Vacation with my Stepbrother: A Forbidden Stepbrother Romance Read Free Page A

this. Danny has been here for two minutes and you’re already starting to argue. I want to have a nice dinner tonight so you guys better figure out a way to get along. Plus, Don and I have surprises for both of you.”
    A surprise?
    “What is it, Mom?” I asked.
    My mom smiled and said, “I’ll tell you guys what it is during dinner. So be patient.”
    The knot in my stomach untied and the feeling was replaced with one of excitement. I had no clue what my mother was going to surprise us with and my mind began to turn with all of the possibilities.
    “Come over here and sit down next to me, Nikki,” Danny said, shaking me from my daydreaming.
    I didn’t budge, though. I stayed standing in the doorway as I glared at him. The shiny emblems on the front of his uniform reflected the sunlight as it came in through the window. Once again, I noticed that his shoulders were much broader than they were before he had left for boot camp. It seemed that the muscles in his neck and arms were bigger as well. If his personality hadn’t been exactly the same, I might have even said that he was becoming a man. But I’d never let those words escape my lips. Ever.
    “Seriously, come sit over here,” he commanded. “Don’t be such a little brat.”
    He knew exactly what to say to get my blood boiling. He loved getting a rise out of me more than anything. It had been his passion for his entire life and I guess I shouldn’t have been too surprised that just a few months in Marine boot camp hadn’t changed that.
    “Come on, sweet pea,” he said, sarcastically. “Sit next to me. Now .”
    Danny whistled at me like he was calling a dog. Then he started to pat his leg.
    “Come on, girl,” he continued. “Come here.”
    My heart beat faster in my chest and I began to see red. I wanted so badly to just walk up to him and slap him across the face, something that I hadn’t ever had the guts to do before. But I didn’t. I just stood there glaring at him in silence, letting him get it out of his system. Finally, Don made him stop.
    “Goddammit, Danny,” he said. “Shut the hell up. Play nice.”
    Danny just leaned his head back and laughed. Then he reached up and ran his fingers through his thick brown hair.
    “Sorry, pops,” he said. “I’ve just missed my little sissy wissy so much.”
    “Nikki, go sit down at the table,” my mom interrupted. “Dinner is almost ready.”
    I drew in a long, deep breath and then walked over to the table. I sat across from Danny and sighed. “Danny, I thought the Marines would have changed you for the better.”
    He just smiled and leaned forward, bringing his elbows to the table. He kept his eyes locked with mine. I noticed there was a bit of stubble on his cheeks, which I hadn’t seen before. His jawline looked more defined than it used to and the muscles in his neck seemed to flex as he gazed at me.
    Well he has definitely changed physically.
    He looked more masculine and grown up than I remembered. Any baby fat that had been on his face was gone and there was sternness in his look that I hadn’t seen before. And as I sat across from him, with anger pumping through my veins, I began to feel something that I hadn’t ever felt toward him in my life. It took me a minute to pinpoint what it was, because it was so foreign. But as Danny looked me in the eyes and I looked back, I felt the tiniest tingle of attraction fill my body. It wasn’t anything overwhelming. Just a similar sensation that I’d experienced before when meeting a cute guy for the first time.
    What the hell?
    The sensation caused the logical side of my mind to kick in and as soon as it did, I felt my stomach wretch. If it hadn’t been for my entire family there, I probably could have thrown up.
    Gross. Did I really just feel a bit of attraction toward this rotten bastard sitting across from me?
    A shiver shot up my spine and I shook my head, trying to get the feeling to go away. Luckily, my mom and Don approached the table