Bad Boy - A Stepbrother Romance

BAD BOY

A STEPBROTHER ROMANCE

© 
2015 by Caitlin Daire & Alyssa Alpha

**Warning: This novel contains explicit sexual situations which may be objectionable to some readers. Not recommended for anyone under the age of 18.**

COPYRIGHT

Please respect the work of this author. No part of this book may be reproduced or copied without permission. This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only.

This book is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental. Any similarities to events or situations is also coincidental.

© 
2015 Caitlin Daire & Alyssa Alpha

All Rights Reserved

Prologue

Rory

2002 – San Francisco

“And then they danced, and Princess Aurora and Prince Philip lived happily ever after!”

I giggled and clapped my hands as my grandmother closed the fairytale picture book and placed it down on my bedside table. “Can you read it again, Abuela?” I begged, even though my eyelids were already getting heavy. “It’s my favorite!”

She smiled and shook her head. “No,
mi niña
. You know you need to get up early tomorrow for school. You’re learning all about adding and subtracting numbers this week. We can’t have you being tired for that, can we?”

I shook my head too, and she leaned down and planted a kiss on my forehead. “Night. Don’t let the bed bugs bite.”

“Night, Abuela. Can you tell Mommy I said goodnight to her too?”

“Yes, of course, as soon as she gets home from work.”

I cast my eyes down and sighed as I slid further under the bedsheets, and my grandmother’s already-lined forehead creased even more. “I know it’s hard not having your Mom around very much…but everything will be okay. She’ll find a job with different hours one day soon,” she said, stroking my hair.

I smiled. “Okay. And maybe one day she’ll meet a prince, just like in Sleeping Beauty!”

“Maybe,” she replied, returning my smile. “Sleeping Beauty was always her favorite story as a girl, too. That’s actually a big part of the reason she chose to call you Aurora.”

That was my real name, but even at the tender age of six, I preferred my nickname— Rory.

“Oh. I didn’t know that. Do you think when I’m a grown-up, I’ll meet a Prince Charming as well?” I asked, my eyes shining with innocent hope as I tried my best to keep them open.

“Yes, one day you’ll meet your very own version of Prince Charming,” she said, smiling encouragingly as she continued to stroke my hair.

“But how will I know when I’ve met him?” I asked.

Her smile grew wider. “Oh, you’ll know,
mi niña.
You’ll just know. He’ll be a good boy who treats you like the princess you are. You just need to be careful to stay away from all the bad boys.”

“What are bad boys?” I asked. “Like my Daddy or the boys at school who tease the girls?”

“Yes, sort of,” she replied. “But don’t worry. You’re so young. You have years ahead of you before you need to worry about this sort of thing.”

“Okay.”

“Now go to sleep. I’ll see you in the morning,” she said, giving me another kiss before standing up, turning my lamp off, and quietly stepping out of the room.

As I drifted off to sleep, I imagined meeting my very own fairytale prince one day, and the last thing I heard before I finally fell into a deep slumber was my grandmother’s voice echoing in my head.
Stay away from the bad boys….

Chapter One

Rory

“You’ll love him! I promise.”

My best friend Dana’s eyes crinkled around the edges as she grinned and nodded, trying to convince me to go on a date with her boyfriend Rob’s friend, Ben. I turned my head and looked down at the pavement, delicately nibbling at my lower lip as we continued on the hilly four-block walk to our favorite coffee shop.

Dana had been trying to set me up on a date with this Ben guy for five weeks now. I’d kept claiming I was too busy with work for any sort of dating or relationship, but that excuse was beginning to wear a little thin. Besides, I didn’t really have a decent reason to not go on a date with the guy. I’d simply become accustomed to being single to the point where I preferred it now, so it was easier for me to say no.

Not only that, the last time I’d gone on a blind date with someone, the guy had asked me to call him Daddy.

The only thing I’d called him that night was a cab.

“I don’t know,” I said. “Blind dates are the worst.”

She waved her hand impatiently. “I know, I know. But this one will be different! He’s super nice, and totally hot. Maybe a little on the shorter side for a guy, but that doesn’t matter because you’re only five-three.”

I kept chewing my lip, considering her words.

Who knows? Maybe this guy could be the one, and here I was, about to let him slip away out of uncertainty and laziness.

Letting out a sigh, I held my hands up in placation. “Okay, I’ll do it. I’ll go.”

Dana squealed with excitement. “Yes! Oh my god, this is so cool…if it works out, we’ll be able to go on double dates together!”

I smiled. “Yeah. What did you say his name was again?”

“Ben Grigson.”

“Can I at least see a photo?”

She shook her head. “He doesn’t have Facebook or anything like that, and I don’t have any pictures of him. But trust me, you’ll adore him.”

I smiled at her again, inspired by her enthusiasm. “I’m sure I will.”

“I showed him a photo of you, anyway, so he’ll know how to spot you when you meet up. Oh, by the way, how’s your Mom going? Is she still dating that guy?”

I shrugged. I was never entirely sure what my Mom was doing with her love life. Truth be told, I’d always been closer to my grandmother than her. It wasn’t just because Mom had been around so rarely when I was a child due to her work; it was mostly because she’d seemed more interested in going out on dates and other excursions with a veritable carousel of men over the years, rather than spending time doing motherly things with me. I wasn’t bitter towards her, though. She’d been quite young when she’d had me, and my abusive prick of a father had ended up in jail when I was only five. I knew certain facial features of mine reminded her of him, which would never be a positive thing, so I couldn’t blame her for not being the most doting of mothers.

Besides, I had my grandmother for all my doting needs. She’d practically raised me as a child, and she still lived with us. No matter how bad my day was, she’d always be there waiting for me when I got home with a friendly ear, kind words and a mug of my favorite spiced homemade hot chocolate. Nothing could beat that.

“I think so,” I finally replied. “I think she’s still seeing that James guy she met a few months ago. I can’t remember his last name, but he owns that giant hotel on Mason Street.”

“Ooh! You mean the Crown Hotel?” she asked.

I nodded. “Yeah, that’s the one. She mentioned something about going away for a few days recently, and she hasn’t been home for two days, so I guess that’s where she is. With him.”

“God. Your Mom is so lucky, the guy must be loaded!” she said. “I love the Crown. It’s got the best restaurants, and there’s also that new club there. We should go sometime!”

“Yeah, that sounds good,” I replied. I’d never really been the clubbing type, but a girly night out with Dana was fun from time to time.

“Actually, I just remembered. Clancy’s Bar and Grill is at that hotel, too. It’s the outside restaurant just near the entrance, and it’s got the best cocktails in the entire city. Why don’t I organize for you to meet Ben there?”

I nodded. “Sure. Even if the date sucks, at least the drinks will be good.”

She laughed. “Yep. Anyway, I’ll call Rob later and tell him that you’re up for a date with Ben. How’s tomorrow night?”

“Sounds good.”

She clapped her hands together. “You have no idea how excited I am about this!”

“No, believe me, I can tell,” I said, playfully jostling her.

“Well, I’m willing to bet a million dollars that it goes really well,” she replied with a smug grin.

I arched an eyebrow. “Now there’s a deal I can’t refuse. If the date goes well, then that’s awesome. If it goes badly, I get a million dollars. Also awesome.”

She nodded vehemently. “Uh-huh. Seriously, if it doesn’t go well, I swear I will actually owe you a million! I have no idea where I’ll get that much money, but that’s how sure I am about you and Ben hitting it off.”

I turned to her, a smile quirking my lips up. “Let’s hope you’re right…”

***

Well, Dana officially owed me a million dollars.

I’d been sitting at a table in Clancy’s Bar and Grill for twenty-five minutes now, and I’d finally accepted that I’d been stood up on my blind date. For the first fifteen minutes, I’d convinced myself that I’d been early, and truthfully, I
had
been early…but only by five minutes. I’d figured that Ben would arrive soon, and I’d ordered a cocktail and a basket of garlic bread to distract myself with.

For ten minutes after that, I’d attracted sympathetic looks from the restaurant and bar staff, and I’d even noticed some of the other patrons casting sad looks in my direction, as if there was nothing more pathetic and tragic than a single young woman eating alone.

Finally, I’d accepted that he wasn’t going to show up. I’d briefly entertained the possibility that maybe he
had
shown up, seen me and immediately left with horror, but that was too awful to think about. I knew I was no supermodel, but I wasn’t so horrendous that I deserved something like that.

No one deserved that.

I pulled out my cell phone, and I was about to text Dana to tell her I’d been stood up when something caught my attention out of the corner of my eye. I looked up and to the right, and my stomach twisted into nervous knots as I caught a glimpse of a strange yet somehow familiar man entering the restaurant and heading over to the bar.

God…who the hell was
he
?

I was certain I’d never met him, because there was no way I’d forget a face and body like that, but on the other hand, something about his broad chest, rippling muscles and the black tattoos twining their way down his arms seemed all-too familiar, as if I’d seen him a hundred times before.

He was wearing jeans and a tight dark grey T-shirt which left nothing to the imagination, and a second later, I realized my mouth was actually hanging open as I stared, heat pooling between my legs. I let my gaze float up from his chest to his face, and they came to rest on his eyes; a searing blue color even in the relatively dim light near the bar.

He noticed me looking at him and grinned, and I swallowed nervously as his eyes roamed over my face and whatever cleavage I had visible in the black and white patterned dress I’d chosen to wear. I almost forgot how to breathe as he checked me out, and when he began to walk towards my table, a shiver shot down my spine.

Oh. My. God.

He was actually coming over towards me.

Thank god…I hadn’t been stood up after all! He’d simply been late. Kind of a douchey move on a first date, but easily forgivable. I was sure there had to be a decent explanation; car trouble or something.

He grinned again as he arrived at my table, and I swear my heart melted at the sight of that smile alone. “Hey,” he said. “How’s it going? I’m…”

I jumped up in excitement, my nerves temporarily forgotten in the wave of euphoria I’d felt when I realized the hottest guy I’d ever seen was my freaking
date.

“Oh, you must be Ben!” I said before clapping my hand over my mouth as I realized I’d rudely cut him off. “Um, sorry for interrupting. I was just starting to get worried that you were going to stand me up.”

He raised his eyebrows for a second, and some sort of strange expression flickered briefly in his eyes. Confusion? Annoyance? I couldn’t quite tell. Then he smiled again, and I knew everything was okay.

“No worries,” he said. “Yeah, I’m Ben. And you must be…sorry, I have the worst goddamned memory. What was your name again?”

“Aurora,” I said. “But my friends call me Rory.”

He nodded. “That’s right. Anyway, sorry about being a bit late. Car problems. Won’t happen again.”

I nodded. “I figured as much. By the way, you’re way taller than Dana said you’d be! She kept telling me you were short for a guy, but you’re a freaking giant!”

He chuckled as he sat down. “Is that your usual first date strategy? Telling people how gigantic they are?”

A soft blush crept over my cheeks. Dammit. I was being so rude. I always got like this when I was meeting new people; so anxious that just about anything would come tumbling out of my mouth.

“Sorry,” I said, dropping my gaze to the table. “This is the first blind date I’ve been on in a while. I’m kinda nervous.”

He held his hands up. “Don’t be sorry. It’s funny. And yeah, I guess I’m pretty tall. Danielle was probably just messing with you by telling you I was short.”

“You mean Dana?” I asked, eyebrows crinkling together in confusion.

“Uh, yes. Sorry, I thought I said that. Anyway…what do you do, Rory? Dana didn’t say all that much about you, other than that you were damn gorgeous. She wasn’t wrong about that, by the way,” he replied with a wink.

My blush intensified, and I averted my gaze from Ben’s, almost unable to believe that such a sexy man actually thought I was gorgeous. Surely a guy like him could get any woman in the world? I wasn’t going to complain, though. Hell no.

I really owed Dana for this.

“I work at a little startup software company,” I replied. “I just do all the admin and secretarial kind of stuff, but I’m also learning how to code whenever there’s spare time.”

“Nice. You mean coding as in that programming sorta stuff?” he replied, sounding genuinely interested.

I nodded. I’d always been interested in software development, and growing up in Northern California had given me ample opportunity to find internships and other positions related to programming, considering how many software startups there were here. I hadn’t gone to college after graduating high school two years ago, because there simply hadn’t been enough money for me to do so, but learning on the job was just as good. My bosses had even told me that it was better this way, because a lot of the programming and computer science stuff they taught at colleges was outdated by the time a student graduated from their degree anyway. That was just how quickly the technological world worked.

“Yes,” I said. “I know it sounds kinda boring, but I like it.”

Ben arched an eyebrow as if to tell me to stop being so self-deprecating. “It doesn’t sound boring at all. Sounds awesome. I’ve always been jealous of people who understand that kinda stuff. I’m fucking useless with computers.”

I wasn’t used to guys dropping F-bombs on first dates, but then again, I hadn’t even been on a date in over a year now. Maybe this was the new normal.

Oh well, I wasn’t going to be nitpicky. So what if the guy had a dirty mouth? His face and body more than made up for it, and if he talked dirty in one way, I was sure he’d be able to do a good job of talking dirty in other ways…

Good Lord, when had I become such a perv?

I took a small sip of my drink and then smiled. “So what about you?”

“This and that,” he replied. “I’m managing a nightclub at the moment, and I also help out with of my father’s business.”

“Oh? I thought Dana told me you were studying English Literature.”

He excused himself for a second and coughed. “Sorry about that. And…uh, yeah, I was studying for a while, but I got sick of it, I guess.”

Weird. Dana had made it sound like Ben was practically already a famous writer who’d never get sick of studying and talking about literature, and I could have sworn she’d said he was still in the process of completing a Master’s degree. I didn’t know many people who simply ‘got sick’ of studying and dropped out after getting all the way up to a Master’s. Then again, Dana could have been wrong, or I may have misheard her when she told me about him, and besides, it was none of my business what people chose to do with their lives as long as it made them happy.

“Well, managing a club sounds interesting,” I said. “I bet you see a lot of crazy things.”

He grinned and nodded. “Yeah. It has its ups and downs, but it’s a pretty cool gig. Sometimes I even DJ there,” he said. “We actually host a pretty big Christmas party there every year as well, and that’s coming up in a few weeks.”

“Oh, wow. That’s cool.”