Vacation with my Stepbrother: A Forbidden Stepbrother Romance (7 page)

“Attn: Daniel J. Harrison

This letter is to inform you that your unit will be deployed to Iraq on July 1
^st
. You will be serving a minimum of a three-month tour with a maximum of twelve months...”

The words continued on, but I had read everything that I needed to. A lump built in my throat and my stomach turned. Danny was being sent to war. He had lied to me on the plane when he told me that he didn’t know whether or not he would be going. But I wasn’t upset that he had lied. I assumed he had done so to keep me from worrying. What had me feeling sick to my stomach was that a family member of mine was going to be thousands of miles away, getting shot at and risking his life. I mean I knew that was a possibility when he had first joined the Marines, but I never imagined it would actually come true. For the first time in my entire life I began to feel something for my stepbrother that I hadn’t experienced before: genuine concern. Maybe it was my female instincts or something, but I started to become worried for him. Sure, Danny was tough and arrogant, but that wouldn’t protect him from a bullet. In fact, I figured those attributes would likely end up putting him in harms way.

This is not good. I don’t want him to leave.

I couldn’t believe how I was beginning to feel about him. It was shocking that I didn’t want him to go. A few months before and I would have just shrugged and said “Whatever. He’ll be fine.” I didn’t feel that way any more, though. The day of travel with him had given me a new perspective. Danny was now a respectable, genuine and honest man. The thought of losing him made me feel sick.

“Dammit,” I whispered, as I fixed the suitcase to make it look untouched. “I wonder if he’s told our parents.”

Suddenly, I heard the front door of the cottage open up. I quickly turned around and ran out of the room, flicking the light off on the way out. Then I walked down the hallway and turned into the living room, where I saw Danny standing in the doorway. He had a light blue dress shirt on and grey slacks. In his hand, was a small bottle of what looked like expensive tequila. He lifted his gaze as soon as I stepped into the room.

“Oh, hey, the princess is awake,” he said, with a wide smile. “I tried waking you up to go out, but you wouldn’t budge.”

It was obvious that he had a bit of a buzz, but it seemed like he was in a good mood. I hadn’t seen him dressed up like that before and I had to admit that he looked pretty cute. His hair was combed back and he had cleaned up the stubble on his face, leaving just enough to give him a rugged appearance.

“Yeah, I guess I was tired from the day,” I responded. “I think I’m finally over the motorcycle chase we had earlier, though.”

Danny laughed and then stepped the rest of the way into the cottage, closing the front door behind him. “Grab two glasses from the kitchen. You’re going to help me finish this bottle. Then we’re going back out. I found a really great bar that’s near the beach. You’re going to love it.”

A sinking feeling filled my heart as I listened to him. The man standing in front of me would be going off to war soon. A part of me wanted to tell him that I had snooped through his suitcase and that I knew all about his deployment. I needed to talk to him about it. I wanted to feel okay with it. But I decided that it would be best for us to have a few drinks and then go out and have some fun before I bring up such a heavy topic. So I turned and went to the kitchen, returning with two shot glasses.

“Shots?” I asked.

Danny just nodded as he pulled the cork out of the bottle. Then he sat down on the sofa, motioning for me to sit next to him. I walked over and set the glasses down on the coffee table and took a seat. Danny poured the shots and then handed me one.

“Say a cheers, Nikki,” he said.

“I don’t really know any,” I responded. “You say one.”

Danny shook his head and playfully shot back, “Just make one up. I’ll do the next one.”

I rolled my eyes as I held the tequila in my hand, trying to think of something to cheers to. There was so much on my mind, between Danny’s deployment and the motorcycle chase from earlier in the day. I had a hard time thinking of anything positive. Finally, though, I let the words flow out of my mouth.

“Okay,” I said. “Here’s to this vacation with my stepbrother, where I’ve learned more about him in one day than I had in my entire life.”

Danny’s eyes met mine and his expression softened. Then he nodded with approval and clinked his glass against mine.

“I like that,” he said. “It’s perfect.”

Then we both lifted the glasses to our lips. We tipped our heads back and let the fiery liquid flow across our tongues and to the back of our throat. It burned, but not as bad as I was expecting. Apparently good tequila is a lot easier to drink than the stuff that I was used to enjoying at frat parties.

“That was actually kind of good,” I commented, as I put the glass back on the table.

Danny set his down as well and then began to pour another.

“Another?” I asked. “You’re crazy.”

He just shrugged and said, “Hey, it’s our first night on vacation. We’ve already skinny-dipped. We might as well get a little drunk and go have some fun. Seems like the proper thing to do.”

He was right. If there was ever a time to cut loose and be free, it was right then. There were no parents, no teachers, no authority whatsoever. We were completely free to let it all go and have some fun. And fun was exactly what I needed after a day like that.

“Alright,” I said, as I grabbed the freshly filled shot glass. “Your turn. You do the cheers this time.”

Danny cleared his throat and looked up to the ceiling. The gears were turning behind his eyes for a few seconds. Then he brought his gaze back to me.

“Here’s to you, Nikki,” he finally said. “Here’s to you, for putting up with all of my shit for so many years. The fact that you’re willing to sit next to me right now says so much about who you are as a person. You have a kind of patience and forgiveness inside of you that has to be rare. I’ve been a real jerk over the years and yet, you still seem to always give me a second chance. So, thank you.”

My jaw dropped to the floor as I watched him speak the words. Never in his life had he said something so kind and genuine. I started to wonder just what kind of tequila we were drinking. It was acting more like a truth serum than alcohol. An even more unique side of Danny was becoming exposed.

“Wait, did you just...thank me?” I asked.

I had to get the affirmation, or else I wouldn’t have believed it. Danny nodded and then reached his hand forward, bringing his glass to mine.

“Thank you,” he repeated.

Then he took the shot. I watched him in silence for a bit, still shocked by what he had said. He was so different. I couldn’t even look at him as the same person that I used to know. After a moment, I took the shot, this one burning much less than the first one. I started to feel the alcohol fill my blood, and a warm sensation coursed through my body. The buzz was kicking in.

“You sure have a way of surprising me,” I said, as I set the glass back on the table. “I feel like this is the first time you’ve ever shown me who you really are.”

Danny began pouring another shot for us. “I’ve just had a few humbling experiences lately. The motorcycle thing earlier was definitely one of them, but that’s not all. I guess joining the Marines caused me to grow up. When I first got back, I tried really hard to be the same Danny that you used to know. That’s why I pulled your hair and gave you crap when I first walked in the door. I wanted things to feel like normal. I wanted everything to be the same as it always has been. But it’s not any more, Nikki. Things just aren’t the same. I’ve changed, you’ve changed and even our parents have changed. But I think I’ve changed more than anybody.”

He let out a long sigh and then sat back on the couch. I looked him over, noticing how the top button of his shirt was undone. His muscular, tattooed chest was exposed and I couldn’t help but sneak a glance before bringing my eyes back up to his.

“I guess you’re right,” I responded. “We’ve all changed. Maybe we’ve all grown up over the past year.”

Danny nodded as he stared at me. Then I watched his eyes slowly moved down to my chest and then back up.

“Yeah,” he agreed. “I’d say we’ve all grown up.”

The sexual tension in the air was obvious. It might have been the tequila that was triggering it. I wasn’t sure. All I knew was that I could feel it. It was like an invisible pull, drawing my energy toward him. I found myself scooting a bit closer. Our thighs weren’t more than an inch apart. The heat from our bodies collided. I wanted so badly to lean into him, kiss him, taste him. It was wrong, of course. But I was starting to care less and less about that. I wanted to feel him like I had in my dreams. I wanted to see
that
side of Danny, too.

Our eyes were locked and I began to lean toward him. The invisible force had complete control over me. The attraction between us was like a magnet, electrified and powerful, causing my body to move toward his without the approval of my mind. When our faces got near, the strength of the magnet increased. My lips hovered in front of his, and his green eyes gleamed in the light of the living room.

Just one kiss. That’s all. Just a kiss.

Again, it may have been the tequila talking. Or maybe it was simply the truth finally coming out. I wanted him. I wanted him badly. I guess the tequila finally exposed that. And judging by the fact that Danny had done nothing to stop me from getting close to him, I had to assume that he felt the same way.

Just a single kiss, that’s all.

Danny brought his face toward mine. Our lips grazed each other’s, just
barely
touching. It sent a tingle through my body and caused the desire between my legs to increase substantially. Then he did it again. Softly kissing me, just enough so that our lips delicately touched. Then he pulled away, leaving me wanting more.

This is insane.

But I couldn’t stop. I reached my hand to his face, feeling his stubble underneath my fingertips. Then I pulled him close, pressing my lips firmly against his. I moaned softly as we kissed and then I instantly pulled away. The logical side of my mind suddenly kicked in.

“Oh, God,” I said, shaking my head. “Oh, no.”

Danny smirked softly. “It’s okay. It’s fine.”

It wasn’t fine! Sure, it felt amazing. But nothing was fine. I had just kissed my own stepbrother.

“Danny,” I responded. “That didn’t just happen, right? Please tell me that didn’t just happen.”

Danny brought his hand to my knee and then sat up on the couch. Then he turned to face me. “Nikki, it’s okay. It felt right. There’s no harm in it. If something feels right, then it usually is.”

“No, no way, that’s just not right,” I said. “I mean it
did feel
right. But we can’t. That’s just...no way. It’s not a good idea.”

My feelings about the situation continued going back and forth. The kiss felt amazing, but it was so wrong. Sure, Danny wasn’t my
real
brother, as far as blood relation anyway. But he was my brother in every other sense of the word. We had watched each other grow up under the same roof. We had been to the same schools, the same church and had Thanksgiving dinners at the same table. We were family. But as much as I told myself all of these things, I still felt compelled to kiss him again.

“Danny,” I whispered. “No. This is bad.”

He nodded slowly. “It is bad...in a way. But who cares?. We’re not kids any more, Nikki. We’re grown adults who can make our own decisions.”

“You don’t think it’s weird?” I asked.

“I just don’t know what to think,” he responded. “All I know is that the kiss we just shared felt really natural. Neither of us tried to force that. It just happened and it felt right. I won’t deny that it’s a little strange, because I do see you as my sister. But the truth is that you and I aren’t
actually
related. So what’s really wrong with it?”

Dammit, Danny. Stop talking. You’re always so good at turning situations around to put them in a better light.

“Give me that other shot,” I commanded. “Let’s just forget about all of this for now. We can talk about it later.”

Danny did as I asked and handed me the shot of tequila. We clinked our glasses together, but skipped the cheers. I tipped the glass back, letting the liquid slid down my throat. My buzz began to increase almost immediately. I was still in total shock about what had happened.

“Come on,” I said. “Let’s go out to that bar you were talking about. I want to have some fun.”

Danny smiled and then stood up from the couch. He seemed completely at ease about the whole kissing thing. It was like it didn’t bother him in the least.

“Okay,” he responded, as he grabbed my hand and helped me up from the couch. “Let’s go.”

––––––––

B
efore leaving the cottage, I had slipped on my short black dress. It would be my first night going out while in Costa Rica and I wanted to look nice. We decided to walk to the bar, which was a good thing. The few shots of tequila that we had taken were starting to kick in and driving was definitely not an option. Danny said that the walk was short anyway. We just needed to take the same trail to the beach that we had earlier, and then follow the shoreline a little ways. The bar sat right on the beach.

“Should we talk about what just happened?” Danny said, as we peaked the hill behind our cottage.

I wasn’t sure how to respond to that. I could have spilled my guts right there and told him everything. I could have told him that the kiss we had shared was just the tip of the iceberg of what I really wanted from him. But I decided not to mention that.

“Let’s just leave it alone for now,” I said. “We can talk about it later. I just want to have some fun tonight.”

Danny didn’t say anything else. He just walked next to me in silence. The moon was out, illuminating our way. After fifteen minutes of walking along the water’s edge, the sound of music began to fill the air. I lifted my gaze, noticing a small building just fifty feet away from the ocean. It was completely lit up, with Christmas lights strung around the outside patio. People surrounded it, all of them casually dressed in shorts and swimsuits. My eyes lit up and I started walking a bit faster.