Dirty Stepbrother

by Alycia Taylor

  “Are you expecting someone?” I asked her.

  She shook her head. “No.”

  We were about to go look through the window when we heard a knock at the door.

  “That’s strange,” Terra said and went to open. I heard her talking to someone and then she came back into the living room and grinned at me.

  “What?” I asked. “Who is it?”

  “There’s someone at the door to see you.”

  “Me? Who?”

  “Go look,” she said. She was still grinning.

  I walked over to the front door and saw Grant standing there smiling at me.

  “Wow, that is one big glass of wine,” he said.

  “I told you it was fun to live here at Terra’s place. What are you doing back here? Is everything okay?” I asked. I was surprised at how good it felt to see him again. How could I miss someone that I had only just met? How could I miss someone that I had seen not so long ago? It was the first time that I had ever felt that way, and I wasn’t sure how to deal with it.

  “I came to see you.”

  “You did? I don’t understand.”

  “I went all the way back to Brady’s house, and I started telling him about how the dinner had gone when I suddenly realized that I wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight without kissing you goodbye.”

  “You . . . what . . . kiss,” my words came out staggered as if I’d just suddenly lost the ability to speak.

  “I had a wonderful time with you, Emily. One of the best nights I’ve had in a very long time, actually. And I’d love to kiss you goodnight if you’d let me.”

  I just nodded. The words had now left me.

  He smiled at me, leaned in and with one hand on my cheek he kissed me. The kiss was gentle, and sweet, and moved quickly from soft to passionate. When he pulled away, I had to lean against the door for support.

  “Even better than I thought it would be. Well, Emily, thank you for a wonderful evening. I’ll call you tomorrow. Goodnight.”

  I smiled at him. “Goodnight,” I managed to whisper and bit my lip.

  I watched him go and then turned to go back inside. Terra came flying around the corner, and I almost dropped my glass of wine.

  “He came all the way back to kiss you? Did that really just happen?”

  I stared at her, still speechless, and just nodded.

  “Have you lost your words?”

  I nodded again.

  She chuckled. “Well find them already. Tell me what the kiss was like.”

  I grinned, walked over to the living room and fell to the sofa. “Amazing.”

  “By the look on your face, I’d say it was even more than amazing.”

  I nodded. Took a sip of my wine and sighed happily. I still couldn’t believe that he’d come back for the kiss. For a while, I’d almost forgotten that my house had burned down. That’s how good the kiss had been. I thought about telling Terra how Grant’s other name was Patriot and how he was part of a motorcycle club that always wore black. But I felt like keeping that information to myself that night. I liked that there were other facets to Grant’s personality. I liked that he had a past. I could feel it in his kiss, which was part sweet and soft, and part hard and rough. I found him fascinating.

  “You know,” Terra was saying. “You should’ve just invited him in. You could’ve gone to your room, and I would’ve put some headphones in or something.”

  I burst out laughing. “And this from the girl that tried to stop us from kissing earlier.”

  She put her hands in the air in surrender. “I take back what I said. He’s super-hot.”

  I chuckled and remembered his lips on mine. “He sure is.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Grant

  The kiss was incredible. It was worth going all the way back to Terra’s house for it. And from the look on her face, I think it was the right move. The whole thing had taken me by surprise. That sort of confidence with a woman wasn’t like me. I looked like a confident man. I’d been told many times before that I had a way about me that made people sit up and listen. But I’d never felt the confidence that people believed I had. And I’d never acted on an impulse with someone like that before. But when I got home and started to tell Brady about the night, I couldn’t stop thinking about how much I’d wanted to kiss her. I didn’t even think about how the whole thing could’ve backfired on me. She could’ve easily had just laughed me away, or told me not to be so forward. But I’d gone in laser focused without even an inkling that she might say no. And I’d been right. She’d kissed me back.

  But I hadn’t been able to sleep as well as I’d thought I would. At least I hadn’t stayed up wondering why I hadn’t made the first move. That would’ve been worse. Instead, I stayed up thinking about the kiss.

  When I made my way down to the kitchen, the sun wasn’t even up yet. I’d started to get used to waking up early now, and the morning was fast becoming one of my favorite times. Brady was always up early, but I hadn’t expected him to be up yet. But there he was, making himself a cup of coffee and whistling to himself.

  “You’re up early,” he said when he saw me. “Coffee?”

  I smiled. “You’re up early too. Coffee would be great.”

  “Yeah, I usually try and get some extra sleep on a Sunday, but I think my body is just so wired to getting up at this time that I can’t help myself. Anyway, there’s something nice about enjoying a cup of coffee before the sun comes up, don’t you think?”

  “There’s nothing quite like it. Especially out here. I’m sure if I had gotten up early in my old place, it would’ve still been noisy.”

  “What’s happening with that place by the way? I’ve been meaning to ask you. Because you just up and left so quickly.”

  “I’m renting it out on the condition that I can come back at any moment. I’m renting it pretty cheap, though, so they can’t complain.”

  “Wow, you found people so quickly?”

  “Oh yeah. People are always on the search for new places in the city. And when I put word out that I was renting mine out for such a little bit of money, it got snapped up.”

  “You thinking of going back soon?”

  I grinned. “Honestly? I don’t think so. I like it here.”

  “It suits you,” he said, not for the first time. Then he chuckled. “Also, you have another reason to stay now.”

  “What do you mean?”

  He raised his eyebrows. “Oh, come on. You know what I mean. So, you still need to tell me about last night. Let’s start with the fact that you run off mid conversation to go and kiss her goodnight. How did that turn out for you? Sorry I wasn’t up when you got back. I was exhausted.”

  “She kissed me back,” I said and then took the coffee from him. I took a grateful sip and thanked him for it.

  “She did, huh? Nice. So she didn’t mind you coming back for it?”

  “She seemed happy.”

  “And the date went well? How about my restaurant suggestion?”

  “That was one of the best restaurants I’ve been to in a long time. Great atmosphere, great food, great wine. It also didn’t hurt that I had such great company. Emily is such a nice girl. We got along well. I haven’t been able to talk to someone like that in a very long time.”

  “Oh yeah?” he said. “That’s probably why you usually don’t talk to girls.”

  “What do you mean?”

  He laughed. “You and Gunner. You were both always the same with women. You went out on so many dates, but you never really had a girlfriend. He’s the same.”

  I couldn’t even be upset with Grant. He wasn’t trying to be mean to me, but rather just stating the facts. And he was right. I’d been with a lot of women in my life, but I’d never actually been in love.

  “Gunner’s a changed man though, did you know that?”

  Brady shook his head. “A changed man? What do you mean? I haven’t spoken to Gunner in a long time.”

  “You should. He’s a good guy
.”

  “He is? I think he’s always angry. He hates the fact that I’m not in Arizona anymore. He hates the fact that I’m not a part of the motorcycle club or that I don’t help out in the shop. He doesn’t seem to understand that I want my own life, and he has no problem telling me that.”

  “That sounds like Gunner. But when you give him a chance, he’s not all that bad. And he’ll hear you out if you just talk to him. Anyway, don’t worry about that. Your relationship with him has nothing to do with me.”

  “Sorry, I didn’t mean to get angry. But sometimes that guy just pushes my buttons. More so than most people do.”

  “Don’t worry about it. He’s not an easy man. Trust me, I know. The two of us had a few run-ins these past few months. He’s always been the sort of guy that likes to push people away. But yeah, he’s a changed man. He met a girl, and the two of them have fallen hard for each other.”

  “He met someone? Have you met her?”

  I nodded. “I have. And she’s not at all the sort of person you would expect him to be with. She’s pretty, and sweet, and seems to love wearing bright yellow clothes.”

  That made Brady laugh. “Gunner is with a girl who wears yellow? I’m surprised.”

  “Yep. She’s a party planner. And she’s done him a world of good. I mean, he’s still the same guy we’ve always known, but there’s a happiness to him now that I’ve never seen before.”

  “Really? Well, I’m happy for him,” Brady said. I could tell that he meant it.

  “I guess I’m a bit like that too. I don’t know, man; I just haven’t found a girl that I could talk to like Emily. She’s really nice.”

  “She is. She was my neighbor for a long time. It’s strange not to see her every day. But listen, you mustn’t forget about the whole arson thing. Did you ask her about it?”

  “I thought about it but I’m not sure if she even knows, and I didn’t really want to be the one who told her. Also, it’s none of my business.”

  “If you’re dating her, then it sort of is your business, don’t you think?”

  “I’m not dating her.”

  “Are you going to see her again?”

  “Yeah, I’d like to.”

  “Then that’s another date, which is sort of like dating, isn’t it? Anyway, I’m just saying you must be careful. She’s a nice girl, but who knows what she’s mixed up in. I mean, if someone is angry enough to burn down her house, it doesn’t seem like something you want to get too involved in. Just be careful. That’s all I’m saying. The last thing you want is for her enemies to become your enemies.”

  “I’ll be careful,” I said.

  Later that day, my father called. I’d been meaning to call him soon, so it was good to hear his voice. He voice was clear and more upbeat than it had been the last time that I had spoken to him.

  “How’s the patient doing?” I asked.

  “Much better. The doctors are seeing big improvements by the day. I’m over the worst part.”

  “That’s so good to hear, Pop.” I felt relief wash over me. Even though I knew his cancer was treatable, I still worried that something could go wrong. I hadn’t realized how worried I was until I heard the good news. “You sound great.”

  “Yeah, I’m not as tired as I used to be. I feel like I’ve got my energy back again. And how about you? How is life in Buffalo? I still can’t believe that you’re all the way there.”

  “Ah, it’s not that far. It’s not like I’m in another country.”

  “It feels far.”

  “Actually, you’re right. It’s very different here to back home, which does make it feel a lot further away than it is. But I’m enjoying it. It’s done me a lot of good. And all this fresh air every day is great. I’m honestly not sure how I worked in that real estate job for almost a year. This feels a lot more my style.”

  “Doing ranch work?”

  “Mostly, yeah. There’s always so much that needs to get done. But I’m also helping out with the firefighters here. I’m learning a lot.”

  “Any chance you’ll be coming back to the club? It would be nice to see you again. The boys are always asking about you. I know it’s far just to come and see the guys, but if you can, they would really appreciate it.”

  I smiled sadly. My father loved that club, but just hearing him ask about it made me realize that I would never feel the same way as he did. I’d actually forgotten about it while I’d been working at the ranch. My father would never forget about that club—it was his life’s blood. And I was almost certain that the other members didn’t care whether I was there or not. It was my father that wanted me there.

  “I have so much going on at the moment, but I’ll definitely make a plan to come soon for a visit.”

  “Visit or for good?” my father asked.

  “I’m not sure right now. I feel like this is where I need to be for a while, but we’ll see what happens. It’s good to have a change every now and again. You should come visit,” I said even though I knew he never would.

  He replied by just grunting.

  “Listen, I have to get going. But do you want to talk to Brady? He’s downstairs somewhere, but I can go and find him.”

  “No, I need to get going too,” he said. I knew him well enough to know he was lying but I didn’t push it.

  “Okay, Pop. Well, thanks for calling. It was good to hear your voice again, and I’m glad to hear you’re feeling better. Call me anytime.”

  “Good to talk to you, son.”

  I put the phone down and wondered what I should do with the rest of my day. My thoughts immediately went to Emily, and I remembered that I’d told her that I’d call. I thought about playing hard to get but decided I couldn’t be bothered with playing games. I liked her, and I wanted to see her again. And I was more than happy to tell her that. I was just about to pick up the phone to call her when my phone rang again.

  “Hello. Grant speaking.”

  “Grant, it’s Ted.”

  “Ted, what’s going on?” I asked. Ted was one of the guys from the firefighting team and he sounded flustered.

  “There’s been another fire, and we’d love the extra help if you’re free.”

  “Of course! Give me the address, and I’ll meet you there.”

  “Come to the station.”

  “Be right there,” I said and put the phone down.

  I ran downstairs and shouted to Brady that I was out to attend a fire, and then I got in my car and drove away. My call with Emily was sadly just going to have to wait.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Emily

  “We have a full day today,” Terra said. “Come on; you must be at least a little bit excited?”

  I groaned. “I’m not.”

  “What? Why not?”

  Today was the day that I was officially starting my house hunt. I’d spoken to an agent during the week and set up five different places for me to see all in a day. I’d tried to get her to spread the places out over a few days, but she was insistent that I do them all in one day. She clearly needed to make some commission, and I’d ended up just agreeing. I’d asked Terra to go with me, and she was excited. Although I wasn’t sure if she was excited to spend the day house hunting or if she was just happy that we’d both taken the day off work.

  I groaned and put my head under the pillow.

  “Em, what’s wrong? I thought you’d be excited to go house hunting?” she said and lifted up the pillow.

  “I miss my old house,” I said and sat up.

  “Ah, Em. I’m sorry. I’m being insensitive here.”

  I shook my head. “No, you’re not. You’re being a good friend. You’re trying to get me excited, and I appreciate that. I had a dream about my house last night. I guess I just woke up in a sad mood. You know how much that place meant to me. I mean, it belonged to my mother and my grandmother. And now it’s all gone. They’d be devastated if they knew. Maybe they do know. Maybe they’re looking down on me and wondering how could’ve let
this happen to their house. To their legacy.”

  “No way. It’s not your fault. You have to know that.”

  “But how did it happen? I mean, one minute it was standing and the next it was engulfed in flames. How does that even happen? What if it was all my fault?”

  “Are you crazy? It’s not your fault. Come on, I know you well enough, Emily. There’s no way that was your fault. Freak accidents happen, and you happened to be in the firing range that day. Don’t think like that. But, I’m really sorry that it happened. I’m sorry that you have to find a new home. You didn’t deserve something like that to happen to you. But your gran and your mom will know that. They’ll be happy that you get a nice new house. You’ve told me so much about your gran. I know that she’d see it as an adventure.”

  That made me smile. “You’re right. She would. She saw the good in everything. Thanks, Terra.” I still wasn’t sure that it was a freak accident though, as Terra seemed to think it was. The investigation was still open, although I couldn’t imagine what could’ve caused the fire. Right now, I was going to have to rent until things got sorted out.

  After the talk, I got ready, had something to eat and then made my way to the agent’s office with Terra.

  Tamara Middleton was an energetic woman who didn’t look to be much older than us. I’d peg her to be in very early thirties or late twenties. She didn’t look like most of the realtors I’d met in the past. She was wearing jeans and a t-shirt, and her hair was pulled up into a high ponytail. She didn’t try to bullshit us with fancy words, or obvious falsities. She was straight forward and friendly, and we knew that she was being honest with us.

  “Okay,” she said when we arrived. “Are you ready for a day of house hunting?”

  “We certainly are.”

  “Good. We should be done by around midday.”

  “Oh, cool, that early? I thought we’d be gone all day,” I said.

  “No need. I’ve plotted the route out so it shouldn’t take us too long. It might even be quicker than you think. You get a feeling of a place. But let’s see all five and then discuss if there’s anything you want to see again, or if you want me to start from scratch.”