Forbidden Stepbrother
Page 7
“No,” Santiago said, stepping forward. He reached for his wallet and grabbed a few bills from it.
“Wait. You don’t make that decision for me,” she said, still confused. Why did he run after her? “I said I was leaving and you slammed the door on me.”
“I didn’t think you’d actually find transportation so soon.” He racked his fingers through his hair. “I needed to think for a moment, and when I’m with you all I want to do is touch you. And I need… I need to say these things.”
She gazed at him, his eyes gleaming with eagerness. A warm tremor went through her, and she didn’t know if that was good or bad. “Well, too bad for you, because I’m out.”
Santiago flashed a nervous smile, and removed his coat. “I’ll do anything for you to stay. Anything.”
The air blew freaking cold, and Santiago tossed his coat on the ground, then pulled his sweater over his head. A part of her softened without her consent. “What are you doing?”
He reached for his belt. “I want you to see me without my prosthetic leg. I want you to see all of me.”
She let go of the suitcase, her shoulders relaxed so much her bag slipped from her shoulder and fell on the ground. He wanted her to see him… at his most vulnerable. The previous day, he had growled like a pit bull when she found him in the bathroom. And now, he was willing to strip for her, in broad daylight. Why?
Louise purred at her feet. The cat was already sold on believing Santiago. Little traitor.
She turned to the driver, whose eyes were rolling. “You know what? You can go. Just charge the credit card on file and add a generous tip.”
The driver shook his head and waved her off. “Tourists.”
“What’s going on?” she asked Santiago when the driver strode out of sight. Louise sat next to her, licking her paws like she, too, needed some answers. “I thought leaving would be better, given the circumstances. Plus, you were doing business on the phone so it’s not like you were crying in a dark room in the fetal position.” Like I would.
He resumed unbuckling his belt. “I called your father.”
She shifted her weight from foot to foot, and made a conscious effort to keep her attention on his gorgeous dark eyes, and all the sparks around his brown irises. “What?”
A smile she had never seen before formed on his lips. A tad shy, as his cheeks reddened a little. Maybe, from the cold. Then, the look he gave her… nope. Not from the cold. “I asked his permission to date you.”
“Date me?” she asked. Her heart sang, and she imagined her father receiving that rather odd phone call. Oh shit. She’d have tons of explaining to do, but she’d save it for later.
He closed the gap between them, with a slight hop. A quick glance at him assured her he only had his boxers on. The man was crazy. “Yes. Date you. Kiss you. And one day if I’m lucky… marry you.”
“Wow… why would you call Dad?” And why are you risking common sense by stripping down to your bare skin in the cold? She bit back a smile, and the answer made more and more sense.
He cupped her head. “Because that’s the right thing to do. And I’ve done all the wrong things already. I let pride get in the way. I could have given you a chance when you reached out to me, but I chose not to. It’s time for a change.”
“You’re not mad at me for hiding Patricia’s secret?”
“No. I was mad at myself… for so many things, and tried to blame it on you. See, I love you. I’ve felt this way ever since you were sixteen, and I was twenty-two”
She could feel her eyebrows shooting up. He’d… loved her? For all that time? “Wait, what?”
“Yes. Which is why I kept away from you. I just scolded you inside for not saying the truth… when I’ve been the biggest liar of all. I’m done with lying, Tiffany. Truth was, when I saw the smoke… losing you and not Patricia was the first thing that came to mind. And I tortured myself for those thoughts,” he said, and embraced her in a warm, tight hug. She wrapped her arms around him. A long, awaited hug that demolished all the walls keeping them apart.
“Oh Santiago. I love you too.”
He kissed the top of her head. “Tiffany.”
She peered at him. Happy tears bordered her eyes.
“During my childhood, my late father always told me to be a better man than he was. To aim higher, even if he accomplished quite a lot. You know what, my sweet Tiffany? He had a point. I want to be a better man… a better man for you.”
She gave him a long, passionate kiss. The first of many. “You don’t have to strip down out here. Inside though, it’s a different matter,” she said playfully.
He smacked her ass, and she squealed. A bubble of happiness burst inside of her.
“Good. Because you deserve a spanking for making me care for you so much I almost got naked in front of a cab driver.”
She winked at him. “And I know just the man for the job…”
Acknowledgments
I need to thank all of you for helping make the Forbidden series a success!
Where would I be without Christine Glover’s red pen?
Big thanks to Dina Bushrod and Monique Daoust for beta reading.
To Jayne Wolfe, my editor: you rock!
To Janice, thanks for proofreading this story and making it shine.
To Carmen’s Crew, my Facebook Reader’s Group: All my love. Thank you for being there for me since the beginning, and all the delicious procrastination, man candy and memes. You totally get me and yes, you’re stuck with me so don’t even try to report me to Facebook or run away.
To my Review Divas & Dudes Facebook Group: WOOT!
To my Readers: Thanks for your support. You keep me going.
About Carmen Falcone
Carmen Falcone loves to spend her time writing about hot Alpha males and the quirky, smart and sassy heroines who turn their world upside down.
Brazilian by birth and traveler by nature, she moved to Central Texas after college and met her broody Swiss husband—living proof that opposites attract. She found in writing the best excuse to avoid the healthy lifestyle everyone keeps talking about. When she’s not lost in the world of romance, she enjoys spending time with her two kids, being walked by her three crazy pugs, reading, catching up with friends, and chatting with random people in the checkout line.
She now has more than a dozen books published. She writes category contemporary, erotic romance and romantic suspense.
To keep up with her news, enter giveaways and exclusive sneak-peaks join her newsletter. She’ll never share your information and won’t spam your email.
For more about Carmen, please visit her website: http://www.carmenfalcone.com
Also by Carmen Falcone:
Forbidden Virgin
Forbidden Inmate
Her Heartbreaker Boss
A Night of Misbehaving
A Weekend of Misbehaving
Kidnapping the Brazilian Tycoon
Brazilian Revenge
Accidentally Still Married
Accidentally Seduced
Accidentally Hooked
A Vengeful Affair
Red Hot Christmas