Hurricane Stepbrother (2 page)

“Wow,” Erik said, letting out a low whistle of appreciation as he entered the kitchen a few minutes past seven. “Don’t you think this is a bit overboard?”

The internet had gone out around four and I couldn’t find anything on television to hold my interest. Since I didn’t know if Erik wanted me bothering him or not, I had tried to find another way to occupy myself. I cracked open a novel I had been meaning to read, but every clap of thunder took me out of the story and eventually, I settled on going down to begin dinner.

Which… Yeah. As I took in how full the kitchen counter had gotten of my creations, I realized that I
had
gone overboard.

“Storms make me nervous,” I explained, feeling young and stupid for admitting such a thing. “I just needed something to do.”

Erik’s lips curled into a bright, genuine smile as he walked to my side and reached for a plate. “I’m not complaining. I rarely get a home-cooked meal.”

“No?” I questioned, wanting to keep the conversation going if I could. I didn’t know how long the storm was going to last and I hated the idea of the two of us spending the time in awkward, stilted silence. “Why not?”

He half-shrugged as his eyes took in all the food on the counter. He reached for a serving spoon and started filling his plate as he said, “Well, I don’t really stay in one place for long and I can’t cook.”

“Your girlfriend doesn’t cook for you?” I asked curiously. I had scoped out his ring finger earlier and found it bare, so I knew he wasn’t married. But I had a hard time believing that a man who looked as good as him had a hard time getting a girlfriend.

His hand paused as he reached for the bowl of mashed potatoes and he turned his head to the side to look at me. My breath caught in my throat as his striking eyes searched my face, looking for
something
.

“No girlfriend.”

“Oh… Sorry, I just assumed.”

“Did you? Or were you just fishing?”

He ended his sentence with a mischievous smile, but I couldn’t make myself smile back at him. I gulped, trying my damndest to hold his gaze even though it felt like I was going to spontaneously combust at any moment.

“I was teasing,” he whispered, leaning in a little and jostling my shoulder with his own. “Catching up on all those stepsibling interactions we’ve missed all these years.”

My heart deflated as he mentioned our relation. I growled at myself in my head, knowing it was incredibly stupid and naïve to have a crush on a man who I’d literally just met for the first time. I didn’t know him
at all
. I had no reason to feel upset.

After he loaded his plate, I began filling my own. After I’d gotten at least a small helping of everything, wanting to taste test all my food, I sat down at the table across from Erik. I plucked a napkin from the holder before grabbing my fork and diving in.

I was nearly moaning at the taste of my roasted chicken when I felt his eyes on me. I looked up, taking in the slow movement of his mouth as he chewed and the highly raised eyebrow.

“What?”

He smiled then held up a finger, finishing the food in his mouth before speaking. “Nothing. It’s just… It’s nice to see a woman with a healthy appetite.”

While I tried my best to take it as a compliment, I couldn’t stop the sarcastic reply from flying out of my mouth.

“I’m pretty sure that was obvious the moment we met,” I said dryly, motioning down to my curvy frame. “I’m not exactly a supermodel.”

His eyebrows furrowed together and I could see the helpless look in his eyes, unsure of how to respond to my self-degradation. I looked away, digging back into my plate of food and feigning ignorance, more than willing to pretend this whole thing never happened.

Way to make things even
more
awkward, Kristen.

Eventually, Erik returned to his meal in silence but every now and then, I could feel him watching me. I was nearly fed up with his scrutiny and about to snap at him when the sound of his chair pushing back hit my ears. A moment of panic hit me when I considered the fact that he might just go hibernate in the guest room for the rest of the evening.

The idea of that freaked me out. Because the sun was starting to go down and I could hear the wind and rain picking up as the storm got closer. I really didn’t want to be left alone if I had another option.

Storms scared me enough as it was. Storms at
night
freaked me out even more.

“Do you want to play a board game?” I blurted out, then slapped my palm against my forehead.

What the fuck is wrong with me?

Erik’s eyes widened with surprise, but his smile was genuine as he asked, “A board game? Are you serious?”

“Uh… I mean, we could do something else. Just- Just don’t go?”

Erik’s eyes softened and he turned away, rinsing his plate in the sink before moving to stick it in the dishwater. “You’re really afraid of storms, huh?”

“Only the really bad ones,” I said quietly.

“Is this one supposed to be bad?”

I nodded as he turned back to face me. “Last I heard it had strengthened to a category three.”

“Thankfully we’re pretty far inland. At least we won’t get flooded.”

“We shouldn’t. But that doesn’t mean we won’t,” I noted, unable to keep the fear from my voice. “But let’s not even talk about it.”

“Right, new subject. So,” he started with a grin as he leaned back against the counter and folded his strong arms across his chest. “What kind of board games do you have?”

~*~*~

I couldn’t even begin to describe how lame I felt as I scanned through the stack of board games in the top of my closet, Erik standing directly behind me as I did so. It was strange in many ways, primarily because this was the first time I ever had a guy in my bedroom without either my mom or Gerald being home and insisting the door be left open.

I glanced back to look at Erik, noting how his eyes were completely focused on the titles of board games and not sweeping over the contents my room like he did with the rest of the house. I wondered if he felt like it was an invasion of privacy to do so. Regardless of his reasoning, I was grateful.

“I don’t remember the last time I played a board game.”

“For a while, we had a designated board game night. Once a week, the three of us would sit down together and play something. I think my mom was trying to force bonding time.”

Erik scoffed, the sound reminding me of why I shouldn’t mention things like this to him. Before I had a chance to retract my statement he opened his mouth and said, “Bonding? What a fucking joke.”

I’m so stupid.

“I’m sorry- I didn’t mean to bring that up. I just-”

“Maybe this isn’t such a good idea,” Erik said abruptly, turning around and marching out of my room with the focus of a laser, his eyes never once wandering to any of the other belongings scattered about.

I felt a wave of panic wash over me. Was he abandoning me now? After I had admitted how terrified I was of the storm? Surely he wouldn’t just leave me alone because of an unintentional slip. I knew he was sensitive about the subject of his father, but I couldn’t have predicted this reaction.

Either way, I chased after him. After a loud crack of thunder shook the house I shouted, “Erik!”

He froze, sighing heavily as his hand pause mid-reach to the door knob of the guest room. “I’m really tired, Kristen.”

“But what about board games? I promise I won’t bring him up again. Please,” I added for good measure, hoping he wouldn’t continue to hold the slip against me.

For a moment he looked torn, his eyes glancing between me and the door to the guest room. His gaze went back and forth a few times before finally landing back on me and a small smile eventually appeared.

“Alright, pick something and meet me in the living room.”

I didn’t question his change of heart, I just ran back to my room and grabbed the easiest to reach box in my closet before dashing to the living room. I couldn’t describe how grateful I was that he was willing to do this for me, even if it was rather embarrassing to admit that I was afraid of the weather.

“So what’d you get?” he asked from his position on the floor in front of the coffee table.

I didn’t even know what game I had grabbed until I finally looked down and noticed that it was Clue. Clue definitely wasn’t my favorite game to play, especially not with the creepy sounds of thunder and heavy wind right outside.

But Erik was here and I wasn’t going to just let him walk away. I needed his company.

After I plopped the box down on the table, he started to pull it apart and took hold of the instructions, looking down at them with a quizzical expression.

“I don’t think I’ve played a board game in fifteen years,” he muttered.

The reminder of our age difference spiked my curiosity and I asked, “How old are you now?”

“Pushing thirty,” he said with a long sigh, running his hand through his hair. “Although it doesn’t feel like it. Sometimes, I still feel like I’m twenty-one.”

His gaze left the instruction manual and focused on the wall behind me, those light blue eyes glazing over with a faraway expression. I started to pull the game pieces out of the box while I wondered what memories he was reliving.

“I don’t remember how to play this,” I mumbled in irritation as I looked down at the pieces, unsure of how to set up the game.

Erik laughed, the sound so unexpected that it made me look up at him with surprise.

“We don’t have to do this you know.”

“Do what?”

He gestured to the scattered pieces of the game on the coffee table. “
This
. If you don’t want to be alone, we can just talk or something.”

“Really?”

“Sure,” he agreed readily, already reaching for the game box and shoving the pieces back in. “So how old are you?”

“Just turned twenty-one.”

Even though he wasn’t fully facing me, I could see his eyebrows raise and a grin appear. “Oh yeah? Enjoying it so far?”

“Feels pretty much the same as twenty, just easier to get beer.” Erik hummed in agreement and I narrowed my eyes slightly. “Aren’t you going to tell me it’s all downhill from here?”

He paused, looking up at me curiously. “Now why would I say that?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know. Everyone just keeps telling me that.”

Erik shook his head. “I wouldn’t say that because I don’t think it’s true.”

“You didn’t seem very excited when you said you were almost thirty,” I pointed out.

“True, but that’s just… Well, damn. It’s different. This is the end of my twenties. Let me mourn the loss,” he said with a chuckle, jokingly holding up his hand in mock surrender. After a moment of laughter, he lowered his hands and his expression faded into something more serious. “But really, it’s not all downhill. In some ways, it gets even better.”

“How so?”

Irritation fleetingly passed over his face but before I could take back my question, he started to hesitantly speak. “It’s hard to explain. You just… You get more sure of yourself. More sure of the things you want and the things you
need
.”

“Do you think twenty-one year olds are incapable of knowing what they want?” I asked with an arched eyebrow, not liking the insinuation.

“I’m not saying that at all. But, in my experience at least, everything gets easier to figure out the older you get.”

“Does it get easier to figure out other people?” I asked curiously, hoping he wouldn’t follow where my train of thought had gone.

He gave me a knowing expression and I felt my heartbeat flutter.

“Somewhat.”

We stared at each other in silence, neither of us sure how to go about continuing the conversation. I had accidently taken it to a weird place and I wasn’t sure how to get out of it.

Then the house lit up as a bolt of lightning struck right outside the window and the roar of thunder that followed made me jump. I caught the sight of Erik’s eyes widening in surprise before the power abruptly cut off, the entire house becoming encased in blackness.

I screamed.

~*~*~

“Kristen!”

I slammed my mouth closed, cutting off my scream in my throat. I could hear Erik moving around the room and I jumped when I felt a hand touch my leg.

“Are you alright?”

“I-I’m sorry,” I whispered, hoping he could hear my voice over the sound of the rain pounding down on the roof.

“You don’t have to apologize,” he replied, gently tapping his fingers up my leg as he tried to locate my hand in the darkness. “Just stay calm. I’m sure the power will be back on soon.”

After he found my hand I felt the couch cushion dip beside me as he sat down. He kept my hand in his and I winced when I felt my palm beginning to sweat, knowing that there was no way he hadn’t noticed. Being the gentleman that he apparently was, he didn’t mention it. Instead, he just twisted his wrist until he could rub his thumb comfortingly over the back of my hand.

His touch felt like one of a lover; comforting, sensual, and intimate. With every swipe of his skin over mine, I could feel little jolts of warmth shoot through me.

After a few long moments of sitting silently in each other’s company, I could feel his body turned towards me as he said, “I’ve got a bad feeling that the power isn’t coming back on tonight.”

“Same here,” I said with a sigh. I wasn’t happy about the turn of events but I couldn’t say it was unexpected. It wasn’t the first time a hurricane knocked out our power, and judging by the heavy rain and wind, it wouldn’t surprise me if it stayed out for longer than just tonight.

“Do you have any candles?”

“Yeah, in the kitchen.”

I felt Erik grip my wrist as he started to stand. “Come on. I can help you into the kitchen, but I don’t know where the candles are. You’ll have to find them.”

I hesitantly stood up and followed behind him as he started to guide me around the coffee table. I was probably walking a lot slower than he wanted me to, but considering I couldn’t see where I was going, I was perfectly happy with my speed. Even though I lived in this house for the majority of my life, it wasn’t any easier to navigate in the darkness.

“Kristen?”

“Yeah?”

“You alright?”

It was then that I realized he had stopped walking and even though I couldn’t see anything, I knew he was facing me was a worried expression. I can hear my own breathing becoming rapid over the sound of the storm as I began to panic.

I took a few deep breaths, letting them out slowly, before I finally replied, “I’ll be fine. Keep going.”

It took us a few minutes, but eventually we managed to make it into the kitchen unscathed. Once I felt the cool steel of the refrigerator against my palms, I slowly slid my hands down the countertop until I reached the drawer where I knew we kept candles for emergencies. Thankfully, I also easily located the box of matches my mom kept in the drawer as well. It had been a long time since we needed to use them and I hope they weren’t all duds.

I shakily placed the candlesticks on the counter and opened the box of matches, managing to strike one lit on the first try. I lifted a taper candle and held it to the flame, sighing with relief as the room lit up.

I immediately turned towards Erik with a proud grin, but it faded off my face when I realized how he was looking at me. The concern was evident on his face, he was obviously unused to anyone being so terrified of storms. Or of the dark. Embarrassed by my childlike behavior, I turned away from him, looking back at the candles on the countertop and lighting one for him.

“Thanks,” he said as he took the lit candle from my hand.

I didn’t look him in the eye, not wanting to see pity in his gaze. Not for the first time since he showed up, I felt incredibly young.

“Do you have holders for these?”

I reopened the drawer and pulled out the taper holders, passing a few of them to him along with a few more candles. I grabbed a handful for myself and without waiting for a response, I began walking back into the living room.

After I set up my lit candle on the coffee table, I lit another to put on the other end of the table. Satisfied with how well lit the room was now, I sat back down on the couch. I didn’t look up as Erik made his way into the room.

“Are you mad at me?”

I released a long sigh while shaking my head. “No, I’m not mad at you. I’m just embarrassed.”

“Embarrassed? What do you have to be embarrassed about?”

I didn’t spare him a glance even as the couch dipped beside me. I stared straight into the flame of the candle as I said, “Being afraid of storms and the dark is rather embarrassing at my age.”

Erik snorted and even though I wasn’t looking his way, I could tell that he was shaking his head. “That’s nothing to be embarrassed about. Everyone has fears, some more logical than others, and some embarrassingly trivial.”

I finally turned to look at him and I easily spotted the honesty on his face. I couldn’t bring myself to admit that the real reason I was embarrassed about my fears was after being made fun of by my ex-boyfriend and his friends one night at a party, when a rather terrifying thunderstorm had rolled through and I had nearly cried at the thought of not being able to make it home.

Instead of telling him my sob story, I simply said, “Thanks, Erik.”

Erik smiled and sat back, getting comfortable against the cushions of the couch while propping his feet up on the coffee table, careful to avoid knocking over any of the candles.

“Not a problem. And I’m more than happy to stay up with you until storm passes or the power comes back on. It’s the least I can do for your hospitality.”

I was going to question what he meant by hospitality when I looked over and noticed that his eyes were shut.

Worried that he was becoming bored with the conversation, I asked, “Do you want me to get you a book or a magazine? I’m sure I can find something.”

He didn’t even open his eyes, he just quietly murmured, “No thanks. I’m good.”

“Well if you don’t mind, I’m going to grab a book from my room. I’ll be right back.”

I didn’t wait for a response, I just picked up one of the candles and slowly made my way towards my bedroom. While I didn’t say it, the main reason I was coming to get my book was to get a moment away from his presence. Even after a few short hours, I could tell Erik was unlike any other man I had met. It made me both wildly curious about him, but at the same time, extremely intimidated.

It didn’t help that he was gorgeous. Every time I looked at him I had to fight back the desire to touch his face, to just run my fingertips down the stubble on his jaw or brush them against his seemingly soft lips.

I silently wished for the power to come back on sooner rather than later, not knowing how long I would be able to be in Erik’s presence without acting on my desire. It was extremely odd for me to have a crush on someone I just met, but I was also aware that it was specific to him.

I’d never felt such a strong pull to anyone before, neither someone I knew for a long time or a stranger.

Another loud crack of thunder outside startled me and I quickly grabbed my book before turning on my heel and marching out of the room, more than willing to spend time with Erik then to be by myself for the remainder of the storm. When I got back in the living room, I frowned when I realized that he wasn’t where I left him.

I slowly entered the room and felt my heart sink when I saw that he had walked over to the mantle above the fireplace with his candle. My mouth dropped open to speak but no words came out.

He must have sensed my presence in the room because he didn’t even turn away from the photographs when he asked, “So you guys were happy?”

“Most of the time,” I said carefully. “Every family has its disagreements and Gerald and my mom fought every now and then… But for the most part, yeah. We were happy.”

He looked back at me and even with only the soft light candle illuminating his face, I could see the pain in his expression as he asked, “What was he like to you? To your mom?”

I frowned, not quite following his meaning.

He quickly clarified, “How did he treat you?”

Even though I only knew the barest details of just how strained Gerald and Erik’s relationship was, I still felt massively uncomfortable answering this question. But Erik had been nothing but honest with me thus far and I felt like I owed it to him to be honest in return. I sat down on the couch and folded my hands between my knees, preparing myself tell Erik about my relationship with his father.

“He was... Gerald never tried to replace my father. But he did treat me like a daughter, like
his
daughter, in some ways. I can’t say we were ever really close, especially once I got a little older. He wasn’t up for talking about boys and he was never happy when I brought one home but overall he was just... Gerald. He was nice, at least to me. And from what I saw, he was nice to my mom as well. Even when they fought, it was clear how much they loved each other.”

I dared a look up at his face, wincing when I saw his expression twisted with a combination of sadness and regret. The urge to comfort him was almost overwhelming, but I had no idea what to say.

“How was Gerald to you?”

It might not have been the smartest thing to ask, but I really wanted to know. Part of me thought that if Erik got whatever it was that was bothering him about Gerald off his chest, we could move past this conversation and back to lighter topics.

But Erik just gave me a sad smile and shook his head. “He didn’t treat me or my mother with the same respect that he treated you and yours. But I won’t taint your memories of him by sharing mine. He’s gone. It’s… irrelevant.”

I stood up with a frown, upset that he felt like he couldn’t tell me the truth. “Tell me.”

“Remember how I said things get easier to figure out as you get older?”

I nodded, even though I failed to see how it was relevant to the conversation.

“One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is that people can change. I’m really glad to hear that Gerald did.”

“If you had known that he’d changed, would you have come back?”

Erik laughed lightly, but there was nothing humorous in the sound. “Even though I’m
aware
that people can change, my memories of my father would have never allowed me to come back and get to know him again. I knew all I needed to know about the man he was.”

There was a sense of finality in his tone that gave me the impression that this conversation was over. I was torn between being grateful that Erik hadn’t elaborated on whatever it was Gerald had done to him and his mother to cause such a rift, and being saddened that a man I thought I knew had obviously treated the family he had before us so terribly.

I didn’t want to think poorly of Gerald, especially right after his death, but I had a nagging suspicion that he wasn’t the man I thought he was.

But then again, like Erik pointed out, people changed.

“It’s getting pretty late. Are you tired?”

I snapped out of my depressing thoughts and looked up at Erik’s inquiring face. “Yeah, but I won’t be able to sleep. Not until the thunder calms down at least.”

He looked hesitant, obviously wanting to say something but not sure if he should. I cocked my head to the side, silently inviting him to say whatever it was that was on his mind.

“If it’ll help... I’ll stay with you.”

It took me a moment to fully grasp the concept of what exactly he was offering. I was torn yet again, wanting nothing more than to curl up in his arms and hide there from the sounds of the storm but also concerned about the possibility of developing even more of a crush on him than I already had.

My head and my heart were at war but neither of them stopped me as I opened my mouth and said, “I’d like that.”

The smile he gave me was genuine and he reached out to me with the hand that wasn’t holding the candle. I slid my palm into his and stood up, grabbing a candle for myself before letting go of his hand and leading him down the hallway.

Once we were outside my bedroom door, I turned to him with a questioning look and asked, “Are you sure you don’t mind? I can sleep on the floor in your room if that works better.”

The look of nervousness on his face slightly put me at ease. “You don’t have a boyfriend who’s going to kill me for sleeping in your bed, right?”

I shook my head, smiling a little before asking, “Are you fishing?”

“It was a legitimate question,” he replied with a grin before nodding his head towards the guest room. “Let me change and I’ll be right in.”

“Okay,” I said quietly, nerves pulsing through me as he turned to walk away. I entered my room and quickly placed the candle on the dresser before opening the drawers and looking for a pair of pajamas that weren’t totally embarrassing.

I slipped out of my clothes and into a pair of black silk shorts and a white tank top. I mentally anguished for a moment about leaving my bra on, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to sleep if I did. I reached behind me and unhooked the garment, pulling it off beneath my shirt and tossing it into my laundry hamper. I hopped into bed and pulled the flat sheet up to my chest, hoping he wouldn’t notice.