Stepbrother Romance: My Alpha Cowboy Stepbrother (Stepbrother Romance, Taboo, Forbidden, Stepsister, New Adult, Western Romance, Cowboy Romance) Read Free

brother, Edward.”
    I turned in my chair to see Edward approaching. It was the rider! It had been him in the paddock today. I felt the blood rise to my face and my breath shorten. I froze, like a deer in the headlights, as he sat down beside me.
    “Edward,” he introduced himself, offering a hand.
    With an effort of will, I managed a smile and took the hand. “Sandra,” I replied, more coyly than I had meant to.
    He was even more handsome up close, and his loose cotton shirt hung well on his square-shouldered frame. Noting my gaze he smiled, and flicked a strand of his dark locks away from his face. Quickly, I looked away and down at my glass of wine, in an attempt to hide my flushed cheeks.
    “Edward! Are those your riding boots I saw you wearing when you came in?” scolded the Aunt. “Mud and all, no doubt. Dinner is still a formal occasion young man, you know that.”
    “Don't you trouble yourself, Nan, it's not the Fifties anymore,” replied Edward, winking at the old woman.
    Mildred scowled at him, but remained silent.
    Soon the chef arrived, pushing a silver trolley carefully ahead of him.  My embarrassment was quickly forgotten, as the chef began placing platters of food on the table before us. Venison and grill-roasted vegetables. My mouth watered as I was passed a plate of the steaming food, and my stomach urgently reminded me that I had missed lunch
    The food on my laden plate was only half-consumed by the time I realized I could eat no more. I leaned back in my chair, feeling full. I noticed  Mildred glance at me disapprovingly, as she carefully raised a tiny slice of venison to her thin lips. Across the table Henry and my mother had also finished eating and were talking, though I was too lost in thought to follow their words. I took a sip of wine and watch the candles as they burned, thinking back again to the events earlier that day.
    “So you liked my riding then?” asked Edward, a smile touched the corner of his lips, his eyes challenging me playfully.
    I froze, shocked, looking down at my food to hide my burning cheeks. How did he know? Maybe he had seen my sunglasses sparkling in the light, but he can't have seen what I was doing, I told myself, heart racing. I glanced around the table. No one seemed to be paying us any attention. The table was large, and thankfully Edward had spoken softly. I felt his eyes on me. It had probably only been a moment since he spoke, but it felt like an age.
    I took sip of my wine, to wet my suddenly-dry mouth.
    “You ride very well, Edward,” I managed, absently playing with the crystalline stem of the wineglass.
    He leaned closer. “I could teach you, if you like...”
    His eye met mine. I smiled, shyly.
    “Sure,” I replied, my confidence returning. “I rode a bit when I was a girl, but not for years now.”
    We made small-talk for the rest of the meal, punctuated by stolen, secret moments. A glance, a leg touching mine. Both of us aware of the occasional malignant gaze from the Aunt.
    Perhaps the heightened danger had affected me, as it took some time for me to sleep that night. The air was still, and hot. I lay naked on the silken sheets, imagining a world of forbidden pleasures.

IV
     
    I was awoken the next day by a firm breeze whipping the drapes to the balcony aside, blasting rays of blinding sunshine across the room. The wind felt cool across my naked back. I rolled over and squinted at the clock – already mid-morning! Groggily, I pulled myself out of bed. Outside I heard a horse whinny, distant hooves pummeled the turf. I crossed the polished floorboards to the balcony. Wrapping the drapes across my breasts, and shielding my eyes from the sun with one hand, I looked out across the paddock.
    Edward stood astride his dark horse, it whinnied and reared its hooves. I smiled. He had been waiting for me to appear. I turned, and let the drapes drop as I walked away, rewarding his display with a brief, but distant, flash of my rear. 
    I smiled,