Total pages in book: 33
Estimated words: 31052 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 155(@200wpm)___ 124(@250wpm)___ 104(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 31052 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 155(@200wpm)___ 124(@250wpm)___ 104(@300wpm)
My mom married Nick Bradley’s dad years ago, and it was a happy union. Our families merged, and I went from being an only child to having a handsome older brother. Of course, Nick never paid attention to me. Why would he? I was nothing but an annoying little girl who trailed after him with puppy dog eyes.
Still, something changed along the way...
I lost the glasses, took off the braces, and most of all, developed curves!
Even better, the night I turned eighteen, who showed up at my birthday party but my handsome older brother? Nick was gorgeous with broad shoulders, piercing blue eyes, and a smirk on that mobile mouth that made me want to slap him and kiss him at once.
But the unexpected happened …
… because I left the party pregnant with his child!
I’ve wanted the Kristie since she was nothing but jailbait. It’s f*cked up and wrong because we’re technically family. So I did everything in my power to get her out of my I moved away, I slept with other chicks, and even got into a serious relationship with another woman. But Kristie’s deep under my skin, and after all these years, I’m still obsessed. What she doesn’t realize is that obsession burns bright ... and now that she’s had my child, I’m claiming her and the baby as MINE.
Call 9-1-1! This is a tale of forbidden romance between two people who absolutely, positively shouldn’t. Their liaison is taboo, and Nick and Kristie spend every ounce of their energy trying to fight the attraction... to no avail of course 😊 Steam? Spice? Scorching heat that burns up the sheets? Yes, and with a secret baby in the mix too! This story is a follow-up to The Brat and the Bodyguard, but my stories are standalones and can be read in any order. HEA guaranteed
*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************
1
Kristie
Igaze at my half-sister fondly. Milly has always been the cutest thing, even if she’s nineteen now. She’s blonde and curvy, with an upturned nose and a wide smile. I still remember when that smile had a big gap in the front because she got into a fight with one of the mean girls at school. Evidently, Veronica Janjigian was taunting a young man with Down’s syndrome, and Milly wasn’t having it. My eleven-year-old half-sister threw herself at the teenage girl, resulting in a defensive punch to the face by Veronica’s boyfriend.
But Milly didn’t give up! My half-sister morphed into a frenzied sprite, and threw herself aft the hulking young man, uncaring that he had seventy pounds on her. Her fists were flying as she screamed a warrior-like, “Hi-YAH!” Then, said football star was on the ground, clutching his nose as blood streamed down the front of his jersey.
But my sister’s fierce show of bravery came with a price. First, the Down’s syndrome boy didn’t understand anything that had happened, and went into hysterics, resulting in an ambulance being called and sedatives administered. Plus, Milly’s two front teeth lay scattered on the ground. Yes, the football star knocked out an eleven-year-old’s teeth, and our dad was livid when he found out.
But all’s well that ends well. No charges were pressed, although the athlete was benched for the remainder of the season. Milly had bridges installed, and soon, her smile was as good as new. Best of all, the young man with Down’s syndrome become my half-sister’s new buddy. They were inseparable for years, until Freddie died recently of pneumonia-related causes.
My half-sister was inconsolable after his death.
“Freddie needed me,” Milly whispered, her cheeks pale and eyes oddly dry at the wake. “What will I do now?”
“Freddie’s in a better place,” I whispered back, squeezing her hand. “He’s safe, and he loves you, Mills. He’s looking down at you from heaven and smiling. You’ll be fine.”
My words were true too because after Freddie’s death, Milly became close with Freddie’s older brother, Ryan. They fell in love, in fact, and Ryan says he “knew” Milly was the one because of my sister’s steadfast devotion to his younger brother. No one outside of their family had ever taken much interest in the boy with Down’s syndrome, and her care and concern were proof of her good heart and kind nature.
By contrast, Milly says that she knew Ryan was the one when he programmed a special video game for Freddie to play which was a combination of Pac-Man and Donkey Kong. The two kids are disgustingly in love and announced their engagement a few months ago.
“Are you sure?” I asked slowly when Milly told me. “I know you’ve known Ryan for a long time, but you haven’t dated for long. Maybe three months?”
Milly laughed.
“We’ve only been dating two months, Kris, but when you know, you know! Ryan loves me so much, and I love him too. Besides, we want to get married young to start a family asap. We miss Freddie, and having a baby will help fill the gap in our hearts.”
I paused because there are a million things to say in response to a statement like that. But then I reminded myself that my half-sister is a grown woman now. Sure, Mills is funny, flighty, and fancy-free, but she’s also smart, intelligent, and a legal adult. She can make her own decisions, and it wasn’t my place to say anything about her decision to tie the knot.
“Okay,” I murmured. “I like Ryan, too. I mean, I’ve only met him a few times, but he seems wonderful.”
“He is wonderful!” Millie exclaimed over my phone screen, blonde curls bobbling. “He takes such good care of me, and I love him to pieces. But we don’t want to wait, so the wedding will be soon, Kris. Say you’ll come back for the ceremony. I want you to come, and you haven’t been back to Austin in so long! I need you here.”
I smiled half-heartedly.
“I’ll try,” I said in a wan voice. “Flights are really expensive, and I don’t know. I want to save money.”
“Oh pfft!” Milly said carelessly, waving one hand in the air. “Ask Nick to pay for a ticket! That guy has money coming out of his ears these days. I hear his investors love him and are going to give him even more stock options. It’s insane.”
About a million thoughts popped into my head at the mention of our older brother, but I merely smiled again.
“Sure, maybe I’ll drop him a line. Anyways, I need to get to my yoga class, so I have to run, Mills. Send me the deets and I’ll check my calendar.”
With one last wave, I clicked off the phone before sitting limply in the silence of my bedroom. My heart rushed and my head pounded, but that always happens at the mere mention of Nick Bradley. Or should I say Dr. Nick Bradley, MD, founder and CEO of a successful medical device company? A wan smile curves the corner of my lips because the truth is that I’ve had a crush on my stepbrother for ages, even though it’s wrong and taboo. It’s a dark secret that I’ve harbored for years, and unfortunately, even a passing mention of my stepbrother still makes the blood rush in my veins as my thighs pull together, an ache forming deep in my belly.