Copyright © Stepbrother’s Good Girl
by Olivia Hawthorne
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Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Forbidden Firsts Series
Stepbrother’s Good Girl – Book 3 of 3
(Grace and Gavin)
Chapter One
(Grace)
“I don’t want to go in my room,” I said, my entire body trembling with nervousness because of what I knew we were about to do.
His fingers were linked with mine, his tall body towering over me where we stood outside my bedroom door. The white wood of the door mocked me, threatening to open up and let us in, regardless of my fear of what we were going to do.
“Then we’ll go in my room.” A Cheshire grin lit his face. “Anything to make you more comfortable.”
Looking up into his mischievous expression, I sensed that he was hiding something.
“Why?” I asked. “What’s in your room?”
Shrugging a single shoulder, he bent down to kiss me softly on my lips. His blue eyes sparkled when he pulled away and said, “Nothing.”
I arched a brow, not fully accepting the truthfulness of his response. “Why don’t I believe you?”
Squeezing my hand, he chuckled. “I’m not sure. Guess you’ll have to follow me and find out.”
My feet felt like they were glued to the floor, my body unable to move forward when he stepped ahead of me to lead me farther down the hall. He gave my hand a gentle tug and I lurched ahead, stumbling over my first step.
It only took a few steps to be parked in front of his bedroom door, my eyes staring at the handle when he reached out to turn it and open the door.
As soon as the door swung open, my breath left my lungs on a single large whoosh, my eyes taking in the beauty of the space he’d obviously created for this night.
“Oh my…” The words fell from my lips without me realizing I’d said them.
Gavin chuckled again and said, “I hope this isn’t too much. I was afraid I’d gone overboard.”
He had…but at the same time, he hadn’t.
Softly lit by flickering candles and sparkling string lights, the room was bathed in an amber and white glow, ethereal in its beauty…like Christmas Eve night or a romantic setting for a wedding. Every space was draped with light, but it wasn’t so bright that the room was fully lit.
Ever the practical one, I asked, “You left candles burning when you weren’t in the room? It could have started a fire.”
He chuckled again, wrapping his arm around my waist and pulling me against him. Resting his chin on my shoulder, his breath rolled along the skin of my cheek when he said, “I’m sorry. You’re right. Next time I’ll try to be more safe while creating a romantic environment for you.”
I could feel his chest rattle with silent laughter, and my shoulders withered in response. Why was I being such a stick in the mud? I should have been overjoyed by what he’d done.
“No, I’m the one who should be sorry. You were just trying to make things special and I’m being a melodramatic freak.” Closing my eyes, I tried to ignore the butterflies in my stomach – the crazy, chaotic butterflies that were creating a sick feeling inside me. I was so nervous with everything that was happening.
Lowering my voice to almost a whisper, I admitted the truth. “I’m just nervous, Gavin. I don’t know what to do with all of this.”
His hand rubbed circles over my back, his mouth close to my ear when he said, “I know. I didn’t take it personally.”
Turning my head to look at him, I shivered when his lips brushed over my cheek. “What do I do?”
His arms wrapped around my waist, his chest pressing up against my back, causing me to tremble against the warmth that felt like it radiated out from him. I leaned back against him, my head resting on his shoulder when he said, “You do nothing but be you. It’s my job to seduce you.”
I giggled softly, my entire body buzzing with something I’d never felt before. “If by seduce, you mean that it’s your job to get me into a bedroom that’s filled with candlelight, I think you’ve already accomplished what you were after.”
The tips of his fingers ran over my abdomen. Soft, but fast, his touch did things to me that I’d never thought they could do. Leaning into me, he pressed his warm, soft lips against the rim of my ear. “Grace, getting you in here is only the beginning.”
With a move as smooth as a dancer, he grabbed my hand and spun me around until I was facing him. Taking both my hands once I’d steadied myself on my feet, he asked, “Would you like to dance?”
My eyes rounded into saucers. “Dance? Since when do you dance?”
His eyes blinked once before he gave me a lopsided grin. “I went to prom in my senior year and I figured out how to dance. It’s actually quite easy.”
“Is it now?” I laughed at his joke. Dance could be easy, until you got into the complicated steps of certain styles. I’d been taking dance my entire life and I appreciated that he made the suggestion that we dance now. The movement soothed me. Just talking about it made me forget the anxiety that being in his room had been making me feel.
Gavin nodded his head in response to my question. “Very easy. So will you allow me to sweep you off your feet now?”
Laughter bubbled from my lungs. Nodding my head, I said, “Yes. Please sweep away.”
Chapter Two
(Gavin)
I was having a hard time believing that Grace was not only in my room, but that she was agreeing to give me a chance. All day, I’d been in a state of disbelief. I thought, for sure, she would change her mind and tell me to take a hike…but it never happened.
And now, here we were in my bedroom, surrounded by the romantic scene I’d created just for her. It was a magical moment for me, one where I didn’t feel like a selfish jerk that was only out for myself. In as little as a few weeks, this girl had changed me, had snatched me away from the player lifestyle I’d always led and taught me what it was to truly care about, and perhaps love, another person.
Did I love her? I didn’t know. I’d never loved anybody but myself, so I had nothing to compare this feeling to. I didn’t want to think about it too much, fearing that if I really stopped and looked at the situation, I would find that everything I’d hoped for between us wasn’t true.
Reluctantly, I released her hands to walk over to the stereo system in my room. Flicking the button on, it immediately lit up and filled my room with music from the CD I’d chosen before our date. Yes, I was laying it on thick, but it wasn’t for the reason you would think.
I wanted this to be a memory for her that always made her smile. I wanted this to be an introduction of everything she should expect from any man that wanted to love her. But, most of all, I wanted this to be the beginning of something that would last until the day I died.
I offered my hand to the
most beautiful girl in the world and she took it without hesitation. Playfully, I lifted her hand above her head and moved to twirl her around, but I lacked the coordination and skill necessary to complete the move successfully. My cheeks lit up with embarrassment and she laughed – the sound reminding me of what angels must sound like.
“Would you like me to lead?” She asked.
More embarrassment heated my body, but it was quickly doused when her eyes locked with mine from behind the adorable black-framed glasses she wore.
“Aren’t I supposed to lead? I’m the guy.” I gave her my megawatt smile in hopes it would hide the fact that I was so nervous I felt like I would faint right there at her feet.
She burst out into another giggle and with a seductive, yet shy, voice, she answered, “Well, I’m the professional at dancing, and you’re the professional at…” Her cheeks lit up to match the shade of mine. “…at something else. How about I lead this dance, and you can lead the one that follows?”
Her idea had my heart pounding painfully hard in my chest. Just the idea of being allowed to hold her – to touch her – had every muscle in my body tense with desire and need.
“I think I can agree to that,” I answered. Stepping forward until our bodies were pressed together, I clasped my hands with hers, and we started to move.
Grace’s movement in the dance was a perfect example of her name. She moved with such delicate beauty, such sureness in her step that it made me feel like a clodhopper in comparison. But yet, somehow, beside her I moved with the same type of coordination and skill. She led me around the room, spinning and laughing, our bodies perfectly in tune with one another.
I’d never felt such a connection to another person and I wondered if I’d missed out all this time because I’d played the part of the asshole male, instead of understanding what it meant to truly open up and love someone.
I couldn’t believe the moment, couldn’t comprehend how easily this girl had changed me. What had been a moment of fun on the night I kissed her became so much more that I couldn’t even put words to what I was feeling and thinking. I felt like a fish out of water, a person that had been stripped of the life they’d known only to be tossed into a different skin, a different environment, and a different mindset.
“How do you do this to me,” I asked, my voice full of wonderment and reverence for the ease with which this beauty had tamed the beast inside me.
Still moving through the dance with ease, she locked her eyes to mine. “What do you mean? The dance? Actually, having a proper lead makes any person a wonderful dancer. That’s why the lead is so important.”
I laughed and let go of her hand to place a single finger over her soft, plump lips. “No, beautiful. Not the dance.” Taking a steadying breath, I asked, “How have you changed me so easily?”
Her eyes widened from behind her glasses and she missed her step. We both came to a sudden halt, standing in the middle of my room with our hands gripped together and our eyes locked.
“I’ve changed you?” She asked, her question so fucking innocent that it crushed the heart in my chest.
Pulling her over to my bed, I sat down on the edge, waiting for her to sit beside me. The mattress dipped when she slowly sat down, her hands fidgeting in her lap as she looked at me and waited for my response.
Clearing my throat of the lump of anxiety that filled it, I confessed, “Do you remember that guy you’ve been living with for the past few years? The one who had a new girlfriend each week and who was constantly getting in trouble for doing stupid shit?”
She nodded her head, her thick brown lashes blinking slowly behind her glasses. “Yes.”
“Well,” I said, once again swallowing down the lump in my throat, “he doesn’t exist anymore, and it’s all because of you.”
Chapter Three
(Grace)
I was lost for words, unable to think clearly enough to respond to what he was saying. I hadn’t done anything to change him or make him a better person. I’d pushed him away at every opportunity, only accepting his offer of a date because I thought that if nothing came of it, it would finally show him that I wasn’t his type.
My eyes scanned his expression for any indication that what he was saying wasn’t true, but all I saw was honesty.
He took my hands in his, sweeping his thumb over my fingers with a gentleness that made my heart skip and my breath rush from my lungs on a trembling breath.
“I know you’ve hated me for a long time, and I’m not so stupid that I don’t know why you felt that way. I’ve been a jerk in all walks of life; at school, in my relationships, in all the stupid stunts I’ve pulled. And I’m not exactly sure why I feel so different with you. I think a lot of it has to do with how amazing you are as a person. I’ve watched you since the day your mom and you moved in. You don’t give a damn about what anybody thinks. You’re smart and talented, absolutely gorgeous without having to even try. And you don’t even know how attractive you are. I think that makes you even more amazing. Beauty and popularity – none of that matters to you because you are so focused on the things that do matter. There aren’t very many girls out there like you, and if you’ll let me be one of the guys that are lucky enough to be with someone like you – I promise you I’ll love you forever.”
I flinched at his words – not because of fear, but because of surprise. “I didn’t think you’d noticed,” I admitted with a soft voice.
My body shivered with a cold chill, my nervousness at admitting the truth causing me to softly shake where I sat. But that chill faded quickly, leaving my skin to be replaced by a vibrant heat when he looked at my face. His deep blue eyes sparkled as his thick black eyelashes blinked down. So long, his lashes created a soft shadow over his high cheekbones and I felt a strong desire to lean forward and kiss his closed eyes.
My body purred in anticipation of his touch, my heart strongly beating from behind my ribs to a point where I feared he could hear it. I knew I’d said he could take the lead in the second dance, but I was suddenly feeling like a different person myself.
I’d never been interested in going far with a boy. I never cared to kiss them, date them, or have sex with them. I was so focused on school and landing a scholarship to set me free of my mother that I’d decided long ago that boys would come later – much later – after I’d achieved everything I’d wanted.
I didn’t know what wanting another person would do to me. Fear tickled my spine when I questioned whether it would be possible to go off to college if I found myself falling for Gavin. Even more than that, I feared that he could easily break my heart if I gave him that chance.
Regardless of that fear, I leaned forward anyway, softly pressing my lips against his before he could open his eyes and see that I was moving towards him. He jumped when I touched him, but immediately pressed his lips against mine, moving them slowly over my mouth. It was the kiss I’d dreamed about having, the one that all the fairy tales and love stories talk about.
Even though he’d kissed me in the past, to me, this felt like our first kiss because it was the one I would remember years from now when I looked back on whatever this was that we had between us.
His tongue peeked out to run along the crease of my mouth, my lips parting slowly to let his tongue enter my mouth and sweep along my tongue. He tasted like cinnamon, although I had no idea why that would be. It didn’t matter, but those are the weird things that run through my head when I’m nervous.
I was being analytical at that moment, studying every sensation, every emotion and trying to understand the whys of the moment. It was my escape back to the practical, but that escape didn’t last long.
As soon as Gavin’s hands ran up my body, I was completely lost to the moment. His kiss became more passionate, more demanding, as his hands explored my sides, my arms, and my shoulders. He touched me everywhere but the places you would assume any needy male would go for first. His warm palm cupped my cheek and he pulled me tighter into the kiss, his other han
d wrapping around my hip as he tugged my body closer.
Laying me down on the soft mattress and pillows, the weight of his body pressed down on me, his hands beginning to explore once again. His movements weren’t hurried. Instead, it felt like he was taking his time, making sure to touch every inch of my skin that wasn’t covered by my clothes.
For the first time in my life, I couldn’t think straight. I was lost to his touch, to his taste – to him.
Chapter Four
(Gavin)
I was shaking.
My entire body trembling like this was the first time I’d ever kissed a girl.
It had been years since I felt this kind of nervous energy around a female. Ever since I’d lost my virginity, I’d had game. I’d been able to woo and stroke any girl into giving herself to me. I hadn’t been nervous, or anxious…I hadn’t really cared enough to feel those kinds of things.
Women had been a challenge – a game – something that didn’t matter whether I won or lost. If one girl turned me down, there was another one who would replace her. But, the thing was, no woman had ever turned me down – until Grace came along, at least.
Yeah, I’d been able to finally win her over, but it took becoming a new person in order to make her believe that she was different from the rest. It took transforming myself to make myself worthy of her attention. That’s how wonderful she was – wonderful enough to take a shallow man and make him into something better. And I’d made that change not because of anything specific that she did or said. I’d made it just because she existed.
My hands moved slowly over her body. I took my time touching every part of her, worshipping her because that’s what she deserved. She’d surprised me when she kissed me first. I’d thought she was too scared to do something so out of the ordinary for her. But the fact that she’d made the first move shouldn’t have been a surprise. I should have known that she was so amazing that there was no way to ever guess what she was capable of doing.
Stepbrother's Good Girl (Grace and Gavin Book 3)(Forbidden Firsts Series) Page 1