Out of Line: A Bad Boy Stepbrother Romance

by Juliana Conners

  When she looked at me, a smile crept onto her face like a sunrise.

  “What?” she asked.

  I didn’t know what to say. So, I cleared my throat and turned away.

  “You can have any room you like,” I said. “I have four spare bedrooms.”

  “Do you have a lot of guests that stay over?” Carly asked.

  I laughed. “No. It’s just me. But this place had five bedrooms, and I couldn’t find a reason not to take it.”

  She smiled. “You’ve always been the kind of guy that does something because you can.”

  I nodded. She knew me so well.

  “What about here with you?” she asked, turning to the room and looking around.

  “You don’t have to do that, you know,” I said. “You can sleep in another room. I won’t be offended.”

  Carly shook her head. “I came here with you. I want to stay here with you.”

  I smiled and pulled her closer to me, breaking that barrier. She closed her eyes, face turned to me, and I kissed her.

  “Now,” I said when I broke the kiss. “I have a dress for you for tonight.”

  She looked surprised. “Really?”

  I nodded. “I had to order it last minute because I didn’t know if you were coming with me, but I called and asked your mom what size you were and got something I think will look perfect.”

  “I can’t believe it,” Carly said, laughing. I nodded and walked to the closet where the service had put it for me.

  “We need to get ready,” I said.

  Carly took the dress from me and disappeared into another room. I turned to my closet and retrieved the tux I was going to wear. It was a classic tuxedo with a bow tie. It was custom made, and there was silk in the weave so that it had depth, rather than that it shimmered. The lapels were darker than the rest of the suit, and the shirt was a crisp white.

  I looked in the mirror. My hair was short enough to lightly style with gel and do no more. When it had been longer, I used to comb it back, but I’d cut it after a concussion that had needed constant tests to monitor. I liked the shorter style.

  “Are you ready?” I asked when I was ready, knocking on the door of the room that Carly had chosen.

  “Ready,” she said and opened the door. I looked her up and down, my breath catching in my throat.

  She was all dressed up, her hips and ass accentuated by her gown. She looked so beautiful.

  “You’re gorgeous,” I told her, having never meant the words more in my entire life.

  I couldn’t believe she had decided to come to Miami with me. But I felt like the luckiest guy in the world that she had.

  Chapter 19 – Carly

  The dress Brad had gotten me was beautiful. It was a deep blue, off-the-shoulder dress that hugged my form to my knees before it flared out into a bell that swished around my feet when I walked. He had gotten me dark silver shoes and jewelry to match, and it all fit like it had been made for me. I was amazed that he had managed to pull it off in such a short time.

  I had done my makeup carefully, doing it in a smoky style, and I pinned my hair up to expose my shoulders and back. The dress hadn’t been made to hide them.

  When Brad knocked on my door, I was ready. When I opened, he stared at me like he’d never seen a woman before, and I had an idea how Cinderella must have felt.

  “Ready,” I said.

  Brad snapped out of his trance and smiled at me, offering me his arm. He looked dashing in a tuxedo, his green eyes brilliant and his short hair emphasizing his straight nose and his square jaw. Once upon a time, I had considered him a Brad Pitt lookalike, but he was hot in a different way now. Confident, powerful.

  “The car is here,” Brad said.

  When we arrived outside, a long, black limousine was waiting for us. Brad helped me in first before joining me.

  “This is like a fairy tale,” I said.

  Brad smiled at me, taking my hand, and we pulled off, the limousine purring softly beneath us. I looked out of the tinted windows as Miami slid by. I was living in a different world now. Everything was luxurious, expensive, refined.

  I liked it, but I felt like I didn’t belong. I was nervous about going to the event with Brad and being introduced as his date. I wasn’t sure I had what it took to survive in this world. Brad looked so comfortable with the fame and the fortune, and I was like Cinderella who had been enchanted with a beautiful dress and a wonderful coach. I was worried that at the stroke of midnight, it would all disappear again.

  We arrived at the Cruz Building, a place that looked old but well maintained, a gem that held history within its walls. Double doors led into the building, and once we were inside, I was transported to another world. The place was spectacular, with a staircase to the second level in front of us. Pillars were scattered at intervals across a checkered floor. To the left, couples and groups stood along a bar that stretched the length of the room.

  There were men and women dressed to the nines everywhere. They made the building and its delicate décor look that much more beautiful. Brad and I fit right in.

  Classical music floated between us, setting an atmosphere, and the sound of chatter and glasses clinking danced around us, setting the mood for the evening.

  I watched Brad as we walked between the other attendants, and he looked comfortable and relaxed in this environment. He knew how to handle cameras and riches and images. I didn’t feel as comfortable. I didn’t have a photogenic smile that I knew would come out perfectly every time. I didn’t usually wear dresses that moved around my feet with every step, and my eyes burned a little from the mascara I had applied. I was overwhelmed here, completely out of my depth.

  We ascended the flight of stairs. As we went through the building, Brad greeted people that he knew and that seemed to know him. He was well-known here. He introduced me as his date every time, but I didn’t feel like they acknowledged me, or that they cared who I was. It shouldn’t have bothered me—I was only here for the evening, after all—but it did.

  “Carly, I want to introduce you to some of my teammates and close friends,” Brad said to me when we joined a group with six other people. He introduced them as Hanson and Lacey, Brian and Stacey, Jacob and Kina. They were three couples. Kina and Lacey were PR Managers, I learned. Stacey was a cheerleading coach. They all seemed very friendly and eager to meet me.

  “How do you like Miami?” Lacey asked me when the women and the men had paired off into smaller groups. She had short black hair that she wore with confidence, and her red dress made her look fierce.

  “Very much,” I said. “Although I doubt I’m experiencing it the way others would.” I glanced at Brad.

  The three women chuckled.

  “It’s different when you’re dating a football player,” Kina said. She had blonde hair and an easy manner. I liked her. She wasn’t as intimidating as Lacey was.

  “Oh, we’re not, like, seriously dating,” I said. I wasn’t really sure what we were doing.

  “Of course not,” Kina said, and she shared glances with Stacey. I didn’t care if they didn’t believe me. “But we’re happy to have you, all the same. These events are wonderfully organized, and you’ll love the food.”

  “We took the liberty of putting you and Brad at our table,” Stacey said.

  She was smiling at me. She seemed gentler than the others but strong in her own way. I was speculating. I didn’t consider myself a good judge of character.

  “Thank you,” I said.

  “Your dress is absolutely stunning,” Kina said, turning the conversation to something safer.

  “It does wonders for your eyes. You look like a princess.” Stacey smiled at me.

  I smiled. Brad always called me that. The women were kind and welcoming. They made me feel like I was a part of their little party, like I wasn’t an intruder. I liked them. When I looked at Brad, watching him with his friends, I knew that I liked them, too. I didn’t know them, but Brad was comfortable around them, more at home
than I had seen him in Laramie while we’d been there together. This was what I wished for him. A life that belonged to him, a life he loved.

  Even if I didn’t necessarily fit into it.

  “Tell us about yourself,” Lacey said. “We’ve heard a few things about you. You’re the mystery woman everyone is wondering about.”

  “I can’t be much of a mystery after we’ve been in the news,” I said.

  Lacey smiled. “They’re so often wrong. We don’t believe a thing we hear in celebrity gossip. We’re here to get to know who you are, not who they say you should be.”

  It was nice to know that they were interested in finding out about the real me. I knew little about this world and what it took to survive in it, or work in it, as Lacey and Kina did, but I had a feeling that having them at my back would be a good idea. And they were genuinely interested in me, which I hadn’t expected. It made me feel warm and welcome, if not exactly a part of their little group.

  When we sat down, I had Brad on my right and Kina on my left at the eight-seater table. The men were close. I could tell with how they laughed about jokes I didn’t understand and how happy Brad seemed. This was his life now. This was what he had been doing since he’d left me.

  I tried not to be bitter about it, but it was a struggle.

  “How are you holding up with the news?” Kina asked, leaning closer to me. “It’s not an easy thing to handle.”

  She was referring to my naked pictures. It occurred to me that everyone at this table had seen me naked beside the blurred bits. Great.

  “I don’t have much of a choice but to cope with it, do I?” I asked. “It’s not easy. My life is usually very private. But I guess it’s a learning curve.”

  Kina nodded. “That’s true,” she said. “You’re very brave to have escorted Brad here tonight. You two look wonderful together.”

  I was about to tell her that we weren’t together again, when she held up her hand.

  “I know, you’re not ‘seriously’ dating,” she said. “But you do make a stunning picture. And he dotes on you. The whole world can see that.”

  I wasn’t sure if she was right. Brad and I were in a very difficult spot. I had no idea where we were headed with our relationship, if that was what this was. I knew that I was his date tonight, that I was going to stay with him for a short while. I knew nothing more.

  “This is all very new to me,” I said. “It’s difficult to take it in stride. I feel a little left out if I have to be honest.”

  Kina nodded. “That’s normal. It’s not an easy life to get used to. There is excess everywhere, whether it’s money or fame or attention. You’ll get used to it after a while, but you need to hold on to who you are through it all. Friendly tip.”

  “Thank you,” I said. I could do with all the advice I could get.

  The food arrived, and the women had been right. It was fantastic. It started with an amuse bouche, figs wrapped in raw ham with goat’s cheese. The starter was a grilled mackerel with a charred quality, accompanied by pickled beetroot wedges. The entrée consisted of maple, balsamic pork tenderloin on a bed of rice with roast vegetables done in a way that tasted divine. By the time dessert arrived, I wasn’t sure I could eat anymore until I realized it was coffee pannacotta with coffee granita and an espresso ice cream. I adored coffee.

  I looked around the table while we ate and watched the three couples interact. I could see that they had all been through tough times together and they had made it through. I didn’t know their stories, but it wasn’t hard to see that they had a bond that few friends were able to cultivate.

  I felt uncomfortable again, left out. I was just a small-town girl with no one in my corner the way these people all had each other. I had friends at college, but we had been thrown together through circumstance. It wasn’t true friendship, not like what I saw here. And they all faced the fame and the rumors and the scandals together.

  This world wasn’t my world. It wasn’t a place where I belonged, and I felt lost here. I wasn’t sure I could do this.

  Halfway through dessert, Brad took my hand under the table and squeezed it. His green eyes sparkled, and he held onto me. We both ate with one free hand. He held onto me, and it should have made me feel anchored. I wasn’t sure what it did, but it didn’t make me feel as at home as I’d thought. But looking at him, smiling and laughing with his friends, holding my hand like he genuinely wanted me here, showed me how happy he was. I hadn’t seen him this happy in a long time, if ever, and I decided to watch him.

  Even if that was all that came from me being here with him, then it was enough for me for now.

  We could always sort the rest out later. Tonight, I would enjoy myself for his sake, because he enjoyed himself so much. He was handsome and funny and smiling. And his friends loved him, and he loved them. Everything was perfect in this world, and for tonight, I would let that be it.

  Chapter 20 – Brad

  We slept in on Sunday morning. The night at the event had gone well. After supper, there had been speeches, and each of my team members had donated a large sum of money to charity. I had spoken in front of everyone.

  Usually, I hated speaking in public. It reminded me of school when I had to talk in front of the class, and they would all stare at me, and I would feel on the spot. This time, it had been different. Carly had been there, watching me, hanging on my every word, and I had spoken just for her.

  Afterward, we had come home, and I had fallen asleep with her in my arms. We had skipped the sex, which was difficult for me. But, after what had happened, knowing she had felt so vulnerable and exposed… I just wanted to let her know she was safe with me. That, just like back in high school, I wasn’t with her just for the sex.

  Waking up to her in my bed next to me was total bliss. Her dark hair fanned out on my pillows, her dark lashes against her cheeks, and she looked as young and as pure as she had been when I’d met her. I stroked her cheek with the back of my fingers, and her eyes fluttered open.

  “Morning,” I said.

  She smiled, and it was radiant.

  “Morning,” she answered. “What time is it?”

  “Time for brunch with the guys,” I said. “Are you up for it?”

  Carly took a moment to think about it before she nodded. She had met the guys and their women. Now, she wasn’t so foreign anymore.

  We took turns showering and got dressed. I put on jeans and a collared shirt with Italian loafers that cost the same as a small car. When I found Carly in the bedroom, she wore a white maxi dress that cinched at the waist, making her skin look like caramel, and her dark hair hung down her back in a braid.

  “You look fantastic,” I said.

  She laughed. “You always say that.”

  “It’s always true.”

  Carly was at home in my place, and it had happened in a very short time. She moved around the place as if she lived here, fetching herself something to eat from the fridge or making coffee for us both. It was wonderful having her around.

  “I have to check my emails before we go,” I said. “Sit with me?”

  She agreed, and I took my laptop to the living room. I sat on the couch, taking care of business while Carly walked around, looking at the pictures of the stars.

  “You’re not here,” she said.

  “What do you mean?” I asked.

  “The photographs you blew up. There isn’t one of you.”

  I laughed. “These are the legends of the past, the heroes of the sport. I’m not nearly what they were. One day, I hope to be. But for now, I look at the faces of the men I hope to be.”

  Carly smiled and came to sit next to me. “I’m sure you can do it. You’ll get there.”

  I put my hand on her neck, my thumb stroking her jaw. She had always been so supportive of me. It was largely thanks to her that I had gotten this far at all. When we had been in school together, it was Carly that had taught me to be who I was and not who everyone expected me to be. It was thanks to her t
hat I had started to embrace the person I was behind closed doors.

  Even after I’d lost her, I’d held onto that, and it was one of the reasons I’d excelled.

  In the car, Carly was quiet, looking out of the window. I was trying to hold back, not to speed. She was in the car with me, and I had to behave.

  “Are you okay?” I asked her after a while.

  “Yeah,” she said in a soft voice.

  “Are you sure?”

  She sighed. “I don’t know. I feel overwhelmed, to be honest. This is all a lot to take in.”

  I nodded. “I can understand that. This life is very different from life in Laramie. And it’s very different from life in Colorado too, I can imagine.”

  She nodded. “I’m trying, of course. It’s just a little harder than I thought. Especially because of us being in the news together. It feels like I’ve been left open and a little vulnerable. If that makes sense.”

  “It does,” I said. “But you have to remember that what they say in the papers and on the news is seldom true.”

  Carly nodded. “Kina said that to me last night, too. It’s good to know that the people close to you think that, but what about everyone else?”

  “They don’t matter,” I said. “What matters is you and me, and what I think of all this. And I think the world of you. It means a lot to me that you’re trying so hard. I appreciate it.”

  Carly smiled at me. I reached across and took her hand, squeezing it.

  We arrived at 27 Restaurant where I had arranged with the guys to meet for brunch. On Sundays, they served eclectic, a la carte brunch dishes and cocktails, and the atmosphere was amazing. I had the idea the place used to be an old house, and it had been made up with wooden plank floors and light walls with French windows. It felt like you were dining at home.

  Brian and Hanson were already there. We greeted them, and I watched Carly hug Lacey and Stacey. She seemed more relaxed around them now. It wasn’t only because we were all dressed in casual clothes, where last night had been very dressy. It was also because she knew them a little and because my friends were welcoming and very liberal. They weren’t judgmental at all, and it was very easy to like them.