Hurricane Stepbrother Read Free

these years.”
    My heart deflated as he mentioned our relation. I growled at myself in my head, knowing it was incredibly stupid and naïve to have a crush on a man who I’d literally just met for the first time. I didn’t know him at all . I had no reason to feel upset.
    After he loaded his plate, I began filling my own. After I’d gotten at least a small helping of everything, wanting to taste test all my food, I sat down at the table across from Erik. I plucked a napkin from the holder before grabbing my fork and diving in.
    I was nearly moaning at the taste of my roasted chicken when I felt his eyes on me. I looked up, taking in the slow movement of his mouth as he chewed and the highly raised eyebrow.
    “What?”
    He smiled then held up a finger, finishing the food in his mouth before speaking. “Nothing. It’s just… It’s nice to see a woman with a healthy appetite.”
    While I tried my best to take it as a compliment, I couldn’t stop the sarcastic reply from flying out of my mouth.
    “I’m pretty sure that was obvious the moment we met,” I said dryly, motioning down to my curvy frame. “I’m not exactly a supermodel.”
    His eyebrows furrowed together and I could see the helpless look in his eyes, unsure of how to respond to my self-degradation. I looked away, digging back into my plate of food and feigning ignorance, more than willing to pretend this whole thing never happened.
    Way to make things even more awkward, Kristen.
    Eventually, Erik returned to his meal in silence but every now and then, I could feel him watching me. I was nearly fed up with his scrutiny and about to snap at him when the sound of his chair pushing back hit my ears. A moment of panic hit me when I considered the fact that he might just go hibernate in the guest room for the rest of the evening.
    The idea of that freaked me out. Because the sun was starting to go down and I could hear the wind and rain picking up as the storm got closer. I really didn’t want to be left alone if I had another option.
    Storms scared me enough as it was. Storms at night freaked me out even more.
    “Do you want to play a board game?” I blurted out, then slapped my palm against my forehead.
    What the fuck is wrong with me?
    Erik’s eyes widened with surprise, but his smile was genuine as he asked, “A board game? Are you serious?”
    “Uh… I mean, we could do something else. Just- Just don’t go?”
    Erik’s eyes softened and he turned away, rinsing his plate in the sink before moving to stick it in the dishwater. “You’re really afraid of storms, huh?”
    “Only the really bad ones,” I said quietly.
    “Is this one supposed to be bad?”
    I nodded as he turned back to face me. “Last I heard it had strengthened to a category three.”
    “Thankfully we’re pretty far inland. At least we won’t get flooded.”
    “We shouldn’t. But that doesn’t mean we won’t,” I noted, unable to keep the fear from my voice. “But let’s not even talk about it.”
    “Right, new subject. So,” he started with a grin as he leaned back against the counter and folded his strong arms across his chest. “What kind of board games do you have?”
    ~*~*~
    I couldn’t even begin to describe how lame I felt as I scanned through the stack of board games in the top of my closet, Erik standing directly behind me as I did so. It was strange in many ways, primarily because this was the first time I ever had a guy in my bedroom without either my mom or Gerald being home and insisting the door be left open.
    I glanced back to look at Erik, noting how his eyes were completely focused on the titles of board games and not sweeping over the contents my room like he did with the rest of the house. I wondered if he felt like it was an invasion of privacy to do so. Regardless of his reasoning, I was grateful.
    “I don’t remember the last time I played a board game.”
    “For a while, we had a designated board game night. Once a week, the three of us