, stepbrother military romance!
Chapter 1
Today was the day.
A feeling of excitement loomed through my body as I thought about what today might bring. I sat in the airport terminal, watching the flight times. My stepbrother, Noel, was coming back after about three years in the military away from us, and I immediately felt excited. The two of us hadn’t really spoken a lot lately. Mostly because of how busy his time was there and because he was engaged in combat for a long time.
Noel and I were stepsiblings. Our parents got together when I was 10 and he was 13. Even with the three-year age difference, we were always relatively close. I imagined that was probably because we were typically left to our own devices, so I rarely got to spend time with anyone but him. But I imagined my stepbrother grew up to be a fine man.
When he left for the military at 18, I was still only 15. I didn’t really see the point in this, mostly because he was up and leaving us for a couple of years at a time. Now he was 21 and I was 18. Time did change a person for the better, and I’ve learned to really get my shit together.
This meant that I really didn’t have time for relationships. I never thought of one, meaning that I usually spent most of my time alone. I was always studying it seemed, and it was part of the reason why I never really got in touch with Noel. Every time I did, he was busy. At one point, it was simply phone tag between the two of us, something that we didn’t really feel like doing with one another.
But now, now everything changed. I had some free time, I was picking him up, and I had a couple of weeks off until I had to hit the ground running. I wanted to spend time with him, to see how everything changed.
Finally, there was a sign that the flight finally got in, and when I saw the men coming out of the terminal, I immediately stepped out. I looked high and low for him, hoping that he wouldn’t take too long.
Then, he showed up.
For a moment, I felt like my heart stopped. Holy crap he got hot. I began to flush, realizing I shouldn’t be having these feelings for him, but here I was, ogling him like it was nothing. He then looked at me, a bit unsure of what to say.
“Hello Sally,” he said.
“Hey Noel,” I replied, trying to figure out where to look. His sandy blonde hair was now short, but he still had the most gorgeous blue eyes that seemed to sparkle in the light. His larger frame was now toned instead of flabby like how it was before. In truth, he got pretty fucking gorgeous, and it was hard not to stare.
“Sorry for the delay. Flight was a bit late,” he said.
“It’s fine. It happens. Are you okay?” I asked.
“I guess,” he told her.
It was obvious something was wrong. He didn’t seem to want to talk about it though.
“Well I’m sure my mom and your dad will be happy to see you. I mean, I’m off for break for another couple of weeks, so I’m excited to spend some time with you,” I said.
“Yeah,” he replied, his face staring off into the distance.
I wanted to ask what was wrong. I’ve never seen him like this before. Typically, Noel was always at the center of the conversation, trying his hardest to pay attention and listen to everyone. Right now, it seemed that something bothered him, and it was obvious that he wasn’t going to tell me.
“How long are you off duty?” I asked, starting the car and heading on back home.
“Depends. I don’t really know when I’ll be going back, but I guess I’ll have to,” he said.
Something did happen. I mean, he was always so lively, so happy, but he seemed like a completely different person.
“Do you want to talk about it?” I asked.
“Nope,” he replied, shutting me up.
“Well, that’s understandable. I’ve just been in school,” I said.
“Must be nice. Having the family pay for your stuff like that,” he said, a bit of annoyance obvious in his voice. I scoffed, looking at him for a moment and then ahead.
“Actually, I’m on scholarship, so I’m not paying for jack shit. It’s nice,” I said.
“Great,” he said. He seemed so distant that I didn’t know what to do about this. The tension in the air was so thick that you could cut a knife. I decided to just let it go. Hopefully he’d open up the second we got back.
When we got home, he got out. He grabbed his bags, but I stepped forward.
“I’ll grab them for you,” I said.
“No it’s fine. I don’t want you to hurt yourself,” he said.
“You don’t have to treat me like a child. I mean, I’m eighteen now,” I said.
“Really? Wow, time has flown by fast,” he said.
“Yeah, and you’re acting pretty distant. What’s the matter?” I asked.
He looked at me and then sighed.
“I honestly don’t want to talk about it yet. I mean, there are some things you shouldn’t really know just yet. I mean, maybe once I’m settled in I’ll tell you,” he replied.
I wanted to respond, but then, he headed inside. It was obvious that he didn’t want to tell me, but I wanted to know the truth. I’ve never seen him act so aloof and it seemed like he’s become a different person. Did the military change him? Or did something else happen? I decided to wait until he came to me, and I hoped that he would tell me eventually.
Chapter 2
The second Noel came home, everything changed. My parents were both there and they immediately embraced him, holding him. He hugged them back, but he seemed to still be off kilter. I shrugged, wondering what it was that he was hiding, but I guess it could wait. We went out for dinner, and even the servers congratulated him and thanked him for his service. He said it was nothing. However, I didn’t think it was just a little thing. I mean, the military was a pretty huge ordeal, and the fact that he was just brushing this off was weird as all hell. I wanted to ask him further about it, but when we got back, he went to his room.
I spent the next day or so working on some of the homework I was given. Thankfully, I was close enough to the college I could come home every single day, so I’d get to hang with Noel whenever. However, he still seemed to ignore me, holing himself up in his room. I wanted to find out what was eating him, what caused this madness in him. I couldn’t just sit there and watch him suffer.
I went to the room, knocking at the door. At first, there was no sound, and then, I saw him open up. He looked haggard, like he hadn’t slept in the few days he’d been home. I smiled weakly, looking at him with a grin.
“Hey Noel, you doing okay?” I asked.
He paused, looking at me with a glance.
“What are you doing here? Why do you ask?” he asked.
“I’m just wondering. You don’t look so great,” I said.
“If you’ve been through what I have, you wouldn’t look the same way either,” he said.
“Can we talk about it? It’s obvious whatever is eating at you is going to keep bothering you until you tell someone,” I said.
/> He hesitated, looking at me for but a moment, but then, he shook his head.
“You wouldn’t understand,” he said.
“I want to understand Noel. Just tell me. We can talk about this. I’m your sister. Remember, we used to talk about everything. I don’t want you to think that I’m going to hate you after what you tell me,” I said. I began to flush as I looked at him. I’ve never felt so nervous around him before, but this changes people, and now that we’re both adults, with different experiences, it was obvious things would change.
He hesitated, looking at me with a glance before shaking his head.
“I don’t want to tell you yet,” he said.
“Why not?” I asked.
“Because I don’t want to scare you away. It’s just… I’m scared,” he said.
“I get it. You can tell me when you’re ready,” I said to him, giving him a touching hand on his shoulder. He stiffened, and soon, I pulled away.
“Sorry,” I said with a blush.
“It’s fine. You wouldn’t know,” he said.
“Well, I want to be there for you. I mean, we’ve always told each other everything. I know that the military kind of separated us from each other, but I’ll say right now, there hasn’t been a day where I haven’t thought of you,” I said. I know that sounded really sentimental, but it was the truth. I always thought about Noel, and I always wanted make sure he was okay, but he never seemed to call, so I never got a chance to.
He shuddered, looking at me and then sighing.
“It’s fine. You didn’t know. I’ll tell you when I’m ready. Just please… stop asking,” he said.
“Okay.”
The door was closed, leaving me to try to figure out what the hell just happened. On the one hand, I was excited to finally get him to open up, but at the same time, I could tell this was going to be harder than I thought. I guess I’ll talk to him when he’s ready.
The next few days were weird. He would come out of his room, say a few words and then head on back. He wasn’t too comfortable with saying much else other than that, and it seemed like he was hiding his true feelings. I wanted to know more, and I wanted to find out what it was that he was holding back. Finally, one day, while I was working on the last of my homework, I heard a knock at the door.
“Come in,” I said.
The door opened and there he was. Noel looked at me with an awkward shuffle, glancing around.
“Hey,” he said.
“Hey yourself. What’s up? This is the first time in a very long time you’ve come knocking,” I said.
“Yeah,” he replied.
There was another awkward silence, and as I turned around, pushing my red hair out of my face, I looked at him.
“So what’s up? I’m just working on some homework. Trying to get ahead you know?” I said.
“That’s awesome. I wish I had the dedication that you did when I was in school,” he said, almost longing in a sense.
“I feel that. So spill, what the hell is going on?” I asked.
He took a deep breath, looking at me and then looking around.
“You mind coming to my room? It’s a bit important,” he said.
“Okay,” I replied.
I followed him to his room, wondering why he couldn’t just tell me here. However, when the door closed, he looked at me, and then, he took off his shirt.
“What are you—“
That’s when I saw it. The giant scar that was all across his chest. It looked like a knife had slashed him, and all over his body, I saw nothing but scars. He looked at me, desperation present in his eyes.
“You wondered why I never told you about this? Why I wasn’t comfortable? Well, here I am now,” he said.
I wanted to look away, to pretend I never saw it, but I just kept on looking, kept on seeing the scars and marks there. While a part of me wanted to scream and run away, I also wanted to stick around, to learn the truth about what happened to my brother.
Chapter 3
I had no words.
The only thing that I could do was stare at his body, looking at the way his arms and legs had little cuts all over, but that scar on his chest seemed to be the biggest one. I also saw the scar on his shoulders, the one that I touched.
“What the hell happened to you?” I said.
“I saw combat. I actually was in a pretty dangerous situation. I was cut by an enemy, and I nearly bled to death,” he said.
I looked at him with shocked eyes, unsure of what to do about this. On the one hand, I wanted to comfort him, to be there for him, but at the same time, the fear that laid within me was definitely there.
“Wow,” I said.
“Our parents don’t know about this. I never told anyone about this except for the nurses, and now you,” he said.
I felt both honored and terrified of what to do about this whole thing. I mean, it was pretty shocking, and I knew that it wasn’t ever going to go away.
“Jesus Christ,” I simply said. I really didn’t have any words, so I was trying to fill in the gap.
“Yeah. Let’s just say that when I first saw combat, that’s when I got a taste of hell. You would think as a Navy SEAL I wouldn’t have that sort of encounter, that because I was in the navy I wouldn’t have to see direct combat, but that wasn’t the case. Shrapnel happens and sometimes objects fall onto your body that you didn’t expect to find. While it might be deemed safer than other sorts of branches of the military, it’s still just as dangerous as the rest of them. It’s part of the reason why I’m jealous of you Sally. You get to go to school, to be in a safe environment, to only have to worry about studies, and yet, I have to see combat, and it’s honestly terrifying to think about,” he said.
“Yeah,” I said, still shocked and an agape face there. I felt bad for bitching about my schoolwork. I mean, I’ve never had a boyfriend, but mostly because of school. However, when I looked at him, the first thing I wanted to do was to comfort him, to help him when he got hurt and to make sure that he was safe and sound.
“It’s all right. You didn’t know. But thank you for caring about me. It’s the first time in a very long time I’ve actually felt taken care of,” he said.
I didn’t know what to say. I felt bad for being the only one to take care of him, and I know that I’ve always been that way, but it’s definitely not something I wanted to take pride in.
“You’re welcome,” I said.
“You’re a great girl, you know. I mean, even though we’re stepsiblings, I’ve always felt a connection with you that seemed to be almost beyond familial,” he told me.
He pushed his hand into my own, holding it there and keeping his hand in mine for a minute. He squeezed it, and as I looked in his eyes, he began to grin.
“I’m here for you. I mean, I always have been. I wanted to talk to you. While you were in the service. But every time I did, it became phone tag. I’m sorry for not trying harder,” I said.
“You’re totally fine. So, do you have a boyfriend yet,” he asked. He changed the subject, probably because of the discomfort that he saw on my face when I looked at his body.
I shook my head, reddening when he asked that.
“Unfortunately not. I haven’t really had a chance to find a guy. I mean, there are a few at school who seem cool, but I’ve been so busy with schoolwork that there hasn’t been time,” I told him.
“Well, you should hop on that. You’ve grown up to be quite the lady,” he said.
I blushed. I mean, Noel has always been a bit of a charmer and he was always flirtatious. Hell, I remember when he used to bring home chicks in high school, promising me that I didn’t tell our parents about it. He was definitely an attractive man, but I was a bit of a quiet nerd, so I never really got a chance to tell any of the guys I like that I liked them.
Not only that, I was scared of a relationship.
But when I looked at him, I felt my heart skip a beat, almost falling right out of my chest. He looked at me, touching a t
endril of my hair and smiling.
“You know, I’m glad you talked to me. I’m really happy that you gave enough of a damn about me to come on by and make sure I was okay,” he said.
“You’re welcome. It’s the least I could do,” I said. However, there was that little feeling of butterflies in my stomach that kept sitting there as I looked at him.
“I would love to hang out more. I’m sorry for being so aloof. I’ve just been hiding that secret, and I mean, I’m still trying to get used to touches and crap, mostly from others. I won’t shirk away from you though, probably because you’ve seen them,” he said.
I hesitantly pushed my hand out, touching his body. The scars felt unreal, like this was all just a fake body with fake wounds.
“Wow. I’ve never seen anything like this,” I said.
“Yeah. It’s not totally pretty. But enough of that, let’s chill. I mean, it’s been forever since we’ve seen each other, so I don’t see the point in really holding back,” he told me with a smile.
I began to flush, but I agreed. The two of us played some video games together, playful banter abound from both of our mouths. Soon, Noel was taking me out for ice cream pizza, and even around town. He made an effort now to talk to me, whereas before he was aloof and trying his hardest not to speak to me. However, as we spent time together, I began to feel something in my body, a sort of nervousness I’ve never really seen before. I began to wonder if these feelings were just my own imagination or something more.
I wanted to talk to him about this, but I was scared. The two of us exchanged little glances at times, and I’ve caught him staring at me a few times. I wanted to ask him why he did that, but I didn’t know if he’d be offended or not. I never really thought about a boyfriend, and in truth, I feel like it’s wrong to do something like that. but I know he has something he wants to say, it’s just a matter of saying it.
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