My Stepbrother the Ultimate Collection (Five Complete Box Sets)

by Cindy Wilder

  “I'm not sure,” I said. “It goes way back. I know that doesn't make sense to you.”

  “There's nothing wrong with a little help,” he said. “Do you think I got where I am on my own?”

  “Jared did,” I said.

  “Bullshit,” he said. “He did not. You do know that the thing he originally made was something he did with another guy. That guy had family connections that helped them get noticed. Do some research before you make your decision. Why do you think he does so much charity work? He gives back, Tabitha. I just don't want you to do something you'll regret later. You had amazing grades in school. You deserve to work here.”

  I nodded but didn't speak.

  “You have two weeks to change your mind. That's how long I will hold your office. Just so you know, it's only because of your work and not a damn thing to do with him.”

  “Thank you,” I said.

  I had gotten a new phone. Tom was the only person that had the number when I left. I made him promise not to give it to anyone. He offered to let me stay with him until I figured out what I was going to do. He even offered to split the rent if I wanted to stay. It wasn't as close to the company, but it was something to think about.

  When I walked out of my office for the last time, I had butterflies in my stomach. There was no way I wanted to go home and admit defeat. She would remind me every single day that I needed her. I knew she would.

  I spent the weekend in my apartment boxing things up. How could I have been dumb enough to think I was as good as him, I thought? I'd never even come close. I got on one of my computers and started searching deeper for Jared. Mr. Daniels was right. He hadn't done it without help. Someone else had given him the push and connection to make the deal in college. I noticed his name connected with more charities than I originally thought. Then I saw an article about him investing in small business opportunities. It talked about him helping those on the bottom. He talked about how someone had helped him and he wanted to spend his life and money doing that for others. Sometimes it worked out, and sometimes it didn't. He said even the ones that didn't were still a success. The people he helped didn't have regret. They did what they wanted no matter what people told them. They ignored everyone and gave it all they had. Some of those people were successful in other ways. My eyes went back to one question over and over.

  “Do you have any regrets, Mr. Blackwell?”

  “Only one,” he said. “That one will stay with me forever. I will never let someone else tell me what to do again.”

  I thought about what I had read and wondered what it was he was talking about. I wanted so badly for that regret to be letting me go, but I wasn't going to be stupid again. He'd had more than enough women on his arms to show that wasn't the case.

  I needed to decide if I was going home or moving in with Tom. He was nice and we had grown close while I was there. I didn't want to give him the wrong impression either. We were just friends, and I wasn't interested in anything more than that.

  By Wednesday, Tom was calling me constantly. He told me Jared was a complete asshole and had only gotten worse since I'd left. I let him come over and show me some of the stuff from the project. They were almost done, but Tom was freaking out. I thought I was bad, but I had nothing on him. The guy was a wreck. We worked late into the night. He'd go to work and be back again that evening. I was shocked the guy had worked at the company for several years by how unsure of himself he was.

  Everything was going okay. I was almost done packing. I had decided on renting a storage unit until I knew for sure what I wanted to do. I'd saved a bit of money since I had started my job. If I stayed with the company, I could afford regular rent. I'd just need to be careful with my extra spending.

  I didn't tell Tom, but I applied for some jobs in the town I was from. If I decided to go back home, I'd need a job. There was no way there were any connections there with Jared asking people to hire me.

  Another weekend had passed. I still hadn't heard from Jay. I wasn't sure why I was surprised by that. He'd gone four years without talking to me before. My phone buzzed. It was the middle of the day. I knew it was Tom since he was the only one with the number.

  Tom: He is such an asshole.

  Me: What's wrong?

  He went on about the meeting they were in and something Jared wanted done. Then he asked me what I thought he should say. Just as I began to type my answer, another message came through.

  Tom: Fuck. He busted me.

  Me: What do you mean?

  The answer didn't come back immediately. Over an hour passed before I heard from him again. When my phone rang, I grabbed it.

  “What happened?” I asked.

  “He made me look like a fool in front of everyone. I'm so sorry. He snatched my personal phone out of my hand and read my messages. He knew it was you and went on about how I was asking an ex-employee of the company to advise him. Then he said he'd have me replaced if I didn't feel I could do it without help.”

  “No way,” I said.

  I knew there was a smile on my face. Jay was a complete ass. He was just trying to make Tom pay because I was still talking to him.

  “That wasn't it,” he said. “I thought the guy's head was going to blow off of his body. When he saw the messages, he was beyond pissed. He's going to ruin me.”

  “Did you tell him you offered for me to move in?” I joked.

  “It's not funny. You didn't see his face. I've never seen anything like it. He's always so confident and all business. It looked like he was going to kill me.”

  We ended up talking about all kinds of things. He offered to help me move my things to storage, and I actually thought about taking him up on it. I hadn't realized how much I had accumulated since moving there.

  A call came in, and I told him I would call him back. When I answered the other line, I was shocked. It was one of the companies I had sent my resume to. They gave me a phone interview right then. By the time we hung up, they had offered me a job. By the time Friday came, two other offers had come through. It made me feel good to know that it had nothing to do with Jay. I could have accepted any of them and gotten an apartment back home without a problem.

  I'd taken Tom up on his offer to help move my stuff. He had just left my apartment with a load of boxes when I heard a knock at the door.

  “What did you forget?” I yelled out, as I reached for the door and swung it open.

  There stood Jared in front of me. He looked like shit. His hair was messy. He had on worn jeans and a t-shirt. His eyes had dark circles under them.

  “What the hell happened to you?” I asked.

  “Where are you going?” he asked.

  I narrowed my eyes, sucked my lower lip in, and made a huff sound.

  “What do you care?” I asked. “I know it doesn't mean anything now, but I still have to tell you. I've been offered several jobs. If I take one of them, I'll be able to rent an apartment at the regular price and be on my own. I could have done it without you. I may not have been Jared Blackwell, but I would've been fine.”

  “Where are the jobs?” he asked.

  “Back home,” I said.

  “You're leaving?” he asked.

  “I haven't decided yet. I'm going to stay with a friend until I figure it out, but I'm really considering it.”

  “Don't leave,” he said, as he stepped forward into my apartment.

  He looked around and shook his head.

  “You'll have the keys later tonight,” I said.

  “Why are you being so fucking stubborn?” he asked through clenched teeth.

  “You just don't get it,” I said.

  “I can't do this anymore,” he snapped.

  “Do what?” I asked, as I turned and looked out the window of my apartment. “You're somebody here. I can't be here too. I can't see you in everything around me. I can't run into you while you're with a woman. I need to be as far away from you as possible if I'm going to move on with my life.”

  �
�I don't want you to move on,” he said.

  I stood still and silent.

  “You can't go back home,” he said.

  “Why not?” I asked. “She was right. Maybe that's where I belong.”

  “You don't,” he said.

  “How would you know?” I asked.

  “She's the fucking reason I left,” He yelled.

  I turned around quickly.

  “What?” I asked.

  “Shit!” he said. “I just.”

  “What, Jay,” I said. “What do you mean she's the reason you left?”

  “She cornered me in the kitchen early that morning,” he began. “She knew how much money I had and what I had done to get it. I told her there was nothing going on between us, but she said she had proof. She told me if I didn't leave that she would say I was with you when you were a minor and ruin what I had already worked hard for. I knew we weren't together before you were an adult, and so did she. She said it didn't matter, that they would believe her. I told her it was bullshit. She said she'd drag you through court against me. Then she told me she'd cut you off as soon as it was over. She said she wouldn't pay for school and that she would kick you out. At the time, I was so damn scared. I was twenty-one and bought the shit she was dishing out. I really thought she could ruin me. If she did that and cut you off, I knew you'd having nothing and I wouldn't be able to take care of you. I swear I didn't want to leave you. I had already went into your room and switched the laptops. When I asked her what she wanted, she said I needed to leave right then and never come back. She said she would figure out how to deal with my dad. I begged her to change her mind and at least let me say goodbye, but she was a total bitch. The things she said she was going to say I did to you were horrible. There was no way I wanted you to go through that. I left, but I didn't want to. I didn't know what to do, Tabby. You have to believe me.”

  “Then why did she freak out on me when she found my diary?” I whispered. “She flipped out and started telling me exactly what I was going to do. I left and never looked back. Why would she do that to you and then act like she didn't know with me? The job and apartment, I don't understand.”

  “I've known everything about you for a long time,” he said. “I knew where you were going to school. I paid attention.”

  “You never said anything,” I said.

  “I didn't know you weren't speaking to them. I didn't know they had cut you off anyway. It wasn't until after you graduated college that I really began digging into your stuff.”

  “My stuff?” I asked.

  “I knew she wouldn't be able to take school away anymore. You always wanted to go to California. That was where I came when I left school. I built my life here. I knew you would be here one day. When you graduated, I kind of hacked your email and found out where you were sending your resume. Mr. Daniels is a friend of mine. I swear I never one time thought about that argument we had. The one where you said you would prove me wrong. I didn't ask him to hire you or give him work because of it. I only asked him to consider you if you ever applied. He thought I knew you through business. When I found out he hired you, I called my apartment building and told them if you called to give you a deal you couldn't pass up. I didn't do it to save you or prove anything. I did it to help you. That was the only reason. I waited a bit before hiring Mr. Daniels and his company to do the project. Not for a second did I think he would put you on my project. When I walked into that restaurant and saw you, I was so shocked. I will admit I hired his company to get to you. I wanted to get into the building so I could see you. I never thought he would make it that easy for me. He told me he loved your work right from the start. He thanked me for suggesting you. Not that I didn't think you could do it. I just couldn't believe you won him over that quickly.”

  “You knew where I went to school?” I asked.

  “Yes,” he said. “I am begging you not to leave your job. It's a great one. He really does love your work. He's already threatened to kick my ass twice since Tom took over.”

  “You never forgot me?” I asked. “I spent four years trying to forget about you, Jay. You're all I've thought about. You are what drove me to get through school. I had no idea you were here. I never looked you up. I was too afraid to see where you were or who you were with. Once I saw you with those women, I finally did it. There were so many of them.”

  “It's not what you think,” he said. “I took women to events with me, but I've not had a relationship since I left. I haven't been perfect, but neither have you. You've had enough guys around you to drive me crazy. I've never done one thing to hurt you or prove you wrong. Anything I've done was to help you. I had no idea that your mom wasn't taking care of school until that day in your office. You didn't have a single picture on your desk. I didn't think that was like you. When I asked and you said you hadn't seen them, I was so pissed off. That bitch kept me away from you. I gave you up so you wouldn't have to go without. I did a little digging and found out about your loans.”

  “Shit!” I yelled interrupting him. “It was you. I spent forever trying to figure out what they did. I still have the money in the bank waiting for them to find the mistake.”

  “There's no mistake,” he said.

  “Rose Garden Apartments,” I said.

  “Your middle name,” he said.

  “Your tattoo?” I asked.

  “A cat and a rose for your name,” he said. “I never should have let her tell me I couldn't be with you. I had no intention of leaving there without you knowing how I felt about you. You are so much better than me. You stood up to her. If I had known, I would have been right there taking care of you. None of this means anything to me without you.”

  “Those women are so beautiful,” I said. “I could never compare.”

  “Stop right there,” he said. “Not a single one of them compares to you. Not even when you show up in sweats and a t-shirt to piss me off or when you show up at my club in your pajamas. You're all I've thought about for over four years, longer actually. You are the only woman that has put me in my place and not given me what I've wanted. I can think of a million things I want to do with that smart mouth of yours.”

  He took a step closer, grabbed the back of my head, and crashed his mouth down on mine. That kiss was so intense and filled with passion. When he pulled back, I gasped to catch my breath. He leaned his forehead against mine.

  “You like development?” he asked.

  “I do,” I said. “I did it to feel closer to you at first, but it didn't take long for me to see what you liked about it. I'm pretty good at it too.”

  “You could come work for me,” he said, as he took my face in is hands and looked into my eyes.

  “That won't happen,” I said. “You're an asshole to work with. I will admit that you give credit where it's due, but that doesn't change how damn serious you are about your work.”

  “Don't leave,” he said. “I can't be without you again. You're it for me, Tabby. You're mine,” he said, as his mouth came down on mine again and he moved forward against me until my back was against the wall.

  I pulled away from his kiss, leaned my head back, and closed my eyes.

  “I don't know, Jay,” I said. “You have to ability to crush me. I'm not sure it's a risk I'm willing to take.”

  “I will do whatever it takes to keep you here with me. I only have one regret in life, and that's not standing up for us and losing you. I will never ever let that happen again. I'm not going to be without you. I will follow you wherever you go. If I have to give up everything to be with you, I will.”

  “Don't say that, Jared,” I said. “You've been just fine until now.”

  “No,” he said. “I haven't.”

  “Do you want me to turn my computer on and show you just how fine you've been?” I asked.

  He pushed me against the wall and let out a loud puff of air.

  “Just because mine are on the internet doesn't make me any worse than you. I could show you a few pictures myse
lf,” he said. “You're lucky I never went to jail.”

  I laughed and shrugged. He leaned down, threw me over his shoulder, and went straight to my room. As soon as he got through the door, he dropped me onto my bed. I let out a laugh, turned over, and tried to get away from him. His hands came down on my ankles and pulled. I yelped out into the air, and his body came down on my back. He wrapped his hand in my hair and pulled back. With my neck open to him, his lips sucked and licked up toward my ear. I could feel his warm breath and shivered.

  “Do you know what I'm going to do with you?” he asked.

  “My bed's not as comfortable as yours,” I said.

  “I don't give a shit,” he replied.

  His knee moved between my legs and spread them apart before pushing against my clothed pussy. He pulled my head a little more and claimed my lips with his. I moaned as his tongue entered my mouth. He pulled my shirt up with his free hand and unclasped my bra. My breasts were smashed against my bed. He moved his hand beneath me and pulled my nipple between his fingers.

  “You're mine,” he growled. “Do you hear me?”