Gripped: A Stepbrother Romance (Bonus Story: Stepbrother Forbidden) Read Free Page B

were already gone. She only had a few weeks left, but she was still alive, still capable of saying a few things when she had a bit of energy. And as if Reid felt upset about the same thing too, he changed the topic to something else that was equally uncomfortable.
    “So when are you getting married?”
    I took some time to respond. “Three weeks from now.”
    He came to an abrupt halt and I turned to face him.
    “That’s pretty soon, Mac. How long have you even known this guy?”
    I scowled. “What’s wrong with you? This is the second time you’re criticizing my choices when you haven’t even met my fi—Tom.”
    He folded his arms, the soft material of his light-grey hoodie stretching taut over his muscular arms. His forearms were exposed and it was a fight to drag my eyes away from them to meet his face. Having feelings for your stepbrother was bad enough. Having a forearm fetish especially for your own stepbrother’s forearms was just downright ridiculous.
    “That’s because you always make terrible choices,” he said, eyeing me with condescension. What bugged me in that moment was not how he looked at me, but the way my whole body seemed to sizzle with awareness. Only Reid ever made me feel like this, even when he was being a giant, arrogant ass . After years of being apart, he was finally here with me again, arguing with me like always, like if he’d never left.
    My fingers ached to touch him. I curled them in tight against my palms inside my jacket pockets. This was neither the time nor place. There would never be the time or place to touch him the way I’ve always wanted to.
    “You can drop the overprotective brother shtick now,” I said in bored tones. “And I especially don’t need relationship advice from you, Mr. Avoids Commitment Like the Plague.”
    He shrugged. “I see no problem with fucking someone and then forgetting about them.”
    “Wow,” I said, shaking my head. “That’s pretty crass. And more than a little disappointing.”
    “Life is pretty crass and disappointing, sis.”
    “You’ve become bitter,” I said.
    He dropped his hands to his sides and stepped closer, towering over me, blatantly crowding my personal space. This was new and strange and terrifying. Reid had never been this close to me willingly. More often than not, he sought ways to be as far away from me as possible. Case in point: leaving home to be a bounty hunter many years ago and never looking back.
    “You’re still naive.” His voice seemed to ghost over my skin and I shivered. “Clueless.”
    Somewhere in the distance, a dog barked and a few birds shot out of the trees, taking flight. The air had dampened, a sign of impending rainfall. Reid’s eyes were as stormy and conflicted as the slowly darkening sky. I wondered if he heard how hard my heart was beating right now.
    The weighty silence between us stretched on. Then his gaze dipped to my lips. My insides squeezed in surprise and anticipation.
    Do it. Kiss me.
    We shouldn’t. He’s my stepbrother.
    I don’t care.
    I don’t care.
    He lifted his hand, reaching for my face.
    I closed my eyes. Held my breath. Waited.
    Yearned for his lips against mine.
    And then my mobile phone rang. The sharp trill of the phone broke that sweet, intense moment between us. Reid retracted from me like if I were fire and he the idiot standing too close to it. Disappointment weighed on my chest like a thick, heavy mass. I retrieved my phone from my pocket.
    I forced a smile. “It’s Tom.”
    “Right.” He gave a quick nod, avoiding my gaze. “Well, you answer that and I’ll get back to my run.”
    He took off without waiting for my response.

 
     
     
     
     
     
    CHAPTER SEVEN
    Reid
     
    I fucked up.
    Nearly fucked up if we wanted to split hairs. Coincidence saved me.
    Maybe Mackenzie’s mobile phone going off at the exact moment I was about to cover her sweet mouth with mine wasn’t a coincidence but a divine hand at work. I wasn’t religious, but I was