Mine: A Stepbrother Romance: (With bonus novel Bossy!) (23 page)

“Did it ever occur to you that it’s the same for me?” Hunter sighs. “Okay, maybe not exactly the same, but the years I was here with you, were the most normal and fun of my life. I’d never had that before. My mother dumped me with my
uncouth
American father as soon as the honeymoon daze wore off. My father raised me, but he rarely looked past the stream of money that was coming in from my maternal grandparents to keep his mouth shut about their daughter’s behavior.”

He fixes me with those stormy blue eyes, and I can’t stop myself from stroking his cheek. I’d fixated on his wealth, ignoring that he’s just as screwed up as I am, just with more money. Rich and broken beats the hell out of poor and broken, but we’re both a mess.

When he kisses me, I’m right there, meeting him with my own demands. He’s on his feet, taking me with him. We tumble down onto the single bed, and his teeth graze my neck, making my hips rise to grind against him.

He’s rock hard against my stomach. Our light summer clothes do little to hide his excitement. Taking my wrists in one hand, he pins them over my head, pressing me into the soft mattress. His other hand roams my body, eagerly exploring my sides, my hips, my breasts. I moan into his mouth as he takes it, our tongues playing tag as we devour each other.

I want him so fucking bad. It’s been way too long.

I’ll never get enough.

I wrap my leg around his hip, pulling him towards me. He puts his free hand on my thigh, sliding his hot palm along my skin until he’s under my shorts, cradling my ass.

“Too many clothes,” I say in frustration.

He laughs. “Way too many.”

It doesn’t take long for us to fix that particular issue. We race to strip ourselves, and each other. He throws me back down onto the bed before my bra has even slipped off my arm. I fling it away, not caring where it lands.

His rough hands find my breasts, cupping them and rolling my sensitive nipples between his fingers. If I weren’t already so on edge, it might be painful, but right now, it feels perfect.

The only thing missing is his cock. Every roll and squeeze makes me feel empty and desperate inside.

“Fuck, you’re amazing,” he growls against my ear. “I need you now.”

“Yes,” I hiss, pushing up to get him exactly where I need him.

He sinks deep in a single, smooth motion that takes my breath away. The feeling of his thickness stretching me is perfection. Hot, long and thick, he fits me like we were designed for each other.

Out here, by ourselves, we don’t have to sneak around or be quiet. My screams of pleasure blend with his deep guttural groans as he ruts into me like a beautiful animal.

When I come, it’s fiery and brutal, flooding me with prickly heat that radiates out from my core to the very tips of my fingers and toes. I can’t tell if my eyes are open or closed, all I see is white.

He swears as my body tries to pull him over the edge with me. “Shit, I can’t. We forgot—”

“It’s fine, I’m safe.” It’s more than fine, it’s amazing.

My words are all it takes to do him in. Another few thrusts into my pulsing sex, and he can’t hold back. He swells and presses deep before flooding me with a long groan. If I could, I’d hang on to this moment forever.

Hunter eases down, catching himself on his elbow so he doesn’t crush me under him. Without pulling out, he kisses me gently while I return the kiss, and add a few hip wiggles to take advantage of the extra friction. He reaches down and cups my breast.

Maybe we’re not quite done.

L
eaving Liz while she sleeps, all naked and gorgeous, is fucking hard. At least in the cave she’s safe from anything Blaze might cook up to get her out of the picture. What she’ll do when she sees what I left her, though... I’m putting everything on the line and hoping it’s enough.

There’s nothing I can do but wait and see if she shows for the final competition. As I walk back to the estate with the rising sun at my back, I really fucking hope she does.

After I arrive, I check in with Dad to make sure everything is set for today’s shoot. If it were up to me, we’d just arrest the fucker and get it over with, but I have to admit, it’ll be fun to watch Blaze’s plan implode on camera.

It’s early, but since Danny has never had any mercy about waking me up, I barge right in. The room is darker than my cave at midnight, but the switch that pulls back the blinds sorts that right out. Early morning sunlight floods the room.

“Wakey, wakey, eggs and bakey!” I clap and look over, expecting to find him glaring at me sleepily from his cot.

It’s empty.

An explosion of movement on my bed is followed by a very feminine shriek. “Danny!” Bianca sits up, clutching the sheets to cover herself with one hand and shaking my jackass of a best friend with the other. “Danny!”

“Huh? Wha...?” He rolls over, presenting an unfortunate view of his pasty white ass in the process. “Hunter! Bloody hell. What’re you doing back? What time is it?” He flails his arm over the nightstand until he finds his phone and blinks at it.

“What am
I
doing back? What the fuck are you doing in
my
bed?”

He yawns. “You weren’t using it. I’ll change the sheets.”

“I don’t even... Bianca?”

She ducks her head behind Danny’s back and groans, while he sits up straighter and yanks at the sheet until she’s completely covered. “Leave her out of it.”

“I’m not the one who tucked her into it!” I wave my hands. “Whatever, I don’t care what you two are doing. I just wasn’t expecting it to be in
my
bed.”

“It’s bigger than mine.”

I grin. “Too fucking right!”

“Is there a point to your middle of the night cockblocking, or are you just being a wanker?” He completely ignores my jab.

“Why so narrow-minded? Can’t it be both?”

That earns me a two-finger salute.

“Fine. I’m going to go get breakfast, but I need your help getting everything ready, so if you could get your ass germs off my sheets—I mean his, Bianca. I’m sure your ass is fine—and join me, that would be appreciated.”

Danny slaps Bianca playfully through the sheet. “It is quite fine, isn’t it?”

The curvy lump under my sheets moves like a striking serpent.

“Ow! She bit me!” He jumps and glares accusingly over his shoulder.

I raise an eyebrow at him.

“Yeah, fine, I deserved it.” He grins. “Biters are more fun anyway.”

“She’s too good for you.”

“Don’t I know it?” Danny looks down fondly at the figure doing its best to ignore our childish back-and-forth. Her slender shoulder shakes like she’s either laughing or crying. Since Danny’s still smiling, I’m going to assume it’s laughter.

“Are Bianca and the other girls ready for today?”

He nods. “Everything’s set. Did you square things with Liz?”

I run a hand nervously through my hair. Her scent clings to my skin, and if I crawled back into her bed, she’d be crying my name before the sleep was cleared from her eyes.

But more than that?

I have no fucking clue, and it scares the hell out of me.

T
his is
not
a pillow. I wake up with my face pressed against the cool, finished stone wall of Hunter’s cave. Last night—I assume it’s last night since the cave doesn’t have windows—comes rushing back, hitting me like a cold shower.

I roll over, but the other side of the bed is empty and cold. Drawing a deep breath, I inhale the scent of his cologne. My body aches all over, but the low throb between my legs is anything but painful.

Hunter’s gone.

A thick envelope on his beat-up center table, propped up against a faintly glowing lamp, grabs my attention before I have time to consider how I feel about him not being here. My name is scrawled across the front in bold block letters. Too curious to worry about getting dressed, I hop quickly out of bed, grab the envelope and slide back under the covers. Inside are a few pieces of paper topped with a note.

––––––––

L
iz,

Please don’t think this is me paying you to leave, or bribing you to stay. I’ve thought about what happened to you and your mother, and this is what’s right. There are no conditions. The decision is yours. There hasn’t been time to finalize everything, but it shouldn’t take more than a few days if you decide it’s what you want.

-Hunter

––––––––

W
hat the hell?

I skim read the printout under the note. It’s a short series of emails from Hunter to his lawyer, going back and forth about the current market value of the island. The number they settle on makes my head spin. Mom got two million dollars in the divorce settlement. This is... way more than that.

All very impressive, but I don’t understand why he’s given it to me.

Not until I get to the next page.

It’s an outline for transfer of the island and all included properties and assets to me, for half the figure he reached with his lawyer.

My gut reaction is anger.

How dare he mock me like this? Half of an impossible sum is still freaking impossible!

Then I see the check attached to the back. Addressed to me.

Blood rushes to my head, ringing in my ears. “Oh. My. God.” Breathing is suddenly a chore, as if there isn’t enough oxygen around me. The number on the check matches the full value of the island.

Now I understand what he means in his note. I’m rich.

Or I
could
be rich. If I take Hunter’s money.

In my hands is everything I’ve spent the last ten years dreaming of. My whole reason for coming here. Except now it feels like a hollow victory. I can’t imagine being here without Hunter anymore. For all my dreams, I’d never really considered my life beyond moving back, but without him, this would be a very lonely place to live.

His touch is all over the island. Little bits of him scattered across it. Somewhere along the way, I’ve stopped thinking of it as mine, and started thinking of it as ours. I know he says the decision is mine, but I don’t want to make it on my own.

The dusty analog clock reads quarter to ten. Shit. If I don’t want to be late to the final challenge, I need to hurry.

I pluck my bra off Petey, giving the old bird a pat on his head, and gather the rest of my things. Hunter might have upgraded his cave, but there’s still no shower, and after last night, I
soooo
need one.

Screw it.

Leaving my clothes just on the inside of the cave, I dash for the surf. Laughing like a maniac and probably red as a lobster, I dive in, doing my best to scrub myself clean. For a moment, I float on the surface, looking up into the clear blue sky, tracking the clouds. Slowly the realization that I might be able to stay starts to take root.

Home.

Hopefully home with Hunter. If he’ll have me. If we don’t kill each other.

If he loves me as much as I love him.

I dance across the sand like a wet dog shaking itself dry, and pull on yesterday’s clothes. I’m sure I look terrible, but who cares? Ain’t no shame in my game today.

Blaze is just starting his announcement as I come charging down the beach. He obviously hasn’t spotted me yet. “Good morning! At least to those of you who are here. We seem to be short one, but this game waits for no one. Right, Hunter?”

Hunter’s wearing nothing but bright Bermuda shorts in a tribal looking pattern and a large gold medallion around his neck. His chest looks oiled, reflecting the bright morning sun like a pale bronze, blond-haired native god. He pats Blaze on the shoulder with a smile on his face, then points in my direction. “I wouldn’t be so sure about that. By my clock, she’s got at least ten, even fifteen seconds.”

“What?” Blaze spots me just as I push my way forward to take my place in line with the others. “Well, look who the cat dragged in,” he sneers. “I know we said you had until the next challenge to find your item, Sarah, but you’re sure cutting it close. Did you figure out your clue?”

He looks like he just swallowed something sour, but he can’t spit it out because everyone’s watching. I don’t even care anymore. He can think what he likes about me, because I know who the real cheat is, and so does Hunter.

I wave the note I found in the chest, and one of the assistants comes over to check, giving Blaze a thumbs up.

“Great!” he spits out.

Behind their makeshift stage is a giant rubber volcano with four tracks of lava running down the side like slides. At the top is a platform and at the bottom a big pool of water. Whatever they have planned, it looks completely ridiculous, but on the bright side, no mud.

I need to talk to Hunter, but I know he has something planned for today. I’ll play along until I can get him alone.

“Ladies! The goal of today’s challenge is simple.” Blaze turns and gestures at the plastic volcano. “The man of your dreams will be waiting for you at the top of Mount Heartbreak. Those who make it will get their chance at true love, and those who fail will be sacrificed to the god of defeat!” At his final words, the pool at the bottom of the volcano starts to bubble and churn while water trickles from the tops of the slides. Within seconds the sides of the volcano look like steep Slip ‘n Slides.

Walking regally for the cameras, Hunter approaches the back of the volcano to climb a ladder to the platform while we get in position. The others brought bathing suits, while I’m still in yesterday’s shorts and t-shirt. I can’t wait to hear how they spin that in editing.

There are small bumps and grooves in the plastic surface of the volcano that weren’t obvious from further away. So at least there are handholds, though I’m sure they’ll be as slippery as the rest of it. Amanda, Megan, Bianca and I look nervously back and forth at each other.

Blaze raises his arms. “Ready? Set! G—”

“Wait!” Hunter shouts from the top.

S
he came.

Seeing Liz run up at the last minute is like bursting out of the water just as your lungs start screaming for air. Relief pours through me. I don’t know what she thinks of my proposal, but she’s here, and she doesn’t look pissed when she takes her place.