My Arrogant Stepbrother 1 (4 page)

During the next family dinner, Ross kept his promise.  He even sat on the other side of the table and tried not to look at her the way he used to before.  His behaviour helped Emma and she was slowly relaxing and starting to act a lot like her old self.

She even told a few funny stories from her work and offered to help Thomas with some children's charity he was thinking about.  Her mother was happy to see Emma back to her old self and after dinner invited both of them to stay for a game of cards.

Emma was ready to excuse herself, but Ross gave her a meaningful look, which she translated as –
This is your chance to act as if we are family.

They paired up men against women, and even Emma had to admit that she enjoyed herself.  When it was time to go home, Ross accompanied her to her car and leaned against it.

“Is this what you wanted?” He asked.

“Yes, thank you.” Emma kept her distance and tried to sound normal.  It wasn’t easy, however, as his very presence was enough to make the blood in her veins boil.

“Why then did you act as if all you want is for me to kiss you?”

“What... I... never...” Emma stuttered in answer.  She tried frantically to find some kind of excuse and leave this place immediately, but Ross was leaning against her car and she had to pass through him to open the driver’s door.

“Really?  You never looked at me as if I was a piece of meat you very much wanted to eat?”

“What are you talking about?”

“I saw you Emma,” Ross insisted.  “During dinner and after it, you followed me everywhere with your eyes and I could see the desire in them.”

“You are imagining things,” she tried.

“So, if I kiss you now, you will feel nothing?” He challenged her.

“Yes,” she answered, before actually thinking about what she was doing.

Without further warning, Ross leaned forward and claimed Emma’s lips in a sweet kiss. There was a lot of finesse in that kiss, and Emma was gently forced to open her own wide, so that Ross could explore her mouth.  The man slowly pushed his thigh in between her legs and grinded it softly against her middle.  Emma gasped in shock at the bold move, giving him even better access to her mouth.  Ross’ dove deeper, stroking every surface his eager tongue could reach and turning his head to the side, to reach even deeper.

The shock and sudden desire made Emma forget that she should be fighting to get free and she let the strong man manhandle her freely.  When Ross felt her gave in, he let go of her hands and used his own to caress her body.  His lips released hers bruised ones and moved to kiss her neck, which Emma unconsciously tilted for him to have better access.  She tried to say something at that point, but Emma found out that she was already out of breath, just from being touched and kissed.

The man stopped abruptly and Emma felt disappointment filling her from inside.  Ross, however, didn’t let go of her, but simply spoke into her wet and tender skin.  “Do you want me to stop?”

The question surprised both of them, but Ross wasn’t making the same mistake again.  This time they knew what they both wanted and there was going to be a lot more explanations to give after the fact.  Emma tried to get her breathing under control and spoke softly into his ear.  “No…”

Ross then looked up to her, his eyes wild and his lips curving into a slight grin.  She expected him to say something, but he had other ideas.  The man took her hand and tugged her towards the other side of the car, hidden well under some green bushes.

Before Emma could find her voice and ask what he was doing, Ross leaned over her and continued to kiss her, as if their life depended on it.

Emma had the impression that the temperature has risen to million degrees.  The look in Ross’ eyes was pure sex, scaring me and making her excited all at once.  She saw his eyes drop to her mouth and unconsciously passed her tongue over the lower lip.  Ross breathed in quickly at seeing that and moved his feet uncomfortably.

She couldn’t stand the stillness anymore and closed the gap between them, brushing her lips against his.  She meant it to be like a test of the waters, but before she could pull away more than a few millimetres, Ross wrapped his arm around the back of her neck and pulled her into a scalding kiss.

It was like fireworks were exploding all around them, filling the night with brightness and lightings.  A kiss had never felt to Emma so electric and so utterly right.  She did not hesitate to bring one of her hands to the back of Ross’ head and place the other over his heart.  He was kissing her hard and passionately, pulling their bodies together.  Emma revelled in the firmness of his chest against her breasts.  Finally!

She felt his tongue on her lips and without hesitation, opened her lips to let him in.  The first swipe of tongue on tongue was like nothing she had ever felt before.  Need, sparks of lightning, scalding want…

Their kiss became deeper, as they explored each other’s mouths and left their hands free to roam over the other’s body.  When Ross wedged his hand between them, touching her breast, they both moaned and pressed harder together.  The time had stopped – it felt like an hour and like a single second.

Suddenly, Ross gasped and broke the kiss.  They both were gasping for air, while Ross rested his forehead against Emma’s.  She took a few deep breaths to steady herself and slowly opened her eyes.  She wanted that kiss, that feeling to go on forever.  She was so safe and loved in Ross’ arms that she did not want to ever leave their comfort again.

They kissed for long minutes in the shadows of their parents’ parking lot, but when Ross offered to take her to his house, Emma refused.  His offer was like a bucket of cold water and it made her realize that she had fallen once again.

She had to admit that Ross was right with his assumptions.  She really followed him everywhere during the dinner and after it.  It was impossible for her not to.  The man was handsome and his presence made the room feel small and airless.

He let her go that night and Emma ran home as the little scare girl she was.  She spent the night thinking and rethinking her actions and Ross’ reaction to them.  The man surprised her, he was both acting as if he didn’t care and as if all he cared was her.  He couldn’t lie about the passion he felt, as his kisses were more than a little prove of it.  Ross also kept his promise and didn’t tell anyone about them.

Was this as confusing for him, as it was for her?  Emma had to find out.  She had to know what the man thought and how did he see this thing between them.

That was why the evening of the next day, she did the unthinkable – she went to his house.

Emma rang the bell and waited patiently for him to open it, thinking that he should already be home.  Ross opened the door after almost five minutes, dressed in a single towel and with water drops all over his torso.

“Emma,” he exclaimed.  “I wasn’t expecting you.”

“I’m sorry,” she spoke to his chest, as she couldn’t make herself stop staring at it.  “I wanted to speak with you.  That is, if you...”

“Ross... Ross...” a female voice could be heard from the inside of the house.  “Where are you baby?”

Emma looked up and saw her – blond, slender, tanned, beautiful...

“Sorry, I don’t want to interrupt you...” she muttered with a forced smile and turned to go.

“Wait... Emma...” Ross called after her, but it was too late, there was nothing he could say to make the pain disappear.

Emma ran to her car, already feeling the tears filling her eyes.  She refused to let him see how much he had hurt her.  “Stupid, stupid woman...” she repeated to herself all the way home.  “You are so stupid.”

Ross… sex… love…

Emma always thought little of women, who dropped everything they loved and fought for their whole lives, in the feet of the first handsome devil, who said I love you.  Funny, wasn’t it, for years she was convincing herself that she was the strong and confident woman she wanted to be, and now in the course of a few instances she was back to being the scared young girl, badly hurt by the man who could offer her the world.

Love is not just about tingles and electricity. It is about understanding, about letting go when you have to, even if it hurts.   It’s about being imperfectly perfect for the other.  It is about taking every moment and treasuring it in the kaleidoscope of memories you have.  It’s about being a winner.  All because you have that one person.

Love is the thing that takes all your insecurities away.  Love doesn’t hurt, insecurities and loneliness do.  Love is often confused with everything else. Love is the only thing that makes you feel whole again.  Love comes after moments of indecision, bafflement and hurt. 

They say there’s nothing like true love.  All you find is betrayal and hurt on your path. Maybe you’re not looking in the right place.  True
love is like finding a needle in a haystack.  If you’re very thorough, you’ll have it in the palm of your hands.

Those three words mean nothing if you don’t mean it.  At the end of the day, you might be drained.  But do know this: Love was never an easy thing to have. You have to earn it.  When you in the vicinity of the one, it is worth it.  When the one loves you as much as you do them, it is worth it.

At the end of the day, love might not be the easiest thing, nowhere close even.  But you’ll know it was worth it.

Emma read carefully the words she had written down in her diary years ago, when she still believed that true love existed.  She believed it even a few hours ago, but now she wasn’t sure anymore.

Ross took something very important to her and Emma wasn’t sure if she will be able to ever take it back.

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I hope to write many more stepbrother romances so I hope to get as much support as possible.

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