Stepbrother X3 Page 11

  “I was going to make it public.”

  He uttered the statement my brain had been framing, and I stared at him with literal open-mouthed shock. Somehow, I finally remembered how to close my mouth, but I still couldn’t seem to find any words to express the hot rage burning inside me.

  “After my dad and I talked, I realized what a prick I’d been. I’d planned to come talk to you right then and admit everything.”

  “Instead you got lost on the way and sped out of here?” Anger buzzed through me, and I couldn’t distinguish what percentage allocation for which action. Was I most enraged about the video, his departure, his willingness to use me, or the cold machinations he’d undertaken in the first place?

  “When I was deleting the video, I discovered it had been downloaded.”

  My blood seemed to freeze in my veins. It wasn’t until he’d said those words that I’d considered the tape might actually go public. In my naiveté, I guess I’d believed he wouldn’t go through with it, and he’d changed his mind if he was telling me about it. I had unconsciously chosen to have faith in him doing the right thing. Damn, I was an idiot.

  “My mother.”

  Those two words chilled me further, because I didn’t know much about Deidre, but I could guess how vindictive she was just by a few things Mike had said in passing. “Is it already on the ‘net?”

  He shook his head. “I stopped her before she could.” Declan looked a little sick, but also kind of pleased. “I ended up smashing her laptop in case I couldn’t trust her not to leak it.”

  “What if she backed up the copy?”

  Declan hesitated, but then shook his head again. “I don’t think she had time or knew how. She only had my password because she snooped in my room and found the book where I write down all that information. She’d had the file less than two hours before I got back to her house. I doubt she’d even had time to watch it, let alone copy it.”

  I couldn’t quite believe we’d had a lucky escape, but I hoped so. “You know how embarrassing it will be for my dad if that gets out?” Not to mention myself. People would think I was a slutty whore with a taste for fucking my brother. They wouldn’t bother distinguishing between step and real, or pay attention to the fact that we barely knew each other, and it had just been a kinky game. Or so I’d thought.

  “My god, I can be a real dumbass. I just realized you manipulated me into being that way. You wanted me to come across as a cock-hungry slut fucking my brother.” I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, hoping for strength and the ability to get through this.

  “I did do that, but the video won’t go live.” His voice was hard. “I made it clear to my mother that if she somehow had secured another copy in the short time she’d had it and figured out how to release it to someone that would make it public, I was done with her.” His eyes glittered with anger. “She’s manipulated me enough. I won’t cut her out of my life for what she’s already done, but I wouldn’t hesitate if she shames you.”

  “You shamed me.” I hit him with my pillow though it was completely juvenile. “You can’t just fix this by threatening your mother.”

  “I know.” He sounded calm, though his gaze was tortured. “Believe me, I get that, Lia. I fucked up all on my own. I’m trying to make amends and do damage control, but I know how badly I screwed up.”

  He lifted his hand and trailed his fingers down my cheek. I wanted to push him away, but I just sat there staring at him. At least my expression didn’t betray that I felt anything besides loathing and disgust. I hoped.

  “I’m sorry I hurt you. It didn’t take me long to realize how much I like you, Lia. We have a good time together, and we’re fantastic in bed. I accepted I could fall in love with you easily, but I still proceeded with my plan.”

  I glared at him. “Don’t you dare try to pretend you love me.”

  He shook his head. “I’m not, honey. I could love you. It wouldn’t take much, but I’m not there yet. We don’t know each other well enough. I don’t deserve a second chance, or an opportunity to fall completely, madly, and helplessly in love with you, but I hope you’re a better person than me.”

  I shook my head. “Don’t.”

  He cupped my cheek, caressing my chin with his thumb. “Don’t what?”

  Tears scalded my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. “Don’t use pretty words or whatever to hurt me more. You’ve done enough.”

  The bastard had the audacity to lean closer, his lips almost brushing mine. “I don’t want to hurt you anymore, Lia. I just want to make you feel good and show you how much I care.”

  He actually kissed me. That no-good dickhead pressed his lips to mine. As soon as I could get my lips to stop molding to his and responding, I was going to tell him he was an arrogant ass, and he’d blown his chance.

  At some point, we broke apart mutually. I was a little surprised to find myself in his arms, our foreheads touching. My brain was crystal clear about the fact he was scum, and he didn’t deserve more chances to hurt me. My hormones were in conflict with that dictate, and I refused to even consider my emotions in the equation. “Get out,” I said softly, recognizing the lack of conviction.

  He bit his lip. “If that’s really what you want, I’ll leave you alone. Tell me to go, and I’m gone.”

  “Go,” I whispered.

  He groaned. “No.”

  “You’re a liar.”

  “Yes, I am. I’m also manipulative, scheming, and heartless.” He closed his eyes, his breath caressing my lips when he exhaled raggedly. His lids opened a second later. “I’m also completely and sincerely sorry for hurting you, Lia. I let myself get caught up in the drama between my parents, and I blatantly ignored my own conscience. I know I don’t deserve your forgiveness, but I’m begging for it.”

  “I don’t know if I can forgive you.” The words were true. I might still want him, but could I get past what he’d done?

  “Could you at least try? Please give me a chance to show you I really am sorry?”

  It was a ballsy request, and I knew I should say no. Protecting myself from further hurt should trump the pain I saw in his eyes. I shouldn’t give a damn about his feelings, since he had been so cavalier with mine.

  I guess I was just a weak-willed sucker, because I found myself nodding and kissing him back when he slanted his mouth over mine. I hoped I wasn’t making a mistake, but as he held me against him, I couldn’t help thinking something that felt so wonderful couldn’t be the wrong thing.

  Epilogue

  Lia

  I watched my husband finishing the last song of his first set at his first real concert. He owned the crowd. Since ditching his band and going solo, his career had taken off. My dad’s contacts probably hadn’t hurt matters any, but Declan hadn’t relied on the Ambrose connection to get where he was. He’d busted his ass the past three years to prove himself as a musician.

  And as a lover. He’d more than made it up to me. After meeting Deidre shortly after we got engaged, I could easily see how she had manipulated him. It hadn’t excused him not thinking for himself, or his willingness to use me to hurt my dad, but I’d understood better how he’d ended up in that situation.

  That had been important insight, but I’d already forgiven him by that point. He’d proven he’d deserved that second chance I’d given him. Even my dad had come around and admitted Declan was a good guy who’d made a dumb decision.

  I still remembered the first time he’d told me he loved me. It was about six months after that night in my room, and we’d been walking down the pier, hand-in-hand. It hadn’t been a momentous occasion or something special that had sparked the words. I’d had ice cream on my chin, and he’d stopped be at the rail to dab it off with a napkin.

  Looking deep into my eyes, he’d said, “I love you,” kissed me, and we’d walked on. It had taken me another week to summon the courage to admit I felt the same, though I’d known it for a while.

  After that, things had moved quickly. We’d got
ten engaged, I’d met Deidre—and she’d made little effort to hide her disgust with me, which convinced me she had watched the video, though Declan still thought otherwise—and we had gotten married within three months. My lovely mother-in-law had done us all a favor by pretending to have a migraine at the last minute.

  Cynically, I’d wondered if she had intended for Declan to leave me at the altar to go check on her. If he’d done so, would he have walked in on a carefully orchestrated suicide attempt? I didn’t care, and he must not have either, because he’d been at the church early, and my dad had told me later, with amusement, that he’d paced around and had been certain I would change my mind before sealing the deal.

  I hadn’t, and the rest was history. Or the future, because we still had our entire lives ahead of us. I didn’t know what was in store for us, but I knew we’d face it together. He would be there for me, and he would do anything to keep from hurting me, because he was a good man, like his father, and he loved me as much as I loved him.

  About the Author

  Stephanie Brother writes scintillating stories with bad boys and stepbrothers as their main romantic focus. She's always been curious about complicated relationships, and this is her way of exploring the situations that bring couples together and threaten to keep them apart. As she writes her way to her dream job, Ms. Brother hopes that her readers will enjoy the full emotional and romantic experience as much as she's enjoyed writing them.

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