Hitched: A Stepbrother Honeymoon Romance Read Free

ironic. There are hundreds and thousands of girls out there who fantasize about waking up in Travis Carter’s arms, and all I’m trying to do is get out of them.
    I go slow and steady again, pulling my hand out from under my stepbrother’s massive, tree-trunk bicep. It feels a little bit like my hand is caught on something, but once I get my wrist free, the rest of the hand slides out much easier. With one last long, smooth yank, I pull my hand free and get ready to sneak out of the room as silently as I can.
    Until I see what’s on my hand.
    It’s a gold ring. With a big, fat diamond on it.
    At the sight of the ring, I lose my composure and scream just a little too loud. I clamp my hand over my mouth and try not to move, but it’s too late: Travis is stirring awake. In a few seconds, he’s going to open his eyes, and then he's going to figure out what happened.
    I didn’t just sleep with Travis last night. I married him.

Chapter 4: Laney
     
    Ten Hours Earlier
     
    “She’s just so…” I can’t think of a word awful enough to finish my sentence, so I finish my drink instead. Then, when the waitress comes by our table, I order another round of drinks. They’re free, thanks to Travis, and they’re strong as hell. Just what I need to put that terrible party behind me.
    “She was trying to get me to quit my job and work at a tabloid! She practically called my boss and gave her notice!”
    “If you think that’s bad, try actually being related to her. Trust me, it gets so much fucking worse.”
    “Okay, but you don’t get to complain. You’re…” I gesture towards Travis’ body, and Travis smirks, “…you. You’re more famous than her. You have more money than her. If she tries to give you crap, you can just……go be on TV or something. Meanwhile, I have to live with her because my stupid content assistant internship barely pays me, which means I have to deal with her talking down to me and leaving brochures for fingernail implants on my bed.”
    Travis laughs. “Does she actually do that?”
    I nod. “She thinks my perfectly normal fingernails are holding me back.”
    Our waitress comes back with a tray covered in cocktails, margaritas, and fancy shots. “I got you a little bit of everything.” She winks at Travis as she leaves, and I roll my eyes.
    Travis looks at me and grins. “Jealous?”
    “Ew. No. Go pull her panties down and bend her over a craps table for all I care.”
    Travis laughs a little and raises his eyebrows. “That’s pretty specific, Laney. You haven’t been thinking about that, have you?”
    “In your dreams.” I feel my face start to turn a little pink, so I grab the nearest margarita like it’s a life preserver and take a drink. Just like the other drinks, it's sweet and strong, leaving a powerful burn in the back of my throat with every sip.
    Travis breaks the silence. “Your fingernails are fine, by the way.”
    “Yeah, I know. It just pisses me off that I’m economically dependent on someone who thinks they’re not.”
    “You could always live with me.”
    A shudder runs down my spine. Living with Travis was bad enough when we were younger, I couldn’t imagine what it would be like now. Him bringing home supermodels while I’m stuck on the couch…
    I shake my head. “Thanks, but I want to pay my own way out. All I need to do is to get my boss to hire me full time.”
    Travis shrugs. “Does she know you have two celebrities in the family?”
    “Yeah, and that’s why I think she’ll hire me if I give her a reason. But I don’t want some random desk job; I want to be a reporter. And that means I need to bring her a story. Something juicy.”
    “Juicy, huh?”
    “Yeah. Something big.”
    Travis smirks, pulling a brochure out from one of the martini glasses on our table. When I see what’s written on it, my eyes get huge.
    Win a trip to Royal Shores.
    The Royal Shores. The most exclusive resort hotel in Hawaii. So exclusive, they run background checks