Vacation with my Stepbrother: A Forbidden Stepbrother Romance Read Free

lips up and exposed my teeth. With thoughts of Danny on my mind, it took all of my energy to even do that. My mom chuckled as she shook her head and rolled her eyes. Then she went back to helping Don cook. I let the fake smile fade and then took another sip from my water.
    The minutes ticked by slowly as we awaited Danny’s arrival. Each second that passed caused the tension inside of me to increase and I felt like I was about to explode. Suddenly, though, I heard the rumbling sound of a loud engine from outside of the kitchen window. My eyes widened and I sat up straight in my chair. The sound got louder as the machine turned onto our street, nearing our house. It was Danny and I knew it immediately. His motorcycle created a noise that I could have recognized anywhere. It sounded like a gun going off with every turn of the engine.
    “Sounds like my boy is here,” Don said, smiling wide with delight.
    The engine roared outside in the driveway and I could feel the vibration from it underneath my feet. A moment later the sound stopped, bringing peace back to the neighborhood. My mom and Don walked toward the front of the house and I got up, hesitantly following them.
    Before we could even get all the way there, though, the front door flew open. And there he was. Danny, his green eyes glowing as he stood there in the entryway with his crooked smile. My blood began to boil the moment I laid eyes on him. It was a familiar feeling that I had grown accustomed to after many years of living with him.
    “Danny!” Don called out proudly. “There’s my Marine!”
    Danny had a backpack over his shoulder as he stepped inside. He was wearing his formal blue Marine uniform. He was a bit more muscular and his haircut had changed, but other than that, he appeared to be the same old Danny. I stood in the background, watching my Mom and Don exchange hugs with him. After a few seconds, Danny brought his gaze toward me and I saw his eyes gleam.
    “Oh hey, what’s up Goldie Lox?” he asked, sarcastically. “Are you too cool to come say hi to your older brother?”
    My eyes squinted as I looked at him. I hated when he called me “Goldie Lox”.
    “I was going to say hi as soon as you changed out of that uniform,” I responded. “I know you’re just wearing it to look cool. But it kind of makes you seem like a tool when you show off like that. Just thought you should know.”
    Danny shook his head and then set his backpack down on the floor. Then he walked toward me with a cocky gait.
    “You know, sis, if I didn’t know better...” he said quietly, as he approached me.
    Then in mid-sentence he reached up and grabbed a handful of my hair, gently pulling down on it.
    “I’d think you liked me,” he whispered into my ear.
    Then he released my hair and walked away, making his way into the kitchen.
    “Steaks!” he shouted with excitement. “God, I’ve been craving steak for weeks. In boot camp all we got was prison food.”
    So there was Danny in a nutshell. I hadn’t seen him in over a year and the first thing that he did was pull on my hair and say something sarcastic to me. It pretty much summed up our relationship. But I wasn’t going to put up with that stuff any more. I had grown a lot over the previous year in college and I was done taking his crap.
    “You’re such an asshole, Danny,” I said, as I stood in the entryway of the kitchen and crossed my arms.
    He completely ignored me, though. He just walked over and sat at the kitchen table, reaching his arms up and placing his hands behind his head. His cocky smile was on his face as he kicked his feet up onto the table.
    “Nikki, you haven’t changed a bit,” he said, after a moment of contemplation. “You’re still an annoying little shit. And what have you been doing for the past year anyway? College life? I’m sure that’s tough.”
    I opened my mouth to respond, but as soon as I did, my mom stepped into the kitchen.
    “Okay, kids,” she said. “Enough of