Hooked: A Stepbrother Romance (22 page)

By the time the sun had started to set, the line had finally dwindled into almost nothing. Emilia’s dress was still clinging to her amazing body, something that had proven to be an even bigger source of difficulty than the constant threat of being dunked.

First, I had to not gawk at her like a pervert.

Second, I had to resist the urge to strangle all the guys who
did
. No one had gone too far, but I could still see the amused satisfaction in their eyes, and that had been enough.

But, somehow, miraculously, I’d managed to get through the day without making headlines or having assault charges pressed against me.

Thank goodness for that.

Looking to my side, I could see that Emilia’s arms were now staying wrapped around her chest even when no one was looking. Between the adrenaline wearing off and the evening air starting cool a little, I was beginning to feel chilly too.

Clearing my throat, I announced last call for the dunk tanks. Ten minutes later, we were once again soaked head to toe, but the ordeal was finally behind us as I helped Emilia off her seat. We were alone, and I was finally able to unabashedly stare at her sweet curves the way I’d been aching to do all afternoon long.

“You’re fucking beautiful,” I said, admiring the way her damp hair curled in ringlets along her collarbone.

“And cold,” she answered, blushing slightly as she handed me one of the towels Adam had left for us.

“I assume you don’t have any dry clothes?” I asked, unsure about if I wanted her to or not. On one hand, she wouldn’t be wearing that gorgeous dress that was clinging to her skin anymore. On the other hand, she would be more comfortable, and we might be able to sneak off somewhere while she changed….

“No, I really thought Adam would volunteer to take my place,” she explained, making me feel simultaneously relieved and disappointed.

“He’s a smart cat. I don’t have a change either, of course. No one thought to warn me that I would be getting half-drowned today,” I said, chuckling. Not that I really minded. Even if she hadn’t set me up, there was no way I would’ve left Emilia to fend for herself in the tank.

“I was worried that if I warned you, you’d have time to get cold feet,” she said apologetically.

“You put me in charge of a bunch of rebellious teenage girls all summer long, and you thought I’d draw the line at
getting wet
?” I teased, ruffling her soggy hair playfully.

Emilia shrugged, and I caught the hint of a shiver running across her small frame.

“You’re cold. How about we go back home?” I asked, and briefly felt an irrational surge of panic as I wondered whether she was going to balk at the idea of
back home
.

“The fireworks are going to start soon,” she said, putting her arm around my waist and making me feel a million times better.

“How about we find a sightseeing spot and watch them from inside my car, then?” I suggested. “That way you’d be out of the breeze, at least.”

Judging by the look on her face, she was clearly tempted. It wouldn’t take much for me to convince her, and an evening spent watching the fireworks alone with Emilia sounded like an absolute dream.

“We’ve done more than our part here,” I pointed out. “And I can snag some food and drinks to have while we relax together.”

She nodded quietly, and my heart somersaulted in my chest.

We quickly said our goodbyes to anyone we could think of, heading for my car after grabbing a few hand pies and a couple of sandwiches. Our shoes squished loudly with every step we took.

“Oh wow,” she whispered softly by my side, whistling as we got closer to the brand new Jaguar I’d rented for the entire summer. Peeking inside the vehicle, Emilia shook her head.

“No way I’m getting in
that
car with soaked clothes. Are those leather seats? Jeez!”

“I did bring more towels,” I said, gesturing at my bag.

“We’ll trash it even if we use them, Simon.”

“No, we won’t. And even if we did, a bit of damage is expected with such a long-term rental. They’ll fix it,” I added with a laconic smile, opening the car and spreading a towel on top of her seat. Reluctantly, she climbed in.

“Where are we going?” I asked as I got into the driver’s seat, dead-set on having an enjoyable evening in her company.

“Hilford Hill?” she said quietly, almost breathing the words more than saying them.

My heart jumped up to my throat.

“If I remember right, it’s a bit far,” I began. “We might miss the fireworks.”

“I think we have time,” she said with a slow smile. “Let’s try.”

She didn’t need to ask twice. Of course I was game,
more than
game. Even for someone who’d left town at fifteen and never looked back, Hilford Hill was still infamous for being
the
spot for lovers in search of privacy.

Turning the keys in the ignition, and in less time than it took to say
make out point
, we were flying past the late evening traffic.

Oh come on!

A fireman?

Really?

I’d never actually been to Hilford Hill before, but I’d heard more than enough about it while working at the rec center. It was a great hiking spot, overlooking the city in a spectacular fashion, but that’s not why people talked about it. It was best known for being so secluded, the perfect place to take a love interest at the end of particularly memorable dates.

My body was full of nervous energy, thrilled at the prospect. Just a few hours ago I’d been reassuring myself that I could never
date
Simon, and here I was, chomping at the bit for him to take me to freaking
Inspiration Point
for a little make-out action.

A whole day of fighting our urges to touch each other will do that, I guess.

Half an hour later, Simon’s Jaguar crested the top of the hill. Driving around the area slowly, we soon found the perfect spot. There had been dozens of cars in the main sightseeing platform, but a little exploration had revealed a secluded spot off the main road. Still overlooking the city, a ring of large conifers and a small gate had cordoned off the smaller area.

“This is really nice,” I said, gaping at the expanse of city sparkling beneath us. “It’s like stepping out of your cabin and into the middle of a forest. Except for those lights, anyway,”

“You don’t want the city there?” Simon asked.

“I’ve never lived in the country, but I’ve enjoyed it when I visited. I wish I had a little cabin. Somewhere secluded, to hide away on the weekends. I could bake in the morning and hike in the evening, just relaxing,” I said, shrugging. “It’s a pipe dream of course. It’s not like I’ll ever be able to afford it unless I change careers, and I like my job too much. I like making a difference, even if I don’t get paid much for it.”

Suddenly feeling quite awkward, I unbuckled my seatbelt and leaned forward to get a better look. From this view, the city
was
beautiful. I admired it for a few minutes, absorbed by the twinkling flecks of light.

A loud noise broke my reverie, startling me and making me jump with a loud yelp. By the driver’s side window, someone was taping on the glass.

“Bother,” Simon said, rolling it down a few inches as someone shined a bright light into the car.

“You kids should know by now that this place is off limits,” a bored voice came from the other side. I squinted, making out the figure of a large police officer standing by the car.

“Sorry, I’m kind of new here,” Simon said. “And there wasn’t a sign.”

“Like I haven’t heard that one b— hey,” the cop said, stopping mid-sentence and staring at Simon’s face. “Don’t I know you?”

“It’s possible,” Simon said, his accent suddenly becoming much more pronounced. “Do you watch—”

“Rugby!” the officer yelled, hooping loudly. “You’re Simon Ferguson! What the hell are you doing here?”

“Like I said, there wasn’t a
no trespassing
sign and—”

“No, I mean in the States. Shouldn’t you be getting ready for the World Cup?”

“We don’t start training for another couple of months. I’m always happy to meet a fan, though,” Simon explained patiently, sticking his hand out through the opened window.

“That’s why we’re going to kick your ass one of these days,” the cop babbled. “You Europeans always do things so half-assed,”

“Yes, quite,” Simon agreed, still embellishing his accent. “But again, terribly sorry about being in a restricted area. I really had no idea, but I’d be more than happy to oblige if I need to pay a fine or something.”

“Oh, don’t worry about that,” the cop shrugged. “I’m hardly going to give a ticket to Simon Ferguson. Besides, the sign blew down a few days ago and we haven’t put it back up. I just thought you were a local, someone who’d know better.”

“Ah,” Simon said, his facial features shifting just a little. I had to resist the urge to burst out laughing, realizing what was about to happen. The poor police officer didn’t have a clue.

“So, no one else will be coming here tonight, then?” Simon asked innocently.

“Probably not.”

“And how many other constables patrol this area?”

“Just me. On the hour, every hour.”

“I see.” Simon’s voice drifted a little lower, hints of a friendly conspiracy brewing in his tone. “You know, this is really a lovely spot. I don’t think I could find better, if we moved now. How about you
do
give me a ticket after all? Three of them, in fact. I’ll pay them all, and you can just skip your next couple of check-ins. That way, the city gets a little extra money, and I can get a little privacy with my girl.”

My girl
. The words sent shivers down my spine, a feeling of acceptance and happiness overcoming me. An excited thrill filled me as I yearned for more, and I could feel my nipples once again stiffening to poke out into the still-damp material of my dress. I crossed my arms over my chest, blushing as I waited to hear the officer’s response.

“I don’t know about that,” the man said, and my heart sank.

“Well, you know who I am. It’s not as if I could do something nasty to the property and get away with it,” Simon reasoned.

“That’s true, but who would believe me if I told them that it was you? I’d need some kind of evidence.”

“Ah,” Simon said calmly. “Like a picture, perhaps?”

“And your signature. Addressed to me personally, of course,” the cop answered.

“Done,” Simon said, opening the car door and getting out. The next few minutes were dominated by the officer taking countless selfies and videos with Simon, topping it off with a couple of autographs. Once he was finally satisfied, he shook Simon’s hand one last time and left.

“You have two hours,” he said with a wink, strolling out of the enclosed area and leaving us alone.

Simon climbed back into the car, a gust of cool wind chilling me as I hugged myself and giggled furiously.

“That wasn’t the first time you’ve done this,” I said between fits of laughter.

“What, deal with a fan? I can’t even buy my own groceries in England without it happening at least twice,” Simon explained.

“Poor thing,” I teased.

“Poor me? Poor
you
! I swear you’re turning blue. It’s been hot as hell since I got here, and
tonight
is the night it finally cools off? Figures. Maybe we should go back home after all.”