Stepbrother Romance Complete Series

by Ava Grace

  “I hope so. Her life was pretty miserable for a long time. Wherever she is, it’s got to be better than here.”

  The sun chose that moment to peek through a cloud and Lydia tilted her head up to the sky. Eyes closed, she stayed like that for a long moment, enjoying the sun on her face.

  “Summer’s nearly here,” I commented.

  She nodded in agreement. “It’s already getting warm.”

  She took her hand out of mine then pulled off her black sweater and placed it on the table beside her. Lydia was a sun worshipper like me. She lived for the warmer months. We used to talk about the places we’d go to when we had the money and were old enough that no one could stop us. We’d go to the beach first. Neither of us had ever seen the ocean and I desperately wanted to see it with her. I wanted to see everything with her.

  “You finish high school in a couple of months,” I pointed out.

  Lydia turned to me and frowned. “Yeah.”

  “I was thinking that maybe we could take a trip together, go to California and see the ocean.”

  She turned to me fully then. “Are you serious? We could do that?”

  “Why not? I’ve got a bit of money saved up. It’s not much, but we could go on a budget. We’d have to take the bus, but…”

  “I wouldn’t care how we got there,” she said, looking more animated than she’d been all day. “It would be an adventure.”

  I nodded. “That’s what I thought. So what do you say?”

  She smiled at me and my chest constricted.

  “I say heck, yeah.”

  God that smile. I could look at it all day long. “It’s settled then.”

  “It’s settled,” she repeated. “We’ll go as soon as I finish high school.”

  “Have you thought about what you’re going to do when you graduate?”

  She lowered her gaze. “Not really. I mean, I have thought about it, but I didn’t come to a decision. My grades are good, but not good enough to get me a scholarship and I couldn’t afford to pay for college on my part time wages so it will have to wait.”

  “What if I tried to help you? You know I’d give you whatever I can to pay—“

  “Stop,” she said, sitting up and meeting my gaze. “I would never ask you to help me.”

  “You didn’t,” I pointed out. “I offered to help.”

  “You know what I mean. Maria said she talked to her husband about me and they’d be willing to offer me a full-time job at the grocery store. Said the job’s mine for as long as I want it.”

  “That’s nice of them,” I said. “But are you sure you want to work there full time?”

  “Not permanently, no. But I thought I could work there for a year or to save up some money to pay for a hair and beauty course.”

  “Is that what you’d like to do?”

  She nodded. “I know I wouldn’t be changing the world or anything, but I think I’d like to cut hair. Would it make you think any less of me? If I didn’t strive for something more than that?”

  Silly girl. How could she even think that?

  “Nothing could ever make me think less of you, Lyd. Besides, you’re asking me that? You know I’m a grease monkey, right? I poke around car engines all day. I’m hardly an overachiever.”

  “But you like your job,” she said.

  “Yeah, I do. I enjoy it. Tell you the truth. I can’t think of anything I’d rather be doing—at least not right now.”

  “That’s how I feel,” she said around a sigh. “When women get their hair cut, it always makes them feel good about themselves.

  “I want to be the person who’s responsible for that. I want to make people feel beautiful and put a smile on their face. I wanna make them happy.”

  “Would that make you happy?” I asked.

  She nodded. “It would. It really would.”

  “Then we’ll make it happen. Whatever it takes.”

  She swallowed a couple of times then tears sprang in her eyes and she tried to hide her gaze from me.

  “Hey, “ I said, reaching for her. “It’s okay. it’s all going to be okay. You’ll see.”

  When she looked up, I ran my thumb under her left eye, catching the tears that had escaped then I did the same to the right eye.

  “Oww.” She winced, jerking her head away from my fingers.

  I frowned. “Lydia? What’s wrong? Did I hurt you?”

  I took hold of her jaw then tilted her head so that she was facing me. Carefully, I ran my finger underneath her right eye and she screwed her face up in evident pain. Now that I was looking closely, I could see a slight discoloration, but it was mostly hidden beneath a layer of makeup—makeup that Lydia rarely if ever wore. I thought she’d put it on to cover the dark circles under her eyes she’d got from crying so much. It was clear now that there was more to it than that.

  “What the hell happened?” I demanded. “Tell me.”

  “Cole, it’s nothing,” she began, pulling away from me.

  “Bullshit. He did this to you, didn’t he? He hit you. Tell me the truth.”

  When she started to nod her head, I saw red.

  “I’m gonna kill that bastard.”

  “Cole, no. Please, just leave it. I don’t want you to get into trouble for me. I’ll be okay. I’ve only got to put up with it for another couple of months and then—“

  I didn’t hear the rest of that last sentence because the first half made me so goddamn furious that my ears were ringing. Put up with it? This evidently wasn’t the first time he’d hit her. How many times had it happened? Twice, three times? How long had it been going on? I felt sick. I mean, my old man used to hit me, sure and he and Arlene used to go at it like cat and dog, but I’d never seen him lay a finger on Lydia. If I’d known that he had, I never would have let her stay here without me this past year. I would have done something. I jumped off the picnic table then marched towards my old man’s trailer.

  Lydia followed me, grabbing hold of my arm in an effort to get me to stop.

  “Cole, wait! Please, just leave it. Don’t do something stupid.”

  I wasn’t listening. I was incensed—filled with murderous rage. I quickened my pace, spurred on both by outrage and the hate I felt towards the man who’d treated me like dirt my entire life. I’d put up with it because I hadn’t been big enough to do anything else. But I was older now. Stronger. I was going to make him regret ever laying a finger on her.

  I burst through the trailer door to find him sitting in his usual position in front of the television, a bottle of beer in his hand. I practically flew across the room, my vision clouded by a mist of white hot fury. I grabbed a handful of his wife-beater with my left hand and pulled back my right hand, curled into a fist before bringing it back and slamming it into his face. Then I did it again. His beer bottle went crashing to the floor.

  “You hit her?” I bellowed. “You fucking hit her?”

  He glared up at me, a mixture of fear and rage contorting his expression.

  “What the fuck! Look what you did, you stupid asshole.” He grabbed the beer bottle off the floor, but the contents had already poured out into the carpet so he threw the empty bottle aside. I was so angry that I was confronting him about his actions, but all he cared about was the fact that I’d spilled his precious goddamn beer.

  “What the fuck is wrong with you?” I roared.

  He glared at me. “I don’t know what you’re fucking talking about,” he said. “I never laid a finger on that bitch.”

  Hearing him speak about her like that only made me angrier. I brought my hand up and hit him again, but it didn’t feel like justice had been served. It didn’t bring me comfort or peace or closure. It just made me feel like I was turning into my old man.

  “Cole, stop, please!” Lydia begged me.

  I turned to her. “Go pack up your things, babe,” I said calmly. “You’re coming to live with me.”

  She gazed at me for a long moment then nodded, before turning and heading into her b
edroom to pack.

  “Babe? My father spat. “You fucking her? Is that what this is about?”

  “Shut your fucking mouth!” I roared. “Don’t speak about her like that.” I didn’t hit him that time. I was done. I wasn’t my old man and I didn’t want to act like him.

  “You can’t take her,” my father said. “she ain’t old enough. I’ll call the cops and have you arrested.”

  “Try it. Then Lydia will press charges for assault. And if you do get my ass thrown in jail, I’ll get my buddies at the garage to come ‘round here and teach you a lesson you won’t forget in a hurry.”

  His eyes widened. I didn’t really have anyone at the garage who would have shown up here, at least I don’t think I did, but my father didn’t know that. Finally, some of my words were starting to sink in.

  “Fine, take her with you,” he said. “She’s as useless as her mother was. But you ain’t getting the money I git for her.”

  I stood up to my full height. I was way past disappointed. I was disgusted. How could this sorry excuse for a human being be my father? “That’s the only thing you care about, isn’t it? Money. Money and booze.”

  I hated him, now more than ever. I stood watch over him while Lydia collected her things. We took one last look around the place we’d called home for so long then we walked out the door, saying goodbye to it and him for what I hoped would be the last time.

  Chapter Four

  Lydia

  I reached up and touched the locket at my neck. I hadn’t taken it off since Cole gave it to me just over a year ago. Last year on my birthday, the gift had undoubtedly been the best I’d ever received, but this year’s present topped it by a clear mile. It was something else.

  Cole had made good on his promise—not that I expected any different. He always made good on his promises to me. He was that kind of guy. Honest. Dependable. Trustworthy. Over the years, he’d been a brother, a protector and a friend. And now, as I stretched out in the sand and watched him play around in the waves of the Pacific Ocean on a beautifully warm summer’s day, I wanted him to wear several other hats, too. Partner, lover and hopefully one day in the future, husband. Of course, Cole didn’t know any of this yet. But he would.

  His grin was huge as he walked out of the ocean, heading towards me. My breath caught as I watched him shake some of the water out of his hair. There were many adjectives I could have used to describe him. Handsome, sexy and hot sprang to mind, but I settled on beautiful because that’s what he was to me in more ways than one.

  I wasn’t the only person who couldn’t keep my eyes off him as he walked up the beach. His tall, tanned body was now corded with well-defined muscle and his dark blond hair had grown out so that he looked like a typical surfer dude. There was no denying that he’d grown into an amazing man.

  Since we’d arrived yesterday, Cole had spent nearly every minute he could in the ocean. I’d joined him on a few occasions, but I was content to stretch out on the sand and enjoy the sun as it seeped into my bones. It was amazing how everything felt different when the sun was shining. Its healing properties were immense.

  Between one thing and another, the past few months had been rough. Losing my mother had changed me in a fundamental way that was difficult to put into words. I felt different now. Older. Maybe even a little wearier. I wouldn’t have survived those months without Cole. I was sure of that. He was my rock and I was so grateful for everything he’d ever done for me.

  Don’t get me wrong. The things that I felt for Cole hadn’t been born out of gratitude and they didn’t derive from some sense of obligation. Neither did I think of him as a father figure. My feelings had snuck up on me gradually over the past few years and they’d taken hold of me so completely, I couldn’t remember a time that I wasn’t in love with him. I ached with how much I wanted him. And the best part? I was pretty sure that he felt the same way about me.

  Sometimes I caught Cole looking at me with an expression that could only be described as awe. It was as if he couldn’t believe I was real. He’d always looked at me that way, in fact. Before, those looks had made me feel special. Now, they made me feel something else entirely—sexy and wanted. They made me feel like a woman instead of a girl. And I liked feeling that way. I liked it a lot.

  “Are you done for the day?” I asked as he approached.

  “Yep, I’m done.”

  He reached for his towel and roughly dried himself off, his muscles flexing as he worked. I tried not to stare at his body, but I failed miserably. I closed my mouth then reluctantly tore my gaze from him.

  “Thank, God. Can we go back to the motel now? I’m starving.”

  He chuckled. “Yeah, me too. Come on, let’s go.”

  He slipped his feet into his flip flops, grabbed the rest of his things out of the sand then reached down to help me up. I grinned as I took his hand and let him pull me up off the sand.

  “Thanks.”

  I made quite the production of dusting myself down, carefully wiping the sand off my stomach and legs. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Cole watching me and I hid my smile. I wasn’t especially good at flirting, but I didn’t think I needed to be. A direct approach, I suspected, would work just fine with Cole—if anything could.

  I shook out my towel then followed him to the boulevard. We strolled along the street in a comfortable silence, content to watch the passersby—many who were on their vacation and no doubt a few who were locals all enjoying the sun and sea air.

  I reached for Cole’s hand and he didn’t even raise an eyebrow as he slid his palm into mine and entwined our fingers together. We walked like that all the way back to our motel room. Cole had only been able to afford one room, but there were two beds in it so we hadn’t needed to share. Cole had been the perfect gentlemen since we’d arrived—more’s the pity.

  I hung our wet towels out to dry on the balcony then headed to the bathroom. “You mind if I take a shower first?”

  He shrugged. “Sure. Go for it.”

  Cole turned on the television while I switched on the water in the shower to let it heat. I’d decided that if I wanted our relationship to become something more then I needed to take the first step because if it was down to Cole, I’d be waiting forever. Butterflies danced in my stomach as I thought about the best way to seduce him. I didn’t want to be too obvious, but I didn’t want him to be in any doubt about my intentions, either. I pulled my shoulders back and nodded to myself. It was now or never.

  I hid behind the bathroom door, fumbling with the ties on my bikini until I got them into a knot. Perfect.

  “Cole!” I called. “Can you come and help me with this, please? It’s knotted.”

  He dutifully strode to the bathroom, pushed open the door then came inside. I turned and brushed my hair out of the way.

  “Can you get this please?”

  He hesitated for a moment before taking a step forward and placing his wrists on my shoulders.

  “Sure thing.”

  “Thank you for my birthday present,” I said over my shoulder. “I love it. I couldn’t have asked for anything more than you bringing me here, Cole. I love that I got to see the ocean with you.”

  He fumbled with the knot at my neck. “You’re welcome. You know your ‘gift’ was also for graduating high school.”

  I beamed. “I know.”

  As his fingers brushed lightly against the skin at the back of my neck, I shivered. I liked his hands on me. A lot.

  “There,” he said after a moment. “It’s done.”

  When the straps fell down my chest, I put an arm over my chest to hold up my bikini top so that he would think I was trying to be modest.

  “Thanks. Could you do the bottom strap for me? I made such a mess of the top and I don’t want to get the bottom tangled too.”

  I heard the hitch in his voice.

  “Um, yeah, okay. Sure.”

  His fingertips ghosted over the bottom of my back and a shiver ran the length of my spine. I briefly met
his gaze over my shoulder.

  “Are you enjoying your vacation?”

  He chuckled. “Is that a trick question? Yeah, I am enjoying myself, Lyd. This trip has been better than I ever could have imagined and it’s only just begun.”

  “I’m glad.”

  “If you like California so much, we could always move here.”

  That brought me up short. Hand across my chest, I turned to face him and stared open mouthed. “Are you serious?”

  I loved that he said ‘we’. He hadn’t suggested that I make the move alone because no other option had occurred to him other than coming to live in California together. Like a couple.

  “Sure, why not?” he asked. “We’d have to wait a year for me to fully qualify as a mechanic and to save up some more money, but we could do it. They need grease monkeys everywhere. And you could go to beauty school here just as easily as you could back home.”

  “It’d be a fresh start,” I said.

  He nodded. “Exactly.”

  “I’d like that, Cole. A fresh start. With you.”

  “Yeah? It’s settled then.”

  I grinned, repeating his words. “It’s settled.”

  On impulse, I leaned closer then pressed a soft kiss against his lips. It was a chaste kiss, but I let it linger for a few moments more before pulling back.

  “Thank you,” I breathed.

  Cole stared at me, his eyes wide in surprise. He lifted his hand to his mouth and touched his lips almost reverently. “You kissed me.”

  The wonder in his eyes quickly giving way to something else, something darker and far more primal—hunger, heat. Lust.

  “I did. Be honest with me, Cole and with yourself. You never saw me as a sister and I don’t want to be one.”

  Now there was something in his expression that resembled hope. “What do you want to be to me?”

  I leaned in again so that our mouths were a fraction of an inch apart. His breath was hot against my lips. His closeness was dizzying.

  “I want to be your everything.”

  Cole sucked in a breath, then, agonizingly slowly, he slid his hand up my shoulder until he clasped my jaw. “You’ve always been my everything.”