by Terry Towers
Description:
For years, Chloe was given a front row seat to the parade of women her stepbrother Ryker would date and ditch, all the while wishing she was the one on the other side of the bedroom wall they shared.
All women were fair game, except for her. The only thing he considered her to be was a dorky nuisance.
Now a cop living alone in Boston, Ryker invites her to stay with him while she attends college. It’s the perfect opportunity for Chloe to show her cocky, yet sinfully sexy stepbrother she’s no longer the nerdy teenager he grew up with.
Her Stepbrother’s Secret Desire
By
Terry Towers
Her Stepbrother’s Secret Desire
Copyright 2015 by Terry Towers
Cover By: Erin Dameron-Hill
edhgraphics.blogspot.ca
All rights reserved. With the exception of brief quotes used for critical reviews and articles no part of this book may be used or reproduced without the written permission of the author Terry Towers. Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada. Terry Towers can be contacted via her website at www.elixaeverett.com
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This book is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the authors imagination and used fictitiously.
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Prologue
Chloe
“Well, look at you.” Chloe spun to see Calvin Forbes approaching, his eyes drinking in each and every inch of her.
“Hey, Calvin. Enjoying the party?” She glanced around them. She was attempting to remain upbeat, but the partygoers were really beginning to trash the house.
Not my problem, she told herself.
These were her stepbrother Ryker’s friends, not hers. His party, not hers; hence not her problem. But still, if Ryker didn’t come up with a miracle before their parents got home Sunday night, Ryker would be a dead man and their parents’ bad mood would make her miserable as well.
She sighed, I suppose I’ll have to help…
Of course she’d help, she always did. That was the story of her life, covering for her stepbrother. And what did she get for it, not a damned thing. Barely a thanks. No doubt the bastard expected her to help, for the privilege of hanging with his oh-so-cool friends – yeah, whatever.
“It’s been great. You look hot in that dress, Chloe. I’ll be honest, I didn’t realize the curves you had under the baggy sweatshirts and nerd gear you usually wear.”
Nerd gear? Seriously? It’s called comfortable clothing, dickhead.
Telling herself not to take offense, his comment was intended to be a compliment, Chloe flashed him a smile. She supposed she should take what she could get, it wasn’t often she received a compliment on her looks. It sometimes felt like guys didn’t even know she existed. Her original intention was to catch Ryker’s eye – it wasn’t working, so she supposed Calvin was a decent enough substitute. “Thank you.”
“The pool looks amazing.” Calvin leaned his shoulder against the wall and took a long swig from his beer.
“It is.” Chloe scanned the crowd for Ryker, but came up empty. He’d been flirting with some cheerleader earlier. They looked cosy, really cosy. But they were nowhere to be seen now. Fucking upstairs, I bet. She frowned. She didn’t like that idea. Not one bit. Why couldn’t he just see that she was the perfect one for him? Not some airhead cheerleader, or prom queen – but her, the smart, shy, understated girl who slept down the hall from him. Alas, she was so far on the opposite end of the spectrum from the girls he dated it wasn’t even funny.
“You should get your swimsuit on and take a swim with me.” Calvin’s index finger ran down her bare arm, regaining her attention.
She looked over at Calvin. He was good-looking guy, no doubt on that, with perfectly styled short blonde hair, blue eyes and all-around stereotypical All American boy next door good looks. If her mind weren’t consumed with her crush on Ryker she’d be flattered he was attempting to gain her attention. She certainly wasn’t the type of girl the jocks went for normally, she was too much of a book nerd. No, that’s inaccurate, she was a hardcore book geek. Ryker and his pals excelled in sports and she excelled with her grades.
Chloe chewed at her lower lip. Maybe she was going about this entirely wrong. Maybe it wasn’t a matter of showing Ryker how sexy she could be, but a matter of showing Ryker other men wanted her. The guys she usually dated were a bit on the nerdy side, like her. They certainly weren’t the types of guys who would make Ryker sit up and notice.
But Calvin…
If he saw how much one of his closest buddies wanted her then maybe he’d see it for himself. Maybe he’d stop seeing her as his nerdy stepsister and see her as Calvin was seeing her now, as a sexy, sensual woman.
Just maybe.
Catching his gaze, Chloe returned his smile as she twirled a lock of her dark hair around her index finger, in a flirty fashion, as she’d seen most of the other girls do. “I’d love to.”
Calvin downed the remainder of his beer in a single swig, then set the empty bottle onto the nearby stand holding a potted plant. “Do you need to get your suit?”
“Nope, wearing one under this dress.” She walked past him, intentionally allowing her breast to graze his arm as she did. Was she being over the top? She looked over her shoulder to see Calvin trailing behind her, his eyes taking every inch of her figure in with appreciation. Over the top or not, it seemed to be working.
They made their way through the back doors to the pool area, which was filled with teenagers: in the pool, manning the BBQ and most halfway to nearly drunk. One seemed to be passed out on a white plastic lounge chair.
Approaching the pool, Chloe grabbed the hem of her skirt and began to pull it up until her dress was off and she was tossing it over her head and onto a plastic chair, leaving her in a black string bikini. This was really not something she would ever wear under normal circumstances, but she’d bought it especially for the party – for Ryker.
She turned to the sound of a low whistle from Calvin. His shirt was off and he quickly undid his jeans and pushed them down, displaying a pair of black swim trunks. “That is a wicked suit, baby. Really smokin’.”
Self-conscious, she felt the urge to cover herself up, but refused the impulse. Her self-consciousness was part of the reason why she was settled in dorkville – hell she was the major of dorkville. “Thank you.”
“Ryker’s a lucky asshole.”
She cocked her head to the side, giving him a curious look. “Why’s that?”
Calvin stepped up to her and placed a hand on her hip, his fingers playing with the tie holding the bottom together. “Because he gets to sleep in the next room from you. I don’t know how he does it. That’s all I’m saying.”
She laughed. “I think maybe you’ve had one too many beers, I might have to cut you off.” Without waiting for a reply, she stepped past him and dove into the water. She swam beneath the water’s surface until she reached the opposite side of t
he pool and re-emerged. She laughed again, seeing that he hadn’t jumped in. “You coming or what?”
“Of course.”
~*~ TT ~*~
After spending the evening with Calvin, she’d come to realize he was a pretty decent guy. “I have to apologize,” Chloe said, giving Calvin a sheepish smile as she sank deep into her parents’ hot tub next to him while he poured them each a glass of wine. Their hot tub was just off of her parents’ room so was one of the only places in the house where they didn’t have other guests racing around them.
“What for?”
“I judged you without actually really knowing you. You’re not quite the brainless jock I assumed you to be.” Now that she was actually taking the time to get to know him, he wasn’t a half-bad guy.
Calvin chuckled and gave her a sheepish smile. “Thanks. I think.”
Chloe’s dark eyes met Calvin’s blue ones. “Whenever you and the other guys would come over…” she shrugged. “Well, you know.”
He stopped laughing, but a smile remained on his lips. “I know, it’s fine. Ryker told us to stay far away from you.”
She crinkled up her nose at him. “Why?”
“Protective older brother, I guess. Playing his role. But I couldn’t resist talking to you today. Ryker and I can work it out later if it’s that big of an issue.”
“Yeah, but why would he feel the need to even do that? He doesn’t even act like I exist, usually anyhow.” She rolled her eyes, a little rueful laugh escaping her lips. “I swear, sometimes I wonder if he knows I’m a girl.”
Amusement danced in Calvin’s eyes and he leaned to close the distance between them, draping an arm across her shoulders. “I assure you, he knows.”
Chloe gave him a curious look, wondering if there was more implied to his comment. Deciding not, she leaned into his hard body. Maybe her crush on her stepbrother was getting in the way of her opening herself up to men who might actually be interested in her, men like Calvin. Maybe it was time to move on; it was evident Ryker sure as hell wasn’t interested, despite her efforts that evening. She’d seen him twice since she and Calvin began getting to know each other, each time with the bimbo, his hands all over her and hers all over him. Yes, it was time to move on. He had no interest. Period.
“He’s a better man than me.” Calvin hooked his index finger under her chin and tilted her face upward, lowering his lips to hers.
Her pulse accelerated as she anticipated his kiss. “W-why?”
“I couldn’t last more than a day living with you and not making you mine.”
“No?” She could actually hear the trembling in her voice as his lips came down onto hers, his hand slipping to the back of her head and deepening the kiss. She moaned against his lips, her hand sliding up the front of his bare chest, to grasp the back of his neck. Ryker was the furthest thing from her mind as his kiss became more demanding and he pressed her against the tub.
Calvin’s free hand slid up her side and his fingers were tugging behind her neck at the tie of her bikini top when they both froze at the sound of her stepbrother’s voice. “Get the fuck off of my sister!”
Uh-oh. She gave Calvin a timid smile as he pulled back from her. She didn’t have to look at Ryker, she knew from his tone he was pissed.
“Seriously, man. What’s the problem?” Despite his protest, Calvin put a little distance between himself and Chloe.
“You’re in the hot tub, half naked with my sister, that’s what my problem is.”
“Stepsister,” Chloe cut in, but was ignored.
“What in the fuck do you think is going to happen with her anyway? Do you realize how old she is?”
Chloe looked up at Ryker and was surprised to see how intense the fury in his forest green eyes really was. However, his anger only caused her own anger to surface. How dare he! He didn’t want her, so no one else could. Well, fuck him! “He’s perfectly aware of my age, I’m only two years younger than you two so don’t even go there. I’m not a child, Ryker, and I can make my own decisions. How dare you barge in here interrupting us!” Pulling herself from the tub, she stormed across the room and stopped less than a foot from Ryker, planting her fists on her hips and glaring up at him.
“It’s my job to make sure you don’t get into trouble.”
“Calvin’s one of your best friends for Pete’s sakes.” She could hear Calvin getting out of the tub, but refused to shift her gaze from Ryker’s.
It was Ryker who broke eye contact to glare at his friend. “Exactly why I forbid you from being with him. He’ll use you and move on. You’re just another of many.”
“You know what man, you’re being a fucking asshole right now,” Calvin cut in, coming to her side. “She can make her own decisions.”
Grabbing her arm, Ryker roughly pulled her behind him, as he stepped up to his friend. “Not in this case. She doesn’t know you like I do.”
Calvin stepped up to Ryker, his eyes challenging her stepbrother. “You’re one to talk, you even know that bitch’s name you fucked earlier?”
They’d both had too much alcohol and this situation was escalating way too quickly in a bad, bad direction. She needed to defuse it, now. “Ryker!” She grabbed for his arm, to pull Ryker back and get the men away from each other, but it was too late. Ryker’s fist pulled back and shot forward, connecting with Calvin’s jaw.
~*~ TT ~*~
“I’m just letting you know, I’m going to be seeing him again,” Chloe advised Ryker. They’d barely spoken since his fight with Calvin the previous evening, which had ended with them both in the hot tub, pounding the shit out of each other, until a few of the guys from their lacrosse team found them and pulled the combatants apart. She’d been waiting until she cooled down to speak with him so she’d be speaking with a clear mind. A part of her wanted to think that the reason Ryker reacted as he had was because he was jealous and wanted her for himself, but she had no intention of banking on that hope. Even if that was the case, he still had no right to interfere.
No. Calvin had been right. Ryker accused him of being a player, but Ryker was way worse, which made it even more evident that she wasn’t on his radar in any way other than as family, his dorky kid sister – nothing more or less.
It was time to face reality. Calvin was fun to spend time with and certainly wasn’t hard on the eyes and despite her stepbrother’s anger, Calvin had stood up for her, taken a punch for her and still wanted to take her out. That accounted for something in her book.
Ryker stopped gathering the beer cans that he’d been tossing into a black garbage bag and stared at her a moment. His jaw clenched and for a moment she thought he was going to argue with her on it. She braced herself for the fight.
But it never came.
“Do what you want. What do I care?” Without another word, he turned and resumed his can gathering.
The comment stung, but she squared her shoulders and sucked it up. At least she knew where she stood with him. She vowed she’d forget she ever had a crush on him, whatever it took to achieve that, and focus on what they really were – stepsiblings.
Chapter 1
Chloe – Present
Excitement rushed through Chloe as she raised her fist, poised to knock on the door of her stepbrother Ryker's apartment. In a couple of weeks, she'd be starting classes at Cambridge and she was overwhelmed with eagerness. However, she had one little problem; she had no place to stay since all of her funds were going toward her books. Thankfully, Ryker had offered to let her stay at his place while she attended classes.
Chloe had to admit to herself that being able to move out of her parents' house in Bangor, Maine, gave her a feeling of independence that she’d always craved. The fact she was going to finally get to spend some time alone with Ryker made her even more excited about the move. Despite spending the past couple of years attempting to persuade herself that she didn’t have romantic feelings for him, she was never able to fully convince herself.
A couple of years after th
e incident at the hot tub, he left home and went to the police academy and then took a job on the Boston police force. In those two years of living with him, they'd developed a close bond – as siblings. Despite herself, she'd continued to long for it to be more, however, Ryker had remained oblivious to her interest.
Now, three years after the hot tub ordeal, Chloe was no longer a kid and a part of her hoped he'd see her as the woman she'd become. In the past, he’d seen her as a dorkish little girl he would tease and call "Chirps." Even dating and sleeping with a couple of his friends didn’t seem to change his view of her.
Taking a deep breath in to calm her rattled nerves, she knocked lightly and waited. There was no answer. A frown touched her face, as she contemplated what she would do next – she had nowhere to go. Where was Ryker and most importantly, why was he not answering his front door? It was Sunday morning and Chloe knew that he had the weekend off so he should be home.
She knocked again, a little harder this time. Inside, she heard some noises and the chatter of voices, followed by heavy footsteps coming toward the door.
Chewing at her bottom lip, she attempted to look casual despite the racing of her heart at the prospect of seeing him after close to a year.
The lock clicked and the door was flung open to reveal Ryker. Her breath caught in her throat as her eyes scanned his amazing body – naked from the waist up. His black lounge pants hung low on his hips, showing off his well cut abdominals. As her eyes travelled upwards, she took in his well formed muscular chest and powerful shoulders.
"What are you doing here, Chloe?"
Frowning, her eyes met his as she motioned toward the luggage the cabbie had lugged up two flights of stairs for her just moments before. "Ummm. I'm going to be living here? Remember?"
