Authors: Andrea Niles,Trudy Valdez
STEPBROTHER ROMANCE BOX SET: Romance Stories For My Hot Stepbrother, My Younger Stepbrother Soldier & Dr. Stepbrother (Romance, Alphas Bad Boy Soldier ... Forbidden Short Stories, Military Romance) (5 page)
© Copyright 2015 by Trudy Valdez- All rights reserved.
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While all attempts have been made to verify the information provided in this publication, neither the author nor the publisher assumes any responsibility for errors, omissions, or contrary interpretations of the subject matter herein.
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Warning disclaimer:
This eBook contains some explicit sex scene and adult language. This eBook is for sale to
adults only.
Please ensure it cannot be accessed by under aged readers.
This book is a fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead is purely coincidental.
Sarah Fairchild ran down the long dark corridor and into the main foyer. The white marble floor beneath her barefeet was cold. In the middle of the entryway was an engraving of the family crest. An cursive ‘E’ sat in the middle of the intricate design, letting any visitor know who’s home they were walking into. Sarah stood on the ‘E’ and looked at the double front doors. Someone was on the other side. The sound of the knocking woke her. It was late. Well past midnight. Who could be here at this hour?
“Ms. Sarah, you need not be up,” Frederick, the butler said coming around the corridor opposite of the one she’d come from. The Easton Estate Mansion had a symmetric design. Behind them sat an open staircase that widen as it reached up to the second floor. A vintage chandelier hung over Sarah’s head, but no light came from it. The only light that stayed on at night was the one on the front porch.
“What’s going on?”
Frederick and Sarah looked in the direction that the voice had come from. Hannah, the head housekeeper was just stepping into the room. She was dressed in her maid’s uniform. Frederick was in a suit. Did the help sleep this way? Sarah looked down at her own clothing. She was wearing a long white silk sleeping dress. A tiny lace design lay both at the breast and the hem.
The knock sounded again. They all turned towards the door. No one moved.
“What is all that noise?” Rachel Easton, Sarah’s mother, came down the stairs. Even at night, she moved as a beauty queen, floating on air. Her dress was like Sarah’s, but in black. They did that sometimes. Shopped and bought the same things. Not too far in age, the two were close. Rachel was forty-one and Sarah was twenty-five. Only sixteen years separated them. They were oftenly mistaken as being sisters.
It seemed a small group had gathered around the door.
The knock sounded again. This time, much more firm.
Frederick stepped up then. He turned the knob and cracked the door open. “May I help you-” His words were cut off by a gasp. Either Sarah or the other three gatherers could see around him or the door.
Rachel narrowed her pale blue eyes. “Frederick, who’s there?”
Frederick turned towards the group, but didn’t speak. Instead, he opened the door.
Everyone gasped. It couldn’t be.
But it was.
“A party?For me? You’re too kind,” the voice was dark and cool. It was Alex. Navy Air Captain Alexander Easton, heir to the Easton Estate. Reported missing in action over five years ago.
Alex brushed past the startled butler and walked right up to Rachel. His black eyes a piercing stare.
Rachel took a shaky step back. She would have tripped if Sarah hadn’t reached out her hand in the next instance.
Alex smirk. “What? Not glad to see that your
dead
stepson is still alive?” He’d emphasized the word ‘dead’. Bitterness filled every word. He turned towards Sarah next. His eyes roamed lazily over her curvy form.
Sarah wanted to step away from his gaze, but didn’t. Instead, she met him head on. Her blue eyes staring up at him as his stared down. Her heart was rapidly beating, but she hoped he couldn’t read her fear. Alex was back. What did it mean for her and her mother?
Alex took a step in her direction. The tips of his leather shoes almost touched her toes. “My older sister,” he said in a condescending voice. “I’ve never seen you so quiet. Have you nothing to say to your long lost brother?” His last words sounded angry to her ears.
Sarah didn’t respond. He was speaking of the Sarah from long ago. The young Sarah.Before she’d gone off to college. Sarah would be the first to admit, she’d been a major bitch towards Alex. Before their parents had married, Alex had been the son of a billionaire. He’d had money and thought it could get him anything he wanted. Well Sarah had only had her beauty. She’d had average book smarts, but had a ton of charisma. Drawing people in was something she’d naturally picked up from Rachel.
When Rachel had married Donald, Alex’s father, it had been for money. Rachel had known, even at the young age of eight. Donald had been in love, but Rachel was just trying to move up in the world, and boy did she ever! Rachel and Sarah had gone from government housing to the Easton Estate. Rachel had begun to live the life she’d always wanted and Sarah had started going to the same academy of higher education as Alex.
From the beginning, the two hated one another. Never had a kind word been shared between them. Sarah never blamed him. She was sure it was hard for Alex to watch his father love a gold digger. At times, Sarah had felt for the young Alex… until he’d started to make himself sound superior to her. That’s when Sarah drew the line. He was only younger by a year, but that didn’t matter. Sarah put him in his place.
As they grew older, they had their own friends and saw less of one another. By high school, they barely spoke. Then, the war had started. It was senior year. A soldier came to their school, recruiting young men and women for the service. A nice number of students stood up that day, saying they were interested to fight for their country. Alex had been in that group. It had surprised Sarah. Alex had never seemed like one to willingly take on responsibility, but he had that day.
Years past. Alex would come home whenever his boat was in, but he never stayed long. A day at most. He’d moved up quickly in the ranks. Then, five years ago, we’d heard a report of Alex’s plane going down over the Atlantic Ocean. No plane was found. Neither was his body. He’d been declared dead. the news had broken Donald’s heart. Almost literally. He’d died days later.
“Where’s my father?” Alex asked. “Tuck him in nicely tonight?” The question had been directed towards Rachel. A smirk still on his face. Sarah’s heart sank. He didn’t know. The news would sure wipe the arrogant grin from his face. Sarah didn’t want to do it.
Lucky for him, Rachel didn’t share in Sarah’s feeling. “He’s dead.”
Alex woke in the bed in his room. He recognized it immediately, but couldn’t remember how he’d got there. The sun broke through the window in rays, casting light onto his hard oak furniture and macassar ebony wood flooring. Nothing had changed. Everything was right where he’d left it. His red antique model plane caught his eye. All he’d ever wanted to do was fly. And he had.
Alex took a long breath. The room even smelt the same. The air was almost enough to transport him back in time. Before the war.Before the smell of death.The nightmares.
The sound of the door opening made him jump. It took a moment for his heart rate to return to normal. He faintly recognized the old man in front of him. The man had been his father’s psychologist. What was he doing in Alex’s room?
“Oh good, you’re up. How are you feeling?” Dr. Patterson walked across the room and took a seat by the bay window. He smiled at Alex. He waited patiently for a reply.
Alex had questions of his own, “What are you doing here?”
“It’s been a long time, Alex. How are things?” A notebook appeared out of nowhere and into Dr. Patterson’s hand. He still smiled at Alex. Ever the patient one.
Alex’s heart jumped back in his throat. “What are you doing here?” This time, the question came out with more force. Anger and panic began to bunch in Alex’s muscles.
Dr. Patterson sat the notebook down. His face became very serious. “What do you remember of last night?”
Alex narrowed his eyes at the man. He then looked away. Silence filled the room as he worked to remember. He remembered having a taxi bring him to the Estate. He’d remembered punching in the code at the gate. He remembered knocking at the front door, wanting to surprise his family. He remembered the front door opening. The staff was there. Rachel and Sarah. He asked about his father.
Alex swung his head towards Dr. Patterson. “My father is dead.”
Dr. Patterson nodded his head very slowly. “Yes, Rachel told you that your father died. Then what happened.” Dr. Patterson had bright and gentle green eyes. Alex was sure it helped calm most of his patients, but it wasn’t calming him.
“I can’t remember,” Alex eventually whispered.
“Nothing comes to mind?” The good doctor pressed.
Alex shook his head.
Dr. Patterson sighed. He opened his notebook and began to write. “You have what people refer to as PTSD.”
Alex frowned. “Post Traumatic Stress Disorder? No, I don’t.”
“You’re jumpy. You jumped when I came through the door. You can’t remember events, memory loss, and though the room is at sixty-five degrees, you’re sweating right now.”
Alex looked down at the gray shirt he was wearing. He didn’t remember how it had got on him. It was one of his high school gym shirts. It was a little tight where Alex had toned, but it mostly fit. There were sweat stains under the arms. “I sweat at night!” Alex shouted louder than he’d wanted to. He was growing more angry having to defend his mind.
“You seem easily irritated. Another symptom. Do you have nightmares, Alexander?”
Alex looked away from the older man’s face. He did had nightmares and those were just the nights he was able to fall asleep. Most nights, Alex was up, pacing. The dead visited him. Friends he’d lost. People he’d grown to love, respect. He could picture their faces now. Immediately, breathing came hard to Alex. He grabbed for his chest. He couldn’t breathe. He looked up to Dr. Patterson.
Dr. Patterson moved quickly. He placed a hand on Alex’s shoulder. “Sarah!” He shouted.
Sarah quickly entered, as though she’d been on the other side of the door. Her face showed her fear. Alex didn’t understand what she was so afraid of. It wasn’t like she was the one about to pass out.
Sarah took a seat on Alex’s bed. She took the hand that was grabbing his chest and held it tightly. She grabbed his other hand as well. She squeezed them, trying to comfort him. Her pale blue eyes looked directly into his. Her look had gone from one of fear to one of compassion. Peace. “It’s okay, Alex. Everything is fine.” Her words were soft to his ears. He’d never heard her say anything like that to him before. He’d never heard her use that tone with him before. It was soothing. “I’m right here, Alex. Everything is going to be okay.”
One of her hands reached out and began to stroke his short black hair. It was nice. She was being nice to him. This alone should have given him more of a reason to panic, but instead, Alex felt himself calm. His breathing slowed down.
“Sarah studied Nursing in college,” Dr. Patterson was talking again. “She’s going to be taking care of you for now.”
Alex shook his head. “I don’t understand.”
Dr. Patterson looked away for a moment before his eyes returned to Alex. “When your father died, he’d cut Rachel out of the will completely, leaving everything to you, Alex. But when you were reported missing, the estate was then returned to Rachel. The board would like to see you resume the position that your father held, but with your new condition, that may take time…” Dr. Patterson looked away again.
Alex was surprised Rachel had been removed from the will. The tramp had finally got what she deserved, but Alex didn’t understand why he couldn’t take over now. “I can’t be in charge because I have nightmares and night sweats?”
Sarah turned her head away from him then. Alex was left with no eyes to meet. Dr. Patterson eventually turned back to him. “No. You can’t be in charge because of what happened after you heard the news about your father.”
