Dare: A Stepbrother Romance (16 page)

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

SOPHIE

“Sophie! Are you awake?”

I called out towards the door, my mind still foggy from too much sleep. “I am now.”

I’d previously told my Mom that I’d come down with some sort of cold for the last forty-eight hours. I didn’t need to add to her misery by telling her what had happened to me with the pregnancy.

She pushed my door open and came in, looking surprisingly upbeat.

“Are you feeling any better? It’s almost two P.M. You’ve been in bed all day,” she said.

“I know. I’m better. I’m just tired,” I said.

It wasn’t exactly a lie. The cramping and bleeding seemed to have mostly stopped after two days, and now I just felt exhausted. Cerie and Lana had been in and out of the house, bringing me ice cream and chocolate and chicken soup, all to try and make me feel better, but right now I didn’t feel anything other than sadness. I thought it was strange how an early miscarriage could affect a person so much. I hadn’t been trying for a baby, and I hadn’t even
known
that I was pregnant before it happened, so why was I so damned miserable?

A wide grin spread across Mom’s face as she sat on the edge of my bed, and I frowned. “Why are you so happy?” I asked.

“Because,” she declared. “I have some news for you. We got him. We’re going to win.”

I sat bolt upright. “What?”

“I spoke to Kevin. He said Drew contacted him, and he’s willing to testify against his father. We were wrong, honey. Drew didn’t know. He found that stuff in the office when he was looking for something else, and we just happened to walk in at the same time.”

My stomach did nervous flip-flops. I didn’t know whether to be happy, sad or angry. I should have been happy to discover that Drew hadn’t done anything and that he was going to help us destroy Tony, but at the same time I couldn’t help but wonder – why hadn’t he come to me and told me he was innocent of all the wrongdoings I’d been mentally accusing him of? Why leave me hanging for nine days? On top of that, I felt a crushing sense of guilt. I’d automatically assumed he was helping his father, and I hadn’t even tried to contact him either to make sure I was right in assuming so. We were both at fault, in a way.

“So…that’s it. We won.”

“Well, not yet. But we will. Kevin said Tony’s lawyers are really worried, and they’re now pushing to make some sort of settlement so it doesn’t go to court. But I don’t want that. I don’t want his money. I just wanted my land back, and also for him to get a taste of some sweet justice,” Mom said. “And I got the land already! They’ve already conceded that much. It’s officially mine again. The sale to Haynes was voided.”

I pushed the blankets down and reached for my cell phone. “I need to call Drew.”

Mom grabbed my phone. “Not now. You can do that later. Cerie and Lana just pulled up in the drive.”

“Huh? I didn’t invite them over today.”

She smiled. “I know. I did. I thought a nice girly day would be good for you, and they’ve helped me arrange a little surprise for you.”

I almost had to laugh at her eagerness to make me feel better. She was the one whose last two husbands had turned out to be total psychopaths, and yet she seemed to be dealing with it really well now that all the tears were out of her system.

I quickly dressed and brushed my hair, and when I finally headed downstairs, Cerie and Lana were sitting in the lounge room with mischievous smiles lighting up their pretty faces.

“How are you feeling?” Cerie asked.

“Mostly just tired. So what’s this about a surprise?” I asked.

They giggled.

“You’ll see. But we have to blindfold you.”

I glanced at my Mom, and she nodded. “Go ahead. Don’t worry, honey, we aren’t going to wrap you in plastic and throw you off a cliff.”

“That was so oddly specific that now I’m worried you’re all about to do exactly that,” I replied.

They all laughed at that, and my head spun with confusion as they wrapped a blindfold around my head and led me to the car. “Where are we going? And why is Mom coming?” I asked.

“I told you…you’ll see,” Cerie said.

We drove for what felt like an eternity, and I grumbled from the backseat. “Are we going all the way to New Zealand?”

“Not quite. Don’t worry, we’re almost there.”

A few minutes later, they helped me out of the car and then guided me a few feet away. I could hear birds chirping in the distance, and a cool breeze swished my hair around my shoulders. The air was fresh and clean, and I took a deep breath. Were we at a beach or something? No, I couldn’t hear any waves crashing…it must have been a park. But why would they bring me to a park?

“Are you ready?” Cerie asked.

I heard Lana whispering something to my Mom, and I strained to hear what they were saying. I could have sworn I heard her mention Drew, but I had no idea why. Cerie pulled the blindfold off a second later, and my eyes widened as I realized where we were standing. We were on Mom’s land, and there were several cars and trucks parked up along with a sign with the name of a construction company on it.

“Um…I don’t get it.”

A deep voice sounded behind me.

“You will in a minute.”

I spun around to see Drew standing there, a grin on his handsome face. Oh god. He was here. My heart fluttered at the sight of him, and he took a step towards me and motioned towards the construction company sign.

“See that?”

“Yes. What’s going on?” I replied, whirling around to face my Mom. “Please tell me you haven’t decided to sell the land after all.”

“Nope,” Drew replied. “It’s still hers. But she’s letting me do something with it, using my trust fund. We both agreed that it was a good idea.”

“What are you doing?”

“See those guys over there?” he said, pointing to a few men in the distance in high-vis work-wear. “They’re surveying the land to figure out exactly where and how we should build. We’re building a larger, proper summer camp for the kids on part of it, near where the original cabins are. And on the other side, we’re going to be putting in a bunch of houses. Nothing overly-fancy, just your average houses. We’re donating them to a charity, and they’re going to be used to shelter families that have been victims of domestic violence. Your Mom and I agreed that it’s an important cause, considering what you’ve both been through with your Dad in the past.”

I was flabbergasted. “But that…it’ll cost millions to build all of that.”

He grinned. “I know. It’s going to take every cent of my trust fund.”

Mom stepped over to me and put her arm around me. “After I spoke to Kevin, Drew called me. We’ve been planning this for two days.”

“Wait…you’ve known for that long?”

“I’m sorry, honey. I wanted to tell you the good news as soon as I heard, but Drew wanted to keep this as a surprise,” she said, flashing me a puppy-dog expression. “Now, we’ll give you two a minute.”

She walked away with Cerie and Lana, and I turned back to Drew. I wanted to kiss him. I wanted to jump into his arms. Instead, I did the opposite. I smacked him right in the chest.

“You…you prick! You should’ve told me you were helping us! I’ve been sitting around thinking you lied to me and betrayed me and my Mom, and this whole time you were actually a good person!”

He chuckled and held my arms back before affecting a more serious expression. “I know, I know. I’m sorry. I didn’t think you’d believe me if I tried to tell you I had nothing to do with Dad’s plan. I don’t exactly have the best track record with you.”

“You should have told me. I would’ve believed you. We made that total honesty pact, remember? Seriously, Drew…you should have told me.”

“Well, next time you catch me with a bagful of incriminating evidence, I’ll tell you, if you promise not to run away before I get a chance.”

I stared into those unbelievably blue eyes of his and finally smiled for what felt like the first time in forever.

“You did this for me. And my Mom.”

“Yep. So do you like the development idea?”

“I love it. It’s perfect.”

“Well, I love you. And you’re perfect.”

And just like that, he was wrapping his arms around me and sweeping me into an embrace that I wanted to last forever. His mouth pressed against mine, tongue sliding past my lips as goose bumps cropped up all over my arms, and my whole body buzzed with happiness.

“I forgot. There’s one more thing,” he said, breaking away a second later.

He walked over to his car and returned a moment later, holding two wine glasses filled with…mac and cheese? Holy hell.

“I thought we should toast the occasion,” he said.

“You can’t be serious.”

“C’mon, don’t you remember that night at the camp?”

“I do,” I said, smiling as he handed me a glass. “Er…cheers?”

He slid an arm around my shoulder and gestured towards the land.

“You told me ages ago that you thought this land had more than financial worth. You were right. My Dad would have made a hundred million or so if he developed it all into vacation houses. What we’re doing instead…it might not make us anything, but it’s worth a lot more.”

“Do you remember what else I said a while ago?”

“What?”

“That you act like a douche but you’re secretly a good person. I guess I was right about that all along.”

He chuckled, and I took a deep breath and turned to him. “Drew…there’s something I need to tell you.”

His forehead creased with concern at my tone. “What is it?”

Slowly and haltingly, I told him what had happened earlier in the week with me discovering I was pregnant and then later finding out that I’d already lost it. His eyes widened, and he pulled me close to him in a bear hug.

“Shit. Sophie…I’m so sorry. I wish I’d known. I wish I’d been there. I should’ve called you. I thought waiting was the best thing to do, but fuck…”

“I should’ve called you too,” I said, my voice muffled by his hard chest. “It just all happened so fast.”

“We’ll get through this,” he said. “We always do, babe.”

He was right. In the space of just a couple of months, we’d been on a veritable rollercoaster of emotions, So many things had happened, and we’d experienced more craziness and heartache in the last few weeks than most people did in a lifetime.

We’d get through this.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

DREW

Three and a half years later

“What do you think? Will the necklace look good with this dress?”

Sophie did a twirl in her lilac silk dress before holding up the necklace I’d given her two years ago, and I grinned. “I hate to say something so crude in front of my mother’s necklace, but I think the only way to improve that dress is by having you take it off.”

She pouted and smacked me on the arm. “You’re disgusting, Mr. Buckley.”

“And you’re damned sexy, Ms. Ramirez. Get over here.”

She shrieked as I swept her up in my arms and carried her over to the bed. “Careful! The necklace!”

I put the delicate jewelry aside and then reached for the zipper of her dress, and she squirmed and playfully tried to fight me off.

“Drew, for God’s sake, the wedding is in half an hour!”

“Yeah, I know. I’m helping you out. The messy bed hair look is in this season.”

She gave in with a giggle, throwing her head back and allowing me to pepper her neck with kisses.

You’d never believe whose wedding we were about to go to, but Marie had found love again. Real love this time, when she’d least expected it. Three and a half years ago, when she’d hired Lana’s Dad, Kevin, as her divorce lawyer, they’d fallen for each other. And yes, Lana’s Dad was single at the time – Sophie told me he and Lana’s Mom had split up when she was only a child.

Unsurprisingly, Marie had been very wary of entering into any new relationships after the shit her ex-husband had done, not to mention the hell my Dad had put her through, and she had made Kevin wait for it. They’d been dating for something like three years and four months before she finally agreed to marry him, and when she’d said yes, Sophie, Lana and Cerie had helped throw together a wedding in just a few weeks.

I was honestly shocked that Sophie had the time to pull that off. College was crazy for her at the moment, and it seemed like she was always buried under a ton of essays and exams. She was doing great, though, and she was very near the top of her class. We were living together at her Mom’s house in Redmond, but I hoped to change that soon. I’d pulled in several good modeling contracts, and I was making a decent amount of money from that. Not enough to match the amount I’d become accustomed to when I was living with my Dad, but it was still a very comfortable living.

Speaking of my Dad…well, he was in a federal prison courtesy of the fraud charges Kevin had successfully brought against him. The reins of his company had been handed over to his second-in-charge, a guy named Ron Abra, and Ron had actually offered me a highly-paid position there, despite the fact that it was my testimony that got the original CEO sent to jail. Apparently Ron valued integrity a lot more than my father did. I’d turned the position down, though. I didn’t want anything to do with my Dad’s company, even if he was no longer in charge.

Fuck that. All I wanted and needed was what I had right here beneath me – Sophie.

Pulling back, I yanked off her dress, and she no longer seemed to care about me possibly messing her hair or the fabric up. I slid her panties down over her legs, and I couldn’t resist lashing her pussy with my tongue as I did so, drawing out a long moan from her. Her taste instantly made me rock hard, and I couldn’t wait to be inside her, feeling her perfect pussy massaging me to perfection.

“Hurry up,” she said, watching me strip out of my clothes a second later.

Her mouth parted when she saw my cock, as if it was the first time she’d ever seen it, and that look on her face made me want to cum straight away. Jesus, after so long, she still had this effect on me. She reached over and began pumping her hand up and down along my shaft, and when I climbed back on top of her, she guided it to her slit. I teased her, rubbing it up and down until she arched her back and begged me to fuck her, and only then did I let the tip slide in.

“More!” she moaned, and I grinned.

“I dunno…we really should get to this wedding.”

“Screw you. No, screw
me
,” she said.

As I pushed in one more inch, she squeezed her muscles around my cock, and that was it. I was gone. She’d asked for it, and she was going to get it. I thrust my cock all the way in, nice and hard, and she cried out and dug her nails into my back as her pussy stretched to fit me. She threw her head back again, her silky dark hair splaying out around her head on the pillowcase, and I reached under her and pulled her closer to me as I fucked her, slowly but surely.

“Mmm…oh god…Drew.”

She urged me on, her voice barely more than a moaning whisper, and I picked up the pace, making her scream as I slammed into her harder and faster. Sophie jerked her head up, and her lips met mine in a crushingly-hard kiss. I could tell she was already on the verge of coming, and I reached down and slid a hand in between our writhing bodies, making sure her clit was stimulated to the max.

“Oh, fuck,” she gasped out.

She wrapped her legs around my back, pinning me inside her as she rode out the first waves of her climax.

The best part for me was always when she came. Her muscles began to spasm around my cock, squeezing and milking it for everything I had, and I groaned and let go, flooding her with my hot seed. I kept driving into her as she moaned, making her take every last drop I had, and she arched up to meet my lips again. My kiss muted her moans, and finally we both went still, our ragged breaths the only sound in the room as we recovered from our orgasms.

“God, I love a quickie,” she said.

“You saying I don’t last long?” I said with a grin, pinching her nipple.

“Like I said a long time ago, you’re about a three out of ten,” she teased. “But I might get so drunk at the reception later that you have a chance at being a five.”

“A five? Shit, it’s my lucky day.”

We hurriedly dressed so we could make it to the wedding in time. It was being held at a quaint little bed and breakfast that looked like something straight out of the Gilmore Girls, a show that Sophie had forced me to watch with her about a hundred times. An arrangement of white chairs and a carpeted aisle had been set up in a pretty garden, and the groom stood at the end of the aisle under an ivy-covered arch.

I found a seat near the front, and I turned and watched the bridesmaids and flower girl slowly walking down the aisle. Sophie was the last to walk, and she winked at me as she caught my eye. Her hair was still a little mussed up from our earlier romp, but it didn’t look bad. It somehow looked effortlessly stylish, and I practically salivated as I watched her swaying steps, hypnotized by her body in that dress. Most people thought bridesmaid’s dresses were purposefully ugly to make the bride look better, but Sophie looked like an angel no matter what she was wearing.

As the marriage celebrant took us through the ceremony, I barely heard a word. It wasn’t that I didn’t care about Marie’s wedding; of course I did. I just couldn’t concentrate, because my eyes were glued to Sophie. There were plenty of other women here, but they all paled in comparison to her, and for a minute, I genuinely couldn’t remember what my life had been like before her. Ah, that’s right – it had been bullshit. Having her come back into my life was the best thing that could have happened to me, and as the celebrant continued to drone on and on, I knew exactly what I wanted.

I wanted to see Sophie up at the end of that aisle again. Not as a bridesmaid.

As my wife.