Hard: A Military Stepbrother Romance (11 page)

“Well
next time, you do as I say.”

“There’s
going to be a next time?”

I
wasn’t sure whether the thought of that excited or terrified me.

“No.”

He
didn’t clarify that contradiction, and I didn’t ask him to, shivering instead
as I finally became aware of the cool of the evening. He glanced at me with
concern, then shrugged out of his jacket and wrapped it around my bare
shoulders. I had enough spark left to raise an eyebrow.

“Look
at you, the gentleman.”

“Yeah,
just don’t tell anyone, babe.”

But
his voice was distracted as he tilted my head and looked at my eyes from
several angles.

“Was
your head hit anywhere else?”

“No,
just my cheek - no risk of concussion or anything like that.”

But
I shivered again, pulling the jacket closer and not quite being able to resist
inhaling the warm, masculine scent of it. He only grunted and turned us around.

“Let’s
get you something warm to eat, and then head home.”

He
kept me close this time, refusing to let go of my hand in a way that quietly
relieved me. It seemed ridiculous, the two of us walking out of these back
alleys and into the light of one of the main roads holding hands like any other
couple, but there was no way in hell I was breaking that contact.

After
a couple of blocks, he steered us into a diner and we sat in an out of the way
corner. He flagged service down pretty quickly, his handsome rugged looks
turning a few eyes, but the initial flirting of the waitress died the moment
she got a glimpse of me. I flushed slightly as I caught the speculative look
she gave Seth, and some part of me tensed at the idea of what she was
wondering. I had the irrational desire to yell at her for the thought, but
Seth’s hand closed over mine, the look in his eyes saying he read me too well.
Instead, he just turned to her and grunted.

“Mugging.
7th Street.”

Her
expression shifted instantly and she nodded, apparently used to such reports. I
winced internally at more evidence of my bad judgment.

“Two
coffees, one Irish.”

He
didn’t offer anything more as she disappeared and he slid a menu under my
hands. I stared as I saw them shaking, until Seth’s large grip closed over the
top. Looking up at him, I took a deep breath and shook my head.

“Sorry.
I’m being silly.”

“You’re
fine. Just focus on eating and warming up.”

The
coffee arrived a few minutes later, the waitress accurately putting the Irish
in front of me. I looked at the light, creamy drink dubiously and glanced back
at Seth’s simple black one.

“I’m
not sure alcohol is a good idea, Seth.”

Right
now, I felt like getting drunk would have me in a pathetic break down.

“It’ll
warm you up and chase a few of the nerves away. One shot won’t be enough to
affect anything else - or you’re not like any college party girl I’ve ever
known.”

“I’m
not
like any college party girl you know.”

My
pride muttered an answer instinctively, but I picked up the coffee and blew
lightly on it. The scent helped, as did the warmth of it around my hands.

We
ordered a couple of burgers a few minutes later - complete with wings, fries
and potato skins.

“You’d
better be planning on eating most of this, or my jeans are going to hate me
tomorrow.”

“It’ll
be worth forgoing jeans. Hell, forgoing jeans would be worth it anyway.”

The
searing glance that accompanied his words made me laugh.

“Bastard.”

I
sipped at the coffee and the food arrived quickly, in the portion size I’d
worried about. Seth prodded me again when I looked at it uncertainly.

“Eat.”

“You
could do with softening that abrupt-command vibe you have.”

His
eyes glittered back at me as he took a large bite of his double bacon
cheeseburger, and he replied with deceptive mildness.

“I
recall someone agreeing to obey in future.”

“Well
it wasn’t me. I said no such thing.”

“
Definitely
not taking you on another crazy road trip, babe.”

I
scowled, but reached for the food, his light hearted attitude loosening me up.
My heart still felt like it was about to seize at any moment, but I was
starting to breathe more evenly. Maybe that coffee was helping more than I’d
thought. Then something else occurred to me and I glanced up.

“Did
you get our stuff back?”

I
should have known already, of course, but the aftermath of the whole thing was
too much of a blur. He grabbed something next to him on the booth and slid it
over the table. My handbag.

My
hand shook as I reached for it and I cursed myself for the sentimentality, but
I had to know that it was in there. A warm hand stopped me and I glanced up at
him as he reached into a pocket - coming out with the ring I’d been fixated on.
He turned my hand over and closed my palm around it without another word, then
went back to the remnants of his burger.

I
hung there, frozen for a moment, my heart jumping as I tried to process it all.
He’d known. I saw again the determination on his face as he’d pursued the guy,
and couldn’t help but wonder. It was a stupid thought, a stupid feeling…but I
couldn’t shake it. He didn’t question, didn’t say anything further - unlike my
incessant questions, he let its significance remain mine to keep. Something
inside me tightened as I longed to share it, to tell him what it meant to me -
what his actions had meant to me.

But
he hadn’t asked. Didn’t want to know. And I could tell it was dangerous
territory from the way my heart was pounding in my chest.

I
slipped it back on my finger, surprised by how much of a relief it was to have
it back there, and followed his lead.

The
food and drink - and probably time - were helping, and I felt myself steadying
gradually, until I was pretty much feeling like myself again. All those crazy
spikes of emotion had calmed, and apart from slight chagrin at the whole
situation, I was alright. I relaxed against the chair, my food becoming a nice,
heavy weight in my stomach and tiredness starting to take me. I’d left half the
burger, but wasn’t sure I could manage anything more as I watched Seth
methodically work his way through it all. My gaze caught on the powerful,
dominating body again and I figured it needed the sustenance. With his jacket
off, the line of tattoos on his right arm gleamed in the light, moving with his
muscles until they seemed almost living things. I didn’t recognize most of them
from the time we’d spent together before, and I found myself distracted as my
eyes tried to make out the shapes, before the arm I’d been watching reached
over to tap my hand. Seth was looking at me with a dangerously hooded gaze.

“So.
Tell me what possessed you to look at living in a place like
that.
”

My
face reddened and I looked away, not entirely sure I was prepared to discuss
this with him, but his tone made it clear he wasn’t going to tolerate anything
else.

“It’s
what I figure I could afford on those internships.”

“I
expect your father will cover the difference.”

I
glared as my eyes shot back to him.

He
was there that night, he knows what my father thinks.

“I
want to know I can do it without his help.”

“Girls
like you have advantages for a reason, Bella. Use them.”

“What
the hell is
that
supposed to mean?!”

I
was getting angry, and I didn’t want to - not after everything he’d just done
for me. But this was beyond provoking and pushing for a bit of fun - he was
deadly serious with this line of attack. As was I.

He
muttered something under his breath, and then his hand stole forward over mine.
I wanted to jerk it away, but even with him being a prick I couldn’t help the
way I associated it with comfort. Not after today. When he looked up at me, his
eyes were serious but there was no mockery there.

“You
were raised with a certain lifestyle - you wouldn’t last a day in a
neighborhood like that. You simply don’t know how.”

I
wanted to argue with him, to bite back at his words, but I remembered my shock
at his casual mention of my jewelery. I remembered my dismissal of his warnings
as a Navy SEAL’s overactive imagination. I pulled my hand out from under his
and looked back at him carefully.

“Maybe.
But if I have to, I’ll learn.”

Irritation
flickered in his eyes again, but at least this time he took me seriously. Truth
was, if I couldn’t rely on my father’s help I wasn’t entirely sure what I
would
do - but after my talk with Kaylee, I refused to think it was my only
option. And there was no way I was going back to my father with a half-baked
plan. The whole point of this trip had been to show I knew what I was doing,
that I’d done the research, and built that case before I finally discussed my
decision with him.

The
thought of how spectacularly that had failed shot through me, and almost had me
breaking down again.

Damn
it all to hell.

“Fuuck…”

Seth’s
brow puckered with concern.

“What?”

“Just…this
was a disaster. The whole thing. So much for proving my independence.”

Ughhh…

And
this was so
not
who I wanted to be having this conversation with. Seth
might be making a good attempt at being considerate, but he probably already
thought little enough of me. I wished to god Kaylee was here. Then we’d order
waffles and ice cream and milkshakes, and cry and laugh at the complete
stupidity of it all.

The
thought of that had me glancing back to the menu.

“I’m
getting ice cream.”

The
announcement was made with a childlike defiance, but Seth’s eyes just crinkled
with amusement.

“All
right.”

He
glanced out the window as we flagged down the waitress though, and I hesitated
when she walked away with the order.

“Is
it getting too late for you to drive us back?”

His
gaze shifted into that supreme arrogance that took my breath away - whether
with annoyance or desire, I had no clue. Maybe both. He raised an eyebrow in
disdainful response to the question and something pleasant coiled in my
stomach. Crazy how a look could do that to me, but at least it had me laughing.

“Right.
Badass Navy SEAL. Driving in the dark, check.”

His
grin did things to me I didn’t want to contemplate and luckily the ice cream
arrived before I had to. Seth grabbed another spoon and joined me, and I mock
fought his attempts to get at it with my own.

“Hey
- I don’t recall inviting you to share it.”

“Badass
Navy SEAL, remember? We conquer all.”

“I
don’t think ice cream adds to your image, Seth.”

He
flipped me off and I almost laughed at the sight of that over the bright shades
of white, yellow and pink.

We
made good work of it, and he called for the bill when I finally declared myself
done, my stomach gurgling from the satisfying feeling. He eyed me as I sat
back, sighing slightly as I considered the mess I’d made of the day. His mind
seemed to follow my thoughts.

“You’re
alright, Bella. Independence is about making mistakes.”

I
blinked up at him, not expecting the serious note from a guy who I’d never
known think too much about such things. It struck a chord though, and I tried
to think of the things I’d learned today instead of everything that had gone
wrong. I’d been so happy with it all up to that brief encounter…

I
pulled my ponytail over my shoulder and twisted it in one hand while he paid, a
gesture I’d almost grown out of but still resorted to for thinking
occasionally.

When
he was done, he stood and held out a hand for me. I paused for a moment, pretty
sure he’d never done that when we’d been at school.

Three
years…what else has changed?

I
let my hand linger, reaching forward and wrapping it around his wrist as I took
a moment to look in his eyes.

“Thank
you, Seth.”

My
voice was soft, and I hoped he could tell just how much I meant those words -
for everything - because I wasn’t sure I could express it any other way.

Something
sparked in his eyes briefly before they became unknown gray depths again and he
simply nodded at me, taking my hand again as he led us back towards the car.

Now
just to get home in one piece. That should be the easy part, right?

Chapter Nine

Seth

“…backed up along the 580, no movement
there. Severe delays expected, avoid the area if you can. We’ll keep you
updated…”

The
radio switched back to music as I surveyed the harsh red lights glaring at me
from the endless cars stacked bumper-to-bumper, fingers tapping impatiently on
the steering wheel. I’d been fine for the first hour of deadlock, but now the
waiting was starting to grate on me. A quick glance at the dashboard showed me
the time was well past eleven and I looked around again at the empty fields to
either side of the over-f road, fighting the urge to divert off-road and
roar through the country.

The
tough little truck could survive it without a problem. The carefully planted
fields, not so much. And I didn’t quite think Bella wanted to risk topping this
day off with a potential lawsuit. She
was
starting to shift around on
the seat, though - impatient, wriggling curves that kept drawing my eye and
giving momentary distraction from the tedium.

“Some
day, huh?”

At
least her voice had its familiar humor in it now - the way she’d withdrawn
after that attack had worried me for a little. But she was made of stronger
stuff than she realized, and seemed to be largely over the shock.

Hot
anger stirred through me at the thought and I cursed myself again. I should
never have let us wander around those areas after dark - they could be bad
enough during the day, and I knew better. But we’d been having fun, and some
stupid part of me kind of liked the way the trip had lit something up inside
her. I hadn’t wanted to draw it to a close.

That’s
what you get for ignoring your instincts, idiot.

“Yeah,
guess future invitations are out, hmm?”

She
laughed and shook her head.

“Or
I just let you choose the location. What were you thinking, anyway?”

I
gave a wry smile at that, thinking how differently this day had turned out.

“One
of the famed beaches we’ve got around here, maybe. Chance to laze in the sand,
enjoy the weather…the view…”

One
view in particular.

My
mind traveled back to its image of Bella in her bikini earlier today and heat
shot to my groin again, making me regret letting my thoughts stray. Not that
they’d been on much else the whole day. This trip had meant to be a light,
relaxing thing - a chance to spend a bit of time with my fiery minx and maybe
make a few overtures, start to reconcile a little. I certainly hadn’t had
today’s adventure in my mind when I’d suggested it, but to my surprise I hadn’t
really minded the change in plan, amusing myself with finding different ways to
get under her skin. Of course, she’d ended up reciprocating, until that
sweet-sharp tension between us had started slipping into territory forgotten
for three long years, both of us steadfastly ignoring the effects of that. But
after the whole day of her around me, tantalizing every scent with something
I’d once had, my self-control was starting to slip. As the hardness my jeans
barely disguised attested to.

There
was no way I should be thinking that way, not after everything that had
happened, but the danger had only ramped everything up even more. As if some
primal part of me was terrified by that near-miss, leaving me desperate to take
her, own her, possess her, before it was too late.

It
didn’t make sense. But that didn’t change a damned thing.

“Mm,
that would’ve worked…I pretty much live in the sea this time of year.”

Grateful
for the distraction, I made an act of shuddering and shaking my head.

“No
thanks - not unless the water is several degrees warmer than it’s likely to
be.”

She
raised an eyebrow at that.

“My
SEAL doesn’t like the water?”

My
SEAL.

And
suddenly I was crazy hot again, though I didn’t want to think about what was
behind that reaction. Shoving it away, I forced myself back to the
light-hearted exchange.

“The
cold. Spend enough time freezing as it is - not going anywhere near that by
choice.”

I
saw her digesting that a moment, then she returned to the original question.

“Well
next time, you’re definitely picking.”

“I’ll
hold you to that, babe.”

If
there was a next time, I wasn’t going to miss that chance.

We
crawled along a little further, and I barely managed to disguise my frustration
as my eyes kept flicking to the clock ticking up on the dashboard. We were
never going to get home at any reasonable hour. Bella huffed beside me,
shifting yet again in her seat.

“You
would’ve thought I’d be glad for boredom…”

Her
muttered comment made me smile, and I couldn’t resist the slow look I gave her.

“Well
if you want something to do…I could think of a few things.”

My
tone left no doubt what I meant, and I waited for the same rebuttal I’d
received all day. Instead, her whole body turned a lovely shade of pink and she
glanced away from me, her breathing catching a little. My gaze sharpened
instantly, blood roaring in anticipation even as I tried to force it down.

God
damn.

Somehow,
I wasn’t quite prepared to see the impact my simmering interest had on her. The
air thickened between us with every moment of silence and I found my mind going
all sorts of forbidden places, suddenly populating with ideas of all the fun
things that could be done in a car…

OK,
that’s it. No more time trapped in here together.

We
were coming up on a small junction, leading off into the middle of nowhere, but
I swung the car round and off it, hammering the acceleration a little more than
necessary just because I could. The truck had missed actual speed. Bella turned
to me, confused.

“You
have another route?”

“Nah,
girl, we’re not getting back tonight. It’s almost midnight - by the time that
mess is cleared and we’re on our way home, we won’t be there ‘til the early
hours of the morning. No point trying.”

She
was silent as she considered that, but I was already handling the car away from
the highway, glad for the break from the tedious scenery and the opportunity to
feel the road under me again.

It
was only a couple of miles before my instincts proved accurate and I found the
small cluster of service shops designed to satisfy bored travelers - the neon
lights of a motel lighting up alongside. I slanted a glance at Bella.

“Well?”

She
looked at me uncertainly, but I could tell she had no desire to get back in
that headache. As I shifted the truck into the waiting space, she finally
sighed and nodded. There wasn’t much space available, actually - the place was
probably full with others who’d had the same idea. I frowned at that, but we
headed to the entrance without comment.

It
didn’t look too bad, actually, I’d been expecting a slightly sleazy
establishment but it seemed clean and well-kept for what it was. The guy
manning the desk was clean-shaven and almost professional looking, too. I gave
him a smile as he looked up from his papers at us.

“Do
you have a room available for the night? Twin?”

The
last word had been hard to force past my lips, but I wasn’t going to push
too
far. Bella started beside me anyway, glaring in my direction.

“
A
room. Don’t you mean two?”

I
laid a hand around her waist, pulling her closer to me as that familiar
arrogant smile slipped over my face. She didn’t try to stop me, and I could
feel the way her body hitched under my grasp.

God
damn, this woman was going to be the death of me.

“You’re
not leaving my sight, remember?”

She
stiffened in indignation, but it didn’t stop the way she leaned in
instinctively as she glanced around the motel and reconsidered. After earlier,
she was at least prepared to listen to me. Too bad I was now too distracted by
the soft flowery scent of her hair to drag my attention back to the man at the
desk, my body suddenly craving the feeling of her underneath me, picturing
pushing her against the wall and running my lips all the way down her neck…

One
room was a terrible idea. But there was no way I was leaving her alone here
tonight—

“We
don’t have a twin. Just doubles left - you want one or two?”

I
looked back at him, and wondered whether the world was out to get me.

That,
or give me everything I needed…

I
cut that thought out of my head and answered before Bella could.

“One.”

“Seth—”

Her
voice hissed at me but I just turned with an eyebrow up, pretty sure she’d see
the necessity in my decision.

“Yes?”

She
bit her lip as she considered it, and I could feel the delicious tension in her
body, the uncertainty - not because she was worried about what I might do. She
was worried about what
she
might do. The thought made my blood pound
something fierce, and I could feel the tendrils of desire making their way
through every nerve.

“Okay.”

Her
voice was soft, but determined, and I figured she’d made up her mind to resist
the intense undercurrents that were sweeping me along regardless.

I
nodded to the man and he cast a dubious glance at us before handing over the
key - making me remember the swelling on her cheek, and then wonder whether the
guy was trying to judge if he’d have a domestic on his hands. It irritated me
to be seen that way for the
second
time that night, but I let it go -
answering unspoken questions only made you guilty in most people’s eyes.

I
kept my arm around Bella as I walked her to our room, luxuriating in the soft
curves under me and trying to tell myself tonight really wasn’t about that. I’d
wanted to seduce the girl, sure - had considered taking our banter further so
many times today. But now didn’t seem the time for it. We were tired, irritated
and had too much going on in our heads from the incident earlier. The idea of a
double bed, though…

I
let her go as soon as we were in the room, looking around with a small nod. The
place wasn’t big - certainly nothing compared to the last hotel room we’d been
in together - but it was clean, efficient, and had everything needed to crash
for the night. I shut the door and Bella looked at me uncertainly, obviously
ill at ease with this arrangement.

“T-shirts
and underwear, no snuggling, no taking more than your half of the covers - and
I’ll even let you use the bathroom first. Fair?”

She
nodded and disappeared into the bathroom without saying a word, and I could
hardly believe my feminine tempest had grown meek. But I guess she’d been
through a lot today.

Most
of the guys I knew would’ve surrendered the bed completely, and I could feel
Dale’s disapproval already, but they had the whole chivalry thing going on.
Women were for protecting and cherishing and all that shit. Maybe the kind of
women they’d grown up with, but I didn’t really see that it made much
difference whether you had balls or tits…tits might be softer and sweeter
perhaps, but just as treacherous.

Those
guys might have smoothed a few of my edges, improved my manners a little -
there was no doubt it helped in luring girls into bed - but that didn’t change
who I was, and I was only going to go so far.

I
shrugged off my jeans and thanked whatever deity might be listening that my
interest had at least calmed with Bella’s disappearance. Maybe tonight would be
alright after all.

Then
she emerged from the bathroom, her light t-shirt barely reaching the purple
silken panties I kept catching glimpses of, and I realized I might have
misjudged my instructions.

I
tried not to stare and soak in every part of her. Honestly I did. For a few
seconds.

When
I somehow managed to shift my focus to her sparkling emerald eyes, to my
surprise they were lit with pleasure, absorbed as she watched my hot gaze
devour her. No outrage or objection.

My
jacket still hung open around her shoulders, the large fabric reaching down to
mid-thigh and flapping against her hips. It looked perfect on her. Seemingly
unaware of my thoughts, she shrugged it off and held it out to me, offering it
back.

I
wanted to tell her to keep it. To put it back on. To never take it off.

They
were nonsensical thoughts and instead I accepted it back, hanging it over the
back of the chair already holding my jeans. I was beyond telling myself to cut
it out. I stepped towards her almost unconsciously, my body moving with that
slow, seductive grace I couldn’t help when I was so focused on something. It
was like every part of me narrowed down to that one point of attention, noting
every intake of breath, every beat of her pulse in her neck, everything I
wanted. Everything I was going to make mine.