by Amanda Rose
“Tell me about it,” I laugh, and he puts an arm around my shoulder, leading me down the hallway.
“Why don’t we go to the café, and I’ll buy you a vanilla iced tea and a chocolate chip cookie?” he asks me, and I stare up at him.
“Oh man, I need to find a man like you who likes girls,” I say, and he chuckles. He knows I have a sweet tooth for chocolate and anything with vanilla in it.
“Yep, you do. Did your mum say anything else?” he asks as he lets me go to open the door, and we go outside. The cold air blows against my face, making my cheeks burn, and I pull my jacket closer around me. The café is a two-minute walk from the student dorms and most of the students practically live in it for its wonderful drinks. Well, everything is a two-minute walk in London or a tube journey away. The university is surrounded by places to eat or buy things, which never helps my budget. I need to find a new part time job since my last place closed down, and I will soon run out of spare money. My student allowance only just covers my expensive rent and food.
“Yep. She invited me to come and spend Christmas at the new stepdad’s place,” I reply, and he whistles as we wait to cross the busy road. That’s the downside to living in London, the terrible traffic and the heavy prices to travel anywhere. The rent is awful here, and that’s why I’m stuck living with my bitchy roommate.
“I bet it’s nice, with that kind of money. Did she say where it is?”
“Nope, she’s emailing me,” I say and pull out my phone as we get into the café. I know I’ll have to go shopping now before I leave, to get a present for my new stepdad. I don’t even want to tell my dad about this, he hates any mention of my mum. I don’t look a bit like my mum, with my dark-brown hair and tanned skin. My mum has dyed blonde hair and is pale no matter where she travels. I got everything it seems from my dad’s side, including my blue eyes. Those two hate each other with a strange passion. I spend one Christmas with Dad and one with Mum. It’s been like that for as long as I can remember.
“I’ll get the food and drinks, go sit,” Dane tells me.
“Here,” I say, going to get my card out of my jacket.
“It’s on me,” he says, and I nod, walking over to an empty booth and sliding in as I open up my emails on my phone. I’m not surprised to see my mum already sent an email with an attached first class ticket from London to Edinburgh airport. There’s an address at the bottom and a note reminding me to bring warm clothes. I google search the location, seeing that it is some small-town miles outside of the main city, and it looks like it only has one or two houses dotted around. The houses look small on the map, but I bet they aren’t. I google the weather for the town, and it says snow. Storms and snow, just great.
“So, where is it?” Dane asks when he comes back ten minutes later and slides a plate with a cookie on it over to me, and hands me a drink. He sips his coffee as I chew on the cookie and answer.
“In the middle of bloody, cold Scotland,” I say, and he laughs, looking outside the window at the snow starting to fall. If it’s snowing a little in London, I dread to know how bad the weather is going to be up there and the dreaded realisation hits me that I might be stuck in a house with my mother and the fool she has convinced to marry her.
For two whole weeks.
CHAPTER TWO
Elise
“Can I get you a drink, madam?” the air hostess asks as she stops near my chair.
“No, the champagne is fine,” I say, pointing at the bottle she already brought over and told me that it was paid for already. I’m not a big drinker and feel guilty that I’ve only had one glass when it looks expensive. I would offer it to someone else, but there is only an old woman in first class with me, and she has been asleep the whole time I’ve been here. I’ve never been in first class before, and it’s crazy nice. The chair has its own private screen and lays back. The flight is only two hours, so there isn’t much time to relax and enjoy the comfort of it.
“Okay. Well, if you have anything else you need, please let me know,” she says and walks off, her heels clicking against the floor. I look down at my skinny jeans and red tank top, and finally down to my leather boots that make me look out of place here. When I look up and see the air hostess still watching me with a creepy smile, I look away quickly. I have a feeling she is being paid well to look after me, considering the ten or so times she has walked over to me on this flight. I lay my head back, looking out the window at the passing clouds and hear the pilot of the plane announce we are landing and need to put our seatbelts on. The plane shakes as it lands, and as I look out the window, all I can see is snow. They have been having snow storms for the last week. I was surprised they didn’t cancel my flight. I had been hoping.
“I hope you had a lovely flight,” the air hostess says as I pass her, and I smile tightly. I sure did, but I doubt the next few weeks are going to be fun. I try to remember what Dane said about trying to enjoy the trip, and I’m likely going to get some nice, expensive presents from the new family. It takes me less than ten minutes to get my suitcase and wheel it out through the security checks, with all the smiling staff being more than helpful. I’ve never seen an airport as big as this one, and as I stand in the waiting area, I put a scarf on because it’s freezing even indoors. I’m glad I put my trench coat on, but it’s not going to do much against the snow outside. At least, it’s not actually snowing. I look around the busy airport, seeing some people holding up signs with names on them, but none of them are mine. I move closer to the windows, looking out at the snow-covered car park and the people running around.
“Miss Knott?”
I follow the voice saying my name gently and look over at the very sexy man standing behind me. The man’s lips turn up into a slow smile that’s stunning and hard to look away from. Holy crap, where do they hide guys like this. The man has a slight Scottish accent, a clean-shaved jaw, and a playful look in his hazel eyes. He’s a little taller than me, so I have to look up to speak to him.
“As much as I like you staring at me like this, I’m afraid we have to go as my car is parked out front,” he says, and I mentally slap myself out of my ogling.
“I wasn’t staring . . . I was just wondering who you are,” I say, and he laughs slightly as he tilts his head to the side and slowly lets his eyes dip down my body.
“Miss Knot, if your cheeks weren’t flushed and lips weren’t parted like you want me to kiss you, then I might have believed that,” he says.
“Just who in the hell are you?” I ask, and he offers me a hand.
“I’m Flynn Xander, your stepbrother,” he says, lowering his hand when he realises I’m not going to shake it.
Holy crap my new stepbrother is hot.
“Does it always snow here?” I ask Flynn as he drives us to his house, or his father’s house rather. The massive Land Rover he drives is having no problem cutting through the snow on the way, and the stormy clouds above suggest there is going to be more snow later. There isn’t much to see now that we’ve left the main city and hit the countryside. There’s just trees and snow, and more damn snow.
“No, not really. This is a cold month,” he answers. My new stepbrother hasn’t said much to me in the two hours we have been driving, and I can’t stop sneaking glances at him and then mentally reminding myself that he is my stepbrother. Plus, he is way out of my league, anyway. I can tell from the perfectly pressed suit he has on, the soft-styled hair, and the very simple way he flirted with me earlier that he knows exactly what he was doing. I bet he has had his fair share of women, with a body and a voice like his.
“What’s your name?” he asks me when we stop at some lights in the middle of nowhere. There are no other cars and nothing but icy roads that make it difficult for him to drive.
“Elsie,” I reply, and he chuckles.
“What?” I ask finally.
“Nothing.”
“Clearly wasn’t nothing. Come on tell me,” I say.
“Fine. Your name makes you sound all inno
cent and sweet. I’m hoping you’re not like that,” he tells me.
“Why are you hoping?” I ask.
He chuckles a little before replying,
“You don’t want to know, darling,”
“What if I do?” I say, making him smile seductively at me, before looking back at the road as he turns into another lane.
“It’s not likely you’re all sweet and innocent.”
“What makes you think I’m not?” I ask, flirting with him a little, and he looks over at me for a second before focusing on the road as the light goes.
“Well, I’ve spent two days getting to know your mother. Let’s just say that I bet the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree,” he says, and I glare at him as his words piss me off. Just when I was starting to like the hot idiot.
“The fucking apple fell far from the slutty pain in the ass tree.” I snap, not believing he’s comparing me to my mum.
“The fucking apple huh? With language like that, the innocent vibe isn’t working, darling,” he laughs.
“You know what, why don’t you drive and shut up?” I say, and he laughs loudly.
“Elsie, you certainly have a way with words,” he says. I don’t reply, letting him drive us further into the countryside.
When Flynn takes a right into a long snow-covered driveway, I finally ask him, “Let me guess, you live in a big-ass house in the middle of nowhere?”
“Yes. What’s wrong with that?” he replies with a questioning look.
“It’s just antisocial, that’s all,” I say, thinking about all the rich people that always live in big houses away from everyone else.
“I guess it is. I never thought about it,” he comments and the big-ass house I thought of appears at the end of the private road. The house is made of brown stone and has big windows at the front and a giant door. There’s a garage extension at the side. I can’t see much else due the snow covering everything, and it’s so bright to look at.
“I’ll get your bags,” Flynn offers, and I look over, catching his hazel eyes as he watches me. I don’t know what he is thinking as I can’t read him, and it annoys me. I can usually tell what people are like, but as I look at Flynn’s perfect suit, his styled hair, and the way he looks at me, I’m confused by him.
“Thanks,” I say and get out of the car, feeling him still watching me. My boots sink into the snow, and I know I should have bought ones that were more expensive when I feel my socks getting wet. Damn it.
I walk towards the house, dragging my feet through the deep snow and trying not to slip and fall. I go to knock on the door when it’s opened. The man who opened it looks in his fifties with dark-grey hair and a matching grey beard. He’s dressed casually in a polo shirt and dark chinos. He’s handsome and reminds me of Flynn straight away, just an older version.
“You must be Elsie. Wow, you look like a lot like your mother, she didn’t tell me that. She simply said you follow your father’s side,” the man says with a medium Scottish accent, rambling a little and giving me a worried smile before offering me his hand to shake. “I’m John Xander, and it’s nice to meet you,” he says when I stand there quietly for a second and don’t reply.
I feel bad for him, marrying my mum when he seems really nice. I’m actually surprised she went after him at all, he isn’t her usual type. Well, the money side of things likely helped, but she usually goes for guys that look like models and spoil her. This guy is attractive but so normal. Normal is not something I’ve ever seen her go after before.
“I’m Elsie, but you know that. Thank you for inviting me here for Christmas,” I reply, and he holds the door open for me to walk in. I walk in, rubbing my boots on the welcome mat and seeing all the snow falling off them.
“You’re always welcome here. It’s your home now, too,” he says, and I silently nod, deciding not to comment on that statement at all. I wouldn’t call it home. I happily take my coat off when I feel how warm it is in here, and John takes it off me, hanging it on a hook by the door next to some others. The foyer of the house is massive and open plan, so you can see a lot of the rooms. There’s a lounge to the side of the massive staircase in the middle and a study on the other side. There is a row of doors behind the stairs and everything seems wooden in here. The wooden floors match the wooden staircase and the cabinets that look full of expensive statues. There’s three massive, dark-grey sofas in the lounge and a giant television next to a large speaker. I step on to the red rug in front of the staircase just as Flynn comes in with my suitcase and drops it near the door.
“What have you got in there? Rocks?” he asks, standing up straight and letting his dad shut the door behind him.
“Books.”
“Remind me to buy you a kindle, much lighter,” he says as he pulls his jacket off and hangs it on the hook. His white shirt sticks to his chest, making me stare far longer than I should at the impressive sight. I really need to get laid.
“No. They’re study books, not personal,” I tell him and John interrupts before Flynn can say anything.
“Let’s go and see your mother, she’s in the kitchen making cookies for you,” John says as he walks over, and I swear my jaw drops open.
“She’s cooking?” I say slowly, and he nods, giving me a strange look and walking towards the furthest door to the left behind the stairs. I follow him into the surprisingly small kitchen, seeing my mother fanning a tray of chocolate cookies with her hand. She turns and smiles widely when she sees me, running over and throwing her arms around me.
“Elsie, I missed you,” she says, squeezing me tighter and letting go. I have to admit that my mother looks happy, and the only times I remember seeing her like that was when she is drunk. Her light-blonde hair is up in a messy bun, and she is still as pale as ever which makes her red lipstick stand out as well as the rest of the makeup she has on. I’m surprised how casual she looks, dressed in black leggings and a long, black shirt. I can’t remember seeing my mum dress this causal in years, it was always dresses or short skirts. She wouldn’t leave her room in the morning unless she had her makeup done to perfection and a nice outfit to match.
“Nice to see you too, mum,” I comment, not knowing what else to say in my shock. The last time I saw my mum, a few months ago, she was drunk in a bar. I had to drag her out after she started dancing on the table and the owners threatened to call the police. That was not a good night.
“So, you met John and Flynn,” she says, walking back over to the tray of cookies and sliding them onto a plate. The sight is surreal to me, as my mum doesn’t cook. I’m honestly surprised how edible the cookies look.
“Yes. I didn’t realise I had a new stepbrother,” I say, and she nods, bringing the plate of cookies over to me.
“You have three, actually,” John tells me, and I shake my head when my mum offers me a cookie and I mentally groan. Let’s hope they aren’t all assholes like Flynn. Or sexy.
“Wow, that’s nice. Look, I’ve had a long day, can I go and rest?” I ask, desperate to get out of this room. My mum frowns at me but quickly hides it when John puts an arm around her and pulls her to his side.
“Of course, you must be tired. Flynn, can you show Elsie to her room?” John asks, and I look over to see Flynn staring at me from behind, well at my ass. He raises his eyes to meet mine and smirks, not caring one bit that I caught him staring.
“Come on then, Elsie,” he says and walks out of the room, not waiting for me. I wave goodbye to my mum and John before walking out, seeing Flynn walking up the stairs carrying my suitcase. I laugh a little when I see how annoyed he is having to carry it up. I walk to the stairs and follow him up, still chuckling a little. He puts the suitcase down at the top of the stairs and walks to the left, wheeling it behind him. The upstairs is just as nice as downstairs, but there are photo frames all over the walls. They are nearly all of John and a dark-haired woman. I’m surprised my mum would be okay with that. Then there are photos of little children, who all look very similar to Flynn. I
stop when I see a photo of three babies on a bed together. All of them are the same age and look similar. My stepbrothers must all be triplets or very close in age by the look of the photo. I can’t even tell which one is Flynn as they all look similar with their dark hair and cute matching outfits.
“Elsie, this is your room,” Flynn says distracting me from the photo. I look over to see him holding a door open for me, and I walk in, seeing that he has left my suitcase by the door. The room is lovely, with a big bed and floral sheets that match the curtains. There’s a wardrobe in here but nothing else.
“The bathroom is the next door to the left and all yours. I’m across the hall and my brothers’ rooms are the two next to it. My dad and your mum have the upstairs attic conversion to themselves,” he tells me, leaning against the door, and I turn to smile at him.
“Thank you,” I say, and he goes to leave, then stops, looking back at me.
“My door is always open to you, if you get cold at night,” he says with a wink and then leaves without my answer, shutting the door. Did my new stepbrother just hit on me?
CHAPTER THREE
Elise
“Oh my god, I’m so sorry,” I blurt out when I open the bathroom and the first thing I see is a naked man in the shower. The glass shower door is doing little to hide his amazing body; the toned, muscular build he has and the long, wavy, black hair that covers his eyes. My eyes drop to the impressive cock he has and then back up his body, as I’m unable to pull my eyes away. The man turns to look at me, as I stand shell-shocked by the perfection in front of me.
