ROMANCE: Stepbrother Crazy Seal (Bad Boy Navy Seal Billionaire Stepbrother) (New Adult Alpha BBW Menage Contemporary) (5 page)

    
Kelsey awoke just as the sun began its rise over the lining of buildings that crowded the streets around the hotel. She gave a yawn and stretched and then headed back to her room cautiously in the hopes her father didn’t notice. After a hot shower and quick change into her new jeans and a sexy leather hostler top she crept downstairs for an early breakfast. She frowned slightly at the sight of her father and his new bride sitting at a table chatting happily. Daemon waved and motioned for her to come and sit.

“We have a group trip planned today,” He laughed, “so your indulgences will have to wait awhile.”

“To where?” Kelsey sipped a morning coffee, her head pounding from the wine.

“You can’t take a trip to Paris without seeing the Eiffel tower now can you.” Elena laughed cheerfully.

     Kelsey gave a polite smile though she didn’t feel much like doing anything more than resting the morning away after a night of drink and rough play with her secret love. Soon Matt joined them at the table, looking more chipper than ever and she growled inside.
How is he doing so well?
She wondered. She barely touched her breakfast, her appetite nonexistent from hangover. After their meal, the group headed out to a wait taxi her father had called and piled inside. Daemon muttered instructions to the driver in French and they sped off on a family outing. Kelsey smiled at Matt who gave her a wink, his stunning blue eyes glimmering in the reflection of the morning sun. Her head throbbed again and she dug through her purse for some aspirin, swallowing two pills quickly.

“Oh do you have a headache dear?” Elena looked concerned.

“Yes,” Kelsey smiled, “But I’ll be fine.”

“Might be jet lag still, or a day out in the sun.” Her father chimed in distantly as he frantically sent a message on his phone.

“Yes that is definitely it.” Matt teased and she rolled her eyes, feeling the sting of her head as she did.

     Her father was concerning intently on his text conversation and missed Matt’s playful taunt, most likely dealing with business back home. Kelsey knew, stepping into the field of business after their return that she would have the same issue in her career.
Never a real day off.
She thought and glanced out the window.
But when you own a successful company that is what it takes to stay financially secure.
It forced her to reflect on her conflict once again. How would Matt feel about her always at work or messaging co-workers, not to mention the late nights and mandatory social events she would have to attend? It was one of the many reasons she had elected long ago to avoid serious relationships. It’s difficult to get to the top when you have someone constantly nagging about how you spend your time. She sighed and watched as the taxi whirled around a tight corner and the tower came into view. It was stunning, stretching high above the other structures with the metal glistening in the early afternoon sun. Elena eyed Daemon suspiciously as a grin washed over his face.

“Everything ok dear?” Her tone was snappy.

     He looked up from his conversation distantly and gave her a warm smile, “Yes of course. Stocks are hitting a high today with the newest releases, good news for all.”

“Oh,” Elena’s voice brightened slightly, “Yes that is good news.”

     Kelsey watched the scene unfold and knew exactly what was happening between them as she had seen it many times before. The relationships always start out great between her father and his latest fling, but as time goes on the woman usually learns of his womanizing past and begins to grow suspicious. Though Kelsey had never know her father to be a cheater, he still liked to flirt and play with other woman in his free time, and eventually dropped his woman to search for his newest venture. Though he wasn’t in the habit of taking the plunge and marrying them, Elena would be no exception and soon a divorce would be the topic of conversation. Her inner conflicts rose up once again watching the scene as the taxi screeched a halt at the tourist entrance to the tower. She glanced at Matt once more before exiting the vehicle and walking beside him along the crowded sidewalk crammed with others getting in line to climb to the top of the tower. A pang of guilt rose up as she admired his body from the corner of her eye. She didn’t want to turn out like her father, bouncing from man to man her entire life and never getting to feel a real, lasting connection. But at the same time his lifestyle had shown her that there was little chance of finding real love in the world. Matt had shown her, through his efforts and of course the romantic dinner gesture, that he could actually be what many woman look for their entire lives, but did she want it was the question burning in her mind.

     As they stepped into the line for tickets, Matt noticed Kelsey eyeing him with a puzzling look on her face, as if she was deep in thought. He could read the confusion and resistance still in her baby blue eyes.
Why does she continue to fight me like this?
He struggled with the mystery. He knew that her father had a past of chasing woman, similar to his until he met Kelsey, but that was no reason to shut him out of her heart. All of this was still so new to him, as he was accustomed to woman throwing anything he wanted at his feet, including their bodies. Kelsey was the woman he was always looking for though it had taken her rejection to realize it. But now, he was unsure how to move forward, and how to make her heart his forever. He had tried showing off to impress her, which backfired terribly and even made the effort to romance her with a candlelight dinner. But it still didn’t seem like it was enough to win her over her resistance. The line moved ahead and he found himself lost in the moment, climbing the steps to the top of the tower. He would have to figure out what it would take later.

     Fortunately she had elected to wear better walking shoes because the climb was taking endurance. For the sake of those that couldn’t make the hike, they had installed elevators, but her father decided they should share in the experience and walk the 1,710 steps to the top. She glanced over the railings as the ground below grew smaller by the minute. Her head spun. Kelsey was afraid of heights and walking rather than swiftly rising to the top was like a slow torture of her nerves. She stopped to pear over the edge midway and swallowed hard. Matt placed his hand on her shoulder and she jumped back with a squeal.

“Don’t do that please.” Her eyes were full of fear as she glared at him.

“Are you scared?” Matt gave a sarcastic laugh and peered down at the shrinking ground.

“I’m afraid of heights.” She looked down at her feet, slightly embarrassed and fearful to show a weakness.

“Does your dad know that?” He raised an eyebrow.

“No,” She shook her head, “its ok let’s just keep going and get this over with.”

    Matt moved her to the inside of the steps with his warm, strong hands and gave her a kind look of apathy. He leaned down and whispered in her ear, his hot breath tingling the nerves on her neck and shoulders.

“So am I.” He chuckled softly, “But don’t tell anyone ok? It wouldn’t look good if a big, bad Navel Seal was afraid like that. You stay to the inside I will brave the front.”

    The gesture made her smile widely and the two continued upward, hurrying to catch up their parents. Soon they were at the top and her father bent over, hands on his knees, to catch his breath. Elena glared at him, her breathing also rapid from the climb.

“We are taking the elevator back down.” She growled between gasps.

“Agreed.” Her father nodded and made a feebly attempt at a laugh.

     The group gathered themselves on the platform and then headed out towards the edge to peer at the famous view. Kelsey lingered hesitantly behind the others, her heart now beating wildly in her chest. Fears raced through her mind, of her slipped and diving off the edge. Get it together. She coached herself, shaking off the bad thoughts. Matt glanced back, noticing her hesitating and jogged back to her side. She looked up at him once more, the fear even more obvious in her eyes than before. Her hands trembled at the thought of nearing the edge. She watched her father and Elena parade straight to the lookout area and leaned over the edge and her stomach tightened in knots. Matt placed a soothing hand on her back and led her out so she could take in the view of all of Paris in his sunlit beauty. Though frightened it was a breathtaking sight. Elena chatted politely with Kelsey, as her father disappeared out of sight, mumbling something about a call. Matt, tired of listening to the female chatter, headed for the bathrooms. As he neared the edge of one the tall pillars, her heard a familiar voice on the other side and crept up to observe. There was his new stepfather, making passes at a woman he was clearly ten years her senior.

“Oh yeah same area how neat.” He laughed and puffed out his chest, “I flew over on my private jet for business.”

The woman’s eyes widen, clearly impressed, and smiled, “Oh wow you have your own jet?”

     Matt continued to listen to him brag about his company and the millions sitting untouched in the bank. His mind raced with confliction. He knew his mother would be crushed if she saw what he was doing, but he didn’t want to be the one to tell her either. The young woman pulled out a slip of paper and tore the edge, writing her number on the piece. She handed it to Daemon slyly with a wink and rejoined her group. Matt growled. It was one thing to play the field when you’re unattached but an entirely different ballgame to mess around when things are serious, especially in marriage. He suddenly realized why Kelsey was resisting him regardless of what he did
. If this is what she has seen of men, no wonder she won’t open up
. Moments later he returned to the woman, with Matt following close behind. He shot him an angry glance, but said nothing more. To Kelsey’s relief they headed for the elevator and back down to the solid ground once more.

     The following morning Kelsey exited the hotel in a hurry, hoping to catch a train into the shopping areas once more and indulge her favorite pastime. Though she didn’t mind the company, she needed a break from Matt and she was sure he could use a day without having to follow her around while she tried on clothes. She gave a warm smile at the bright sun and headed to the train station, boarding for the district she had visited a few days before. The morning was spent wandering the art center, admiring the French paintings and watching some work out in the open for tourists to watch. She found one in particular she elected would look great in her new apartment, of a woman standing strong by the Cliffside and it reminded her of her own life and the struggles to succeed. She made the purchase and waiting for the artist to wrap it up with a grin, then continued onward to the clothing and apparel. For a moment she regretted not taking Matt with her as the painting was bulky, though small. As the sun began to rise high above head, her stomach finally growled urgently. Her appetite hadn’t been its usual after drinking too much wine and now she could feel her body springing back to life.
Time for a quick lunch I suppose
. She eyed the shops lining the street for a sign of a diner or café’. She frowned and walked onward to the next set of streets.
There has to be somewhere to eat around here
. The sun was now blinding bright and she flicked on her shades to keep from squinting.

     Rounding the corner she found herself in an area she didn’t recognize from the last shopping trip, though it still felt safe and quaint like the rest of the area. She walked on, peering into the new shop windows and electing to return for browsing after she had a meal. Around another corner to a street she hadn’t visited she began to feel slightly turned around, losing her sense of where the train station and villa were from her location. She elected to backtrack after finding a restaurant and continued onward. Soon the shops changed to quaint stone houses with cobblestone stoops jutting out to meet the sidewalk. She had lost the shopping district entirely.
I can find someone to help me, I am sure, there are enough English speaking tourists around.
But with each group she passed, she began to realize that no one was speaking her language and the panic rose in her throat. Lost in the city, she frantically walked up street after street, each time thinking she had found the right way and finding herself even more confused. The signs, all printed in French were of no help. She found a small square with more shops and hurried towards it, hoping that the keepers would speak at least some English and could help her find her way. She paused suddenly, recognizing a man sitting at an outdoor table, eating lunch with a young woman. Her heart froze. It was her father, leaning in to whisper in another woman’s ear as she giggled like a schoolgirl.

“He’s on his honeymoon for Pete’s sake.” Kelsey growled out loud.

     Normally she didn’t pay much attention to her father’s doings, and there wasn’t anything in particular about Elena that would prompt her to be angry over his risk of ending things. But as she struggled to allow Matt near her heart, due to the way she had grown up, she found a fire burning for his wrongdoing. For a moment she paused, forgetting the scene and focusing on her own issues. Matt’s love for her was literally changing the way she thought about relationships and matters of the heart. I wouldn’t normally care, this is so not like me. She laughed slightly at herself, but soon her smile faded as she witnessed hi lean in for a long kiss. That was her straw. She marched across the stone walkway, her heels clicking loudly on the pavement and her free hand balled in a fist, the other carrying her painting. She stormed past a waiter who had greeted her in French and stood brooding behind him. The young woman looked up, confused and angry at the intrusion, and glared at Kelsey with a look of jealousy.
She’s about to find out.
Kelsey growled in amusement at the girl’s naive twist of emotions.

“You know dad,” She stressed the word for the young woman’s sake, “it is one thing to do this at home, but on your honeymoon?”

     The young woman’s mouth hung open in shock at the news that the beautiful blonde was in fact his grown daughter and Kelsey couldn’t help her slight amusement at her mistake, as well as her father’s demise. He whirled around, a heated look of raw anger in his eyes and leapt from the seat.

“Kelsey,” He growled through gritted teeth, “What are you doing here? Did you follow me?”

“No dad,” She kept her stare eye-to-eye, unafraid of his attempt at intimation, “I am lost. And apparently you must be too huh.”

“Go back to shopping honey,” His voice was threatening, “I’m busy. I will see you later tonight.”

     The young woman looked offended by the scene and lifted herself swiftly from her seat, gazing at Kelsey with a look of shock. Kelsey’s fist tightened, it was time someone told this man that what he was doing wasn’t right. She often wondered if the womanizing had started before or after her mother’s death and whether or not he was aware that these girls were also someone’s daughters like she was his. Her fist clenched tighter until her knuckles were white with strain.

“Elena is a good woman dad,” her voice was loud so as not to cause a scene, “The best you have had in a long time. How could you be out kissing some tramp while she sits back at the hotel on your honeymoon? That is the worst thing I have ever seen you do, and that is saying a lot.”

“Honeymoon?” The young girl squeaked and turned away, heading towards a taxi.

    Daemon turned and watched her walk away, then whirled back to face his daughter once again, his eyes glowing red with frustration. Kelsey smiled, happy to have interrupted his devious plans to cheat on his new wife.

“What is wrong with you?” Daemon snapped, “Since when do you care what I do in relationships? I thought I raised you better. Success and career, which is what matters in this life you know that.”

“My beliefs have changed.” Kelsey’s heart fluttered, thinking of Matt.

“Oh why,” He flung his hands high into the air laughing, “Did you meet some attractive young French boy and now there is suddenly such a thing as love. Look at you my dear, you are as beautiful as your mother and that is all they are after is your looks.”

Kelsey’s anger reached its peak and tears of frustration and hatred rose up in the corner of her eyes, “That’s a lie Matt loves me for who I am dad.”

     There was a long pause as her father’s face distorted from the news. In her anger, Kelsey had accidentally slipped her secret love affair with her new stepbrother out into the open. He glared at her and inched forward.

“You’re just like a typical woman,” He whispered harshly, “A meat head comes along, shows you a bit of romance and the next thing you know you will be locked up as a housewife, and there goes your dreams of success. I thought you would turn out better.”

    Her father’s words stung like a knife in her heart and she ran away from him, tears flowing down her flushed streets. Blinded from the rushing sadness she raced down a street and headed up the block, her father calling out in the distance behind. She rounded a corner and sprinted to another, rounding that one as well. Soon her father’s voice was gone and she was alone once again with her thoughts. Maybe her father was an evil exception to the rule of how most men actually were, and her whole life she had grown up believing a lie. The sun was beginning to set and Kelsey finally slowed, glancing around at her surroundings for the first time. The streets were darkened and vacant, full of more worn down homes than the other blocks had. Her heart was racing from the run and the fear that she had straying too far from the hotel in her panic. She walked, folding the painting across her chest and her eyes darted swiftly around her, watching for signs of danger.

***

    Daemon walked back into the hotel, exhausted and disturbed, to find Matt and his wife Elena waiting nervously in the hotel lobby. Elena looked as if she had been crying and Matt’s face was flushed with anger.

“Where have you been?” Elena shouted, her voice echoing in the room, “I was worried sick. And where is Kelsey?”

“I…”He paused sadly, “She ran off after we had a fight and I lost her in the streets. She was too fast for me.”

“You lost her?” Matt balled his fists in heated fury and sprinted for the hotel door.

“Where are you going?” Daemon looked defeated.

“To find her.” He growled and disappeared into evening outside.