Someone Like You Read Free

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    â€œYeah, this is it,” Pierce sighed. “Go ahead. The driveway’s about a quarter of a mile through the trees, but then it opens up to the property.”
    The driver edged up the dirt road and along the seemingly endless driveway.
    â€œYou won’t be able to miss the mansion,” Pierce said, “but that’s not where you’re taking me. A little farther along is a smaller guesthouse. That’s where I’m going.”
    â€œNo problem, sir.”
    Pierce sat back again and stared out the windows. Home again. He scowled. When he’d left Long Island immediately after graduating high school, he’d gone as far as he could, and where the real soccer action was: out of the United States. He’d headed for England first, since at least he spoke the language, figuring he’d try there before going to Europe. He was lucky. After a few tryouts, he’d gotten onto a decent second-tier football team, and the rest was history.
    The day he escaped Long Island, he’d sworn he’d never come back. Yet here he was, practically with his tail between his legs. Damn.
    There it was, the whole lavish compound, a ridiculous amount of land for one family to call home. The mansion was set back on the ornately landscaped Harrison estate, where he had been raised with his three siblings. He’d never been close with his two older brothers. Part of it was the age gap—Charles III was eight and a half years older than him, and Dane more than six. Pierce had always known they saw their much younger brother as a nuisance to be tolerated. Tess, the only girl, his sweet sister whom he adored, was only four years older than him, and had always, always been there for him. She was the only Harrison Pierce truly felt any kinship with.
    His parents? A joke. His self-absorbed, wayward mother had left to travel the world when he was six years old, after their father threw her out. And his father . . . Pierce’s tumultuous relationship with Charles Roger Harrison II wasn’t a secret. Some of their nastier fights had been the stuff of family legend.
    He swallowed hard, both amazed and infuriated at how the very thought of his clan still could reduce him to feeling like an unwanted, frustrated child. He reminded himself he was thirty-one now, not a kid, but a grown man. A strong, successful man, one with some power of his own. Power that had nothing to do with the Harrison name, legacy, or funds—just his own skills and talent with a soccer ball.
    But God bless his sister. Tess always welcomed him back with open arms, no matter what he did. He was grateful for that unconditional love and acceptance, now more than ever. The car came to a stop in front of the guesthouse that no longer housed guests, but Tess herself since she broke off her engagement three years ago.
    Pierce helped the driver take his duffel bag and two suitcases out of the trunk, tipped him generously, and then watched as he drove away. Tess’s car was in the driveway. Taking a deep, calming breath, he rang his sister’s doorbell.

Chapter Two
    â€œPierce!” Tess threw herself into her younger brother’s arms with a yelp of astonished joy. “Oh my God, what are you doing here? What a fabulous surprise!”
    Her long mane of dark curls tickled his forearms as he returned her warm embrace and kissed the top of her head. “Hey, Tessie.”
    She pulled back and gave him a quick once-over. “It’s so good to see you.”
    â€œGood to see you, too.” In fact, he hadn’t been so glad to see anyone in a long time. Affection flowed through him as sweet as honey, and he couldn’t keep his smile from spreading. “You have no idea.”
    As if suddenly remembering, her smile turned down and her brows puckered. “Yeah . . . you’ve had a hell of a few weeks, huh.”
    His smile faded. “The worst,” he murmured. He gestured toward the luggage on the ground